My first mistake was stepping onto the podium with the angel. That could have been my end. My second mistake was the one I had just made.
I blinked. My heart lurched.
"Oh my g-d!" I spluttered. I half stepped, half fell off the podium and into the bushes. I stared up at it with leaves in my red hair.
The statue had moved.
It really had moved. It had turned on its spot and nearly grabbed my neck. It had pulled its face into a snarl, and its mouth had grown fangs, all in the moment that I blinked. I screamed. I tried to scramble to my feet, but at that moment, my body felt like it was in one of my nightmares where I couldn't move no matter how hard I tried. It was like I was glued to the branches of the bush. I made another mistake. I blinked again. The next thing I knew was that I was in the air, kicking my feet. I gasped.
"Oh my g-d! This can't be happening!" I howled. The angel had completely stepped off the podium. It was standing next to me, holding me in the air by the hood of my wool coat. I dangled three feet in the air, kicking my legs. I've always hated how the angel was eight feet tall. It has always just increased its creep-o-meter!
I have to stand on my tip toes to get a glance of its face. But I think I see more of its face than I have ever wanted to see.
If it were possible, I could see the murderous hatred in its cold, dead eyes. I was sure, more now than ever, that the statue wanted to kill me. But for some reason, I wasn't that scared. In fact, I was feeling brave!
"Now, hold on, a moment!" I said to the statue. "Please don't kill me!" It didn't reply. Not that I was expecting it to…
I wriggled in my jacket, but it was no use. I was suspended in the air by the sleeves. I kept talking to the angel as I slowly pulled my arms up the sleeve.
"You don't want to drink my blood," I told it, glancing at its fangs. "It's all salty. I am very unhealthy. My blood will make you sick!" I let out a shriek as I freed my arms and fell to the ground. There was a crash as my backpack slammed onto the sidewalk cement. I was grateful that my head, at least, landed on the grass of the flowerbeds. My eyes uncrossed and came into focus. I looked up at the angel, which had bent over me holding my limp, and slightly ripped wool jacket.
"Hey!" I snapped at it. "There is such a thing as personal space you know!" If it were possible, the angel had raised an eyebrow and had a questioning look in its eye. I kept talking. "Hey! That was my favorite coat! You owe me thirty dollars." I stumbled to my feet while staring at its face. I kept complaining to it. "You can keep the money in the pocket." I said to it. "It's only my allowance for three weeks. One more thing;" I continued, as I backed away from the angel. I spun around, and took off as fast as I could into the building. "Never let me talk!" I yelled over my shoulder.
I hate to say that I took my eyes off the angel, but I am happy to say that it didn't catch me. I crashed through the double doors, and as they slammed shut, through the crack between the doors, I saw that the angel had moved even more. I blinked again. I screamed as I ran.
The door slammed shut on a stone arm, reaching into the building. And I have never- and I really am serious- seen sharper nails; not even on my older sister who spends all her allowance on fake nails. I half bolted; half stumbled down the hall, to the stairs leading up to the second floor.
If school had been in session, I would have been suspended faster than Lily could say, "Guh-doy!" There was a strict rule about running in the hall, and I broke it so bad that there would be shattered glass everywhere.
Gasping for breath I raced up the stairs and into the school library where Lily was putting piles of books neatly in rows on the shelves.
I bet now you are wondering why Lily and I are here at five in the morning putting books away… Cute story- well, at least now it's cute.
Yesterday, I had tried to smash the angel statue with a mallet that my dad had gotten at thrift store for twenty bucks. It really had been worth twenty bucks. It could smash a watermelon into thousands of pieces with one swing. Believe me, I know. My dad and I wanted to smash a watermelon; that was the whole reason that we bought the mallet. I was tired of being afraid of the statue, so I stole the mallet out of my dad's closet, and took it to school in my backpack. I tried to smash the angel, but it didn't crack, even a little. Despite Lily's protests, I hit it again and got the same results. Before I hit it again, Principal Hawkman busted us, and we both got in trouble; me, because I was holding the mallet, and Lily because she was there. She gave us a choice; either we are both suspended for a month, or we work in the library for two hours before and after school for two weeks. Lily loved school and she didn't want to fall behind, so she forced me to choose the latter. When my mom found out, she grounded me, but the only thing my dad was upset about was that Principal Hawk-man confiscated the mallet. Apparently, Dad had bought eighteen watermelons to smash. That was the least of my worries. I was sure after yesterday that the angel now wanted to break my neck.
I practically tackled Lily when I reached her, and we rolled around in a pile of limbs nearly knocking down the bookshelves in their domino shaped form.
"Lily!" I howled as she sat on me, pinning me to the floor. She had a look of surprise on her face, and her hair reached down over her shoulder and tickled my neck. She stared down on me.
"Anna?" she replied. "Why did you attack me?"
"The angle moved! It really moved!"
She let my arms go and sat up on my stomach.
"Boy who cried wolf," Lily muttered under her breath, rolling her eyes towards the ceiling.
"Girl who screamed angel," I corrected, panting. Lily was crushing me. "Now if you don't mind removing your vessel from my person, I am seeing spots."
Lily stood up, and pulled me to my feet. She glared at me, then got down on her knees, and started collecting her fallen books from the floor. Once they were all in her arms, she stood to face me.
"This isn't funny anymore. In fact, it hasn't been funny in a very long time." She began. "You have crossed the line. You have not only gone under, but you have dragged me down with you by trying to smash that stupid angel." Lily continued lecturing me, but something behind her grabbed my attention. I suddenly noticed that there was something behind her, and judging by the snarl on its face, it wasn't happy about Lily calling it stupid. I squealed a bit, but Lily was too wrapped up in her lecture to notice me or the angel standing behind her, which has definitely moved away from its podium.
"L-L-L-Lil-Lil-L-." I spluttered. I raised my arm slowly and shakily, trying to point at the statue which stood behind her. Lily, like usual, kept talking.
"Your fear of the statue has now taken over your life, because that angel influences every action you take. Furthermore…" Furthermore, my heart has left my chest to pound in my throat. The angel glared at me, and its mouth was filled with fangs that somehow looked even sharper than before. If statues could poise to strike, that was what this angel was doing.
I suddenly found my voice. It was buried under frustration, hopelessness, and a whole lot of fear. I practically screamed.
"ANGEL! ANGEL! ANGEL! BEHIND YOU, LILY!" I gasped for breath. Lily rolled her eyes, and then glared at me. If looks could kill, the snarling angel would have my heart on a necklace. But right now, it was pounding away in my throat.
"So you are saying that the angel statue is standing right behind me? And that if I turn around, I will end up screaming? Is that what you are saying?"
"Ummm…" I replied hesitantly. "Ya?" Was this a trick question?
Lily shook her head and groaned.
"Give it up, Anna," Lily commanded. She began to turn around to walk away. "Whatever you say, you are a boy who cried wolf. Oh, I'm sorry. A girl who screamed." Her voice died as she opened her eyes and saw it. The statue seemed to glare at her. Its eyes seemed to be saying, 'Seriously? You just noticed me?'
A gurgle escaped Lily's lips.
"Angel?"
There was a moment of silence, like after the pledge of allegiance, only longer, and way tenser. I was waiting for the man to come on over the loud speaker to say, 'You may be seated.' While Lily processed what she saw, my heart had moved upward to pound in my mouth. By the time she spoke, my heart felt like it was pounding in my brain.
Lily screamed.