Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters. They all (with the expection of one, whom not even I own) belong to Stephenie Meyer.
Chapter 3
Bella's POV
I gasped and nearly lost my footing, having found myself suddenly standing on the roof of a large house. My left foot slipped and I almost fell, my hand clutching a protruding steel pipe the only thing that kept me from meeting SPLAT with the ground a few dozen feet below.
I hauled myself back up, grunting with the effort. Laughter met my ears.
"What?" I grumbled, irritated that someone had witnessed my humiliation, and that someone had seen my clumsy near-death fall. That is, if I could die. I have a feeling that dying was not one of the things I could do anymore.
More laughter. I looked up and found myself staring into the very brown eyes of a boy. He was sitting on the crest of the roof, his feet splayed easily in front of him at a 45 degree angle. A boyish, happy smile graced his features.
You know, he was pretty cute. But that doesn't necessarily mean that I'm going to go all sweet on him.
"Who are you?" I asked.
He grinned at me and said, "Nice to meet you too, Bella."
"Look, who are you, and how the hell do you know my name?"
He clucked softly, and shook his head. "Tsk, tsk. You really shouldn't talk about Hael, Bella. It's not a good thing to get the Creator mad at you even before you finish your first assignment. First rule: No cursing, and definitely not if you're thinking about involving the Black Prince's kingdom."
"Who's the Black Prince? And you still haven't told me who you are yet!"
He gestured to himself with his hand. "Cheater. It's my nickname. The Black Prince is who some would call…" he lowered his voice, "…the Devil. We just call him the Black Prince, to be polite. Or else the Creator will be warring with him all the time."
"So…Cheater. What am I doing here, on a roof, of all places, and aren't you going to help me? I could fall any minute."
He pointed at my back. "You have wings, you know."
I blushed a million shades of red and wriggled a little, hunching my shoulders up to peer behind me. Oh, wow! I had a pair of huge, magnificent wings, the color of new snow. The feathers were soft as a mother hen's down.
"Spread them," Cheater offered helpfully.
I doubted that I could get these things to move, especially when they looked like a swan had ran smack-dab into my back and gotten stuck there. But when I concentrated, it was like directing my arms or my legs; the wings were a part of me. I was impressed.
Closing my eyes, I spread my wings and the wind picked them up. I nearly went flying like a piece of paper in a storm, but one sweep of the powerful wings and I landed lightly on the roof next to Cheater.
He was still smiling, a dimple showing in the corner of his mouth. "That was good. It takes a while to get used to them."
"Thanks." I ruffled my wings and directed my question at the boy in front of me. "What now?"
"Now? Why, you go about your mission, I suppose." He bounced to his feet and I saw that he was short and kind of stocky, only about 4'9" with longish dirty-brown hair mixed with a little blond falling over his forehead. He was wearing what appeared to be a school uniform: a white shirt with a school emblem on the left breast pocket, khaki trousers, and black shoes. Talk about a mini Oxford student.
I frowned. He looked too young to be bouncing around on rooftops. "How old are you?"
"Me?" he said almost shyly. "I'm thirteen, almost fourteen. I can't really remember when my birthday was. It's been a long time since I've aged."
"Wait. You're dead too?"
He gave me a look that suggested he thought I was dumb. "What did you think I'm here for? To talk to some moody new angel? I'm an experienced angel, a guide for newbies, and brilliant when it comes to geometry. I mean the high school geometry, not seeing shapes and going, 'Oh, that's a circle!' And before you ask, no, my being thirteen does not matter. You could be a forty-year-old for all I care, and I'll still be more experienced. Anyways, I'm here to help you get your first mission done. I do suppose you know what your mission is?"
"Something about a certain Edward Cullen and Sleeping Angels," I mumbled.
Cheater nodded. "Ah. Guardian Angel, are you? I see you've gotten the Fire Stone. Interesting…" His voice faded and he stared thoughtfully at the pendant hanging from my neck.
"Excuse me," I said, tentative about interrupting his thoughts, "but I don't exactly know what's happening. Why the he – blazes – do I need to keep this Edward from going to the Sleeping Angels, if they're angels and they're supposedly 'good?'"
He leaned casually against the chimney. "The Black Prince values Sleeping Angels. They bring death, and he sometimes bribes them to work for him, in return for more power. That's why the Creator is trying to stop the Sleeping Angels in league with the Black Prince from taking more victims."
I opened my mouth, but Cheater stiffened and stood up straighter. "Have to go," he said urgently.
"How do you know?"
He flicked me something and I caught it reflexively. "You'll know," he said. "You'll know. By the way, the key to communication is love."
"One more question before you go, Cheater!" I yelled.
"Yeah?" I traced along his back where my new wings were and his shivered, giggling a little. "Stop it, I'm ticklish." As soon as he said that, a mischievous look stole over my face, and he hastily stepped back.
"Why don't you have wings?"
He shrugged. "You learn to keep them from showing. It takes energy and control, but you master it after about…oh, your first week."
I nodded. "Okay, toodles."
"Bye, Bella. Watch out for your human." With that, he was gone. I was really going to have to ask him how we moved from place to place.
"Wait!" I shouted into the empty air. "Will you be back?"
A boyish laugh was my response, and I felt confident now that I had someone to teach me how to survive as an angel. Even though said someone was a short eighth-grade male who was the very definition of the word boy, from his laugh to his face. Not man, boy. As in, young and innocent.
Looking up, I saw a vivid pair of green eyes staring at me from inside a dimly lit room. He was on his knees, hands clasped together in prayer.
The sheer power in his eyes had me reeling, and I flapped my wings awkwardly to regain my balance. Those twin emerald orbs were stunning. They belonged to a young man, not like Cheater, but around eighteen years old. But the weariness and pain in his eyes suggested that he was older than he looked, as if he had seen all the hurt in the world.
The boy brought his hands up to his face and rubbed his tired eyes, freeing me from his gaze. I fled like a coward.
Once in the cool night sky, I was able to think clearly once more. Who was that boy? And where would I find Edward Cullen? How would I contact Cheater?
I realized that my hand was still clutching the thing that Cheater tossed me. I opened my palm.
There, laying in my hand, was a charm bracelet.
And dangling from silver chain was a single silver heart. The key to communication is love.
Okay, so maybe snooping in a guy's room isn't the most brilliant thing to do, but what do you expect? I just came in to see if this kid knew a certain Edward Cullen, only to find Cheater sprawled on the too-big bed, grinning at me like he won the lottery.
And by this room, I meant the room where I saw the green-eyed teen that looked major troubled.
"What in the world are you doing here?" I hissed.
Cheater examined his fingernails. "I was just testing your abilities."
"I'm looking to see if this guy knows the kid I'm supposed to be looking out for," I said, by way of explanation. But Cheater obviously didn't get it, because instead of leaving, he just continued picking under his already-clean nails.
"Being here: correct," he said calmly. "Reason? Unfortunately wrong. Looks like you need to sharpen your angel instincts." He gestured around the room. "This is Edward Cullen's room."
"The human I'm supposed to look after?"
He looked at me scathingly. "Duh."
"You still didn't answer my question yet. What are you doing here?"
"To guide you, obviously. Or else you would have flown away without knowing that your human was right under your nose. Speaking of which, he's dragging himself upstairs. You best be ready, and I should make myself scarce. There's nothing that brews trouble more than two angels together in the presence of a confused human."
There was a little zap and then I was alone again. Arg! He really had to stop that.
The doorknob turned and a tall boy fell into the room, crouched and stumbling and utterly bewildered at the sight of an angel in his room. He fainted.
It seemed like such a Bella thing. I know I'd fainted quite often in my human life.
Instinctively, I bent and caught him, but not before his eyes fluttered closed. His body went limp and his mouth was a little too slack, his heartbeat a little too slow. There was a bruise forming on his knuckles and his head. I kissed his forehead right over the bruise without thinking.
He stirred, sagging a little and making a piteous sound. I felt my heart stutter. Poor guy.
With nothing better to do, I hefted this boy (whom I really should be calling Edward) onto his bed and pulled the covers over him, intending to leave. But then again, it would be too rude. I noticed blood soaking the mattress.
"No, please no," Edward whimpered, calling out in his sleep. He flinched and wriggled, his motions nonstop as he sought to get away from whatever was plaguing his dreams.
Oh well. I might as well use the nurse courses I got.
Wetting a soft towel in the bathroom sink, I grabbed a bucket and poured cold water in it. As I walked by the small modest closet, I snagged a pair of trousers and a clean shirt.
I pulled Edward off the bed and into my lap. He bit his lip hard, drawing blood, and then cried out, his voice tortured. He began thrashing, his head jerking left and right, his breath coming in wheezing gasps. I found myself biting my own lip. In my whole life, I had never seen anyone so…in pain. I had never met anyone who hurt as much as he did.
At the first stroke from the towel, Edward quieted a little. He stopped moaning and lay still. I continued wiping his face and washing the blood out of his hair (this is where the bucket came in handy). Swiftly and with as much modesty as I could summon, I yanked off his clothes.
I winced. There were livid red cuts all over his back and stomach, yellowing bruises contrasting starkly with discolored purple-blue ones that were less than hours old. But despite the horrible scars his body bore, I couldn't help but notice the strong biceps, taunt stomach muscles, and lean body. I couldn't help but follow with my eyes the tapering of his waist down to the flare of his narrow hips. I felt something wake in my chest.
Flushing, I turned away and pulled the trousers over his legs and the button-up shirt through his arms. I began to fasten the buttons quickly. Before I buttoned the last one, I leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to his navel, over an extra-ugly long welt. I could only guess that he had been whipped.
I found new sheets and tucked him back into bed. For over an hour, I watched the boy slumber restlessly, unable to do anything but rouse him partially from his dreams. But each time I did, he sank back into the hole of nightmares, and I had to listen to his tormented cries once more.
"Edward?"
I jumped as the voice echoed up the stairs, rebounding around the room. The female voice did not sound particularly happy with him, and the name was infused with pure nastiness.
"Edward! Get down here right this instant!"
On the bed, Edward woke, completely disorientated. When he heard another piercing, "EDWARD!" he leaped out of the air-mattress and scrambled around, trying to look presentable in the middle of the day. His eyes slid right over me and he scampered out the door without a second glance.
Curious, I followed him, making sure to stay out of sight by hiding behind corners and furniture. He led me right to the parlor, where a first-class bio-tch with fiery red hair yakked at him for messing up her tea party. She slapped him once or twice so that his cheeks were red, but it was nothing compared to what the man standing next to her did.
He dragged Edward over to him by the ear, and cuffed him. Hard. I could hear the resounding smack even from behind the wall. There were more scuffling sounds that followed, very violent sounds, but I tucked my head into my knees in fear. I couldn't stomach the sight of an innocent being beaten. Yeah. Call me a lousy angel for not even helping.
Biting my lip in uncertainty, I rubbed the heart on the charm bracelet.
"What?" he said, attempting to sound irritable but coming off as cheerful. "This is the third time since last night."
"Look, Cheater," I said pleadingly. "I'm really bad at this angel stuff. I can't even stand hearing the guy beat Edward. There must have been a mistake. Are you sure the Creator meant to make me an angel?"
"Fairly sure," he replied happily. God, was this kid always so optimistic? It's like he swallowed a half dozen happy pills.
I exhaled. "I'm just not cut out to be a Guardian Angel."
"Sure you are. You just need to find your inner angel, and let her shine." He shrugged as if it were nothing. "So don't help him, if you can't. Things just kinda fall into place if you let them."
"Great. That really helps," I said sarcastically.
Cheater shrugged again and slapped his thigh. "Any more questions before I go?"
"Yeah. How the hell do we move?" I ignored his protests when I used the fourth word.
"You'll learn. And about the Hael thing. You could get in serious trouble for that."
"I couldn't give a fart about trouble," I said. "Of course, my days are wonderful cause I get mugged on my way home, I die, and then suddenly I'm a Guardian Angel, with a retard as my guide. So I'm just peachy."
He looked really hurt. "You think I'm a retard?" For once, he didn't look happy.
"Well, what am I supposed to think? You barely help!"
Cheater hung his head sadly and said, "Then I guess I won't be promoted. My last assignment, and I fail." He sniffled a little and added, "You wanted to be on your own, so you're on your own now." With a flash, he was gone. But this time, the flash was dimmer than the other times.
I cursed to myself. I just chased away my only help.
Ah, call it screwing up. And Edward Cullen still needed my help. I sighed and poked my head cautiously around the corner. He was alone.
"Edward," I crooned softly.
He lifted his head and stared at me with glassy eyes. I beckoned, and he followed me obediently up the stairs. He would have followed me over a cliff to his death in this state. I was really worried for his health.
Midnight found me hunched over Edward Cullen (who was sleeping a little more restfully than he had last time I watched over him) rubbing my charm bracelet. I muttered, "Come on, Cheater. Please." But no matter how hard I rubbed, he wouldn't come.
And I realized that I had chased away my only friend.
Even though said friend was an annoying thirteen-year-old in a school uniform who was always happy.
Edward whimpered softly and I laid a hand over his forehead soothingly. I found that he liked my touch, and every time my skin came in contact with his, my heart gave a little lurch. Maybe dying had made me become a little crazy after all.
Oh, what the heck. I laid my head on his stomach and closed my eyes.
Author's Note-Sorry if the characters are a little OOC. Bella's just freaking out about being an angel. I mean, wouldn't you too?
I might not be able to update for a couple months (see profile for reasons). I know I swore not to work on this while I had other stories to work on. But I couldn't resist, and well, this had more reviews than I had bargained for. I can't believe it. Fifty-five just for two chapters! Is it really that good, or are you guys just flattering me?
Cheater will have a small part in this fanfic (no, he does not love Bella, he just sees her as a friend). I adore him (mainly because he's a real guy). I will reveal more of his tragic past in the future and his real name, as well as concentrate more on Bella and Edward in future chapters. I'm sorry if this chapter didn't have enough BXE in it, but I wanted to introduce this new buddy, who is pretty important.
Review, and tell me what you think!