Before The Fall (An Aron Angels Prequel) Read online

The teacher continued on with ways to assist your human with obtaining the basics for hours more before it was break time. Angels didn’t require food or water so they didn’t stop for lunch. But they did need a break to revive and wake up.

  Alexander took Jerome’s arm and hurried him along to the back of the courtyard. Jerome couldn’t help but laugh. “Is Gabriella stalking you again?”

  “No,” he answered, his tone betraying the fact he was denying himself the truth. He changed the subject to cover his embarrassment. “My mom was talking to Maleia’s sister last night. She said some really weird things.”

  The smile was instantly wiped from Jerome’s mouth at the mention of the dead angel. “What kind of weird things?”

  Alexander lowered his voice, speaking in hushed tones so they wouldn’t be overheard. “Maleia was attacked on the path to the council building. She was in the village when it happened, she hadn’t crossed any boundaries.”

  “Are you sure? The council said-”

  “I know what the council said but I fear they might have got it wrong. Perhaps they didn’t realize it happened on the path? I don’t know, I can’t make sense of it.”

  Jerome didn’t want to believe it, there had to be a simple explanation. Besides, it wasn’t his place to question the council, they knew what they were doing. As was his nature, he had to have faith in them.

  The rest of the afternoon was spent in learning about preventative actions – how to keep your human from being hurt while ensuring they don’t realize what’s going on. Jerome wondered if it was as hard as the teacher made out, surely the humans weren’t assuming guardian angels were behind everything? He seriously doubted it.

  By the time he got home and started on his homework, he had completely forgotten about his conversation with Alexander. He had bigger things to deal with – like passing the class. If angels took anything seriously, it was their service to humans. He had to ace his exams, otherwise he wouldn’t be able to live with himself.

  “What are you doing?” Breeanna asked, leaning over his shoulder. He shrugged her away and covered his books with his arm.

  “Go away.”

  “I’m just asking. Gosh, you are so mean.”

  Jerome turned around to give her the look, the one that said scram before he made her move. She poked her tongue out at him for his troubles.

  They were interrupted as Leonardo burst through the doors, his briefcase still in hand as he hurried. Seraphina ran into the room as soon as she heard the commotion.

  “Honey, what’s wrong?” She took the case and placed it on the floor, noticing the way her husband’s face was drained of colour. “Has something happened?”

  Leonardo nodded as he caught his breath. Jerome and Breeanna stood in front of him expectantly. Without him even needing to say anything, they all feared it was bad news he brought with him.

  “Dad? What happened?” Jerome prompted, unable to remain quiet any longer. He desperately needed to hear whatever he had to say. Like, now.

  Finally, his puffing subsided enough for him to speak. “There’s been another death. Angel Mario, he’s been killed.”

  Seraphina sucked in a breath, gasping at the name. “Mario? But we knew him, we all went to school together. He was a good angel. How did this happen?”

  “Nobody knows, they just found his body.”

  “I bet I know,” Jerome mumbled to himself. When his parents turned to him expectantly, he wished he could recall the words.

  “What do you know?” Leonardo demanded. “Tell me, son, I need to hear it.”

  “Nothing, really. It’s just that…”

  “Just say it already.” Breeanna rolled her eyes and perched on the arm of the lounge, waiting. Her light pink wings rested on the cushions.

  Jerome looked between his parents, from one to the other. They weren’t going to drop it without an explanation. He explained about Maleia and what Alexander said, they didn’t interrupt him. “It seems angels might be being killed by demons in the village. Where was Mario when he perished?”

  “They didn’t say,” Leonardo admitted.

  “I don’t know if the council know all the facts about the deaths,” Jerome continued, raising his concerns. “They might not realize the dangers we are all facing.”

  “How can you say that?” Seraphina asked. “The council only serve to assist us. They protect us, they wouldn’t do anything to put us in danger. If anyone heard you speaking like that, you would be banished.”

  Jerome went on the defensive. “I’m not saying they aren’t doing their job, I’m saying they might not know everything. Perhaps someone is keeping the information from them?”

  “But who?”

  Jerome shrugged. He didn’t have any answers, only questions. But from what he could piece together, he was growing more anxious by the minute. Suddenly his homework didn’t seem as important as it did before.

  CHAPTER 5 - LEILA

  “You could at least look happy,” Matilda teased Leila. “It is your birthday, after all.”

  Leila forced herself to smile. So much for a seventeenth birthday, having to stay cooped up inside with your family the entire day. It wasn’t exactly how she had imagined her super seventeenth. “Sorry, Mom. I really do appreciate the trouble you’ve gone to.”

  “I know it’s not ideal, but it’s what we’ve got to live with for a while.” She squeezed her daughter’s shoulder in reassurance.

  Leila looked around at the table. Neatly arranged placemats were at every seat, along with a little origami crown. They didn’t have a cake or birthday candles, not even a good meal. But they did have each other and that was a lot more than most people these days. She tried to shrug off the cloud that was constantly plaguing her.

  A knocking at the back door startled her, nobody visited anymore. And they certainly didn’t use the back door. Leila stood frozen in place, her mind whirling with all the horrible scenarios that could be about to play out in the house.

  Matthew hurried past her and answered the door, standing on the small back patio was Toby and Maree Sinclair. Leila sighed with relief, happy to see them. They entered with a round of hugs and kisses for all.

  “You shouldn’t have put yourself in danger for me,” Leila scolded them as they handed her a gift, wrapped in an old newspaper. “It’s just a birthday, I’ve had a few of them.”

  “We couldn’t miss your super seventeenth,” Maree grinned.

  Toby and Maree had been friends of the family since Leila could remember. They had always been there for every family event and tragedy. They couldn’t have children of their own, despite the fact they would have made wonderful parents. As far as Leila was concerned, they were always a welcome surprise in their household.

  “Let’s eat dinner before it gets cold,” Matilda suggested, gesturing towards the table. Everyone took their seat obediently.

  The meal was nothing fancy, but it tasted better knowing they were all together. Leila hadn’t seen the Sinclairs for weeks, she was dying to hear how they were going.

  “Was it scary coming here?” She asked, knowing they only had to walk down the street. But with the amount of criminals prowling around, it may as well have been across town.

  “We walked quickly and stuck to the back of the houses,” Toby explained. “It’s not pleasant walking the streets anymore. Even if someone hadn’t stolen my car, I don’t know if I would use it. You’re just a sitting duck in one of those things now.”

  “We keep ours in the garage in case of an emergency,” Matthew added, nodding in agreement. “I hope we don’t have to use it.”

  “What are your plans, long term?” Matilda asked.

  “We’re going to bunker down in the house,” Maree answered definitively. “We’ve got ourselves self-sufficient so we’re going to board up the windows and stay in there for the long haul – however long that ends up being.”

  “Hopefully not as long as we all think,” Toby added. “What about you?”

  “We
’re still playing it by ear,” Matthew replied. “Perhaps we’ll throw some more seeds in the ground so we’re better prepared. We try not to leave the house at all.”

  “You’re likely to get stabbed just buying groceries at the market – when it’s open,” Maree commented. “It’s getting scary.”

  “Beyond scary,” Kate added, in her usual angst-ridden tone. Everyone ignored her, moving on so they didn’t have to think about just how scary it really was.

  “Do you think it will go on for much longer?” Leila asked, wishing for some positivity to grasp hold of. She knew it wouldn’t come even before Toby opened his mouth.

  “I think we’ve got to be prepared for anything.”

  All the adults exchanged a glance, one that spoke of just how dangerous it really was without wanting to scare the teenagers. Like they weren’t already scared enough.

  Leila didn’t want to listen to it, more than anything she craved to have a happy birthday. Just feeling like she might have a shot at making the next one would have been a huge improvement. She sat silently at the dinner table, trying not to let her sadness show. Her family and the Sinclairs had gone to a lot of trouble to try to make the day special, she didn’t want to disappoint them.

  By the time the meal was over, she was ready to curl up in her bed and not come out for a week. It wasn’t like there was a point to getting up every day. All they were doing were existing, it definitely wasn’t living.

  The family said their goodbyes to Maree and Toby before it started to get dark. There was no way of knowing whether they got home safely, but none of them voiced their concerns. It went without needing to be said.

  After tidying up the kitchen, Leila watched the television until nightfall descended upon them. There were only repeats on every single channel, all the studios were closing down as the fears for the cast and crew’s safety increased. Their star assets were starting to turn into liabilities as they were targeted.

  Fatigue soon gripped the newly-seventeen year old. She stood to go to bed, Emily and Kate already retiring for the night.

  As she made the move, Leila glanced out the window like she always did these days. She gasped as she saw the man had returned. He was standing in his usual spot, just off the sidewalk at the end of their yard.

  “What is it, Honey?” Matilda asked, seeing her daughter freeze in motion.

  Thoughts swam through her mind about whether she should tell her parents about the man. Eventually, she decided she couldn’t keep it to herself any longer. Not when it could have affected the safety of them all.

  “There’s this man, he’s always standing out there looking at us.” She pointed him out, careful to stay out of view as much as possible. She didn’t want to do anything to provoke the man.

  Matthew and Matilda joined her, standing behind to get a good look over her head. “How long has he been doing it?” Her father asked, his voice full of concern.

  “About a week. Ever since the Hudgen’s house was attacked. He was part of the same group.”

  “And he just stands there?” Matilda could feel her skin prickle with the sight of the sole man staring.

  Leila nodded. “He stays for a while and then runs off. I’m really scared about what he might do.”

  Matthew placed his hands on her shoulders, rubbing her arms in comfort. “Don’t worry about him anymore, let us do that. If he’s just standing there then he can’t be planning on doing anything or he would have done it already. No-one waits a week before attacking.”

  “Or stand out in the open like that,” Matilda added.

  “They do these days,” Leila argued. “What about if he attacks us like he did over the road? It could happen.”

  “I’d never let anyone hurt this family.” Matthew bent down and kissed the top of her head. “Now off to bed, birthday girl. Sleep tight and put him out of your head.”

  Leila turned around and took both her parents in a bear hug. She didn’t believe them but she wanted to. Perhaps that would be enough for just one night.

  CHAPTER 6 - JEROME

  Jerome tried not to pace, as much as his feet argued they really wanted to. He stood just outside the building belonging to the Grand Council of Guardian Angels, waiting for someone to exit. He didn’t want to go inside and cause a fuss, so he was trying to remain patient and vigilant on the pathway.

  He had already been waiting close to half an hour when the door finally opened. He hurried over at seeing the councilor. He knew her from the meetings.

  “Excuse me, council member Helene, would you have a moment?” He approached politely, trying not to let his rising panic take over. That would only freak her out.

  “What is it angel Jerome?” She seemed a little impatient, perhaps wanting to get home for the night. Jerome took note, knowing he might only have seconds before she dismissed him.

  “I have information that the council might not know about. I feel it’s my duty to make sure you know.”

  She stopped, it was a good sign. “Well, what is it then?”

  “Angel Maleia was attacked on the pathway, not outside of the village. I fear you have been given the wrong information about it.”

  Helene chewed her lip as she gave herself time to think. Finally, she nodded to herself and smiled. “I’m sure the archangels have all the information they need. They have deemed the village safe, we have nothing to worry about.”

  “But if she was attacked on the path, the demons could have breached our protection. We need to review the security measures,” Jerome insisted. He could feel his panic starting to rise again.

  “Do you not trust the council has everything in hand? They do not wish us to be harmed in any way,” she said calmly as she patted his arm. “Rest assured angel Jerome, we will come to no harm in the village.”

  Jerome couldn’t argue, he believed her. If the councilor said they were protecting the village, then they were protecting the village. He felt stupid for making such a fuss out of something they would have already known about. Of course they had all the details, they knew everything.

  “I’m sorry to disturb you, council member.”

  “Not a problem. Goodnight angel Jerome.” Helene left him there, not waiting around for any more questions. Jerome eventually followed her back into the village and to his family home.

  As he drifted off to sleep, Jerome felt relieved for the first time in days. His main concern was that the council didn’t know the truth about Maleia’s death. Now he was satisfied they did, he could rest easy. The council would protect them, just like they always did. The demons wouldn’t get to any more of them.

  When he awoke the next day, Jerome was in a better mood. There was no school and he had the entire day to do whatever he wanted. He only had one person in mind: Lucia.

  Even an argument with Breeanna couldn’t dampen his spirits. He pushed all thoughts of his annoying sister out of his mind as he pressed on Lucia’s doorbell.

  It took only moments for Lucia to open the door and leap into his arms, throwing her arms around his neck. “Good morning, my darling.”

  Jerome laughed, planting a kiss on her pink lips. He was always happy to spend time with her, she was everything he could ever want in a girlfriend. She was beautiful, smart, funny, absolutely everything.

  “You’re in a good mood this morning,” Jerome commented as she led him inside.

  “You’re here, who wouldn’t be in a good mood?” She grinned, that cheeky smile that had made his knees buckle when he first saw it. “Aww, you’re blushing, that’s so cute.”

  Jerome wiped at his cheeks, wishing he had some control over them. “No, I’m not.” He tried to change the subject, turning the attention away from himself. “Is your family home?”

  “My dad was called into work and my mom is checking in with her human.”

  “Your dad is working on a Saturday?” Jerome asked. Lucia’s father was a council member and they rarely worked on the weekend. Everyone agreed they put in enough hours during th
e week, they deserved some time off.

  “They’re having a meeting or something,” Lucia said, shrugging. “Do you really want to be talking about my dad when we have this whole house to ourselves?”

  Unfortunately, Jerome did. “What was the meeting about? Did he say?”

  “I don’t know. Why? Is something wrong?” She saw the change in his demeanor, from ecstatically happy to concerned in less than a minute.

  “I think there’s something wrong with the security of the village. I spoke with Helene yesterday and she said it was all okay, but I’m still a bit worried now.”

  Lucia cradled his head between her hands, looking him directly in the eyes to ensure she had his full attention. “I will speak with my dad when he gets home and ask him. Okay?”

  “Okay,” Jerome grinned, trying to push all the thoughts aside. He bent down and kissed her, as passionately as he dared.

  They spent all morning together, eventually getting around to their homework they were supposed to be doing. Alexander arrived at noon with his books, begging for some review help.

  By mid-afternoon, Jerome knew he should be getting home. He walked with both Lucia and Alexander, enjoying the company and hoping to extend it for as long as possible. It wasn’t like it was a long walk, nowhere was far away when you had wings.

  As he approached the house, Jerome knew in his gut that something wasn’t right. The front door was open, something it rarely was unless someone was standing beside it to leave.

  Jerome hurried, ignoring the questions from his friends at his side. He had to get inside, he had to know what was going on. He needed to see his family to make sure they were okay.

  Once, it wouldn’t have been an issue to see the door open. He would probably roll his eyes and assume Breeanna had forgotten to close it. But with the recent deaths, he was already on edge.

  Hurrying inside, Jerome’s worst nightmare came true. There was blood everywhere, on the floor, on the walls, and on the door handle. He wanted to vomit with the way the metallic smell was assaulting his nose.