Milayna by Michelle Pickett Page A
Authors: Michelle Pickett
the Wheel of Fortune.
“I don’t look at myself that way.”
Whoa, down girl. I’m not here to step on anyone’s toes. You want to be the leader? You got it. I don’t know what the hell I’m doing anyway.
“Yeah, but everyone else does. That’s the problem.” She pushed away from the table and stood. “I gotta go. See you guys at school.” Grabbing her bag from the floor, she tossed it over her shoulder and walked out.
Dumbfounded, I watched Lily leave. Her attitude surprised me. She seemed hostile, which was odd since we didn’t really know each other. Scrolling through the times I’d talked to her in the past, which were minimal, I tried to find something I may have said that offended her.
“Milayna, whoo-hooo!” When I focused on him, Jake smirked. “There you are. What planet were you visiting? Anyway, don’t bother with Lily.” He waved his hand in the air, as if brushing her aside. “She has ego issues.”
“Yeah, when she found out she was a demi-angel, she was disappointed. She thought she was a demi-god.” Jeff rolled his eyes. “Apparently, being an angel is beneath her, especially when she’s not in charge
I spun my empty can of Coke on the tabletop. “Why? Would she have been the leader if I hadn’t stepped up?”
“Her? Nah. Like I said, ego issues,” Jake said.
“Well, I hate to break up a good thing, but the pizza’s gone and it’s getting late. I’m outta here.” Drew stood and smiled. “Thanks for the pizza, Muriel.”
Everyone echoed their thanks. “You know I’d do anything for pizza. Even have you freaks around.” She giggled when Drew tickled her side.
I was slipping into my sneakers when Chay walked over to me. I looked up at him through my lashes. “Hi,” I said for lack of anything earth shattering to say.
“Dad, right?”
“Huh?”
“It’s your dad, right?” Chay asked slowly, like he needed to break out the crayons and draw me a diagram. I could feel my cheeks heat with a blush.
“Oh, my dad. Yeah, he’s the angel.”
Profound. Really.
He nodded once and flipped his car keys around his finger. They jangled when they hit his palm. “See ya,” he said and walked out of the door. His car roared to life a minute or two later.
I looked at Muriel, and she shrugged a shoulder.
I wondered what Chay’s story was. He seemed so closed off. Standoffish. Not shy, though. There was nothing about him that made me think he was shy. In fact, it was the opposite. He almost commanded a room, even without speaking. But what did I care? I wanted Jake and, for once, things were on my side. We were both demi-angels. We’d probably see a lot of each other. Heidi could put that in her pom-poms and shake it!
By the time I left Muriel’s, I felt better than I had in days. I wasn’t the only freak. I smiled. We were a group of demi-freaks.
But the Azazel thing wasn’t the greatest—it was downright scary. I felt like I was standing on a precipice. If I made one wrong move, I’d fall down, down, down into the abyss, and meet my tormentor face-to-face. But now I knew I had people watching my back. Things didn’t seem quite so off-balance. It felt as though maybe, just maybe, I’d be all right with this whole half-angel thing.
***
Five weeks, five days until my birthday.
Muriel and I were at swim practice a week later when it happened again. I had almost forgotten about them. Almost .
My hands started sweating. That should have been my first clue, since I was cold from the pool water. Then my stomach tied itself in a bow so tight I doubled over gasping from the pain, and I knew. The visions always started out the same—pain. My dad, who also had occasional visions, taught me some breathing exercises to help me relax. It didn’t work, but I wouldn’t tell him that. He wanted to help.
The blue water of the pool splashing against the tiled sides. The water getting foggy, hard to see through. It’s not blue anymore. Red.
I sucked in a breath
“I don’t look at myself that way.”
Whoa, down girl. I’m not here to step on anyone’s toes. You want to be the leader? You got it. I don’t know what the hell I’m doing anyway.
“Yeah, but everyone else does. That’s the problem.” She pushed away from the table and stood. “I gotta go. See you guys at school.” Grabbing her bag from the floor, she tossed it over her shoulder and walked out.
Dumbfounded, I watched Lily leave. Her attitude surprised me. She seemed hostile, which was odd since we didn’t really know each other. Scrolling through the times I’d talked to her in the past, which were minimal, I tried to find something I may have said that offended her.
“Milayna, whoo-hooo!” When I focused on him, Jake smirked. “There you are. What planet were you visiting? Anyway, don’t bother with Lily.” He waved his hand in the air, as if brushing her aside. “She has ego issues.”
“Yeah, when she found out she was a demi-angel, she was disappointed. She thought she was a demi-god.” Jeff rolled his eyes. “Apparently, being an angel is beneath her, especially when she’s not in charge
I spun my empty can of Coke on the tabletop. “Why? Would she have been the leader if I hadn’t stepped up?”
“Her? Nah. Like I said, ego issues,” Jake said.
“Well, I hate to break up a good thing, but the pizza’s gone and it’s getting late. I’m outta here.” Drew stood and smiled. “Thanks for the pizza, Muriel.”
Everyone echoed their thanks. “You know I’d do anything for pizza. Even have you freaks around.” She giggled when Drew tickled her side.
I was slipping into my sneakers when Chay walked over to me. I looked up at him through my lashes. “Hi,” I said for lack of anything earth shattering to say.
“Dad, right?”
“Huh?”
“It’s your dad, right?” Chay asked slowly, like he needed to break out the crayons and draw me a diagram. I could feel my cheeks heat with a blush.
“Oh, my dad. Yeah, he’s the angel.”
Profound. Really.
He nodded once and flipped his car keys around his finger. They jangled when they hit his palm. “See ya,” he said and walked out of the door. His car roared to life a minute or two later.
I looked at Muriel, and she shrugged a shoulder.
I wondered what Chay’s story was. He seemed so closed off. Standoffish. Not shy, though. There was nothing about him that made me think he was shy. In fact, it was the opposite. He almost commanded a room, even without speaking. But what did I care? I wanted Jake and, for once, things were on my side. We were both demi-angels. We’d probably see a lot of each other. Heidi could put that in her pom-poms and shake it!
By the time I left Muriel’s, I felt better than I had in days. I wasn’t the only freak. I smiled. We were a group of demi-freaks.
But the Azazel thing wasn’t the greatest—it was downright scary. I felt like I was standing on a precipice. If I made one wrong move, I’d fall down, down, down into the abyss, and meet my tormentor face-to-face. But now I knew I had people watching my back. Things didn’t seem quite so off-balance. It felt as though maybe, just maybe, I’d be all right with this whole half-angel thing.
***
Five weeks, five days until my birthday.
Muriel and I were at swim practice a week later when it happened again. I had almost forgotten about them. Almost .
My hands started sweating. That should have been my first clue, since I was cold from the pool water. Then my stomach tied itself in a bow so tight I doubled over gasping from the pain, and I knew. The visions always started out the same—pain. My dad, who also had occasional visions, taught me some breathing exercises to help me relax. It didn’t work, but I wouldn’t tell him that. He wanted to help.
The blue water of the pool splashing against the tiled sides. The water getting foggy, hard to see through. It’s not blue anymore. Red.
I sucked in a breath