2344 Words
Trigger Warnings: Death
Point of View (Azariah)
Hearing Hosea say that he hadn't ever learned how to fight definitely made me a little more scared than usual. "Oooh, the power of friendship! How beautiful... If only you were good enough for him." Then I could feel the room get bigger and I started to feel smaller and smaller. "Oh, so NOW you're scared." Then I heard someone snap their fingers. Then I was in this prison and I could see someone else in the cell across from me. There was a brick wall on my left and behind me. Then there was a door in between the two cells. All I could see beyond the door was another brick wall. The person in the cell parallel to mine raised their head and immediately looked down.
"Who are you?" I asked, trying to get up. Then I felt this metal thing around my ankles. I sat back down.
"That's none of your business."
"Ok, then why are you here?" I asked, trying to figure out who it could be. They had long black hair and a red shirt with shorts that went to their knees.
"Because this is my nightmare, idiot."
"You sound familiar... are you from New York?" I asked, "I was born there."
"No, I was born in heaven and then Earth, then heaven 20 times and Earth 12 times."
"So you're an angel."
"No... love, I'm a demon."
"Love?"
"Oh, so you don't know... I guess I should warn you, you won't make it," they responded. Just then, a door opened in the distance and this girl came in. She had brown hair that was tied back into a braid. Her eyes were hazel and she wore this suit of armor with red feathers everywhere. On her back was a red long and skinny sword. She grinned, her smile more animated than any person I could ever think of. Not even Leah could smile so wide that it sent chills down my spine like that, "But that's the least of your problems, love."
"Why do you keep calling me love?"
The girl grinned, "I see Ellony succeeded for once."
"Wait... Azariah?" the person in the other cell asked, getting up.
The girl turned to the other person, "Oh calm down, Hosea. We're all gonna have fun!"
"Don't hurt her," Hosea warned, tugging on the chains around his wrists and ankles.
She laughed, "Don't worry, Hosea, I'm not gonna hurt her. She doesn't care if she gets hurt. I thought you'd be smarter than that. No, I'm not gonna hurt her, I'm gonna hurt you." Then she held out her hand and a mace appeared.
"No!" I yelled out, "Hosea, no... you can't die. Not yet! We aren't even friends yet."
He laughed, "I can't die here either, so then my am I laying down waiting to die?"
"No... stop. Don't give up."
"That's impossible, I have you to make me do it anyway," he laughed, ignoring the girl who was unlocking his cell. Then he smiled through his sadness as he continued, "It'll be o-" but his voice glitched out and suddenly he was leaning against the wall, not moving at all. I couldn't even hear him breathe.
"No... I failed. I failed him." Then there was a flash of some image and I was back in the school, on the floor. Then I realized what I saw. All my friends in heaven and Camilla... were dead.
"Azariah," I heard, accompanied by someone shaking my arm, "Azariah, are you ok?"
"What?" I asked, slowly looking at everyone surrounding me, "Where am I?"
Then Leah grinned, "The world that you were supposed to save..." she started. Then we were at the stairway to heaven, looking down at Earth, "It's dead." I could feel her hand on my back push me down, leaving me to free fall. Then I woke up, gasping for breath like I just woke up from a nightmare. "Azariah."
"Azariah," I heard another voice call out, "Where are you?"
"She's dead," I heard someone who sounded a lot like Ellony.
"She can't be dead," the other voice said again. I could tell by now it was Hosea, "I know she's not."
"No, you don't. She could be on her way to Earth right now. Or maybe heck. We haven't decided whether we'll be loyal to the king. Either way, she'll be dead. You shouldn't have lost your temper, boy. You shouldn't have let her so close to you... But you just can't help it. You always make the wrong friends, the ones you can't save." I started walking toward their voices. I was about 50 feet away from them when this bright light broke through the darkness that surrounded me.
"So this is the party I wasn't invited to... Eh, I'd be mad if this was a better party," this voice boomed out, coming from every which way.
"Ya, I bet you'd like it if it was more violent. I'll try harder next time," Ellory responded.
"You have to have known I meant nicer. I meant nicer not... scary." Then I heard a snap and we were in the nurse's office, "I mean, for real, this party didn't even have snacks." Then The Big Man turned to Hosea and me who were standing next to each other again, "I got this."
"I'm sorr-" I started, but I was cut off.
"No, Azariah, you did fine. I'm sorry you had to go through that. I failed you, but I need you to leave right now." I walked over to the door and Hosea followed, miraculously not bleeding anymore.
When we got out, I turned to Hosea, "Why were we in a prison?"
"What?" he asked, looking confused.
"After you started stood up, I was in this cell cage and you were, too. You looked a little bit older and you called me love. Then you said it was your nightmare."
"Maybe it's the future."
"But you called me love..."
"Maybe it's a nickname?"
I shook my head, "No... I don't think so."
"Azariah, thank goodness you're ok!" I heard someone yell. Before I could turn around, someone jumped on my back. "Guess who it is!"
"Who is this? You should know by now that I can't ever guess who it is. Hosea, who is it?" I asked, trying not to fall down.
"It's Leah," Hosea replied.
Leah jumped down off my back, "Yep. Why'd you have to tell her? She could've guessed. She only has two friends that would ever do that."
I nodded, "That's true. Mordecai is too tall and Hosea would never do that. He's too socially awkward."
"I'm right here," Hosea said, "I can hear you."
"Good. So you know that you're an introvert. It's always good to be self-aware, Hosea," Jenna said, walking up to us, "Oh, hey, Azariah. Good to see you're alive."
"Shouldn't we be going to class? We don't all wanna join Jenna in detention," I pointed out.
"Actually, it's a little too late for that. I told the teacher that you were going to the nurse's office and then he got mad because there actually isn't a nurse's office... So you both have detention, as well," Jenna answered slowly, "Oh, Hosea, I'm sorry for beating you up and embarrassing you in front of your new friend that's actually my friend."
"Wow, that was the best apology I've ever heard. You have no idea how happy I am that you said that, Jenna. Thank you SO MUCH," Hosea responded, "But, Azariah's right, we should go to class." So then we walked to class, talking on the way, "Azariah, I think I know what you were talking about earlier."
"Really? What was it?"
"My nightmare."
I squinted at the ground, trying to figure out something, "I know how this goes. What nightmare of mine did you get?"
"It was a dream. And, I think we actually got our fears in the dreams that the other has. Mine was a lot like a dream, but it was definitely a nightmare. I was all alone and everyone hated me."
"Oh," I responded, "The silent treatment from Leah? That must've been terrible."
"What'd you say? I heard my name!" Leah yelled, launching herself up by our shoulders.
I held my finger up to my mouth, "Shhh, we're in class now." I opened the door and immediately spotted a row of seats open in the back. The six of us sat down in the same order as last time and started paying attention. I kind of missed having someone's hand to hold. I guess that's kind of what being in a relationship is like. Except, I didn't really know what my feelings were. Whatever, for now I can just hold onto life. I felt my hand get warm, making me realize there was already someone's hand in mine.
Point of View Change (Jenna)
After school, I walked to Mr. Walter's room and asked, "So, what is detention exactly?"
"Well, it's for all the kids who disrespect their teachers for no reason. And, if you were wondering, you aren't the only one who got detention today," Mr. Walter replied, erasing something on the board.
"Obviously. Azariah and the rest of my friends got detention from you during the second class," I replied, leaning back in my chair.
He shook his head, "They didn't get detention. They were just given the chance to stay after and do their work."
"Fine, then who is it?" Then the door opened and this girl walked through. She had porcelain white skin, curly brown hair, and this red dress that barely reached her knees. She looked straight at me and I saw her light blue eyes. She walked over and sat on the other side of the classroom. I frowned, realizing this was not gonna be fun.
Point of View Change (Leah)
While we were waiting for Jenna to get done with her detention, we waited with Elizabeth, who was waiting for Jessica for some reason. Then we heard someone running towards us and something jumped on Elizabeth. After a moment, we could tell that it was Jessica, "Hey!"
"Oh, hey Jessica..." Elizabeth responded, "Come on, let's go home."
She frowned, "Why so soon?"
"I'm kind of bored and I'm socially awkward."
"Ok..." Jessica said, confused, "You should come to hang out at my house with me," she continued as they walked out the front doors.
Then Jenna walked out and asked Alexa, "You live with the scariest person in heaven?"
Alexa scrunched her face in confusion, "What do you mean? Fatima?"
Jenna shook her head, "No, Diya. Somehow, she's more intimidating than I am. I'm confused and frankly a little mad."
"Well I didn't know she'd get detention, too. I've never even talked to her before. She's like always in her room."
Jenna shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know, maybe. Whatever, I'm gonna go hang out at the house, I'm tired."
"Ok, I'm coming with you," I said, following Alexa to wherever she started to go. We walked to her house, mostly in silence and we went up to her room. Alexa started pacing the floor, so I asked, "What's wrong?"
"I don't think they like me that much. I don't fit in, you know?"
I nodded, "Ya, I kind of do."
"What do you mean?"
I waved at my face, "I look nothing like my parents... at all! People have doubted who my parents are all my life."
"Oh ya... wait, aren't Domiel and Zadkiel... both...?"
"Non-binary? Ya. They adopted me."
"So who are your birth parents?" Alexa asked, sitting down next to me.
I shrugged my shoulders, "I never got to see them. I wasn't ever really 'born' per say. I was a still born baby."
"Oh, that's amazing, Leah."
I nodded, kind of confused, "I guess... I don't know, I just wish I could've seen Earth. I was so close, but not close enough, you know?"
"Ya... I never got to see what having a family is like. I was put up for adoption right after I was born. They just didn't want me. And now, I have to fit in with my new family... again," she replied, "I just wish I could go back."
"...but you can't. That really sucks, but we should at least get them to like you. We should make something for them! That's what I did once I found out I was adopted," I replied, smiling.
"Ok, ya, but what are we gonna make?"
"A playground?!"
She shook her head, "No... too big. What about a game board? They really like those."
I nodded really fast, "Yes and we can have game night?"
"How would we make it, though?"
"I bet Bob and Linda have supplies we could use."
"Oh ya, Andrea even made this book about herself."
I nodded, "Cool. Ok, so... let's go," I said, holding out my hand as I opened the door. I didn't expect it, but she took my hand and then we were... holding hands? I wasn't sure if it was something that friends did or not. But, I did see Azariah and Hosea hold hands, so... I don't know, I just kind of panicked and went with it. We got to Bob and Linda's and knocked on the door.
Linda opened the door, "Alexa?! You've come to visit us?"
"Kind of... we're here for supplies," Alexa replied.
I nodded, agreeing with her, "We're gonna make a board game so that her new family likes her as much as you guys did."
"That's... really blatant, Leah. She means that we're gonna make a board game for game night tonight," Alexa explained, "...With my new family."
"Oh ok," Linda replied, laughing, "Go ahead and go in. You could do it in the living room, I'll tell Bob to go play football with Joash or something." We walked inside and, for some reason, neither of us let go of the other's hand. I smiled, happy that she still wanted me.