Flashback
2011
121, Magodo Brooks,
Ikeja,
Lagos.
Monday, July 4.
11: 32 PM
The soft glow of the moon cast a gentle light upon the small, sleeping form of eight-year-old Angeline. Her chest rose and fell with each peaceful breath, a stark contrast to the turmoil that had ravaged her young life. The funeral of her mother had been a blur of tears and sorrow, and now, exhausted, she slept.
In the adjacent room, her uncle and aunties huddled in hushed conversation, their faces etched with grief and fatigue. They had just returned from the morgue at Blue Cross Hospital, where they had gone to thank the mortician for his services. Grandma, wise and compassionate, ushered them away, her eyes darting toward the sleeping Angeline.
"Shh, don't wake her," Grandma whispered, her voice barely audible. "She needs her rest."
As the door closed softly behind them, a faint rustling sound filled the air. Angeline's room seemed to shimmer, as if the very fabric of reality had been disturbed. A figure materialized beside her bed, its presence both calming and awe-inspiring.
The being was an angel, its wings a dazzling white, its eyes burning with an inner light. With a gentle touch, the angel placed a protective rune on Angeline's forehead. The symbol glowed with a soft, blue light, as if infused with the essence of the heavens.
"May the blessings of the divine be upon you, little one," the angel whispered, its voice like the music of the spheres. "The battle ahead will be fierce, but with this rune, you shall be shielded from harm. May your heart remain brave and your spirit unbroken."
As the angel finished speaking, its form began to fade, like mist evaporating in the morning sun. Angeline stirred, her eyelids fluttering open, but she did not wake. The angel's final glance at her was tinged with sadness, as if it knew the trials that lay ahead for the young girl.
And then, the angel vanished, leaving behind only the faintest whisper of its presence. The protective rune on Angeline's forehead pulsed softly, a beacon of hope in the darkness that was to come.
***
Close to the San Diego International Airport,
In the Long's private jet.
Tuesday February, 15.
4:14 pm (PDT)
Angeline
I woke up with a start, gasping for air as I clutched my chest. I couldn't shrug off the strange feeling like my life was in danger causing my heart to race faster in panic. My eyes darted around the room in alarm as I wondered why I was on a plane instead of being in my room.
"Big Aurity, are you okay?" the little Japanese boy, seated on my right by the window asked, in worry.
"Ben!" I panted in relief, rubbing my eyes as I rested back in my seat.
"So, it wasn't a dream!" I thought, chuckling a bit.
"Angie, are you okay! Should I get you a drink?" Ari asked, seated on my other side.
I beamed warmly, touched thier affection and love for me so I stopped Ari from pushing the Air Hostess button.
"No thank you, Ari. I think I feel much better now." I beamed as I patted her arm.
"But, you weren't okay when you..."
"I just had a litle nightmare..."
"A little?" Ben scoffed, cutely as he narrowed his eyes on me.
"Ok, I had a very scary nightmare but don't worry; I am going to be fine." I reassured.
"If you say so, nanny." Ari said reluctantly we
"You do you!" Ben muttered with a shrug.
Still exhausted, I exhaled as I reclined in my seat and closed my eyes, flashing back to how I ended up on a privtate jet set to California. To be honest, the past 48hrs have been really tiring.
On Sunday, immediately after the service ended, Great Father Long wasted no time in getting all my vital documents ready even before we had all reached our home - a beautiful unpainted four bedroom bungalow with a cream roof fenced in a large compound, with a coup in the corner, inside Unity Community. They had even linked up my bank account payroll immediately we set foot in the parlour but I was too busy with Ari and Ben, who didn't leave my side.
Initially, mummy had vehementlly kicked againce me leaving Nigeria , even when Great Father Long offered to invest in her buisness she refused. Gramps had to travel all the way from Otite, which is just a 60 min drive to Lokoja, just to talk to her before she finally agreed. Even the amount of salary sparked a family feud as my aunts and uncles joined my parents via Zoom to it haggle over but they could not reach a conclusion as my paycheck was either too fat or too slim!
I left them to argue thier lungs out in the parlour as I hosted a small tea party in my bedroom with Lady Ari, Minister Ben, Dutchess Leslie and Lord Kent. (Kent and Leslie are my twin junior sibling and the only ones around as Ian and Glen were not home yet.) It was hour later they finally remembered me and summoned to 'know my opinion in the matter' when they had already agreed on my pay.
Tch, who does that!
In all these, I couldn't help but notice how Gramps and Great Father Long kept concuring each other's sentences making everyone quite uncomfortable. Most especially me but I didn't really care dragon-sized problems to deal with. And by that, I meant Blaise.
I named my dragon Blaise after my element, fire. (That's according my Greek Zodiac though Chinese Zodiac is water). I could tell it loved it seconds after I had christained it because it to my surprise it immediately glowed bright like a hot metal.
My little purple dragon - Blaise Ignis Richmen - later explained o me that the glowing was the confirmation t of our bond as Master and Servant just like how it happened in Moonlit Fantasy. But honestly, I really didn't see Blaise as a servant because he's been really helping me in keeping my powers in check. But with a lot of people now in the house, it wasn't safe for him to come out without anyone freaking out. I feared they'd mistake him for a demon and that's when Blaise revealed my first dragon shifter power which is... a story for another day.
Back to my narration, my Gramps then called me the parlour to inform me that my paycheck would be $50 per hour and by 3pm I found myself on the road with the Longs accompanied by Mummy and Gramps. Our course was due North as we headed to Abuja-the nearest state with an international airport. Luckily, we arrived exactly a hour and a half later, branching Aunt Anabella's place so we could spend the the night while the Longs booked a nearby hotel.
I exhausted my Shopping Spree Wish in ShopRite and Game. But in less than a minute, on entering the mall, the battlelines had been drawn as Mummy, Aunt Annabella and Gramps. They were so engrossed in Wardrobe War MLXXVI to notice when I snuck away with Ari and Ben in order to raid the bookstore. I felt quite offended when Dorian, the baby face of the LOLs, demanded whether I was a girl on seeing the amount of books I had bought.
(It washed not my fault! Ari was the one whom had bowled him over with my trolley.)
Because he feels that most girls would go for the latest clothes and bling earning him an earful from Gramps.
But Damien, the ice prince, took an empty journal and a case of rainbow coloured pens and placed them in my trolley.
"I've seen how much you love to read other people 's thoughts, it wouldn't be so bad to pour out yours though, would it?" he said, on seeing the questioning look on my face.
"Erm, thanks!"I replied as we were incidentally just passing the florist's.
Damien then took a black rose from its brothers and paid for it, giving the man a very fat tip.
"I may not be good with words but I hope you can accept this from the bottom of my heart" with that he gently placed the flower in my hair, my heart raced as I felt his pale fingers brushing my ear.
When I thought of it, I realized that the next day was actually Valentine's Day. OMG, was he going to ask me to be his Val?
But his next words deflated my hopes instantly.
"This is a token of appreciation for protecting my sister!"
"Seriously, couldn't you give me a gift card or somthing else instead of a flower?!" I thought in disappointment as we joined the rest at the check-out and I quickly hid the rose in my pocket before anyone noticed it on me.
We were able to round up by 7pm on the dot and headed back to my Aunt's place so I could rest for my flight tomorrow while the Longs went back to their hotel. But I wasn't too surprised to see the Long's SUV parked in front of the house, the next day, waiting to take us to the airport. I couldn't hold back my tears at the departure hall as I hugged Gramps, mummy and Aunt Annabella. Ari and Ben were kind enough to help me up the stairs since I couldn't see well due to my misted eyes.
The voice of the air hostess announcing our arrival brought me back to earth. I got infected with Ben and Ari's excitement as the jet tipped downward, gradually hitting the run way. We held hands, giggling as the jet came to a halt, parking infront of a red carpeted stairway, before a sea of fans. I gulped quite taken back by the scores of people who had troupes out to welcome the Longs back that I didn't realize I had been holding my breath till the jet finally came to a halt without crushing anyone . I was quite nervous to face the crowd ourside, my hands shook as I helped Ben and Ari to unfasten thier seatbelts. Blaise and I couldn't hold back our chuckles as they immediately dashed towards the restroom, arguing and elbowing each other.
I then shook my head, slight smile played on my face as I unfastened my seatbelt and stood up to stretch my sore limbs. I was just about tovopen the luggage compartment above when I got startled by the presence of someone behind me.
What do you think Angie's nightmare was about?
Who startled Angie?