Wingless

Chapter 20 [Lues' POV]

Everyone stares at her, then my dad starts laughing. Then my mother, then Raven, then Malum, then Celeste's parents, until everyone is roaring with laughter. "She's mad," my mother splutters, "absolutely mad!" Tanith looks completely unaffected, standing up as if the heavy chains which would have someone ordinary lying on their backs unable to move aren't there, and looks straight at me.

"It's true Lues," she says softly. "I'm sorry for not contacting you until now. I had just become a Fallen Angel and you were a demon. I wouldn't be allowed to bring you up the way I would have wanted to. You wouldn't have fitted in with the angels, they would have seen that something was wrong. So I swapped you with another baby ... your father's other baby. It was a long story."

"Yeah well, I'd like to hear it!" I say angrily. "How come you didn't say anything? Oh -" I whirl on my father. "How come you never said anything?"

"You actually believe her?" laughs Malum. "Being with an angel really does affect your IQ. And how would your dad know anything about it?"

"When were you planning to tell me about Tanith?" I demand. He looks amused.

"Lues, I've never heard of someone called Tanith."

"Anastasia," Tanith interrupts.

"What?" I ask.

"He knew me as Anastasia," she explains. Shock ripples through my Dad's face. I smirk. So at last, I have him where I want him. I fold my arms.

"So dad," I say lightly. "When were you planning to tell me about Anastasia?"

"Who is this Anastasia?" demands my mother - or my step-mother.

"His cute little angel lover," I say mockingly. My voice hardens. "How can you try and punish me for something you did yourself?"

"Anastasia was a game, okay? The minute I got back from initiation, I dumped her! I did not insist on going about my relationship with her - if you could even call it that - especially publicly. You brought this on yourself."

"I say we kill them both." Raven suddenly says unmercifully.

"What?" I explode.

"And what about Celeste?" asks Malum mockingly.

I fold my arms. "If I'm dying, fine," I say. I clear my voice of all emotion to avoid screaming at them all to not see what a dirty hypocrite my father is. "Just leave Celeste alone."

"Dude!" says Malum incredulously. "Do you ever stop thinking about that-"

"Stop," Celeste says suddenly. Her eyes are flashing and her cheeks are pink. "You are not killing Lues! Or of course, Tanith. Because killing is wrong. And maybe demons enjoy doing it for a sport. Probably they do. How do I know? But I am an angel and so are lots of people in this room and I hope that some of them at least will stand against it! And if they don't then they all deserve to be Wingless. There's no point taking an initiation to prove you can help people in need and then completely ignoring it the minute you get back home."

After her words, there's a silence. It comes automatically. She flounces next to me, her lips in a thin line. "If Lues dies, I die with him."

"What?" I snap. "Celeste, stop."

"No!" she says angrily. "I won't stop. If you die then what's the point of me living? Getting Wingless and living alone for the rest of my life?"

I look at her. "No Celeste, you're not ruining your life like this."

"It's not your choice," she hisses.

Then someone stands up.

Blonde hair, blue eyes, prissy expression. Yuck. It's an angel. Yes, I know I am dating one. But Celeste is different. Who told this blonde to get up anyway? I'm really irritated right now and not in the mood for moral quibbling. Angels never have anything interesting to say and at meetings should have tape over their mouths. Yes, including Celeste. I'm not having her dying with me.

"I don't think we should kill Lues. Or his ... mother," she says matter-of-factly.

As I was saying, angels should always be allowed to speak. They have such great contributions.

"What?"

"What's she on about?"

"Excuse me?"

"Who even are you?" snaps Raven.

"I'm Mary," says the girl, flicking back her hair. "And Celeste is right. Angels are not about killing, they're about loving. Anybody who looks closely can see that them two are in love. So let them. And if I've followed this correctly, Lues is half-angel. Isn't that close enough?"

"No it's not close enough!" Celeste's father says incredulously.

"I think it is," Mary says stubbornly. "Lues and Celeste are in love and people should be allowed to love each other without fear of getting killed! I'm sorry, but I'm with them." And she folds her arms and stands next to Celeste, squeezes her hand.

"Mary!" whispers Celeste. But tears of gratitude gleam in her eyes.

"What are best friends for?" Mary smiles, and I understand. They're best friends. Wow. Angels best friends are very different to demon ones. They love you for who you are, not what you do. Unlike devils - Malum being a prime example.

"This is ridiculous," Raven snaps. She stands on the table, but the muttering goes on. She stamps her foot and yells. "SHUT UP!"

Everyone shuts up.

"Anybody else want a part-time job being Lues and Celeste's cheerleader?" she asks coldly. "Because if they do, they can stand up now and enjoy being dead." There's a silence.

Then someone stands up. A blonde angel girl. And another. And another. Soon all the angels transform and stand next to us. Then the boys come. Soon the entire population of sixteen year old angels are standing around us. And then they transform.

This is awkward. You know, being the only demon and that.

"Lues," says Tanith. Or mum. "Find that part of you, sweetheart. That angelic part of you."

I try. I delve deep inside me. The part that loves Celeste. That thanks people when they help me. That doesn't swear. I concentrate. Nothing happens.

"Try again," she says.

And I do. And I feel something happening. Angelic wings burst out of my shoulders. A halo sits on top of my raven hair. I'm dressed in white instead of moody black. I flap the wings. They're less powerful, but easier to manoveure, easier to dodge and also to fly. They're interesting. New. Exciting. I like being an angel.

An angel. I'm an angel.

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