⚜Guardian⚜

Chapter Ten

It had taken Lacey two minutes to shove everything that she owned into the suitcase she had brought to Stratfield. She changed into leggings a long shirt, which was both fashionable and good for running. She tied on her sneakers, and the thought made her suddenly think of Alyssa. Lacey scribbled a note to Alyssa, Calvin, and Kaylie, saying she had had to leave Stratfield. She wrote the best apology she could muster before jogging down to the Main Office. The boy was waiting there tensely, looking oddly out of place next to the secretary.

"Oh, Lacey dear, I do hope your mother gets better." The secretary embellished. Lacey felt her head swim for a moment. Luckily the boy answered for her.

"We hope so too," The boy exclaimed, looking despairing. It wasn't until they left the office that Lacey looked over at the boy curiously.

"My mother isn't really sick, is she?" Lacey questioned in a flat voice. The boy gave her a sidelong glance, an amused expression on his face.

"You catch on fast," he remarked. The boy led her to a blue minivan. He took her bags and threw them into the trunk with ease. Lacey suddenly wondered why she was trusting this boy, but something in her gut told her not to question him right now. It was only when the boy got into the car, making the car shake slightly, that Lacey felt the weight of the necklace around her neck.

"Oh my God, Asher, we have to go back for him! He's-" Lacey ranted frantically.

"Calm down, he's right there! See?" The boy promised, pointing with his finger to the right. Lacey watched as Asher slid into the drivers seat of a black Ford Explorer, the blackish light being cast on him making him look yet again like an avenging angel. He backed out of the parking lot without so much as casting a glance toward her.

"Oh," Lacey choked out. She was surprise at the amount of emotion she was able to convey with that one word. The boy followed their lead, speeding in reverse out of the lot.

"Where are we going?" Lacey asked a little while later, once she had gathered her wits together, banishing Asher from her mind.

"Kind of like Nephilim Headquarters," the boy declared, his eyes flickering from the road ahead of them to the rearview mirror.

"And what was your name again?" Lacey questioned, looking out of the windows. The world outside was so dark. Maybe it was her distraught state of emotion, but she felt it was too dark to be a normal night.

"Leo," The boy introduced, smiling at some unspoken joke. Lacey yawned just then, covering her mouth instinctively.

"You can lay down and sleep back there, if you want. It's going to be a long drive." Leo offered. On any other day, Lacey would have declined, but seeing as her emotions and her body were wrung out with exhaustion, she nodded. She unzipped her sweatshirt, using it as a pillow against the plush seats of the van. Her eyes drifted closed, and images of an avenging angel came into her mind, unbidden...

"Wake up," a voice called. Lacey opened her eyes and looked around groggily. At this hour, the world was a flash of colors and shapes.

"What time is it?" Lacey yawned.

"About 12." Leo answered promptly. Lacey's eyes zeroed in on a paticular shape- a bright yellow M.

"Are we at McDonalds?" Lacey asked incredulously. Leo nodded. She was laying down in the backseat and he had the door near her head opened. He was standing there like some kind of... bodyguard.

"Where is Asher? Are they here yet?" Lacey asked, remembering how there ha been another individual in the Explorer with him.

"Yeah, they got here a little while ago," Leo explained. Surely enough, there was Asher inside the fast food restaurant, looking like a God among commoners. It was so odd to see him there that Lacey almost laughed.