Angelic

Chapter 1 - Finding Hope

My heart pounds in my chest. My feet thump as they hit the ground. I steal a glance behind me. Three black, scaly figures chase after me. They are gaining on me. I look forward and find myself at the end of the alley I am running down. I find myself facing the wall. I hit the wall with a closed fist, out of frustration.  I look behind me. The black creatures stand still, snarling. In front of them is a tall cloaked figure. It bends down and looks at me. A small chuckle erupts from the figure. "We've been waiting for you." It says in a loud raspy voice. A bony hand, peeks out of the robe and makes a small gesture. I press my back up against the wall and feel the sweat trickling down my face. The creatures leap at me and I close my eyes.  I wait for the vicious creatures to attack me.

I open my eyes again, but now I see a different setting. I stare blankly at the lemon colored paint that coats my ceiling. I breath heavily and try to slow my heart beat. I slowly count down from 10 in my head. My heart beat slows. I wipe my forehead with the back of my hand, and sit up on my bed. I look forward out of my window and look out at Brooklyn. The towering skyscrapers and apartment buildings are just part of what make Brooklyn perfect. The sun is just rising up on the horizon and sending sun rays across the buildings. I look down at my sheets and shiver. The thin white sheets barely cover my legs, "Time to talk to Miss Mary..." I mutter to myself. I stand up and rub my legs. My flimsy nightgown stops at my knees. My legs are covered in goose bumps. I stiffly walk over to my dresser. I struggle to open the top drawer. It finally creaks open and I shove my hand inside the tiny crack. I grab a random shirt and jeans. I hang them on my arm and grab my white towel. I open my bedroom door and peek my head out. I look down the hallway and my eyes focus as they get used to the bright light. No one is standing by the door so I quietly tip toe down to the bathroom door.

The old wook creaks under my feet with every step, but luckily no one wakes up. I sigh a breath of relief as I open the door and it doesn't creak. I quickly close it and turn the lock. I try to open the door, and much to my relief, it stays closed. I sit down on top of the toilet lid and reach for the door of the closet ahead of me. Towels and loads of other bathroom stuff crowd the bathroom. I reach for the back of the closet, behind the towels.

My fingers fumble as they search for my only possession. Of course, I had other things like a bed and clothes, but none of it really belonged to me. They could take it away at anytime. They actually owned it. If you looked under the bed there was a sticker that said "Property of Saints Orphanage". They actually owned it. Everything they ever gave me had that saying on it. My fingers stopped as they touched the cool metal. I pulled it out and looked at it. My finger brushed carefully over the cross. "Angelus Sanguinis in vobis est." was written in small lettering across the cross. I squeeze my eyes shut and think. I think back to when I was a little girl.

I had been only six when my mother had given me the cross. She had been very scared. To this day, I don't know why she was so scared. Her hands were trembling when she gave me the cross. She glanced behind her. "Do you know what that means?" She said calmly. I shook my head no and swung my legs on the chair. "It means 'The Angel Blood Is In You.' Don't forget that ok. You're my little angel. Don't ever forget." The necklace fastened around my neck and she reached up to stroke my cheek. A single tear rolled down her cheek. I nodded quickly and stared up expectantly at her. A loud thump sounded upsairs. A loud hissing noise filled the house. She looks into my eyes and panic fills them. She snatches me up and runs outside. I watch behind her. Our yellow house in the subarbs fades behind us. All of a sudden I drop into a blanket. My mother is sobbing as she wraps me up in the blanket. She places me on to a black sqaure and my mother fades away. The world turns black and all of a sudden i'm gone.

That was the last memory I had, outside of this orphanage. Except for some blurry images of blinding blue light. My eyes slowly pry open and I am left staring at the peeling brown paint on the door of the closet. Unknowingly, I had pressed the cross against my neck and was silently crying. Silent tears streamed down my face. I reached up and feel the cross's impression on my neck. I hear rustling outside. I quickly jam the necklace back into its secret hiding spot behind the towels. I close the door to the closet and walk into the shower. I reach for the knob and I am suddenly doused in cold water. My blond hair is drowned and sticks to my back. It stretches down to my mid-back. Once people started calling me Rapunzel but quickly stopped after I flashed a dirty look their way. Here I was respected among the other residents.

I was also respected among the adults, mostly because I am so old that I should've already been adopted. I didn't really care. I kind of scared them off on my own. Today I had another meeting with a potential parent. I barely thought anything of it. It wasn't as if they were actually going to take me home. No one did. I reach in front of me and turn the knob. The water sputter off. I step out of the towel and wrap it around my body. I reach down and pick my clothes up off the floor. I throw on my clothes and wrap my hair up in my towel. I walk out of the bathroom and fog drifts out in clumps. I walk over to my room. The hallway is empty but I can hear rustling in the rooms.

I walk in my room and look at the old clock that is hanging up on the wall beside my window. One hour until my meeting. I take my hair down and run a brush through it. The back of my shirt gets wet due to my hair, but I don't care. Once the knots have been smoothed out, I step back and look at myself in the mirror. I shrug. I'm not perfect, but who is. I walk out into the hallway. The shower is running again and a line of kids form in front of the door. I turn my back to the door and walk towards the stairs. Once I reach them, I start walking down them. Each step I take makes a creaking sound. All 23 steps creak under my weight. Once I reach the bottom, I am facing the kitchen table.

It is immense and holds up to 30 people. Miss Mary sits at the end. Her black hair is perfectly straight and shiny. Her green eyes stand out from her black hair. She is the definition of beautiful. Over most of the kids and adults, she holds an almost godly power. I don't feel the same pressure though. I sit on the other side of the table, at the head. In front of me, there is a bowl of Lucky Charms and a glass of milk. I chug the milk. Miss Mary steals a glance at me. "Good Morning, Angela" She says in a voice as sweet as honey. I guess that's what captivates most people, her voice. In my head it is as normal as anybody else. "I heard you have a meeting today." She says. I nod my head, but pay little attention. I devour my lucky charms. "You be good, alright." She looks up at me. I meet her eyes. For a flash of a second I can almost swear that I see a sparkle of red in her green eyes. She blinks and its gone. I look down and nod.

I stand up and walk over to the stairs. I look to my left, where the big iron gates stand up just outside of the heavy brown doors. I look over to my right and the longing for the outside grows stronger as I stare at the multiple doors. I walk over. "Room A. Room B. Room C." I mutter under my breath. I stop once I read Room D. I open the door and sit at one of the chairs that face each other across the table. I sit up and stare at the wall. The door creaks open and a woman sits across from me. She is at least 6 feet tall with her high heels and her dress stretches down to her ankles. She sits down and stares across at me. We stare at each other in silence for a minute. She flashes a blinding white smile at me. "Ah yes, it really is you." She stretches a hand out for me to shake. "Hello, I am Angel 1062. You can call me Hope."

Please tell me what you thought! Suggestions, Comments, anything would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for reading! ~Izzy/Stele