Angelic

Chapter 2- My Choice

I kept my eyes fixed on Hope's blond hair. My heart was pounding so hard, I was scared that other people could hear it. I follow the taps of her heels as she leads me to the conference room. "I'm leaving." I say under my breath. I look up and see that Hope is opening a heavy brown door. She peeks inside and I see Miss Mary sitting at the table. "Ah. Come in." She says with a smile. On the other side of the old-fashioned wood table there are two chairs. Hope sits in one and I stand at the doorway. "You too," Miss Mary says with a weak chuckle. I close the door behind me and I sit down next to Hope.

She stares blankly at Miss Mary, and she does the same. They stare at each other for a moment. Then Hope breaks the stare to look down at her lap. A small black device sits on it. There are three lights. She flicks a switch. Suddenly the machine flashes red. I look up at Miss Mary. Except for the fact that she isn't Miss Mary anymore. Her green eyes turn darker and so do the whites of her eyes. While her eyes turn to a muddy brown, her nails grow and turn into claws. All the while scales race up her body. She grows taller and wider. Soon she is covered in black scales and is three times her regular size. I gape at her in  horror. She screeches. Hope stands up. She reaches into her pocket and pulls out a small thumbtack.

Miss Mary, well not anymore, laughs. It doesn't sound like a laugh though. It sounds like nails on a chalkboard. I slap my hands over my ears. Hope brings the thumbtack up to her lips, apparently unaffected by the noise. She opens her lips and whispers. What used to be Miss Mary stops screeching and hisses at Hope. Hope smirks at her as her thumbtack transforms into a sword. Hope grips the sword and thrusts it at Miss Mary. The sword hits her in the middle of her chest. She lets out a final death screech and falls on the ground.

I stare, horrified, as Miss Mary dissolves on the ground. The only trace that shows that she had been there was a puddle of black blood. Hope dips her finger into the blood. She pulls out another gadget out of her pocket. It's a rectangular object. She wipes the blood on one end and flips the small device over to look at a small scree on the back. "Human Blood- Detected." Hope sighs and puts the device away. I sit, petrified, in the chair with my mouth hanging open and my hands clapped over my ears. Hope looks at me. "We have to go," She says softly. She gives me a hand, but I don't take it. She looks over her shoulder nervously. She turns back to me. "Now." She says more forcefully. I grab her hand and she drags me out of the conference room and out of the building. Outside, a yellow taxi cab waits for us. She gestures at the driver and he starts the car. She pulls open the door and sits in. I sit next to her and look out of the dirty window. The car starts moving with a jolt and we pull away from the only home I ever remember being in. 

"Is this the place?" The car driver says, unsure. Hope nods. He pulls up to the corner of a dark alley and a road filled with apartment complexes. "That will be..." The cab driver starts to say. Hope throws a fifty dollar bill into his lap. "Keep the change." She says hurriedly. She jumps out of the car and I follow. I dazedly follow her down the dark alley. Once we reach the end she reaches into her pocket. She produces a small black square. She throws at the ground. It unfolds and a white light emerges from it. She turns around and looks at me. The intensity in her eyes startles me. "I would tell you that this is your last chance to turn back but," she says with a small chuckle. "You don't really have a choice." I open my mouth to ask what she means but at that moment she grabbed me by the wrist and jumped into the black square. White light surrounded me. It got too bright then it got dark. 

"You're lucky she survived!" A stern voice said. "What were you thinking, dragging her into here? Don't you know how dangerous that is? It'll be a miracle if she does wake up! You sho- wait. I think she's waking up." Footsteps come closer. I see dark silhouettes hang above me. I groggily attempt to open my eyes. I peek them open. Above me I make out Hope and another lady with graying hair. "Angela? It's okay. Wake up." The lady says with a softening voice. I open my eyes all the way. Hope smiles, relieved. The older lady seems glad that I woke up. "Who are you? Where am I?" I say groggily. Everything is in slow motion. "Rest now. Questions later." Hope says. I close my eyes and pass out again.

The next time I wake up, no one is watching me. I feel a lot worse. My stomach hurts and my head is pounding like a drum in my ears. I open my eyes and take in my surroundings. I appear to be in some kind of hospital or clinic but I can't be sure. Hospital beds line the walls and there is some equipment in an open closet. I look at the beds but it seems like no one is there except for one other girl. She is asleep in the bed across from me. She suddenly turns. She flips from her side to her stomach. Her back lays exposed to the air. I gasp as I see whats on it. Wings. She has wings. I start to breathe faster. My heart starts pounding. I look down at my arm where I notice that there is an IV. Somehow, the thought of a needle scares me more than the thought of a person with wings. I try to stay awake, but my eyes get heavier with every blink. Everything goes in slow motion. Finally my eyes go dark. 

"Angela," whispers a sweet voice. "Wake up." My eyes open to slits and and three shady figures hover above me. The sweet voice must belong to the old lady from earlier.  I can make out Hope's voice talking quietly to her. Every so often the old lady will grunt and say something in return. The third figure looks at me. I open my eyes a little wider and his face becomes clearer. He has mousy brown hair and a thick mustache. He examines my and wears a stethoscope around his neck. I try to lift my hand, but it barely moves. The doctor notices though. "Hello Angela, I am Doctor Hyna and I just want to ask you some questions." He says in a calm voice. "Can you do that for me?" I slightly nod at him." He looks down at a brown clipboard that I didn't notice before. He picks it up and also take a pen out of his shirt pocket.

"Ok Angela, can you tell me your name?" I open my mouth, but my voice is raspy and I barely croak out "Angela Navaro." He immediately takes the stethoscope from around his neck and listens to my heart beat. The doctor bunches up his eyebrows and scribbles something down on his keyboard. He turns to Hope and the old lady. "She's dying. She needs to be awakened now or else..." The doctor pauses. I urgently look at Hope and the old lady and swallow. Hope and the old lady talk quietly. Hope urges the old lady to let me be awakened. The old lady keeps sternly shaking her head no. Finally they both turn to me. I would have to choose my own fate.  

The old lady looks at me solemnly. "Angela, you have two choices. You can either be awakened or die here. Before you choose to be awakened know this. If you successfully are awakened without dying a most painful death, you will become an angel. Your world, your life, will be left behind. Your life will be dedicated to protecting humanity. It's your call." The lady takes a step back. My head is spinning. The room rocks gently in my vision. I squeeze my eyes shut. When I open them Hope peers at me with concern. I sigh and take a deep breath. "I want to be awakened."