Broken Feathers

Take Me To Church

Chapter Fifteen: Take Me To Church (Hozier) 

  

The guy in the mirror rested his nose against the backdrop of the boy's toilets on the third floor. In the corridor, I could hear people moving to their next class, shouting and laughing about whatever it was that your average Supernatural student got excited about. 

My face ached from the punches, and my only saving grace was that I'd managed to get a few good blows in as well before the teacher had shot out nowhere to reprimand us both. I wasn't even sure anymore, what was going on. Everything...Everything seemed so tarnished. There was no more innocence in my relationship with Star; I was forever looking over my shoulder to see if someone was watching us, or threatening to suck my soul out. 

The fights had...started to become a regular thing. This time, it had only taken a guy to look at me the wrong way and I was riled. It was a fucking miracle that my wings hadn't just shot out on the spot.  

"What the fuck man?" Kalem growled, storming into the toilets unannounced. I jumped, banging my thigh off of the sink and groaning in pain. I looked at him in the mirror witheringly, and suddenly realised just how gaunt I was getting these days.  

"Jesus, Kal," I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck, "don't start." 

"What the fuck has got into you?" 

I was wondering the same myself. I had always been quick to defend myself, but I had never so willingly started fights. It wasn't in my nature. I was an Angel for Christ's sake. Fighting was what got scriptures burnt into my skin! I knew for a fact I had a brand spanking new one on my shoulder.  

"I don't know," I muttered, washing the blood from my face. "I just...I'm so fucking paranoid." 

Kalem frowned, putting his rage to one side momentarily. 

"About what?" 

"Fucking...Shadow Demons," I replied, waving my hand in the air. "I can't trust anyone." 

"You can't let that threat take over your life," Kalem argued, shaking his head. "You've got good things going on!" I wasn't going to pretend how easy life had been up until the Shadow Demons had reared their heads. I had been doing well at lessons, settling down into a routine and my relationship with Star had been going from strength to strength.  

"What if they hurt Star to get to me?" I grimaced, voicing the concerns that I had been mulling over for the past few days. What if they hurt Star to get to me? What if I was suddenly face with the possibility of Star getting hurt because of the Shadow Demons? "Fuck, man," I continued, raking a worried hand through my hair. "I-I think I'll have to end it." A weight landed on my chest, pulling my heart downwards. It was something I absolutely didn't want to do, but the reasoning behind it was filled with more love than I had ever thought possible. In order to save Star from getting hurt, I would have to leave her. 

Make it convincing enough for the Shadow Demons to leave well enough alone.  

"You're going to ruin the best relationship you've ever had, over a maybe threat?" Kalem demanded incredulously, staring at me as though I was completely mad. Maybe I was. Maybe it was mad that I had to hurt Star so much just to save her. But I wasn't having some slimy demon hurting her to get to me. They may have wanted my soul, but Star firmly had my heart.  

"I'm going to ruin the best relationship I've ever had so she can't get hurt," I told Kalem, staring him dead in the eye. "She is not getting hurt because of the target on my back." My hands shook from the effort of admitting it to myself.