Wings

Please Tell me

Chris was looking at me with fear.

"God, Isabelle. Are you alright?" Chris asked in concern, hurrying forward and wrapping me in a hug. I carefully hugged him back. Chris had to know something about what his brother was. We pulled apart and I suddenly didn't want to speak again. Chris was crying. Because of me. I reached out a trembling hand and wiped a tear from his cheek.

"She's fine, brother. I made sure she didn't get hurt." I heard Chase say. I turned my head and saw that he was standing a few feet away, his hands deep in the pockets of his jeans. I turned my head back to look at Chris.

"Yeah, well it's your fault she even got into this mess. Why were you messing around with demons? You know that they don't take their debts lightly." Chris snapped. I put a hand on his chest and he looked down at me. I gave a slight head shake and Chris sighed.

"Thanks. You... Thank you for saving her." Chris continued. I glanced over my shoulder at Chase and he gave me an encouraging look. Did he want me to speak?

"Chris, I know that-" I cleared my throat as he looked at me in surprise. "- I know that this is hard to believe, but I really need you to explain this to me." I told him in my hoarse voice. Chris swallowed hard.

"When did you start-" He began.

"About half an hour ago when I was thrown off a building. Please, I really need to understand what's going on." I interrupted. Chris looked at Chase with confusion and then he looked back down at me. The wind tugged at my hair and I glanced around. We were standing on the sidewalk in front of the building that my penthouse was in.

"Fine. Alright. Is there anyone home?" Chris asked. I hesitantly reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone. I had no texts. Somebody would've texted me if they were home. I looked back up and shook my head.

"Good. Chase, you're coming too." He turned on his heel and he started to walk into my building. I turned my head as Chase brushed past. I took a deep breath and followed them into the lobby. I nodded to the doorman, Bob, who was sitting at his desk. He gave me a kind smile and I waved. We reached the elevator and I pressed the up button.

I was watching Chris as he sat on the white sofa in the living room. He looked stressed out. He was staring at the coffeetable.

"What do you want to know?" He asked. I glanced at Chase, who was flipping through a fashion magazine. I turned my eyes back to Chris.

"I want to know about this angel thing. There are real angels that fly around?" I asked. Chris glanced at Chase and I thought I saw a flicker of hatred. But he turned his head to look at me.

"Technically, we're called Zarthians. We're a race descended from the original Angels. A few select families are still considered Angels. Our home planet rests in the Andromeda Solar System. Our Head Council is made up of a circle of entirely pure and perfect Zarthians and our ruler is the only remaining Angel left in the whole entire universe. The main goal of our entire being is to kill and destroy the Dithora. They are commonly referred to as demons. They are the one and only creatures who can kill a Zarthian." Chris sounded like he was a recording. Like he had rehearsed these words before. I bit my lip and looked at Chase.

"And do all of you have black wings?" I asked, not taking my eyes off of Chase. He lowered the magazine and looked me straight in the eye. Chris hesitated before answering.

"No. Only the exiled do." His voice seemed to echo in my ears. I turned my head to look at Chris. Exiled? I looked back at Chase and he held my gaze for a moment. Then he chuckled humorlessly and turned his face away.

"Yeah. I was exiled. I killed the man who killed my Mother." Chase muttered. I glanced at Chris and I saw that he looked angry.

"And you got me in heaps of trouble along with you." He muttered bitterly, throwing Chase a malevolent glare. I wanted to know so many things. Suddenly, the sound of the elevator dinging made me jump. Chris and Chase both jumped as well. I looked at the elevator doors and I saw them slide open. It was Emily. I held my breath as she stepped into the living room and looked around. She caught sight of us and she instantly smiled.

"Yoo hoo, Chris. I didn't know you would be here!" She said, fluffing her black hair. I scowled as Chris put on a broad smile.

"Well, I am. I didn't know you would be here either." He replied in an equally cheerful tone. Emily smiled even wider.

"Ah, yes. Well, Isabelle has a tendency of not saying anything about those kind of things." I knew that she was trying to hit me with a low blow. But I knew how to fight back.

"I missed you today, Emily. You missed a lot of interesting things." I called in an airy voice. Instantly, Emily froze. She looked at me with wide eyes.

"Did you just-" She began. I smiled bittersweetly.

"I did. Now, please allow me to take my friends into my room to continue speaking with them." I snapped. I stood up and beckoned for Chase and Chris to follow me. I walked down the hallway and into my bedroom. I went to my bed and collapsed. I heard the door snap closed and I lifted my head. The two guys were already inside. Chase went to the end of my bed and sat there while Chris pulled my desk chair over.

"She seemed surprised to hear you talk." Chase commented. I looked at him.

"She hasn't heard me talk in three years. I'd be surprised too." I replied. He nodded and I turned my eyes back to Chris. He was watching our exchange with suspicion.

"Alright. As you were saying." I prompted. Chris composed himself and bit his lip.

"Um... Anyways, the Zarthians are fighting an ever present battle with the Dithora and we... We have only just made peace with the ruler of Earth." Chris concluded.

"What? There isn't just one ruler of Earth. There are multiple rulers. The President..." I began. I trailed off as I saw the annoyed look on Chris' face.

"No. Look, I've explained everything you need to know. The Dithora won't come after you again. We'll make sure that they stay away from you." Chris stood up and he started for the door of my bedroom. Was this the real him? Was the Chris I had known been only a fake boy? Was the Chris who had kissed me even there? I swallowed hard and watched him head for the door.

"Chris?" I called quietly. He paused and turned his head slightly.

"Yes, Isabelle?" He asked in that newly-acquired superior tone. I chickened.

"Um... Thanks." I told him. He just chuckled humorlessly and turned, leaving. I collapsed back onto my pillows and looked up at the ceiling. So I was friends with an alien that had wings like an angel and fought demons... Wow. I frowned and I heard a small movement. Chase. I quickly sat back up and looked over at him. He had moved from the end of my bed to my vanity. His reflection in the mirror told me that his face was turned down, looking at a old picture frame. I frowned. His eyes seemed saddened. I carefully slid off of my bed and went over to his side. It was a picture of me and my family back when I was in elementary school. I looked up at him and I saw that his eyes were trained on the part of the picture where I was sitting in the grass in Central Park.

"Who is this?" He asked me softly. I felt confused.

"It's me. And my family." I replied gently. I looked down at my smiling face.

"No. That's not you. That's a totally different girl. Isabelle, in this picture, you're a completely happy and smiling girl. This had to be when you were still young. What happened between then and now that has made your eyes so sad?" He set the picture down and looked down at me. I winced and looked away. I didn't want anyone to know about that horrible incident...

Chase put his hand on my cheek and I looked up at him. His touch was warming. It made me calm down.

"Please tell me." He whispered, staring down into my eyes. I closed my eyes and put my hand over his.

"Today isn't the only day that someone has tried to kill me." I breathed. Flashbacks flashed in my mind of that night. Of all the fear and terror... I flinched away from those memories.