Uriel: The Inheritance (Airel Saga Book Five)

Chapter X

Boise, Idaho—Present Day

I MANAGED TO GET inside the door, with Ellie only a step behind, when the bell rang.

"Okay, class, let's get started," Mr. Dorsey, the math teacher, said. "First, we have a couple of new students to introduce." He motioned to a sullen-looking guy in the back of the classroom, an attractive guy with black hair. He dressed like he was in a band; he came off a little emo, yet self-assured. "This is Dirk Elliott. He just moved to Boise from Orange County." Dirk barely looked up in response. I thought he was either really shy or that he was suffering from New Guy Syndrome. Maybe it's like Invisible Girl Syndrome. I know what that's like.

Mr. Dorsey then waved a hand at us. "And this, if you ladies will please find a seat, is Ellie Söderström. She moved here all the way from South Africa. All right." He moved quickly into the lesson with no valuable segue of any kind. And I had expected Ellie to wax scandalous about being a bone-white African-American, too.

I was in a lurch. I couldn't believe Ellie was here. And that she was okay. The one thing I want to do is sit and talk for hours, but I can't do that with her, not here in pre-calc. I felt like a secret agent who was in danger of blowing her cover if she did anything dumb.

We sat at the two remaining empty desks, and then I turned to her. "So," I said, "how are you, Grandmother?" My tone dripped with sarcasm.

"Shut your face, girlie, or you'll get me in trouble on my very first day back in school," she said, gritting her teeth in mock rage.

I shot her a sarcastic look, with which I caught her eye.

She rolled her eyes and yielded with a shrug. "It's been several hundred years, okay? Give me a break."

Though her eyes pleaded with me for respite, I rolled my own at her manufactured drama and said, "Whatever." Then under my breath, "Immortals complaining about immortality."

"I heard that," she said.

"Duh," I said, pointing at both of us, "immortal." I couldn't concentrate on math for anything. If the president of the United States were to suddenly walk into the room in a clown suit with a gift pony as a bribe for my attention, I still wouldn't have been able to stop staring at Ellie. She was alive. And here. I wanted so badly to know what was going on.

"Relax, girlie. You look good, by the way, and I'm glad you made it home in one piece," I heard inside my head.

Can you hear me? I asked her. No response. I sighed, exasperated.

I looked over at her one last time and saw a smirk on her face. I was going to have to wait for the answers I wanted, and she was teasing me.

***

"HEY, HANDSOME."

Michael closed his locker and leaned against the door, taking my arm and pulling me to his chest. He kissed me and held me. I felt my shoulders relax. Something about his touch made me forget all the things that were stressing me out. "You smell good. And have I mentioned that you're kind of awesome?"

Pushing back so I could see his face, he winked and nodded. "Yeah, I kind of am."

We both laughed and it felt good to feel ... good.

"I see Ellie's back. Have you talked to her? Where's Kreios?"

"Easy, mister. She's been putting me off a little because of classes, but I'm meeting her in a few minutes." I had been Michael's ride to school that morning and I was planning to take Ellie home, so I asked and made sure he had a ride home.

"Sure, I'll find a ride. I have football practice anyway. You know, with state in our reach, everyone's getting excited."

"I know. It's annoying." All anyone could talk about was going to state, and the last thing I cared about was high school football. "Come by later?"

Michael smirked and got that boyish look in his eye that I loved. "Miss me, huh? I'll text you when I'm done with practice. You find out what you can from Ellie." He kissed me on the cheek and left me standing there feeling a little sad that we wouldn't be with each other on the way home. I'd grown used to having him around and couldn't help but worry a little when he was off alone.

I walked to my car and crammed my bag into the trunk.

Normally when school was out, I would meet up with Kim, and we would chit-chat and banter our way to my trusty Honda, and then chit-chat and banter our way to my house, where we'd chit-chat and banter our way through our homework. And maybe even a TV show.

But not now. Not ever again. I shook the dark thoughts away, but I still couldn't shake this deep sadness I felt in my core.

"Hey, Airel."

I looked up to behold an electric blue poof. Under it, a face I had come to love. Ellie. My, er... grandma. Family. Without any warning, I crumbled under an emotional avalanche. I fell into her arms and started crying like a complete fool.

I had lots of reasons to be a blubbering mess. The fact that my boyfriend, whom I loved more than my own life, wasn't around in my time of need, that I knew I wouldn't see him for the rest of the day. That my Kimmie was gone forever, that my parents had turned into dictators and imposed a curfew on my social life. That the idea of a social life for me was a total joke anyway. I cried for all this and more. Holding on to Ellie meant I was safe somehow, that what had happened to me was real, that everything was going to be okay because she was alive.

Thankfully Ellie didn't laugh at me or shove me away. She held me and let me cry it out. How weird was it that from the outside, she looked like another freaky girl in high school, while inside, in truth, she was the direct descendant of an angel of El, the angel of El, and that she was—what—about 3,263 years old?

I eventually calmed myself. "Sorry," I said, wiping my eyes and standing back.

"You ruined my favorite shirt," she said. But her tone was full of compassion. "You all right?"

"Yeah," I had to laugh at myself and shake my head. "Jeez. I'm such a girl."

She shrugged. "Better than being a boy. Imagine all that body hair and the smell ... ugh." I snickered and she took my arm. "So, I don't want to be a bother or anything, but I don't have a place to stay. Or a car."

"Hmm, that is a problem. Whatever shall you do?" I said, pretending to be aloof. "Where do you want to go?"

"Your place."

"Really. I hear there are some nice rooms at the Hilton Garden Inn." I was being a little mean, but she had it coming.

"What, you think I'm rich or something?" She winked. "I'm here to stay. Now that I've found you, I'm not gonna let you out of my sight. I've much to teach you, grasshopper."

"Psh," I scoffed. "What's your story, though? I mean, for my parents?"

"Oh, I'm sure I can come up with something."

I thought for a second myself. "You're gonna need a place to stay besides Kim's old room ..." I caught myself sinking down into grief again, but propelled myself out of it. "Hey."

"What?" She tossed her bag in the back.

"Just what do I call you? I mean, are you Uriel or Eriel or—"

She grinned. "I think Ellie's the least confusing for everyone, don't you? Besides, I've grown to like it." She got in on the passenger side.

I smiled. She would always be Ellie to me anyway, and that was all that counted right then and there. I slid in behind the wheel. "Sounds good to me, Ellie."

"Now, mate, who is the stud with the raven hair? He was totally checking you out."