Lovely

Chapter 6

|Chapter 6|

I followed behind Ross closely as I walked into the familiar building. It was just as massive and brilliant as before with its white interior. Though, instead of walking me towards that dreaded elevator, Ross steered me toward the right side of the building. 

I was looking up and around, and he noticed. 

"You've been here plenty of times," he gestured around to the oddly modernized interior. From the outside it looks like the most grand church in all of history, but on the inside it's like an incredibly classy school. "Why are you looking around like a lost puppy?"

"I've only been to the top floor," I muttered, kind of embarrassed now. He lifted a brow before offering an easy smile that I found myself smiling back at. 

"I forgot you were such a trouble maker," he responded, making my smile drop immediately. "Don't worry. We're just going to Halo Bridge."

"Halo Bridge?" I repeated. He nodded and ushered me down a hallway, then up some stairs. As usual this place was buzzing with people and I noticed that people were staring at me. At least, that's what I originally thought. It took me a minute or two to realize they could care less about my presence. They seemed to be more obsessed with Ross. I knew he was popular, but some would consider this gawking. 

"Either you have tons of friends," I started, noting the way people waved and grinned like he was their favorite teacher. "Or you're incredibly popular."

"I'm both," he said, looking down at me briefly before opening two large glass doors. To say my jaw dropped would be an understatement because I swore my knees almost buckled beneath me. In front of me was a long marble bridge that branched out into many different pathways. We were only a couple stories up, but it was like an elevated network of streets for people to walk across. Beneath the bridge there were people buzzing about their daily lives. In the distance I noticed a large green area in what I assumed to be the center of the bridge. 

"Whoa," I awed. 

"This," Ross pointed at the area in front of us. "Is Halo Bridge. It is a symbol of the connection between the Archangel Council and the rest of those who reside in heaven."

"It's beautiful," I soaked in the rays of sunlight as I just stood there and watched as people milled about. 

"In the center is a garden," he took my arm and started guiding me along the bridge. People stared at Ross and I, but I was too engrossed in my surrounding to care. "It's kind of God's token from the first garden, in fact."

"What?" I whipped my head around to face him, making him stop walking. A smirk was on his face. 

"You heard me," he said. "And don't say 'what'."

"The Garden of Eden?" I ignored his correction and a big smile grew on my face. "I'm going to see the Garden of freaking Eden?!"

"Hey," he snapped. "Don't use that word."

"Sorry," I mumbled and started walking again. He caught up quickly and sighed. 

"Part of it," he explained. "It's only a small patch. There's a glamour around the original on earth so no one can trespass. This portion, however, contains the tree Eve picked from."

"The tree of knowledge?" I gawked, stopping in my tracks once again. Ross seemed to get a tad annoyed. I could tell the way his eyes narrowed on something behind me angrily and I begrudgingly began walking once again. "This is all pretty new for me, you know."

"I'm aware," he pursed his lips and looked up at the clear skies. Did it ever even rain here? "Try not to act like such a tourist, though, okay? You're Nova Steele. Have a little more class."