Witch {Book One} [UNEDITED]

XXXVII: Annie

I stared at the angel--Gabriel--in complete confusion. 

"Wait . . ." I moved closer to the angel and stood on my toes to get right in her face. "What's my full name?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Adelaide Gavel Lee," she said smoothly. "C'mon, Bandit. It's me. Gabriel." 

"Witchy boys, prove it." I stepped aside so Thomason and Glitch could prove that this female angel is Gabriel. 

"Holy fuck that is Gabriel," Glitch said almost instantly. "She has the same face as Gabe and the same style and fuck, Gabriel, how the hell did you manage this?!"

I pushed Glitch and Thomason away and stood right in front of Gabriel. I broke eye contact only to check the time. Nowhere near seven. At least we managed to get rid of the Hell Hounds. For now. 

Annie? I asked in my mind, looking back at Gabriel's pure-blue eyes. 

Bandit. She replied instantly. 

Can I see you now? I asked, getting closer to Gabriel's face. She leaned back, probably nervously looking at Glitch and Thomason. I couldn't tell because she didn't have pupils or whites. 

Not yet. 

She was gone after that. 

"Gabriel. If that really is you--" My lips were right by hers "--go get me my favorite drink. I really need to fucking get drunk right now." Gabriel looked at my lips and backed up. She turned and went to the shattered bar, jumped over it, and grabbed a bottle of expensive-looking vodka. She didn't bother pouring it into a glass before returning, shoving the bottle into my hands. I locked eyes with her and took a long drink of the alcohol. It tasted like shit but I wasn't looking for quality; only quantity. It took a few silence-filled minutes, but I finished the bottle and dropped it on the ground. The glass shattered and everyone but me backed up to avoid getting cut. 

And then I started crying. 

"I'm calling Sammy," I heard Flynn mutter. 

"Go for it." That  came from Glitch. I turned towards him and buried my face in his chest. I gripped his arms, my whole body shaking with each sob. I was either so drunk or so scared or so confused or all three that I couldn't stop crying. Flynn took out his phone and probably called Sammy but I didn't look up. My mind was a kaleidoscope; memories and thoughts and voices swirling together so fast and so chaotically that I couldn't tell which were real and which were voices and which were just my own creation. There were images from Ada's video playing over and over and memories of before my momma died and voices screaming you're so damn pathetic and why can't you just man-up? and Glitch doesn't like you, Bandit. You need to learn that and Sammy Sammy Sammy Sammy. 

I pulled away from Glitch and wiped my tears. Mascara and eyeliner and stupid neon paint smudged onto my hand. I then turned around and vomited. My whole mouth tasted like bile and cheap alcohol and fear. I sank to my knees, trying to get a grip on reality. I was so drunk that I couldn't even count how many fingers I had. Humans had seven on each hand, right? Ten? Twenty? Fuck, I couldn't see anything. 

Then . . . 

"Bandit?!" Samantha's frantic voice filled my claustrophobic mind. I tried to stand but couldn't. I felt someone strong pick me up. Gabriel. I reached out and took Sammy's hand. She was in her pajamas and looked completely terrified. She gripped my hand with both of hers and followed closely as Gabriel carried me behind the bar. There was glass on the ground so Sammy shrugged off her sweater and lay it on the ground. Gabriel set me on top of it. I looked up and saw all four of my boys and Gabriel and Sammy, who kneeled next to me. She didn't seem to mind the shattered glass everywhere. If she did, she hid it well.