An Angel Among Us

Chapter Twenty-Five: Sailing Towards The Future

Jasmine and I met Jayden on the top where we found him hovering over the navigation chart, sailing book, and the map that he had lying on the floor, concentration etched onto his face. Looking up when he spotted us, he grinned crookedly, a glint in his eyes.

"Hey guys, I think got a hang of this sailing stuff. After thoroughly flipping through the book and inspecting the map, it seems like it's a straight shot to Angelus Urbem. It'll take about 15 days or so to reach Angelus Urbem if everything goes according to plan."

"And if it doesn't?" I asked.

"Trust me, as long as I'm behind the wheel. We'll get there on time." He bragged.

"That's why I'm worried," I told him.

He faked a wounded look, hand on his chest," I am hurt, Winters. I wish you'd have more faith in your new best friend."

Jayden continued," It is 'Winters' now, right?"

"Yes, I'm changing it to my birth name now."I said," But, my best friends not driving, Jasmine gave you that honor."

"Yes!" Jasmine cheered," Take that, Jayden. I'm her best friend now."

"Oh, ouch. Demoted to a second-best friend. Harsh." He pretended to be hurt.

After a few seconds, we all bust up laughing. We couldn't keep a straight face anymore. It felt good to laugh. After what happened with Lucas, I had been pretty upset but I'm starting to feel a little better with the help of my new friends. As long as I have these two, I'm sure I'll be fine from here on out.

When Jayden's laughter quieted and then stopped, he found his voice," So, ladies, when do you two want to head off for home?"

"There's really no reason to linger in Santa Monica, right?" I spoke softly, both of my friends nodded in response," Okay, so, I guess we'll take off in about an hour. Does that sit well with you two?"

"Yeah, that's fine. It gives me a little extra time to get a few last-minute things taken care of." Jasmine answered, lips quirking upward.

"Ditto for me." Jayden said," I want to take a short moment to type in the coordinates into the GPS. I"m sure I won't need it but it doesn't hurt to have it set up."

After Jasmine went back downstairs to do a few last-minute things, I decided there is something I need to do before we leave. So, leaving Jayden behind on the top deck, fiddling with the GPS, I climbed down from the ship and went walking for a bit until I found the spot I had been looking for.

It's the spot where Lucas took off into the air, black wings stretched out. A friendship bracelet sat on my wrist which I slid off at that moment. Lucas had given it to me when we were younger for one of my birthdays. When it had meant more. When we had agreed to be friends forever and I had given him one to match it a few days after that. I kept wearing it ever since to the point I sometimes forgot I was still wearing it.

But ever since Lucas had betrayed me, breaking my heart in the process, the friendship bracelet felt heavier on my wrist as if it sensed that it was living a lie by existing. I couldn't keep wearing it anymore.

It hurts too much.

I also had noticed that Lucas hadn't been wearing his bracelet earlier so why should I wear mine. So, I scooped sand and dirt, making a decent-sized hole in the ground. Gently, I laid the bracelet into the hole and covered it up with a few layers of sand. And then I picked up a nice big rock and set it onto where the bracelet now hid so that nobody would be able to accidentally come across it.

I was so distracted by my project that I didn't notice Jayden had walked up beside me until he spoke causing to jump up on the spot.

"Hey, whatcha doing there?" He asked, curiously.

"I was just burying something that Lucas gave to me. It was starting to feel like a burden keeping it." I told him the truth.

I wasn't going to lie to my friends as Lucas had lied to me.

I continued softly," I know it's silly but..."

"It's not silly." He interrupted, gently," You have every right to be hurt and to feel the way you do. If you want to give up that gift of his, then go ahead."

"Thanks, I appreciate that." I said," It's a bracelet that he had given when we're friends and I don't want to wear it if we're not friends anymore. I didn't choose for him to break the friendship as he did but I can choose this."

"Your right." He nodded in agreement," I mean, I would be devastated if Jasmine hurt me like that. I know she never would but if she did, it would hurt like hell because she's my sister. I love her to pieces. Don't tell her I said that."

At his words, something hit her. An epiphany if you will. It had hurt like hell when Lucas had betrayed me. And it's not because he was my best friend.

It's because he'd been like a brother to me. I had been an only child so when I had met Lucas and we hit off instantly, I hadn't gained a friend, I had chosen a brother. Which is why it has hurt so much.

Lucas had broken that familial bond that we had shared just like he had broken my heart and my trust.

This just proves even further how damaged our connection is and that it wouldn't be easy to fix it even if Lucas wanted to. It was like that metaphor people use. If you break something, you can probably patch it back up. Maybe with some super glue but it'll never be the same after that.

That's how I feel about Lucas.

He broke our family bond and it'll never be the same again. No matter how much super glue we use.

Jayden lifted his hand and passes it over the rock whispering a Latin word under his breath 'adhæsit' which my mind immediately translates it to stuck and the rock glows red for a few seconds before fading back to its natural color.

"What did you just do?" I asked confused.

"I put an angelic spell on it so that only you will be able to remove the rock when you want to. If you ever want to. That way it'll always be here ready for you if you want it back." He told her, eyes soft as they gaze on me.

I felt my eyes tear up a little at that and I just had to hug him, so I did. Long arms wrapped tightly around me, holding me to his chest. Jayden and Jasmine both seemed to be showing me what true friends are and it just proves that Lucas hadn't been a good friend.

After pulling back from the hug, we headed back to the ship where Jasmine is waiting for them on the top deck of the ship. Finally, we were ready to take off. Jayden walks over to the helm of the ship and gets ready to steer and captain the ship.

Jasmine and I remove the ropes tying the ship to the dock and lift up the anchor, allowing the ship to be free to move and we work together preparing the sails as Jayden gives tips on how to fix it properly.

And at the moment, the ship begins to pull forward away from the beach, salty flecks of water sprinkling our faces as the boat starts gaining speed.

Looking behind me, Santa Monica beach starts to recede from view, slowly but surely.

It feels like a dream right now. It feels like just yesterday I had been sitting in my room reading one of my favorite books, complaining about being grounded and worrying about what I was going to do this summer.

And now, here I am on a ship, sailing towards the unknown or at least for me. During the last week or so, my friends and I had gone through a lot to get here. Me more than the other two but now here we are, on our way to Angelus Urbem. I don't know what to expect when I get there and I don't know what's going to happen during the trip but I'm ready for anything now.

I had been hurt so much by friends and family over the last week that I know I can handle whatever life throws at me. Because I'm not normal and I will never go back to being normal. And I'm okay with that.

Because I understand who I am now.

In the last week, I've become a warrior, a survivor, and an angel. All the things I never thought I could be. And now I have something worth going towards. No matter what, I will fight for my new life with every fiber of my being.

Because without love and loss and pain, I would have never become who I was meant to be.

Isabella Celine Winters, princess of Angelus Urbem and an angel.