Nephilim: Children of Angels

18: Angels, A witch, and The Book

As I approach the field, I see Sasuke coming out of the building. He's changed into new clothes and is looking refreshed, making me hyper- aware of the small twigs and rocks, poking up into the holes in the soles of my shoes, from the spears, and the bloody gaping hole in the knee of my pants. I wonder if Janine would let me change. Probably not. I am not her favorite. I take off my shoes as I get to the field, no longer seeing the point in wearing them. As Sasuke approaches, I notice he has his hands behind his back very casually. He grins at me madly, once we meet in the field, near where Thomas and Miguel are tearing each other apart. He pulls a pair of shoes out from behind his back.

"Thank you." I exclaim, moved by the gesture. They are my size too. "How did you get these?" I ask absently, putting them on.

"Janine told me where to find them. She let down her barrier so I could get in the closet." He explains. "Here, Miguel." He pulls a second pair from behind his back like a magician.

Miguel looks over and pays dearly for it, with a large fist to the side of his face. I can hear his jaw snap.

"Oops, sorry." Sasuke apologizes, giving me a whoops face, eyes wide with an exaggerated frown. I can't help but giggle, my mood suddenly shifting with his presence. Though, this information he has shared has my mind churning. If Janine has force fields up all over the place, how were Miguel and I able to get past the security to the front of the center and into the closet to retrieve my sketch book? I look over at Janine who still has her nose in a book. She jots something down in the margin. She must have let us, but why? It seemed like it wasn't the first time he had done it. I should ask him.

"Wanna fight?" Sasuke asks. I look at him with a worried face. I have seen how strong he is. I am not looking to have my face obliterated. "I won't just beat you up. I will show you a few things I have learned, and you can practice teleporting as part of your defense and offense." He reassures.

We move away from the two bulls going at it, to give ourselves some space. He shows me a few moves and lets me practice hitting him. I gleefully take out all my pent-up aggressions from the last few days on him. I understand why Kali and Ambien were so ready to beat me to a pulp. This is incredibly cathartic.

"Dinner time." Janine calls, finally lifting her head from her book. I wonder what she was reading. I take Sasuke's hand and teleport us to the cafeteria.

"Thanks." He chuckles a little, stumbling. "It's kind of disorienting." He says, regaining his composure.

"Really? Not to me, sorry." I apologize.

"No, it's fine." He says, going over to grab some food.

Ambien is already at the food table, carefully picking through the items. She scrunches up her nose adorably at the carrots. The sight makes me smile but then I remember by the tree and shake myself back to my senses. I have never done anything like that. I have also never had a girl take me to a lover's tree before, though. I sit at the table, deep in thought.

"You all are really quiet." Thomas interrupts my reverie. I look up and see Miguel sitting across from me. When did he get here? Thomas is sitting at the far end of the table. He has already eaten his food and is pouting at us arms crossed.

"Sorry." Sasuke chuckles, running his hand through his hair like he does. I notice Ambien isn't at the table. I look around for her and spot her standing by the window.

"Shouldn't I be the one brooding. My girlfriend just left to another state. What are all of your excuses?" he says, conversationally.

"Sorry. Did she call?" I ask. That reminds me I need to ask Janine to call my dad.