The Falling

By Kita Cook

Esther was just like any other angel, until the day she was exiled from Heaven for a crime she didn’t commit.

But where does an angel go after being exiled from the Holy Land?

They go to the underworld to endure an eternity of torture and slavery. Only, Esther discovered that those horrifying stories were not true, and Hell was very much like Heaven and Earth. On her arrival, Esther is welcomed by three demons who take her into their lives: Elvira, Caspian, and the mysterious Prince Zander.

But what they all didn’t know was that the moment Esther set foot in Hell, they all fell in grave danger.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Mar 3, 2023
• ISBN: 9781398407428

Kita Cook

I grew up in Inverell, a small rural town in north-east NSW. I started writing The Falling when I was 17. It took me 3 years to finally complete it. I dropped out of school at the start of grade 11, when I was 16. My first job was at a local jewellers’ that unfortunately closed early 2021. But I’m happy to say it was the best 5 years of my life working there, there was never a dull day with those lovely ladies. I am an animal fanatic, having many of mine, but we all have our favourites and mine are my two amazing cats: Pepsi and Minky. I’m a big fan of movies and my all-time favourite character is Batman. I love to write, mainly because it gives me a sense of freedom. I can shut off from the world around me and go anywhere I want. My biggest inspiration is Alexandra Adornetto. Her writing makes me feel like I’m there and her books make me feel so happy and I only want my book to bring the same joy to anyone who reads it. I’m not in it for the fame and fortune. I simply want to brighten up someone’s day, like Alexandra Adornetto did for me. —Kita Cook

Book preview

About the Author

I grew up in Inverell, a small rural town in north-east NSW. I started writing The Falling when I was 17. It took me 3 years to finally complete it. I dropped out of school at the start of grade 11, when I was 16. My first job was at a local jewellers’ that unfortunately closed early 2021. But I’m happy to say it was the best 5 years of my life working there, there was never a dull day with those lovely ladies. I am an animal fanatic, having many of mine, but we all have our favourites and mine are my two amazing cats: Pepsi and Minky. I’m a big fan of movies and my all-time favourite character is Batman.

I love to write, mainly because it gives me a sense of freedom. I can shut off from the world around me and go anywhere I want. My biggest inspiration is Alexandra Adornetto. Her writing makes me feel like I’m there and her books make me feel so happy and I only want my book to bring the same joy to anyone who reads it. I’m not in it for the fame and fortune. I simply want to brighten up someone’s day, like Alexandra Adornetto did for me.

—Kita Cook

Dedication

I dedicate the Falling to Ariat. My sweet little man, he shall rest in peace (2018-2021)

Copyright Information ©

Kita Cook 2023

The right of Kita Cook to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by the author in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

ISBN 9781398407411 (Paperback)

ISBN 9781398407428 (ePub e-book)

www.austinmacauley.com

First Published 2023

Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd®

1 Canada Square

Canary Wharf

London

E14 5AA

Chapter 1

Hundreds of years ago, angels were sent down to earth. Their only mission was to defeat Lucifer’s dark armies. God formed his own armies that consisted of only 2-3 angels within each group. Angels were stronger than demons so we had the advantage. Each group of angels was given a sector of earth to protect, and once their sector was clear of all the dark enemies, they would return back to heaven. Some angels would only have to defeat one demon while others had to defeat whole armies.

My sister, Faye, and I were amongst these angels. Before we were Cherubims, we were the keepers of records and almost held the same amount of knowledge as god. Now we were soldiers set in the heart of France and every day we were fighting against the dark forces, trying to stay alive and save the lives of innocent mortals. We were on our own, no matter how many times we called upon the counsel, no matter how much we pleaded. We had to fight this war alone and there was no one to help us.

Demons had a way of causing destruction amongst the mortal world, making it a lot harder for them to be defeated. Demons were becoming smarter and their weapons became more advanced. They were finally catching up with the rest of us. They had discovered a way to put themselves inside the body of a mortal human, making it easier for them to conduct their plans. We had to find a way to extract the demon from within the body without causing any harm towards the mortal. It was tricky at first, but we soon got our head around it.

It also helped that we could fight without being noticed. All angels had the ability to become invisible and unseen by any mortal or any demon. Giving us the advantage of sneak attacks and being able to fix problems without the human race questioning the truth of the universe.

Faye and I walked down the cobblestoned road. Our fight was over and we could finally relax and enjoy the beautiful autumn day in Paris. We decided to head on down to a small café that was located only 2 blocks from our temporary home. We were so relieved to have finally done it; after months of fighting, we could finally relax. I can’t wait to go home. Get away from all this negativity. Mortals blame their sins on the devil but I can’t help but think it’s them causing half the problems, I said, rubbing my temples gently as if it was giving me a headache.

We are lucky that we have no jealousy or greed up in heaven. God was smart to make us all the same. There is no such thing as hate, vanity or greed. We are all equal. I don’t understand how these mortals have lived for so long, Faye replied, grabbing a hold of my hand, swinging it back and forth.

A sudden pain gripped at my head and I curled over, screaming. It felt like someone was squeezing my head between their two large hands. The pain stopped and I straightened myself, confused as to what just happened. I found myself pulling my gun from the holster on my belt and I raised it up. I had no control over my body, what was happening?

Faye’s face turned to pure fear as the gun lined with her head. I looked down the barrel of what I thought was my gun and I too became scared. The gun I held in my hand was known as a fallen angel. It is the only weapon in the whole universe that would truly kill an angel. If an angel is shot by one of these, they won’t return to heaven—they will be sent to the pit. A dark hole deep beneath hell where souls are sent to endure an eternity of torture. But this made no sense, nobody had seen a fallen angel in centuries. How was I holding one in my hand?

Tears rolled down my cheeks as I tried to regain control of my body. My finger slipped onto the trigger and the gun shook. I couldn’t fight it, it was too strong. Shoot. A gentle dark voice echoed through my head and my finger pulled at the trigger. Faye’s body stiffened and I watched through blurred eyes as she slowly fell backwards, hitting the ground with a thud. I felt the force leave my body and my knees buckled beneath me; I sat only feet from Faye’s lifeless body.

I looked down at my open hands. How was this possible? The gun was gone. I looked about, thinking maybe I dropped it, but it had disappeared. My eyes burned as the tears poured down my face. I clenched at my chest, struggling to breathe. The counsel was probably already looking for me. Who knows what will happen to me. I tucked my legs into my chest as I lay on my side, sobbing quietly as I waited for the counsel to find me. There was no point running from someone who sees all.

A bright light glowed through my closed eyelids. I opened them slowly and jumped to my feet as I watched the light circle around me. My heart raced once I realised what was happening. The counsel had found me and I was to be taken to their place of meeting. Faye’s body was gone and there was no sign that she was ever there. I closed my eyes and waited for the bright light to transport me to the counsel. As I held my eyes closed tightly, I thought of all the things that could happen. They could believe me and I could go back home and return to my original job. Or they won’t believe me and they will sentence me to the worst of punishments. It was too hard to think about right now.

My body was placed in front of a large wooden door. Muffled voices sounded from inside as I knocked lightly. The door opened into a firelit room with a long table in the centre of it. The 7 members of the counsel, being God’s 7 archangels, sat around the table and at the top sat the one and only Michael. Our lord’s strongest and most trusted archangel. Michael motioned for me to take the empty seat at the other end of the table.

I swallowed hard and sat down slowly. I didn’t dare meet their gaze, I just hung my head in shame. Do you know why you are here, Esther? Michael’s deep angelic voice rumbled through the room. My heart was beating furiously, I was afraid if I was to open my mouth It would burst out.

Yes, I choked.

Then why don’t you explain to us? Michael lifted an eyebrow and sat up straighter, as if waiting for me to tell him a fairy-tale story.

I shot—

From the beginning please, Esther, Michael interrupted then sat back, waiting for me to start again.

"Faye and I had just fought off the last of Lucifer’s soldiers in our area. We were heading to a café to have a slice of cake and a cup of tea to celebrate our victory. We were to head back home to await our recall after we stop there. But before we could arrive to the café, I got a really bad pain in my head, almost like someone was squeezing it between their hands, and I found myself not being able to control my body.

It was as if someone was controlling it for me and they made me shoot Faye. They had somehow swapped out my gun with a fallen angel, and once I got control of my body again, the gun was gone. I didn’t kill her. My voice was shaky and I found myself on the verge of yelling. I looked up into Michael’s eyes and saw that he was not convinced. I looked around trying to find someone who would believe me, but they all shared the same expression. I dropped my head again and stared at the hands that once held that gun.

Esther, you should know that it’s impossible for an angel to be mind-controlled. It’s just childish that you would come up with something like that when an angel has been murdered by a weapon nobody has seen in centuries. So Esther, tell me the truth. How did you get your hands on one of these? Did you steal it? Are you working for Lucifer? Michael placed the fallen angel on the table in front of him. My bottom lip quivered as the tears started to swell in my eyes.

No, I’m not working for Lucifer. I’m God’s child. I would never work for Lucifer. It’s not possible that you have that gun. After I shot Faye, it vanished. All that was there was my gun. My voice shook, but I forced myself to keep it together.

So you did shoot her? Michael replied, playing with my words.

What? No. I said I didn’t shoot her. Why won’t you believe me? I almost screamed. I want to speak to God. At least I know he will listen and he will believe me, I growled and sat back in the chair, refusing to say another word until I speak to God.

Michael and the 6 other arch’s exited the room behind me, leaving me alone in the large open room. I took this time to close my eyes for a second and replay the previous events. Surely I would’ve felt a demon entering my body, if that was the case, and like Michael said, it was impossible for a demon to take control of another celestial being. Nothing made sense. Mortals weren’t smart enough to contain such advanced knowledge. Maybe I was lying to myself and maybe it was me the whole time. Did I really murder Faye?

Rise, Michael commanded after they had all filed back into the room and took their original seats. I stared him in the eye, waiting for him to explain. RISE! he said again. His voice shook the room and I slowly got up from my chair. My knees were unsteady, but I forced myself to stay standing. I sentence you, Esther, to live amongst the creatures of hell for all of eternity. If you were a true daughter of God, then God would’ve shown us that you were telling the truth, Michael said. His voice was serious and dark. I felt my heart shatter and dissolve into nothing. All the chairs scraped against the floor as all seven archangels rose again and hung their heads.

No. You can’t do this. I want to talk to him. Let me talk to him, I screamed as I ran around and shook every arch, trying to get their attention. I stopped by Michael and dropped to my knees, reaching up, grabbing his long cloak. Please don’t do this to me. I’m telling the truth. I swear, I begged as I rocked back and forth.

Condemn thee to the flames of hell, they all chanted. I fell back off my knees and scratched at my arm, feeling a burning pain slither up my arm from my fingertips. Soon the burning had covered my whole body and I collapsed to the floor. I wailed and screamed, begging God to forgive me but I knew deep down, he was not listening. My eyes shot open and I watched as my skin began to crack and hot red liquid oozed from the gaps in my skin. I blinked my eyes tightly and when I opened them again, the world around me was pitch black.

Hey…are you dead? If you are, may I eat you? An unrecognisable British man’s voice sounded over me and a finger poked hard at my shoulder. My eyes fluttered open slowly and at first everything was a blur and my head ached as the ground beneath me rocked back and forth.

Caspian, what did I tell you about eating things off the ground? It’s unhygienic and you don’t know what you could contract from it. A girl’s voice sounded, it too was British and was followed by a small giggle. My eyes travelled down my body and I scanned it closely, no more oozing red cracks and the pain was gone. I slowly rolled off my side, onto my back and looked up to see three figures standing over me. I could tell that two of them had to be men and one was a lady.

Damn. Sorry Caspian, this one is alive, you’re not eating today, the girl said as she squatted down beside me. My eyes adjusted on her once she got closer. She must be a celestial being of some sort because she was beautiful. Her fiery red hair hung in loose waves down around her hips and her face was a perfect heart shape with no imperfections. Her large cartoon-like eyes were the colour of a grassy meadow and her small narrow nose was lifted at the tip slightly. She had small plump lips that seemed to curl in the corners and were painted with a deep red gloss that shimmered. I closed my eyes tightly for a second, making sure I wasn’t imagining this.

I didn’t know how long I was lying there but when I opened my eyes, I found a small, pale, ring-covered hand sticking out in front of my face. I just stared at it, I didn’t understand what I was supposed to do. Would you like to get up out of the dirt or would you prefer to stay there? the red-haired girl asked sarcastically. I lifted my hand and placed it in hers. I flinched once our hands touched. Her skin was so cold. That was odd for an angel, since we aren’t hot or cold. Touching an angel is like touching a cloud, you feel nearly nothing.

She lifted me to my feet and I held my head as I swayed, waiting for my legs to wake up so they could support me properly, before looking up into the faces of the three strangers. She’s still waking up, boys. Don’t worry, the dizziness will pass. The girl smiled at me, exposing her pearly white teeth. I took a moment to look around, soon discovering it was night time as it was very dark. A foul smell wafted in the air though. It was as if something had died and festered in the sun for a couple of days. I must be in a different part of heaven, because I didn’t recognise this place at all.

My eyes worked back to the three strangers standing in front of me. The red-haired girl stood between 2 men. She was much shorter than both of them, standing about the same height as me, 5’5. She had a perfect slender figure and the red minidress she wore was so tight around her body you could see every curve and line. A pair of black ripped stockings covered her long legs and she wore no shoes on her feet. She looked like she didn’t mind either. A plain silver disc sat neatly around her neck with a small C engraved on it. It was a strange outfit to be worn in Heaven, but I wasn’t one to judge.

Beside the girl stood a taller well-built man. He looked about 6’. his face was perfect as well. His well-defined cheekbones brought out his bright hazel, almond-shaped eyes. He had a chiselled jawline and a large muscular neck. He had dark, choppy blonde hair that sat just below his ears. His fringe was flipped over one of his almond eyes and continued into the rest of his hair. He wore a crinkled white blouse that hung loosely over his chest and was half tucked into a pair of tailored black dress pants and he wasn’t wearing shoes either. He also had a plain silver disc hanging around his neck, but his had an E engraved on it.

I trailed off to the stranger on the other side of the girl. He was much taller than the other two, standing about 6’5. His long black shiny hair hung roughly around his broad shoulders and was brushed back out of his slender face. A few strands had escaped and danced over his forehead, but he didn’t seem to mind. His pale sunken cheeks made his big hypnotic grey eyes stand out and they were very similar to an angel’s eyes, being the colour of rain.

His nose was narrow and thin and his grey lifeless lips were pursed together. I noticed a faded scar traveling from his cheek down his slim neck, and it disappeared under his dark grey blouse that was well tailored to fit his long thin torso. It was tucked neatly into a pair of tight black jeans and what took me by surprise was that he was actually wearing a pair of black dress shoes. Compared to the other two, he was dressed more formally.

What’s your name? the blonde-haired man asked. His words flew straight through my head. Sorry? My words came out slurred.

I asked what your name was, he repeated; I could tell he was annoyed that he had to repeat himself.

Ummm…Esther. My name is Esther, I said quietly. Their eyes stared at me as if I had been talking in a different language.

Esther huh? I like it, but just so you know, you can change it if you don’t like it. I wouldn’t if I were you though. I like Esther. It suits you. The red-haired girl smiled.

What, like you did? the blond-haired man joked and nudged the girl with his elbow. She simply smiled and turned back to me.

Well, I’m Elvira. It’s nice to meet you, Esther. She gave a small curtsy and stood back up straight. And this is Caspian. The blond-haired man stepped forward, extending his hand out to me. I placed my hand into his and when he held it, I was scared it might swallow my tiny hand.

Welcome aboard. His voice was deep and I found it very odd that these angels were British. Angels have very distinct accents which is what makes us so different to the rest of the world. I smiled at the both of them and looked over to the other man who I had not yet been introduced to. His thin arm stretched out to me and I placed my hand into his. I went to shake his hand but his long slender fingers wrapped themselves around mine and he bowed down, placing his grey lips on the back of my hand. They were cold, and made the hairs on my body stand on end.

I’m Zander. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Esther, he said with a deep angelic-like voice. I could tell he was definitely an angel by his voice.

May I ask what part of Heaven we are in? I asked politely. Elvira burst into laughter, followed by Caspian. The laughing continued for a few minutes before Elvira looked back to me to find confusion spread across my face.

You mean, you don’t know where you are? Elvira looked at Zander and Caspian then back to me. She was trying to tell if I was fooling her or if I was being serious, but soon gave in once she realised I was serious about my question. Esther, you do realise that you’re in hell, right? Elvira questioned me with a worried look on her face.

That was when everything came rushing back and hit me like a freight train. Faye’s death and my exile to the underworld. I’m an angel, God’s daughter. I didn’t belong in hell. Elvira snapped her fingers in my face and I looked up quickly. So are you de…demons? I stuttered.

Well duh. Elvira let out an accidental giggle.

Their facial expressions never changed. Three demons stood before me, but I was quite shocked. I was always told that demons were tall, hideous, malnourished creatures, but these three looked like average beings; I mean, I actually thought they were angels. So what horrible crime did you commit to get yourself sent to hell? Please tell me it was a mass murder. Caspian stepped forward a little, smiling like a child in a toy store.

I wouldn’t step too close there, Caspian. She’s not just any old mortal being. This here is an angel. Zander’s voice echoed from where he stood, back in the shadows. How did he know that?

Wait, you’re an angel? Caspian asked, fear rolled off his tongue and he stepped backwards. I just nodded slowly, my eyes still fixed on Zander. What are you doing here? I opened my mouth to reply but I was interrupted by Zander again.

She was exiled here because she murdered another angel with this. Zander pulled the fallen angel out from the back of his pants and threw it on the ground before me. What the counsel didn’t know was that she was being controlled the whole time by me. You did try though, didn’t you, Esther? Zander smirked, but Elvira and Caspian didn’t find it all that amusing; they found it quite frightening as they stared at me wide-eyed.

You were controlling me? My words come out no louder than a squeak.

Yes. But before you try and ‘kill me’, or whatever, hear me out. My army was up on Earth and half of them were located in France. You and your little friend defeated them and I lost a lot of good soldiers. You can’t blame me for being angry. Honestly, I had no idea you were an angel, which was very strange because I knew the other one was an angel. I just figured you were a mortal the angel had befriended. I simply got into your head, don’t get me wrong, it was hard gaining control over you. You fought hard. Once I got there, I quickly switched your guns over and told you to shoot that angel in the head. It wasn’t until you were called upon by the counsel that I realised you were an angel yourself. So I decided I would stick around and see where things would go. They would’ve believed you if you didn’t doubt yourself towards the end there. I had nothing to do with that. Zander grinned and stepped towards me.

He made me kill Faye. He is the reason why I’m here. He is going to pay for what he had done and I will make him confess his sins to God so I can return to my rightful place in Heaven. My fists clenched into balls and I lunged myself at him. Zander grabbed me around the throat before I could even touch him. He held me feet off the ground and gripped my neck tighter.

Now, now, little angel, don’t be like that. You’re in my world now. You have a choice, join us or I can send you off to the pit. It’s your choice. His cold breath brushed against my cheek as he leaned in close.

I would rather die than join you filthy creatures, I spat.

Very well. Zander shrugged his shoulders. I watched as his free hand reached up and gripped my head. I closed my eyes tight and let out a loud scream as Zander pulled me down by neck, detaching my skull from my neck. One last pop echoed through my head and I watched Zander’s grinning face as he threw me backwards. I waited for my body to hit the ground but I lost all sense to feel anything or see anything.

I scuffled about in the dirt, confused of what had just happened. I looked up, finding Elvira, Caspian and Zander still standing over me. I rubbed my hand around my neck, examining it for any broken bones or any abnormalities. Everything was where it should be. Why aren’t I back in heaven? When an angel gets severely hurt, they go back to heaven, to rest and regain their strength. Why am I still here? I began to yell.

Esther, calm down. Since you were exiled here, that means you will return to hell. It’s your new home. You will never return to Heaven again. That’s just how things work. Hell is no different to Heaven. No one ever dies and no one ever ages. We are immortal, just like angels. Really, you should be thanking Zander. If it wasn’t for him then you would’ve gone straight to the pit, Elvira said calmly and helped me to my feet again. I looked to Zander who was standing back with a smirk on his face.

I’m glad you find this all so funny. I walked up to him and stopped by his side. I refuse to ever follow you, or thank you. I turned away before he could see the tears swelling in my eyes and I made sure to bang his shoulder as I walked past him.

As I walked away, I could hear Elvira’s voice in the distance from where I had come from. I didn’t know where I was going, all I knew was that I wanted to get away from all of them and I wanted to get out of this world. I looked down at my throbbing feet and only then did I noticed I was barefoot, and I had walked over a glass bottle that had been shattered against the concrete path. I tried stepping off the glass so my feet could heal, but I found myself falling instead of walking. My knees and hands landed on the glass and warm red blood started seeping from the new wounds. I dragged myself off the glass and onto a patch of grass under a flickering lamppost. The glowing yellow light made the red blood shimmer as it slithered over my pale skin. I blinked and one lonely tear popped out from my closed eye onto a single blade of grass below me. This can’t be real?

Footsteps sounded in the distance and my eyes opened. I pulled myself in closer to the lamppost and tried hiding myself behind it. The footsteps got closer and louder and I became more afraid than ever. A dark figure came into view as I peered around the lamppost, but this figure didn’t look anything like the three demons I had just met. I sat back behind the post trying to control my breathing and stay quiet. The footsteps stopped so I decided to have another look, only the figure was gone. I relaxed again and examined my hands and feet that had now fully healed over, all that remained was the red blood that stained my skin.

My body froze when a cold hand latched over my mouth and pulled me back into the darkness, away from the dim light I took refuge under. I was dragged along the hard gravel with the hand pulling tighter around my mouth. I tried to fight but they were much stronger than me. I opened my mouth enough to grip the palm of their hand in my teeth. The stranger let out a sickly scream and let go of me, giving me the chance to escape, only to be grabbed again.

I was lifted up so I was in line with the strangers face. I was truly terrified as I looked at the milky-eyed creature. His clothes were ripped and hung off his malnourished body. His long wet-looking hair stuck to his wrinkled dry skin and he smelt of old garbage. He was truly terrifying, like a nightmare come true. His cold hand lifted and came down across my face leaving my cheek stinging. His hand continued to slap my face back and forth. It was only about the 15th slap that he stopped and started sniffing me rapidly. I kicked and fought against his grip, but he wasn’t concerned as he continued. His rapid sniffing stopped and my head shot back as my screams echoed into the darkness. The man’s teeth latched onto my arm as he chewed away at my flesh. His teeth were sharp and were almost hitting the bone as he ate away.

A gust of wind flicked my hair forwards and I found myself falling to the ground. My eyes had half closed and my screams had become nothing but heavy breathing. I looked up expecting to see the creature standing over me, blood dripping from his mouth and hunger in his eyes, but he was gone. I squinted through my half-closed eyelids, to see a tall man standing over the creature who had just attacked me. The man continued to belt into the cowering creature until it ran away into the darkness, screaming and wailing. The man turned and headed towards me. I had lost so much blood that I didn’t have the strength to fight back or run away. Instead, I curled into a ball on the ground and closed my eyes tightly.

I was kind of relieved when my eyes finally opened and I saw 2 familiar faces behind me. I looked up to see who was carrying me and my body tensed. Let go of me. I pushed away from Zander until he finally let go, and I got onto my own feet. I dusted myself off and stepped away from him.

You’re welcome, Zander growled before he strode past me. Caspian gave me a small half smile as he passed, before he caught up to Zander, leaving Elvira behind with me.

Are you alright, Esther? Elvira asked me with concern. I hung my head and dropped my arms by my side.

I would like to be left alone, I whispered and started walking away.

Esther, it’s not safe to be out there. Surely you know that now. Come on back here, Elvira called to me and I stopped in my tracks. As much as I hate admitting this, she was right. I looked down at my arm, still healing over and the blood dripped from my fingertips.

Elvira trotted up beside me and nudged my shoulder with hers lightly. Cheer up. It’s not like it’s the end of the world. You’re free now. You can do whatever you want here. And hell isn’t like those stories you get told as a child. Where it’s just a dark hole that never sees the light. This world is no different to any other world. Just ours has a constant smell of rotting souls and is infested with evil souls. But you soon get used to that. Elvira smiled.

I guess, was all I said as I kept my head dropped. Elvira did make this place seem okay, even though it smelt of dead. I just don’t want to be anywhere near him, I growled and pointed my head towards Zander What kind of person does that to someone. He murdered Faye, she was like family to me. I can never forgive him for that, I hissed through gritted teeth.

Zander didn’t know, you can’t keep blaming him. If you’re going to blame someone, I would start with your ‘almighty God’; he was the one who put you here. Isn’t he all about forgiveness and isn’t it his job to determine who has sinned and who hasn’t? You would think he would be able to see that you didn’t kill your friend. Besides, Zander just saved your life. That demon was going to eat you alive, is that really how you want to go out? Eaten alive by a demon? Elvira lectured. Give this place a chance. Please. You never know what could happen if you don’t. Elvira gave me a reassuring smile and wrapped her arm around mine and pulled me up behind Caspian and Zander.

What’s his deal anyway? I finally said after a few minutes of silence, watching Zander walk in front of me.

What do you mean? Elvira answered.

The whole stuck-up, well-dressed gentleman act. What, did he come from royalty or something back on Earth?

He is royalty. He’s one of the 7 originals. So I guess he has to have some form of manners and respect. This may be hell but we do have manners. Elvira giggled softly to herself, but I didn’t laugh. I stopped frozen to the spot.

"He’s an original? You mean to tell me he is the Zander, leader of the blood army?" I choked.

Yes. It’s not a big deal, Elvira replied. She glanced over and saw I was no longer beside her. Oh darling, we don’t bow down and worship him or anything like that. He just trains us and puts us into line when we play up. Elvira smiled as she waved for me to come forward.

We don’t get many angels down here. I think the last one we got ended up becoming Lucifer’s wife. She is so beautiful that she has a natural glowing light surrounding her. It’s strange that you don’t have that about you. I thought all angels glowed? I looked at Elvira, but didn’t say anything. I thought I did glow.

I guess I’m not an angel any more, and I guess this is where I live now. I sighed loudly. Elvira grabbed hold of my hand once again.

This isn’t where you live. Come on and I will show you where you will be living, Elvira cheered and started dragging me down the narrow footpath.

Chapter 2

A large white Victorian-style mansion came into view. You could tell it was old from the paint peeling off the walls and the boards had been eaten away by ants. I walked along the white iron fence that had rusted away to almost nothing, to a small gate that was open and led up to the front door. I followed Elvira towards the house slowly. Poison ivy was growing up one side of the house and it almost fully consumed one side of the porch that reached around the whole house. I looked up, noticing the windows on the tower had been smashed and boarded up. I stepped onto the porch and the floorboards creaked under my feet. This place gave me the creeps.

Elvira turned around to me, smiling. This is where you will be living.

Who decided that? Zander walked up from behind us and pushed past Elvira and I, and into the house.

I did, so get over it, Elvira growled and led me into the house. I watched Zander turn in the doorway and head up a winding staircase. Red carpet spilled up the hall and the smell of roses poured out from inside. Elvira went in first and I followed her, fascinated by how clean and welcoming it was inside. It wasn’t welcoming at all on the outside, but once I got inside, I felt…at home.

I scanned the well-lit hallway carefully, examining every detail. The walls were covered with a floral wallpaper and the soft carpet crept between my