Chapter 13
Elise and Chloe were sitting on the balcony of a guest house on the outskirts of Adamas. The room was vacant; as far as the hotel owner was concerned, at least.
Elise was half-sitting and half-lying in her chair, her long shapely legs stretched out before her, feet resting on another chair. She was enjoying a cool orange juice, while Chloe, who sat beside her, chewed her nails as she watched the children in the schoolyard below.
‘Come on, Chloe! You’ve been watching the kids for five straight minutes. Pick one. Please!’
Chloe screwed up her face, which made her look dead cute. Everything about this seemingly seven-year-old was cute. Down to the dimples and the fly-away wispy long hair. She had recently gained her angel wings, having joined the angelic legions entrusted with guarding the people of Greece. Her troop was led by Archangel Esmera, whose main territory was the Cycladic islands.
She had teamed up Chloe with Elise, who was a more experienced angel. Esmera had first posted them together on the island of Sifnos but had recently surprised them with a cryptic dispatch note, ordering them to set up camp on Milos and await further instructions.
Elise had picked this remote family hotel for them to dwell in until the instructions came. It was not too crowded and none of the humans there knew they were staying in this room.
Elise had the physical form of a stunning, athletic blond in her twenties with platinum, 30s-style hair that had impeccable marcel waves. She’d been training Chloe to pass the time, sharing what she knew, ever since they arrived here. They’d been on Milos for two full days, and, so far, Elise had made Chloe proficient in raising and lowering her vibration at will – depending on whether she wanted to be visible or invisible to the common mortals. She’d also spoiled her on ice cream and her favourite meal, moussaka , whenever they had a meal out – which they did a lot.
‘Chloe!’ burst out Elise. Patience was not her strong point.
‘I can’t just pick any kid! I need to make sure they’re worth my help! Isn’t this what Esmera always says we should do? Pick someone who’s worthy?’
Elise shrugged, then pointed toward the schoolyard. ‘Oh, look! This little girl with the glasses. She looks timid… not to say lonely, sitting and eating her sandwich on her own. You could help her get some confidence, surely?’
Chloe twisted her lips, her hand flying up to grasp her chin as she mulled it over. Eyes half-closed, she tutted, then said, ‘Nuh… I need something less ordinary for my very first assignment.’
Elise shook her head and pointed vaguely toward the schoolyard with a lopsided smile. ‘Sure. Take your time…’
‘Really?’
‘No. Not really. It’s getting hot, Chloe! I want to go swim. Like, now. Hurry up already!”
‘Fine!’ Right then, another girl approached the one with the glasses. Her stance was menacing, causing Chloe to give a gasp. ‘Oh no!’ she said as she watched, leaning forward in her chair.
Elise watched too, shaking her head. ‘Stupid children. Why do they have to do that?’
‘Do, what?’ asked Chloe.
‘That!’ said Elise just as the menacing girl swiped her hand to throw the specky girl’s sandwich on the floor. The latter began to cry, causing the bully to start mocking her. They were far away and the angels couldn’t hear what was said, but the body language was unmistakable.
Chloe turned to Elise. ‘You really have to teach me this trick. How can you possibly know what’s going to happen moments before it actually does?’
Elise put up one hand before her face to admire her red manicured nails. With the other, she smoothed her perfect, Ginger-Rogers-Come-to-the-Ball hairstyle. ‘Oh, it’s not a trick... I just do it. I don’t know how. Each angel has their own special gifts, I guess.’
Chloe returned her attention to the girls again. They both looked eight or nine, at most. The bully was now walking away, leaving the other girl to sob into her hands. ‘She’s perfect!’ said Chloe. ‘I’ll pick her.’
‘Finally!’ said Elise. ‘Now, let’s go swim. I bought a new bikini and I can’t wait to try it.’
‘So you agree that it was worth the wait?’ said Chloe as she followed Elise into the room, her wide grin bringing out her dimples without fail.
‘Of course. And I have faith in you, Chloe. You’ll turn that sheep into a lion in no time.’
Chloe stopped short on the way to the wardrobe, gave an amused open smile and said, ‘I didn’t pick the girl in the glasses, Elise. I picked the bully.’
Elise rolled her eyes. ‘Silly me. I should know you by now, really.’
###
Chloe didn’t waste time. As soon as they returned from the beach, she let Elise jump into the shower while she hurried to the school gate. She knew the bell was about to ring, signalling the end of the school day.
Less than twenty seconds after the bell echoed, children loaded with hefty bags began to stride across the schoolyard to the open gate.
Chloe chuckled to herself as she watched them, but with a tiny measure of nostalgia too. She remembered her school days well from when she was a mortal. She had been a studious pupil. Never liked bullies, but she’d always been strong-minded and assertive so no one had ever approached her with aggressive intentions.
She’d been an angel for only a short time, but she already knew all about energy. She imagined she had always been radiating strong light outwards from her heart centre, even as a living human. It would have been virtually impossible for any bully to assault her while she did that.
Speak of the devil! As soon as she thought that, she screwed up her face. I really should mind my language. I am an angel now. I should know better than speak the name of the biggest loser in all of the angelic legions, like, ever!
The timid girl walked right past her then, reminding her what she was there for. The girl was walking with her head hung low, all alone, unlike the other kids that were conversing and laughing with friends on their way out.
Feeling a tug of sympathy in her heart, Chloe didn’t waste time. She let a surge of bright white light explode from within her heart centre. It hit the back of the receding girl like a crackling firework, except only she could hear the sound. The energetic bullseye resulted in a rainbow of colours that, again, only Chloe could see.
Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain. She’d loved that mnemonic rhyme ever since she learned it in school. The colours of the rainbow that all made up pure white light. They were, and certainly not by coincidence, the colours of the seven energetic centres of the human body, too. Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet.
The white light she had sent the girl had just exploded into its seven counterparts, each directed straight into the corresponding energy centre along the girl’s spine.
Chloe tittered when she saw the girl stumble, only for a moment, before she regained her balance. She’d surely felt the surge of energy hit her, but probably thought it was a sudden dizziness or something like that. Esmera had taught her how to do this. The humans never know when angels zap them with white light. But it works all the same. Oh yeah, you bet it does! Look at her go!
Chloe was giggling now as she watched the girl hum a happy tune, carrying her bag with less of an effort. There you go! That’ll last you all day. Enjoy. A gift from Chloe. You’re welcome…
Chloe felt good about herself, for having helped this girl with this little gift, even though she wasn’t her charge. Right then, the bully approached. She was walking on her own too, very slowly, head down, and she was scuffing stones as she went.
Seeing that the girl continued to walk with her head hung low, Chloe found it easy to follow her.
The girl turned the first corner into a quiet lane that was edged on both sides with residential homes and open fields.
At some point, the bully reached an olive grove and, to Chloe’s surprise, she went to sit under one of the trees. She opened her school bag and took out a bag of crisps and a small carton of juice. Leaning against the tree, she opened the bag of crisps and began to devour them. Chloe pretended to walk on by, but left the lane a little further down to hide behind another tree. She waited until the girl had finished her crisps and juice and then, to her surprise, she saw her stand to her feet but leave her school bag on the ground.
The bully moved to some bushes near her, found a dead branch and started to thrash it on the ground.
Chloe screwed up her face. What is she doing?
The girl returned to the tree and started to hit the trunk with the branch.
Chloe couldn’t just sit and watch that. She could see the tree’s aura turn darker with every strike. It was an unbearable sight.
‘Hey!’ she said, raising both arms and rushing over.
‘What do you want?’ shouted the girl, her eyes as narrow as button holes. She dropped the branch and put her hands on her hips.
Unafraid, Chloe neared her, stopping just a couple of feet away to say, ‘Why are you hitting the tree? What’s it done to you?’
The glare on the girl’s face intensified. She tilted her chin to say, ‘What’s it to you, twerp ? Get out of here before I hit you instead!’
Chloe gave a chortle. ‘Hit me? Really?’
‘Yes, really!’ said the bully and picked up the branch. Taking a step forward, she shook it in the air. ‘Go, or else !’
Chloe gave a cute smile, tilted her head to one side and said, ‘I think I’ll pick “else”. I’m curious.’
The girl’s face turned red. ‘Curious? I’ll give you curious, smartass !’ She lunged forward and flailed out an arm, clearly about to hit Chloe with the branch, but froze mid-swing.
Chloe stood, spine straight, head held high. The bully had no idea what she was doing, but she was actually radiating so much light that even the birds that had been flying overhead had dived lower, landing on the branches of the tree. They chirped frantically as they bathed in the energetic cloud of sheer goodness that had formed around and above Chloe.
The bully seemed just as eager to soak up the light, deep down at soul level, at least. Unfortunately, people have egos that get in the way.
Chloe shook her head as she watched the girl remain frozen, confusion alight in her eyes. If only people were like birds! But no. They all battle their whole lives with the all-white angel and the red little devil with the pitchfork. They had to have them both.
The bully knitted her brows, lowering her hand slowly. ‘Why are you looking at me like that?’
‘Like, what?’
‘Like you’re expecting me to do something.’
‘You’re right. I am. I am expecting you to think why you should hit a tree that just offered you shade while you enjoyed your snacks earlier. Is this how you repay it?’ Chloe asked, never stopping sending that precious light her way.
The bully shook her head and dropped the branch. ‘You’re mad. Don’t talk to me.’
Without waiting for a reply, the bully picked up her school bag and returned to the lane to walk away. She never even threw her a backward glance.
Chloe waited for a few moments to pass, then increased her vibration enough to lose her physical form all together. Now, invisible, she ran behind the bully to follow her home. She was pretty sure she’d pick up a clue or two there about this girl’s atrocious behaviour.