Monday morning rolled around, and he still hadn't heard anything from Ell. Every time his mind dragged up images of her scarred body, hatred would flow through his veins and it would take several minutes for him to get his body back under control. It was physically painful for him to walk away and leave her that night, but with Bael taking inhabitance in his home, Luke felt that taking her to his home would only place her in greater danger. The best he could do was get to class especially early on Monday, to try and catch her before Mrs. Fields demanded their attention. The door to Room 113 creaked open and Luke's head whipped around, hoping to see Ell floating through the door.

When he saw her, Luke immediately began to feel calm and more himself. Ell looked nervous as she scurried over to the table she shared with Luke. She dropped her bags to the ground, and with her head still lowered sped through a carefully crafted monologue, "Luke, I know you want to talk about Friday, and maybe you have every right to question me, but I don't have to answer your questions, so I don't plan on doing so. Please don't hate me." With her speedy announcement completed, Ell slammed into her seat, out of breath from talking so quickly. She looked at Luke with apologetic eyes, begging for forgiveness.

Driven by the need to comfort her, Luke pasted a cheerful smile on his face, "There's nothing to forgive! I just want to make sure you're safe. I couldn't bare it if something happened to you." His hand snaked out across the table to capture her own, and immediately he regretted the choice. His arm felt like it was on fire. Sparks ran up and down his body as he touched this beautiful, charming, broken young woman. Ell's mouth dropped open into a large O, and Luke was sure she was feeling the same thing.

Luke had never felt this sensation before, and it frightened him. Father wasn't going to let him have a happily ever after type ending. No, his father would drag his body to the Underworld piece by piece if that's what it took for him to win his bet against God. The more time he spent with Ell, the worse it would get. She was changing so much already. Luke could see it in the way she flittered down the hall, instead of clumping along like every other human. And her eyes, once the dark blue of unrefined sapphires, had lightened until they looked like crystalline pools of water. Sadness filled his being as he realized how much danger he had brought into her life.

Suddenly, Luke felt a shift in the air, and a chill tickled the back of his neck. A familiar smirk caught his eye and a haughty demeanor filled the room. What the hell is Bael doing here? Luke couldn't believe his eyes. Never before had Bael deigned to appear at one of his schools. Normally, he just made fun of Luke for "trying to be human." Bael held Luke's eyes as he sauntered over to Mrs. Fields and handed her a purple slip of paper. After a quick glance at Luke, Mrs. Fields addressed the entire class, "Class, we have a new student."

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All throughout class, Luke couldn't believe what he had just heard. A new student? What is he playing at? To make matters worse, Bael Williams, as he so thoughtfully thought to call himself, was placed at his table with Ell. Luke remembered the surprise in Ell's eyes as she put two and two together, "Luke, you didn't tell me you had a brother!" She greeted that demon so sweetly, welcoming Luke's brother in her life. From that moment on, Luke couldn't control his glare, as he stared red-hot fury into Bael's back for the next fifty minutes.

When the bell rang, Luke shot out of his seat, murmured a word of goodbye to Ell, and dragged his brother out of the room. "What the hell are you doing here, Bael? Isn't living in my house torture enough?"

"Oh, Lucy, don't be that way! I'm just taking a page from your book. All these years I've berated you for following your stupid human conventions. Going to school, hiding your superior form, washing your hands. And I thought, 'Well, maybe the little brother's on to something' so I decided to see what all the hullaballoo was about!"

"Oh save your lies for someone who might actually believe them. I know why you're here. You're toying with me. Moving into my house and disrupting my home life isn't enough for you. Now, you're moving in for the kill."

"Moving in for the kill. Hmm. That's frighteningly accurate, brother. Maybe you should share that fear with your girlfriend?"

"Just stay away from her! I don't understand your and Father's need to ruin my chance at happiness, at redemption!"

Bael's cool façade faltered and he roared out at his brother, "Because it isn't right! You're a Prince of Hell. Act like it! I want my brother to come home, to ride through the Kingdom with me and stir up pain and trouble for all in our path. Don't you remember those days? Those days of glory? Just give up on your precious redemption and come home!"

"I'm not that person anymore, Bael. I changed a long time ago." With that, Luke swung around and left his brother staring after him.

Bael's outburst almost made him feel sorry for his older brother. He would never understand these wonderful, inquisitive, loving humans. All Bael knew was destruction and death, and Luke knew that was one life he refused to return to.

Bael didn't give up. For the rest of the day, it was like he was Luke's shadow. An entire day constantly berated by his brother's snide comments and overwhelming arrogance was almost too much, and Luke didn't know how much more he could take. To make matters worse, by following Luke around, Bael placed himself in close quarters with Ell.

Finally, in was time for the final class of the day. If I can just make it through fifty more minutes of this torture, I'll be home free. Luke stiffly accompanied Ell to her final class, gym, before turning to continue on his way. Within a few steps, Luke noticed that his shadow wasn't shadowing him anymore. Luke looked around in confusion and eventually spotted Bael. Walking into class with Ell.  

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Elizabeth

Ever since her announcement that morning, Luke had been acting strangely, avoiding her eyes, seldom talking. Surely, he wasn't holding her words against her? He had seemed so accepting in the moments after she blurted out her feelings, but now he reminded her of the boy who collided with her in the hall on her first day. When they finally separated to go to different classes for last period, Ell was relieved. Hopefully, the time apart would give them both time to work through their feelings.

Ell groaned as she neared the gym. PE was by far her worst subject. Until this year, Ell hadn't realized it was possible to be bad at PE, but she quickly proved that theory wrong. All of her classmates were amazed at her ability to injure herself regardless of the situation. And they quickly learned to avoid her, lest they be pulled in too.

Some sports were better than others. In Dodge Ball, Ell would just stand still until someone pityingly tapped her with the ball. For Volleyball, all she had to do was stand in the back corner of the court and cringe away when the ball came near her. But no game was as bad for Ell and her teammates as Tennis. The last thing any reasonable person would do is give her a way to expand her flailing wingspan. As far as Ell could tell, that was the only purpose Tennis served.

As soon as the door opened, Ell breathed a sigh of relief. No nets in sight. She sent up a silent prayer while walking to the center of the gym. She looked around, a little confused. No coaches either. Then she remembered. The State Basketball Tournament! No gym and no way to embarrass herself for a whole week!

She turned to Bael to share the good news, "No gym this week! I'm going to the library do you want to come?"

Bael agreed and they set off across the school. As they walked, Ell thought about Bael. Never in any of their conversations had Luke ever mentioned a brother. Or family of any kind for that matter. She voiced her thoughts to Bael.

He laughed, a little too loudly for Ell, and replied, "Luke and his secrets. I can't say I'm surprised he never mentioned us. It's amazing how much he keeps hidden away."

Ell found his comments odd, but continued on, "Well, then you can tell me. What's your family like? Do you have more siblings?"

"Trust me. There are plenty of siblings. Luke and I have five older brothers, Bellamy, Seth, Lev, Bear, and Mo. And Father, but he travels a lot for his job, so it's really just Luke and me."

"Oh wow! I'm an only child and it's kind of hard to imagine Luke with six older brothers! Did y'all fight a lot as kids?"

"Off and on. But I always win," Bael finished with a smirk as they entered the library.