On The Bright Side by sirisha sunkara

On The Bright Side The Starlings - Book 1

by S.R.Johannes

Coleman

Stott

Coleman & Stott On The Bright Side: The Starling series, Book 1 Copyright © S.R. Johannes, 2009 www.srjohannes.com This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Cover Design by Vania Stoyanova at VLC Photo. Photograph copyright © 2011 Vania Stoyanova at VLC Photo. Internal design and typography by GraphicCat.com All right reserved. No part of this publication can be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, photocopying, mechanical, or otherwise— without prior permission of the publisher and author. eBook ISBN: 978-0-9847991-1-4

Praises for On The Bright Side "S.R. Johannes delivers a cute paranormal thrill ride for middle graders! Even in death there is a BRIGHT SIDE!" - Addison Moore, author of the bestselling Celestra series and soon to be TV show Clever and charming, ON THE BRIGHT SIDE is the story of a reluctant guardian angel, her still-breathing crush, and the frenemy she’s assigned to protect. A great read! -Suzanne Young, author of A Need So Beautiful, A Want So Wicket (6/12), and The Program (2013) “ON THE BRIGHT SIDE is both hilarious and heart-warming – a tale that’ll have you hoping that there really *are* spunky and determined angels like Gabby who’ve got our backs.” Kristin O’Donnell Tubb, author of Selling Hope & The 13th Sign (2013) (Feiwel & Friends) "With a smart, snappy heroine and a heart-warming crush, ON THE BRIGHT SIDE is a pageturning new take on guardian angels that left me begging for a sequel!" - Gretchen McNeil, author of Possess and Ten (9/12) (Balzar + Bray)

Dedication To Madelyn and Gray for always helping me experience the bright side and reminding me that (at least two) angels really do exist on Earth.

Take Two

A palm reader once told me my Life Line indicated a long and healthy life. I want my two dollars back. As I glance around the school auditorium, a saxophone spits whiny music through the large, hollowed-out space, and I have to say, my funeral is a little disappointing. Not the final act I expected. I sit cross-legged on the lid of my shiny casket, I scan the room, watching people place food on a side table. Call me crazy, but I think it’s just plain wrong to serve food – let alone Devil’s Food Cake paired with an assortment of Celestial teas. And then there’s the issue of fashion. I look down at my pants Out of all the things my mom could put me in, why did she choose the hideous white pants that make my butt look the size of Texas? Now, I’m stuck with fat pants forever more. Lucky for me, white’s cool where I’m headed. Though I’m pretty sure pleats are not in style, no matter where you go. At least she had the sense to accessorize with my favorite pink Converse. Baby doll shoes would have been a serious sin. My unseen SKYagent explains things to me as I watch hundreds of tear-eyed strangers stream by my mortal form. They’re totally unaware of my eternal existence. Seems like there are more people here than the entire population of my hometown (6,003.5, if you’re wondering). Evidently, I’m more popular dead, than alive. Billy, a lanky kid from my drama class, comes by with tears streaming down his cheeks. Strange. That guy never paid me any attention when I was alive. I wonder if he thinks this act will get our drama coach to offer him a lead role in the upcoming school Shakespearean play? I can safely say I’ve got the role of Hamlet’s ghost in the bag. Ms. Cross, my world religion teacher, comes by and whispers her respects. Bet she feels guilty now for giving me that D on my last test. Now, I could probably teach her a thing or two about the Afterlife.

The snaking line parts, and my mom stumbles forward through the sea of black polyester and white lace. My brother supports her arm as if she’s about to collapse under the weight of her sorrow. When she reaches me, she slumps over my mahogany box and sobs. Pain screams through my chest, forcing me to double over. So far I’ve learned, one of many downsides to being a Bright. The only physical sensation we have comes through the pain of our loved ones. At least until our Transfer is complete. Talk about “phantom pain.” As I watch the dark streaks trickle down her pale cheeks, I clutch my chest and wait for the burning sensation to pass. As quickly as she started, she stops and wipes her face with a handkerchief. I wish I could cry with her. Most Brights think the inability to tear up is a total perk. Not me. I could use a good cry right about now. Not the whimpery kind. I’m talking about the all-out blubbering, red-nosed, snotty, suck-in-your-breath kind of cry. The kind that makes you look like total crap, but helps you feel better somehow. I move next to my mom, wishing she could see me. My SkyAgent grabs my arm, warning me of the dangers. According to him, the “Decrees of a Bright in Training” do not allow us to be seen by Mortals unless the proper approval has been acquired. And, even that is only under extreme circumstances. Obviously some Brights don’t listen, which is why there are so many UFO sightings featured in the Mortal papers. I’d give anything to let her know I’m still here. Help her feel better. Let her know I’m okay. But, communicating with Mortals is too dangerous. For reasons that I still don’t fully understand. As I watch my family leave, a terrible reality washes over me. My mom will never sing me to sleep again. My brother and I’ll never play thumb wars or watch Saturday morning cartoon marathons. I’ll never be with my family again. At least not in the same way. Something, even a good cry would fix. Just then, two mahogany doors swing open and slam against the back wall. A weird hush sweeps over the crowd. The room full of spectators spins around and stares back at the entrance, whispering. Michael Smith shuffles down the crowded aisle in a ratty T-shirt and wrinkled jeans. Even though it’s only been a few days, his eyes are puffy from crying, and his cheeks are sallow from obvious sleep deprivation. His face remains stiff, except for his quivering chin. He runs his hands through his dark, curly hair. It’s a mess, and as soon as he reaches my casket, he crumbles.

“Gabby, I’m so sorry,” he whispers. His grief sends a prickling sensation down my back, as if someone is scraping thorny roses along my spine. I force out words, even though I know he can’t hear me. “I don’t blame you.” Which is true. Just because we sneaked out together, doesn’t mean I blame him. I blame Angela Black. Well, the drunk driver didn’t help either. My SKYagent tries to make me feel better as Michael sobs silently. Soon, my body starts to throb again. I wish I could reach out to him, but instead I slump to the ground, weighed down by his overwhelming sadness mixed with my ever-growing regret. As the agony intensifies, I spot the Cameron High flag hanging from the ceiling. A tagline under the black panther says, show your school spirit. The reality hits me. That’s all I am now—a school spirit. I watch Michael’s lips move as if he’s talking to himself, and a tiny regret sneaks into my head. (And no, I’m not talking about the time I threw up on Coach Mickey in gym class after he made me do push ups. I told him I have a weak stomach.) This regret is much, much bigger. At 14, I will never have a first kiss. How sad is that? (And no matter what Nancy Carver says. Leonard’s lizard kiss in fifth grade doesn’t count. Though if I’d known my lack of lip-locking would be for eternity, I would’ve sucked it up and kissed back. Leonard doesn’t kiss that bad. At least not compared to kissing a real reptile. To have my life end right before I started at Cameron High flat out sucks. Now I’ll be stuck in middle school forever. Talk about a curse. I bury my head in my knees. I don’t want to be dead. Not like this. Unlike most Brights in Cirrus, I want to live again. To beat Michael at Scrabble again, and to hug my mom one last time. Maybe even to apologize for all the times I wasn’t nice to her; all the times I brushed her off for my friends; all the times I didn’t think she was cool enough. And to thank her for all the times she was. Just when I think it can’t get any worse, Angela Black sashays into the auditorium and heads straight towards my casket. My pain morphs into full-blown anger. I ball my fists and grit my teeth. Who wears white to a funeral? Surely that’s a sin. I certainly don’t need her crashing my funeral like it’s a Top Model fashion show.

Michael lingers by my casket, stiff as a scarecrow, totally unaware Cruella is approaching. He reaches into his pants-pocket and retrieves a crumbled-up napkin. He carefully unfolds the decaying corners and reveals an origami four-leaf clover. Reaching up, he places the folded green paper on top of my closed box. “For luck,” he says. Little does he know, prayers mean more than luck where I’m going. Angela slinks up next to him. Too bad Reading Minds isn’t on my curriculum yet, because I’d love to know what she’s thinking. She holds his hand and whispers something. I stare at Michael, waiting for his reaction, but he simply turns and shuffles back down the aisle. Away from her. But also, away from me. I hear my SKYagent’s warnings as hate pulses through me, which is totally against the Code. Trying to calm down, I leap into the upper window and stare out at the blood-orange sun. I can’t wait for my Transfer to be over. To get on with my death. To get my first Bright assignment. But most of all, I can’t wait to come back and haunt Angela Black.

A few days earlier….

Life before death

According to Seventeen magazine, I suffer from a well-known disease: OCD. Obsessive Crush Disorder. In my mind, there’s only one reason why they call it a “crush.” Because when you’re unlucky enough to have one, your heart is crushed into a bazillion pieces. Fragments so small, it’s practically impossible to glue them back together. And even if you find a way, it’ll never be the same. At one point, my case had gotten so bad, I consulted WebMD—only to find there’s no cure. However, I’ve learned that symptoms include doodling married names all over notebooks, Facebook stalking, chronic blushing, unexplained sweating, an addiction to compatibility quizzes, and the inability to focus. On anything. Other than the Cause himself. The dictionary defines a crush as “an intense but temporary infatuation.” Only problem is I’ve had a serious crush on Michael Smith since kindergarten. Not so temporary. As I sit on the bench getting ready for my fencing match, I spot the Cause slinking in the side door. I don’t care how sneaky he is, I could spot him at a crowded concert. Michael’s dressed in a baby blue T-shirt, weathered jeans, and tattered chino sneakers. Perfect with a capital P. Symptom #13 of OCD? Blind adoration. Check. Michael notices me and smiles. My stomach flip-flops, and I throw back a “casual” wave. He charges in my direction. Even though I see him every day, lately I’m more and more nervous when he’s around. Gotta love hormones. My heart bounces around in my chest like a pinball as I rehearse exactly what I’m going to say first. Something light. Not too serious. I don’t want to make a fool out of myself. One time, I 10

tried to pretend I’d watched a football game. Unfortunately, the only two things I know about the sport are that a foot and a ball are involved. The closer Michael gets, the more my mind races through a list of topics boys seems to enjoy: sports, video games, bodily functions, and girls. Doesn’t leave me much of a choice for a conversation starter. I lean over and pretend to tie my shoes so I don’t look like I’m counting the seconds until he’s next to me. Eleven seconds later, Michael bends over and inspects my shoes. “What’s so interesting down there?” Just as I’m about to answer, I realize my shoes don’t actually have laces. My face singes from embarrassment, but I play it off by acting surprised. “Oh! Hey you! I didn’t know you were coming to this.” Though, I’d prayed about it all day. Michael grins back. “Wanted to see you kick some fencer butt.” I can’t help but stare at the adorable dimple on his left cheek that resembles a comma. Which of course is my favorite punctuation mark. I squeak out, “That’s me, the butt kicker.” Wait, did I just say that? That’s what I get for adlibbing. I need to stick to my canned script. “So, what’s up?” I try again. “Nothing much,” he says. He squints as if he’s suspicious. Either that, or I just spit in his eye. “That’s wicked,” I say. This is why I am not a writer. Flat dialogue marked with clichés and outdated word choices. “Um, thanks for coming,” I add. We both stand up at the same time, almost bumping noses. I try to pretend my brain doesn’t turn to mush at how close to me he’s standing. So close, I catch a whiff of his deodorant. I love the way he smells. Clean and musky, like he just stepped out of a shower. (Side note: That might not seem like much, but showers aren’t hugely popular with guys my age.) I’m proud to say that after conducting many smell tests in the local drug store, I have identified Michael’s scent as Axe’s Temptation. I’ve even been known to purchase a can (or two) and squirt (douse/pour/drown) my wrist. That way I can smell him when he’s not around. Come to think of it, people probably wonder why I always smell like a guy.

Michael tilts his head to one side. “Today’s the big day. You’ve been practicing for this all year. You ready?” I cup my hands together to keep from fidgeting. “Does a duck’s quack echo?” He appears confused. “Huh? “You know, ‘Quack, quack’?” Oh God, I could kick myself. I shake my head. “Never mind.” (Side note: Whoever wrote joke books must’ve been much funnier than me.) He stares at me for a second. “Why do you seem so nervous?” After years of catching frogs and rock-skipping contests, Michael knows me well. But it doesn’t keep me from throwing out a diversion. “Could be because of all your questions?” I say. “I don’t know. Maybe I just don’t want to lose… again.” Or, maybe I happen to have a serious crush on my best friend, and I don’t want him to know for fear of absolute total rejection and humiliation. “You won’t lose. Maybe this will help.” Michael pulls something out of his pocket and places it in my hand. Why I’m crushing on a geek who folds paper into little shapes while riding a BMX bike is beyond me. “I made it for you. It’s for luck.” At first, I simply stare at the four-leaf clover in my palm and nod politely. Unfortunately, Gabby is my nickname, so diarrhea of the mouth is obviously in my DNA. “Um… great. Thanks,” I blurt. “I mean, why did you do this? Because you didn’t have to. If you didn’t want to. I mean you didn’t have to do this. But thanks. I think.” I close my eyes so I can’t see his reaction. He laughs. “Well? Spit it out Gabs. Do you like it or not?” I manage to squelch my nerves and whisper, “I love it. Thanks.” I study the fragile folds of the smooth green paper. I clear my throat because I kinda feel like I want to cry at the thoughtful gift. Yet I don’t want to smudge the perfect gift with tears of joy. “I hope it works.” “It will.” Michael shrugs. "Then, we can celebrate. Meet me tonight?” 12

Goose bumps perform a figure eight along my spine, and I shiver. “Dude, why do you like trying to sneak out? What’s so exciting?” He nudges me with his elbow. “It’s fun. There’s a full moon tonight.” Another geek trait I adore. His love for lunar phases. “Don’t strange things happen at full moons?” Michael flashes me a devilish look. “I’m not gonna howl, if that’s what you mean.” Getting ready for my match, I slip into my metal lamé and close the side zipper. “The last thing I need is to get busted out on a school night,” I argue. “Especially when my mom finds out I barely squeaked by on yesterday’s world religion test.” “Like we’ll ever use that stuff anyway.” Michael sweeps his bangs to one side. “I bet she’s going to that PTA meeting tonight? That thing’ll drag on for hours. You know how parental units looove to rattle on about rules.” “I guess.” He flashes his adorably crooked smile and pokes my ribs with his elbow. “Come on. You in or what?” I catch myself grinning back like the Cheshire cat, and then quickly shrugging as if it doesn’t matter. Like hanging out with Michael Smith is the everyday, normal, boring, last-thing-in-the-world I would want to do. I play off the excitement buzzing inside my head like a hive of bees. “Fine, but if I get caught, I’m taking you down with me.” Over the loud speaker, a man announces the fencing match is going to start in five minutes. I grab my mask and point up to the bleachers. “Better get outta here,” I say. “I need to stretch.” Michael gives me a thumbs up. “Knock ‘em dead.”

A frenemy for life

I hate to lose. Especially to Angela Black. To make it worse, I hate losing in front of Michael. How embarrassing. I yank off my mask and drop it into my ratty duffle bag. Leaning over, I stare at the floor, replaying every tiny mistake in my head. As soon as I look up again, Angela is sitting down on the bench ignoring me. She peels off her fencing mask and tosses her black, silky hair over her shoulder, as if Garnier is in the building shooting a new shampoo commercial. Out of habit, I reach up and smooth my halo of wild red frizz. Whenever she’s around, I feel like the fuzzy mutt positioned next to the beautiful dog that just won Best in Show. Part of me wants to walk off and ignore her back, but then I remember something my dad used to say: “Fencing isn’t about winning; it’s about honoring the sport's tradition of sportsmanship.” I suck up my pride and face her, holding out my hand for a quick shake. “Good match, Angela.” She stares at my palm as if I have a huge wart and ignores my gesture. “I know, right?” I shrug and begin packing my bag. But inside I feel sick. When I don’t react exactly the way she expects, her voice grows a bit louder, warning me of an impending scene. “Guess you’re mad?” I keep my voice low so the woman next to me can’t hear. “What? I’m not mad.” Angela goads me in a hissy voice, like a cobra that’s about to strike. “Aw, that’s okay. I understand. Must suck to lose for the third year in a row. Not that I would know.” I try to ignore her, but she’s like a mosquito that insists on buzzing by my ear. I swat back before really thinking. “I saw you fléche. Isn’t that against school rules?” Angela folds her arms across her chest and blinks her cat-eyes at me. “You don’t know a fléche from a plié.” She sneers and pulls out a red beret out of her bag and slips it on her head. In any other school, someone wearing a French hat would be considered a total dork. However, at Cameron

Middle, Angela is obviously a French god, no matter how silly she looks. If I wore an accessory like that, I’d be laughed out of the building. And all the way to France. She looks over at her new friends and waves, and I finally muster up a perfect comeback. Better late than never. “By the way, what’s up with the beret? Just because you’re from Paris, Texas, doesn’t mean you’re actually French.” Angela gives me a once over. “Like I’d take fashion advice from you.” I instinctively hide my feet under the bench, wondering if she can see the hole in my pink Converse. She scoffs. “Because you are so not panache’.” Lucky for me, I’m much better at French than pre-algebra and have retained enough to catch her mistake. “I believe the word you’re looking for is soigné.” I say with a big grin and a wink. “If you’re going to insist on wearing that hat, you better carry that French dictionary around with you. Never know when you might need it.” I refrain from cheering inside at my perfectly timed comeback. I mean, how often does that happen? A movie couldn’t have scripted it better. Angela opens her mouth to retaliate just as the fencing judge walks over. He holds up the gold USFA medal and lets it sway in front of us. “Congratulations on another win, Miss Black. At this rate, you’re a shoe-in for State this year.” Angela snatches the prize out of his hand and shrieks in a high-pitched voice that only dogs should be able to hear. “Awesome!” As soon as the man leaves, she shoves the gold circle up to my nose. “Well Crabby, I guess it’s official. I’m the true winner. No matter what you think.” My eyes cross as I focus on the medallion. The overhead, florescent lights reflect off its metallic surface, and I refuse to allow any tears to sneak out. It’s not her illegal fléche or even another loss that upsets me. Winning this match meant more than just a medal. It was something I’d promised Dad I’d do this year. Right before he died. A lump balloons in my throat as the failure swings in front of me. “You’re not gonna cry, are you?” Angela tosses the medal into her bag like it’s a piece of trash. “Because that would be awkward.”

“You wish.” I lean over and grab my bag, planning a quick exit, and a florescent pink flyer flutters out, landing at her feet. Angela snatches up the paper. She reads it and narrows her violet eyes. No doubt, the result of fake colored contacts obtained at a strip-mall eye doctor. “You’re going to the dance?” She scoffs. “I don’t believe it. With who?” The Rose Dance is the one dreaded event of the year where girls have to sacrifice egos and swallow insecurities, all in the name of bad food and a bad dress. Personally, I don’t get the whole Sadie Hawkins thing. Evidently, Sadie was an old maid and so ugly that her dad forced all the guys in town to run in a race to get away from her. If Sadie caught one, the poor dude had no choice but to marry her… and her beard. (Side note: Not the most inspiring story if you ask me.) Angela asks me again. “So? Are you going to the dance? Or not.” My face warm ups as if someone is pressing a hot washrag against my forehead. I throw Michael a side-glance and see he’s laughing with a group of his friends. “Not really. Maybe… I mean… no.” Before I can answer, she follows my gaze. “Wait? You asked Michael?” “What? No.” My eyes flit around to avoid meeting her glare, as if she’s Medusa and one look will turn me to stone. Her eyes light up as she throws the super secret, the one I shared with her when we were beffies, back in my face. “OMG! You still like him? After all this time?” I stare at the hole in my shoe. “I didn’t say that.” She laughs. “You didn’t have to. Kind of a waste-o-time if you ask me. Liking a guy who doesn’t like you back.” “Well, I didn’t ask you. And, besides, why do you care?” “I don’t.” She balls up the flyer and tosses it at me. I miss the catch and the wadded paper pings off my forehead, causing my eyes to cross. She grins. “But, I do know one thing.” “One?” I snark. “That’s all?” She’s unaffected by my minor jab and goes for the TKO. “After all these years he obviously hasn’t thought much about you.”

My eyes burn as I pinch back tears. Before I can defend myself, Angela sticks her nose in the air and saunters off to join her fan club, still waiting in the corner. But first she walks straight up to Michael and whispers something in his ear. Oh God! Is she telling him? I lean over and let my hair cover my face so they can’t see me spying. Peeking through the curtain of red curls, I watch Angela throw her head back and laugh. Michael smiles, which I find annoying, because in my opinion, nothing she says is particularly funny. My hope is that he’s secretly laughing at her hat. She glances over at me as if she can hear my thoughts. I pretend to search for something on the floor. Probably my pride. I’m not going to give her the satisfaction of thinking I care. I know she’s trying to get back at me. But for what, I still have no idea.

Scared to death

Waiting kills me. I’ve never been the patient kind. So, why does time have to go by so slowly, especially when you have someplace special to go? I check my watch again. 7:01 pm. Michael texted me earlier to meet him at eight. Would it be totally obvious that I have a huge crush on him if I’m an hour early? My mom knocks and peeks her head in. “Can I come in?” I stare at my disaster area of a room. “Sure, but like the sign says, ‘Enter at your own risk.’” Mom pushes open the door. She looks as cute as usual dressed in cargo pants, a pink t-shirt, and my brown Mary Jane flats. Her hair is pulled back in two tortoise-shell barrettes. I’ve always thought she was pretty, even cool. For a mom. Unfortunately, people tell me I look like my dad. Even though he’s handsome, I’m pretty sure being compared to a man who is six-foot-three with strawberry-blonde facial hair is not such a great thing. She plops down on my bed and begins braiding my red hair. She notices my puffy robe. “You’re dressed for bed?” “Hm mm.” I lower my eyes so I can lie with a shred of success. I get a bad case of the guilty eyes if I tell any kind of lie—even white ones. And sneaking out with Michael while Mom’s at the PTA meeting is not white. It’s a whopper. I fiddle with my sash, hoping she won’t notice the clothes hiding underneath. I’m going to bed early,” I say. Mom narrows her eyes, well aware of that fact that I’m a night owl. “Really?” Luckily, my flowered notebook distracts her inquisition into my abnormal sleep patterns. “What are you working on?” I shrug. “Nothing important.” She smiles and opens the notebook, probably expecting a half-written essay decorated by random doodles and 1,000 copies of my presumed married signature, “Mrs. Michael Smith”— bordered, of course, by lopsided hearts.

Her eyes sparkle as she discovers my second-place ribbon hidden between the pages. “You won today?” “Technically, no. Angela won. Second place is just the first loser.” “Don’t say that.” She pats my leg. “I’m sorry I had to work.” I take it back and hide it under my covers. “It’s okay. Trust me, you didn’t miss much.” She rubs my head and glances over at my dad’s championship medal hanging from my bedpost. “Your dad would be proud of you. First or second place.” “I know.” I keep my response as short as possible. Even though my dad died last year, anytime we talk about him, Mom gets majorly bummed out. I just try to pretend it doesn’t bother me so much about it. Makes things a little easier on her. I quickly switch topics to save her heart from another hairline fracture. “What time do you have to leave?” She checks her watch and leaps to her feet. “Oh goodness. Five minutes ago. I'd better go. I should be back by ten.” She kisses my forehead and glides towards the hallway. “What are you going to do while I’m gone?” I hold up my math book. “Besides sleep? Study for my test in pre-algebra. As we both know, there’s a high probability I’ll mess up.” “Well, my faith in you… is multiplied by infinity.” She pulls the bedroom door behind her, but just as I’m about to ditch the robe, she peeks her head back in. “Gabs, you know I love you, right?” She stares at me, as if waiting for a response. I smile and roll my eyes. “Mooooooom, you’re only going away for like two hours. You make it seem like you’ll never see me again. Unless of course you’re expecting a deadly battle with the PTA president.” “Doesn’t matter, I’d win.” She winks. “I’m not leaving ‘til you say it back.” I huff and try not to smirk. “Ditto.” “Cheater.” She blows me a kiss before she shuts the door. I yell after her. “See yah later, Mom!” As soon as I hear her Camry reversing down the driveway, I shed the pink fuzzy robe that’s hiding dark jeans and a t-shirt with, “Go Red. Ginger Power” across the front. I love how Tshirts say the things you wish you felt.

After putting on some lip-gloss, I sneak downstairs and peek in the living room. My older brother, Gray, is sitting on the couch playing Halo. Once he starts his video games, the only thing that can pull him away are reruns of Wipeout, a call from his debate coach, or a yearning for Twizzlers. As he yells at his character for having the nerve to get killed, I slide by him and creep out the back door. Gangs of crickets and frogs argue from the wooded area behind my house. The rows of trees sway, casting warped shadows across the dimly lit backyard like one of those weird Alfred Hitchcock movies my dad used to watch repeatedly. I scramble over our fence into Mr. Nelson’s backyard and tiptoe through his flower garden. This time I’m especially careful not to touch any of his precious chrysanthemums. He swears he can tell if ‘one leaf is out of place’. Once I clear his yard, I run hunched over as if I’m on some secret military mission. My legs are quivering from the awkward position when I finally reach the row of thick shrubs along Michael’s house. I attempt to hoot like an owl just like we planned, which sounds more like a pigeon with a bad case of the croup. On the other side of the road, Michael steps out from behind a bush. The light from a park lamp illuminates around him. Butterflies in my belly break into a happy dance as he jogs towards me with a crooked smile plastered on his face. “Hey you!” I point to the road. “You’re supposed to look both ways before you cross the street.” He laughs. “Sorry, Officer, I think I jaywalked, too.” “Very funny.” He holds out his hand. “Come on.” I stare at his palm for what seems like an awkwardly long time without saying anything. He’s never broken the Touch Barrier like this before. At least, not unless I tripped or something. He inspects the front and back of his hand. “Something wrong?” “Huh?” I shake my head and laugh nervously. “No…I mean yes. Just zoned out for a second.” “It’s the full moon, isn’t it?” I stick out my tongue (Oh, that’s mature!) and smack my hand into his like it’s no big deal. As if holding hands with Michael Smith is the average, everyday thing to do. Little jolts of electricity ricochet between our fingers turning me into a piece of gooey taffy. Deep inside, I feel the urge to do a cheer. And that’s huge, considering I can’t do a herkie to save my life. Instead of revealing my internal celebration, I remain calm and sneak a peek at him.

(Side note: Thank goodness he’s the same height as me. Being taller than a boy is not great for the ego. Especially since my voice is probably deeper than his, too.) After a few seconds of awkward silence, my nerves kick in, causing me to ramble. About nothing; about everything. To be honest, I have no idea if I’m even connecting coherent words together; however, I do realize I’m forgetting to insert any punctuation mashing my thoughts into one long run-on sentence. Wait! Did I just say “no problemo”? Great. Now, the real “problemo” is that Michael knows I’ve never taken a lick of Spanish. Eventually, I stop talking all together because I have no idea if I’m sounding like the Mayor of Idiotville or the Governor of Geekhood. Only now, I’ve totally lost my focus, and I don’t hear a word he’s saying. Because the whole time he’s talking, I’m only aware of one thing: Michael Smith is holding my hand! “You’ve gotten quiet all of a sudden,” I manage to hear him say. I snap out of my love-spell. “I have?” Looking back, I notice how far we’ve walked since my round-trip to the Twilight Zone. “Sorry. Just in my own world, I guess.” I grin back, but inside I’m feeling like a totally mentally challenged dork. What would Angela do? I stick out my chest and add a little sway to my hips. In fact, I’m so preoccupied with looking cute and acting boy-savvy, I trip over an invisible crack. Michael’s clutch saves me from a face plant. My face singes. Ugh, please let me die right here, right now.

A guy to die for

Approximately two short inches. Merely 5.08 centimeters. That’s the only space left between Michael and me. The more I measure my physical proximity to him, the more I start to sweat. All I can do now is pray for an instant cure to sudden-onset BHS: Balmy Hands Syndrome. For the next few blocks, I concentrate on my footing. At this point, even the blades of grass seem life-threatening. Michael pulls me behind a row of bushes. We peer through the leaves and wait for the light to change so we can cross. He squeezes my hand a couple times, causing the moisture between our palms to expel a noise that resembles an embarrassing bodily function. We look at each other with wide eyes and crack up. What could be more romantic than sweaty palms, quasi face plants, and fart noises? I’m guessing, there’s a good reason why those things aren’t in my mom’s romance novels! (Side note: Not that I would know.) I sneak a peek at him again. The stoplight’s green glow shines across Michael’s tannish face. I analyze his expression, wondering what he’s thinking about. Surely it’s not the weather. Then I notice he’s staring at my mouth. My stomach jumps into a spin cycle as I recognize he’s doing The Lip Study. It’s one of the Five Signs a Guy Wants to Kiss You, according to Seventeen magazine. I’d give anything to have my first kiss tonight. I think back to the “Kiss or Miss” article I tore out of last month’s issue that’s now stuffed under my mattress. It walked me through very specific instructions on How to Present the Perfect Pucker. Michael moves in slowly until he’s about an inch away from my face. “I hear strange things happen when there’s a full moon,” he says. I mutter, “Uh huh.”

Oh gee, that sounds intelligent. My legs go numb, and my mouth turns dry. A ball of speeding nerves slides through me. Without thinking, I panic and jerk back, hitting my head on a branch. “Ow.” Michael contorts his face in confusion. “What’s wrong?” I look away so he can’t see my face. Kill me now. I mumble, “Nothing.” I scramble to figure out a way to redeem myself, and an idea runs through my mind. Maybe I’ll just ask him to the dance. That’s better than nothing, right? Shouldn’t be too hard. So then, why do I suddenly feel sick? When I was little, my biggest worry was if Santa left me a piece of coal or if the tooth fairy would retire before I lost my first tooth. Today, my biggest fear is getting my heart crushed. By someone who doesn’t even know it’s on the line. I take in a deep breath to settle my stomach and go for it. My voice forms a series of peeps and squeaks like a baby chick. “Can I ask you something? Without you laughing at me?” Michael tries to get me to look at him in the eyes. “Sure. What is it?” I take in a deep breath and exhale as the undigested roll I ate for dinner threatens to stage a comeback. “I was thinking… maybe… you would… you know… go to the Rose Dance with me. Only if you want to. But, of course, you don’t have to. Unless you do. But if you don’t want to, we won’t. Go.” I stop before I sound dumber than I feel. I stare down at my fingers, waiting for his response. Michael glances up at the light. “Oh, uh, well… someone already asked me… and I said yes.” My stomach plummets into my size nine and a half shoes, and for a split second, I feel as if I’m going to cry. I open my mouth, but no sound comes out. He rolls his hands through his hair. “Sorry, I didn’t know you even wanted to go.” I suck it up and playfully punch his shoulder. As if I’m just so cool and nothing bothers me. “Oh please. It’s fine. Don’t worry about it. It’s no big deal. I just thought I’d ask. I don’t even really want to go.” I hold up my foot. “After all, these boots were made for walking, not dancing.” 23

Did I just reference that ancient song my mom listens to in the car? Michael smirks. “You sure?” I wink and nudge him with my elbow as if I’m just any other guy he hangs out with. “Positive. So…who’s the lucky girl? Jennifer? Carly?” “Angela.” My food travels up into my throat, making me feel like I’m going to hurl. Right here. Right now. Let’s just add puking to the list of Things Not To Do When You Sneak Out with Your Crush. I cover my mouth, afraid I’ll say too much. “Oh.” He shrugs as if it’s no big deal. “I assumed you already knew. She asked me earlier today.” My mouth dries out, making the inside of my lips stick to my gums. For a few seconds, I can’t say anything, probably due to the large lump that is now cemented to my larynx. I manage to whisper, “She didn’t tell me.” “If I’d known…” I manage to force my face into an overly wide (Side note: Fake) grin and point up at the changing stoplight and practically yell. “Light’s red!” He purses his lips together. “Guess we’d better go then.” As soon as he steps out from behind the bush and onto the sidewalk, I smack my forehead with my palm. Yup, it’s official. I put the “I” in Idiot. Michael’s words replay in my mind as if they’re being blasted on some loud speaker. She asked me earlier today. Tears sting my eyes. I blink them back, refusing to cry over Angela Black. Earlier? When? Did she make fun of me for liking him and then ask him out? Michael calls to me. “Come on! What are you waiting for? Christmas?” I watch his butt sway as he crosses the street and decide I’d better tell him how much I like him, because if I don’t, Angela is going snatch him up before I get another chance. “Coming!” I quickly reapply strawberry lip-gloss—after all, it is his favorite fruit--and move out of the bushes. Just as I step onto the sidewalk, my cell phone beeps in my back pocket. My heart sinks as I slide it out, expecting to see my mom’s number. Instead, it’s a text from Angela.

I frown at my oversight in not deleting her digits from my hand-me-down cell phone like she’s deleted me from her new iPhone 4GS. I click on the message. My mouth hangs open as I read her note. BTW, Michael is going to the dance with me. Talk about textual harassment! I glance around, totally convinced she’s hiding somewhere close by. Watching me. Waiting to make her move on my guy. Mocking me for my failure to seal the lip-lock deal. I’ll show her I’m not afraid to pucker up, because I’ll die before I let her have him. As I walk forward, I speedily type a message back to her: Over my dead body! Just as I press SEND, I hear Michael hollering at me. I look up and see him frantically gesturing with both hands above his head. I plaster on what I think is a seductive smile and wave back. Calm, cool, and collected. That’s me. Michael frowns and screams again. Only this time I hear him loud and clear. “Gabby! Watch out!” That’s when I notice I’m standing in the middle of the busy intersection. A horn blares. When I look to my left, all I see is a bright light.

Rule #1: Once you Transfer to Cirrus, you will be welcomed by your Guardian(s).

As soon as I open my eyes and see Dad staring down at me, I realize, the kooky palm reader with the fake crystal ball was dead wrong. (Side note: Pun intended.) I whisper, “Dad?” Dressed in a white tunic and white pants, my dad smiles and touches my cheek. “Hey, angel.” I study his tanned face. He looks so healthy, I almost don’t recognize him. I throw my arms around his neck. “Dad! You look amazing!” He squeezes me tight. “One of the perks here.” I pat my body and look around. “Does that mean I’m dead?” “We don’t like to use that word. It has a negative connotation attached to it.” “Can dead be a positive thing?” I ask, but he gives me a look so I change my approach. “So then, what am I?” He smiles. “You’ve Transferred.” “Transferred? Kinda sounds boring. Like I’m in a company or something. What happened?” My dad presses two fingers against my temples and rubs in a circular motion. Random scenes of my night with Michael flicker through my head. Michael, Angela, texting, cars. Wait, I died by texting? Talk about eternal embarrassment. “Shouldn’t I be freaking out, screaming or something?” Dad shakes his head. “No. During your Transfer, the pain and fear of dying is left behind. Only peace and happiness comes with you.” I wait for his words to sink in, but they continue to bob on the surface of my brain like a flotation device. “Sounds like a cliché to me.” “It is. Doesn’t mean it’s not true." He grins and holds out his hand to help me up. “Come with me.” I interlace my fingers with his and walk next to him along the cobblestone path. His skin feels strangely warm, as if he’s cupping the sun in his hand. We walk up a long staircase overgrown with clinging ivy and tiny flowers that spirals up into the clouds. A thick mist gathers around us.

Along each side of me, random clips of my life play out on the clouds as if I’m watching them on a big screen. I point to the images. “What’s all this?” “Your life. All your memories are recorded and stored on our CHS, Celestial Home System.” “Cool. It’s like a big TiVo in the sky.” He laughs, and I realize how much I’ve missed that laugh. “I guess you could say that. This way.” At the end of the staircase, he pushes open two huge, white doors. Suddenly, we are in a huge, building with a long, sterile hallway. We stop in front of a frosted glass door. A sign etched in pearls reads, Gabriella’s Welcoming Room. Dad grips the crystal knob. “Your Guardians are waiting to greet you.” He pushes open the door and reveals a large space decorated like an extra-large version of my room. All the things I’ve loved are scattered throughout. That amounts to ninety-nine (and a half, if you count my baby doll’s head) stuffed toys, three missing pink-striped socks, twelve fish, two turtles, one baby chicken, my first dog Connor, and Nibbles, the old toothless cat I found when I was eight. To my left, a bunch of random things I’ve lost over the years are grouped by age and spread out along a conveyor belt. As they roll by me, I spot the “three and under” pile filled with cracked seashells, dirty pacifiers, and lonely booties. In the center of the mound is a small stuffed dog. I pick up the raggedy animal. “Doggie! I remember this. I thought Bud ate him.” Dad nods. “These are your Life Artifacts. They belong to you. They will be stored in your Celestial Closet until you want or need them.” He motions to the back of the room with his head. “Look who’s here.” I glance over and witness all four of my grandparents sitting in the corner watching Touched by an Angel reruns on a paper-thin T.V. As soon as they see me, they race over and shower me with hugs and kisses. Grammy leans over and pinches both my cheeks as if I’m three. “Good to see you again, Lovey.”

PaPa, dressed in all white except for his favorite brown tweed flat-cap, clears his throat and grumbles. “How yah doing, kiddo? For a dead person, I mean.” His booming laugh echoes in the room. “Okay, I guess.” When I hug him, I realize I no longer smell his familiar scent–a mixture of sandalwood and a smoking pipe. Either he doesn’t smell anymore, or I’ve lost my sense of smell. After some time catching up, my grandparents leave. Before they disappear, my PaPa calls out to me. “Welcome to Cirrus, kiddo!” I lean over and whisper in Dad’s ear. “I thought this was Heaven.” “Not exactly.” I grab his arm. “Wait! I’m not in… you know where.” I point to the floor. “Down under.” He chuckles. “Oh havens, no! And thank goodness because I hear the humidity there is unbearable.” He winks at me and opens the door. I follow him out of my Welcoming Room and back outside. We both jump on a moving sidewalk, passing “Welcome to your Eternal Life” signs, newsstands stocked with Eternal Life magazines, and souvenir shops. For a second, I feel like I’m in LAX again. We pass a man in a white bolero hat, who chunks some kind of can into a recycling bin. He tips his hat to me. “Peace, love, and recycle, little lady.” Dad nods to him and whispers, “As you can see. We take ‘going green’ very seriously up here.” I nod. “Easy to do with access to infinite solar power and wind sources.” He laughs as we continue sliding along a pebbled lane, catching up on the last year of my life and his death. He gives me the scoop about his time in Cirrus as we approach an infinitely long iron fence that stretches in both directions before disappearing into the clouds. “Wow,” I say. “It’s like the Great Wall of China. Only…much higher.” Finally, the sidewalk stops in front of a pair of ornate gates. These Pearly Gates are nothing like the ones I imagined in Sunday school. Instead of being draped in crystals and pearls, the plain entrance is draped in pink hyacinths, also called the Pink Pearl. Hence the name. Dad stops in front of them. “I must leave you here for now. This is where you will check in and be admitted.”

Suddenly, everything hits me. But my body remains numb. No twittering heart, no shaking limbs. Just nothing. “This is a dream, right?” He simply shakes his head. “Everything is going to be okay. I promise.” Without him, I’m dead and alone. I start to panic and clutch onto his wrists, digging my nails into his skin. “Wait! Don’t leave me.” He wraps his arms around me, and I bury my face into his chest and mumble, “I just got here. I want to spend more time with you.” He kisses the top of my head and I’m immediately calmed back down. “Honey, I want to stay, but there are rules. While you are in training, we are on different levels.” I shake my head in confusion. “What training?” He kneels in front of me and strokes my hair. “Listen to me. You’re going to do great up here. I’ll be watching out for you and won’t let anything happen to you.” He takes off a necklace and places it over my head. “This will keep you safe, and if you ever need me, it will call me.” “How?” “Just trust me.” I feel as if I’m going to cry, but no tears wet my cheeks. I touch my fingers to my bone-dry eyes. Dad notices and cups my shoulders. “You can’t cry, honey.” “What do you mean, I can’t cry? That’s like saying I can’t sleep.” He gives me a sad but smirky look. “Yeah. You won’t do that either. Won’t matter. You’ll need the extra ten or twelve hours in your day. Makes your job easier.” “What job?” He smiles. “Oh, trust me. You’ll be very busy.” He points to a short man. “Go check in with Imero, and he’ll tell you where to go next.” Just then, two huge men with golden wings and long staffs drop out of the sky. They’re both wearing white uniforms with gold buttons and gold helmets. My mouth drops open as their huge wings flap steadily behind them. Dad grasps both my hands. “We’ll see each other again real soon. I promise.” My head feels like it’s filling with quicksand. I try to sift through the thickening thoughts, but my mind doesn’t seem to be processing fast enough.

I manage to grab a question before it sinks. “When?” “Depends on you and how well you… adjust.” He kisses me on the cheek and takes a step back. “I love you!” Large white wings sprout out of his back, and in an instant, my dad and the golden guards are gone. Leaving me alone. Then it hits me. If Dad has wings, do I? I glance over my shoulder at my back. Nothing. Wait, what kind of angel doesn’t have wings? Maybe that means I’m not dead; maybe that means I am just dreaming. I pinch myself in a few places. Not only do I not feel any pain, but I also don’t wake up in my cozy bed. Evidently, even when you’re dead, death is still a mystery. A sweet southern voice breaks my concentration. “I assure you, honey, this is no dream.” A lady dressed in white floats up to me. “Hello, Gabriella.” I look around, a bit confused. “How do you know my name?” “Oh, we know everything about you. Now, let’s see where you’re supposed to be.” she clicks her fingers by my head. A small paper-thin screen appears and hovers next to my ear. I strain to get a look at the computer floating only a few inches away. “What is that?” She touches the screen and scans through some information. “Your InnerNet. It stores everything about you.” I stand on my tiptoes. “Everything I’ve ever done?” The nice lady nods. “In this life… and in past ones, too.” Before I can ask any more questions, she waves away the thin computer and steers me towards a long line. “Gabriella, you need to get to Admissions. Your InnerNet informs me that you should be in the ADT line, Accidental Death By Technology.” I lower my eyes. “Um, it was a car accident, actually.” “Not according to our records.” She hands me some kind of electronic device that resembles a seating buzzer from the Cheesecake Factory. “They’ll call your number when it’s your turn.” I stare down at the digits. 666? (Side note: You’d think they’d skip that one up here.) Before I can object to the omen, the lady sings out to me. “Peace, love, and recycle!” She waves over her shoulder and disappears into the crowd. I shuffle over to the correct line and wait patiently as the small dwarf-like man with a nametag checks people in. Eventually, Imero calls out my name. “Gabriella Williams, age fourteen. Died while texting.”

I shield my face with one hand as I walk up to the table. Nothing like a bazillion angels knowing the stupid cause of my demise. When instructed, I place my hand on the steel table. A blue light appears above me and tattoos the SKYdentification Code number on my forearm. I study the numbers. BIT170K1B46M. Not exactly the kind of tattoo I would have chosen. For a second, I feel a bit guilty. My mom made me promise not to get one until I was 18. But who am I to argue with the Big Cheese in the Sky? The gnomish man stares at me for a second when my InnerNet pops up, then he points towards an arched entrance. “Hello BIT170K1B46M. Your SKYpal is waiting for you on the other side of the Pearly Gates. Welcome to Cirrus. Peace, love, and recycle.” “Uh, you too.” Call me paranoid, but I’m starting to feel real guilty about all the Styrofoam peanuts I’ve tossed out over the years. Not to mention, every time I hear the eternal eco-phrase, I half-expect some kind of fancy handshake to go with it. When the little man continues staring, I flip him an awkward military salute and yell out, “Go green!” I get a few weird glances from other dead people. Now, I know why they call it Judgment Day. Ignoring the stares of disapproval at my joke, I hurry past the gate and stand behind a short, old lady. A few seconds later, the ground moves forward. Another human conveyor belt. The old lady tips slightly and leans backward. I catch her and stick out my arm for support. “Sorry. My old legs are still a bit shaky from the trip.” I help her steady herself as we cruise forward. “No problem.” She squints up at me. “Where’re you headed?” I shrug. “Admissions, I think.” The lady leans closer and yells. “What?” I raise my voice. “Admissions!” She cups her hand to her ear as we roll forward. “Huh?” I shout at her. “Never mind. Where are you going?” She rebalances and points to her ears. “The Body Shop. If it’s broke, they fix it. Soon I’ll be able to see and hear.” I squeeze her arm. “Well, good for you!” “What’s your name?” I continue yelling even though everyone around me is starting to stare. “Gabby! Yours?” 31

“Mabel.” She picks up thick, blue-rimmed glasses hanging from a string on her neck and balances them on the tip of her nose. She inspects me more closely. “You know, you remind me a lot of my little Rosie.” I smile at her and pat her hand. “Aw, that’s so sweet. Is that your daughter or granddaughter?” The old lady bursts into a cackle that transforms into a congested cough. Her teeth float around in her mouth. She takes them out and speaks to me with her gums. “No, dear. Rosie was my dog. The most beautiful red poodle you ever did see.” Wait an eternal minute. Was I just compared to a dead dog with bad hair? I bite my lip and mumble, “I bet.” A few minutes later, the old lady ambles off to talk to a man with long, white hair. He probably reminds her of a Persian cat named Fluffy. As the ground inches us forward, I scan the crowd. People of all ages move with me. Some are laughing, and some appear to be confused. Some are simply staring forward, taking it all in. Either that or they’ve gone eternally nuts.

Rule #2: In Cirrus, all Transfers will be escorted by a designated SKYpal.

Every moving sidewalk has an end. Even in the Afterlife. Only I’m so busy dead-people-watching and thinking about my family, I forget this simple fact. The instant change in speed causes me to stumble forward as my knees collapse under me. I do a face-plant on the ground. So much for angelic grace. A hand appears out of nowhere, followed by a peppy voice. “Need some help?” I grip the offering and pull up. “I’m dead, I’m not quite an angel, and I just fell flat on my face after tripping over a cloud. I’ll take all the help I can get.” A short, blonde haired girl smiles at me. “Don’t worry, it happens all the time. I’m Jessica Hart! You must be Gabriella.” “How does everyone know my name?” Jessica gives me a big hug and the points to my head. “Everything is in your file. In case you didn’t know, I’ve been assigned to be your SKYpal.” She hooks her arm through mine. “That means, I’m here to give you the 411 about this place. We can even share secrets.” I keep a straight face and lean closer. “What if they’re dirty and little?” Her eyes light up. “Really?” I smile. “No. I was kidding.” She looks a little relieved. “Ha! It’s gonna be a blast showing you around. I’ve heard some of the new Transfers can be a drag. But you seem fun.” Jessica squeezes my arm and leads me down a cloudy lane. Reminds me of the time I was in the Christmas Carol play and almost choked on the theatrical smoke. She doesn’t speak for a few minutes. “Sorry, I’m kinda nervous. This is my first time being a SKYpal.” I think of something to say. “How did you get here?” She stares up at the clouds as if she’s thinking. “Not sure. Time doesn’t really count. It’s definitely been a while, though. I just turned 14--or what’s equivalent to 14 up here—so I’m going to be a BIT. Just like you!” “A what?”

“A BIT. You know, a Bright in Training.” I shake my head, indicating I have no idea what she’s talking about. She stops in another line. “Once you come here, as soon as you’re 14 -which, by the way, takes much longer to reach with the slower time and all -- you begin your training. There are four levels to being a guardian angel, all different colors. The first level is a Yellow Wing. Canaries. Like you and me.” (Side note: I never imagined I’d be stuck in the same category as Tweety or Big Bird.) A man in white passes by us. He accidentally bumps into me and smiles. I notice I don’t feel a thing. “What are we training for?” I ask Jessica. Her eyes sparkle. “Our wings, silly.” I pull my hair back and twist it into a ponytail. It’s so thick, it stays in place even without a proper band. “So we’re wingless Canaries? Seems like we’d get wings automatically.” She makes her way toward some rows of boxes. “Oh havens, no! You have to graduate first. My older sister, Bleu, is about to get hers. I can’t wait to see which kind of wings she chooses.” “You get to pick out your own wings? Like a pair of shoes?” Jessica’s voice hits a higher octave. “Yeah, isn’t it wicked? I’ve been dying to start my training.” She cups her hand over her mouth and giggles. “No pun intended, of course.” She pushes her razor-cut bangs out of her face, revealing eyes the color of dark chocolaty mixed with butterscotch. “So! Tell me everything! How’d you get here? Me? Plane accident. With my whole family.” I think for a second on how to explain my cause of death without appearing like a complete idiot. I decide to leave out the texting part. “Uh, car accident.” She rubs my shoulder and pokes out her lip in a pouty face. “That’s pretty common up here.” “I can promise you, this accident was far from common.” Jessica puffs out her bottom lip in a pout. “Oh, I’m sorry. Hopefully it didn’t hurt. Most people say they don’t feel a thing. Oh well, none of that stuff matters anymore. You’re gonna love it here, Gabriella. I bet we’re going to be the Brightest of friends.” “You can call me Gabby.” She squeals. “Really? All right, Gabby, let me see. What do we need to do first?” She thinks for a minute and then somehow her face lights up even more. If that’s possible. “I got it! First step is to get you changed in your new uniform. Then, we go to the ARC.” “The ARC? That’s here?”

She grins and pushes me. “The one you’re thinking of is in the Celestial Museum. I’m talking about our Admissions and Resident Check-in. They handle all the Transfers up here.” Jessica grabs my hand and yanks. “Come on, we don’t want to be late.” We sprint down a path towards the row of stainless steel port-o-potty look-a-likes. I stare at the stalls and am instantly reminded of my unpleasant experience at last year’s Miley Cyrus concert. One I don’t particularly want to relive. Let’s just say, I had never heard of Port-oTipping until that day. And, never want to again. I take a few steps back from the portable bathroom. “Um. I don’t need to go.” Jessica slaps me on the back. “And you won’t ever again. Another one of the perks.” This place is weird. “Won’t argue there. So then, what are these?” “Look like those fancy Drop Zone Port-o-Potties, don’t they? That’s what I thought at first, too.” She opens a door and lets me peek in. “This is a Blessing Room where you can Refashion anytime you want. They even have the newest upgrade of Miracle Mirrors, the MM6000. That means, you’ll always have the ‘perfect’ fit.” Jessica holds up two quote signs with her fingers when she says perfect. “Awesome, right? Go inside. It’ll walk you through everything. I’ll wait out here.” I poke my head in and realize this tin can is unlike any Port-o-Potty I’ve ever seen. First of all, it’s much, much cleaner. My mom’s voice trails through my thoughts, “Cleanliness is next to godliness!” Secondly, this thing is huge! The 4x4 box opens up into a large room filled with white comfy couches and light blue chairs all facing a large flatscreen television. Some kind of harp music plays in the background. I walk in and immediately plop down on the sofa with my head back. Suddenly, I feel weighed down. I miss my family and am starting to realize this whole thing is not a cool dream to write a book about. This is real. I’m dead. I fold my arms over my face as a fuzzy movie of my death replays out in my head. If I had known it would be my last day, I might’ve done things differently. For one, I wouldn’t have wasted my time studying for my next pre-algebra test. Two, instead of opting out of dessert, I would’ve scarfed down the last slice of my mom’s Death by Chocolate cake. (Side note: Cake is

obviously a much better way to go.) But most of all, I would have told my mom how much I loved her when she left my room for the last time. Without any notice, a blue ray of light beams down from the ceiling and scans my body. A woman’s face appears on the computer screen and speaks in a computerized voice. “Welcome Gabriella Williams. SKYdentification Code BIT170K1B46M. Size, ten; weight, one hundred and forty pounds; height, five feet, nine inches; shoes size, nine and a half. I speak up. “Actually it’s one hundred thirty-eight pounds. I lost two pounds before I came.” The voice responds. “Not according to our records. Please await your eternal garments.” I pinch an inch. Stupid water weight. A few seconds later, a uniform replaces my clothes. I screech and jump back, “Jeez!” I move in front of the full-length mirror and examine my new duds. A white tunic with butterfly sleeves and yellow embroidered trim. I smile. The shirt is new but I immediately recognize the crazy, mismatched socks, and my favorite pink Converse (Side note: Only the hole has been fixed. Obviously a miracle.) Then, I notice the pants and gasp. My white fat-pants! The ones Mom bought me last year that cling to my hips. The ones that have been buried in the back of my closet because they’re an inch too short and a size too small. I spin around and study my butt in the mirror before calling out to the machine. “Excuse me. But do you happen have any other pants? Maybe ones without pleats?” This time, the electronic voice ignores my request. “Gabriella Williams. SKYd #BIT170K1B46M. Enjoy your eternity. You have been blessed.” I mumble back politely. “Thanks.” Even though that’s not exactly what I’m thinking. Dead or not, fat pants are not a blessing. They’re an eternal curse. When I finally walk outside, Jessica is waiting for me with a big smile on her face. “So? What’d you think?” “Cool top. Love my shoes. Hate the pants.” The smile drops off Jessica’s face and she leans in, all nervous like. “Just so you know. You’re not supposed to say hate up here.” I slap my hand over my mouth. “Jeez, I’m sorry. I didn’t know.” She pats my shoulder. “I know it sucks, but they have rules.” I dip my head to one side. “Wait. We can’t say hate, but sucks is okay?”

This time, Jessica clamps her hand over her mouth. “Oh crap…I mean…shoot. I’m so sorry.” She looks around as if she’s a spy. “Let’s just pretend none of this happened. I can’t afford three SKYolations in one sitting.” “My lips are sealed.” Looking relieved, she studies my legs. “Now what wrong with your pants? They’re not so bad.” I stare at her as if she has three eyes. “Jessica, surely you haven’t been up here long enough to forget that pleats are a fashion ‘Miss.’ Why didn’t I get a cute pair of white bootcut jeans like yours?” She drums her chin with her pointer finger. “I don’t know. These are standard issue. You get to bring something you love, so you obviously love those shoes and socks, right?” I nod as she circles around me, inspecting my pants. “Most people choose to put their loved ones in white. Don’t ask me why. I guess for luck. That means someone else chose those pants for your funeral.” “These are the only white things I own,” I groan. That means my mom had no choice but to stick me in these hideous pants, and she probably thought it didn’t matter. I mean, a dead person shouldn’t care about fat pants. There seems to be much more to worry about. Jessica hugs me. “Lighten up. They’re not that bad. I’ve seen much worse. There’s one guy who drowned and has to wear his Speedo forever. Not pretty. So just try and focus on the top. Wanna know the coolest part about them? They’re Dye-namic.” I rub the material of my tunic. “What does that mean? Reversible?” “Reversible, waterproof, and weatherproof. But, that’s not it. These tunics are built like a spy’s uniform.” “How so?” Without warning, Jessica disappears.

Rule #3: Each Bright-in-Training (BIT) shall be assigned a SKYagent, who will act as a mentor.

I stare at the spot where she was standing. “Where are you?” A voice speaks out from the trees. “Right above you. The tunic automatically adjusts its color to your surroundings, so you blend in.” “Who’s ever heard of a five-foot chameleon?” A few seconds later, I hear a thud and Jessica reappears, sprawled out on the ground with leaves jutting out of her hair, looking a little like Einstein. (Side note: I wonder if he’s up here too.) I run over to help her up. “Jeez, are you okay?” She brushes herself off. “Yeah. Brights don’t feel pain anyway.” “Good thing.” I try not to smile. After my klutzy move on the floating sidewalk, Jessica’s crash landing makes me feel like a ballerina. Just then, a bell sounds, causing her to clutch my hand. “Come on! We don’t want to miss the SKYbrid! There’s not another for a while.” She drags me towards a white trolley where hoards of people are already climbing aboard. Just as it pulls away, we jump into the stairwell and make our way to the last row of seats. I scoot in beside her. “Why’s it called a SKYbrid?” “SKYbrid SOV. They run ‘solely on vegetable’ oil. Pretty eco-tastic huh?” “We probably smell like French fries.” I say, although I wouldn’t know since I can’t seem to smell anything. Jessica thinks for a second. “Man, I’d die for some greasy fries right now.” She laughs. “Brights mainly eat angel food cake or angel hair pasta.” I can feel my eyes widen. “Every day? Doesn’t that get a little old? Not to mention the excessive carbs.” She looks at me like I’m crazy. “Hello? Chocolate fudge angel food cake never gets old. Besides, why care about your weight any more? You’re dead.” “Good point.”

Looking out the window, I notice the road stops a few yards ahead. I spot some billboards promoting food, hotels, and beauty. Sacred Chow, The HighAT, and Miracle Nails. If I didn’t see people flying around, it could almost pass for New York City. Jessica motions up ahead. “There’s the SKYway. We’re almost there.” The SKYbrid stops in front of a glass building with a sign that says Admissions and Resident Check. “Come on, we gotta bolt.” Jessica leads me in the building and stands in front of a directory. I watch as she trails her finger down the long list of offices: Department of Celestial Records, Magistrate of Miracles, Proctor of Past Lives, and Department of Souls Registration. I whistle. “This is some complicated afterlife.” Jessica laughs. “What do you expect? We have like a trillion-kajillion-billion Brights up here. There has to be some kind of order or we’d have total, celestial chaos.” She points to our right. “We gotta get to Floor 1,002. It’ll be faster if we take the Levitator.” We half-jog down a long, thin hallway made entirely of some kind of aluminum. It looks like an advanced hospital of some kind. People in white pass on both sides of us, and every now and then, one calls out their catchphrase, “Peace, love, and recycle!” I try to smile as they pass. Jessica stops in front of a bunch of tubes that lead up. Thin round discs hover at the bottom of each shaft. Without any instruction, she hops on one and shoots straight up into the vertical tunnel. I lean in and watch her disappear. A few seconds later, her voice echoes in the chamber. “Well? Jump on one!” A bit unsure, I barely touch my foot to the top of a disc. Without warning, the Levitator launches up the brightly lit shaft. Luckily, I manage to grip the edge of the saucer as my feet flail below me. I scream the whole way up. Finally, the disc comes to an abrupt stop, throwing me off. I land on my back. Jessica stands over me, her eyes as wide as the disc itself. “Jeez. Are you all right?” I wait for some pain to set in. Nothing. “I could’ve died on that thing!” “Impossible. Only happens once. Kinda like lightning striking the same place.” I sit up and wait for my head to stop spinning. “Thanks for reminding me.” She pastes on her most pitiful face. “I’m so sorry. I forgot how temperamental those crazy little things are. They’re designed to move as soon as they feel the slightest weight. You really have to pounce on them or—”

I put my hand up to stop her. “I know what happens. Thanks.” Jessica helps me up. “Come on. We’d better book it. You have an appointment with your SKYagent.” “SKYagent? That sounds mysterious. Like 007.” “Not really. Every BIT is assigned a mentor that coaches them through their training. Let’s see who you have.” She snaps her fingers, bringing up my InnerNet, and then scans through some of my information. At one point, her expression changes and she utters one word, “Oh.” I glance at the screen. “Oh what? Is that a bad thing?” She waves the screen away and spins towards me with a grin plastered across her face. “Of course not! It’s fantastic! You’ve been assigned to Lawrence Allmad.” I can’t quite read her, but it seems as if she’s hiding something. “Is he cool?” She averts her eyes and answers with a less enthusiastic tone. “Sure. As long as you don’t get on his bad side.” “What does that mean?” She meanders down the hall, checking out the numbers printed over each door. “I can’t quite describe it.” I follow closely behind, pressing her for more information. “Try. Give me a word.” She bites her fingernail. “Acrimonious.” My English teacher was right. Vocabulary really does matter. “How about an easier word?” “Cantankerous?” I frown at her. “What are you, an eternal thesaurus?” She grins. “Okay fine. Lawrence is one of the oldest SKYagents. The best around. It’s just… sometimes he can be a little… grumpy.” “As in moody?” Her eyes dart back and forth to be sure there’s no one listening. Then, she cups her mouth and whispers in my ear. “As in angry.” I pull back. “Seriously?” “I hear if you salute, he’s much calmer.” I shake my head. “This doesn’t sound so good. What’s wrong with him? What kind of angel gets that angry?”

“I’ll tell you something I heard, but it’s totally off the record.” She squeezes in close to me, as if we’re in a football huddle. “Evidently, Lawrence is on some kind of probation for his temper and has been sentenced to take anger management classes at the Lighten Up Centre.” I let my head fall back. “He’s in therapy? So, let me get this straight. I’m assigned to a grumpy angel on probation with the last name of Allmad?” Jessica’s eyes lighten up. “Ha! I never thought of his name. I get it now. All mad. That’s crazy.” I roll my finger next to my forehead. “Evidently so is he.” She cocks her head to the side and wrinkles her nose. “You’re funny, Gabby, you know that?” “Thanks. But let’s just hope that doesn’t make Lawrence… mad.” She pats my shoulder. “Everything’ll be fine. Lawrence knows Cirrus inside and out. He’s been here forever. Underneath it all, he’s probably just a big ole softy.” Just then, a deep voice booms through the building. “Jessica Hart!” She widens her eyes. “Uh oh.” I look over her shoulder and see a ginormous man charging towards us. He’s way over seven feet tall, and is wearing a gold-trimmed white robe. When he talks, even the walls seem to shiver. “Miss Hart, you are one minute and twenty-seven seconds late for my appointment. Do you realize how many Mortal minutes that is?” Jessica winks at me, and then stands straight at attention. She salutes and flashes him a great smile. A smile I could never pull off. “Good morning Mr. Allmad. Sorry we’re late. We had some, uh, minor delays.” Lawrence tugs on his gray goatee. “What kind of delays?” For the first time, he notices me cowering next to her and frowns. “Good havens, why is your Transfer so dirty?” I glance down at my clothes. Grime and dirt streak my tunic. “Oops.” Jessica tries to brush the dirt off me. “We had a small incident with the Levitator.” Lawrence crosses his arms and addresses me. “Technically, if a BIT is in a dirty uniform, I’m required to issue a SKYolation.” I lower my head. Not even one minute, and I already get a point against me. Jessica grips my hand and squeezes. “Sir, it was my fault. Not hers. According to SKYpal rule #91, I did not provide the proper mounting instruction.”

I snap my head to look at her. No one has ever taken the blame like this for me before. I mean she’s basically admitting she sinned. Lawrence pauses for a long time and then says, “Well, Miss Hart. Let that be a lesson for you. As a SKYpal you need to be thorough, not just chatty.” She keeps her eyes forward and salutes him again. “Yes sir!” He keeps a straight face and glares at me. “Well, in that case… I guess I’ll let it slide this one time. Since you are new here.” I get a glimpse of his weird, milky-white eyes and immediately jerk away, trying not to stare. My knees knock together as I mimic Jessica’s salute. Maybe the guy used to be a soldier or something. I almost click my heels together for effect. “Thank you, sir. It won’t happen again.” He scowls and leans over in my face. “It’d better well not.” Behind Lawrence’s back, Jessica gives me a thumbs up. She points to her lips and mouths one word. Smile. “Yes, sir.” I show my teeth. He straightens back up and dismisses Jessica. “That’ll be all, Miss Hart. I have a lot to show this Transfer in what I now consider very little time.” Jessica practically jumps on me and gives me a squeeze. “It was so good meeting you. I just know we’ll be BFFs.” She whispers, “Get it? Bright Friends Forever?” “Yeah, I get it.” I crack a smile at her enthusiasm. This girl is as chipper as a whole pep squad, yet it doesn’t bother me at all. I kinda like her. Makes this strange place bearable. “If you need anything, just ask your favorite SKYpal! I’ll see you in class.” She skips down the hall and waves over her shoulder. “Ciao!” Lawrence watches her hop away like a bunny in spring. “She’s very… happy. Isn’t she.” I agree for fear he’ll step on me otherwise. “Yes, she is.” He scowls, still watching her flit away, waving to everyone she passes. “Hmm, too happy if you ask me.” Did he just say, too happy? This is Heaven! If you can’t be happy here, what’s the point? I plaster on my best grin, and avoid looking directly into his freaky eyes. “So, you’re Lawrence. Any relation to the angel guy in It’s A Wonderful Life?”

He keeps his frown and huffs at my joke. “His name is Clarence, and everyone knows that’s just a movie.” “Oh. Well, it’s nice to meet you anyway.” His eyes become slits as he ignores my gesture. “By the way, it’s Mr. Allmad to you.” I do an awkward bow mixed with a strange salute. “Yes, sir.” He barks at me. “Enough with the bowing and saluting. Let’s get you cleaned up.” When he snaps his fingers, a new white tunic instantly appears on my body. Unfortunately, my fat pants don’t change. He inspects my outfit. “There, isn’t that much better?” I want so much to beg for new bottoms, but I figure this is probably not the best time. Instead, I simply mumble, “Yes, sir.” Lawrence scratches his chin. “Is that all you can say?” I shake my head. “No, sir.” He bends at the waist and looks directly into my eyes for a few seconds. I was wrong; his eyes aren’t stark white, they’re more of a bluish-white, like an albino. Lawrence holds out a hand that’s at least two times the size of my dad’s whole head. His eyes start to sparkle. “Why don’t we start over? I’m Lawrence Allmad, your SKYagent.” I shake his pinky. “Gabriella Williams.” Lawrence grins so wide, I can see all of his perfect teeth. Wonder if he got them done at the Body Shop. “Welcome to Cirrus, Miss Williams.” He clasps his baseball mitt hands behind his back. “Please follow me.” I trail behind him until we reach his office. He ducks through the doorway and waves me in. “Well, don’t dilly dally. I haven’t got all eternity. Come in!” “Whoa! This is wicked!” I rush past him and look around the room. One whole wall is solely made of glass providing a great view of a huge city sparkling among the clouds. Tall silver SKYscrapers stretch out as far as I can see. “What is that place?” I ask, spinning around in wonder. Lawrence towers above me. “That is Etern City. The capital of Cirrus.” “It’s beautiful.”

I walk around the room, checking out the details. There’s a floating glass-top desk sitting on a white plushy rug. Different-sized stress balls are scattered across the top. A few posters hanging around sport various sayings like “Inhale and Exhale” and “Find your eternal happy place.” You can tell a lot about someone by the things that surround them. After my brief assessment of the office, I form a bulletproof hypothesis: Lawrence is an angel with major issues.

Rule #4: Prior to Orientation, BITs will receive a mandatory tour of Cirrus.

A few years ago when Papa died, I flew for the first time. I don’t really remember much about the funeral part, except for the strange food and awkward conversations. But on the flight home, I clearly remember staring out the window and wondering if Heaven was out there, hidden somewhere among the towering clouds. Secretly tucked away, invisible to the human eye. Little did I know, it wasn’t called Heaven. And, little did I know, I’d be living there, sooner than I ever expected. Lawrence lumbers over and sits down at his large desk made of glass. The eco-friendly bamboo chair creaks and groans, threatening to snap under his massive weight. He motions me towards a white puffy couch. “Please. Sit,” he says. “Thanks, but I’ll stand.” “Sit!” I drop into the soft cushion. My butt sinks way down low and my knees slowly rise above my hips. I act as if this awkward position doesn’t bother me. Like it’s natural for me to sit this way. Lawrence twiddles his fingers. “So I see you’re listed as an ADT. Looks like an unfortunate accident.” “Is that what you call it? Unfortunate?” He sits back in his chair and cocks his head to one side. “What would you call it?” I mumble. “Deadly.” Lawrence frowns and crosses his arms. His eyes darken a bit. “Are you going to be trouble for me? Because I don’t need any more trouble.” I push to see if I can get out some major scoopage. “What do you mean, ‘more’?” Lawrence looks away. “I’m just saying. I’ve had enough trouble to last my eternal life.” He stands up and starts to pace, breathing in time with each step. He stops abruptly and then falls back into his chair again. I clasp my quivering hands and shake my head. “I wasn’t planning on being difficult.”

“Somehow, I’m guessing that doesn’t matter.” He grabs a can of Blissful Soda and slides another one across the slick surface to me. “Soda?” Without protesting, I hold up the drink. “Sure. Cheers!” Before he can answer, I take a few sips and gag. I scrunch up my face and pucker my lips. “Anyone ever say this tastes kinda like grass? It’s like those wheat grass shots at Smoothie King.” “Your taste will disappear soon enough.” Lawrence just shakes his head and proceeds to guzzle the entire cup like he’s in a Pepsi commercial. “Is that why I can’t smell anything?” “Except for sight and hearing, your other senses aren’t useful anymore. They will dull over time. Leaving you with your sixth sense, which will be stronger than ever.” “What about touch?” “I am not an operational manual.” He reaches into his desk drawer and holds a small silver object between his fingers. “Everything you need to know is on here. Read all this information. Twice.” I take the little wing-shaped object and stare at it. “What is it?” He points at the gadget. “On that little flash drive is everything you need to know about Cirrus and about being a Bright-in-Training. Our policy, procedures, dress code, rules, and the layout of this place. You will review some of this information in your Orientation Class, but they’ll expect you to know it all when you walk in on the first day. I can’t spoon-feed you up here. Your eternity is your responsibility, and yours alone.” I slip the tiny storage device into the pocket of my tunic and try to make a joke. “Got it. I’ve never been great at memorizing stuff, but you probably already know that, being an angel and all.” His eyes form little slits, indicating my joke has fallen flat. Again. “A Bright.” I mutter, “Sorry…sir.” For a few minutes, we remain completely quiet. A list of questions pours through my head, then out my mouth. “Why are we called Brights?”

“Well, technically you are not a Bright yet. You are a BIT.” Lawrence speaks in a monotone voice. “Once we leave our Mortal form, our soul transcends into a brighter place. Hence, Brights.” “Why’s it called Cirrus?” He answers without looking at me. “Simple. We live among the clouds.” “Oh. I was thinking it was because Sirius is the brightest star in the sky. You know, Sirius. Bright…? “Nope.” “Oh.” I remain quiet for a few more minutes as he stares at me. “So, when do I begin my training?” Lawrence shifts in his seat as if he’s uncomfortable. “After you complete your Transfer.” “What does that mean?” He pounds both hands on the table and stands up, leaning over his desk. “Miss Williams. This is not a game show. You get no points for asking an infinite number of questions. So, let me sum it up for you. You’re dead. You’re a BIT living in Cirrus. It doesn’t really matter what you’re called now. You’ll start your training when you’re supposed to, and you’ll stop asking so many questions.” I lower my eyes. “Yes, sir.” He comes around and squats in front of me. “Look, I apologize if you think I’m being too tough on you. I know you think you need answers, but you’ll have to learn to trust this process. Your questions will be answered in time. For now, I must take you on a tour of Cirrus so you can familiarize yourself with your new home. You’ll learn more if you listen and keep your questions for later.” The minute he says the word home, I think of Michael and my mom. I’d almost forgotten about them. My head seems cloudy and unclear when it comes to my time alive. How long have I been here? Minutes? Days? Months? I wonder how they’re doing without me, or if they even know I’m gone yet. Lawrence speaks as if he’s heard my thoughts. “Your family knows. And yes, this is your home now. The sooner you accept that, the better off you’ll be. Fight it, and you’ll slowly perish.” “Perish? I’m already dead. I mean, how must worse can things get?”

“You could be Altered and sent to a very hot place. If you get my drift.” I look up into his weird eyes. “Thanks for the optimism, Lawrence.” I smack my hand over my mouth. “Oops, sorry. I mean, Mr. Allmad.” He studies me for a moment, and then waves me off. I even think I see him smile briefly. “Oh, heck. Just go ahead and call me Lawrence. Mr. Allmad makes me feel old anyway. I’m barely over 200, yah know.” His comment allows me to smile again. “Wow. You look great for your age.” Lawrence chuckles for the first time. “You probably say that to all the old angels up here.” I correct him. “You mean Brights.” “Touché.” He plays with his beard, and there’s a slight twinkle in his eyes. Maybe I can win this grumpy agent over yet. He stands abruptly. “We must go. We have a lot to do in a very short time.” He leaves his office with me trailing close behind. We walk back down the hallway, and I can’t help but notice as he passes, people part to let him through. They either respect him or are as scared of him as I am. He stops in front of the Levitator and waits for me to step on. I swallow and stare down at the little disc bouncing in place, taunting me. Lawrence gives me a nudge, and I think I even see a slight smirk on his face, as if he’s planning to enjoy watching me crash. “See you on the other side,” he says. I loosen my knees and concentrate. This time I need to plan the movement just right. I pounce and land on the circular platform. The Levitator hovers as I throw my hands in the air. “Yes!” I exclaim, and suddenly, it drops at what feels like a bazillion miles per hour. Half way down, I slip off and plummet down the chute, screaming. Just as I’m about to hit the bottom, Lawrence appears below me and catches me with one hand. I barely manage to squeak out words, totally freaked out at the plunge. “Thanks.” He scowls, but I swear I see his mouth twitch in amusement. “Better practice.” Totally mortified, my face heats up. “Obviously.” We both walk out of the aluminum building and into the bright sunlight. As people pass by on foot and in SKYbrids, Lawrence waits until a man in a white suit drives up in a smaller trolley, then he points to our ride.

“Get in.” I climb in as Lawrence starts the engine. “A mini-SKYbrid. How cute.” Without any warning whatsoever, the trolley tears off down the path. I clutch onto the side rail until my knuckles turn white, gripping tight to prevent myself from sliding into Lawrence at every turn. My nails dig into the bucket seat. “Do these things have seat belts or what?” “No need.” I press my feet against the floorboards as we zoom into a forest and swerve through the clusters of trees, almost slamming into a few. We burst out of the thick woods and zip down the narrow path, which appears to end a few yards ahead. I squirm in the pleather seat and point, trying to keep my voice calm. “Looks like a dead end.” Lawrence puts his feet up on the dashboard and his hands behind his head. Like now is the time to relax. “Yup.” The cart speeds up and heads straight for what looks like a serious drop off. A death drop. I grip onto his arm as the cart nears the edge. “Jesus! Pull up!” I shout. Lawrence glances over at me and laughs a deep bellowing laugh. “Better off calling out another name. He’s been on vacation for a while now. Guy deserves a break. Don’t you think?” The end of the path draws near. I cover my eyes, repeating “Oh, God!” over and over. “Actually, he’s retired too. The goddess Nephele and her Global Council head up Cirrus these days. New management. Hang on!” Lawrence emits a full-blown crazy-laugh as the cart drops over the side. We spin in a circle as we plummet towards the ground. Lawrence shouts over the wind and throws his hands up into the air. “It’s more fun if you do this!” This guy is completely whacked. I can’t respond to him, though because I’m concentrating on not blacking out or falling off the ride from hell. Just as we’re about to slam into a grassy knoll, the trolley sprouts little wings and soars straight back up. I grip onto the railing as we shoot up into the bright blue sky. The mini SKYbrid does a few loopty loops, alligator rolls, and death dives, along with a few other head spinning moves. Eventually, we flatten out and turn back towards the ARC building. Lawrence yells over the wind. “Pay attention. You only get this tour once.”

Thank God for that! I try to listen but it’s hard to concentrate when I’m traveling at mach speed. “Cirrus has two main levels. This here is Level 1. Where you were this morning. That’s where you checked in.” I peek over the edge and see the long line outside the infinite gate. It seems like ages since I saw my dad. I wonder how time works up here. Lawrence points down to a cluster of buildings on the other side. That building is Nimbus, where all the BITs live. You’ll spend a lot of time training there. Those office buildings in the distance are where we were this morning.” “Seems easy enough.” Without warning, the cart turns at a ninety-degree angle and shoots straight up in the air. As we break through a thick layer of mist, a havenly scene appears before me. Tall buildings appear from nowhere, blending into the blue and white sky. It’s a regular metropolis. A SKYtropolis, I presume, complete with SKYscrapers and SKYways. I shout out. “Whoa!” Lawrence points out the window. “This is Level 2, Etern City.” We drop down between a few tall buildings and fly along a wide avenue. Lawrence highlights a few places as we speed by. “This is Angel Avenue. Over there is the Past Lives Lodge and that is our new department store, Amen Marcus.” The cart zooms forward. Out of the clouds appears a huge castle protected by an iron gate. He motions off to one side. “This is Halo Palace. Home of Nephele and her Global Council Members.” “It’s gorgeous!” The SKYbrid circles over the Palace and then drops back down to Level 1, where it stops for me to disembark. My knees wobble as I climb out of the seat and fall to the ground. I roll onto my back and wait for the world to stop spinning. I feel like I just went on a Disney ride at warp speed. Only this is no Small World. A massive shadow blocks the sun from my face. I pick up my head and try to focus on Lawrence, towering over me. “I forgot to ask,” I say in a shaky voice. “Can Brights get sick?” He reaches down and pulls me up by my shirt until I’m hanging in front of him. “Nope.” My legs swing beneath me. “Lucky for you.”

He places me on the ground, where it takes me a few seconds to stand up without my knees buckling. Eventually, I steady myself just as Lawrence starts walking fast down a stony path. I sprint after him. “Hey! Can you slow down?” He maintains a swift pace. “Can’t. We’re late.” I catch up to him. “For what?” “Your final Transfer.” He stops abruptly, and I slam into the back of his legs. “Oof, sorry. I didn’t know you were going to stop.” He looks down at me. “Obviously.” “I have a question.” “Why doesn’t that surprise me?” I shield my eyes and look directly up and into the sun. “What exactly is a final Transfer?” He bends over until he’s at eye-level. “You must witness your funeral to complete your transition here. Then you can get your assignment and begin your training with a clean slate.” Without thinking, I raise my voice, completely forgetting about Lawrence’s famous temper. “What! You’re kidding, right?” His face remains stoic. “I never kid.” The thought of seeing my mom overwhelms me, leaving me feeling heavy and sluggish like I’m dragging one hundred pound weights behind me. I stomp off in the direction we came from and yell over my shoulder. “No way. I can’t do this.” Lawrence moves in front of me easily and blocks my path. “You have no choice.” I put my hands on my hips. “What exactly am I supposed to do during my Final Transfer?” “Watch and learn.” He spins me around and flies off again, shouting back over his shoulder. “Any questions?” I mumble. “A thousand.” He ignores me. “There is only one rule. You may not be seen or heard by a Mortal. If you do, we could both be in extreme danger.” “From what?” He walks over. “Not what. Who.”

Rule #5: BITs must experience a BTBE (Back to Body Experience) and witness their own Transfer before moving on.

There are a few things Mortals should remember about funerals: Think twice before attending one for someone you don’t know. It’s not a social event. Don’t try to get all the attention. You’ll lose to the dead person. Try not to take pictures. It’s not an occasion for the family album. Don’t wear T-shirts that have the word dead or death in them. This includes “Grateful Dead” or “I’m Dead Funny.” I’m pretty sure “Zombie Sniper” is off-limits, too. Do not under any circumstances wear white. I’ve only been at my funeral for ten minutes, and already almost every rule has been broken. The space is cramped like a concert with people standing along the walls, and a line snakes down the aisle and out the double doors. I balance on the lid of my closed casket, and for the first time since I died, my body hurts. Lawrence speaks up from the back. “You will only experience pain when the people you love mourn for you,” he says. “That’s why you need to let go of your life. So they can. Or you will be in pain for eternity.” “How long do we have to stay here?” Lawrence calls down to me from his seat on the balcony as he inspects a lose thread on his robe. “Until it’s over.” “Can I just promise to get over the pain now, so we can leave already?” Lawrence, a man of few words, answers, “No.” Just then, my mom appears. It’s the first time I’ve really thought about her since my death. A surge of pain moves through my body as she moves closer. So close I could almost reach out and touch her pale face. I wish I could comfort her. Lawrence speaks up behind me. “Comforting your loved ones is forbidden until you’re certified in Emotional Soothants.”

My mom stops in front of me, her face only a few inches away. I look into her watery bloodshot eyes as she whispers my name. The pain in her face sends a ripple of pain down through my ribcage, or what used to be my ribcage. I grip onto my chest and double over. “Ow!” “Just relax through it. The pain won’t last long. Just until your Transfer is complete.” I squeeze my eyes shut. I find if I don’t look into the eyes of the ones I’ve left behind, the agony is almost bearable. “Why didn’t I feel this until now?” Lawrence sighs. “Cirrus protects us from feeling any pain.” A few moments pass, and he frowns. “Don’t even think about it.” I mumble back. “What?” “Don’t play dumb. I can see your InnerNet on my SKYfone. I know what you’re thinking.” I shake my head and mumble. “That’s just wrong. I only wanted to help her.” “You can’t. It’s for your protection.” I scoff. “From what, death?” My brother Gray clutches my mom’s forearm and supports her wilting body. Gazing down at my Mortal shell, he rubs a hand over his buzzed head and clamps his jaw, unable to speak. Even though I know the rules, I holler out in a moment of desperation. “Mom! Gray! I’m still here!” My mom freezes and looks up into the rafters. I swear I see a hint of a smile tease her lips, as if she’s heard me. I lunge forward to touch her, but Lawrence jumps down and clamps his mitt around my forearm. He glares at me. “The rules are for our protection. Don’t break them again, or you will suffer more than you could ever imagine.” When my family walks away, my pain subsides. My mom slumps down into a chair next to Gray and hangs her head. “If she knows I’m here, it would help her,” I say to Lawrence. “She would be okay. She told me that when my father died. It was the ‘not knowing’ that hurt her so much. More than him being gone.” He holds me back. “Gabriella. You cannot interfere with her grieving process. You just have to let go of your own sadness. It’s the only way they can move on. If you hold on to your Mortal feelings, you will drag your mom and everyone who loves you down.”

As if on cue, two heavy wooden doors swing open and slam against the back wall, and Michael shuffles down the crowded aisle. As he grieves, I focus on his lips, realizing I’ll never get to do the one thing I wanted most in life: Have Michael Smith be my first kiss. Lawrence stands up, and his eyes flash from white to grey. “We don’t have much time left.” Before I can answer, Angela Black appears, dressed in all white. She sticks out against the black backdrop like a marshmallow in a cup of hot cocoa, and she struts down the aisle towards my casket like she’s on a Broadway stage. I ball my fists. “Isn’t wearing white to a funeral some kind of eternal offense or something?” “I think that only applies to weddings.” I shoot Lawrence a look. “That was a rhetorical question.” Just after Angela snakes in for a cuddle, Michael turns away and hobbles back down the aisle. As he drifts away from me, I also realize he’s moving away from Angela, and I feel much better. If can’t have him, I don’t want her to, either. Angela watches Michael leave, and then faces my casket, frowning. She straightens the white Angora beret on her head and whispers, “I’m sorry. I guess you were right.” The words I texted to Angela on my last night scroll across my brain. Over my dead body. I frown at her boldness, at her heartless attitude about me and my death. “Why does she hate me so much?” “Let it go. Regret and anger can only hold you back from moving on.” Lawrence paces nervously behind me. My vision goes black, and I grumble exactly what I’m feeling. “It’s not fair. I wasn’t ready.” He moves closer and places his hand on my shoulder, immediately calming the storm brewing deep inside. “Life’s not fair.” “Evidently, neither is death.” As everyone begins to leave, I leap into the upper window and stare out into the setting sun, searching for some comfort. Shadows in the shapes of little birds dot the enflamed canvas. I watch the steady movement of their wings as they wave up and down. When I was alive, I never thought to take the time to appreciate a sunset or a flying bird. I guess I was always too busy doing something else. Watching T.V., surfing the net, or gabbing on the phone. Things that now seem like a total waste of time.

Lawrence joins me, and I notice his eyes are now a slight greyish color. “We have to go. Our time is up. Now, you can move on.” “To what?” “To Cirrus. Get your first assignment. Begin your training. You’re a BIT now.” I think about his words and watch all the people streaming out of the building, like ants marching over a mound of stale food. I memorize every detail of the scene, knowing it may be the last time I see most of them. Back outside, I watch my mom climb into a black sedan with my brother. I keep my eyes on them until the red tail lights fade away. Angela is also outside. She walks over to her dad’s car and waves goodbye to Michael. I exhale slowly, wondering what is next for me. I could either come back and haunt Angela, which admittedly is creepy, or if I’m lucky, I’ll never have to deal with her again. I haven’t decided which choice I prefer.

Rule #6: Assigned Mortals (AMs) are chosen for each BIT by G.O.D. and should not be questioned.

I wait outside the huge building with Jessica and a bunch of other new BITs aging in range from 13 to 18. Evidently I’m in the Teen group. It seems the older BITs don’t have to go through as much training as the younger ones. I hear some even go straight to their jobs in Etern City. But the idea seems to be the younger ones needing to finish maturing. Even up here there’s age discrimination. Ceremonies have always made me uncomfortable. If Brights had nerves, I’d be a basket case at the thought of getting my new assignment. I mean, who am I to protect anyone? Instead of focusing on my assignment ceremony, I can’t stop thinking about my mom and Michael. Jessica whispers in my ear. “How was your Transfer?” I hang my head, still unable to let go of everything I saw and felt. “Same old funeral. Nothing new.” She puffs out her lip. “You haven’t seemed like yourself since you got back.” “Well, technically I have no feelings,” I snap at her. “I’m dead.” Her eyes grow wide as if she’s shocked. Then she hugs me. “I’m sorry. I’ve heard it’s harder for some BITs than others,” she soothes. “There are many stages to death. Some move through faster than others. What does Lawrence say?” I give her a sheepish grin and try to relax. It’s not Jessica’s fault I’m struggling. “That I need to let go. I’m trying, but he says it’s simply a choice. Though, I don’t remember choosing to be here.” “I’m here if you want to talk. I’m a good listener.” “Thanks. I’m alright.” Jessica fidgets with her robes. “Jeez, what’s taking so long? My sister’s ceremony went so much faster from what I remember.” “You nervous?” She applies some lip-gloss. “Ugh, yeah. I’ve heard your AM can totally make or break your Bright training.”

“How does this work anyway? Seems like everyone would be covered already. I mean with a bazillion Brights, who’s left?” Jessica shrugs. “Only BITs guard people. Once you get your wings, you move on to other things. So as BITs graduate into full fledged Brights, other BITs take over.” Before I can say anything, SKYagents walk up and stand next to their BITs. Jessica squeals. “This is it!” Lawrence appears next to me all suited up in his gold-embroidered robe. His face is stoic and his massive arms are folded across his chest. “You ready for this?” He asks. I take another step forward. “Does an angel fly?” He talks out of the side of his mouth so no one hears him. “Not all of them.” “No need to rub it in.” I push the straggling long red curls away from my face and tug on my overly ornate robe. At least the ceremonial frock hides my pleats. I lean out and watch the line of BITs move into the building. Lawrence cups my shoulder. “You okay?” I try to hide my feelings from him. “Never better.” He frowns. “Liar.” All the BITs file into a large, open space. The ceiling is packed with tons of Brights all lined up. There must be thousands of them. Off to one side is an area of jeweled box seating. I recognize Goddess Nephele and the Cirrus Global Council from my Orientation Packet. Nephele stands and holds up her arms. “Today, we welcome our next class of BITs and celebrate their new assignments, marking their first step toward being a Bright. Please continue with the assignments.” One by one, the BITs step in front of a massive aluminum computer screen like you’d see at an old drive in theatre. I whisper to Lawrence. “Do you know who my assignment is?” He shakes his head and keeps looking straightforward. “No. Only G.O.D. knows.” “What does that stand for anyway?” He shuffles forward. “G.O.D., the Gateway Of Duty.” “Gives a whole new meaning to the phrase, ‘Technology rules.’” (Side note: I never imagined G.O.D. to be a computer.)

He peers down at me with his white eyes, without moving his head. “Stop talking and pay attention.” After each BIT is scanned, G.O.D. calls out the Assigned Mortal’s name. After each AM is announced, the huge crowd breaks out in applause. Lawrence pushes me forward. “Better hotfoot it. It’s almost your turn.” I take a step closer as G.O.D. calls out its next victim. “Bright-in-Training, Jonah Stevens!” A dreamy boy with dirty blonde hair and longish bangs strolls to the front. After being scanned, G.O.D. calls out, “Grace Wells.” Jonah peeks through his veil of hair as billions cheer him on. The computer echoes through the room. “Bright-in-Training, Jessica Hart!” With a huge grin on her face, Jessica bounces to the front podium. She positions herself in front of the large screen and waves to the audience. G.O.D.’s blue light scans her. A few seconds later, I hear a name I did not expect. Not ever in a million years. “Michael Smith!” It feels as if my soul has been ripped out, and I hiss in Lawrence’s ear. “My Michael Smith?” “He’s not yours,” he answers in a robotic tone. “Besides, someone has to protect him.” I shake my head at the irony and watch Jessica bound off the stage in total delight. “Yeah, but someone I know? Isn’t that a conflict of interest?” “Believe it or not, this is not about you. G.O.D. narrows down the assignment based on a number of factors, such as age, history, past memories, and healing opportunities. Then the name is chosen at random.” I smack my forehead. “Then it’s true. You really can’t trust a computer.” Lawrence frowns and faces me. “Computer? This is the collective InnerNet that synchronizes the consciousness of all Mortals and Brights. G.O.D. knows everything about everyone. Everywhere. All the time.” “And here I thought it was just a steel hard-drive.” He tries to keep his voice calm, but his face turns apple red. I know I’m pushing him to his breaking point. I’ve seen that look before at my funeral. “Steel?” He says. “Try recycled aluminum. Don’t even get me started on it being lead-free and solar-powered.” “Okay, sorry. I get it. It’s the ‘lean, green assignment machine.’”

I still haven’t gotten used to the obsessive eco-focus up here. On Earth, I wasn’t really concerned with reducing, reusing, or recycling, but evidently the EECO (Eternal Environmentally Conscious Office) is very strict. From what I can tell, disrespecting the Earth is worse than lying or cheating in Cirrus. Littering is an eternal offense. G.O.D interrupts my train of thought. “Bright-in-Training, Gabriella Williams!” Lawrence nods at me. “You’re up. Good luck, and break a wing! Oh, sorry. You don’t have yours yet.” He chuckles softly. “Very funny.” As I start to take a step away from him, he grabs my arm and leans over to whisper in my ear. “Try not to ask any questions. You don’t need any trouble. Just go up, get your assignment, and don’t trip.” I salute and shuffle forward, holding up my long robe. I have no idea what to think or how to feel. I move as if I am a robot, doing as I’m told. As I make my way up the stairs, I spot Jessica standing on the sidelines. She winks at me, and I force a smile. I position my body in front of G.O.D., and a large, electronic eye drops down in front of me. Its bright light probes my mind, scanning memories and thoughts. My knees shake as I wait for my assignment to be called out. The computer fast-forwards a montage of memories across a screen: my mom and I baking Christmas cookies when I was six, my dad and I throwing the softball when I was nine, Gray driving me to get an ice cream the day he got his license, and Michael and I playing Ping-Pong last year. (Side note: Actually he was playing; I was losing.) Then, a long-forgotten memory pops up: the time when Angela and I were best friends in second grade. Before we became frenemies. I witness the two of us making a pact to walk down my street and sell Girl Scout cookies together. Little did I know she’d already done the whole route on her own, stealing customers and causing me to place last in cookie sales for our troop. Talk about the Cookie Monster. Even back then, I should have been able to see how our friendship wasn’t going to last. As I wait for the computer, I twist a strand of my hair and shift my weight from foot to foot. I don’t remember the scanning process taking this long for the others. A few seconds later, a list of names speeds through my head like they’re on a slot machine. My favorite singer’s name pops up. How cool will it be if I follow her down the red carpet, eavesdropping on her talking about fashion and celebrity gossip? The scrolling list of names slows down until one hovers in my head: Madelyn Dell.

The scanner shuts off. I try not to fidget as I wait for the machine to announce my AM’s name. The computer makes a cranking sound as if it’s switching gears. Then, instead of saying Madelyn’s name, G.O.D. yells out someone entirely different. Someone completely unexpected. The worst someone possible. “Angela Black!” Without thinking, I yell out. “What! No way!” My voice echoes through the large space and the room turns as silent as a graveyard full of dead people. Which, if you think about it, makes sense considering where I am. I spin around to find a billion, million angels staring back at me. My legs start to shake and my eyes to blink rapidly. I’m the person who once got such bad stage fright that I peed in my pants. Granted I was only seven, but that was only in front of thirty people at the annual elementary talent show. Kids called me “Gab-Pee” for the whole year. This is much worse. I force out words through my parched lips. “Um, excuse me, but I think there’s been a big mistake.” A few gasps linger towards the front followed by a few snickers. I can see everyone looking at each other as if they’re totally confused and lost as to what I am saying. Hoping to distract them from my shocking declaration, I resort to making a bad joke. “You know what they say about technology. Can’t live with it; can’t live without it.” I giggle nervously until I realize no one else is laughing, which for some strange reason, causes me to giggle more. (Side note: “Giggle” is not exactly an accurate term. It’s more like a pig’s snort mixed with a donkey’s hee-haw.) Lawrence pops up next to me and hisses through his plastered-on smile. “What in Cirrus are you doing?” My face freezes in a fake grin as I talk out of the corner of my mouth. “G.O.D. only knows.” Before Lawrence can step on me, Goddess Nephele calls down from the balcony. “Lawrence, please bring Miss Williams to me. At once.” He bows and guides me to a Levitator. This time I make a more graceful transition onto the paper-thin platform. The disc carries me up to the floating box seat as Lawrence flies in place

next to me. I acknowledge all the Global Council members by nodding. Then I focus on Goddess Nephele, who is angelic to say the least. I can’t help but gasp. As she whispers to Global Council members, I don’t do anything but stare. She looks much prettier in person than in the SKYWeekly photos Jessica stares at. Nephele’s face is porcelain smooth and her eyes are the same odd blueish color as all the other Brights. Jessica told me as soon as Brights earn their wings, they lose eye pigmentation so they can always see the unseen. Nephele’s knee-length, white-blonde hair forms perfect curls over her frail shoulders. She’s wearing a gown made of crushed purple-velvet with intricate beading around the neck and sleeves. A delicate silver chain drapes around her thin waist. Long, iridescent wings flutter behind her, reminding me of the Luna moth I once followed while hiking with my dad. Nephele is nearly perfect, except for the deep scar that trails down her left cheek. “Miss Williams, do you have something to say with regard to your assignment?” Her voice comes out very soft like a whisper. So soft, I have to lean in to hear her. Which of course causes the Levitator to tip. I flap my arms to steady myself and pray I don’t fall off. You’d think in a room where everyone probably has some kind of Prayer Permit, mine would be answered pretty quickly, but I have to squat down to prevent the lift from throwing me. To trip on a street corner is one thing. To fall off a Levitator in front of a sky full of angels is another. Nephele maintains her composure, but I can only assume she is slightly agitated. “Miss Williams?” Lawrence’s voice pops up in my head, warning me to be careful and respectful. Once the disc stops wobbling, I clear my throat. “Goddess Nephele, please forgive me. But I think maybe G.O.D. is…wrong.” The crowd gasps as the Global Council members all whisper to each other and a few shake their heads. Nephele draws back as if she’s been smacked, seemingly shocked at my declaration. “Ms. Williams, I have been here many, many years, and I assure you, G.O.D. is never wrong.” My voice booms over the loud speakers like a shrill sound and forces the room of Brights to cover their ears. “I’m sorry, maybe I’m confused. But, in my head, a different name popped up. Madelyn Dell?”

Nephele frowns. “Angela Black was the AM called out to you.” I awkwardly bow, not really quite sure if it’s the appropriate thing to do. The Levitator tips to the right, and I fall to my knees clutching the edge. “May I please be rescanned? Just to be sure?” “G.O.D. chooses the assignments. This is highly irregular.” She holds up her hand and turns to confer with her Global Council advisors. A few minutes later, she faces the audience. “Due to some confusion, we will go against normal procedure and allow Gabriella Williams to be reassessed.” The room breaks out into a frantic buzz. Nephele nods to Lawrence and the Levitator immediately descends. As soon as I jump off, Lawrence pulls me to my feet and leads me back in front of G.O.D. He grinds his teeth. “Do not say another word or I will put you on Robe Cleaning duty for a week. You do the math.” (Side note: Can you imagine how many robes that is? A bazillion times a million according to my calculations.) I bite my lip and walk on stage. This time I stand extra-still and stay ultra-quiet. Maybe I did something to mess up the scan. The beam trails up and down my body for a second time. Once again, images and names scroll through my already-fried brain. Soon, another name pops up: Zachary O’Brien. I mutter to myself. “Thank G.O.D.” This time, I turn around with a big smile on my face and wait until G.O.D. announces my new assignment. “Angela Black.”

Rule #7: BITs must obey the Decrees when covering their AMs.

There’s only one thing worse than death. Spending my eternal life protecting Angela Black. Looks like I’m two for two. Jessica taps me on the shoulder from behind. “You all right? Kinda quiet.” Even though it’s only been a day since the Assignment Ceremony, it seems like eternity. Now I’m sitting here waiting to learn how to protect someone I can’t stand. “I don’t think I can do this.” “Do what?” I stare at the stinkbug trolling my desk. Knowing it’s against the rules to squish it, I urge it along with my finger. “Protect Angela.” “You don’t have a choice.” Jessica pats my shoulder. “Just try to go with the flow or you’re going to go totally bonkers.” I mumble back. “Too late for that.” A short, dumpy lady resembling Flora the good fairy in Sleeping Beauty floats into the room. She’s wearing a long, red and white robe and has short, coarse hair that looks like a clump of moss growing on top of her head. “Good morning, BITs, I’m professor Bobbi. Before you begin your first day on the job, let’s do a quick review of the things you need to remember when protecting your Assigned Mortal.” She paces across the front. She stops and inspects a kid’s clothing.” First, you must wear your uniform when you are training and when you are protecting your AM. You may Refashion any time you are off duty.” Jessica whispers, “Doesn’t sound like there’s going to be much down time.” “Second, let’s talk about InnerNets.” Ms. Bobbi travels up and down the aisles, possibly unaware her wide load is dusting the desktops. “Everyone has one, including your AMs. You may not view anyone’s InnerNet without permission. You are also required to make sure yours is password-protected at all times. We take SKYber safety very seriously up here. Any questions?”

The class looks around to see if anyone raises their hand. Ms. Bobbi stops fluttering around the room and parks her junk in a tiny, white swivel chair. She snaps her fingers. A thin phone and a silver wristwatch appear in front of each BIT. “These are the two items you will need to protect your AM adequately,” she explains. “First, there is your SKYfone. You must keep it with you at all times. If your SKYagent tries to reach you, and you do not answer, your Fone privileges may be taken away. As you can see, they are paper-thin and fold down to the size of a credit card. They’re indestructible and run on lifelong energy sources. So don’t worry about breaking them.” Jessica sends me a SKYm on my InnerNet. It’s also a SKYpod! I told you it was cool up here! I pluck the thin, fragile object from the air and twirl it around, thinking of my old clunky phone back home. “Excuse me, but how many minutes do we have?” Ms. Bobbi waves her hands in the air. “The sky’s the limit, my dear.” Jessica SKYms me again. Infinite minutes and 24-hour access to SKYtunes! Wicked! I nod as Ms. Bobbi continues explaining the gadget. “Now, let’s talk about your A.N.G.E.L.I.C. watch.” We all grab our watches out of the air and inspect them as she explains the features. “The letters stand for Atmosphere, Night, Guardian, Emergency, Location, Ignitus, Charms. A, N, and L will be discussed in your Eco-Travel class. So let’s skip to G. The Guardian function allows you to contact any of your designated Guardians for things that might help you. In case of any emergency, you will simply press the E to call SKY11. The I provides various information on Ignitus and shows you all the Evils in the area. Now listen up. If you see a red M on your screen, dial E immediately, and you will receive special instructions.” I raise my hand as a red M pops up on my screen. “What’s the M stand for?” Ms. Bobbi frowns. “Malum, the ruler of Ignitus and leader of the Evils. The E’s will tell you if there are any SKYcrawlers or Slayers are around.” Even though I’ve only been here a few days, I know from our manual that Ignitus is the hot place down under. I don’t remember much about Evils let alone Malum, but I can tell it’s probably not a good thing. The room starts to buzz with tons of questions. “Who’s Malum? What does he do? Is he dangerous? What are SkyCrawlers and Slayers?” Ms. Bobbi puts both index fingers in her mouth and whistles.

“All your questions will be answered later in your Evil Arts class.” She raises her voice above the whispers. “Lastly, the Curse/Blessing function provides you on-the-job access to the appropriate curses and charming blessings approved for your level. You must wear your watch at all times. Your death depends on it.” Ms. Bobbi ignores all the raised hands and claps her hands three times. Little yellow patches appear on our right sleeves. “Congratulations to you all! You are now officially Yellow Wings or as we call you, Canaries.” I study the embroidered wings sewn into the sleeve of my organic cotton. I trace my fingers over the yellow stitching that says: Bright in Training. Canary: Class 1. “As Canaries, you will spend most of your time observing and assisting your AM in building character and self-esteem.” Jessica whispers. “So what? We prevent zits?” I drop my head back and stare at the white ceiling. “Just what I always wanted to do, prevent Angela’s pesky blackheads. Last time I checked, that was Proactiv’s job.” A boy hollers out over the buzz in the room. “So wait. We don’t protect Mortals from Evils and death?” Ms. Bobbi shakes her head. “Not yet.” A couple kids moan in the back. “Aw man. This is boring.” “Building the character of your AM is critical to their development as well as yours. Protecting mortals from death will come. In time.” Sitting on top of her desk, Ms. Bobbi looks around the room. “Before class ends, let’s quickly review the rules of covering your AM.” She spends the next twenty minutes discussing The Decrees of a Bright-in-Training. As usual, in any class where rules are discussed, most of the students start to zone out. Me included. The Decrees of BITs **: 1. I shall not harbor ill-feelings that hurt or injure my AM in any way. 2. I shall not use unapproved powers against my AM. 3. I shall not show myself or make physical contact with any AM. 4. I shall not interfere with another BIT’s AM. 5. I shall apply the appropriate level of training when protecting my AM. **The only time the decree is broken is if proper authority & approval are obtained.

My head starts to feel full from the info-dump. So many new things to remember. So many old things to forget. I wonder if there are any Cliff’s notes up here. Ms. Bobbi summarizes. “In a nutshell, you’ll go to Earth and watch over your AM while he or she is awake. Off duty, you’ll be up here, learning about new techniques and practicing how those skills can positively influence your Mortal’s character, and therefore, life. Which I might add is very exciting and extremely rewarding. Now, are you all ready to cover your AMs?” The class claps loudly as if they’re cheering at the Super Bowl. I raise my hand and wait for the chaos to die down. Ms. Bobbi points to me. “Yes, Miss Williams?” “Excuse me. But, if we don’t have wings, how exactly do we get back and forth to Earth?” Ms. Bobbi winks. “Good question. Time to find out.” “Today will be your first day protecting your assignments on Earth.” A tall, skinny man wearing a white jumpsuit and a dorky hat with earflaps stands with his fists on his hips like he’s a Marvel superhero. “Hello class. My name is Captain Gene Krashet, but you can call me Captain K. I work in the SKYbound Aviation Department.” I whisper to Jessica, “Our flight instructor’s name is Crash-it?” I’m not getting a good feeling about this. Jessica shrugs as Captain K continues. “As the Director of Aviation, I’m in charge of all the ECOTravel that takes place here. Now, let’s SKYdive in and learn the basics. The first thing I want to stress is that when we travel, it’s important we respect and preserve nature. All of our Brights have been trained to be as light as an eyelash and as quick as a wink, but we must do that in a way that doesn’t disturb nature. Let’s review the elements that go into making our travel successful and safe for all things. Does everyone have their watches with them?” We all present our wrists. Captain K continues. “Great. Let’s review. The A scans the Atmosphere and provides a full assessment of your environment, including temperature, precipitation, humidity, and more. An alarm will warn you if you damage the environment in any way.” Standing next to me, a girl in my class with long curly hair named Lilith raises her hand. “Will it detect if there is something rotten in the area?” “Yes, of course.”

When I look over at her, she is pinching her nose with one hand and pointing at me with the other. The class busts out laughing. I pretend to laugh overly hard and speak to Jessica through my fake smile. “There’s one in every crowd. Even Heavenly ones.” “Evidently she’s been in this crowd awhile. This is her second time training.” “You mean you can fail up here?” Great. Jessica nods as Captain K continues with the lesson. “The N feature gives you night vision by displaying all obstacles within a one-mile radius. Ms. Bobbi already explained Guardian and Evils. So let’s move on to L.” I tap the letter on my watch, and a map pops up. “This shows your location by latitude, longitude, and altitude coordinates. You will always know where you are in relation to any and all Transport windows.” Jessica points to hers. “Did you see this? It even locates dog poop so you don’t step in it.” “Just what I always wanted,” I joke. “A Pooper Snooper.” A few minutes later, Captain K carries on with his lesson. “Alright, let’s practice a couple of travel methods. Who wants to demonstrate Blading?” Jessica throws her hand in the air. “I do! I do!” He looks a bit surprised by her eagerness. “Great. Come on down!” Jessica bounces to the front. She pulls back her hair and rolls up her sleeves as if preparing for battle. Captain K stands next to her. “When Blading, you will run on top of the grass at speeds of up to 200 mph. It requires advanced balancing skills.” Balancing skills are something I know for a fact Jessica drew the short stick on. Captain K taps Jessica’s shoulder. “Go ahead and conduct your environmental scan. Then, choose Blading as your Travel Method.” Jessica touches her screen. “Got it.” “Now all you have to do is think of yourself as being light and quick as you cross the grass. Race to that tree about a mile away and then back. You may also practice some of your other agility moves. Don’t worry if you don’t know what they are, they will come naturally to you, so go for it.”

“All righty.” She closes her eyes and lifts up on her toes. As soon as she takes off, Jessica turns into a white flash that blurs across the bright blue sky. Seconds later, she appears at the tree and waves to us. Then she sprints back. Right before she reaches us, she attempts to do a front flip. Which is about as possible as an elephant trying to tiptoe. Instead of a graceful landing, Jessica falls on her face and rolls along the ground. I cover my eyes and peek through the slits in my fingers. When I first Transferred here, I assumed all Brights were graceful. Jessica is obviously an exception. Sure, I fall sometimes. But she rarely stays on her feet. Jessica jumps up. “I’m okay!” Suddenly, her watch alarm goes off. Everyone plugs his or her ears until the shrieking noise finally stops. Captain K plucks a green leaf off her tunic and reads her screen. “According to this, you have damaged 1,021 blades of grass, killed 32 ants, and injured those two shrubs.” She looks horrified. “Really?” “Don’t worry. Blading is very fast so it’s easy to lose control. You just need to work on improving your DC or Damage Control factor. Unlike Earth, everything up here automatically regenerates. But this gives you a good idea of where to be more… graceful.” He faces the class and looks at his watch. “Let’s get you guys down to Earth, so you can begin covering your assignments.” He opens the Transport window and looks through. “Looks like it’s raining, so we’ll have to Freefall. Who wants to go first?” Jonah pipes up. “Is it dangerous?” Captain K takes off his cap and scratches his head. “More like uncomfortable.” Everyone glances around at each other as Captain. K walks among us looking for a volunteer (a.k.a., a victim). I look down to avoid Captain K’s searching eyes. He stops in front of me. “Great! We have a volunteer. I appreciate your courage, Gabriella.” “Huh?” I look up and spot Lilith pointing directly at me. I frown at her while speaking to our instructor. “Sure, no problem, Captain K.” Captain K addresses the class. “As soon as you arrive, you are to go to the exact coordinates of your Assigned Mortal. Today is your first day watching them. Get used to it. Get to know them.” He looks at me. “If you don’t already.”

He paces back and forth. “You will return here when they are asleep and you can set their REM or Regulated Energy Manipulator.” “Gabriella, are you ready?” Captain K leads me to the Transport window. “Remember to use your watch features you learned today.” “Yes, sir.” I walk forward and lean over the hole. My class packs in close behind me like cows in a stockade. Beneath the cloud cover, rain plummets towards the Earth’s surface in thick sheets. “Now, what am I supposed to do?” Captain K shrugs like I’m supposed to know. “Freefall.” I sit back on my heels. “You mean I’m just going to jump? No other specific instructions? No steps or best practices?” “Nope that’s about it. Just jump.” He puts one finger to his lips to get the class to be quiet. “Everyone else will follow Gabriella’s lead. We need a ten-second delay between each jump so the person can be sure to clear the landing area. No use piling up on top of each other.” Jessica whispers in my ear and pats my shoulder. “Nice knowing yah.” “Gee, thanks.” I sit down and let my legs dangle through the hole. This whole thing just feels wrong, wrong, wrong. I press E to conduct an environmental scan first. “The altitude is 60,000 feet!” Captain K looks surprised and checks his watch. “Is that it? Hmm, I thought it was much higher.” Jessica pipes up again. “It’s not like you can die or anything. You heard him. It’s just uncomfortable.” I stare at her. “No, uncomfortable is a pesky splinter or an itchy throat. Not slamming into the Earth’s surface.” Scooting up, I remain on the edge and peer through. It’s so weird to see that it’s raining below me, yet the skies here are as blue as ever. It’s not what I’m used to. Suddenly, a plane zooms by underneath my feet. I lean back and shake my head. “I don’t think I can do this, Captain.” “Sure you can. Just close your eyes. It feels like you’re flying.” “Only I’m not,” I mumble. “I’m falling.” A few kids grumble behind me, telling me to ‘go already’.

I holler over my shoulder. “Okay, fine. This isn’t as easy as it looks, so don’t rush me!” Closing my eyes, I take in a huge breath and try to prepare for the long and surely speedy drop. Suddenly, a pair of hands pushes against my back and sends me tumbling through the hole. As I flail towards the earth’s surface, I can hear myself screaming. I summersault towards the ground. When I finally straighten out, for some strange reason, I start flapping my arms as if they’re wings. Like that could help. Watching the ground, I see colored patches of green, brown, and blue coming closer and closer. As soon as I’m able to hear a cow’s moo and make out the leaves on bushes, I know I’m close. Too close. I shut my eyes. My “landing” is not something I really want to see. I scream just as I smack into the ground. Face first. It takes me a second before I realize I don’t feel a thing. I roll onto my back and stare up at the grey clouds, waiting to see if anything fell off on the ride down. Nothing aches. Nothing pounds. Nothing throbs. I feel nothing. Part of me is relieved, but the other part of me misses feeling… anything. Before I can move out of the way, I hear someone hollering above me. A few seconds later, Jessica slams down next to me. I peel myself off the ground, sit up, and wipe the mud off my face. “That was messed up.” Jessica sits up and shrugs. “I don’t know. I thought it was kinda fun.” I stare at her. “How in the world is falling 60,000 feet at 1,000 miles an hour fun?” “Because now I know what a bird feels like.” I stand to Refashion out of the muddy clothes. Somehow I’m already clean again. “Now I know what a meteor feels like.”

Rule #8: BITs may not interfere with an AM’s life unless approved by the Director of Destiny.

I’ve always wanted to know what it’s like to be a fly on the wall. Listening to people. Hearing their secrets. Be careful what you wish for. Jessica balances on the gutter of the school roof and leans forward. “This is amazing!” she cries. “I can hear everything they’re saying, and I’m at least twenty feet away!”, She’s listening to a group of girls as they walk under us, giggling and whispering. I overhear one of them talking about how she started her “girlfriend” last night. I grimace when she recites the gory details. “Maybe,” I say. “Only I don’t care to know that girl prefers ‘paper or plastic,’ if you know what I mean.” Jessica groans and makes gagging noises. “Ew, that’s nasty!” I laugh at the look on her face. It’s rare to get anything out of Jessica but a sweet smile. To me, her grimaces of disgust are much more fun. We sit on top of my former school and observe the herd of screaming, hyperactive kids as they converge on a sea of yellow buses. A few boys standing to our left tackle each other in the grass, playing wrestle mania. I glance around at a few other BITs hanging from trees and stoplights, waiting for their new assignments to show. “Do you ever miss your life?” I ask. Jessica points at the two guys still battling it out. “No way! I’ll take wings over wedgies any day.” “Interesting comparison,” I sigh. “I don’t know why I seem to think about this when I’m down on Earth. Doesn’t bother me when we’re in Cirrus.” “That’s how it’s supposed to be. The closer you are to your mortals, the harder it is. You have to be strong and let go.” I lean back and stare up at the cloudy sky. “Why couldn’t I cover someone far away? Like in Arkansas?”

She walks along the edge with her arms straight out to her sides, as if she’s on a tightrope. “Have you ever been to Arkansas? I’ll take Georgia over that dry place any day.” Jessica hangs over the edge. “Wait? Is that Michael?” I look down and shove her. “Jessica! That’s a girl!” She squints harder. “Wow. And I thought I was flat.” Her comment catches me off guard, and I laugh aloud. “You are sick. For an angel.” I study every guy coming out of the school. “He should be here any minute. I’ll point him out to you.” Jessica sits on the roof with her legs dangling over the edge and pets a passing squirrel. “His picture is in my InnerNet. An alarm should go off when he’s nearby.” I begin pacing across the rooftop in anticipation of seeing Michael again. After the funeral, I never expected to see him again. Or Angela for that matter. I guess things don’t always work out the way you think they will. Or wish they could. “You seen Angela yet?” Jessica asks. I ignore her question and continue scanning the crowd for every brown-haired boy. “Michael should’ve been here by now. He’s got a guitar lesson every Tuesday at four o’clock sharp. He’s never late.” “My question was about Angela.” I pretend I don’t hear her and review Michael’s schedule in my head. I know his routine like it’s my own. It’s weird how attached you can get to patterns without even knowing it. Until they don’t exist anymore. Michael has always loved routines as much as I do. Punctuality is important to him. Then again, he’s also different from any other fourteen-year-old boy at my school. While herds of jocks tackle each other down the hall, fart in class, and make whooping noises at recess, Michael spends his time playing guitar, folding origami, and winning BMX tournaments. Michael isn’t the hot guy that everyone adores; he’s the quiet, cute one in the background no one notices. Except me. Well, and evidently Angela. I scan the row of buses again. “Where is he? He hates to be late.” Jessica twirls her hair. “Girl, you need to chill out.” I pull my knees up to my chest and try to block out the laughing and talking happening below me. “I wasn’t expecting to see all this again.”

In the background, Mr. Hinkle, the maintenance man, revs up his lawn mower and begins work on his infamous checkered pattern along the football field. I’d give anything to smell the fresh-cut grass blowing up behind him. Reminds me of when my dad would come home from work and cut our lawn, wearing no shirt and black work socks with white tennis shoes. If that weren’t mortifying enough, he’d also blast a cassette tape of Fleetwood Mac super loud on his antique boom box. I’d yell, “Dad! You’re embarrassing me!” He would only smile and cup his hand to his ear, pretending he couldn’t hear me over the motor. Now that annoying event has been recategorized in my memory, moving from the “Totally Irritating” file to “Fond Favorites.” Death is turning out to be a strange thing. You miss the things you thought you hated… almost as much as the things you loved. A familiar laugh interrupts my daydreaming. I’d recognize that sound anywhere. I jump up and balance on the edge of the gutter. Then I see him. If I had a heart, it would drop right out of my transparent body and plop onto the grass for him to walk on. Michael looks much better than the last time I saw him, and he’s wearing my favorite T-shirt, black with a white dragon on the back. He seems to match more than normal in blackishgrey jeans and black riding boots. “There he is,” I sigh. Jessica’s alarm goes off and she whistles dramatically. “Man, you’re right. He’s hot!” I bop her on the back of her head. “Heeeey! That doesn’t help me get over him, yah know.” “Oops, sorry. Let me try again.” She leans forward as if she’s getting a better look at him. “Yuck, he’s ugly. And Angela’s a total cow. There. Feel better?” I smiled and nod. “Actually, yes.” I watch Michael stop and wait by the gym door. “I wonder what he’s waiting for.” Jessica gasps dramatically and teases me. “What? You mean, you don’t know? Is it not in his schedule?” “I’m going to punch you in a second. And, let me just say, I’ve got a good 50 pounds on you, so it’s going to hurt.” She giggles and puts up her hands in surrender mode. “It can’t.” To my left, I hear a squeaky voice and spot Angela moving across the courtyard.

“SnideZilla has arrived.” To my surprise, she slinks towards Michael, as if she’s stalking her prey. She’s even dressed in a leopard tank and black skirt. She purrs, “Hey, Mikey.” I roll my eyes. Ever since Michael was six years old, he’s insisted on being called by his full name. At least by everyone but his mother. He always thought it made him appear more mature. I wait for him to correct her mistake, but instead he smiles. “Bonjour.” I cover my ears at the dialogue, feeling as if I’m watching a bad play at a local theatre. “Ugh. If I were alive, I’d totally be making fun of him right now.” Angela flashes him her overly white teeth. “We still studying French tonight?” Michael nods. “Sure. Let’s meet at the library.” I stare at him, a bit surprised at his response. “Wait a minute. He never studies. He’s too smart.” Jessica looks confused. “Maybe he tutors her in French.” Michael opens the gym door for Angela. “You’ve been practicing for the test?” “La pipe au papa du Pape Pie pue (Papa’s pipe of Pope Pius pongs),” she replies. He narrows his eyes and smirks. “I don’t think French tongue-twisters are going to be on the test. But that’s not bad.” Jessica gasps. “Looks like he’s teaching her tongue twisters.” I flash her a look. “Oh God. Let’s hope not.” Michael waves to Angela. “See yah later then?” Angela points one of her Press-on-Nails at him. “Not if I see you first.” She walks past him in a semi-sexy swagger. If hips could kill! I yell through my fake bullhorn. “Annnnnd, scene!” “You’re sick.” Jessica watches him walk towards his bus. “Hey, you didn’t tell me they were that close.” “They weren’t. I guess death (and dances) bring people together.” She jumps into a tree and hangs upside down. “Maybe that’s why his routine is off.” I sit down on the swirling air vent and rest my face in my hands. She’s right. Michael isn’t on my schedule anymore. Now he’s working around Angela’s.

Jessica swings off a branch and misses the roof. She grabs onto the gutter and hangs with her legs swinging under her. I clutch onto her hand and drag her back up. “Whew. Thanks.” She smiles and fixes her barrette. “So let me get this right, not only do you have to watch Angela—” I finish her thought. “But I have to watch her slobber all over Michael.” Jessica shakes her head. “Man, no wonder you’re major bummed. This totally sucks for you.” She slaps her hand over her mouth and lowers her voice. “I mean…. stinks.” “No one can hear you.” Jessica points up at the sky and whispers again. “That’s what you think. All they have to do is YOUggle us, and they can see everything we’ve been doing.” I laugh. “Talk about SKYspies.” Jessica watches Michael head to his bus. “I’d better go after him. You gonna be okay?” I shoo her away. “I’m fine. Go have fun.” “See you at the library.” Jessica swings onto a branch and drops to the ground. Instead of landing on her feet, she falls forward onto her knees. She stands up and wipes the dirt off her pants before leaping onto the roof of Michael’s transportation. I watch him until he is swallowed by the yellow rectangle with wheels. As his bus pulls away, Jessica stands on top and waves along with a couple other BITs. Once she’s gone, I head inside the gym. As I shimmy up the walls, I realize that this must be what it’s like to be a spider. Only I don’t have multiple eyes or a silk thread shooting out of my butt. At the top, I perch on the balcony railing and look down on the fencing practice strip. Angela pulls out her equipment as Coach Stabler shuffles across the court with Stella Morgan, the best senior fencer in Cobb County. Stella tucks her cute black bob behind her ears and grabs her foil. Angela doesn’t stand a chance. I leap onto the basketball hoop for a bird’s eye view and watch the practice bout. Coach Stabler yells out, “En Guarde!” Both girls move into their starting positions. He nods at each of them. “You ready?” Angela and Stella nod back in unison. Coach Stabler starts the bout by hollering, “Fence!”

Angela bounces back and forth along the strip and pretends to attack, causing Stella to parry. The clanging of the foils makes me sad and happy all at the same time. I love the sounds, but I miss the actual fencing more. I bounce along the top of the backboard as if I’m fencing with them. I lunge forward and freeze in my stance. My form is still good. Angela catches Stella off-guard on her riposte and scores on a counter. Stella stops and yanks off her mask. “Hey!” Coach Stabler calls out, “Halt!” Stella points at Angela, who is all wide-eyed, trying to appear innocent. “Coach! She’s cheating!” I remember my last match and shout down at them. “I knew it!” Angela snaps back. “Cheating? You wish, Smella!” Coach Stabler frowns. “Come on you guys. Cut it out. You both know the rules. Now go again.” When he turns his back, Angela shoots Stella a look. Then Coach yells, “En Guarde!” The girls move back to the centerline. He waits before starting them again. “Ready? Fence!” The two girls dance up and down the strip as they fence. When Stella charges, Angela performs a reassemblement and avoids a low-line attack. On the counter-attack, Angela shifts her weight onto her front foot and extends her arm. After attempting the hit, she crosses her feet and sprints past Stella, avoiding the counter-attack. A fleché. Stella steps off the pisté. “I refuse to fence with a cheater.” She tucks her mask under her arm and storms off the court. Coach Stabler walks up to Angela and frowns. “What are you doing?” Angela shakes her head. “I guess I’m just off today.” “Off?” He cups her shoulder. “You better not pull any of this crap in the tournament or it’s going to cost you the title.” Coach goes after Stella as Angela packs her gear, mumbling to herself. “Jeez, what’s up with all the poor losers at this school?” Looking straight through me, Angela zips on her pink designer tracksuit and leaves the gym. By the time we approach the library, Michael is already waiting outside. This is one time I hoped his punctuality would be challenged.

His black guitar case is draped across his back, and he calls out to her. “Hey, Ange!” Oblivious to me, Angela flashes her perfect teeth and waves to Michael. I see them exchange a quick look, which causes me to panic. How am I going to keep this from happening? I jump in front of her and put my hands up to my head in a scary pose. “Boo!” Angela walks right through me as if I’m nothing. A tingly feeling shoots through my body, and I feel for the first time since my funeral. But it feels weird, as if my whole body has fallen asleep. Angela pulls out her lipstick and rolls the red tip across her pucker. I run way ahead and face her. I slide my toe across the pavement, drawing any imaginary line. “Ange, I’m warning you, don’t cross this line.” Jessica appears next to me and jerks me out of my blocking position. “What are you doing? You could get in major trouble if Lawrence sees you doing this.” I put my face in my hands. “Fine. I just don’t want Michael with her.” “There’s only one small detail you’re forgetting.” Jessica knocks on my forehead with her knuckles. “Hello? You’re already dead.” We both stand on the sidelines and wait for Angela to reach Michael. It seems to be taking forever, like the world is in slow-mo. Suddenly, Jessica mutters. “Uh oh.” My eyes grow big. “What? She points to the sidewalk. “Look what you did.” I stare at the large crack. “Me?” I shake my head. “I didn’t do that. Besides, I’m sure she sees it.” The closer Angela gets to the hazard, the wider Jessica’s eyes grow until she sings, “I don’t think soooooo.” Before I can get to Angela, she trips over the edge of the crack. The smile erases from her face, and she flaps her arms to keep from falling forward. But just like me, she can’t fly. Michael runs down the steps towards her just as she crashes onto the pavement. “Jeez Ange, are you alright?” As he helps her up, she inspects the sidewalk for the reason she went down. But the crack is invisible to her. A few girls, sitting on a bench, snicker. One says, “Hey, Ange. Did you have a good trip?”

Another teases her. “Look, Angela’s head over heels for Michael.” Angela’s face turns red with anger, and she stomps into the library, leaving Michael to pick up all the papers and stuff that flew out of her bag on impact. I start to smile, but pinch my lips together when Jessica glares at me. I throw up my hands in innocence. “What? She tripped!” “Over the crack you drew in the sidewalk.” She points to the gap as it finishes closing. “It’s called a Crack Down. My sister’s done it to me down here, and, trust me, it’s not funny.” I look at the sidewalk in disbelief and then down at my shoe. “Well, I didn’t mean to. It was an accident.” “Doesn’t matter. Your intention was to keep them apart. That’s considered interference and illegal blocking.” I wrinkle my face. “Wait. You’re using football references now?” As we follow them into the library, Jessica shakes her head. “You just wait until Lawrence sees your Crack Down on instant replay.” “Maybe he’ll miss it.” She makes a hissing noise with her mouth. “I doubt it! I hear he watches past episodes just for fun.” “Great.” I walk sluggishly behind her, trying to figure out how I learned to do a Crack Down. I don’t remember reading about it in any of my Orientation materials, and we certainly didn’t go over it in class. I must have gotten… lucky. I try not to smile so Jessica thinks I’m feeling bad about the whole thing. We wait on top of a shelf while Angela and Michael start studying. After a couple of agonizing hours listening to improper French verb conjugation—a hundred C’este biens, and a 1,001 mercis—Angela and Michael finally finish. As we walk past the librarian’s office, Jessica cups her hands and lets out into a high-pitched scream. The sound reverberates through the old building. No one looks up. No one tells us to be quiet. No one even knows we’re here. I cover my ears. “What was that for?” “Haven’t you always wanted to do that?” I shake my finger at her. “I was afraid I’d be banned.” “Very funny,” Jessica laughs as we leave through the front door.

We skip behind Angela and Michael as he walks her home. Angela continues working her magic, batting her eyes, swinging her hips, and bumping his shoulder with hers every time she laughs. I have to admit, she definitely deserves an A in Flirtation 101. As we turn down a side street, Jessica spins in a circle every third step. She does a cartwheel and kicks some poor guy walking by in the head. She stops. “Oops.” The poor kid seems totally unaware that he was just pummeled in his melon because he keeps on walking. “Hey, maybe there’s a positive side to all this Angela drama,” Jessica says. “In a cool way, you kinda get to haunt her.” “I guess.” We walk behind the pair for another block in silence. “Why would he like her?” I say. “She’s not a nice person.” “Some girls don’t show their true colors to boys. You know that.” I watch Michael glance over at her, and Angela smiles back, her long, black hair sweeps along her mid-back. “She’s prettier than me, isn’t she?” Jessica shrugs. “Those pants don’t do much for her assets.” I burst out laughing. “I don’t believe it. Are you making Angela the butt of a joke?” Jessica widens her eyes. “What? I’m an angel. I can’t lie. I have to be honest.” Then she stops walking and sticks out her tiny butt. She slaps her left cheek. “And the truth is, those pants are just butt ugly.” We both look at each other for a second before breaking into a giggle fit. I think it’s the first time I’ve really laughed since I Transferred to Cirrus. Thank God for Jessica. If it weren’t for her, I think I’d go completely insane. Right now, I’m just eternally crazy.

Rule #9: BITs should not visit loved ones unless approved.

Silence can be one of two things: peaceful, a time when you can hear the earth breathing in slumber; or lonely, when the stars are your only friends. Since leaving Jessica and Michael, I’ve been sitting in Angela’s window waiting for her to fall asleep. As I watch her toss and turn, I realize one thing. I miss sleeping. Mostly because I miss dreaming. I miss that moment when you wake up from a late-afternoon nap on a warm spring day, and you realize you’re lying stretched out in the warm sunlight. When your eyes are still closed, but the diffused light starts to seep in. When your mind is still pleasantly fuzzy, and you only have one care in the world, deciding whether to wake up or go back to sleep. Angela starts snoring like an asthmatic bear, so I check her vital signs on my watch. Thank goodness. As soon as I set her REM, I hurry and leave. Before returning to Cirrus, I take the long route through my neighborhood, admiring the vibrant still-life scenery framing me. I memorize every detail and relish the sounds of my former life. A dog barks in the distance as a few nocturnal creatures whisper to each other. A bird chirps, singing goodbye to a late summer as he prepares for the early chill of fall. The rhythmic sound of Mr. Alfert’s sprinkler system attracts my attention. I pounce over his fence and stand in the center of the lawn, letting the spray drench my legs. I wish I could feel the water as it soaks my uniform, making it cling to my eternal form. I watch as the fabric dries instantly. On Earth, taste, smell, and touch no longer provide me the comfort I took for granted when I was alive. I’ll never smell the sweet gardenias, taste warm bread, or touch the wet grass again. All the things that remind me of home are gone. I stop in the middle of the road and watch a car’s headlights turn the corner, heading straight for me. The night of my accident replays in my head. I stand still as the car approaches. Only this time, the car drives right through me, sending tingles down my body and out into my limbs. I smile at the feeling. Then I notice something. It’s my brother’s car. Without thinking, I sprint after him as he heads home. When he pulls into the driveway, I stop across the street from my house and inspect the outside details. The way the windows are lit

makes the house look like it’s smiling at me, welcoming me home. The crooked shutters my dad never fixed still hang at an odd angle and my mom’s car is parked in the driveway. Everything looks exactly the same as it did the day I left, like I’m just coming home for dinner. It feels so strange to watch life go on for others after yours ends. You’d think it would all stop. I follow Gray into the house and stop in the foyer to absorb all the little details: the shagged rug, the micro-suede couch, and the chenille blanket. By the time I enter the living room, my brother’s already lying in his favorite position on the couch, watching T.V. An ice cream dish rests on his chest. It’s full of vanilla bean ice cream with a hard coating of chocolate on the top. I used to love Magic Shell, especially Turtle Delight. A few droplets of the sweet sauce dribble down my brother’s chin. I close my eyes and imagine the nutty chocolate melting on my tongue. The only foods I get now are carbs galore. As soon as Jenny Craig kicks the bucket, maybe I’ll get a balanced meal. As I watch Gray eat the cold, dripping treat. Enjoying the food was never my priority. Eating was like breathing. I did it without thinking. My motto was not “eat, drink, and be merry,” it was “eat and run.” Those boring family dinners I used to dread are now something I’ll miss forever. Even though I’m not supposed to, I can’t help but whisper “I love you” in his ear before I glide down the hall and up the steps. I look at all the crooked pictures, and stop when I see a few empty nails marking an old memory of me. I count the vacancies. Four and a half photos have been removed, counting the one of my mom pregnant with me. The wooden “Gabby’s Space” sign my dad and I carved together has also been removed from my bedroom door. My life is being deleted. Picture by picture, piece by piece. Somehow, I no longer have a space on this Earth. I stand in front of the door and wonder if I can push through the wooden barrier. I put my hand through first. The wood is uncomfortable and extremely scratchy as the rest of my body pushes through the material. Evidently the only time I feel anything is when something earthly is passing through me. No wonder ghosts walk through so many walls. On the other side, I glance around my room, which appears to be in the same condition as when I left it—a total mess. Except for a few open boxes being packed away. The jewelry box

my dad gave me is thrown in the bottom of one. I don’t know why it makes me sad, it’s been broken for months. Maybe it will show up with my Life Artifacts someday. I move in front of the wall-to-wall shelves filled with hundreds of hardback books, new and old. As I run my fingers over them, I try to imagine the feel of the cracked bindings and the smell of the musty paper. I come to my favorite book, Tuck Everlasting. A line of Tuck’s pops into my mind: “Winnie, do not fear death, but rather the unlived life. You don't have to live forever. You just have to live.” My question to Tuck is, how do you know if you really lived or if your life was just a waste? Over by my bed, purple and orange bohemian pillows are scattered along my multi-colored, hand-knotted rug. My beaded Indian drapes flutter from the air conditioning vent blowing underneath them. Dirty clothes are still piled in the corner. My second-place fencing medal is still on the nightstand, and my corkboard is still covered with post-its reminding me of things I forgot. Everything’s in its place, just the way I left it. Except for my mom. Who is asleep in my bed. I perch on the foot-rail and watch her sleep under the gold silk comforter. When she rolls onto her back, I notice she’s clutching the picture that normally sits on my dresser. The one of Dad and me laughing at something totally stupid. I crawl up next to her and lay my head on the cotton pillow, watching the rhythm of her chest as it rises and falls. Maybe the reason loved ones hurt so much is they think we’re gone. Forever. I wish I could tell my mom that when people die, they don’t really go away. They’re with you. Always. After some time, I get up and blow my mom a kiss before I jump out the window. I’m already late as it is.

There are more than sixty definitions for the word time in the dictionary, even though the planets, the sun, and the moon all move to the same universal ticker. Lawrence obviously disagrees because he threatened my eternal life if I was late. (Side note: You can’t say hate but evidently it’s not a sin to threaten lives.) Since I’m already late for class, I sprint all the way from my house toward the Transport window. Before I get to my location, I’m startled by an alarm on my watch. I stop and stare at

the screen. The I is blinking. I try to remember my letters. I is for Ignitus. That means Evils. I touch the letter and pull up a map of the area, showing my location—along with the location of every Evil within a ten mile radius. I study the symbols. Most of the Evils appear to be miles away, but a red M seems to be floating kinda close. I think back to Ms. Bobbi’s instructions. If you see a red M on your screen, dial E immediately for SKY11, and you will receive special instructions. I press E for Emergency and Lawrence’s tiny 3D figure pops up on my watch immediately. His hands are on his hips, and he is steaming mad. Like that’s different than any other day. “I hope you know you’re late,” he starts. “How many times do I have to—?” “Lawrence! I’m in serious trouble.” He cups his hands behind his back. “I know. Punctuality is very important up here.” “No!” I shout over him. “I have an M!” He freezes in place and his face slowly wrinkles. “A what?” “An M. On my watch! Malum. It’s red!” He remains silent for a second and slowly says, “What did you say?” “I HAVE AN M!” Lawrence holds up his little 3D hands. “Okay, don’t panic. Just get to the Transport. I’ll meet you there in a few seconds. Quickly!” I take off in a fast sprint towards the Transport window. The red M appears to be getting closer and closer, only a few yards away. A hot wind singes my neck. I spin around, running backwards, but nothing is there. I turn back around and stumble towards the entrance, looking back over my shoulder every other step. I trip and fall. A large shadow with red eyes closes in behind me. I crawl into the Transport window, and I swear I see a face and hands emerge from the darkness, stretching out to grab me. I feel a hand wrap around my ankle and scream just as Lawrence appears next to me. “Close the Transport!” He holds his staff out at the dark shadow. I reach forward and hit the huge button on the panel. The door slams down and the shadow disappears. Lawrence turns around and yells at me. “Gabriella! You are never safe until you seal the entrance! Never ever forget that.”

I fall back on the floor and try to calm down. “What is going on? Why is Malum following me?” Lawrence sits down next to me and mumbles, which I find a bit strange because his voice is rarely below one hundred decibels. “He and his goons are always looking for a way in. It’s not unusual to spot him lurking around Brights. Especially BITs.” I’m confused by his change in tone and urgency. “That’s it? That’s all you’re going to tell me?” He won’t look me in the eye but answers. “Nothing else to tell.” He grabs my tunic and lifts me off the ground. “Come on, let’s get you to class.” I brush the dirt of my tunic as we walk up the SKYway towards Cirrus. Lawrence walks next to me in silence with his hands clasped behind his back. I look up at him. “So, you’re not mad at me anymore? “For what?” I eye him. He’s acting weird. “For being late?” Lawrence raises his eyebrows. “No. But I should Crack Down on you a bit more.” I think about my interaction with Angela. Busted. As I sit in Lawrence’s office, I glance up at Etern City sparkling in the setting sun. The twinkling SKYline reminds me of the snow globe my dad brought home from New York City one Christmas. Only instead of snow, the dome was filled with sparkling glitter that blanketed the tiny, plastic buildings. From the little I’ve seen in my tour at mach speed, Etern City is fabulous. Filled with BLUtiques, SKYber Cafes, and SKYscrapers so tall you can’t see the top. Lawrence’s voice booms in my ear. “Shall we watch it again?” He pushes replay for the tenth time. My Crack Down scene flickers on the large, flatscreen T.V. hanging on his wall. This time, he keeps it in slow-mo so we can analyze each and every frame. When it gets to the exact moment I draw the line with my toe, he pauses the tape and faces me with a scowl. “So? What do you have to say for yourself?” I pretend I didn’t hear the question. “So it is true. The camera does add 20 lbs. Even when you’re dead. That just doesn’t seem right.”

He scowls. “This is no time for jokes.” I clear my throat and swallow. “It looks much worse on tape. I didn’t know she would fall, and at least she didn’t get hurt.” Lawrence raises his voice slightly. “Lucky for you.” I slink further down into the puffy white chair. “In my defense, I didn’t even know what a Crack Down was. I mean, it’s not like I learned it anywhere, so how would I know?” Lawrence remains pretty calm considering my offense. “Gabriella, that’s why we have very strict rules. To prevent these kinds of ‘accidents’ from happening. Until you are more aware of your abilities.” “At least the crack was small. Think if it was bigger. She may have fallen all the way to China.” “Not funny.” His eyes flip colors as he points to a picture that’s already listed as evidence. “Your crack was more like a gorge. Several inches wide! She didn’t stand a chance.” I try to joke with him. “Technically, she didn’t stand long.” As soon as I say it, I wish I hadn’t. Lawrence’s face turns apple red. “You are out of line, Gabriella!” He immediately closes his eyes and pants through a series of breaths. “This is not the way to act. Whether you meant to or not. Everything is not a joke up here. You’re messing with someone’s life.” He huffs again. I wait patiently for him to finish his standard one set of twelve breaths before I say anything to diffuse him. I surrender with the hopes of being excused quicker. “You’re right. I’m sorry.” He settles into his chair. “I’ll let you off with a warning because you weren’t quite aware of your actions. But don’t let it happen again. Next time, you won’t get so lucky.” He leans over the desk. “And just to be crystal clear, protecting Angela does not mean protecting her from Michael. She shouldn’t have to be protected from you, either.” “Why her? Why with him? Of all people.” “His path, especially his dating life, is not your responsibility. Do you want to impact Jessica’s training?” “Of course not.” “Good, but don’t forget, if you mess up Angela’s life or Michael’s for that matter you’re only jeopardizing your own fate in the end.”

I think about what he says for a moment. “What do you mean?” “Why do you think Malum’s after you? You do dark things, dark things come. Just remember that.”

Rule #10: BITs shall only use Curses and Blessings approved for their level.

“What shade of green would you say this is?” I stare down at my uniform and watch it change colors to match the tree I’m in. Jessica blends into the leafy backdrop. “I don’t know, maybe shamrock?” I shake my head. “I was thinking either asparagus or artichoke.” “Why does it matter?” “Because I’m trying to decide the exact color of envy.” She pats my head. “Gabby, we don’t know for sure it’s a date.” I roll my eyes. “Have you ever known a study group to have only two people in it and to meet in the park for a picnic? Nope, this is definitely their first official date. Only he’s late again. What’s taking him so long?” Jessica shrugs and scans the park’s horizon. “Good question. I was just with him, and he was on his way here. Maybe he’s primping again.” “Stab me in the heart, why don’t yah?” “Newsflash. You don’t have a heart.” “A minor technicality,” I say. I sit above Angela, who is chatting with Missy Hardman (the second girl on my Witch List) and watching some boys play tag football a few yards away. As we all wait for Michael, Missy and Angela whisper below me about something stupid. Suddenly, I get a weird sensation on my neck, forcing my sixth sense into overdrive. I look over and spot a two hundred pound chubby guy barreling towards Angela, going for a touch down. Just as he is about to take her out, I jump down next to her, focus my energy, and shove her out of his way. Just a teensy-bit harder than is probably necessary. Angela falls on the ground. In a flash, I leap back into the tree next to Jessica. She looks at me and smiles. I shrug. “What? It was an accident. Instinct.” “Of course it was.”

Angela coughs for air and struggles to sit up. The big guy jogs over to her, still sitting on the grass, dazed. He helps her up. “Good thing your friend pushed you out of the way or I might’ve squashed you like a bug.” Missy looks confused as the guy walks away. “What’s he talking about? I didn’t do anything.” Angela doesn’t pay much attention to Missy because she’s inspecting her scraped elbow. I smile at my small triumph. Jessica points ahead. “It’s show time.” Michael strolls across the park. As I study his movement, I sense my spirit lift a little. “Let’s go.” I sprint across the grass and leap into the tree silently just as he walks under me. Jessica jumps onto the limb above me, but her foot slips. A thin branch breaks off and twirls down towards the ground. Michael stops and stares up into the tree. I dangle by my knees and hang down in front of his face. So close that his cute pointy nose is only a few inches away from mine. I look into his muddy-brown eyes and pretend, for just a second, he can feel me next to him. Michael scans the tree and scratches his thick hair, seemingly confused. He frowns and then continues to walk over to Angela, who’s now alone and holding an overflowing picnic basket. Jessica whispers as if they can hear us. “You know, you shouldn’t get so close.” “Why? He can’t see me.” “What if you accidentally show yourself?” I keep my eyes on Michael. “I think you should be more worried about him hearing you first.” She blows out a snort as she laughs. “Good point.” Angela points back to the tree I was in. “What were you looking at back there?” Michael shrugs and gazes up, searching for something out of place. “Nothing. Just thought I heard something.” She holds up her basket. “You hungry? I brought some homemade food.” I tap Jessica on the arm and whisper, “She just came from the deli. How’s that homemade?” He points to a bench positioned in the middle of the field with a few bushes behind it. “Sure. Let’s sit over there.”

Michael and Angela head down the blooming path and across the lawn to the blue-painted picnic table. The one he and I used to eat at. I hang down from the branch above them to get a better view of her “homemade” spread: tofu and sprout sandwiches, sweet potato chips, carrots strips, and some kind of dry fruit pastry. Jessica wrinkles her nose. “Is she a vegan or something?” I shrug. “I just saw her eat a big burger yesterday.” Jessica smiles. “In that case, it’s true. She is what she eats. Get it? Cow.” I laugh. “Man, I think angel-hood is bringing out the devil in you.” Angela jumps into a favorite topic. Herself. “Did I tell you I got chosen as president of the Beta Club?” Jessica and I make loud snoring noises above her in the tree. Michael is too nice to look bored, so he smiles politely. “Actually you did. Congratulations on that… again.” Her cheeks flush a bit. “Sorry. I’m just so excited about it. I wasn’t expecting it at all.” She crunches down on a carrot and chews with her mouth closed. “What’d you get on your literature and composition test today?” Michael inspects his sandwich as if it’s a strange science project. I happen to know he doesn’t even like sprouts. “B minus. You?” Angela flips her hair and smiles. “Oh, I got an A.” He takes a bite and chews slowly. “So, what did you think about Mary Oliver’s poem, ‘When Death Comes’?” “I thought it was just about some girl whining about death.” He flicks off a tiny leaf that has fallen on his bread. “Really? I thought it was more about life. Kinda reminded me of…” Angela breaks in and stares at him. “Of what?” Michael looks away. “Nothing. Never mind.” She quickly changes the topic. “Do you want to come and watch me at the fencing competition next week?” “I don’t think I can do that.” His voice is almost a whisper. I smile at the same time she frowns and mutters, “Why not?”

Michael stares down at the seat for a few seconds before answering. “I used to go with Gabby. So I think it’d be kinda weird. That’s all.” Angela takes off her beret and twists her thick black hair into a messy bun. She flips on her infamous sulking switch. I narrow my eyes totally aware of her set up. “You talk about her a lot, yah know.” He recoils and stiffens a bit. “Yeah, so?” I think she senses his retreat because her tone becomes softer, sounding a little like my mother. “Did she ever tell you who she wanted to take to the dance? I mean… before everything happened?” “She asked me.” Michael swallows hard like he might cry. “Strange.” Angela blinks her eyes rapidly and acts innocent. Michael furrows his eyebrows. “Why?” She ignores him. “I heard she was going with Charlie Sanford. You know, that big guy on the wrestling team?” I jump to my feet, horrified. “She’s lying! I’d never hang out with that dude! He’s gross! ” (Side note: I’m not into boys that have back hair, especially before puberty starts.) Jessica frowns and puts her hand on her hips. “Man, that’s just wrong.” Michael rubs his hands through his hair. He seems confused and a bit shocked. I know how he feels. He thinks for a second and repeats, “Are you sure?” Angela bites into her sandwich and bats her eyes a bit. “Why would I make it up?” He takes her hand. “I wonder why she’d lie to me.” I pace along the pencil-thin branch above them. “She’s making up stuff so I look bad.” “We’re dead. We never look bad.” I shake my head and grit my teeth. “She’ll do anything to get close to him. Even if she has to take me down to do it.” Jessica waves Angela off. “Just ignore her. You know it’s not true and he knows you better than that.” Michael brushes a strand of hair away from Angela’s face. I point down. “Really? Because it seems to be working.” I watch Michael lean in a little. I gotta stop this scene or a kiss may just happen right in front of me.

“I’m not gonna let her do this.” I glance down at my watch and get an idea. “I don’t know if I like the sound of this.” I smile at Jessica and hold up my standard-issue A.N.G.E.L.I.C. watch. She stares at her watch and thinks for a minute. Then, her eyes brighten up. “Curses and Blessings! But which one?” “They said any on our level were legal.” I tap the C and page down through the list of Celestial Spells approved for the Canary level. Jessica leans over me to see what I’m doing. “What are you looking up?” I find the perfect charm and smile up at her. “Something that’ll spice things up.” Sitting crosslegged on the branch, I read the instructions carefully before I begin the charm’s delicate sequence. First, I close my fingers and envision a plant growing out of my palm. I imagine the roots growing through my fingers, the flaky layers scratching my skin, and the pungent smell that used to burn my eyes. As soon as my palm tinkles, I unwrap my fingers and reveal a small glowing onion. I peer down at Angela and drop it. The invisible veggie hits the checkered cloth and dissipates into a cloud of white sparkly dust. Michael wrinkles his face. “Smells like onions.” “Really?” Angela recoils and covers her mouth. Michael tries not to laugh. “Maybe you had some in your sandwich?” Her face turns as red as an overly ripe tomato. “But, I specifically said ‘NO onions’. I hate them.” I giggle. “So does he.” Jessica whispers, not like anyone can hear her anyway. “Whoa. I can’t believe it worked.” I cheer above them “Onions are a BIT’s best friend.” Michael sits back, putting space between them. Curse successful. Disaster contained.

Rule #11: Any Bright or BIT caught abusing the Eternal Code may be Demoted or even Banished.

After an afternoon of watching Angela shop for a dress for the dance and try on two-dozen pairs of jeans, I’m ready for the day to end. Once she’s finally asleep, I set her REM and bolt. The whole time, checking my watch to be sure I’m not being followed again. When I reach the top of the hill, I open the Transport window. A moonbeam zips down through the clouds and touches the grassy ground. I enter the prism-colored tunnel and sprint up the SKYway, passing rest stops and wing-repair stations. Following Lawrence’s directions, I jump on the Holy Rail and eventually get off at the Pearly Gate exit. Once I enter Cirrus, I walk along the winding trail bordered by sunflowers and cypress trees splattered with orange fruit until I reach the check in. A row of Sentries, like the ones with Dad, guards the entryway. They always ignore me when I pass by them. That’s okay because Sentries aren’t here to socialize; their only job is to protect Cirrus. Imero is seated in his usual position at a long aluminum table. A large spotlight finds my face as he speaks to me in a monotone voice. “SKYdentification Code, please.” I shield my eyes from the blinding light. “Hey Imero. It’s me.” He ignores me and repeats his line. “Come on. It’s not like you don’t know me by now.” He frowns and peers at me over his spectacles. “You’re just one in a zillion.” “Fine. BIT170K1B46M. Number one hundred and seventy quadrillion, 1 billion, and 46 million.” (Side note: To think I was upset about placing number two in Nationals.) The brilliant ray scans the shimmery tattoo on my forearm. Imero pulls up my InnerNet and checks me in. He waits a few minutes until a buzzer sounds. Behind him, the heavy gates lift up. “BIT170K1B46M. You have been cleared for entry.” As I move past him, he scowls at me. “Did you forget something?” “What?” I stare at him for a minute, completely unaware of what he’s implying.

He shakes his head and waves his hand in front of him. I hear a clicking noise as the entrance seals behind me. “Always close the Transport window before you enter the Pearly Gates. One mistake puts us at great risk.” “What am I going to do with you?” Lawrence stops in front of me and taps me on the forehead with his pointer finger, like a woodpecker pecking for grub. I try to make a joke. “You can’t kill me.” He scowls at me with his hands on his hips. “This isn’t funny.” Lawrence brushes me off. “Angela’s not your enemy.” “Feels like it.” I twirl a strand of my long, red hair around my finger. Unfortunately, the new AIRconditioner and AIRspray I’m using don’t seem to be working. He clears his throat. “Are you listening to me?” I pop out of my daze. “What? Uh, sorry.” “You already said that. Twice.” He crosses his arms. I can see his muscles bulge under his robe. I sigh. “I swear I’m trying. Really, I am.” “Apparently not very hard.” He calls up my InnerNet and scans through a few pages before pointing at the screen. “If you’re trying so hard, why do you already have three SKYolations?” I widen my eyes in shock. “Three? How did I get three? I only have two.” “Need I remind you?” He reads the report as it scrolls across the screen. “We’ve already talked about your first offense. Violation #1: Purposefully conducted a Crack Down charm on AM, resulting in minor bodily injury. No need to run that one into the ground. So let’s skip to Violation #2: Conducted a Stink Bomb to purposely humiliate AM.” I slap my hand to my forehead. At this point, I don’t blame him for being mad. The SKYolations sound much worse when he reads them out loud. Especially in that angry tone. “I wasn’t sure the charm would even work, and I definitely had no idea the smell would last this long.” Lawrence pinches his lips together. “You’re lucky. Since you did it wrong, it wasn’t permanent, and I was able to shorten the duration.” “Well, that’s stinks.” Lawrence waves away the eco-screen and faces me. “So?”

I shrug. “My watch said the Charm was approved for my level.” He dips his head to the side. “It is. But only for medicinal remedies or to help underdeveloped areas with their crops.” I plaster on a shocked face and tease him. “So… not as breathalyzer?” I can actually hear myself being awful, but I can’t seem to stop. What has gotten into me? His face tenses, but he works hard to ignore me. “Now let’s discuss your most recent stunt. Violation #3: Illegally performed a Mind Boggler and negatively influenced Assigned Mortal’s decision. Did you think I wouldn’t find out about that one?” My mouth drops open. I didn’t think he’d be watching that. “Lawrence, Angela might’ve chosen the pair of jeans that made her butt look big on her own.” I try to look innocent and study my short nails, but I sense Lawrence scanning my thoughts, searching for evidence. Personally, I think it should be against the rules for SKYagents to bust into our heads without any warning. A few seconds later, I cave and hold my fingers about an inch apart. “Okay, fine. But for the record, I only influenced her decision a teensy-weensy bit. She does have a mirror you know.” His eyes flash from white to grey and back again—all within a short second. His face turns a pinky red, and he balls his hands into fists. “Angela never had a prayer in choosing the best pair.” Before I can say anything, he clamps his eyes shut and goes through his calming techniques. He inhales for ten seconds and then exhales for another fifteen. I hear him hum for another five before speaking in a softer tone. “Tell me. How does that help her build self-esteem and character?” I smooth out the wrinkles in my pants and tuck in my shirt for the umpteenth time today. “Vanity is an attempt to make oneself feel valuable.” “Interesting theory.” He scribbles something on the screen with his aluminum stylus. I push harder. “Maybe this helped Angela in the long run.” This time, Lawrence’s eyes shift from snowy-white to pitch black. He lifts off the ground and appears to grow larger. His voice booms with each word, echoing through the bare room. “Gabriella! You are out of line!”

I recoil in shock at his reaction. I mean, I’d heard rumors of Lawrence’s temper and some of the things people think he’s done. Things that may have prevented him from being promoted. But with me, Lawrence has always controlled his temper. My voice shakes. “Yes sir.” His eyes slowly fade back to their normal hue. “Do not test me or there will be consequences. I’m trying to be lenient because I know you are having a hard time. But your bad behavior seems to be escalating.” I don’t know what to say, so I watch the T.V. screen as it displays live images of BITs practicing sword fighting in the Training arena. Lawrence’s baritone voice startles me. “No one chooses to come here, Gabriella. It happens when it’s time. Usually BITs adjust pretty quickly. Do you want to end up like me?” Without looking at him, I cross my arms. “What happened to you?” He clasps his hands behind his back and talks softly, as if he’s speaking to someone else or to himself. “Let’s just say, I sacrificed my life for someone who wasn’t worth it. My anger has held me back and prevented me from finding eternal happiness.” Then he walks to me and bends down until we’re eye-to-eye. “I don’t want the same thing to happen to you. You can’t continue violating the Code and expect no consequences. If Nephele finds out, both of us could be punished. No one wants to see you in trouble. Not me and especially not your father.” I jump at that. “Can I see my dad? For one minute?” He furrows his eyebrows and strokes his goatee. “You know that’s not possible. It’s too dangerous. For both of you. Guides are highly coveted, critical positions. In the past, BITs have made serious mistakes that resulted in horrific events. We have to protect our Guides until BITs learn how to control their thoughts, emotions, and actions. Complete your training to be a Bright and you’ll see your father again.” I picture Dad’s face in my mind and remember what he said to me before he left. That I can’t be with him until I complete my training levels. “I’ll try,” I say. “I promise.” Lawrence relaxes a bit. “Because you also protected Angela from a football accident, which would have caused injury and total humiliation, I’ll go easier on you. This time.” Man, this guy does not miss a thing. I mutter, “Oh yeah. I forgot about that.” “I didn’t. So for now, you’re on laundry duty.”

“Great.” I slump forward and think back to all the times I complained about doing a load a week. Now, I’m facing a bazillion loads a day. And whites, no less. Lawrence pats me on the shoulder. “Hey, it’s better than being on Smog Alert. That’s getting to be a really grimy job in this day and age.”

Rule #12: Stonewalling is a Curse that must be used Carefully for it can be irreversible.

By the time I leave Lawrence’s office, it’s pitch dark except for the moon blazing above me. I sit down on a bench and watch the night sky. I’ve lost count of how many weeks have gone by since I Transferred. I can’t keep it straight between watching Angela during the day and training at night, but it seems like a lifetime. Jessica calls out to me. “Cirrus to Gabby. Come in Gabby!” “Oh, hey.” I answer without looking up. She stands, blocking the sun from my eyes. “What’s up? I called you like five times.” I scoot over to let her sit down next to me. “Sorry. I was in my own world.” “So? What happened with Lawrence?” She elbows me in the side. “You’re still here, so it can’t be too bad?” I watch my feet. “Laundry duty. Nothing like an eternal chore.” Jessica shrugs. “Man. You’re one lucky BIT. My SA would’ve reported me to the Global Council in a heartbeat.” “You don’t have a heartbeat.” “So true.” She scoops her arm through mine. “You all right?” I think about what Lawrence said. “Jess, how do I stop?” She hops up on the tabletop and faces me. “What do you mean? Stop what?” I place my hands on both sides of my head and squeeze. “Caring for Michael. Hating Angela. Ruining my eternal life.” Jessica leans back and gazes up at the blue sky. “You can always visit the Lighten Up Centre. Get DeMemorized. I also hear the Almighty Cleanse is wicked.” “Yeah, but doesn’t that erase everything about my life? I don’t want to lose all my memories; I just want to move on. To stop wishing I was alive again.” She shrugs and lets a ladybug crawl across her finger. “I know what you mean. After the plane crash, my family adjusted really fast. But, it took me some time before I could see my Nana without being sad.”

I tug at my long curls in frustration and watch the other BITs filtering in and out of the training facility up ahead. Some of them are laughing and some are practicing their sword training. Seems like everyone is happy being dead, except for me. “I do miss my mom. But that’s not the worst part. Angela is getting to me. It’s like everything I’m missing – the things I’ll never do – are being shoved in my face everyday. And what’s worse is he’ll never know how much I really cared about him.” “You guys were best friends. He knows. You have to trust that.” She bear hugs me hard. “Maybe you just need to focus on something else. Something more positive.” “Like what?” “I don’t know. What about all the cool things in this place?” She thinks for a second and smiles. “You don’t have your period anymore.” I drop my chin. “That’s the best you can come up with? A free pass on a menstrual cycle?” Jessica taps her lips with her finger as she thinks. “No zits.” “Never got those anyway.” I try not to smile. She wrinkles her face. “Seriously? So let me get this straight, you’re tall, you actually have boobs, and you never got zits? Talk about unfair. I was a short, flat fire-hydrant with acne.” “I’d rather be short than ginormous any day. The Amazonian look isn’t in fashion this season. My only hope is that Eternal Geographic calls soon.” “You’re so weird.” Then she squeals. “Wait, I got it! How about the Miracle Mirror? You have to admit that’s pretty awesome.” She appears to be proud of her sparse list. I nod. “Okay, I’ll give you that one. The mirror is wicked cool.” “Maybe you just need to look on the bright side.” She raises her eyebrows up and down. I give her a look. “That was bad.” “I know.” She hooks her arm in mine again and this time pulls me to my feet. “Come on, Grumpalupugus. Let’s get to class.” We walk into the building with a bunch of other BITs and walk down the hall to class. Lilith barrels by me and shoves me out of the way. After she passes, she turns and gives me the evil eye. I watch her run ahead. “Why does she treat me like that?”

“I’m pretty sure she acts like that with everyone. Especially since her dad’s the new Master of Deeds. That means every move we make will find its way into Lilith’s ear and out her big mouth.” “Great.” Jessica and I walk into our next class, Celestial Defense. On the left-hand side, a glass case displays antique artifacts of celestial defense: Cupid’s bow and arrow, Gabriel’s mace, and Michael’s sword. On the back table, there are bottles lined up in a row, one carrying the first sleeping dust invented by the Peter Sandman. Murielle, the Muse of Majik, is sitting on a stack of pillows in the corner, wearing thick pink swimming goggles. Her eyes are closed and her hands are out in front of her, as if she’s playing a harp. I tap Jessica on the shoulder to get her attention. “Do you think Murielle’s crazy?” Jessica sneaks a peak at the old woman, who is now humming a tune in the corner. “I don’t know…I think she’s kinda cute.” I roll my finger in a circle by the side of my head. “Helllllloooo. She wears goggles?” Jessica raises her eyebrows. “Maybe she likes to swim.” “An angel swim?” I lean forward on my chrome stool. “Where? In the sea of insanity.” “What’s going on back there?” Murielle holds up her goggles. “I see all.” No one says anything, and after a long silence, she taps her forehead and continues. “As you know, we do not use majik or spells in Cirrus. We have a list of curses and blessings that you can make things happen with your mind. This is the first line of defense against the Evils. Controlling your mind.” A boy named Peter yells out his question, as if Murielle is deaf rather than blind. “Why? It’s not like we have brains anymore.” I whisper to Jessica. “You can say that again.” She giggles as Peter high-fives all three of his Dumb Club members. (Side note: Why do stupid boys always travel in herds?) When Murielle looks away, I hurry and SKYm Jessica on her phone. I think we accidentally signed up for Idiotology. Murielle slides off her thick pink goggles and cleans them with her robe. “Evidently, Peter Walsh does not believe.” She puts her goggles back on her head. “Maybe he’s just hard-headed.”

Murielle closes her eyes and sticks her finger in the light socket, (which is peculiar seeing as everything is solar powered) causing her hair to shoot straight out in all directions. A moment later, right in front of our eyes, Peter morphs into a stone statue. A hush falls over the class. Murielle faces us and smooths down her frizzy fro. “Does anyone else wish to doubt the power of the mind?” Everyone in class remains silent, but shakes their heads. “Good. Then let’s move on.” She claps her hands together and Peter changes back into his normal fleshy self. He freaks out and pats his body as if he’s on fire. Murielle places her pointer finger to her lips and pretends nothing ever happened. I SKYm Jessica again. Bet that ROCKED his world. She texts me back. LOL. He looks STONE_FACED 2 me. Murielle raises her voice. “That’s enough Gabriella and Jessica.” Immediately, my SKYfone is forced into Dead Mode. Murielle starts handing out lamps without lampshades and small plants. “Today, we will learn the technique of Stonewalling. This is something you can use with your AMs if you need to protect them or stopping Evils to give you time to get away. Especially with SKYcrawlers. In any circumstance where you have access to some type of electric current. To stop any…opponents." Murielle stares at me with her weird eye, reminding me of a gecko. “Let’s test it out!” Jessica spins around in her chair and faces me. “We’re experimenting with electricity? Isn’t that a little…?” I poke her in the temple. “Crazy?” She smacks my hand away. “I was going to say dangerous.” Murielle floats around the room. “To be successful at Stonewalling, or any curse or blessing for that matter, you must concentrate your full focus on what you are doing.” I close my eyes and focus as Murielle talks us through the instructions. “First, you must imagine the actual stone. Act like the stone. Think like the stone. Be the stone.” I try to smother a laugh as Murielle continues guiding us through the process.

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“What kind of stone are you? Are you light or heavy? What color? What shape? As soon as you picture yourself as a stone, open your eyes and have your partner hold up the lamp. Grip the lamp in one hand and the plant in the other. Feel the current in order to use the electricity from the lamp to change the plant into a stone. Simple as that. So go ahead, try it.” Jessica holds up the plant. “You go first?” “Chicken.” I guide myself through the visualization process by talking through the steps aloud. “I am a stone. A little piece of granite. I am gray, I am sparkly. Maybe a little rough around the edges, but super soft on the inside.” “Come on!” Jessica hits me and hisses. “Be serious.” I crack one eye. “Okay, okay. But don’t rush me.” Ignoring her repeated sighs of impatience, I envision the plant turning into stone and grip the lamp. A tingly feeling shoots through my arm and someone screams. When I open my eyes, I notice the plant is still a plant. Jessica’s hand? Not so lucky. She yells at me. “Gabby! What did you do?” I cover my mouth with both hands. “I am so sorry. I didn’t know.” Murielle flies over and peers over her glasses with her bad eye. “No need to panic, Miss Hart.” “But my hand is a rock!” I interject. “You’re like The Thing in my brother’s Fantastic Four comics.” “Not for long.” Murielle closes her eyes and reverses the Stonewalling charm. I watch as Jessica’s hand morphs back into a regular dead hand. As Jessica recovers, Murielle faces me and whispers, “Miss Williams, go ahead and try again.” Jessica’s face turns white as she picks up the plant. I hear her gulp. “You ready?” I try to act confident. “Two times a charm.” Her hand starts to tremble. “The saying is three.” I wink and smile. “You’d better hope not.” Just as I’m about to envision the plant turning into stone again, Murielle leans over and whispers in my ear again, startling me. “Try to get it right this time, darling. The spell will be much harder to reverse the second time.” Jessica squeezes her eyes and holds out the plant.

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Just as I am about to try and Stonewall the plant again, my AM alarm goes off on my watch, informing me Angela is up at night and on the move. I jump to my feet, knocking over the plant and the lamp. “I’ve got a Code 11.” A second later, Jessica hollers out. “Me too!” We both pack up our stuff as the class continues practicing. Once we leave the room, Jessica whispers, “Do you know what this means?” I nod. “They must be together.”

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Rule #13: BITs must protect AMs while they are awake and only resume training when they are asleep.

Michael and Angela hold hands as they sit outside the Club. The same place he and I were heading before I died. Jessica and I hang upside like bats in a tree right across from them. A sparrow flies up and lands next to us. I sway back and forth. “Did you know that sparrows steal nests from bluebirds?” “You mean they just fly up and take them?” I let my hands hang towards the ground and swing on my legs. “Yup. They toss out the eggs and kill the young ones.” Jessica crosses her arms over her chest, resembling some kind of resting vampire. “How rude!” I point down at Angela. “She’s my sparrow. Flying in and stealing my things.” I pick at the emblem on my sleeve. “Do you think a Canary can take on a sparrow and win?” She smiles and shakes her head. “I think you should work on your singing; it’ll get you into less trouble.” “Shoot. For me, karaoke is called Barely-o-Key.” Angela chirps below me. “Mikey, wait ‘til you see my dress tomorrow night at the dance. It’s perfect.” Michael scratches his head, looking confused. “Perfect for what?” “To be the Rose Queen.” He stops and faces her. “Wait. You already won?” Angela shrugs and draws a heart in the dirt with her finger. “No, but I’m pretty sure I will. Didn’t you vote?” Michael looks away. “Yeah, of course.” After punching him in the shoulder, she loops her arm through his as if she’s about to do some kind of dosey-doe. “You voted for me, right?” I notice how he avoids the question. “Would you be upset if you lost?” Angela cackles. “Of course I would! Hello, it’s the Rose Queen. Être le travesti tout est!”

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I laugh and tap Jessica on the shoulder. “I’m pretty sure she just said, ‘Being a drag queen is everything.’” She laughs, but I pout. “What do you think he sees in her?” “Well, to be fair, we know she’s horrible. But he doesn’t see what we see. To him, she’s sweet and…” “Beautiful.” “Uh oh.” Jessica points down. I follow her gaze in time to see Angela leaning in to Michael like she’s setting up for a kiss. She hovers close to him like one of those irritating little bees that lurk around something sweet. The tiny ones that look real harmless but have a stinger like no other. To my surprise, Michael relaxes. I can almost see his invisible guard come down a bit. (Side note: I need to break up this potential PDA and fast!) I concentrate on the acorn hanging next to me, willing it to drop, but the nut stubbornly clings to the stem. I visualize the acorn popping off the branch. The capped nut wiggles for a few seconds before finally releasing its grip. The acorn falls down and clonks Angela on top of the head. I bite my lip to keep from smiling. Bull’s-eye. She rubs her forehead and looks up. “Ouch!” Jessica glares at me with no expression. I try my best to look innocent. “What?” Michael scans the tree limbs. Even though I know he can’t see me, I instinctively duck. For a brief moment, his eyes appear to hone in on mine. His irises contract, and I find myself wishing I could show myself. Just once. Angela massages the knot forming on her noggin. “Sometimes, I feel like something’s out to get me.” Michael laughs. “Don’t be so dramatic. You sound just like Gabby. She was always so…” His voice trails off. She puts her hands on her boyish hips. “Why do you keep doing that?” The vein in Michael’s forehead starts to pulse. “What?” “Talking about her.” Angela plasters on her fat-lipped pout like one of those weird hump head fish you find in aquariums. Michael’s eyes widen for a few seconds. “It’s only been a couple of months.”

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“I know. But she’s not here anymore, so maybe we should try not to mention her.” His voice cracks. “It’s not like she went on vacation. She died, Ange.” I yell out at them. “Yeah, Angela. I died. Because of your stupid text!” Jessica stares at me. “I thought it was a car accident?” “Long story.” I watch as Angela places her arm around Michael’s waist. “Sorry,” she says. “Maybe I can help you forget just a little.” His mouth gapes open as if he’s catching a fly. “Forget her? I don’t want to forget her.” I watch them like I used to watch my parents play tennis, with my head whipping back and forth. “She’s gone,” Angela continues. “And maybe if you moved on, you won’t be sad anymore. What do you think?” Angela waits for his response, but Michael abruptly stands up. “I think we should get home before we get busted,” he says. Angela pouts but doesn’t protest. “Okay. Whatever you say.” I watch them walk away. “I’m pretty sure you’re not supposed to talk about dead people that way.” “Well. It’s not like they think we hear them.” “Come on.” I swing on my knees to build up momentum, then reach out and grab hold of another branch, as if I’m switching trapezes. Looping around the limb, I gain enough speed to release into a triple-twisting-double-back dismount. As always, I stick the landing and throw my arms in the air like an Olympic gymnast. “A perfect 10,” I say. Jessica perches high in the tree. “You’re getting good, but your toes weren’t pointed. I’ll give it a 9.5.” “I was robbed. Let’s see you try.” I clear the landing space. “Okay. But no matter how much I practice, I don’t seem to get better.” She sets up to perform the same move, but when she dismounts, instead of landing on her feet, she falls back on her butt. I laugh and then pretend to cough, hoping to cover it up. She tries to keep a straight face and frowns at me. “Are you laughing at me?” I plaster on a serious look. “I’m not laughing at you. I’m laughing with you. “But I’m not laughing.”

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I stop mid-laugh. “Oh. My bad.” I hold out my hand to help her. Jessica smiles and clutches my wrist, pulling up. She inspects the back of her white trousers and tries to wipe a dirt smudge off her butt. “Ah man, I’m gonna have to get these things SKYcleaned or I’ll be against Code.” “Yeah, thanks. I’m on laundry duty.” I inspect her pants. “White is definitely not forgiving. That’s for sure.” “You know… I heard white actually makes people look shorter.” I think for a minute about her little factoid. “Is that true?” She shrugs. “I don’t know. I read it in SKYWeekly, so it must be. Right?” I head off after Angela and call out over my shoulder. “Of course, because you can believe everything you read in that magazine.” As Michael and Angela walk in silence towards her house, Jessica and I skip around behind them. “Basically white adds ten pounds, and takes off five inches.” “So in a nutshell, we get to look like stumps instead of trees?” I ask. “I don’t know how you come up with this stuff.” When we finally reach Angela’s driveway, we wait across the street as Michael chivalrously walks her up to the front door. She says she’s sorry again and gives Michael a goodbye kiss on the cheek. I look away. “I feel like I’m going to throw up.” Jessica gives my hand a squeeze. “I know I’m hard on you, and for the record, I don’t think you should be teasing your AM. But I can’t imagine how hard it is to watch them. You will get through this, I promise. It’s all part of your test.” “Only I was never good at tests. Usually failed them or barely squeaked by.” She appears excited. “Great, then this will be a challenge, and you will do awesome. You’ll see.” I watch as Michael stuffs his hands in his pocket and begins his walk home. I sigh. “I should have told him I liked him. After all this time, I should have told him. If he knew how I felt, maybe he wouldn’t hang out with her.” “You don’t know that.” “I wish I could change all this. But it’s too late.” “Maybe not.” She stops abruptly at the end of her exclamation.

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I leap down next to her. “What do you mean? Do you know something that can help me?” She avoids any eye contact. “Not really. Maybe. Probably not.“ “Well, which is it?” I try to get her to look at me. “You do know something. And it’s big, I can tell by the way your eyes jitter. You’re such a bad liar.” “As a Bright should be.” She fiddles with her hair. “Fine. It’s something I heard.” “What is it?” I wait for a few minutes. I can tell she’s on the fence about telling me. “Come on, Jess. You’re the one who brought it up.” She blows out air and picks at a piece of bark. “There might be a way for you to visit Michael and tell him how you feel.” I straddle the limb, facing her. “How?” “By allowing you to be a Mortalite.” “What is that exactly?” All my attention is focused on her. I’m almost afraid to move for fear she will change her mind. If I had a heart, it would be pounding in my chest right now. “I think it means you won’t be a Mortal, but you won’t be a Bright either.” She glances around the area like she’s afraid of being heard. “Kind of like being in-between.” I gasp. “That’s so wicked!” Like a spy, she looks around before lowering her voice. “I just found out about it a couple days ago. I heard my sister studying with a friend. They were discussing some thing about a few Brights visiting Mortals. Evidently, it was totally forbidden so they got into trouble or something.” She shakes her head and retracts a bit. “It might just be an old legend.” “How do we find out more?” “Let me do some digging, and I’ll meet you at the Cloud 10 InnerNet Café in an hour.” I give her a big hug. “Thanks, Jess. You’re a good friend.” “I’m your only friend.” “You’re my only dead friend.” “Living ones don’t count.” Jessica jumps down and runs after Michael, who’s already halfway down the street. Once she’s gone, I use a long, thick branch and catapult into Angela’s window. Her room is like something out of a French film, decorated with black, white, and pink accents, curly

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wrought-iron furniture, and fringed table lamps. A vintage picture of Paris hangs over her bed, next to a poster of the French opera, Carmen. French quotes in swirly letters trim the walls. I make a mental note to remove “#10: See Paris” from my Things To Do Before I Die list. After fiddling around the room for a few minutes, she yanks open her closet doors and pulls out the red crepe dress she purchased against my persuading. Little pleated scallops decorate the bodice and the skirt flares at the bottom. She stands in front of the mirror and starts an imaginary conversation. Batting her eyes at her reflection, she giggles. “Hi, Mikey. Who, me? Sure, I would loooove to dance.” She wraps her arms around her body and sways to the French music. “Thanks for saying I look beautiful. It’s all for you of course.” I roll my eyes. “Of course.” I stare up at the thousands of tiny glow stars sticking to the ceiling. Sometimes, I half expect Ashton Kutcher to jump out and tell me I’m being Punk’d. Because as far as I know, this kind of stuff only happens in Lifetime’s movie of the week or on MTV’s Real World. Angela picks up a pillow with black tassels and talks to it. “Of course you can kiss me.” I can’t help but snicker when she mugs her pillow. After several minutes, I pump my legs, growing a bit restless. Maybe a small distraction will help. I quickly blow on her neck, causing goose bumps to pop up. Angela shivers and jumps into bed. Yanking up the duvet, she lays back on the bed and texts a few friends with her phone. Eventually, she slips on a sleep mask and switches off the black-fringed lamp. I snoop around her personal space, waiting until she falls asleep. A little café table sits in the corner. Pink and black boas hang from the bedposts. Her crystal-covered phone, Mp3 player, and digital diary are strewn across her dresser next to her Chanel perfume collection. And of course, her most recent first place medal. As soon as her REM is set, I twist the sheets around her body and watch her squirm. Then, before I hop out the window, I make sure to conduct a Prickly-Dead-Arm charm. On both limbs. As soon I turn down my street, I sense something is wrong. I go straight to my house to find my mom’s Camry and my brother’s Mustang no longer in the driveway. Only a white moving van marked “Eternal Movers. We move you to a better life.”

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My family is finally moving on. Without me. A couple of men dressed in brown uniforms walk out my front door carrying boxes. I follow one into the house, which is now completely empty except for a few straggler boxes and a family of dust bunnies. My family is gone and now my life is being taken away. Again. I skim the labels on the last remaining boxes, holding everything that is left of me. One is marked “Gabby To Go,” and another is labeled “Gabby Goodwill.” I stop and stare at the contents in disbelief. I’m being packed up and moved out? Like an old forgotten toy or pair of unmatched shoes? My treasures have turned into souvenirs that my family has out-grown. Like those insignificant things you get on holidays that remind you of a good time; the ones you realize you don’t really need or have space for. (Side note: I’m nothing but one of those cheap, souvenir magnets hanging around, keeping things in place.) When I glance into one of the open cartons marked Goodwill, I see my broken music box lying on top of my favorite Black Converse shoes. I wish I could remember what song it used to play. Maybe then, my mom would have kept it. How do all of my favorite things fit into a couple of small boxes? For the next hour, I perch outside my house in the huge oak tree, still home to the old tire swing, and watch the men pack up the rest of my family’s belongings. I guess in some way, I was destined to go. As the van pulls away, I study my house for the last time. Everything – at least on the outside - looks like it did on my last day when I yelled “See yah!” to my mom. Like it did when I first moved in and said “Hello” to my new room. And now I whisper goodbye for the last time and head back to Cirrus alone.

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Rule #14: All Brights must secure the Transport window when entering Cirrus or be issued a SKYolation.

As soon as I enter the Transport window and push through the thick barrier of trees, it feels as if something’s watching me. Or someone. As I’m checking in with Imero, a slight breeze forces the little hairs on my neck to do “The Wave.” I glance back and think I see a shadow moving between the walls of trees. I wait for a few seconds, but nothing ever appears again. Only now it feels like something is coming up behind me. I take off towards the gate as if I’m being chased. As soon as I’m cleared, I head up the path, constantly looking back. Then, someone grabs my shoulder. I scream and spin around. Lawrence appears out of thin air. “Hello Gabriella.” He looks at his watch. “What’s the rush? You’re actually early for once.” I press my hand on my chest. “Jeez, don’t sneak up on me like that!” He plasters on a stoic face. “I didn’t sneak. I Apparitioned. It’s not the same thing.” “A technicality.” He studies me. “Why are you so jumpy?” I stare back at the entrance and see Imero checking in other BITs back from their assignments. “No reason. I guess.” He pats my shoulder and looks up at the moon bulging in the clear sky. “You did all right today. Looks like you’re making progress.” I assume he hasn’t had a chance to review my Prickly Dead Arm Charm. “Really? I mean, yeah thanks. Can I ask you a question?” Lawrence doesn’t look down. “If I said no, would you ask anyway?” “Probably.” I fire off my question before he can change his mind. “Where is my mom?” He frowns. “She moved.” “I know that. But where?”

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Lawrence crosses his arms in front of him and acts stern. “For now, I think it’s better that you don’t know.” “Will I ever see her again?” “Yes. When you’re ready. When you can handle it better. Right now, I think visiting them is holding you back. I want you to know that she’s okay. This is a good move for her. And you. I’ll even check in on her for you if you like.” I nod, unable to speak. He tugs on his beard. “I have to go to a workshop at Lighten Up Centre for a few days.” “What’s this class on?” “Pathways to Eternal Peace.” Lawrence immediately jerks his head up and looks past me. Seeming distracted, he continues talking, but never looks at me again. He pushes me forward towards the Nimbus building. BITs are already walking into their class. He talks without looking at me. “You’d better go.” “What’s the rush?” He moves his head to one side as if I’m blocking his view. “I have to go. If you need anything, call my SKYfone.” He unfolds his wings and pulls a white hood up over his head. “You’re acting kinda strange.” “This, coming from you.” Without waiting for me to respond, he sprints towards the gate. Instead of going to class, I take a Levitator up to Etern City to meet Jessica, still wondering why Lawrence seemed a bit wigged out. Did he see something too or am I just being paranoid? Once the doors open, I stop and peer down Angel Avenue. I’m amazed at all the shops and the avenue seems to go forever. This is the first time I’ve had a chance to visit the city, so I take my time to window shop along the strip filled with specialty Blu-tiques. Heading towards the Cloud 10 InnerNet Café, I pause at the Arch Angel to envy the Stuart WiseMan shoes floating on display. A few steps later, I pass by the Piece of Haven, which appears to serve nothing but slices of 1,001 different flavors of cheesecake. Jessica was right. Evidently, here cheesecake is not a sin. As soon as I stroll up to the Cloud 10 entrance, two glass doors disappear. I walk in and choose one of the slick, white pleather booths to wait for Jessica. And I thought I was late. A waitress appears to floats out of nowhere. “What can I get you, angel?”

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I stare at the menu. “Hm, I’ll have an Orange Sun Kiss.” Just as she drifts away, I yell out, “And a big piece of chocolate angel food cake with some caramel-covered flyaways.” To pass the time, I flip through the latest SKYWeekly. As I’m scanning through the White Carpet Wins and Sins, the waitress shows up with my order. She sets down a newly released SKYrofoam cup with a reusable straw and puts her hands into a praying position. “Peace, love, and recycle.” “Uh, you too.” I still haven’t gotten used to the eco-salutation. What ever happened to a simple “see yah later” or “hasta la vista”? Several minutes later, Jessica comes bounding in the door and practically jumps into the white seat across from me. “Hey! Sorry I’m late.” She snatches the magazine out of my hands. “Awesome. I’ve been looking for the new issue. Anything good?” I grab it back. “Mark Antony and Cleopatra broke up again.” “I heard he made her have a Grace-lift because she wasn’t being very nice.” I flip through the pages. “Maybe she needs to try the new BEAUtox too. It’s supposed to erase all the wrinkles in your relationship.” “Wait, is that real?” I give her a look as she swipes her finger across my cake and licks the frosting. “How much work does one Bright need?” “She’s thousands of years old. The Body Shop probably isn’t enough anymore.” Jessica shrugs and goes in for another taste, but this time I smack her hand away. “Hey! Get your own.” Just then Lilith walks by and gives me an evil look. I wait until she passes. “I still don’t know what her problem is with me. I barely know her.” Jessica shrugs and peeks over my shoulder. “Who cares about her anyway? You can’t expect everyone to be your friend. Maybe she’s mad because she got held back.” “Then why did she friend me on SKYspace?” “Everyone friends everyone on there. It’d be downright evil not to.” Just then, someone behind me shrieks. “That’s awful!” Lilith shushes her friend. The girl slaps her hand over her mouth and lowers her voice. “Tell me everything.” Lilith’s seat creaks as she leans over. I strain to hear the conversation.

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“Malum was spotted just out side the West Transport window and tried to sneak in.” The girl gasps again. “What happened?” “When he was confronted, he just evaporated into thin air. No one can go up against Malum and live to tell about it. It never happens. Except to a few select people.” The café goes silent for a few seconds until Lilith’s friend tosses out another question. “Why was he here?” Suddenly, she looks over and busts me for listening. I look away but try to keep my ear perked up. Thank goodness for our super-sonic hearing ability--though it can be bad too, hearing things you don’t want to hear. And saying things you don’t want heard. Lilith drops her voice real low. “Evidently, he was looking for someone.” I lean over to Jessica. “Did you hear that? About Malum?” “Lilith’s dad’s must be giving her information again. She knows stuff SKYWeekly doesn’t even know.” “Isn’t that illegal?” She reads something else in the magazine. “Doesn’t seem to stop you.” I tilt my head. “Ha ha.” “Let’s see if we can get more deets.” Jessica snaps her fingers and pulls up Cirrus’ Main InnerNet. She clicks on a Breaking News article. “Look what just showed up.” Evil Knocks at Our Door Today at approximately 22:00 hours, the Lord of Evils, Malum, tried to enter the West Transport with a band of SKYcrawlers. Luckily, he was deterred. Unfortunately not before a Bright in Training was Altered. Cirrus has moved to Blue Alert. Goddess Nephele was quoted as saying, “All Brights must be on guard at all times. If Malum or any of his men break the seals of Cirrus, it would be disastrous to our way of living.” An investigation is pending into who left the Transport window open. Stay tuned for more details on tonight’s edition of SKYWitness News. I look at my watch. “That was about the time I came in.” I cover my mouth with both hands. “You don’t think I—”

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Jessica butts in before I can finish. “No way. If you were the one that left the Transport window open, they’d come and talk to you.” “But it says they’re still investigating.” “Lawrence would know.” I mutter, “I guess.” I tried to replay my entrance steps in my head. Did I close the gate? Though I wonder to myself why Malum keeps coming up around me. Is it just a coincidence? “Is there a picture of Malum anywhere?” I ask. “Lets see.” Jessica types “Evils” into the Quest bar. An error message pops up saying, “User Name and Password.” Jessica types in her name and SKYd. She spends a few minutes skimming through several photos. What she lacks in coordination, she makes up for in computer skills. “Not many. Evidently he changes his form so much, it’s hard to capture a picture.” She touches another screen and a picture pops up. “Look, I found one! Probably old though and a little blurry.” I peer over her shoulder at the bizarre-looking man in black. “What a freak!” A albino-like man with long stringy black hair is draped in a long black trench cloak over a black fitted shirt. Enormous charcoal-grey wings shaped like a bat’s but with long claws fan out behind him. Surrounding him is a herd of Evils. Some are scary looking; others appear to be human, except for a black henna-like tattoo that surrounds their eyes, giving the appearance of a mask. The males have full-body black tattoos covering their entire torsos; the females wear black satiny tank tops and have the same kind of tattoos covering their arms. I turn the computer away. “I can’t look at them anymore.” Jessica snaps her fingers and the images disappear. “Well you’d better get familiar with all of them.” The burning feeling finally stops. “Why?” She lets a dramatic silence linger for what seems like eternity until she finally hisses across the table. “Because if we find a way to turn you into a Mortalite, you might run into one.” I slap my hands on the table excitedly. “OMG! I almost forgot. Did you find a way?” She nods slowly. “Yes, but you can’t repeat this to anyone. Swear on your life.” I give her a look and she giggles. “Right. That wouldn’t be an easy one to keep, considering your current state of death. So let’s pinky swear.”

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I grimace. “What are we, ten?” She hooks her pinky around mine. “Just do it!” I give a quick shake. “Fine. I pinky swear.” Jessica gets out of her seat and slides in next to me. “Let me start from the beginning. I overheard my sister talking to her friend who talked to her mother’s brother who got it from a Guide about some kind of ancient secret.” I think about what she just said for a moment, wondering why she’s being so long-winded. “I lost you back at ‘sister.’” She looks annoyed. “Seriously?” “I feel like I need to see a family tree or something. Skip the gossip chain; just give me the Cliff’s notes.” Jessica frowns. “Do you want to know or not?” I nod, and she launches an article on her InnerNet, still floating next to her. “There is some talk of an of old royal headpiece, called the Antakarana, that holds the Third Eye.” “What’s the Third Eye?” “A celestial stone that supposedly has the ability to see everything going on anywhere. It’s connects our Core Essence to our physical form.” She surfs the net again and points to a picture. I lean forward and inspect a fuzzy picture of a shiny headpiece. In the center there is an eternity symbol that surrounds a large, whitish-blue stone. “It’s beautiful.” I zoom in on the photo for the details and notice two other stones. “What are those two for?” Jessica reviews the stones. “Looks like the blue diamond on the left, the Vortex, represents the dark energy. The yellow crystal on the right, the Solarium, symbolizes the light energy.” I point to the large center stone. “So the Third Eye must combine both energies.” She nods. “Exactly. You need all three stones in place for the crown to function fully. If any one of the stones is separated from the other two, the powers are diminished.” I stare at the Third Eye. “What’s it made of?” Jessica skims the information, looking for an answer. “Says here, it’s made from some kind of rare element, but it doesn’t say what. This is the stone that provides the core power.” “Are you saying this crown can make me a Mortalite?”

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“Yes, but I think only specific Brights can activate it.” She scans the area to be sure no one is listening and then softens her voice. “Check your thoughts. We don’t want Lilith to hack in and hear. She’ll report us in a flash.” “Good point.” I search my thoughts, but no one is hacking me. However, I’m pretty sure it’s only a matter of time until Lawrence gets bored and starts poking around. “How do we get it?” Jessica sips her drink through her reusable glass straw. “That’s where I hit a dead end. According to what I’ve read, a Guide gave the Antakarana to Nephele as a gift. Evidently, they were in love. The crown gave them the power to see each other at all times. So no matter what, they could always be together.” I sit back. “Aww, that’s kinda romantic.” “It also gave her the power to see all Humans, Brights, and Evils. Anytime she wanted.” “We need to find this headpiece.” I take a second to absorb the information, rubbing it into my temples. Jessica raps on my forehead with her knuckles. “I’m pretty sure Nephele has the Antakarana. That means it’s probably heavily guarded in Halo Palace somewhere.” “Then, let’s go there.” Jessica crosses her arms and shakes her head. “That’s just it. We can’t get into Halo Palace. It’s Invite Only.” I manage to mumble, “There must be a way.”

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Rule #15: Attending the Induction Ceremony and AfterLife Party is mandatory for all BITs.

In Cirrus, Facebook is considered the devil. I sit in HALO class learning how to help AMs avoid Humiliation And Libel Online. The more technology Mortals get, the harder it is to cover them because it’s virtually impossible to monitor all the danger online. Humiliation happens on a daily basis. Today’s lesson is about how to detect if your AM is being cyber-bullied. But instead of focusing on “safety in SKYberspace,” I can’t stop thinking about the Antakarana, and how it’s going to help me clear things up with Michael. Let him know how I feel. And hopefully, after he hears about Angela’s lies, he’ll never see her again. Sensa’s soft voice pierces through my loud thoughts. “You need to know the signs of cyberbullying. Do they stay on the computer for long periods of time? Do they use multiple accounts online? Do they close windows when their parents come into the room? Or are they being overly secretive about Internet activities?” Sensa waves the screens away. “All right, listen up. That’s enough for today. There will be a test on this tomorrow.” Everyone in the class groans. She holds up her hands. “But for now… let's talk about something more fun.” Small envelopes appear on our SKYfones. The seal on the invitation breaks open, and a piece of parchment paper slides out and flies across the screen. Sensa’s smile lights up the room. “I’m sure you all know about the Induction Ceremony coming up.” She reads aloud as calligraphy scrolls across the evites: You are cordially invited to attend the Induction Ceremony and Afterlife Party. Halo Palace. Tomorrow night. Ceremonial attire required.

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I whisper to Jessica, “What does that mean?” Sensa answers out loud. “It means formal gowns and tuxes.” Jessica claps as I groan. “Awesome!” Sensa waits until the class has quieted down before continuing. “The Induction Ceremony is very important and everyone is required to attend and honor these accomplishments. Girls will Refashion at Earth’s Angels; boys can change at Formals for Hymn.” Lilith leans over to her friend Sally. “Gabby will have to go to Miss Fits.” The two girls giggle. I lower my head. I’ve always been teased about my size. Even up here, I’m taller and more “developed” than most BITs my age. Jessica pats my hand. “Don’t worry about her. The Miracle Mirror will help you find something absolutely divine.” Before I can protest, a cracking voice chimes in behind me. “Hey, Gabby.” I glance over my shoulder to find the new boy Jonah staring straight at me. His straight blond bangs hang over his greenish blue eyes. Before I can respond, Jessica speaks first. “Heeyy, Jonah. How’s it flying?” His voice cracks a little. Even up here puberty takes it’s course. “Hey Jess.” He acknowledges her, but keeps his eyes fixated on me. “You going to the dance, Gabby?” I stutter, totally caught off guard. “Uh, I guess. I mean, sounds like we all have to.” “Good. Then I’ll see you there.” He winks at me. Lilith prances up behind him and tugs his arm. “Jonah, you ready to study?” He answers her, but keeps staring in my direction. “I guess. See yah later, Gabby.” Lilith focuses in on me. “Have fun at the dance tonight.” I bark back. ”Get your head out of the clouds, Lilith. Our dance isn’t tonight.” A glint sparkles in her eyes. “Not ours. Angela’s. Tell Michael I said hello.” My mouth drops open as Jessica and I watch her chase after Jonah. “How would she know that? She must be hacking into my InnerNet and stealing information. Talk about SKYberbullying!” Jessica walks up next to me. “You better be sure you log out properly. It only takes one time.”

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I move to the window and pull back the organic-cotton drapes to spy on Lilith and Jonah. She glances up and smiles. I drop the curtain and back away. “I have a feeling I need to watch out for more than that.” As we walk back to the dorms, Jessica changes the subject. “BTW, you didn’t tell me you had a thing for Jonah.” I push her away. “I don’t.” She hits my shoulder. “Really? I’d give up my wings to dance with him.” “I wouldn’t do that to Michael.” Jessica slaps her forehead and looks at me like I’m an alien. “Michael? He’s not exactly available.” I put my lips close to her ear. “He might be. Didn’t you hear what Sensa said? We’re invited to the Palace for the ceremony.” Jessica stares at me blankly. I cup her shoulders and pull her closer. “Don’t you get it?” “What in Cirrus are you talking about?” I roll my frizzy hair up into a bun and clip it with a butterfly barrette. “We’re invited to the Palace.” I look at her with big eyes, waiting for her to catch on, but she still looks confused. A smile spreads across my face. “The Antakarana! Jessica, this is our shot to get it! You said it was Invite Only. This is a sign.” “Yeah. A sign you’re crazy!” Jessica wrings her hands. “Besides, we don’t even know where it is. I hear that place is huge. An infinite number of rooms. Bigger than Buckingham Palace.” “We need to find out where it could be. And fast.”

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Rule #16: A BIT should not be jealous of an Assigned Mortal. It is a conflict of interest.

Everyone knows boobs and facial moles don’t grow overnight. Everyone except for Angela. Before squeezing into her bright red dress, she stands in front of the mirror and admires her new Marvel-Bra that supersizes her double-As to double-Ds. The new Boobie Barbie. Angela adjusts herself to be absolutely sure her cups slightly runneth-over, and then admires herself in the mirror. “If this doesn’t get Gabby off Michael’s mind, nothing will.” Just as I think about putting a Jinx on her, someone knocks on the front door downstairs. A few seconds later, Angela’s mom yells out for her. “Angie! Michael’s here!” Angela slips on her strappy heels and drapes a sparkly, silver-metallic wrap over her arm. She (and her girls) peek over the balcony. Michael’s wearing a black tuxedo and extra-shiny shoes. The gangly boy who used to pick flowers (blooming weeds) for me at the same time he was picking his nose is long gone. A dreamy guy has taken his place. I balance on the thin banister and watch. While Angela starts her dramatic decent down the stairs, Michael talks to her dad, obviously unaware he’s not focusing on the main show. At the bottom, she twirls in her dress, flaring the pleated skirt. I crouch in the open window and watch them walk outside so her parents can take 1,003 photos. Angela’s sunless-tanned skin glows against the soft red material. Her hair is swept up in a crystal-covered barrette, which shows off her dangling diamond earrings. Even though she appears to be shivering in the fall breeze, she’s still carrying her wrap in her hand. (Side note: This girl is pulling out more than just the stops.) Michael slips one of those tacky-but-I-still-want-one corsages on her hand and guides her to the car. She ducks into the back seat as he slides in next to her. Angela’s dad climbs into the driver’s side and starts the plain Buick. She whines in Michael’s ear. “It’s kinda lame with my dad. Wish we could go alone.” Michael holds open the door and smiles. “I’m pretty sure other people go to these school dances too.”

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As Angela explodes into a fit of giggles, I swan dive into the air and land on all fours next to the car, just in time to see her plant a red-stained lip mark on his cheek. I stand up and watch as her dad backs down the driveway. At least they have a chaperone. I sprint alongside the car as they head to school, wondering if I should illegally Apparition next to them and listen in on their entire conversation. I spot Angela giggling in the back seat and slow down to a stop. It’s probably not something I want to hear anyway. Too depressing. I stand there and watch the car roll down the road until eventually the two red taillights disappear around the corner. They’ll be safe. Jessica is already waiting for Michael at the school. Besides, I need a break. Haunting is exhausting. I shuffle down Main Street along the leaf-covered sidewalk. Orange and red leaves billow up around me. I remember how they used to crunch under my feet like a potato chip commercial. The shop signs swing and the store chimes ping softly in the drifting wind, reminding me that fall is here to stay. Another flurry of multi-colored leaves dances past me and twirls along the sidewalk. I miss the sensation of a crisp wind blowing through my hair, sending chills down my arms. I stop and peek in Ms. Green’s teashop, which is decorated in a palate of seasonal colors. I used to love helping her brew teas for customers on chilly afternoons. Smelling the aroma of cinnamon and vanilla mixed with nutmeg and ginger. All topped with freshly made almond biscottis. Eventually, I drag myself away from the window display and sprint on to the school’s gymnasium. (Side note: I take the long way to avoid going past my deserted house.) Outside the entrance, little white tea lights line the walkway. The school’s flag whips through the light breeze and pings against the steel pole. A string of black and white stretch limos line the circular carpool lane. Muffled sounds of dance music float over the buzz of excited voices. Couples line up along the walkway, waiting to take their pictures in front of the gazebo backdrop. Jessica yells out to me. “Nothing like waiting ‘til the last minute. Where’ve you been? They got here way before you did.” I shrug. “It’s never too late to procrastinate.” She giggles. “Where do you get this stuff?” I point to my temple and smile.

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We link arms and follow all the dressed-up couples into the school. Inside, a fat photographer wearing high-water pants and suffering from plumbers crack takes a picture of Angela and Michael in front of the arched entrance. As they move into the decorated gymnasium, Jessica and I shimmy up the basketball pole and leap into the nosebleeds. I peek down at the crowd through the hanging streamers and floating helium balloons. A big silver disco ball twirls in the center, spraying shards of light across the court. In the background, music pumps out from a DJ’s booth. The basketball court is masked with colored fabric and lights. Small floating candles sit along a few tables displaying yummy food like Buffalo wings, mozzarella sticks, and chicken fingers. Kids crowd around the spread of food as if it’s the Last Supper, double dipping chips and nibbling on platters of hors d'oeuvres. Jessica brushes some dust off her pants. “BTW, what took Angela so long tonight?” I wave to a few other BITs from our class, sitting on top of the scoreboard. “Fake-overs take a while.” She snickers and swings her legs over the railing. “Yeah. I noticed that.” I jump up onto the railing and tightrope walk along the edge. “Is there anyone here who doesn’t? I mean how could you miss them?” For the next couple of hours, we survey the pageant-like girls begging their dates to dance. Watching the scene play out makes me think about the upcoming Induction Ceremony. (Side note: There are just some people who should never ever wear a dress or dance. Men, fat ladies, and me.) Even though the dancing scene is totally lame, I can’t help but jump up when my favorite song blares through the hollow gym. Giggling, Jessica and I clasp hands and dance in a circle, singing the chorus extra-loud. When the music stops, Ms. Johnston, our school principal, strolls to the middle of the court and tests a microphone. I lean over the steel banister and point down. “Oh no! I think it’s time to announce the Rose Court.” Jessica squeals and teeters on top of the railing. “Oh goodie! I love this part.” I turn to walk away. “Good, then you can cover for me so I don’t have to watch.” She grabs the back of my tunic. “Don’t you want to see Angela’s boobs take home a prize?” “Only if it’s the booby prize.” We both laugh and bump fists.

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Ms. Johnston clicks across the court in heels and speaks into the microphone a little too loudly, sending a blaring whine through the speakers. She quickly steps back from the microphone with fiery red cheeks. Jessica and I cover our overly sensitive ears until the buzzing dies down. The school principal tries again. This time she taps the mic to test the feedback. “Sorry about that. I must say you all look very lovely and handsome tonight. I expect this will be a spectacular evening. A huge thanks to our Rose Dance Committee for all the beautiful decorations and delicious food.” Everyone claps and hoots. Ms. Johnston clears her throat. “I’d like to go ahead and announce our Rose Court first. Will each Rosette come to the front when your name is called?” She begins announcing the winner from each grade. She finally gets to my grade. “The Rosette for the 8th grade class is… Angela Black.” The crowd applauds as Angela bounces to the front, waving. Ms. Johnston places a crown on her head and a bouquet of red roses in her arms. Angela waves to everyone again and blows Michael a kiss. The whole school claps and cheers. Jessica frowns. “How can one girl win so much?” “Took the words right out of my mouth.” Ms. Johnson holds up her hands to hush the crowd. “Wait I’m not done. For the first time ever, we actually had a tie for the 8th grade winner.” The gym immediately turns silent. So silent, I think I can hear Angela’s ego hit the floor. “In addition to Angela, our second Rosette is… Gabriella Williams.” A gasp spreads across the crowd for a few seconds, as everyone looks confused. I hear Angela mutter to herself. “What?” I jump to my feet and for once agree with her. “What?!” Everyone else sits in silence, not knowing what to say. And I’m right there with them. A few minutes later, they erupt into applause and rise to their feet. Michael high-fives all his friends. Jessica moves next to me in a flash and squeals in my ear, then she jumps up and down clapping. “Gabby, you’re a Rosette!” I stare at her. “Are you crazy? I can’t be on the Rose Court! Who ever heard of dead royalty?”

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She shrugs. “England does it all the time.” I turn to her. “Did you do this?” She flashes innocent eyes and places a hand on her chest. “Me? Hardly.” She leans over and puts her hand up to her mouth. “But I’ll let you in on a little secret. Michael did it.” “Shut the front door. He did this? I stare down at Michael and try to hide my smile. “For me?” Jessica nods and claps her hands at her heart. “Yup. So sweet, isn’t it? He wrote in your name on the ballot and then got people to vote for you. I almost burst not telling you, but I didn’t know what would happen.” I watch Michael clapping and whistling. “But, what about Angela?” Jessica snickers. “She didn’t know.” Michael walks out of the crowd and heads towards the center of the room, carrying a piece of paper in his hands. Angela crosses her arms and grimaces from the sidelines. He adjusts the microphone to match his height. “What’s he doing?” I ask. “A good old-fashioned tribute.” I cover my eyes. “Oh no, this is soooooo embarrassing.” “Why do you care? You’re dead anyway.” As it all starts to sink in, I try hard not to let Jessica see me smile. Not because I really care that much about winning, but because Angela’s expression is priceless. And mostly, I’m completely blown away by the whole scene. I didn’t realize – until this very moment - how happy this kinda thing would make me. Not because of the crown, not because of the win. Because other people, besides me, care I’m not around anymore. I still matter.

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Rule #17: SKYagents should not interfere with a BIT’s training or micromanage any interaction with an AM.

Jessica pushes me. “Get down there.” I hop down onto the shiny court and stand only a few inches away from Michael. After a few minutes of letting the crowd cheer, he clears his throat and begins to talk. “Thanks everyone. Gabby was my best friend. Somehow, I know she’s watching and is probably completely mortified right now.” I snicker nervously as everyone breaks into laughter. Michael continues, “Her mom couldn’t be here tonight but asked me to do this if Gabby won.” I watch his mouth move as he reads my favorite poem by Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken. I But, I barely hear what he’s saying. All I notice is how much I miss him. As soon as he stops reading, everyone in the gym stands up and erupts in a rumbling applause. Ms. Johnson breaks through the noise. “Now, this is a dance! Isn’t it?” The school cheers as a fast song booms over the speakers and pulses through the open space. The disco ball and little streamers float down from the ceiling. Everyone starts laughing, and Michael rejoins Angela as the whole gym jumps up to dance. Once again, life goes on. Without me. Jessica pops up next to me. “No fair! They skipped the sappy montage? That’s the best part.” “Contrary to your belief, my life is not ‘movie of the week’ material.” Jessica shrugs. “You’re right. More like a tragedy.” “You’re sick.” Off to one side, I spot Angela and Michael, and judging by their faces, it looks like they’re in a full-blown fight. This outta be good. I sprint over just in time to hear her whine, “How could you do this to me?” Michael grits his teeth. “To you? Are you serious?” “You knew I wanted this. More than anything.”

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He huffs. “You got what you wanted, and so did I. Maybe Gabby got a little too. She deserves something.” Angela’s voice grows louder, and a few people begin to point as the drama unfolds. “You’ve made it quite clear.” Michael crosses his arms. “What’s that mean? This was about me celebrating her. Not about taking anything away from you.” I twist my head back and forth watching the set, wondering who will get the final match point. “Gabby’s gone, Mikey.” She says my name as if it’s a dirty word. Michael grabs her wrist and clamps his teeth. I can tell he’s steaming mad, and frankly, I am too. He growls at her. “Don’t talk about her like that!” She rips her arm away and I notice her eyes turn wet. “What did I say? It’s true!” Michael looks sad. He shakes his head. “This night is a mistake.” Angela steps forward. “Why? Because you can’t let her go?” He grits his teeth. “Yes. I don’t know. Maybe I feel guilty. It’s like she’s still here.” I hover next to both of them, watching… waiting. Ms. Johnston, completely unaware of the drama unfolding, summons all the girls to the front. “Will the Rose Court please step up to the stage for the traditional Rose Dance?” Angela notices everyone gawking at her, so she lowers her voice. She opens a rhinestone compact and spreads Devilish Red lipstick on her mouth. “Come on Mikey, let’s just dance.” Michael’s bottom jaw hangs open as if he is in total shock. “It’s Michael, and I’m not dancing with you. Not after this.” Angela tries to tug him out to the floor, but his feet stick as if they’ve been super-glued. He shakes his head. I can’t tell if he’s about to weep or scream. Instead, his voice is flat, yet calm. “Not this time. I’m done, Ange. This was never right anyway. And you still competing with Gabby is just wrong.” She shrugs. “Compete with Gabby? Hardly.” Michael nods. “You’re right. You’re not even in the same league.” He storms off, and Angela’s fake-purple eyes well up as she hisses under her breath. “Even if Gabby and I tied today, she didn’t win. She was just Number 2!”

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She spins around and prances onto the dance floor. I follow closely behind her, in some kind of trance, completely unaware of anything going on around me. My vision fogs and my body feel as if it’s floating above the hard court. I can’t tell if my feet are touching the ground or not. I ball up my fists as rage engulfs me. This time, Angela and her big mouth have gone too far. As she walks up to the platform, I stick out my foot and trip her every other step. Not enough to make her go down, but just enough to make her look ridiculous. Jessica whistles behind me and cries out. “Gabby, don’t! She isn’t worth it!” I face her. “You know what, Jess? I don’t care. Did you hear what she said about me? I’m tired of being all angelic about this crap.” She widens her eyes in shock at my tone. “I know, but… you’re about to cross a line you don’t want to cross.” “I’m tired of letting her walk all over me. For not sticking up for myself. For letting her lie and get away with it.” Her lip quivers. “If you do this, you can’t take it back. It’s done.” I wave her off. “Whatever. Shouldn’t you be with Michael right now instead of criticizing me?” A sadness swipes across her face. “Sure, whatever you say, Gabby.” She turns to leave and then speaks to me over her shoulder. “You know you’re my best friend, and I love you. But I gotta say, what you’re doing to her is just as bad as what she’s doing to you. Do you know what that means?” I put my hands on my hips. “No. But I’m sure you’re going to tell me.” “That you two are the same.” Her comment hits me hard, but I dismiss it and scream at her. “I don’t need you lecturing me. You don’t know how I feel!” Jessica shakes her head. “I can’t stand by and watch you do this.” I point to the door. “Then leave!” Without another word, Jessica sprints out of the gym. For a split second, I try to calm down, but a voice in my head takes over and shoves me forward. I zero in on Angela and stalk after her. Once on stage, I step in front of her. She smiles and waves through me at the crowd.

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Her smug smirk urges me to reach up and pop her bra-strap. Angela touches her shoulder and shouts, “Owww!” I giggle as all the other Rosettes stare at her with surprised looks on their faces. She smiles as if nothing’s wrong and tries to slink away from the hovering spotlight. I sense her mounting anxiety and can’t resist popping the strap again. This time the beaded fabric snaps, revealing her bra. With a horrified look on her face, Angela clamps her hand over her dress to keep it from falling down. A group of older boys chant in unison. “Boob-age!” For the first time in a long time, I feel alive. The cheering pumps me up even more. I take the butterfly clip out of my hair and pop one side of her fake Marvel Bra. A small puddle begins to form at her feet. All the other girls start to giggle as Angela’s bra deflates in front of everyone. The whole gymnasium busts out laughing. Angela fumbles with her wrap as she tries to hide her lopsided chest, but the water soaks through the shimmery fabric. She burst into tears and stumbles out of the dance. Out of nowhere, someone grabs the collar of my shirt. I spin around. “Oh… hi, Lawrence.” He folds his arms across his chest. “Hi, Lawrence? Are you serious?” I try to act innocent, hoping for some miracle that maybe, just maybe, he didn’t see my stunt. “What are you doing here?” His gruff voice grows a bit louder, and his eyes fog over. “What do you think I’m doing here? Inviting you to tea?” I stutter as I try to explain. “Look. I feel awful. I got carried away. You see, Angela and I tied as the eighth-grade Rosette, and she started …” “Silence!” He holds up his hand to stop me, still frowning. “Don’t even try to explain this one, Gabriella. You continue to break the rules, and this time you’re in serious trouble.” As all my adrenaline rushes though me, I totally lose it. “Rules? If they’re so important, then what are you doing here? SKYagents aren’t allowed to interfere in a BIT’s assignment unless summoned. So how can you lecture me about rules?” He inflates, towering above me, and yells back at me, “Don’t you dare talk to me like that, young lady!” His eyes turn pitch black. “Do you want to be Banished to Ignitus? Do you?

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Because that’s where you’re headed. Downhill. Literally. I thought you could do this on your own, but clearly, you can’t. You’re too blind! Too stubborn!” I back down and mumble. “What do you care?” Lawrence closes his eyes and takes in twelve deep breaths. “Because I don’t want you to fail,” he says. I stare at the floor. The nicer he is to me, the worse I feel. “Why?” I whimper. “Come with me.” He takes my hand and leads me outside. “Where are you taking me?” He storms down the sidewalk. “I want to show you something. Something important.”

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Rule #18: Wing Freestyling, or flying BITs around on your back, is a SKYolation for SKYagents.

After a long hike up some mountain outside of town, Lawrence and I stand on top looking down. The tiny green valley snakes through the hills below us. An eagle soars by, looking light and free as it skims across the horizon. Lawrence stares out at the early morning’s striped canvas. “Hop on.” My mouth drops open and my eyes widen. “What? You can’t fly me.” “I need you to see what exactly you’re striving for in your training. Maybe then you’ll understand why I want you to succeed so badly.” “Are you sure?” “Do you always have to question authority? Get on!” I jump on piggyback-style and grip his neck. “Hold on tight,” he says, and Lawrence’s massive wings stretch out behind him as he runs towards the edge of the cliff. I yell out to him, “You’ve done this before, right?” “Never!” He replies, and then jumps and swan dives off the massive mountain’s cragged edge. I scream in fear that quickly turns to exhilaration. A strong gust rushes through my hair, and I take a deep breath, inhaling the clean air. I reach my hand out and let the raindrops sting against my skin. Besides a slight tingle when I move through something, it’s the first real feeling I’ve had since the night I Transferred. I thought I knew what I’d been missing, but really I had no idea -- until now. Lawrence does a few twirls and loops before flattening out, parallel to the ground. “This is how you will feel once you get your wings,” he says. “Free.” I squeal in delight. “Yahooooooooo!” “Brights get back all their Mortal sensations when they fly. This is what you’re working so hard for. To feel the wind blow on your face and the sun warm your wings. When you fly, it is the only time you can—”

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I finish his sentence. “Feel alive.” “Exactly! Isn’t that worth everything you’re going through?” I choke out. “And more.” Lawrence soars next to a flock of birds and then darts up into the clouds. He enters through a remote Transport window and lands in a tree before jumping down onto the ground. I jump off and immediately wrap my arms around him in a big bear hug. “That was amazing! Thank you! Thank you!” I gush. Lawrence looks a bit stunned, and then his face turns red. “I’m not done with you yet. I have one other thing to show you.” I’m too overwhelmed to hammer him with my usual list of questions, so we hop on a waiting SKYbrid and go to his office in silence. After we enter the room, Lawrence motions me to sit. Without protesting, I slump down into a chair that faces out the huge bay window as he piddles around, leaving me to my paranoid thoughts. Am I in trouble? What will he do to me this time? Lawrence breaks through my thoughts. “Come over here, I want you to watch something.” He clicks his finger and a screen pops up. At first, the picture is fuzzy, but then I recognize the room. “It’s Angela,” I say. “This is what happened after the dance.” Angela slips into her sock monkey pjs and climbs into bed. She dials her cell phone and waits. Her voice sounds muffled, even a bit hoarse. “Hi, Mikey. Wait! Please don’t hang up! I want to say something.” I touch the screen and lean in, wishing I could hear what Michael’s saying on the other line. Angela grabs a tissue and blows her red nose. “Please listen to me. I just wanted to apologize for the things I said. They were awful and I didn’t mean any of them.” She stays silent for a moment and then starts to cry. “I’m sorry. I understand about Gabby. But you spend more time thinking or talking about her than hanging out with me.” She pauses for a few moments before raising her voice as if she’s trying to talk over him. “Mikey, you know that’s not true. I don’t hate Gabby. She hated me. And if you miss her so much, why are you with me?” More silence. Angela bites her lip and then hangs her head. “Is it because she’s better than me?”

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My mouth drops open as I get a brief glimpse into a different side of Angela Black. The insecure side. A side I had no idea existed until this moment. I stare over at Lawrence, but he points back at the screen. “Things are not always what they seem,” he says. “There are two sides to everything. To everyone.” I’m completely confused. “How could she think I’m better than her? She has everything. Her life is perfect.” Lawrence clears his throat. “How do you know? You don’t live her life. Maybe it’s not so perfect. Maybe that’s just what you see. Maybe Angela wants to be like you.” “Really?” Angela wipes her face and begs Michael. “Please, I don’t want to break up. I want to work this out. Can’t we…” Obviously, Michael’s hung up, because she stops mid-sentence and puts the phone down. A few seconds later, she bursts into tears. I’m shocked at her reaction. I honestly didn’t think she liked Michael this much. I thought she was pretty much dating him to get back at me. But maybe this wasn’t about me at all. “I’ve seen enough,” I say softly. Lawrence puts his finger to his mouth and then points at the screen. “I will decide that.” Someone knocks on Angela’s door. She wipes her face and hollers. “Yes?” The door opens and her mom sticks her head through the crack. “Ange, are you okay? I thought I heard crying.” Angela hides the phone under her covers and sits up in bed. She grabs another tissue and blows her snotty nose. “I just had the worst night of my life. The dance was absolutely awful. Everyone in the whole entire school saw my bra.” “Oh honey, I’m so sorry.” Her mom plops down on the bed next to Angela and gives her a huge hug. “Do you want to talk about it?” Angela covers her face and tries to talk between sobs. “Michael broke up with me.” Her mom pushes Angela’s hair away from her face. “Oh dear. What happened? You two seemed so happy when you left tonight.” “We were until we went to the dance. I was crowned a Rosette.” Her mom squeals. “Oh sweetie, that’s wonderful. Congratulations.”

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“Yeah, but I tied with Gabby.” Her mom looks confused. “Gabby Williams? I don’t understand.” Angela nods. “Mikey wrote her name on the ballot. I guess to honor her. I got mad and said some really mean things about her. I try so hard to make him like me, but he just seems so obsessed with her.” Her mom smiles a little and wipes the stained mascara off Angela’s cheeks. “Ange, first of all, you can’t make someone like you. They should like you for who you are. Secondly, just because Michael misses his best friend and did something sweet for her, doesn’t mean it takes away from you. What happened to Gabby and Michael that night was horrible. I’m sure it’s hard for him.” Angela’s eyes water and tears roll down her cheeks, dampening the delicate bedspread. “I know, but he doesn’t realize I miss her, too.” I pull back, shocked at her bizarre confession. I see for the first time that unlike me in my dead state, Angela might actually have a heart. And it might be broken, too. Her mom plays with her hair, which makes me miss my mom even more. “I’m sure you do honey. You guys have known each other since kindergarten and used to be so close. I still don’t understand what happened.” Angela starts to cry. “Because Gabby liked Michael. He was all she talked about. But she didn’t know I liked him too. I couldn’t be her friend and listen to her talk about him, knowing how I felt too. I just never got up the nerve to tell her. At the match that day, I tried to tell her about asking Michael to the dance, but I couldn’t. I knew she would be upset. That’s why I texted her later, I thought I could tell her over the phone before Michael did.” She pauses to sob and then wipes her face with the corner of her comforter. “If she hadn’t been upset about my text, she might still be alive.” “Aw sweetie.” Her mom cups her daughter’s hands. “This wasn’t your fault. Whether Gabby was upset or not, that man was drunk and ran a red light. It had nothing to do with you.” Angela shakes her head. “Mom, I can’t stop thinking about her. It’s like she’s haunting me or something. And the more Michael talks about her, the worse I feel.” I glance at Lawrence, but he only frowns and points back to the screen. Angela’s mom wipes her tears with a tissue. “Honey, I know it’s hard to understand all this at your age. We never know when people will be taken from us or how it can affect us when

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they’re gone. Even the people we don’t think we care about. It’s why we should treat everyone with respect.” “I’ll never forgive myself.” Angela snatches another pink tissue out of the box. “I wish I could tell her I’m sorry… for everything.” “Maybe you can.” Her mom points towards the ceiling. “After all, I’m sure she’s listening.” Angela reaches over and hugs her. “Thanks, Mom. I’m going to go to bed now. I want this day to be over.” Her mom leans over and kisses her forehead. “You’re a good person, Ange. But it doesn’t count if you’re not showing that side to people.” Angela stares at her bedspread and nods. When her mom closes the door, Angela doesn’t move. It’s as if her body is frozen in shock. She sits in the dark for a few minutes in utter silence. Then I hear her whisper, “I’m sorry, Gabby. Please forgive me.” She buries her face in her pillow, and this time, there are no kissing sounds. Only sobbing ones. Lawrence pauses the picture of Angela crying. “Well?” I sit there shaking my head. “I had no idea she liked Michael. Why didn’t she tell me?” “Would you have listened?” I sit there silently. Angela’s right. I would’ve freaked out if she told me that. No wonder she stopped being my friend. Lawrence finally speaks up. “I know Angela’s hurt you. But, you’ve hurt her, too. Sounds like neither of you meant to do anything. Isn’t it time she’s forgiven? Eternity seems like a long time to punish someone.” I hang my head. “I miss Michael. I miss my life. I even miss the things I swore I’d never miss.” Lawrence sits down next to me and puts his arm around me. “I know, death is strange that way. But your death isn’t Angela’s fault. It wasn’t the text.” “It wasn’t my time.” Lawrence shifts. “You don’t know that. Sometimes things just happen. Usually the way they’re supposed to.” As the night replays in my mind, it finally hits me how horrible I have been acting. Like a spoiled brat. Mean and vindictive. It’s weird. In just one night, I’ve experienced my darkest hour

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and my brightest moment. My thoughts begin to conflict. Did Angela deserve what I did? Isn’t it just payback for everything she’s done to me? I mean, isn’t it time I beat her and won for a change? So why don’t I feel like a much of a winner? Suddenly, I realize Lawrence is right. My death wasn’t anyone’s fault. It just happened. I realize I’ve been punishing Angela for everything that’s happened to me. I rest my head in my hands as guilt runs through me. “What have I done?” I sniff. (Side note: I suck eggs.) Lawrence squeezes my shoulder. “It’s too late to redo the past. But it’s never too late to change the future.” I reach up and kiss him on the cheek. “Thanks, Lawrence.” His white eyes twinkle. “You’re very welcome. Now, you need to go get ready. The Induction Ceremony starts soon.” “All right.” I stand to leave, but turn around and study his face. “Are you going to get into trouble for all this? For interfering?” He nods. “Probably. But it’s worth it.” I smile. “I’ll remember that.” He winks. “I’m sure you will. But don’t forget, you’re not out of the woods yet.”

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Rule #19: BITs may not abuse the Eternal Code, or they may be summoned before Goddess Nephele and the Global Council.

Most BITs tend to go for the classic feather wing. Personally, I prefer the new SKYray line. They’re sleeker, shinier, and offer the newest technological features such as Supercruiser, CPS (Cloud Positioning System), and Mach 5 capability. And those are just the standard features! I stare in the window of Wing and Prayer, where all the graduates select their wings for the Induction Ceremony. As wings fly around the room, showing off for their prospective wearers, I scan the display, hoping to spot the pair featured in CosmicTeen last month. I’m relieved when I see they’re still hanging in the left corner. Large, iridescent wings with hand-painted glittery swirls trimmed in thin, satin ribbons and clusters of pearls and crystals. These wings also come with the new Advanced Aerobatic package that includes advanced communications, invisibility, and infrared night vision. Wings so cool, I’ll need a special SKYlicense to use them. Eventually, I slink off to Earth’s Angels to Refashion for the ceremony. I spot Jessica through the window and wave. When I walk through the door, she doesn’t say anything, so I tap her on the shoulder. “Hey, you.” Without looking at me, she answers in a flat, monotone voice, not the perky voice I’m used to. “Oh… hey.” “You still mad at me?” Jessica shakes her head. “Nah. I’m over it. None of my business, anyway. I probably shouldn’t have yelled at you.” “No, you were right. I deserved it.” She studies me for a minute, and then smiles. “That’s true.” She changes the subject, but keeps the same steady tone. “Do you know what kind of dress you want?” I shake my head and try to make her laugh. “One that fits would be nice.” After all, things tend to be either too short for my legs or too tight for my chest.

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She avoids eye contact and ignores my response. “You’d better try on a few. We don’t have much time left.” After stepping into the Blessing Room, I stand in front of the Miracle Mirror. A light scans me and displays my exact body measurements on the screen. I call out to Jessica. “I don’t think I’ve had hips as small as yours since I was five.” She yells over the door. “You’re not big.” “Tell that to my seams.” A few seconds later, the mirror displays a 3D image of my figure. Every five seconds, a dress –only the ones that flatter my size and shape of course – flicker across my computerized form. I glance back and forth between a purple one and green one. “Do you think I look better as an eggplant or a pear?” Jessica peeks through the curtain and studies both images of me on the screen. “You are definitely a fruit.” “Very funny.” She tries not to smile. “The green one will show off your eyes.” I tilt my head as I examine the dress hanging a few feet away. “Yes, but it’s my thighs I’m worried about.” She finally caves and giggles. “You’ll look amazing.” I speak to the mirror. “Accessorize.” Just as bracelets and necklaces flash up on my mini-me, my SKYfone rings, playing Pink’s “I’m Not Dead.” Jessica pokes her head in my curtain again. “That’s your wing-tone? You’re sick.” As soon as I answer, a 3D hologram of a miniature Lawrence pops up in front of me. Without thinking I cry out, “Holy crap!” and try to hide my undergarments behind the dresses. I scream at the Miracle Mirror, “Cover up!” A blue fuzzy robe with white clouds appears on my figure. He won’t look me in the eye, so I know something’s terribly wrong. He clears his throat, another bad sign. “I had to report you to Nephele.” My legs collapse beneath me, and I collapse onto a small white stool. I try to swallow the hug lump in my throat. “What? Why?” I stammer.

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He shakes his head. “This is all my fault. I’ve let you and Nephele down. I never should have allowed your behavior go on this long. Nephele downloaded my report and wants to meet with you after the Induction Ceremony tonight.” Jessica’s brown eyes pop out of her head. She mouths the words, “I told you.” I swallow hard. “Where?” “In her office at the Palace. Imero will escort you. Good luck.” “Lawrence! I’m…” He disappears before I can finish apologizing. “I can’t believe he turned me in.” “What’s he supposed to do? Lie? His job’s on the line, too. My sister heard he was put on probation.” “Because of me?” She shrugs. “Don’t know. Maybe.” I fall back on the white sofa. “Man, I’m dead.” Jessica nods. “Won’t argue there.” “Very funny. This is serious.” She presses her lips together. “I could’ve told you that before you popped Angela’s bra in front of the whole school. You humiliated her on purpose.” I rest my head in my hands. “I didn’t plan on it. I just got so mad. I don’t know what happened to be honest.” Jessica looks at me through the mirror. “If you continue going against your AM and the BIT Code, you start to Alter. I read that Malum can sense any Bright’s betrayal somehow and comes looking for them. As new recruits. Maybe that’s why he followed you. So he can ensure your Alteration so he can have you.” “Why would he want me?” The image of Malum and his claw-like wings flash through my mind, causing my chest to throb. I try to rub the pain away. “Man, I’m in trouble. What do I do?” She stands back up. “I don’t know. But if you’re going to see Nephele, the first step is to look good.” I scan back through the dresses. “What’s the second step?” She chooses her dress. “Pray.” “Do you think I’ll be Banished?” She thinks for a moment. “I hope not. But she’s definitely not gonna be happy.”

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When I look at Jessica, she’s already dressed in a blue gown with a sapphire-jeweled broach sewn into the center of the bodice. A makeup brush floats around her face, applying SKYshadow to her eyes. She holds a silver wing over one ear and a gold wing over the other. “Which earwings do you like?” “Silver.” She waves the gold pair away and puts on the other ones. “Hurry up. We don’t want to be late. You especially.” I take one more look before snapping my fingers. The chiffon green dress morphs onto my body. My hair lifts up and is held in place by two crystal barrettes. A makeup brush sweeps a gold, shimmery SKYshadow across my brow, and lipstick stains my lips the perfect color for my winter skin tone. “I guess I’m ready,” I say. “What do you think?” Jessica whistles. “Drop dead gorgeous.” “Halo Palace is hot!” Jessica says. “I don’t see anything.” I stare ahead at the clump of clouds for a while until my eyes blur and cross. Jessica points and squints her eyes. “It’s kinda like one of those weird auto-stereogram things. The ones where you have to stare at the spots for a really long time until some kind of picture shows up.” Finally, my eyes focus on the palace. The sparkling building blends in with the sky. If I weren’t looking for it, I never would’ve seen it. “Whoa!” I say. I follow Jessica up the steps, and we stop in front of two crystal doors. Before we can knock, they vanish into thin air, revealing the infamous White Carpet. She gasps. “I knew it! SKYWeekly is here!” A paparazzi dude shoves his camera in our faces and asks what designer we’re wearing. Jessica pipes up first. “My dress is Vera Wing and the shoes are Calvin Divine.” I touch my necklace. “Um, I think my jewelry is Airy Winston, and my dress is… uh…” Jessica blurts out. “Dolce & Nirvana! Isn’t it to die for?”

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She hooks her arm through mine as we scurry past the rest of the photographers and through two blue-studded doors. She whispers in my ear, “This is wicked.” Once we file our way inside, she squeals in delight. “Wow. I didn’t know Jonah’s brothers were playing tonight. Hey, if you hang out with him, maybe he can introduce me.” “I doubt I’ll be hanging out with anyone. You’ll have to cover for me.” She raises her eyebrows. “My pleasure.” We pass the tables of different flavors of angel hair pasta and multi-colored angel food cake. “Look at all the food,” Jessica sighs. “Isn’t this just havenly?” I mumble. “I can’t focus on anything else right now. I’m so nervous.” Jessica clutches onto me. “You should be!” “Gee, don’t hold back.” She shrugs. “Hey, I can support you, but that doesn’t mean I’m gonna lie to you.” We stroll down the silver hallway, staring up at all the Brights flying above us. Eventually the passageway opens up into a huge, oval-shaped room. Along the decorated dome, rows and rows of small floating clouds line up. “There must be a million Brights in here.” Jessica points up. “Even Flying-Room Only is packed.” Just as we find our assigned seats, Imero walks out onto the platform. “Welcome to all our Brights. Let the ceremony begin.” He lifts his arms and music fills the air. We all remain seated as a cluster of Brights fly above us. The scene reminds me of the time my dad took me to Cirque de Soleil at the Coliseum. I glance around the room and wonder if he’s here somewhere. Probably in the VIG (Very Important Guide) section. Jessica and I watch the Cirrus acts taking place above us. As soon as the acrobats finish, a small group of aerobatic flyers, the BluAngels, performs a choreographed performance. As a finale, Jonah’s Brothers, who happen to be a very popular band, takes the stage and plays their Number 1 hit, “Come Fly With Me.” When they finish, the whole Palace erupts in applause. Imero retakes the stage. “Brights, I give you Goddess Nephele!” A huge screen descends from the ceiling and reveals Nephele standing at the top of a long stairway. The SKYcam zooms in on her as she flies to the podium at the center of the room. Her white wings float gracefully behind her. The crowd hushes as soon as she speaks.

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“Welcome to the Induction Ceremony. This is a very important step in evolution of a Bright. As you all know, the training is vigorous and tests the strength and weaknesses of each BIT as they move through the levels. This year’s class has worked very hard, and I’m so very proud of them. Without further ado, I present to you our newly inducted Brights.” A sequined curtain pulls back and the graduates soar through the opening and around the huge space, all wearing their new wings. During the ceremony, Nephele blesses their new wings and presents each Bright with either a silver bow-and-arrow set or a jeweled sword of their choice. (Side note: We get wings and a weapon. What else could a girl ask for?) As soon as the ceremony ends, all of the BITs file out of the main room and head towards the AfterLife party. Bleu flies over us with her wings flapping behind her. She swoops down and does a loopty-loop. “Hey Jess, you want a ride?” she says. “The travel ban has been lifted for tonight.” Jessica jumps up and down like a kangaroo, clapping. “Hellooooo, what do you think?” She hops on Bleu’s back and shouts at me. “Gabby, I’ll meet you there!” “Sure. I’ll be the one with two left feet standing on the side.” Jessica smiles and waves as they swoop out the window, reminding me of my trip with Lawrence. I wonder how long it will be until I feel that way again. As I trudge towards the dance hall, I study the paintings and art floating along both sides of the hallway. I stop and study one piece that stands out. It’s a picture of Nephele standing on top of a mountain with her hair blowing behind her. A man with large wings is kneeling at her feet. In his hands, he holds the Antakarana. The caption reads: Apollyon. I lean in to get a better look. Something about the man looks very familiar. Unfortunately, he’s facing the setting sun. From behind, someone yells out to me. “Well, well. If it isn’t Crabby-ella.” My spirit sinks as I spin around and face Lilith. Her blonde hair barely touches the straps of her blue dress. “If it isn’t the devil in a blue dress,” I return. She rolls her eyes. “It’s not blue. It’s ultra-marine.” I mumble, “More like ultra-tacky.”

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Lilith snarls with her hands on her hips. A sinister smile creeps across her puffy red lips when she looks at her watch. “Aren’t you supposed to be getting Banished by Nephele right about now?”

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Rule #20: BITs may either follow the rules and live in Cirrus, or break them and live an eternal life in Ignitus.

My mouth drops open. I close it quickly to hide my complete shock, but as I try to mask my fear on the outside, inside, my gut is churning. “Aren’t you supposed to mind your own business instead of your daddy’s?” I say. “Remind me to tell Nephele he’s abusing his newly granted power.” “You can’t prove anything,” Lilith snarks. “Besides, she wouldn’t believe you anyway. Especially since you’re leaving soon.” “You wish.” “Oh, you’re right! I’d love to see you get kicked out of here.” I smile. “Yeah? Well, I’d love to see you get kicked.” Just in time to prevent a scene, Jonah shows up. “Hey Gabby, how about a dance?” Even though I have a phobia of dance floors, I hook my arm through his and smirk at Lilith. “Why, I’d love to Jonah. Thanks for asking me.” She sticks out her tongue as Jonah drags me onto the dance floor. I certainly don’t want to dance, but at this point, I’m desperate to get away from Lilith and her mouth. Soon, I find myself standing in the middle of a circle of wagging bodies. Lucky for me a slow song comes on. Jonah cups one hand on my waist and holds out his other, as if we’re from history or something. My arms remain at my sides until he positions them around his neck and presses his cheek against mine. Thank goodness sweat, bad breath, and B.O. go away when you croak. He twirls me around in a circle, like I’m a rag doll. “You look pretty tonight,” he says when we’re back cheek-to-cheek. “Thanks,” I manage to say. The tempo changes and everyone around me breaks out into the Blue Angel Boogie. I try to pull away. “Jonah, I can’t dance to this. Thanks, though.” He clutches my hands. “I’m not letting you off that easy.” I laugh nervously as I watch my feet. “No really. I suck at dancing. My feet are probably classified as lethal weapons.”

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He chuckles. “It’s not like you can kill me. Besides, it can’t be that bad. Come on, I’ll show you.” He starts to guide me through the fast-paced steps. I move my feet, trying to follow him, laughing, when a memory of Michael pops into my head. The time he forced me to sing Karaoke. Eventually I gave in and sang, or I should say screeched, my rendition of Madonna’s “You’re an Angel.” Luckily for everyone there, the whole system crashed in the middle of my high note, and as I slunk off the stage, Michael laughed and teased me saying I broke the machine. I shake the memory from my head and drop Jonah’s hands. “I have to go.” As soon as I spin around to leave, I slam right into Lilith. She shoves me away, and before I can catch myself, I fall backwards through a crowd of BITs, landing on my butt. A loud rip echoes through the room as my dress splits up the back. Lilith points at my torn gown. “Look, Gabby’s too big for her dress. Probably should’ve gone up a size.” My ears start to ring and my vision fogs. It’s just like with Angela. I stumble to my feet and push back at Lilith in defense. Something strong and deep consumes me. I lean over and wipe my hand across her mouth. “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.” Lilith pushes me off her and clamors to her feet. When she opens her mouth to respond, no sound comes out. I glare at her. “What? No back talk?” Her eyes widen in terror as another girl screams. “Lilith can’t speak! Gabby hexed her!” Lilith bolts out of the room with her friends trailing close behind. Jessica comes up behind me and helps me to my feet. “You Shooshed her.” I shake my head and stare at my hand as Lilith clamors thorough the exit. “How did I do that?” She lifts her shoulders. “You tell me, sneaky thing. That’s not something you learn until Advanced Defense Training.” “No one taught me anything. I’ve never even heard of Shooshing.” Jessica shrugs. “Well, you had to pick it up somewhere.” Just then, I feel something touch my shoulder. I spin around, but no one is there. Instead, Imero speaks to me in my thoughts. Nephele will see you now.

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I face Jessica. “I have to go. What about my dress?” “I don’t know, but you definitely got ripped off.” “Come on, this is serious. I can’t see Nephele like this!” “Hold still.” Jessica fastens the back of my dress together with one of my barrettes. “Hopefully that’ll hold.” “Thanks.” She smiles and pushes me towards the door. “You’d better split.” I think my nerves are making me crazy because I can’t help but giggle as I go out the door. A completely irrational response to what I’m about to face. Maybe BITs can still get nervous without feeling it. Scooting down the hall like a penguin, I pray my dress stays together. I’m pretty sure flashing the head of this so-called Heaven is high on the list of major offenses. Imero is already waiting for me at the Levitator. He takes me up to the top floor of the Palace. As we approach the main door, a buzzer announces us. We move through several sets of doorways, setting off a series of alarms. Eventually, we stop in front of a diamond-covered entrance. As soon as his SKYd is authorized, the door disappears, revealing a large room decorated in various shades of blue, silver, and white. On one side of the room, a huge window overlooks a great view of the city. The wall opposite the glass is covered in rows of flat screens that project different InnerNet images from Brights and Mortals. Imero motions me to a chair and leaves without saying a word. I glide to the window and watch the Northern Lights illuminate the night sky. Then, a loud static fills the room. I cover my ears and face the screen-covered wall. Images from my entire InnerNet start playing different memories of my life and death. I see the day I was born. The day I started kindergarten. The day I got so sick and had to be admitted to the hospital. The time I won my first fencing competition. And finally, the day my dad Transferred to Cirrus, followed by the day I did. My last moments as a Mortal rattle my mind. Then, the screens go blank. A few seconds later, loud buzzing noises fill the room again. New pictures scroll in front of me. A montage of all the pranks I’ve ever played on Angela since she was assigned to me. Not only the ones Lawrence and I have talked about, but also a few smaller ones I forgot. Like sticking spinach in between her two front teeth, attaching toilet paper to her shoe, making the

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school’s water-fountain drench her face, and creating a whitehead on her nose the morning of school pictures. Lastly, the night of the Rose Dance fills the screens, replaying the bra-incident. I have to admit, it looks worse on T.V. than I remember. A still picture of Angela crying in her bed freezes on the screen. A bell-like voice crowds my thoughts. Things are not always what they seem, Gabriella. I spin around and face Goddess Nephele. She flies into the center of the room and lands lightly on the floor, as her wings fold away and disappear. My knees begin to buckle. Her almost-white eyes lock onto mine. I’m not sure what to do, so I awkwardly bow and then drop down to one knee. She sings out to me. “Please sit.” I rise and clasp my hands behind my back, hoping to keep them from trembling, all the while checking to be sure my dress is still together. She motions me over to a white velvet couch. “I want to speak with you about your recent infractions.” “Yes, ma’am.” Nephele floats to the window and waves her hand over her head. The distant moon brightens. “As you are aware, what you’ve done to your Assigned Mortal is against everything we stand for as Brights,” she says in her whispery voice. “We are here to guide the Mortals through the development phases of Life. You’ve impacted Angela’s growth by purposefully sabotaging her.” I keep my eyes on my lap for fear of looking into hers and witnessing her disappointment in me. “Goddess Nephele, let me explain.” Nephele holds up her hand and stops my words. “Do you always talk before listening?” I look down at my shoes. “I guess that’s why my mom calls me Gabby.” The corners of Nephele’s mouth turn up. “I see. I guess it is part of your destiny, then. Sometimes it is better to listen first and talk later.” I lower my head again. “Yes ma’am.” She strokes my hair. “I know you’re not happy with your assignment, but that doesn’t mean you can abuse your privileges and abandon our sacred Code. These guidelines have governed how we live for centuries. They also explain how we have survived. We as Brights are responsible for providing only peace and love to all Mortals.”

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I try hard not to stare at the scar that runs down her left cheek. I wish I knew how she got it. I glance away, pretending I don’t notice it. “If only I’d been warned somehow. I could at least have said what I needed to say to everyone. Maybe get some closure.” “We cannot know when we will Transfer. That is why Mortals must live each day as if it’s their last.” “How am I supposed to know all that at fourteen?” Nephele sits down next to me. She smells like a bouquet of sweet gardenias. “Then somehow, we as Brights must find a way to help Mortals understand their mortality before its too late. Show them what’s really important.” I think of something else. “Maybe if I’d been assigned to protect a different AM.” “Gabriella, we don’t need to go through all your excuses. I know you have good intentions and a good soul. That’s why you’re here. No one is perfect, not even a Bright.” I start to feel better. “Really?” She smiles at me. “Of course. Everyone makes mistakes, even here. We don’t stop growing just because we Transfer. It’s owning up to your faults, accepting them, and working hard to grow. That’s what’s important.” I stare at her. “Aren’t you going to Banish me?” She smiles as if what I said was humorous. “No, Gabby, not this time. But if you do choose to stay here, you may not continue this behavior or I will be forced to Banish you to Ignitus. And I can guarantee the other place is much worse than this one.” “I want to be here.” Her white eyes find mine and she studies me. “Before I can reinstate you, you must show me you’re ready.” I want to look away but I can’t. “But how?” “That’s up to you.”

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Rule #21: BITs may not tamper with eternal artifacts (as outlined in the Privacy Laws).

I exhale a relieved breath. “Thank you, Goddess Nephele.” Nephele turns to leave. “You’re welcome, Gabriella. We never know our true destiny. Sometimes our path unfolds in ways we do not expect, and it can impact people in ways we may not know. Imero will be here in a few minutes to lead you out. Until then, please make yourself comfortable. Peace, love, and recycle.” A few minutes after she leaves, the center large screen turns on. Images of Dad and me flicker on the wall. Pictures of us together, playing in the park, singing in the car, and walking in the rain. My father’s sun-kissed face flashes on the screen. “Gabby, sweetie, how are you?” I race up to him and press my hands on the glass. “Dad!” He shows off his dimpled smile. “You look beautiful honey.” I spin in a circle, still griping the slit in the back, to show off my dress. “You like it?” He nods. “You’re so grown up. Like a little lady.” I stop twirling and rub the necklace. “I thought I wasn’t allowed to see you.” He shrugs on screen. “Nephele arranged it. She felt like you needed to see me.” He leans closer to the SKYcam. “Listen, sweetie, we don’t have much time.” Familiar worry lines streak across his forehead and the corners of his mouth turn down slightly. “I hear you’re having a hard time. Wanna talk about it?” I turn away. Nothing’s worse than seeing my dad disappointed. “I’m sorry.” His eyes soften a bit. “The things you’re doing up here don’t seem like you at all.” He tries to soothe me. “I know what you’re going through. Shoot, we all go through it at some point. Even though it’s no excuse, I understand.” Our eyes meet. “You do?” I ask. He’s always understood me. The good and the bad. It’s comforting to know that some things never change. Dead or alive.

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He leans in again. “Honey, do you think I was happy when I first got here? I was tortured seeing you and Gray growing up without me. And mad that I had to leave your mom alone.” He pauses for a second before smiling. “I was lucky, though. I didn’t have to deal with Angela.” I laugh, feeling better that he gets how I feel. “Gabby, don’t get me wrong. I understand, but I do not approve of this behavior. I don’t care what Angela has or has not done. She doesn’t deserve what you’re doing. She deserves your compassion and guidance. It’s your job now.” I hang my head. “I know. I’ll do better, Dad.” “Gabby, if you don’t, Nephele will have no choice but to Banish you. Not only will you live a horrible eternal existence, but you and I will never be together again. I don’t want that. Do you?” My stomach twists into knots as I shake my head. “Then straighten up. Be the Gabby I know. Let all this other stuff go, and you’ll be happier. I promise.” The image of his face grows fuzzy. “I have to go now. I’ll be here if you need me.” “I’ll make things right again.” He smiles and starts to fade away. “I believe you.” With that, he disappears and random images of Cirrus start playing on the screens once again. I walk over to the window and stare out at the starry sky, thinking about what he said. I need to figure out some way to be happy up here. To undo the damage I’ve done. To prove I’m ready to continue my training. In my peripheral vision, a cabinet full of figurines catches my attention. I walk over and browse through the delicate items that line each shelf. A tiny male angel leaning on a sword catches my eye. His face is covered in some kind of chrome medieval-inspired helmet. I gently grab hold of the figure to see if a name is scrawled on the bottom. But it’s attached to the shelf. A second later, something clicks behind the wall. Startled, I jump back as a panel slides away, revealing a tunnel. I look over my shoulder at the door, half-expecting Imero to walk in just as I’m entering some kind of forbidden passage. All clear. I poke my head in the door and look down a long hallway lit with lanterns and candles. Artifacts fill cases lining both side of the corridor. I tip toe in and scan the jeweled swords, bronze statues, stone plaques, and other ancient items. I move quietly down the hall until I get to a crystal display case. A spotlight shines down on an object I recognize. The Antakarana.

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The crown is more spectacular in person than in any picture I’ve seen. I smile. This is it. If I can return to Earth, I might be able to fix everything I’ve broken. Using the Antakarana is the only way I can make things right again. I peer closer to inspect the details. The middle stone flickers in the light. Along the inside, I notice some type of script written in odd characters. A force field surrounding the artifact prevents me from touching it. Then a computerized voice says, “Hello, Goddess Nephele. Please enter your password for access.” I check the room to be sure no one is around before typing in a few words. Bright, Cirrus, Heaven. Of course, none of the obvious words work. Too easy. I SKYfone Jessica and listen to her ringtone playing Natasha Bedingfield’s “Happy.” When she answers, a little 3D image of her pops up in front of me. I whisper, “Jess, did you get your sister’s password?” Dance music is playing loudly in the background, so she plugs her ear and yells back. “What?” I duck down in the corner. “Shh! I said I need your sister’s password. You said you were going to get it. You know, at Cloud 10.” She puts her tiny hands on her tiny hips. “Why?” I pace in front of her. “Swear you won’t get mad?” “No way. Swearing is a SKYolation.” “I need the password so I can get the Antakarana.” She zooms in until her large face is only an inch away from mine. “You’re going to steal it?” I try to calm her down. “I’m going to borrow it.” She massages her temple. “Have you not learned anything today? Why in the world would I help you steal that? So you can hurt your AM again?” I press my hands together in a prayer position “I’m not going to hurt her; I’m going to help her.” “Help? How?” “I’m going to talk to Michael and fix things. The problems I created between them. So they can be together.” Her eyes grow wide. “Really? Why?”

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“Let’s just say I’ve had a revelation.” “Haven’t we all?” She smiles, and I feel her hug me. I pause for a moment and listen for anyone that might be coming. Just to be safe, I drop my voice. “It’s asking me for a password. I need to crack this password thing before Imero comes back to get me. Can you help?” She grins from ear to ear. “It just so happens, I’ve got my sister’s log-in.” “Really?” She winks at me. “For just in case.” I clap. “Awesome! But you gotta do it fast. Imero will be back any minute.” “Then let the master work.” The image of Jessica moves in front of the invisible case. She enters her sister’s SKYd and password. As we search through a classified area of the InnerNet for password ideas, she types in various keywords, hoping to unlock the case. I grow increasingly impatient with each failure. “How can we possibly guess this password?” I breathe. “It could be a trillion different things.” “Did you try all the Muses’ names?” “Yup, nothing. They’re too obvious anyway.” Jessica continues scouring through pages of information to get ideas. “Wait!” she suddenly cries. “I found something. Oh wow, this is weird.” “I don’t know if I like the sound of that.” “Maybe it’s wrong. You know how the InnerNet can be sometimes. Can’t always believe what you read. But according to some legend, the Angelite stone can only be found in the deepest level of Ignitus.” I peak over her shoulder. “That’s gotta be a rumor. Nephele wouldn’t touch anything from there. Let alone wear it.” Jessica shrugs. “I don’t know. But maybe the password is Ignitus.” She types Ignitus into the empty box and presses Enter. “Shoot! I thought that was it.” “Too easy. It must be something more obscure. Something odd.” “Like what?” A buzzer sounds off in the distance, telling me Imero is entering the long row of security doors. I start to pace back and forth, staring at the Antakarana. Something comes to mind.

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“Try Apollyon,” I say. “Never heard of it. What is that?” “Just try it.” Another buzzer sounds. Only one more door. “I can’t explain. We don’t have much time left.” “Chill out.” Jessica types in the word and hits the Enter key. A voice chimes, “Thank you, Goddess Nephele. You have been cleared.” We both stare at each other. I swallow. “I can’t believe it worked!” Jessica puts her fingers to her lips. “What is it?” “I saw the name on a painting. I’ll explain later.” I grab the ancient headpiece. “You gotta hurry and project some kind of fake image so no one notices it’s gone.” Jessica works her magic and types in a series of computer commands. “Don’t say I don’t do anything for you.” I smile at her little hologram image. “Never would. I owe you one.” She smiles back. “At least one.” A few seconds later, a fake picture of the Antakarana fills the case. I frown. “Wait. That looks like an old picture. The stone’s missing.” Jessica scoffs. “It’s the best I can do on short notice. Beggars can’t be choosers.” “All right, but just in case it doesn’t work, you’d better get out of here. I’ll meet you in front of the palace.” I disconnect my SKYfone as the last buzzer sounds. I hide the headpiece under my dress in my waistband and run out of the hallway. Just as I shut the hidden door, Imero walks in. He frowns at me and scans the room with an odd look on his face. I try to act normal and point to the figurines. “These are amazing.” He squints his eyes and grunts. “Please follow me.” I trail him to the Levitator in silence. With the barrette snagged in my ripped seam and the crown making me look like I have a forty inch waist, trying to walk without looking like Quasimodo is not easy. The crown scratches my side. Every few steps, Imero studies me with suspicious eyes. “Why are you so quiet?” he says.

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I shrug and force my voice not to give anything away. “I just got reamed out by Nephele. Isn’t that reason enough to kill the small-talk?” He doesn’t look too convinced. “Maybe.” We descend to the Main Palace Floor. Imero opens the doors, and I’m almost in the clear. “Thanks,” I say. Just as I walk through, he grabs my arm. “Wait a minute.” I freeze and try to speak around the lump in my throat. “What?” “Aren’t you forgetting something?”

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Rule #22: BITs must not hack into or access another Bright’s InnerNet as stated in the Privacy Rules.

I shift uncomfortably from the awkward bump in my dress. “Am I?” He points to the scanner. “You need to check out.” I exhale all the air trapped inside my lungs. “Oh yeah right. Thanks for the reminder.” I log out and walk briskly through the doors to where Jessica is waiting. We jump on the Levitator and descend to the first level. Jessica sprints down the green-bordered path a head of me as I waddle up to the Nimbus compound. She is waiting for me inside. Jessica whispers to me as we approach our room, “Try to act casual.” I lower my voice. “That’s impossible. I’m in a ripped gown pinned with a barrette, and a crown in my dress.” “Let’s just get inside before someone busts us.” Once we enter my room, we lock the door behind us. Jessica falls back onto the floating white futon. I slip the Antakarana out of my dress and quickly Refashion into my fat pants and a fitted t-shirt that reads, “I’m with Cupid.” Lying back on my futon, I flip on the SKYlight and watch the tiny clouds floating across the blue-painted ceiling. “Now what?” Jessica Refashions into sweats with the words “I’m Always Behind” across her butt. She sits down and pulls up her InnerNet. “I guess we need to figure out how to use this thing.” She enters her sister’s password and surfs through pages of information. A few seconds later, she points to the screen. “I’ve got it! Looks like we have to activate the Antakarana before the Mortalization process can work.” I jump up and look over her shoulder. “How do we do that?” Jessica reads for a few seconds until her eyes bug out. Then, she shuts off her InnerNet abruptly. I point at the screen. “Hey! Why’d you do that?” She shakes her head violently. “This is impossible. Let’s just forget it.” I step back, a bit stunned. “OMG, are you being negative? That’s a first.”

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“I’m not being negative. I’m being realistic.” She stands close to me and clutches my arms. “Seriously, Gabby. This whole thing is whacked. Not only have we stolen Nephele’s Antakarana, but now… we’re trying something very dangerous.” “Just tell me what you read.” She sighs. “Fine. This says in order to activate the Antakarana and enter the Mortalization process, you have to… be struck by lightning.” I think for a moment. “Doesn’t sound so bad.” “Twice. And that’s just the Activation process. You could be attacked by an Evil before you even Mortalize.” “I don’t follow.” “Do you remember what else travels in lightning?” I lean in dramatically and whisper. “Electricity?” Jessica gives me a disgusted look. “Not that!” I smirk. “It does. I learned it in science class.” She groans. “I know that! I’m talking about something else.” Jessica puts her hands on her hips. “I’ll give you a hint. It’s something bad.” “Just tell me. What travels in lightning?” She huffs in exasperation. “You need to listen more. SKYcrawlers.” I think for a moment. “How can that be? Lightning comes from Cirrus. They come from Ignitus.” Jessica pulls up the InnerNet and points to the screen. “Maybe you didn’t learn this part in your Science class. Lightning can be cloud-to-cloud, cloud-to-ground or….” She shows me some classified images of Evils traveling through lightning, surrounded by sparks. I finish her sentence. “Ground-to-cloud.” “Yep.” “But how often does that really happen?” She points at the images of lightning on her screen. “Doesn’t matter. They can use any of them. Says here, about nine million strikes of lightning flash every day. Up to 100 times a second.” Images of SKYcrawlers riding lightning bolts scroll across the screen. “That’s why I said it was too dangerous. This means not only do you have to be hit by lightning, twice. But, you could run into one of them.”

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I pick up the crown and watch the stone start to glow. “I could Stonewall them?” She scoffs and rubs the hand I turned to rock. “Yeah right. We see how well that went last time.” “I have to do this, Jessica. It’s the only way I can be Reinstated. Nephele said I had to prove myself somehow.” “I don’t think this is what she meant.” Jessica turns away from the screen and faces me. “Gabby, this whole thing is risky. So much could go wrong. I don’t think you’re getting how bad this could be.” I shake her by the arms. “What have you done with the real Jessica? The overly positive one? ‘Cause I really need her right now.” She stares at me as if I’m crazy and then gives in. “Fine. We’d better get started then.” After we make a plan, I summarize. “Okay. So, we’ll activate the Antakarana. You’ll cover Angela while I talk to Michael. When I’m done, we’ll meet back at The Path of Return so I can Transfer back up to Cirrus. Simple.” Jessica snorts. “Simple-minded, you mean.” I smile. “Ha-Ha.” She tries not to smirk. “Before we go, let’s go over the rules.” I pretend to pull out my hair. “Rules? There’s more?” “Looks like it.” She skims through documents and clicks on some links. I hover over her shoulder as she searches. Just then, Bleu’s face pops up on her InnerNet page and yells. “Jessica Hart! What are you doing in my InnerNet? Get out of here before I tell Mom you’re messing with my stuff.” Jessica ducks as I hide the Antakarana behind my back. I wave to the long-haired brunette pictured in the upper left corner. “Hey, Bleu, how are ya?” She frowns. “Gabby, you guys can’t hack into other people’s InnerNets. It’s against the Code for you to view unauthorized information.” I grasp for an excuse. “Uh, we were just trying to come up with an impressive topic for class. We have a project due and didn’t want to pick some stupid, boring one.” Bleu looks suspicious. “So then, why are you using my InnerNet and not your own?”

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Jessica glances over at me before she mumbles something absolutely brilliant. “Um. Well, I uh. You see.” I jump in and save her. “Our stuff isn’t cool enough. We heard about something called the Antakarana and wanted to impress Sensa. I could use an A for once. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find much on our InnerNets about it. But it sounds like you may not even know.” Bleu scoffs. “Helloooo! Excuse me, but I know all about it. I was just Inducted, in case you forgot, and I got straight A’s in all my classes. We studied it this last year.” I chime in. “Then dish! We won’t use any of it. I mean with Sensa. But now, you’ve got us curious.” Jessica gives me a look telling me I was pushing my luck, but I ignore her. Bleu smiles proudly and sits down on a 3D chair. “The Antakarana is an ancient artifact that allows Nephele the ability to see anything and everything.” Jessica pipes in. “Does that mean if someone else wears it, Nephele can’t see anything?” “Yes, which obviously is dangerous because her visions protect Cirrus.” Bleu leans forward and drops her voice. “There’s more, though. Not only can Nephele see everything when she wears it; it means if someone else has the crown, they can see her. Which makes it dangerous if it gets into the wrong hands.” I pipe up again, full of questions, but out of time. “How did she get it?” Bleu shrugs. “Some Guide made it for her.” I pull back a bit confused. “Who’s the Guide?” “No one knows.” Jessica asks a question. “Do you know anything about using the Antakarana to become a Mortalite?” Bleu looks up for a second. “Mortalite? How did you know about that?” I try to act natural. “I think we read about it somewhere.” She frowns for a minute before telling us more. “I don’t think anyone has ever tried it. My study partner and I wrote down some notes on it, but it was barely talked about in class.” She pulls up her notes from class. “Wait, here they are.” Her writing flashes on the screen, then someone calls out to Bleu in the background. She leaves her notes up.

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“Guys, I gotta go. Listen, there’s more information here if you wanna skim it.” Jessica and I nod in unison. “But I’m only giving you jokers five minutes before I log you off.” Jessica waves. “Thanks, sis!” She squints her eyes. “You owe me, Jess. BTW, I’m changing my password today.” Once Bleu is gone, Jessica reads the notes aloud. “First, you are only permitted to be a Mortalite for one moon. You have to return to Cirrus before the moon sets or...” Jessica stops. “Or what? Something bad happens?” I move forward and balance on the edge of the chair, waiting for her response. Jessica gasps and whispers. “The Path of Return closes.” I take a sip of my Sun Kiss. “I assume that’s bad.” “Very bad. It means you’ll get stuck in Limbo.” “Limbo?” “You know, the hidden place between here and Earth where you feel nothing but pain. All the time. You can’t speak or move. Your body’s frozen, but your mind is totally functioning and aware of everything going on around you.” “Then I’d better get back.” “Number two, once you become a Mortalite, you must wear crown to avoid being seen by another other than the person you designate.” I look over her shoulder. “Oh that’ll look cute. Me in a crown.” She flips through a few pages. “Last, you can only be seen by one Designee, who must be named during the Mortalization process. If anyone else sees you--” I jump up. “Wait! Don’t tell me. My head will explode and roll off.” She looks at me with a blank stare and speaks slowly. “You could start to Alter. And Malum will come for you.” A familiar chill runs down my spine, but I shrug it off. “Then I won’t let anyone else see me.” “Gabby, this is serious.” “I know. I know. Let’s just keep going before I back out. Anything else I need to know?” Jessica studies me, looking a bit worried. “A few small things. Mortalites can get hurt just like Mortals. That means you have to be careful. Also no eating or drinking.” I snap my fingers. “Man, nothing like taking all the pleasures out of everything.”

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“This isn’t about experiencing the finer things.” She turns off the InnerNet. “You get to see Michael. That’s what you wanted, right?” “Right.” I clap my hands together. “So. Now what do we do?” “We have to leave Cirrus to do this.” “Why?” She points up to the clear sky above us. “Because we gotta find some lightning.”

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Rule #23: BITs must never try to fight off an Evil unless they are certified in Celestial Defense.

We bolt towards the Pearly Gates and open a Transport window. Jessica sticks her head down through the hole. “I have good news and bad news,” she yells up to me. I holler back. “What’s the good news?” She lifts her head up and points down as a zigzag of light cracks below us. “We got lightning.” “What’s the bad news?” “It’s raining.” I grab my hair and pull it back to get it out of my face. “Ah, man! I hate Freefalling.” “Think about the BITs over Seattle. They do it all the time.” She smiles at me. “You ready?” Jessica and I clasp each other’s arms in a cheerleading hold and stand on the edge of the Transport. “On the count of three. One… two…” I yell out before we jump. “Wait. Do we go on three or after you say three?” Jessica yanks me back to the ledge of the opening. “Stop stalling. We go on three. One… two… three!” We lunge through the hole and spin down towards the earth’s surface. A familiar feeling, like I’m about to puke, tickles the back of my throat. Eventually, we hit the ground. I lose my balance and fall back on my butt, landing on the moist dirt. “Talk about a fall from grace,” I quip. “That’s assuming you had grace.” I laugh. “You should talk.” Jessica giggles and closes the Transport window above us just as a bolt of lightning cracks down to our left. She motions me to follow her. “Come on. Let’s get to the valley. It’s more open.” “After you.”

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We bolt to the sunken meadow where a herd of horses are grazing. The vast, feathery grass is bordered by two long mountain ranges. In the distance, the moon hangs high in the sky, on guard until the sun is ready to make another appearance. Lightning cracks again in the distance. Jessica reaches out to a brown mustang. He skitters away as if he can see her. A hint of sadness washes over her face. “He’s beautiful.” “Do this with me,” I say. She shakes her head. “Only one Bright can Mortalize at a time. Besides, I’m afraid of lightning.” “Since when?” Another lightning bolt snaps behind her. Jessica points to the charred spot on the ground. “Since I found out you had to get hit by a billion volts of electricity to Mortalize.” She pats my shoulder. “Sorry, you’re on your own with this one.” “Let’s do it. The longer I wait, the more I want to turn back.” She stares at me. “You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.” I place the Antakarana on my head as sheets of rain pour over me. “I’ll be okay.” “Famous last words.” A lightning bolt strikes a few feet behind her. She calls out to me. “Here it comes! Keep your SKYfone on so I can call you if I need to.” “All right.” She steps back a few paces. “And be careful.” I smile and salute. “Always!” Another lightning bolt flashes across the gray sky, snapping anything in its path. A few seconds later, a Z of light shoots through my body and cracks the ground underneath me. My body starts to pulse. “What now?” I ask. “Lightening never strikes the same place twice.” Jessica points to the top of a tree. “Try up there for the second hit.” I glance at the treetop. “Well, what are you waiting for?” I think of the time I feel out of the tree and broke my arm. “I’m afraid of heights.” “You’re afraid of heights after Freefalling 60,000 feet? And you’re not scared of SKYcrawlers, Limbo, or Malum? Your brain’s backwards.” She pushes me. “Besides, what’s the worse that could happen?” “Good point.”

161

I slowly scale the trunk and climb up through the branches. Once I break through the canopy, I tip toe along the leaves and stop in the middle. Jessica cups her hands around her mouth and screams up through the swirling rain. “The next one’s probably gonna hurt!” I yell down. “What makes you think the first one didn’t?” “Because you’re still dead, silly.” Jessica studies the steps on her InnerNet. “Don’t forget to call out your Designee’s name on the second strike.” A moment later, a shower of bright sparks follows a flash of light. I call out Michael’s name just as a bolt hits me. My body jolts and starts to tingle all over until a sharp pain rips through me. I hear myself scream as I float out of the tree and spin above the ground. I close my eyes and watch zigzags of light zip across my eyelids. Suddenly, a loud shrieking noise fills the air and something slams into me from above. Huge hands clutch onto my arms. The light is so bright I can’t see a thing except for a big, dark blur. I hear Jessica scream and realize what it is. A SKYcrawler, traveling in the lightning. I struggle against the massive figure. Wings beat against me as we spiral towards the earth. I fight back, trying to break loose from its steel vice grip. Then, I remember Murielle’s lesson. Stonewalling this thing is my only chance. If I do it right. As I imagine being a stone, I stick my hand into the darkness and grab my attacker. The SKYcrawler’s massive body instantly turns to stone and its grip releases. We both plummet to the ground. As soon as I hit a patch of mud, Jessica is by my side, helping me up. “Are you okay?” I rub my head and feel something wet and sticky. I pull my hand away only to find my fingers are drenched with a red liquid. I smile at Jessica. “OMG! I’m bleeding! I’m really bleeding!” She starts to panic. “Let me see.” She inspects the gash across my forehead. “It’s just a cut. Nothing fatal.” “Good thing. Wouldn’t want to die again.” “I’m glad you find this all so funny.” Jessica stands up and creeps over to a large lump lying under the tree. She leans over the dark blob. I half expect it to reach up and grab her ankle. Kinda like in the horror movies my brother used to make me watch. I grab her arm. “Don’t get so close!”

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She nudges the body with her toe and jumps back when she sees its face. “Holy crap! Gabby come look at this!” “Do I have to?” I inch towards her. She points down. “It’s not a SKYcrawler.” Then, she covers her mouth and starts to laugh. “You took out a SKYmarshall. One of our very own.” I inspect my attacker. “Oh no!” Jessica cracks up even more, and I hit her arm. “It’s not funny! How was I supposed to know? The light blinded me. Besides, I thought SKYcrawlers were the only ones that attack through lightning. I thought he was one of them.” She checks the guy out. “He probably thought you were a SKYcrawler too.” She starts to giggle again. “What are the chances of that?” “Laugh it up, dead girl.” I sit down and wring my hands together. “Man, I’m already in trouble as it is. I took out a SKYmarshall! How could this get any worse?” Jessica stares at me. “Oh, it can.” “What do you mean?” She bugs her eyes and points to my head. I touch the top of my hair and freak out. “The Antakarana’s gone.” “Oh crap, where is it?” I twirl in a circle, looking for the headpiece. “It must have fallen off when you hit the ground,” Jessica says. “We have to find it!” I crawl across the ground, not caring if my uniform gets dirty. A SKYolation is the least of my worries. Jessica whistles behind me and holds up the crown. “This what you’re looking for?” I snatch the crown. “That’s not funny.” Jessica places her hands on her knees. “It was on the ground, and I wanted to be sure I had your full attention. Listen, you gotta guard this thing with your life. You can’t let it out of your sight. If you lose it, we’ll be Banished for sure!” I clean the jewel with my tunic and rinse the crown in the pouring down rain. “Fine. I got it.” I motion over to the SKYmarshall statue. “What about him?” “Don’t worry. He’ll be okay. I remember how Murielle reversed the spell. He won’t remember a thing.” I check out my body. “Did it work? Am I a Mortalite?” As if on cue, my body tingles and then starts to glow. The area around me lights up.

163

Jessica stands back as I illuminate. “Whoa. I’d say yes.” “This must be what a lightning bug feels like.” “Except no one really wants to run into a six-foot lightning bug.” She laughs. I frown. “Five-foot-nine, thank you very much.” “Whatever. Don’t forget to wear that.” She points to the crown. I place the crown on my head. A dollop of rain splashes my lip and I lick the droplet of water. I stretch out my hands and let the water ping against my palms. “I can feel the rain!” She beams. “It’s been so long, I don’t even remember that feeling.” I bend over and rub my hands along the mucky ground. “The mud. It’s silky and wet.” I kick off my boots and skip through the grassy puddles. She giggles as I skip along the valley, touching everything in sight. “Man I’m freezing! Isn’t it great! Look at the chill bumps on my arms!” I try to approach one of the Mustangs. The horse snaps his head up and backs away. As I take another step forward, he bucks wildly. I ease towards him with an outstretched hand until he rubs his velvety muzzle along my arm. “Good boy,” I murmur. Jessica’s mouth hangs open. “What does he feel like?” “A horse.” I pinch my nose. “Smells like one too.” “Listen, you’d better go. You only have so much time. Do you remember the rules?” “Yeeessssss.” She motions to my head. “Seriously, Gabby. Guard that thing with your life. I’m sure Malum would want it.”

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Rule #24: A Mortalite may not be seen by any Mortal other than the appointed Designee.

It sucks when love hurts. But at least I feel alive. Where did I hear that quote? It totally fits this moment. I sprint towards Michael’s house. The closer I get, the slower I walk. Soon, I’m slinking from bush to bush trying not to be seen. Am I doing the right thing? When I get to Mr. Brown’s yard, I stop and brush my hands over the tall rosemary plant peeking through his wooden fence. It’s silvery-green foliage feels like tiny needles against my palm. Little white and purplish flowers are still in bloom even though the weather has turned nippy. I squat down and smell the plant. The aroma reminds me of Mario’s, the Italian Restaurant where Dad took us for our monthly Family Date Night. The light in Mr. Brown’s house flickers, highlighting his herb garden. Suddenly, his wrinkly face appears in the kitchen window. I immediately duck just in case. (Side note: I can only imagine what Mr. Brown would do if he saw me.) Hi, 911? Yeah, um, there is a weird glowing girl floating through my bushes. Did I mention her pants are pleated? Yes, I said pleated. I know, I thought they were out of style too. Please send help. Once I’m sure he’s gone, I sprint down the street until I reach Michael’s white, two-story house. I hide across the street in the hydrangea shrubs and notice his room light is still on. He’s sitting at his desk, most likely either tying fishing-flies or creating origami flowers, like the ones he used to make me. I watch him live his life. When the house turns dark, I make my way across the street into his front yard and chunk a small pebble at the glass. After a couple tries, the light flips back on and Michael slides open his window. As soon his head pops through the opening, I chicken-out and jump into the nearest bush. He sounds agitated. “Who’s out there?” Now I’m thinking it might be easier to lure him outside, away from his parents. When Michael closes his window again, I gather a few rocks and hurl them at the glass, cracking it.

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This time, Michael leans all the way out and hisses. “Dude. You broke my window.” He shines a flashlight at the thick shrubbery lining his house. “Ange, is that you?” Then, he hisses into the night. “Fine. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” A few minutes later, he steps onto his front porch dressed in sweat pants and a T-shirt with a baseball bat in his hand. “Come on out, Chicken Little, and show yourself.” I cover my mouth to keep from laughing. Chicken Little? As Michael moves around the corner, I slink down the driveway and chunk another stone at his mom’s car. It pings off the bumper and clinks on top of the trashcan. Michael moves down the side of his house. “Think you’re funny, huh?” I can hear his feet crunching down the pebbled path as I climb into his sister’s tree house. He sneaks around the corner and hides in the shadows. Holding the bat, he stands in a batterup position, ready to take someone out. This time, I wing an acorn at his head. When the nut makes contact, he wildly swings at air. A giggle slips out. He obviously hears me, because he jerks his head towards the wooden fort. “I know where you are,” he calls softly. He shuffles across the grass and steps on something. Hopping on one foot, he hisses, “Now, I’m really getting mad.” He climbs slowly up the rickety old ladder, bat in hand. I scoot back into the opposite corner, concealed by the pitch dark. Michael sticks his head in the small door and whispers, “I hear you.” He climbs in the small room, but not before slamming his head on the door’s wooden frame. “You’re gonna be sorry you got me out here in the middle of the night.” He crawls into the tree house and crouches, still gripping the bat. I hold my breath as he stares at the corner where I’m hiding. “Who is it? I know you’re there.” I take in a deep breath. This is it. I stand up and take the crown off my head. As soon as his eyes fixate on me, it’s as if the whole world shivers, sending chills up my spine. Michael hollers and starts swinging his bat wildly. I step forward and easily grab the end of it to prevent him from bashing me. “You should stick to guitar,” I say. “You were never very good with a bat.”

166

His mouth drops open and the wooden weapon falls out of his hand. He stumbles backwards until he hits the wall. “What the... who are you?” “It’s me. Gabby.” He yells out the man-made door, as if he thinks someone is down on the ground. “What kind of sick game are you guys playing? Cut it out! This isn’t funny!” I walk toward him. “I came back to see you.” On unsteady legs, Michael backs away and falls over a low stool. When he hits the ground, he crab-crawls to the opposite wall where he remains silent, obviously paralyzed in panic. I can see his body trembling so I try to talk him through his fear. “Michael, it’s me. Gabby. I’m not going to hurt you. I’m not a figment of your crazy imagination. An apparition maybe, but not an illusion.” His breath starts to come in short gasps. “Gabby?” He buries his head in his hands and keeps repeating, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” I press a finger to my lips. “Shhh. Would you stop? This, me, it wasn’t your fault.” He shakes his head violently. “I talked you into sneaking out that night.” “Yeah, you twisted my arm all right. You know that’s not me. If I didn’t want to go, I wouldn’t have. No matter what you said.” Part of that is true and part of it isn’t. I’d do anything to see Michael, obviously. That hasn’t changed much. But, it’s what he needs to hear. “I don’t blame you.” He wipes his eyes. “You don’t have to. I blame myself.” “You did everything you could.” “Evidently not.” He looks up and stares at my glowing body. “No, this is not real. This is either a dream or I’m going freakin’ crazy.” “Impossible. You’re already nuts. Trust me, I’m real.” Michael reaches out to touch me. I pull my hand back. “Don’t.” “Why not?” I try to play it off by teasing him. “You’ll squeeze the life out of me.” His face drops. “Seriously.” “No. I’m kidding.” Michael’s perfect smile slowly spreads across his face. He grabs me in a hug.

167

“I can’t believe this. Let me see you.” He looks at me and spins me in a circle. “You look amazing.” “You mean for a dead girl? Does this mean you’re happy to see me?” “You have no idea.” Michael and I spend the next few hours catching up. I tell him all about Cirrus and try to answer all the questions he throws at me. Just as I’m about to explain things to him, an alarm goes off in my head, reminding me I only have a few hours left. I sit next to him as he lies back with one arm curled behind his head. I face him. “Listen, I need to tell you something.” “What? The secrets to life and death?” I give him a look. “Hardly.” I take in a deep breath, preparing to drop my bomb. “It’s about Angela.” He scrunches up his face. “Angela? What does she have to do with this?” I roll my eyes. “I know you two have been dating for the last couple of months.” He backs away from me. “How? You’ve been watching us?” “You could say that.” His eyes get a bit larger. “You’re freakin’ me out.” I wave him off. “It’s really no big deal. We watch everything our AMs do. At least until they go to sleep.” He rubs his temples. “I don’t know what to say to that.” I cross my arms in front of me. “It’s not like that.” He smiles. “If you say so. So, if you’ve been watching Angela and me, then you must know we’re not dating anymore. The other night at the school dance, we had a huge fight.” “I know.” He squinches up his face. “You saw that too?” “At one point, I was right next to you.” I notice he’s beginning to inch away from me. “You’re not gonna freak out on me, are you?” He buries his face in the crook of his elbow. “It’s bizarre, thinking you’ve been right here this whole time. Especially at the dance.” “BTW, thanks for the shout out. You didn’t have to do that.”

168

He dips his head forward in a half bow. “I wanted to. You deserve it. Is that why you’re here? To accept your crown?” I smirk and twist my curly hair into a bun. “You wish.” “Well spit it out then. Ghost got your tongue?” “No. But I’m scared to death.” Michael smiles and winks at me. “Same old Gabby. You haven’t changed at all.” He stares at me intently and looks a bit worried. “That’s not true, actually.” “What do you mean?” I take in a deep breath, and the wooden hut’s aroma of cedar mixed with pine fills my senses. “I’ve been assigned to protect Angela.” “You mean like a guardian angel?” “Kinda.” “Man that’s heavy. Didn’t see that coming. Isn’t that weird?” I nod. “You have no idea. The problem is… instead of watching over her, I’ve actually been… sort of… haunting her.” He furrows his caterpillar eyebrows, which some people tease him about, but I happen to adore. “You’re a ghost,” he says. “You’re supposed to haunt people. Isn’t it in your job description? So what, you moved things and flicked lights on and off?” I bite my lip. “Not exactly. Remember the day you two were going to the library and she fell?” “When she busted over that crack in the sidewalk?” “I drew the crack.” Michael doesn’t say anything. “And her onion breath? That was one of my Charms.” He runs his hands through his hair again. “What about the deadly acorns always beaming right at the center of her forehead?” I raise my hand. “Guilty as charged.” He rubs face. “Wow.” “I’ve been awful to her. Out of control as Jessica would say.”

169

He frowns. “Wait, who’s Jessica?” For a moment, I consider telling him about Jessica as his guardian. But I think it’s best not to divulge any more. After all, she watches him dance in his briefs at night in his room. Knowing he had an audience would probably force him into boxers. “Just a friend I have up there.” “Is she cute?” I dip my head. “Come on. I’m serious. I’ve been horrible. It’s unforgivable.” “Gabby, don’t beat yourself up. Those things aren’t that bad.” “I popped her Marvel-Bra at the dance.” He leans against the wall. “Seriously? You did that? Man. People are putting water balloons in her backpack, hanging towels on her locker, and giving her T-shirts that say, ‘slippery when wet.’ You’ve totally destroyed her rep at school.” “I know. I’m so sorry. I was just so mad.” “At her?” It takes me a second to answer. “Yes.” He shakes his head. “Gabby, the accident wasn’t her fault. If you want to be mad at anyone, be mad at me.” I wonder if I should tell him about Angela’s text message. No, that would probably not be very angelic of me. I came here to fix things. “I could never be mad at you,” I say. “I guess when I got assigned to Angela and saw you two dating, I just lost it.” He runs his fingers through his hair. “Doesn’t matter anymore.” “That’s why I came back. I want you to know all that stuff that drove you guys apart was really caused by me. If I hadn’t interfered, you two might be together.” He shrugs and plays with his pant leg. “Maybe.” I lean against the side of the tree house. The wood scratches my back, and I can’t help but smile at my ability to feel it. “I promise I won’t interfere anymore. Then you can find out on your own if you like her.” His eyes fix on mine. “Why the change of heart?” “I need to be happy in Cirrus, and I can’t be if I’m too busy missing you.” “I don’t follow.”

170

I bury my head and feel my cheeks burning as if a bright sun is baking my skin. “I never told you this,” I say. “But I’ve always liked you.” His eyebrows pull together. “I’d be worried if you didn’t. After all, we’ve been best friends since kindergarten.” “No, I mean I like you as more than a friend. I got mad at Angela because she knew at the match I was thinking of asking you to the dance, so she made sure she asked you first. At least, I think that’s what she did.” When I look up, his eyes are wide and his mouth is hanging open. “I thought you really wanted to go with Charlie!” I shake my head. “Angela made that up out of desperation.” I tug on my curls. “I should have asked you a long time ago.” He tries to make eye contact. “Why didn’t you?” I look up into his face and feel myself relax a bit. “I was afraid.” “Of what?” I shrug. “Of you laughing at me and thinking I was stupid. I guess I’ve learned it’s better to be embarrassed than to have regrets.” Michael just stares at me as if he has nothing to say. I try hard not to feel rejected that he doesn’t say anything back. I fill the awkward silence. “I think you should give her a chance. If it doesn’t work, you’ll know it was for the right reasons. And maybe you’ll find out you really do like her.” He shakes his head. “I think that’s impossible now.” “What do you mean?” “Because I like you.” “What?” I draw back, a bit shocked at his abrupt confession. Michael moves towards me. The low glow from my body lights his face just enough so I can see his eyes. “I always have.” “Really? Are you sure?” He steps closer. “I wouldn’t lie to an angel.” He keeps his face an inch from mine. “Now, are you going to let me kiss you this time?”

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Rule #25: A BIT may not ask an AM for help or it can change the future. The Foreman of Fate could ticket this offense.

“Kiss of death” has a completely different meaning for me now. Michael leans in and softly presses his lips against mine. Unfortunately, our teeth clink a few awkward times before we melt together. I close my eyes and kiss him back as butterflies invade my body. Then the tingles start to climb. They start down in my toes and work their way up through my legs and into my body. Then every part of me feels as if it’s been asleep. I’m all tingling and happy, and I try not to scream out in joy. I’m finally getting my first kiss. And my last. But at least it’s with Michael! Before I can pull away, Angela crawls through the doorway. I jerk back and break the connection with Michael, who is still standing with his eyes half-closed. Angela’s face drops and her eyes bulge like one of those weird marmoset monkeys. As if she finally understands what’s going on and is about to scream again. Michael cups his hand over her mouth as I slump into the corner. He keeps his voice steady and calm. “Ange, I need you to be quiet.” She mumbles under his hand, but he keeps his hold on her. “Don’t be scared,” he continues. “It’s Gabby. I’ll explain everything if you promise not to scream. Got it?” She nods. “You sure?” Angela’s eyes go to me and then back to Michael before she nods in agreement. He slowly slides his hand away. As soon as she’s free from his grasp, Angela scrambles backwards across the dirt-covered floor into the corner. A throbbing pain shoots up my limbs and a sinister voice sounds in my head. I’ve got you now. I shake my head. My hands start to go numb and Jessica’s warning floods my memory. I’m not supposed to be seen by anyone other than the Designee.

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Now, I’m in trouble. I jump to my feet as a wave of pain consumes me. My body feels like needles are poking every part of me, and I gasp in agony and start to tremble as if something is shaking me. Michael kneels next to me. “Gabby, what’s wrong?” I grab his shirt and talk through clenched teeth. “She saw me!” He looks at Angela and back at me. “Is that bad?” I nod and mumble. “Very.” Michael looks around. “What do I do?” My throat feels like it’s starting to constrict. As if it’s tightening my vocal chords. “My… pocket. Get… my SKYfone.” As Michael searches the floor for my SKYfone, Angela keeps repeating, “Oh my God. Oh my God.” Little does she know, Nephele could probably help us more right now. If she had the crown. Then Angela leans forward to inspect me like I’m a bizarre artifact in a museum. She pokes me with a stick, wondering if I’m still alive. I shout out. “Hey!” She jumps back again. “How? I mean… You’re alive?” I speak to her in a raspy tone. “It’s a long story. I promise I’ll tell you all about it later.” She mumbles. “Can’t wait.” Michael hands me my SKYfone. My hand trembles as I punch in Jessica’s code. Her fairy-sized 3D image projects out of the SKYfone and onto the floor. “Gabby! Are you okay? I can’t find Angela–she snuck out again. I turned around for one lousy minute, and she was gone.” I force out words. “She’s here.” I try to keep my hand steady so I don’t drop the phone. Michael and Angela look at each other and then at the image. He waves his hands through Jessica’s body. She wiggles. “Hey, stop. That tickles.” Then she faces me, and a worried look washes over her face. “You look like a corpse!” I can’t laugh. My breath is coming out in spurts now. “Jess, Angela saw me… she saw me!”

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Her mouth drops open as panic sets in. “OMG! Only your Designee is allowed to see you! I knew this would happen. I told you this was dangerous. What’s happening?” Michael puts his face right up to Jessica’s and shouts. “She’s in a lot of pain.” She plugs her ears. “You don’t have to yell. I’m right next to you.” Then she looks at me. “You’re in pain?” I nod. She frowns. “I told you this was dangerous!” My breathing turns raspy. “Exactly. What do I do?” Jessica paces along the floor. “This means Malum’s probably on his way. He’s coming for the Antakarana!” “I think I heard him. In my head.” “You have to get to the Path of Return now! I read that as he gets closer, you’ll be in more and more danger. The pain will get worse, and you won’t be able to move. The time you have left will get smaller if he finds you.” Jessica projects a map from her watch and points. “Michael you must get Gabby out of there. Right now! Take her here. Just outside of town, five miles due east. I’ll meet you there in… 15 minutes?” Michael nods. “Sure thing. I can drive us.” I push up to my elbows as my body aches. I feel like I’ve been dropped from the sky and onto the ground. “You don’t even have your learner’s permit yet,” I gasp. He shrugs. “How hard can it be? I’ll grab my mom’s keys.” Then he kneels in front of Angela. “Watch her for me!” She nods and crawls over next to me. “I’ll be right back,” he says. “Don’t go anywhere without me. Especially…” He points to the sky. I cough and clench in pain, trying to smile. “I don’t think I can.” He disappears down the ladder and races across the yard. I see him through the little window as he steps on something and hops on one foot all the way to the back door. Jessica’s tiny body hovers over my hand as if she’s stroking it. “I’ll do what I can. Hang tight, okay?” At this point I can only nod in agreement, and even that makes my head feel like it’s going to explode. Jessica’s hologram disappears and I’m left with Angela. Alone. We stare at each other with absolutely nothing to say.

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The initial wave of pain subsides and I sit up. Angela shuffles back across the dusty floor, still trembling and obviously still petrified. I drag myself to the side and lean against the wall. She speaks first. “So what, you’re a ghost now?” “Not really.” “An angel?” “Not exactly.” She frowns. “The devil?” I tilt my head and purse my lips in a half smile. “Very funny. Technically, I’m called a Bright.” She continues staring and nervously twists her shoestring. I can see her hands trembling. “You’re back for Mikey, aren’t you?” “Not exactly. Look, Angela, I—” She holds up her hand to stop me and takes in a deep breath as if she has a lot to say. “Gabby, I’ve said some awful things about you. I’m sure Michael’s told you. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean any of them.” She rambles on. “I mean, I was just so jealous of you and how much he cares about you. It’s always ‘Gabby this’ and ‘Gabby that.’” “Yeah. But I am dead. I think I got the short stick in all this.” I hold up my hand when she’s about to answer. “You know what? It’s okay. I have some things to say to you, too.” She examines her spilt ends. “Really?” “Yeah. I haven’t been very nice to you either.” Angela smiles a stunning, but obviously bleached smile. “Oh, Gabby. Whatever you did or said about me before… before… everything…. happened. It’s all in the past. It doesn’t matter now. I forgive you.” I clear my throat. “Thanks, but there’s more. I don’t know how to tell you this, so I’ll just come right out and say it. You’re my Mortal, and I am assigned to protect you.” She gawks at me like I’m crazy. “Come again? You? My guardian angel?” Then she starts to laugh. “Very funny.” “You have no idea how much I wish I were kidding.” I proceed to explain how I was assigned to her and go down the list of everything I’ve done to humiliate her. She sits still until I finish, and for a few minutes, she doesn’t say anything. Not a word. Then, her expression changes as it all sinks in. She glares at me and narrows her eyes.

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“You hag! You were supposed to protect me and instead, you’ve been sabotaging me?” Since I refuse to let her look down on me, I force myself to stand up in spite of the pain. “You just said you did mean stuff, too. What’s the difference?” Angela paces across the wooden planks. “I said I didn’t say nice things. And yeah, I asked Michael to the dance. I’ve never done anything to purposely hurt you. I almost broke my nose on that sidewalk.” “I’m sorry. I didn’t know I had the ability to do that,” I try to explain. “And as for the other stuff, well, I was just hurt. I missed my life, and I took it out on you. I was mad at you to begin with. You never told me why we weren’t friends. So I guess I lashed out.” “Lashed out? No, that’s when you yell or ignore someone. Not tripping and showing the school my bra!” “Look, I’m not proud of it. All right?” She shakes her head and puts her hands on her hips. “No, not all right. Saying you’re sorry doesn’t undo the damage you caused me. It doesn’t repair my relationship with Mikey.” I hang my head. “Angela, I know you’re angry and you have every right to be. But I came back to help repair the damage I’ve done.” She frowns. “You’re telling me, you came here to give him up?” I sag to the floor, weary from pain. “Yes.” “To me?” “To tell him what I did. To stop keeping you two apart. I told him. He knows it was all caused by me, not you.” A sick feeling creeps into my stomach, causing me to grit my teeth. I hold my splitting side. “Will you help me?” Angela’s eyes start to water. She leans over and puts her jacket behind my head. “There. Is that better?” “Much. Thank you.” We sit in silence until Michael pops his head in the tree house door. “Hey, I’m back. Gabby, can you come to me or do you need Angela’s help?” “I’m okay.” I crawl to the edge of the tree house. Michael moves and guides my feet as I creep down the ladder. Angela follows us, but Michael turns to her. “Ange, maybe you should go home.”

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She pouts and shakes her head insistently. “No. I can help. I want to help make sure Gabby gets back to wherever she’s going… quickly and safely.” He looks at me for my approval, and I nod that it’s okay. He puts his arm around my waist and motions to the car with his head. “Let’s go then.” Once he opens the door, I crawl into the back of his mom’s green Toyota. Angela scoots in next to me as Michael jumps into the driver’s seat. His knuckles turn white as he grips the steering wheel. He starts the car and stares out the window as the windshield wipers swoosh back and forth across the wet glass. I lean over the front seat. “You sure you can do this?” He puts the car in gear and looks at me through the rearview mirror. “Please. I’ve driven before.” “Driving my Barbie Jeep when we were six doesn’t count.” Angela laughs in the back as he starts the car. He gives her a look. “The only difference is this car doesn’t have your sparkly stickers. Besides, what’s the worst that could happen?” “You could die.” He winks at me. “Doesn’t sound so bad anymore.” Then, Michael inches out of the driveway, I try to speak through the throbbing sensation still rolling over my body. “Do you know where you’re going?” He calls over his shoulder. “Jessica told me. Look, I don’t need a backseat driver. You just worry about you.” He skids around a corner. “Who’s this Malum dude, anyway? Can I take him?” I try not to laugh because it hurts. “Not unless you can fight the devil.” He laughs at first until he sees I’m not kidding. Then a fearful look crosses his face. He nods and steps on the gas, speeding down the bumpy lane. I close my eyes and focus away from the pain, zeroing in on the white dots zipping across my eyes. In the center, a circle of light stops and floats in place. Then it slowly grows bigger, as if it’s the end of a tunnel and I’m on a train heading right for it. I focus on the bobbing orb as it consumes the blackness. Suddenly, a face pops up in the center. A face I could never forget. Malum. He laughs and spreads his enormous bat-wings behind him before reaching out to me with his clawed hands.

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“Not long now.” I feel his long fingernails clutch around my throat and squeeze.

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Rule #26: Never challenge Malum, the Ruler of Ignitus and all Evils.

I scream and shoot upright in the seat, rubbing my neck as his face slowly fades away. “Jesus!” Michael yells out and tries to look over the backseat at me. The car whips back and forth. “What happened? Nearly made me run off the road.” I rub my eyes, somewhat shaken by the image. “I’m okay. Sorry. I must have fallen asleep. ” “Well don’t. Stay awake.” He glances at Angela in the rearview mirror. “Ange, keep her up.” She cups my hand and speaks softly to me. “Relax, Gabby, we’re almost there.” I close my eyes and will the pain away. “I’m okay, really.” But I know I’m not. As Michael speeds down the road, I watch the trees blur by the window. Water rolls down the glass and smudges the already-fuzzy images, making them seem like some kind of Monet masterpiece. Angela whispers to me. “Gabby?” I speak through gritted teeth and look up at her. “Hmm?” Tears well up in her eyes. “I’m sorry about everything.” “It’s okay. Really.” One of her salty tears falls on my lip. She wipes her face with the sleeve of her sweatshirt and whispers, “No, it’s not. I should have told you about Michael and me.” She checks to see if Michael’s listening, as if she doesn’t want any witnesses. Doesn’t really matter. Who’s going to believe a dead girl anyway? “Also, you were right about the match, Gabby, I cheated. You really won, and I’m sorry I took that medal from you. Can you forgive me?” I smile up at her. “I have to. I’m an angel now. I can’t very well carry a grudge around forever and eternity. So let’s just call it even.” Angela nods. “It’s a deal.” A few seconds later, she points out the window. “Over there! There it is. Hurry, Mickey, she doesn’t look so good.”

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Michael skids into another turn, tires squealing. “Hang tight.” He leans over the steering wheel, trying to see through the fogged glass. Rain pummels his windshield. “I promise I’ll get you home safely.” I notice he says “home,” and for the first time, I realize he’s right. Cirrus is my home now. It’s the only place where I have a remote chance at any kind of happiness and a life without pain. I realize it’s time for me to move on, because I’m the one hanging on more than anyone else. Suddenly, Cirrus is exactly where I want to be. As we bump down the rugged path towards Mustang Alley, I remember what Jessica said about Malum. The sensation of fire shoots up my arm, and the pain is so intense, I can’t even muster the energy to scream out. This can only mean one thing. Malum is getting close, too close. Without warning, Michael slams on the brakes. I roll off the seat and onto the musty, damp floor. Angela covers her mouth. “Oh my gosh. Are you okay?” I search her eyes to see if she’s being sincere as Michael yanks open the car door. He grabs my hand and I scream out in pain. He looks startled. “Sorry.” “It’s okay.” I force myself to stand up. He puts my arm over his shoulder and helps me walk across the field. “What time is it?” He trudges along next to me with Angela trailing close behind. “Almost five a.m.” I’m not glowing as much as when I first Mortalized. “I think I’m almost out of time.” “You’ll make it, don’t worry.” When we get to the location, Michael gently lays me on a soft patch of grass and positions my back against a mossy-covered boulder. He stands above me in a protective stance and studies the dark clouds. “Looks like it’s about to dump on us.” I watch as a raindrop hits his upper lip and rolls into his mouth. Sadness fills me. Even though I’ve realized Cirrus is my home, I don’t know how I’m going to leave him again. Angela shivers behind him with her arms wrapped around her body. I push my feelings aside and try to help them get closer. “Michael, it looks like Angela’s getting cold,” I say. He looks into my eyes. “You okay?”

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I put on a brave face so he stops fussing over me and directs his attention to her. “Never better.” Michael stands up and pulls off his sweatshirt, exposing a white T-shirt underneath. He hands it to Angela. “Here, wear this. It’ll keep you warm.” She looks at him the same way I do. “What about you?” He holds up his arms and flexes his biceps. “I’m strong like bull.” She feels them and giggles. I don’t say anything. I just sit and watch the only guy I’ve ever liked drift away from me. Again. Resting my head against the rock, I gaze up at the cloudy sky and let the dainty droplets splash my cheeks, knowing this may be the last time I ever feel anything again. At least until I earn my wings. After all this, who knows when that will be, or if it’s even an option anymore. I close my eyes and breathe, trying not to panic. The air strokes my lungs, and I make a note of how it feels. In case I forget someday. Then a tiny light pops up in my vision again. I’m drawn to the image as if something is pulling me forward. Malum’s face fills the empty space. This time his wings are flapping behind him. His deep voice echoes in my head. I see you, Gabriella. The Antakarana wiggles on my head. I grab hold of it with two hands and pull against an invisible force. Malum smiles at me with pointed, yellow teeth. You seem stronger than the rest. That’s good. Makes this more fun, don’t you think? I shake my head and jump up to my feet, ignoring any pain or weakness my body is feeling. Angela gasps. “Gabby, look.” She points to a black mustang standing a few yards away staring at us. It doesn’t move. Just as I’m about to check it out, my SKYfone rings. I answer and watch Jessica’s face hang in the air. “Hey, you okay?” I nod. “For now. I’m sitting here watching a mustang stare me down. I wonder if it’s the same one from the field.” She blows it off. “Yeah, yeah. Just focus. Listen, I tried to open the Path of Return. But something’s happened.” “What do you mean?”

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“I don’t know. It was open and just as I was going through it, something…” I sit up. “Something what?” “Something went wrong. It closed, and it won’t open back up again. I guess it’s either locked or stuck.” My breath comes out in short gasps. “How? I’m here on time! Early even.” She scratches her forehead. “Wish I knew. Listen, don’t worry. I have a back-up plan.” “Well, it’d better be quick.” A look of concern spreads across her face, but she doesn’t answer me. She calls out directions to Michael. “Watch her until I get there and keep her warm.” He raises his eyebrows. “I’ve got a blanket in the car. I’ll be right back. Ange, watch her.” Angela winks at me. “It’ll be like I’m her guardian angel.” She smiles and then watches as he jogs off through the tall weeds. Jessica speaks to me. “I’ll be there as fast as I can.” “Hurry.” I turn my back to Angela so she can’t hear me. I cover my mouth and speak into the phone, doing my best to whisper. “Jess, I think I saw Malum.” She zooms in so close all I can see is one eye. “What do you mean?” “I don’t know if it’s real, but when I closed my eyes and was falling asleep, I think I saw Malum. Maybe I’m crazy, but it felt like he was pulling the Antakarana off my head. When I grabbed it, he disappeared.” She nods. “It’s real all right. He wants the Antakarana. It would give him Nephele’s power.” “That doesn’t make sense. Why would he want to turn into a Mortalite anyway?” She tries to keep her voice calm, but I can hear the panic in her words. “Not to turn him into one. To turn all of us into one!” I think for a moment, but my head is too fogged to put information together. “I don’t get it.” “Think. If he gets the Antakarana and can see all of us, he can Mortalize every Bright and then Alter us.” My mouth falls open as I put the pieces together. “Without Brights, he would rule over Mortals— ” Jessica finishes my thought. “And Cirrus.”

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I look up and notice the mustang has ventured a bit closer. Maybe he’s not as scared as I thought he was. I lean my head back and see the sky has become much darker than usual. Huge black clouds roll towards us at an accelerated speed. I look at Jessica on my SKYfone. “How much time do I have until the moon sets and the sun comes up?” “Not long. Why?” The SKYfone picks up some static. Little lines break up the image and Jessica begins to fade. I lean in closer. “I’m counting on the dark clouds coming from the West to keep the sun hidden until you get here. Maybe then the Path will stay open.” She speaks faster. “What do you mean?” Static breaks up our conversation. Her image comes in and out. I see her mouth moving, but can’t hear what she’s saying. “Jess? You’re breaking up. I’m losing you.” Her voice is so faint; I can only pick up every other word. “Did… say… clouds?” I watch the ceiling turn black and yell back, assuming she can’t hear me either. “I think a storm’s coming. Really thick, dark clouds are rolling in. And fast too.” A lightning bolt cracks beside me. I flatten myself on the ground. “Whoa, that was close!” Jessica fades in and out. “Gabby! Get… out…” The SKYfone cuts off in mid-sentence. (Side note: Even in heaven, we still can’t keep a stupid signal.) I shake the gadget and yell, “Can you hear me? What did you say?” Another lightning bolt splits the boulder behind me. Agony pulses through my torso. Jessica fades back in and shouts at me. “It’s MALUM!” Just as she says his name, something slams into me from behind. Hooves trample over me, and I hear Angela scream. All I can make out is a flash of black mixed with stripes of red as I tumble through the air. I crash into a boulder and slide into a patch of mud. The Antakarana flies off my head. Fuzzy dots zip across my eyes. For a second, I’m not sure what happened. I grip the jagged edges of rock next to me and pull to my feet, but my legs crumble underneath me. I’m unable to feel anything from the waist down.

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I roll over to ask Angela for help. And freeze. The mustang is standing a few yards away with puffs of steam come out of his nose. Then, in a flash, he morphs into man with long, greasy hair and a coat whipping up behind him in the wind. Malum! Malum taps the ground with his staff. A hole opens up and several creatures climb out to join him. They form a straight line behind him. Their henna-tattooed masks and torsos look much scarier in person than in the pictures. Each tattoo pattern is different. Blood-red wings stretch out behind them, and they each carry a black sword on their hips. Some other kind of creature is holding Angela by both arms. It has long, stringy hair and a scar on each cheek that resembles lightning bolts. Its eyes glow like beams of light, and its clawed hand clamps over her mouth. I can hear her whimpering. I tap the I on my watch and get a list of the Ignitus Evils that surround me. A SKYcrawler has Angela and four Slayers are guarding Malum. I muster up the nerve to stand and look into his black eyes. His mouth curves in an evil sneer and his wings fan out behind him. He bows to me, holding a staff in his hand. “Ah, Miss Gabriella. I’ve been waiting to meet you.” I’m shocked at his statement. “Me?” “Yes. Obviously, you are very special.” I try to project my voice and show no sign of weakness. “Well, I assure you the feeling is not mutual.” My eyes shift to the Slayers who slowly fan out, encircling me. They are growling and snarling, but I try to appear unafraid. Malum cackles. “Looks like you’ve seen a ghost.” I try to seem stronger than I really am; I can’t let him discover my weaknesses or I am doomed to be Altered. Angela too. “What are you doing here, Malum?” He folds his wings behind his back and playfully taps his pale cheek with a long crooked black fingernail. He cackles and claps. “Yes! I like your spunk! Oh, and to answer your question, I’m here for you, my dear.” I glance at his bodyguards still on the move. “Forgive me for not jumping up and down.” He taunts me. “Why do you seem a little surprised? You saw me coming.” “I was praying it was a nightmare.”

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He clasps his hands behind his back. “Well, we all know praying doesn’t do any good, don’t we?” “Maybe not for you.” I stand my ground as his thugs slide towards me. There’s no way I can take on Malum, especially with his henchmen all around. I’m nowhere near strong enough to face his small band of Slayers. I can’t fight them, but I do need to figure out how to save Angela. She’s caught in the middle of something way beyond her imagination. I decide to stall with the hope that Jessica shows up. Soon. Then, Michael pops in my head. I start to panic as I scan the horizon, wondering if he’s on his way back from the car, or if they already have him. Malum jumps in my head and begins searching my thoughts. I shove my concerns about Michael to the back of my mind, hoping to hide them from Malum’s invasive probe. I push back at Malum’s intrusion. “Don’t worry. I won’t hurt him if you give me what I want,” he says. I try not to react. Instead, I close my eyes and lock him out of my head. He sneers. “You are hard to read. Interesting. Much stronger than I anticipated.” I grin back. “I try.” Malum nods at the SKYcrawler. “Surely you don’t want your Mortal to die.” The SKYcrawler lifts Angela off the ground until her feet dangle beneath her. She flips out and kicks her legs, gasping for air. I look around, trying to figure out what to do. One Slayer moves behind me and gets too close. His expression darkens. “Tell me, Gabriella, where is it?” I act dumb and watch the Slayer out of the corner of my eye. “Where’s what?” Malum growls and his eyes flash from black to red and then back again. “Don’t play games with me. You cannot win this, so don’t even try.” I scoff and wince in pain. “You’re the last person I’d listen to. Besides, I don’t have the slightest idea what you’re talking about.” “Somehow I think you do.” Malum nods to the SKYcrawler again. The Evil tightens his claws around Angela’s neck. She coughs as Malum glares at me with red eyes. “The Antakarana, Ms. Gabriella. Where is it? Tell me, or your Mortal will pay a very big price.”

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Rule 27: A BIT must protect an AM from Alteration at all costs or risk eternal Banishment.

Malum and I stare at each other for a few seconds until I see him nod. The Slayer behind moves closer. When he is within range, I jump up and somersault through the air, landing on his back. He’s totally surprised and tosses me over his shoulder and onto the ground. Before he can move, I reach up and grab his sword out of his belt and face him with it straight out in front of me. He charges without hesitating, and I step back and fall over a rock. He lunges and lands on top of the sword I’m holding, but his whole body goes limp and crumbles into a pile of ashes. I brush them off and jump to my feet. Another Slayer comes at me, and we clink swords in a circle. I can see Malum standing still, watching me, as if he’s waiting to see what I’ll do. The Slayer takes his sword and hits mine. All my fencing moves come back to me, and I move into an en guarde stance, waiting for the Slayer to approach. We continue in a circle, clinking swords. His hits are much harder than Angela’s ever were, and they almost send me to the ground. But I force my sword up and fight him. Without thinking, I move through a fencing sequence. Shallow retreat, deep lunge, feint, shallow lunge, second position, deep retreat, fourth position, sixth position. This catches the Slayer off guard, and he pauses a little too long. I perform a flying lunge thrust. As soon as my sword touches his body, he dissipates into ashes. He sword falling to the ground. I face Malum with the overly large sword. My hands are shaking from the weight, but I force out a smile. I pick up the extra sword and wield them both in a circle. “Anyone else?” Malum leans his staff against his leg and claps slowly. “Bravo, Gabriella. You are talented. Wonder why you never won a match?” I grip the swords tightly. “Maybe I never had the right opponent.” “I’m honored.” He sneers as the Slayers reposition. “Now put the swords down. We both know if your Mortal dies at your expense, you’ll Alter anyway. Two for the price of one. I love a

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good bargain. Don’t you?” He paces like a caged animal. “Now, stop this foolishness and tell me where the crown is.” I glance around hoping to spot the headpiece, and I stall. “Okay, I do have it. But it’s not here. I’ll take you to it if you let her go.” Malum looks shocked, then his eyes squint into tiny slits. “Do not lie to me. The Third Eye told me you were wearing it. I saw it on your head.” “That was a while ago.” Out of the corner of my eye, I spot the top of the Antakarana peeking through the weeds. Malum follows my eyes. Just as he lunges for it, I leap into the air and snatch the crown off the ground. I spin around and hold it out in front of me as if it’s a shield. Instead of charging me, Malum takes a small step back like he’s afraid. He smiles at me and holds up his hands, motioning the Slayers to freeze. The SKYcrawler lowers Angela to the ground, but keeps his grip on her neck. Malum paces in front of Angela, who is now sobbing hysterically. “I will ask you one more time nicely, Miss Williams. Give me the Antakarana or you and your Mortal will perish.” The way Malum reacts makes me think there’s something about the Antakarana that scares him. Some reason he doesn’t simply grab the headpiece from me and Alter me in a nanosecond. After all, he has nothing to lose... Or does he? I hold the Antakarana out in front of me. “Let her go first, and then I’ll give it to you. Otherwise, I’m afraid I’ll have to use this against you. And I know you don’t want that.” Malum’s eyes widen a bit before he laughs and dances around in a circle. “Oh this is fun. You actually think you have a chance here. You really think you can negotiate with me? Fine, I’ll play along with your silly game. Like a tiger plays with his prey just before he rips through its throat.” He alters his voice to sound more high-pitched and scared. He puts up his hands in jest. “Sure, Miss Gabriella. I’ll… I’ll give you anything you want. Please don’t hurt me.” He breaks out into full-blown laughter and motions for the SKYcrawler to release Angela. His grip loosens, and she immediately starts to run towards me. My legs start to buckle, but I ignore the pain surging through my body and focus on her. I speak softly and calmly. “Angela, you can walk. You don’t have to run. He won’t do anything.”

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Angela speeds up, and Malum snarls. She freezes when she hears the sound. Tears run down her face. “G-G-Gabby? Please don’t let me die.” I talk calmly so she thinks I’m not as terrified as she is. Which of course is a total illusion. “I’m not going to let you die, Ange. Just walk towards me slowly. I promise I’ll protect you.” Angela nods and takes another step forward. “Promises. Promises you can’t keep.” Malum paces behind her. “I’m bored. If she takes any longer, I might change my mind and kill her right here.” She whimpers and starts to rush again, but I reassure her. “Angela, look at me. Whatever you do, don’t listen to him. He’s playing with you. Just focus on me. You’re fine. I’m right here.” She creeps forward and when she reaches me, she collapses at my feet, weeping. I whisper to her through my teeth, still keeping an eye on Malum and his thugs. “Angela, get up and stand behind me.” As she passes by me, I hand the extra sword to Angela. “Stay close and en guarde.” She smiles and nods. Malum shouts out. “I’ve had enough of this! Now stop jerking around and give me the Antakarana. Now!” I place the Antakarana on my head. “Why don’t you come and get it? If there’s nothing for you to be afraid of, than it shouldn’t be too hard for you and your groupies to take it.” “Suit yourself.” The next few seconds blur together. Malum snarls, the SKYcrawler howls, and the four Slayers charge. Malum launches himself into the air, holding his staff out in front of him like a sword. He shrieks and lands on the ground in front of Angela, making awful sounds. He’s growling, snarling, and hissing like some kind of rabid animal. He lunges forward and Angela tries to fight him with the Slayer’s sword. It’s the first time we’ve fought on the same side for the same thing. But this time Malum is too strong for her. She stumbles back. I muster all my energy and shove her out of the way of Malum’s fierce attack. Malum and I go head to head. My sword is against his huge staff. He towers over and slams down on me, forcing me to my knees. I hold the sword up, fending off another hit, but my arms

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are throbbing from the weight. I lunge up and swing in a crazy manner, without any moves or thoughts to sequencing. The tip of the sword catches Malum on the side of his face. I call out to Angela. “Get out of here! Now!” Angela drops the sword and sprints in the direction of the car. Malum catches her arm and yells to his other men. “Get the crown! I’ve got the girl.” I scream, “No,” and jump in front of her just as he swings his staff. Instead of stabbing her, his staff rips into my chest. I make eye contact with him as he pulls it away. Stumbling backwards, I clutch my torso. A glowing silver liquid pours from a deep wound in my chest. “Ange, run!” I scream. Malum lets her go and grabs my arms. As soon as his hands make contact, the Antakarana begins to glow on my head, causing them to burst into flames. He backs away, screaming as I collapse in a heap, watching my glowing body start to dim, like a candle losing its flicker. I try to push myself up, but my body does not obey. Helpless, paralyzed, unable to move, I’m obviously out of time. Malum shrieks at his men. “Get her!” The group of Slayers charge, and I scream, anticipating their heavy wrath. Before they get to where I’m standing, I clutch the Antakarana, refusing to let them take it off my head. If I do, all of Cirrus will perish. All because of me. A glittery light projects out of the center stone, surrounding me like some kind of force field. The Slayers crash into me and fly backwards. They slam into a large boulder and slump to the ground, stunned. Malum looks confused, as if he can’t believe what he’s seeing. His hands are still smoking, and one side of his face is bleeding black goo. He sneers at me through the protective wall of light. “Don’t worry. I’ll get you. Your Mortal will help me.” Malum bolts after her as she stumbles across the wet, slippery field. I try to get up, but my legs feel like they’ve been bolted to the earth. “Ange! Watch out!” I yell. Angela spins around and faces me. Malum lands beside her and lashes out at her, slicing one of her cheeks. She grabs her face and screams. I force my legs to move and race to protect her,

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ignoring the numbness in my body. When I reach her, I throw the Antakarana at Malum’s head. The crown slams into him, knocking him to the ground, and then returns to me like some kind of crazy turbo-boosted boomerang. He pounces to his feet and roars, showing his fangs and snake-like tongue. “I will kill all of you!” I snap back. “Then what are you waiting for? We’re all right here. Or are you afraid of what I can do?” He and his crew slink forward once again. Just then, Jessica and Michael race up behind us. I speak to her out of the corner of my mouth. “Check Angela. I’ll hold them off.” Michael drags Angela behind me as Jessica looks her over. “She’s hurt. But not bad. The scar might be permanent, though.” Jessica clutches onto my arm, and I can feel her trembling. “You know what you’re doing, right?” I mumble back. “No clue.” I hand her Angela’s sword. “You might need this though.” “Great.” The Evils fan out and surround us, but they don’t close in. I can tell they’re still wary of the crown because they keep staring at my head. “Any ideas?” I ask. She holds up her watch and presses SKY11 again. “I don’t understand. I called a while ago for backup. Where is he?” I frown at her. “Who’s he?” Suddenly, Michael points up and yells. “Look!” Above me, the blackened clouds begin to dissipate and a ray of light penetrates from a bright blue sky. Jessica bites her lip. “Don’t be mad.” Lawrence and a group of Sentries fly down a tunnel and land next to me. Lawrence is not happy. “Having fun yet?” As soon as Malum sees reinforcements, he retreats. “Not especially.” I drop my sword and feel like I’m going to pass out. He frowns but his eyes twinkle. “Good, then let’s end this nonsense.”

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He addresses the Sentries. “Make sure they’re okay.” Then he holds up his gold sword and yells at Malum. “Why don’t you pick on someone your own size?” “Ah, Lawrence,” Malum replies. “Good to see you again.” “What, you can’t even beat a BIT anymore? Losing your touch or just getting old?” Malum shows his teeth. “We both know she’s not a BIT. Don’t you know you are breaking the Code? You are not supposed to interfere with a Bright’s training.” Lawrence’s voice booms through the air. “You of all… things do not tell me about the Code or her.” Malum sneers. “This isn’t over! I’ll be back for her. She’s been marked.” The ground opens and Malum along with his ugly thugs disappears underground. I crawl over to Angela. Her face is streaked with a mixture of blood, dirt, and tears. “Gabby, are you okay?” she asks. I whisper. “Never better. You?” “I’m all right. Thanks for saving me.” I point to her cheek. “You’re hurt.” She touches her face and sees the blood on her hand. Her face turns cloud-white and she begins trembling like a petrified Chihuahua. “But I’m alive.” I try to smile. “That’s more than I can say.” Lawrence kneels next to the Sentry checking out Angela. “What took you so long?” His expression remains serious. “The Path of Return was locked from the outside. We couldn’t get to you.” The Sentry pats Angela without saying a word. He nods at Lawrence, letting him know she’s okay. Lawrence checks me out. “Gabriella, are you okay?” He uncovers my wound, and I scream out in pain. His expression changes immediately and I see a look of fear sweep over his face. He quickly motions to the other Sentry. “Take Gabriella to Nephele as fast as you can. Before it’s too late.” His voice is deep as he calls out to Jessica. “We must go. Come!” Jessica runs over and he touches the Antakarana. A barrier surrounds us and a Transport window opens behind us. Angela and Michael are on the outside. Michael pounds on the wall that separates us. “Gabby, wait!”

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I grab onto Lawrence’s robe and find the energy to whisper. “Please, let me say goodbye.” He looks into my eyes. “If you stay here any longer, you might not recover. Your time is up. The Antakarana is protecting you but not for much longer.” “I need to do this. Please.” Lawrence sighs and waves away the barrier. “You have one minute. Sixty seconds. Hurry!” He ushers the Sentries and Jessica up the tunnel and floats above me with a frown on his face, scanning the horizon. Protecting me. Michael kneels at my side and holds my hand. “Gabby. Are you okay?” “I will be.” “Do you have to go?” I cough. “You know I do. It’s not bad where I’m going. I belong there now.” He rests his head on my chest. “I’m sorry I did this to you.” I cup his neck and smell his hair for the last time. “Please forgive yourself. For me. And, remember, don’t do anything I wouldn’t do because I’ll be watching you.” “Haven help me.” I giggle and try not to writhe in pain. He wraps his arms around me and holds me tight. “I’ll miss you, Gabby.” I squeak out, “Me too. You just take care of Angela. She’s not so bad.” Before he can answer, my insides start to burn. Michael kisses my cheek, and a small ray of light rolls through my torso and warms me. Angela kneels next to me. Crying, she throws her arms around me. “Bye Gabby. Thank you for saving me.” “I’m sorry about everything. I guess I was really just mad because I never knew why we weren’t friends anymore. Now I know it was Michael.” She smiles. “Boys get us girls every time.” I try to answer her, but Lawrence shouts. “We have to go!” Just then, a flash of lightning slams the dirt nearby. A SKYcrawler pounces out of the bolt. He snatches Michael and throws him against a boulder. I hear myself scream. “No!”

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The SKYcrawler faces Lawrence. Jessica jumps back out of the tunnel and onto its back, but it whips her around until she’s thrown off. The SKYcrawler turns on her, but before it can attack, Lawrence barrels towards it with his staff. He hits the beast on top of the head. “Get them out of here!” A light wraps around me, and I feel my body lift off the ground. I claw at the protective barrier, trying to get loose because I know if I don’t help my friends, they might die. Another bolt of lightning strikes the ground next to me. The SKYmarshall I Stonewalled earlier slips out of the zigzag and lands next to me. He frowns at me before pouncing on the SKYcrawler. They begin to sword fight. Jessica runs to Michael to help him. Blood trickles down from a large wound on his forehead. Lawrence hollers to the Sentry. “Go now and do not stop! For anything! Close the Transport behind you. No matter what.” I manage to squeak out. “Lawrence! You have to protect them! Please!” He salutes me and smiles. “With my life.” His eyes turn a deep black as he turns to face the enemy. The Sentry yells “Yah!” and takes off. As we head up, I peer over the Sentry’s shoulder just in time to see the SKYcrawler bite down on the SKYmarshall’s neck. The SKYmarshall is immediately Altered and flutters away into ashes. Without waiting, Lawrence charges and they begin to wrestle. A flash of white wings and red wings flap around, as if two birds are fighting over a nest. Then, they both pull out swords and begin to duel. The stakes are high. If the SKYcrawler wins while the Transport is open, he and Malum’s crew can invade Cirrus. Lawrence and Jessica could be Altered. Michael and Angela might be killed. Lawrence must win. The future of Cirrus depends on it. My head falls back, and I watch the world around me blur. Just as we enter Cirrus, I hear Lawrence holler out in pain.

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Rule #28: Only a few Brights have been named as Starlings, an elite group destined to save Cirrus.

When I open my eyes, it takes a moment for me to realize where I am. Jessica sits next to me. She holds my hand and whispers. “Hey you.” I cringe at the burning sensation that rips through my chest, unable to answer. “How are you?” she asks. I groan. “I’m alive.” “Not really.” She winks. “You look great… considering what you’ve been through.” I close my eyes. “You would say that. It’s kinda getting old.” She laughs. “Man, you totally freaked me out back there.” “I know. Sorry.” I close my eyes and watch a speedy version of the scene replay in my head. Then I clutch her hand and try to sit up. “Michael?” She smiles at me and lays my head back on the pillow. “Don’t worry, he’s fine. Lawrence saved us.” I sigh and squeeze her hand. “And Angela?” “Except for the scar on her face, she’s fine too. Thanks to you.” I look out the window. A group of new BITs are standing at the Orientation Check-in. “What do you mean? All of this is my fault.” “Maybe. But you saved your AM from death. That’s huge.” “I didn’t have a choice.” She puts her hand on my forehead. “Yes, you did. And you chose her over everything else. Over Michael and over your own life.” “You mean ‘death.’” I wink at her. “Right.” She smiles at me and shrugs. “Well, I’m proud of you anyway.” I feel my face turn red. “Stop it, you’re embarrassing me.” Jessica hugs me. “Good.” I hug her back. “Thanks for everything you did for me.” She shrugs. “That’s what friends are for.”

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“You aren’t in trouble, are you?” Jessica looks away. “I’m suspended. Until I go before The Global Council.” I hang my head. “I’ll fix this, Jess, I promise.” She pats my shoulder. “You’d better.” I massage the middle of my chest through the nightshirt. She notices and looks concerned. “What’s wrong? Are you okay? Should I get the nurse?” “I’m fine. But, my chest is killing me. And no jokes. I don’t want to laugh right now.” We look at each other and then crack up. I press both of my hands on my chest again. “Seriously, it’s really hurting.” “Well, you had quite a blow. I can’t believe you survived a hit from Malum’s staff. I saw the whole thing. It was awful. No BIT or Bright for that matter has ever survived an attack from him. That I’ve heard of. You got lucky.” “No such thing as luck,” I say. The details come pouring back, and I picture Malum stabbing me again. “I thought we didn’t feel pain.” She shakes her head. “I guess a direct hit from Malum is in a class all its own. “Great.” My chest starts to burn. I yank open the top of my shirt and look down. Some kind of black tattoo decorates the top of my chest. It has an intricate design that shapes into a star, sort of resembling the design on the inside of the Antakarana. “What is this?” Jessica gasps and stands up. “Gabby, you’re a—” Lawrence clears his throat from the doorway and interrupts her. “That will be all, Jessica. I need to speak with Gabriella alone.” I pull my shirt closed and give her my “don’t tell anyone” eyes. “Sure thing, Lawrence.” She jumps up to make a quick exit. “See you later, Gabby. Glad you feel better.” Once she leaves, Lawrence sits in the chair next to me. His large hand covers my arm. “How are you?” “I’m good.” Then I jump into the topic I’ve really been worried about. “Did you get the Antakarana?” He nods. “Yes, but…” I clutch his arm. “But what?” “One of the stones is missing.”

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An image pops into my mind and everything comes pouring back to me. The magnitude of what I’ve done reveals itself. I shake my head. “No. That’s impossible. IT was in the crown, I saw it.” His eyebrows almost touch in the middle. “Then I take it you don’t have the stone?” “No. Why would I?” His eyes flash colors. “It must have fallen out, which can only mean one thing. Malum has it. Did you see him take it?” I shake my head. “I don’t think so. But I… I can’t really remember.” Lawrence paces the room and explodes. “I was hoping you had it. Do you realize what this means? To us! To you!” His voice grows louder and louder. “Gabriella! What in the world were you thinking?” I bow my head. “I was trying to make things right again. To put things right with Angela. I had to prove myself to Nephele.” He crosses his arms. “So to fix your mess, you thought you would steal her Antakarana? A sacred artifact? The one thing that puts us in danger with Malum? Do you realize what could have happened? Do you realize what losing that stone means? The Bright side has been compromised. You’re lucky it wasn’t the Third Eye or our existence would be over as we know it.” “I’m so sorry.” “Sorry doesn’t matter. We are now all vulnerable.” I grasp for a way to fix this mess I’ve made. “I’ll get the stone back. I promise!” He shakes his head. “Malum will never allow that. He seeks all three stones and will stop at nothing to get them. Not only have you given him extra power over us, but since you were marked by his staff, he now has the power to know where you are any time you leave Cirrus.” I bang my head against the wall. “I’m awful.” “Careless, yes. However, you showed great courage yesterday when you sacrificed yourself for your AM. That makes you a pretty great BIT.” “Thanks for saving Angela and Michael.” He sits back and crosses his arms. “Don’t forget you and Jessica.” “That too.” I smile and try to sit up, but pain shoots through my chest. I try not to cringe for fear he’ll notice.

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He gloats again. “And all of Cirrus.” I smirk. SKYagents have such big egos. “Yep. You’re a hero all right.” He hangs his head. “There were a lot of heroes today.” Something pops into my mind. The fight. The SKYcrawler and the SKYmarshall. I start to panic. “He didn’t make it, did he?” Lawrence shakes his head. “He was a good friend. He perished doing what he loved. Protecting us.” I cover my face with both hands and start to tremble. “It’s all my fault. He tried to stop me, and I Stonewalled him. I didn’t mean too. I thought he was a SKYcrawler, but even after all that, he still came back to help.” “I know, but it was his destiny. You can’t change that. Unfortunately, our destinies are all intertwined with each other. So when we make decisions, they can have a ripple effect that we may not realize until it’s too late. We’re forced to live with the consequences that go along with our decisions.” My right shoulder starts to throb again. Without thinking, I rub the marking and wince. Lawrence moves to my side and sits in a chair. “You okay? You seem to be in some pain.” I act innocent. “You mean besides being attacked by the devil, having my AM threatened, letting Michael go, and losing a sacred stone? Yeah, I’m great.” He squints his eyes. “Let me check you out.” “No, really. I’m fine.” He tilts his head. “Let me see. To be sure.” I hug myself. “I’m okay.” He sits back and stares at me with a frown on his face. I give in and show him my shoulder. A tattoo sprays across my collar bone and up my neck. Lawrence appears unphased and simply pulls on his goatee. “Hm. I suspected this ever since the Crack Down.” He folds away his wings and starts to pace. “It all makes sense now.” “Hello. I’m still in the dark. You gonna fill me in?” He plays with his beard for a bit and then clears his throat. “Even with the Antakarana, you could only have survived Malum’s attack if you were a…” “A what?”

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“A Starling.” “What’s a Starling?” Lawrence takes in a deep breath as if he’s about to launch into a long speech. “Starlings form a small, elite team of Brights destined to save Cirrus from Malum’s rule. They’re a group destined to protect Mortals from Malum’s revenge against us and our philosophy.” My head starts to spin. “Me? Elite? Impossible. Who else is on the team?” “You’ll find out in time.” “How many are there?” He thinks for a second. “Including you? Five, but you all aren’t in the same class. Each Starling is at a different stage in their training.” He stops and stares at me. “You are the fifth and final one. You complete the circle.” “This is crazy. Do I look like a Starling to you?” He walks with his hands clasped behind his back. “You were obviously chosen for a reason.” “By who?” “Doesn’t matter. You have the mark.” I close my eyes and try not to focus on my pounding headache. “This doesn’t make any sense.” “It will in time. For now, you must complete your training and step up to your responsibilities. Or else Cirrus will cease to exist.” “So, I’ll just finish my training here. I can hide out in Cirrus. Then, no one will be in danger.” He plays with a string on his robe. “I don’t think that’s an option. Covering a Mortal is an essential part of being a Bright and mandatory in Starling training. We’ll have to figure out what to do about Malum later.” “But what if I can’t be a Starling? What if I fail again?” “You won’t.” He looks at me with total confidence. “How do you know?” He doesn’t miss a beat as I grill him, like he was already prepared. “I believe in you.” I turn away from him. “I can’t really see myself as part of some elite team destined to defeat Malum and Ignitus. I mean, what if I don’t want to be a Starling?” He sucks in air and looks a bit shocked. Then he relaxes again.

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“That is your decision. But for now, the Global Council has summoned you and Jessica. It’s time for you to face the consequences of your actions. No matter what they are. I must face my mistakes as well.” “I don’t want to leave Cirrus.” He tilts his head towards me. “Really? Why?” I shrug. “I guess I have no other place to go.” Lawrence strokes my hair. “Gabriella, that’s not a reason to stay. You need to decide who you want to be.” He pulls back and looks into my eyes. “Or it will be decided for you.” Nephele motions to us. “Please step forward.” I glance at Jessica, but she keeps her eyes on the U-shaped table at the front of the large room. We both move down the white aisle. Before us sit the seven Muses, Imero, the Master of Deeds, and a few others I don’t recognize. Nephele is seated in the center. She’s wearing a powder blue dress that sparkles in the light. Her long, curly hair is wrapped into a large, thick bun and the Antakarana is resting on top of her head. I stare at the empty spot where the missing stone used to be. Now, the crown looks exactly like the image Jessica used as a decoy in the case. Weird. She waves away Lawrence, who is standing off to one side. “That is enough,” she says in a stern, sharp voice. “You are free to go.” When Lawrence walks out, he avoids my eyes. I suppose he got in trouble too. All because of me. I lower my head, feeling so ashamed. I never really thought when I took the crown that any of this would happen. Jessica warned me, but I didn’t listen. I guess I thought I could get away with it. (Side note: I was wrong. About a lot of things.) Jessica and I stop a few feet away from the table, and Nephele stands. “Jessica and Gabriella, do you know why you have been summoned today?” Jessica nods. “Yes, ma’m.” I speak up. “Goddess Nephele, Jessica was just helping me. She should not be—” Nephele’s voice rises, and she throws her hands in the air. “Silence!” Her hair billows around her, and her eyes turn a dark blue. I’m stunned at her outburst. As quickly as she loses it, Nephele regains control. “Gabriella, please refrain from sharing your excuses. Jessica is charged as your accomplice, therefore, she must face the consequences.”

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I bow, with my legs shaking underneath me. The Master of Deeds, Lilith’s dad Factum, rises to his feet. His long, scraggly hair is pulled back in a ponytail. He has on a purple cloak with gold trim. Thin spectacles rest on the tip of his nose, and his long mustache has loopty loops on the ends. “BIT170K1B23M, please step forward.” Jessica inches to the front and chews on her bottom lip as Factum reads her offenses. “Violation#1: Acted as an accomplice to illegal activity. Violation #2: Accessed classified information using a stolen ID and password.” Factum glances over at Nephele and frowns. She nods and he continues. “However…” He pauses, and I look up. Factum glares down at Jessica. “Acts of Redemption include, #1: Contacted the proper authority; #2: Protected Assigned Mortal at own expense; and #3: Never abandoned a fellow Bright.” Nephele speaks. “Jessica. I hereby demote you to be an Entomer. Jessica looks confused. “An Entomer?” “Yes. One who protects insects. You are no longer covering Mortals and are hereby sentenced to…” I close my eyes and wait for a miracle. “Protecting a house fly.” I grimace at the thought of her demotion, knowing the ridicule she’ll go through in class. Instead, as usual, Jessica focuses on the Bright side. “You mean I’m not Banished?” she exclaims. Nephele shakes her head. “Everyone makes mistakes, Jessica. You are not the first Bright to make one up here, and you won’t be the last. Your intentions were to help your friend. That is an honorable virtue we value.” “Yes, ma’am.” “Do you have any questions?” “How long will my Demotion last?” Nephele nods. “House flies generally live for fifteen to twenty-five moons, depending on their lifespan.” She recaps with a grin on her face. “So basically I just have to protect one house fly from a Mortal attack for about two weeks—until it dies of natural causes?” “Yes.” “Is it even possible? Nephele smiles. “If you’re very fast.”

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Jessica thinks for a moment. “Has anyone ever done it before?” “Sure. Why do you think Mortals can’t catch one?” Jessica smirks. “I guess I never thought about it.” Nephele plasters on a stern face. “Try not to look so happy, Jessica. It will not be easy, I promise you. You must complete this task successfully before you can be reinstated as a BIT. You will not be allowed to move to the next class or get your next assignment until then. Do you think you can do this?” Jessica nods and bows. “Yes. Thank you, Goddess Nephele, for your leniency.” “You are welcome. You were merely an accomplice to all of this and just trying to help a desperate friend. I hope you’ve learned your lesson.” Jessica bows again. “Yes, ma’am.” Nephele returns the gesture. “Good. Because not everyone is so lucky. Please step back.” Jessica falls back in line next to me. Factum’s deep voice echoes through the hallway. “BIT170K1B46M, please step forward.” Jessica keeps her eyes on the floor and whispers. “Good luck.” I slink to the stage, afraid to look up. I’m pretty sure I’m not going to get off as easy as Jessica. Demotion is bad, but being Banished is much worse. Not only is this not my first offense, but mine’s way worse than hers. Factum frowns at me and speaks to Nephele. “Do you want me to read them all?” Nephele watches my face as she answers his questions. “We don’t have time for that. Just review the more recent ones please.” I cover my face out of sheer embarrassment. Factum reads his scroll. “Violation #4: Stole treasured Antakarana.” He frowns at me. “A scared artifact.” Then he turns back to his paper. “Violation #5: Illegally Mortalized; Violation #6: Attacked a SKYmarshall; and last but not least, Violation #7: Placed Cirrus in eternal danger.” He stops and glares at me. “Do I need to repeat any of those for you?” I shake my head. “No, sir.” He removes his glasses. “That does not include every infraction. Just the big ones.” “Yes, sir.” I cross my fingers behind my back as he continues.

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“Acts of Redemption include, #1: Protecting Assigned Mortal at own expense; #2: Successfully surviving Malum’s attack; and #3: Sacrificing for a fellow Bright. For the record, the serious nature of your offenses justifies Banishment.” My hopes sink and my legs start to shake. I feel like I need to sit down or I might throw up. Banishment? To Ignitus? Nephele stops him. “That’s enough, Factum. I’ll take it from here.” He bows and sits down. She faces me. I focus in on her scar as she speaks. “Gabriella, I am very disappointed in you. Not only did you betray me, you also betrayed those around you, who love you. Your father, your SKYagent, and your best friend. Not to mention you abused your Assigned Mortal.” Her delicate wings lift her out of her chair, and she lands in front of me. “I assume you know all the repercussions of what you have done. We in Cirrus are now vulnerable to Malum. We are still protected, but with one of the stones missing, he can sense more, see more. To make things even more difficult, he has marked you, allowing him to see you when you leave Cirrus, which puts you and anyone with you at great risk.” I stand still, hanging my head. Nephele appears in front of me. “Lawrence tells me you have the markings of a Starling. May I see?” I unbutton the top of my blouse and reveal the top of the star scrawled on my collarbone. A buzz takes over the panel as they all begin whispering to each other. She smiles and holds up her hand, motioning for them to be quiet. “Well, Factum. According to the Code, we may not Banish a Starling for these offenses. Unless of course, she voluntarily declines her position on the team.” Factum glares at me. “That is correct.” Nephele strokes my hair. “If you formally accept your position as a Starling, we are required to give you a lesser sentence. Acceptance means we will teach you things, difficult things, before you may be ready to learn them.” I look up, knowing I really don’t have a choice. It’s either become a Starling or Banishment. “I accept my position as a Starling and will do my best. I’m very sorry for my actions.”

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She scans my mind for a few seconds and then says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I believe you are telling me the truth. You will begin your Starling training early, and double up on classes. As long as you remain a Starling, you may stay in Cirrus. Are you ready for your sentencing?â&#x20AC;?

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Rule #29: Sabotaging a fellow Bright is one of the worst offenses in Cirrus, and is cause for immediate Banishment.

Nephele’s voice is gentle as she hands down my punishment. “Gabriella, I hereby demote you to an Entomer and hereby sentence you to protect… cockroaches.” I whip up my head to look at her. “Ew! Gross!” She studies me. “Do you have a problem with that?” “Uh, no.” I think about how polite Jessica was as she received her punishment. “I mean. Thank you for your leniency.” She looks as if she’s about to smile, but instead maintains a stoic face. “Do you have any questions before you are dismissed?” “Does a cockroach only live a couple weeks, too? Like a house fly?” Factum plays with his curly mustache. “Actually, cockroaches can live up to a year.” My mouth falls open. “I have to cover a cockroach for a year?” Nephele returns to her seat. “Of course not. However, you must protect a whole family for thirty moons.” “Do they all live together?” “As far as I know.” “May Jessica and I at least be stationed together?” She thinks for a moment. “I do not see a problem with that. Maybe she will keep you out of trouble. If you complete this task successfully, you will be reinstated as well. That means you will be allowed to graduate from your Canary level as well as begin your Starling Training. You may step back in line.” I take a few steps back. Jessica reaches over and squeezes my hand. I whisper to her. “Does this mean we can go?” She shrugs as Nephele calls out to the Sentries in the back. “Please send in Lilith Moore?” Factum looks shocked. He stands up and shouts, “What’s the meaning of this?” Jessica and I spin around to watch Lilith making her way down the aisle with her SKYagent at her side. Her head is straight up, and she is glaring at us.

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I whisper to Jessica. “What’s she doing here?” Nephele turns to Factum. “Please read the offenses.” A scroll appears in front of Factum, and he reads it in silence first. Then his face turns beet red. “This is outrageous. Why wasn’t I informed of this?” Nephele faces him and frowns. “You have vowed to be impartial. Read the offenses aloud.” “Yes, Goddess.” Factum begins to read them aloud. “BIT170K1B01M, please step forward.” Lilith takes a few steps and then stops in front of him. He clears his throat. “Violation #10: Tampered with G.O.D. to taint the assignment for Gabriella Williams; Violation #11: Reopened Transport with the intention of framing a fellow Bright; Violation #12: Allowed Evil to cross the Cirrus border, resulting in a Bright being Altered; Violation #13: Locked the Path of Return.” He stops and sighs. “And finally, Violation #14: Sabotaged fellow Brights for personal gain. Do I need to repeat any of these for you?” Nephele looks sad. “And allowing your AM, Gabriella Williams, to die unexpectedly.” I whip my head around. Jessica grips my arm. “She must’ve been your Bright,” she whispers. “What? Then she’s the reason I’m here. She’s the reason for everything.” I feel my anger rising. Lilith sneers back at me and speaks without being asked. “Goddess, I’d like to say that…” Nephele rises off the floor, and her eyes turn to a dark blue again. She yells, “Silence!” My knees start to shake. Jessica moves closer to me, and we hold hands. I can feel her trembling too. Nephele towers over Lilith. “You have done everything in your power to hurt one of your own. You have been warned on many occasions since the very beginning. Did you think we wouldn’t find out about the things you’ve done? And all because you felt you deserved something that was not yours to begin with? How did you get your knowledge about Gabriella?” I look at Jessica out of the corner of my eye. She squeezes my hand and shrugs. None of this makes sense. To either of us. Lilith yells back at Nephele. “From my dad. Where else?” Nephele looks over at Factum. “Is that true? Did you betray my trust?”

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Factum shakes his head as Lilith steps forward to confess. “No, he didn’t tell me. I broke into his InnerNet. He didn’t even know about it.” Nephele takes a deep breath. “Factum, please wait for me in my chambers.” He bows. “Goddess, what about Lilith? What about her sentencing?” “I will take care of her.” Factum stands still, as if he does not want to leave. Nephele closes her eyes. A few seconds later, he yells out, “No! You cannot do this to me! She can do better.” “There is no other option. You know that Factum. She’s been given too many chances as it is.” Nephele nods to a couple of Sentries. “Please escort Factum out of the room and have him wait for me in my office.” The Sentries drag Factum away yelling. When he’s finally gone, Nephele faces Lilith. “Are you prepared for your sentencing?” Lilith glares at her and snaps out. “Do I have a choice?” Nephele’s eyes turn white again, and for a moment, I think she appears quite sad. She takes in a deep breath and delivers the punishment. “Lilith Moore, you are hereby Banished from Cirrus for your eternal life. You will leave immediately and descend to Ignitus.” Lilith balls her fists. “What? This is crazy! You can’t do this to me. My dad is the Master of Deeds.” Nephele shakes her head. “Not anymore.” Lilith screams out. “I will not leave!” “As much as I am saddened about this decision, Lilith, there is no other option. You’ve been called before this Global Council so many times and your most recent offenses show that you do not have a pure heart. You hold nothing but hatred for your fellow BITs. I will not tolerate hate here. I gave you many chances because of your father, but you continue to jeopardize everything we stand for. As much as this has weighed on me, I am forced to do this. You are dismissed.” Nephele nods to a couple of other Sentries standing along the aisle. “Please take Lilith to the South Tunnel and ensure her descent.” The two Sentries grab Lilith’s arms. She struggles against them. Her eyes turn red. “Nephele, no! You cannot do this!”

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Nephele places her fists on her hips. “It is ‘Goddess Nephele’ to you, and I just did. Don’t blame anyone but yourself, Lilith. You’ve had more opportunities than most to change. You made your own choices. Now you have to live with them for eternity.” The guards drag Lilith down the aisle, but just before the door closes, she yells out, “I’ll get you, Gabby Williams, if it’s the last thing I do. I will get you back for this. I hate you!” Everyone in the room gasps at her declaration just as the two doors slam shut, sending an echo through the open space. I stand next to Jessica afraid to move, afraid to speak. Nephele flies down and lands in front of us. “I wanted you to witness the offenses made against you, Gabriella. You too, Jessica. Lilith has been sabotaging Gabriella since before she even got here.” “Why? What did I ever do to her?” “Not what you did to her. Who you were to her.” Nephele leans forward. “She was your BIT and the first mistake in a long line of many was letting you Transfer.” My mouth drops open as I realize Lilith was supposed to protect me. “She let me die?” “Yes. She was not with you that night as she should have been. Sometimes one mistake kicks off a series of more serious events.” “So she messed with my assignment because she was mad?” Nephele nods. “Because she failed. But in the end, Angela was the best choice for you. Everything happens for a reason. Sometimes we just don’t know the reasons until later.” I yell out. “I knew it!” Jessica jerks her head up as if she’s thought of something. “Lilith must have locked the Path of Return so Gabby couldn’t return from being a Mortalite.” She looks back and forth between Nephele and me. “But how did she know what we were doing?” Nephele straightens her dress. “She’s been SKYtapping you. Following you, listening to your conversations. I guess she’s been using her father’s security access. And trust me, I will get to the bottom of that as well. This will not happen again.” I still don’t understand what’s going on. My head reels with questions. “But why? What did she learn in her dad’s InnerNet?” Nephele bends over and looks into my eyes. “Gabriella, Lilith found out you were the final Starling, a position she’s wanted since the day she came. That greed caused you to Transfer, and

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I think she felt if she could get you Banished or sent to Limbo, she might have a chance at it herself. Luckily, you were stronger than we all anticipated. Stronger than her.” “But… now what?” I ask. “Now you start over. Fresh. If you complete your sentence, that is.” I scan the article “Characteristics of Cockroaches” on my InnerNet. “Did you know cockroaches carry more than thirty-three diseases? No wonder they’re considered nastier than flies.” “How can you say that? Flies throw up every time they land.” I wrinkle my nose. “Gross. I can beat it though. Did you know roaches are so resilient, they can go up to three months without food and water? They can even survive on glue. That’s nasty if you think about it.” “You’re right. You win. They’re disgusting. But we’re supposed to love all creatures.” “Yeah, right. Guess I forgot to get bit by the love bug.” I perch on the kitchen counter, begging the mama cockroach to stay hidden. “This is so embarrassing. We’re the laughing stock of our class.” “Better than the Alter-native.” Jessica runs back and forth behind a fat woman chasing a fly. She yells out. “I still think you got the better deal.” “What?” I shake my head and watch as a roach slips out from under the counter. “At least you’ve only got a couple more days. I have a couple more weeks.” Jessica zips by me again, barely saving her fly from a flyswatter hit. “Yeah, but you’re not running all over the house. Your roaches aren’t nearly as fast, and they come out mostly at night. So they’re much easier to protect from Mortals. My fly likes to zip around during the day. You get to sit and wait.” I shoo the mama roach back towards a crack in the wall. “How can you say that? When I first got here, the family was like 300. I was all over the place. I even had to crawl under the fridge. Have you ever been under a fridge? Do you know what’s under there? It’s disgusting. Look at my uniform. I’ve had to get it SKYcleaned every day. Even had to recycle one.” I flick a few breadcrumbs and pick at a clump of dried sludge stuck to my pants. I look over her shoulder and point. “Uh oh.”

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She spins around. “Now what? Did he fly into the oven again?” “No, but I think I see a Venus Fly trap over there.” “Oh no!” Jessica runs over the table and inspects the plant. I try not to laugh as she faces me with her hands on her hips. “Very funny. That’s a Poinsettia.” She sticks out her tongue and then points behind me. “Gabby! Watch out!” I turn in time to see the chubby Mortal squash a roach under her thick, black nursing shoe. I slap my hand over my mouth. “Oh no! I’m dead.” “Apparently, so is he.” I jump off the counter. “Do you know what this means? It means I just failed. Nephele’s going to Banish me.” I turn away and cover my eyes. “Can you check him? I can’t bear to look.” Jessica leans over and inspects the gooey blob. She puts her hand up to her mouth in jest. “Oops, false alarm. He’s not one of yours.” She winks at me. “Seriously?” I inspect the dead bug. “That was just plain mean.” “Ah, revenge.” Jessica winces as her fly smacks into the window. She runs over and helps him back up. “What is wrong with him?” “I feel for you. He’s kinda psycho. Seems like he could stay put until a door opens?” She shrugs and plops down on the sofa. “I’ve told him a thousand times, the window is closed and the lamp bulb is very, very hot. But he doesn’t listen.” “I don’t think he can hear. Flies don’t have ears.” She scrunches up her face. “Is that true?” I sit on the floor and wait for another escapee. “Doesn’t matter, I think he’s starting to slow down. That’s a good sign, isn’t it? Means he’ll Transfer soon, and you’ll be free.” “That’s awful.” Behind me, the Mortal opens a cabinet. A few of my cockroaches scatter into the living room. I run around trying to prevent them from seeking shelter in the thirty-year-old Roach Motel, still hiding in a corner. I pick up a wiggly one and throw it under the oven. “This has got to be the most disgusting thing ever.” Jessica balances on the windowsill. “You can’t complain. You did this to us.” I stop the lady’s broom from swatting a couple of my roaches and slip them back under the floorboard. “I know, and I feel bad for getting you into this.”

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She waves me off. “Stop apologizing already. It could’ve been worse and everything happens for a reason. Have you thought about what you’re going to do?” “Do I have a choice? I have to bust my hump and finish my Bright training at the same time I start my Starling training. Talk about pressure.” “You can do it. I have faith in you. I’ll even help if you need it.” My SKYfone rings, playing Justin Timberlake’s “Dead and Gone.” I stare at it. Jessica smiles. “The new song’s a nice touch. You gonna answer it?” “It’s Jonah.” I put the phone back in my pocket. “That’s the third time he’s called today. He’s kinda bugging me.” “I think he likes you.” She shrugs. “Or, maybe he likes the way you dance.” “I doubt it.” Just then, a shadow slides by the open window. Jessica runs over and shuts the drapes. “I think she’s back.” My hands start to shake a bit. “Not surprised. She’s been watching me ever since I got here.” “Luckily, you have protection. She points to the Sentries guarding the house. It’s like you’re a star and need security from fans.” Jessica peeks through the curtains. “What’s she waiting for?” “For me to screw up. What else?” “You scared?” I peer out through the mail slot. Lilith is dressed in black and has large red wings folded behind her. Tattoos surround her eyes and cover her arms. She sneers at me and waves. Two Evils flank her. “I try not to think about it too much.” Jessica looks out again. “Man, she hates you.” “Do you blame her? I’m the reason she got in trouble, even though it wasn’t my fault. If it wasn’t for me, she wouldn’t have been Banished.” “It was her fault.” “Tell her that.” I peek out the window. Lilith spots me and flashes her jagged fangs. She reaches into her pocket and holds up something. I squint to get a better look. “What is it?” Jessica presses her nose against the window like a pig. “Holy crap! She’s got the missing stone!”

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I gasp. “She’s the one who stole it! She must have followed us down there. That’s why the Path of Return was locked from the outside.” “Wait until Nephele finds out.” I move to a different window. “You know what this means? She’s probably the one that can see me anytime she wants.” Lilith spreads her huge wings and takes off into the dark clouds. I watch her disappear into the gloomy sky. “She’s never going to stop hunting me, is she?” I say quietly. “Nope.” “Is there a Bright side?” “Nope.” I stare at the rain coming down in wet, shiny sheets. “Never thought I’d hear you say that.” “Me either.” Jessica grabs my shoulders and turns me to face her. He eyes stare into mine. Her eyebrows furrowed. “Seriously, what are you going to do?” I turn away from the window and think for a second. “I guess there’s nothing to do but pray.”

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Life after death

Lawrence sits on his desk and waves me in. “Come in, Gabriella.” I walk into his office and sit down. “I’m sorry I got you in so much trouble.” He frowns. “Me, too.” “I’ll make it up to you, yah know.” “Oh, I know. I’ll see to it.” He plays with his goatee, pulling on the end. I study his face and notice there is something that looks… happier about him. “Are you still going to be my SKYagent?” I ask. “Actually, no.” Lawrence looks out the window and then smirks, giving away his joke. “I’ve been promoted.” I jump up and run around the desk. “That’s wonderful!” He grips my hands in his huge paws. “Thanks to you.” I shake my head. “Nah. I didn’t do anything.” “Oh, you did enough.” He laughs and his white eyes twinkle in the light. “Gabriella, you did more for me than you’ll ever know.” “Well, you deserve it. You’ve worked hard.” I’m trying to be happy for him even though I’m going to miss the old buzzard. “Wait, are you going soft on me? Tell me it’s not true.” “Never.” He pulls up my InnerNet and motions me over. “I have a present for you.” I peek under his armpit and watch the blue screen. “Really? What is it? A movie. Oh, God, don’t tell me it’s Heaven Can Wait. That was one of my mom’s favorite old movies.” “No.” He shows me the frozen screen. “It’s your mother.” “What?” I stare at the image blinking, waiting to be played. “Can I watch it?” He smiles. “Lucky for you, I already got pre-approval. It’s important to follow the rules you know.” He pushes his chair back and stands up. “I’ll leave you alone. Press LIFE when you’re ready.” I jump up and hug him. “Thanks, Lawrence. For everything.” He squeezes me back. “Don’t mention it.” He whispers in my ear. “And I mean to anyone.” I smile and wave as he walks across the room. “I’ll see you soon?”

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“I’m not going anywhere. I’ll still be watching over you, so you’d better be on your best behavior.” “Always.” He closes the door behind him as he mumbles, “Yeah, right.” Once he leaves, I stare at the screen and prepare myself for what I’m about to see. My hands shake as I press LIFE. My brother Gray is standing on the street corner, holding a duffle bag, waiting. Someone calls his name. My mom walks into the frame and hugs him. She’s wearing white jeans, a blue buttondown shirt, and a cute suede coat. Her hair is pulled back from her face and held in place by the antique clip I gave her for Mother’s Day last year. She looks like the mom I always knew. The happy mom. Gray pulls her close to him. “How are you?” My mom nods and pushes a piece of hair behind her ear. “I’m good.” She gives him a faint smile, showing the color in her cheeks. “How was school?” “Hard.” “It’s not supposed to be easy.” My mom laughs and hooks her arm through his. As they walk along the quaint street in a small town somewhere, she waves to an old lady sweeping out a store doorway. The lady hands her a bouquet of multi-colored flowers. I smile. Not only because my mom appears so happy, but because for the first time in a long time, I realize I’m happy, too. For the first time I can watch them and not feel sad. I can know that they’re okay. I watch my family as they eat dinner, laughing and catching up. As they leave, my mom tugs on Gray’s arm. “I need to go in here for a second.” Gray and my mom disappear into a shop. I zoom in on the store name, Someone To Watch Over Me. An angel figurine sits in the bay window, holding watches and jewelry in both hands. I wait for several minutes until my mom walks back out into the sun. My jewelry box is in her hands. Gray looks surprised. “I thought you got rid of that old thing.” “I couldn’t bear to. So I had it fixed.” He opens the lid and Sarah McLachlan’s “Angel” floats across the winter sky. I smile, finally remembering that was the song that played before it broke.

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As I watch them walk away, arm and arm, I know someday I’ll be able to visit them again. But for now, I simply blow my mom a kiss goodbye. As the breeze tickles her neck, she freezes and looks up into the sky and smiles. I smile back. Even though I know she can’t see me, I think she finally knows I’m here. Watching over her. (Side note: Like a Guardian Angel.) Jessica and I sit up in the tree overlooking the Main Square of my smallish town. She hangs beneath me like a sloth, swaying back and forth. “Why are we here again?” she asks. “I thought you put all this behind you.” I scan the street waiting for Angela and Michael to show up for their picnic. “I am. I did. I just want to see him one last time before I get my next assignment. I assume I won’t be back.” I spot Angela and Michael walking hand-in-hand across the street. A familiar pang fills my chest, but I push it away, knowing its time for me to move on. And let them move on, too. Together. Jessica curls up in the crook of the tree trunk. “Isn’t watching them together torturous?” “Not anymore. I want him to be happy.” “Doesn’t seem fair that she gets him after all she did to you.” I watch Michael as he walks. “I made mistakes too. If she’s really that bad, he’ll find out on his own. Without me interfering.” Angela and Michael cross the street and head towards their favorite picnic bench. They giggle and cuddle as they stroll along the broken path, both dressed in jeans and heavy coats. I notice the fading scar that runs down her cheek. Hopefully the charm I put on her will work and the scar will totally disappear. Until then, I wonder what she’s telling people. (Side note: I’m pretty sure she’s not saying, the devil attacked her.) Jessica and I swing through the trees behind them. Just as we all reach the bench, it begins to snow. I climb high up in the treetop and hold out my hand. Even though I can’t feel them, the perfectly sculpted flakes collect on my palm and then melt away as if they never existed. I know how they feel.

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Michael stops and tugs on Angela’s hand. “It’s starting to snow.” He wipes the snow off her reddening nose. “Let’s go back and get some hot chocolate.” As they turn around to leave, Jessica jumps into a tree and slips on the slick bark. A branch twirls down and lands in front of them on the pavement. Michael looks up and smiles. “Looks like we’re not alone.” Angela quickly sifts through her bag. “Go on ahead. I’ll catch up.” “What are you doing?” “Finishing something I started.” Michael walks ahead as she jogs back to the blue-painted bench and lays something shiny on the wooden table. Angela whispers to the withering trees. “Thanks, Gabby.” Then she turns and catches up to Michael, who’s waiting for her at the iron gate. Jessica leans off the branch. “What is it?” I leap down to inspect the gift. It’s the USFA medal lying face down on top of the powdered snow. Cursive words have been carved on the back. I look up at Angela and smile as she walks away. Jessica goades me from above. “Well? Come on, dish. What does it say?” I read the words aloud as a sense of peace drapes over me. “Gabriella Williams. The true winner.”

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Acknowledgements First, I’d like to thank the children’s book publishing industry for loving books as much as I do. As always, I’d like to thank all the beautiful bloggers for their support. Thanks to all my writer friends and support groups who have stood by me. A very special thanks to all the Indelibles for their support and friendship. To Kristin Tubb and Jennifer Jabaley for reading this book and offering constructive feedback. To Vania for her creativity and bringing this book to life. Again. To Kimberly Derting, Megan Miranda, Katie Anderson, and Jessica Dehart, our daily chats and laughs mean everything. To Nancy, Beth, Catherine, and Amy for sharing my rants, tears, fears, and happiness throughout the years. No matter what. To my family, who has always been there for me: Fiona and Jeff for their support from over the pond. My brother, Gary, and my sister Michelle for being great friends in addition to family. My parents for always supporting me and having my back. Even when the chips were down. To the best dog in the world, Charley, for his silent friendship. To my babies, Madelyn and Gray, for always seeing the best in me. To my wonderful hubby, best friend, and soul mate, Alistair, for his ongoing and undying support. Especially all the nights he stayed up with me when I worked. Just because. And, most importantly, to all my beautiful readers, I am so grateful to you and hope my words touch your heart in some small way. Last, but certainly not least, to the Big Cheese upstairs, for showing (pushing, shoving, forcing) me on this path. If you would like to read more books by S.R. Johannes, try her teen wilderness thriller, Untraceable. The sequel to Untraceable, Uncontrollable is coming Summer 2012. You can also find her online at her Blog, Facebook, and Twitter or contact her via email.

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