The Guardian Angel (The Guardians of Nine Heavens #1)

Chapter 5: Seeking Answers

Lily walked up to the door of her house, fallen into thoughts, still remembering the events happened to her in the Den of Former Hosts. She couldn't forget the vision of that black power... She weakly knocked on the door, and then slowly pushed it open. Just as she stepped in, troubled Linda and her mother leaped up:

"It's her!"

They rushed up to Lily and hugged her tightly.

"Ugh, we were so worried about you! We searched for you everywhere. Where have you been?" her mother cried out with tears in her eyes.

Lily looked up at them with a tired gaze, not even hugging them back.

"I'm sorry..."

"Ugh, you worried us sick and all you can say is 'I'm sorry'?!" Linda put her hands on her waist. "Do you even know how much we searched for you? We looked through every corner of the city! How could you be so impulsive, running off and screaming about killing yourself?! Mom and dad were worried so much and you don't even seem to care!"

"I said I'm sorry!"

"Lily! Don't talk to your big sister like that! What's with that temper?" her mother furrowed her brow now as well. 

"I just want to be left alone!" 

Lily walked off, went to her room upstairs, and slammed the door behind. Linda sighed and crossed arms:

"She was always such a difficult child..."

"It's all Archangel Michael. Why did he have to put Lilith in our family?!" the mother sighed, shaking her head. "Eh, I guess it can't be helped... It was destiny..."

"At least he is here to look after her..." Linda put a hand on her mother's shoulder to comfort her, "It will be fine..." she tried to smile and give her mother a hope. The mother beamed back and hugged her elder daughter tightly.

Lily meanwhile entered her room and instantly collapsed on her bed tiredly - everything was so irritating in this house, all this love of parents and sister as if they actually cared. In fact, probably all of them just saw her as Lilith, the darkest human soul of all... Maybe that was why her mother and father named her 'Lily', after her soul's previous name... No wonder she always hated her name. Bitter anger and anguish had gathered up in her heart, but then she looked up at the ceiling, and her frown slowly eased and disappeared - she recalled that black protective monster again. What was it, after all? With bird-like wings, it should be an angel... But why black wings? As far as she knew, all angels had pure white or even golden shimmering wings. Black and red wings belonged to vicious demons, however, those wings were never bird-like, but rather resembled those of bats' and dragons' ones. She sighed and turned around, gazing out the window at a beautiful garden of her golden mansion. 

Probably I can find some clues in our School Library?

After all, the Department of Angelic Books was already open for those who were about to graduate - the students who frequented 11th and 12th grades, and that meant she had access to that department too.

This idea stuck in her mind. She clenched her fist and stood up, but just then she caught a glimpse of herself in a mirror and widened eyes - those scars and wounds on her face caused from those boys' fists were completely gone. How could that happen so fast, without any treatment? Right after that black power emerged and vanished, her whole pain eased and lulled... Maybe she got her wounds healed even back then, and that was why her mom and sister didn't suspect anything. Did that blackness... heal her? She stroked her cheeks and eye just to get sure she wasn't hallucinating. It proved to be true - her wounds were gone. Now there was no doubt - that was definitely an angel. Why else would it heal her? Excited by such new proofs and hopes, she jumped in happiness, rushed out of her room, quickly descended the stairs, and dashed at the door. 

"Lily? Where are you going?" her mother's voice sounded from the living room.

"Um..." she quickly thought through the options of how to justify her sudden burst and brightened: "I've got to fetch my schoolbag, I forgot it!" she darted out without even looking back.

"But_" her mother was about to say she and Linda had already taken her schoolbag from her classroom while she was still gone, but just then she heard the slam of the door. She sighed: "Such an impulsive child..." she got back to knitting. 

Lily hastily ran to her school, not even feeling fatigued, so excited she was - she had finally regained the hope of finding her angel. She wouldn't give up on the search so easily anymore.