Fallen Angels

Chapter 4- The Fall

~~~Start~~~

It was lunch time before Felix even thought about what the boys had said about him, he'd heard it so many times that he'd learnt to drown it out. It was only when Jesse Diamond, Felix's best friend asked how his morning lessons had been, Felix opened up about what happened.

"What did they say to you today?" He asked.

Jesse was a year older than Felix, he was meant to have moved onto college by now, but he chose to stay an extra year in order to stay with Felix. In hindsight it had been a horrible decision, the school was infamous for getting terrible results, in particular from those crazy enough to opt to stay after sixteen. Felix had told Jesse to go off and do his own thing, but Jesse was stubborn and wouldn't listen. 'I don't need good grades' he had said 'my dad can get me a job whenever I want one, he can get one for you too, you know? You don't have to stay here. We could leave, together'. Since Jesse was in a post-sixteen course he only had to study two subjects that he got to choose, this left a lot of blanks on his timetable, blanks which he filled with discreetly causing trouble for those who dared to hurt Felix.

"Look it's nothing, I'm fine. It's not like I'm being bullied, they're the only people in the year who don't like me, and they don't like anyone... apart from themselves obviously". Jesse ran a hand through his dark hair and winked as a rather pretty girl from his year walked by.

Jesse was the coolest guy in his year, Felix never understood why he chose to hang out with someone like him when he had a choice of the whole school. Because of his age, he didn't have to wear a uniform like the rest of the school, everyday he wore black jeans, they were ripped at the knee proudly showing off his tanned skin, his plaid shirt changed colour every day, for a reason he wouldn't disclose to Felix he always wore his right sleeve noticeably lower than the left. Around his neck there rested a golden chain, on the end was some kind of charm he claimed brought him luck, a matching symbol could be found on the ring he wore on the middle finger of his left hand. Naturally, Jesse had green eyes and flaming red hair but for as long as Felix could remember, Jesse's hair had been dyed as black as the feathers of a raven, the only way anyone could know his natural hair colour is if they saw him when he had been lazy and not coloured the roots properly.

***

In Heaven, Hariel was sat at what seemed to be a desk, his head in his hands bored out of his mind. He sighed loudly, trying to get Evangelina's attention. He had been desperate for someone to talk to since he had come back from his trip to the surface, Evangelina had decided that a suitable punishment for Hariel's rule-breaking would be a maddening silence.

"Do you have to make so much noise, Hariel?" She asked once he had eventually become unbearable.

"There is nothing to do! Felix does not require any intervention and I can not risk going down to watch again, or Azrael shall have my head"

"You could do your job, read ahead a little bit, you might be needed soon. We do not need a repeat of what happened your last child, do we?"

"I have already read the next few hours, I can be sure I have not missed anything this time"

"Why can you not be like the rest of us and read days in advance to be safe?"

"Because my way works better"

***

Jesse and Felix had been in the middle of a conversation when Simon snuck up behind them.

"Hey Felix, sorry about the presentation, I guess I got mad with them and forgot to do some of my bits. Don't listen to them, ok? See ya later" He had run away so quickly after that it was hard to believe that he had ever been there at all.