Between Four Worlds: Book 1

Chapter Three

Humans were born, made friends, and then died. If you made friendships on Earth, they were guaranteed to be fleeting and unimportant. Making friends elsewhere, however, could potentially mean life or death itself. Making enemies could result in a gruesome fate, and that was the exact thing Aaron had been trying to avoid.

Now here he was, facing another supernatural being who probably hated him enough to kill him on the spot. This was just an assumption, of course, but the angel opposite was glaring daggers.

It was safe to say that Leora was a dangerous mixture of terrified and furious.

'I don't think killing me would be a wise decision, especially since I saved your life. Wouldn't that sort of thing be frowned upon in Aynur?'

Leora remained still, her frown breaking at the edges. 'Under normal circumstances,' she confirmed, relaxing slightly.

'And this situation isn't normal enough for you?' questioned Aaron guardedly, throwing his tattered hood over his head.

'If I told my family what happened today, they might make an exception. Even so, I don't exactly want to kill you. You can calm down...' For a reason unbeknownst to Aaron, her speech randomly cut off.

'I don't care what happens with your family,' the prince complained, rubbing his sweat-covered cheeks. 'I'm outta here. If you aren't a threat, then disappear off to whichever village you came from.'

Body-heat rising at an alarming rate, Leora placed her almost-white hands on her hips and puffed out her cheeks. This feeble attempt at appearing fearsome had the opposite effect, and Aaron burst out into fits of uncontrollable laughter.

'I'm here for a reason,' Leora continued, ignoring his chuckling. 'And I won't let anybody down! So, please, let me stay here and watch over you!'

Despite the genuinely sincere request, Aaron couldn't help but feel a little freaked out. He couldn't formulate a response in time.

'Besides, I won't hurt you! My only instructions are to ensure that you don't leave Earth, and I'm sure you weren't intending to do that anyway so...'

'You're confused. I'm not staying here forever,' Aaron interrupted swiftly, barely even bothering to look at the blabbering angel.

'You're... not?'

'That's right, I'm not. And I don't expect to stay here for longer than a few months, so don't get your hopes up.'

Leora couldn't hide the disappointment from her wavering voice as she continued her hopeless speech. 'But... I can still monitor you?'

'Do what the hell you want, but don't expect my approval.'

It wasn't a victory, as such, but it definitely wasn't a defeat either. Leora proudly nodded and stood a little taller, feeling a new burst of self-importance. Now that she'd jumped a few steps, she was even closer to completing her mission. She didn't feel like saying "thank you" was necessary, so she just flashed her rival a generously warm smile.

Even he knew it was more than he deserved.

'So, anyway, I have somewhere to sleep,' Leora mumbled, fidgeting with her dress. 'But what about you? And have you figured out how to make money yet?'

'I'm not exactly wearing golden robes and jewels,' Aaron remarked stiffly, looking over his tattered grey hoodie. 'But I do have something locked up nearby which should keep me going. I expect you'll be seen as a child in this world, though, so I doubt you'll last very long.'

Leora pouted even though she knew he had a point. The innkeeper had been desperate, but she didn't look anything over thirteen (maybe even less) and getting a job was next to impossible.