The Unknown // Colby Brock

~~ Chapter Sixteen ~~

          I jumped when a loud bang throughout the entire castle. It shook the walls and boiled my blood. What could have possibly gone wrong this time? Heaven was nowhere near as peaceful as it had seemed down on Earth, and living in it was a real eye-opener. Nearly every day, there was something going on. For example, the demons coming to the town or a group of people getting randomly hurt or lost. All sorts of things. It was more peaceful in hell where people screamed constantly.

My curiosity, as usual, got the best of me as I rushed from my room to find out what was going on. When I reached the throne room, I found Sam and Katrina alike rushing around the room giving instructions as if it was the most important thing they'd ever done in their life. I kind of just watched in amusement from afar, glad that I didn't have to be a part of it when, suddenly, Katrina's head snapped to me. I felt my body tense as she rushed away from the angel she was talking to to get to me.

"Arianna, I want you to do something for me." She grabbed my arm, dragging me from the throne room before I could even catch a glimpse of God sitting angrily on his throne. "There are some people in the town who are really scared and I want you to go down and calm them... if it's not too much to ask?"

"Why me?" I questioned with a frown on my face.

"Because they've seen you with me before and I don't know... I feel like they'd trust you more than one of the angel guards."

"Doubtful," I snorted.

"Just, please? I really don't want those people to be scared and I think you could really help them."

I stared at her for a moment. How had she ever survived in hell? Better question, how had her good intentions survived? She seemed to carry no signs of hell whatsoever, which made me think that maybe the people didn't know their future queen was supposedly a bad person - enough that she got sent to hell in the first place, at least.

But then, her judgememt was clearly not as good as it was cracked up to be, because I wasn't one for good intentions and she couldn't see that. If she sent me down to calm people in the town, then I would only make them worse. Knowing me, I'd say something really dumb and have them realise just who I was.

"What's even going on?" I questioned, glancing at the angel guard who had rushed passed us to get to the throne room. Something big was happening; something important.

"Um... you don't need to worry-"

"I'm not worrying, I'm curious."

"Just... it doesn't matter. Please just go down to the town and help the people out for me. I have my hands full."

"I'm sorry, Katrina" — I wasn't really — "but I'm not going down unless I know what I'm calming them about."

Katrina groaned as she pushed me against a wall without using... well, anything. Her hands were glowing blue as were her eyes as she stared me down angrily. My mouth opened and closed again. No matter how much I forced myself against her abilities, I just couldn't move. She had me stuck.

"You don't make demands, Arianna. I am going to be queen here as soon as Colby gets his shit together. You aren't going to be anything even close to that important, so when I ask you nicely to do something; when I practically beg you to do something, I expect you to do it. Got that?"

I was gobsmacked. The mild-mannered Katrina had not only swore at me, but belittled me and bossed me around. Maybe she was right; maybe I wouldn't become anyone, but that didn't stop me from becoming very quickly very angry.

I ended up staying still until the blue energy around her hands disappeared. She gave me a huge glare as she stormed away back to the throne room, stomping as hard as she could to make her point. I was left staring after her for a moment, confused as to what to do. And then I thought over what she had said. I would be nothing. She didn't deserve any ounce of kindness I had in my bones. So I forgot about her altogether as I followed her into the throne room.