TO HELL AND BACK

CHAPTER 5: INSTINCTS

"That fight was fucking epic! You fucking destroyed Xavion," Lycus said in awe, nudging Malach when he didn't receive a response. "Dude? Are you listening?"

The angel stared at the tiles on the hallway floor as they walked alongside each other. His chest still felt heavy, ridden with guilt and regret because of what had happened with Xavion. He couldn't think of a way to make it up to the demon despite how badly he wanted to. The damage had already been done. He couldn't take it back.

"It wasn't a fight, it was just a match," Malach muttered. "And Xav did fairly well too. It isn't that big of a deal."

Lycus scoffed, shaking his head. "Yeah right. You had the guy on his ass. Literally."

The angel's eyes narrowed but he refused to look at Lycus. He didn't want to give away what he was feeling. He didn't even completely understand it himself, but that didn't make it any better.

Lycus hummed to himself as the pair headed through the back doors. They were going to the park area outside of the school. It was the signature place for the popular kids to hang out at and they went practically every single day after school ended.

"What do you think he's doing right now?" the werewolf wondered aloud. "How much do you want to bet he's throwing a tantrum like a little kid? He practically looked ready to burn down the entire school after he lost the fight!" he snickered.

Malach, despite how warm-hearted and gentle his soul was handcrafted to be, desperately wanted to punch Lycus in the face. But he didn't. He couldn't.

"Hey guys!" Haven cheered as the two boys approached the picnic table all of the popular kids sat at. The sunlight felt warm on their skin, a cool breeze quickly soothing over. It was a beautiful day with the sky a vibrant blue and the green grass under their toes.

Malach forced a smile to Haven, moving toward the opposite side of the table until she reached out for his wrist. He stopped as she touched him, internally at war with himself. He knew how much she liked him but wasn't interested. Though he was too kind to be upfront about it and instead let her gently tug him toward the empty seat beside her.

"Do you want to sit next to me?" she asked shyly, batting her long lashes at him. "I could use some help with the Aerokenesis lesson. I haven't quite gotten the hang of it yet and you know about the big test next week."

Malach stiffly nodded. "Yeah, I can help," he mumbled, feeling obligated to assist. It was in his heart to sacrifice his needs for others and do whatever possible to bring peace.

"So I was thinking—"

Haven's voice was cut off by the fire alarm suddenly blasting through the halls. They were already outside but the sound was so loud it still made their ears ring.

"There's a fire?" Lycus said with his brows raised as a crowd of students rushed out of the building. "That's never happened before. What could've possibly started a fire?"

"Probably some kids experimenting in the lab," Haven shrugged. "Or maybe a group of demons did it. I wouldn't be surprised. You know how those creatures can be," she said with a hint of disgust lingering in her voice.

Malach ignored the two as they talked. He couldn't stop his eyes from searching for Xavion in the cluster of students. He couldn't even find Xavion's friends he was always with, Cyfrin and Zisa. His heart rate sped up as he wondered where the demon could be. Surely he could've been on the opposite side of the school, but Malach's gut knew something was off.