Chapter 6: Ian

Written by: Tangie Hanigan

    Angel left to go look for my sister, I wanted to go look too, but I knew that was a bad idea. I walked around the living room. It was horrible. I just hope my sister was okay…
    "Ian!"
    My sister’s voice interrupted my thoughts, and I dropped the book I had in my hand, running to the front door. "Cloe?"
    There she was, Cloe Stewart, scrambling around the corner of the house. As soon as she saw me, she extended her arms and lifted me into a hug.
    "Oh God, Ian, today has been just horrible!" She cried, sobbing into my hair. "First the school calls and tells me that everyone's been evacuated, and when I get there to pick you up, they said you were nowhere to be found!"
    "Cloe, please," I gasped. "I can't breathe."
    "And then I get here, and there's some strange man in the house, asking about where you are..."
    "Strange man?" Asked Angel, who had just come around the corner of the house. "Ms. Stewart, what did he look like?"
    My sister released me from her death grip and turned to Angel, wiping her eyes dry. "Well, he was tall, and had red hair and purple eyes..."
    "That's Silus!" Chris said as he ran up behind. "Ma'am, what happened? What did he say?"
    "Chris, please," said Angel, holding up a hand to hush him up. "Ms. Stewart-"
    "Cloe, please."
    "Right, Cloe, can you please explain to us what happened? From beginning to end?"
    "Well," Cloe started, leading us back into the living room. "After the school called to tell me that the students and teachers had evacuated �" and that they wanted parents to come get their kids �" I got back after they told me that Ian wasn't there. I walked in here to find my phone to call him. But, there was this man in here! I asked him, 'How did you get in here? Who are you?' He had said he was looking for Ian. I asked him why, and told him that he wasn't here. He started muttering something about some plan, and tore the place up! While his back was turned, I slipped out the door and hid in the shed."
    I looked at Angel, who seemed to be having some silent conversation with Chris and Lexi. "You're right," he muttered out loud before turning to my mother. "Cloe, if you don't mind, we'd like to take you and your brother somewhere safe," he said as he stood up. "We've already contacted our boss, and he said it would probably be best if you came with us."
    "Wait, you want to take my sister to the Academy?" I asked, also standing.
    "She would be safe there, nothing evil can enter those walls," said Chris.
    "I think it would be a good idea, Ian," my mom said. "I don't feel safe in this house after what happened earlier."
    I nodded and agreed, but for someone reason, it didn't feel right to bring my mother to the Academy. I kinda liked the idea of having something Angel and I shared; something we didn't really have when we were together.
    "Alright then," said Angel, clapping his hands together. "Well, pack your things Stewart's we'll meet you outside."
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    "Is this the same Angel you dated last year?" My sister asked me when I walked into her room to help her with her suitcase.
    "Yeah," I answered, looking at her skeptically. "Why?"
    "I'm just wondering," she said with a shrug as she zipped up her suitcase. "He seems like a nice boy, and cute, too."
    "Ok, yeah, we're not having this conversation right now." I grabbed her suitcase, and picked mine up that was sitting in the doorway of her room.
    Outside, we met up with the group. Chris was looking at a spot on the ground, his face scrunched up in concentration.
    "I think I see the start of it," Lexi said, pointing at the spot.
    "Lexi, don't bother him," said Angel, also staring at the spot. "Chris, keep your focus." He looked up at me and smiled. "Ready than?"
    I nodded. He did as well, and then looked back at the spot on the ground. After a few seconds, I saw Angel concentrate on the ground, and in the same spot, a manhole cover appeared.
    "I did it!" Chris shouted in triumph, holding his arms above his head in a victory cheer. I looked at Angel, eyebrows raised. He winked at me and put a finger to his gorgeous lips, and I had to look away before anyone saw me blush.
    After Lexi, my mother and Chris made it down the ladder to the Academy, Angel told me, "If we had waited for Chris to conjure up that entrance, we would have been here all night."
    I laughed and climbed down the ladder, hearing my sister exclaim, "I don't remember this manhole being here before..."
At the bottom of the ladder, we parted ways temporarily; Chris and Lexi took Cloe to see Jack and explain what happened, and Angel took me on a tour of the Academy.
    "We'll stop by the housing halls first, so I can show you your room and you can put your stuff away," he said, leading me down the halls.
    "You guys actually live here?" I asked him, taking large steps to catch up with him. It was unbelievably beautiful.
    "Not all of us. The kids who were sent here by their parents can go home whenever they want to, but the orphans, like me, have permanent rooms here in the Academy."
I nodded in understanding, observing him as we walked. "How long have you been doing this?"
    His pace slowed a bit, as if he were caught off guard by the question. It was a while before he answered me. "My parents were demon hunters as well, trained at the British Academy. They retired and moved to America when I was three, almost four. Shortly after my fourth birthday, Silus killed them, and would've killed me if it wasn't for Jack. He brought me, and raised me himself."
    We stopped at a door, which Angel opened for me and gestured for me to go inside. "From then on I was trained to fight, and use magick. At age ten, I was hunting the lower demons myself, like Hunters. Since then, I've been fought stronger demons, even saved the world a few times."
    "I'm sorry," I offered sympathetically, staring at him. I couldn't believe I didn't know this about him; even after all we had been through.
    Angel smiled and shrugged. "No reason to be sorry, it can't be helped, now." He spread his arms wide. "What do you think of your room?"
    I dropped my suitcase on the floor and looked around. Posters of my favorite bands were pinned to my wall, my stereo from my home and all my CDs lay on the dresser, which was full of my own clothes. Even the bed had the sheets from my own room on it. I looked at Angel in disbelief.
    "How-?" Was all I could say.
    "Another example of the Academy's magick. Each bedroom dons the whatever appearance its resident might think it's like," He said, wiggling his eyebrows. "Pretty nifty, eh?