Sho'el Keepers

Abi has never known the life of the shadows growing up in a mundane human world but when her father dies tragically and her life haunts her she turns to her Raphiam family for forgiveness and help.

CHAPTER ONE

I hit the mat again with a hard thump! The wind rushes put of my body leaving me wheezing, my entire body aches with the last two hours of training. I lay where Jax my training partner for the day, has thrown me down. I lay there hoping that they will call it quits for the day so I can peel my sticky clothes off and nurse my body under the warm water from the showers in the change room. No such luck today, a gruff voice barks from across the room "Again!". 

Sighing I get up with thoughts of a shower still teasing the edge of my consciousness, I walk back over to the chalk white circle marked on the floor. Jax is already in the ring patiently waiting to kick my a*s again. He's more skilled, stronger, bigger, and faster then me. As he should be since he's been training since he was four and is known as one of the best among the council. I have no chance in hell in beating him considering I've only been training just a few short months. I know that's not the point of us being here for me to win that is, they just want me to be prepared to deal with any enemy that comes my way. 

Jax has a light glistening of sweat over his torso, but there are no other signs of our last few hours of activity, I on the other hand am drenched in sweat, my clothes are sticking to me, my hair is messed and falling into my face. I can also feel the bruises stretching over my skin from the afternoon of getting my a*s handed to me. I step into the ring for hopefully the last time today and we begin to circle each other, sizing each other up, contemplating what the other is going to do. "Defense Abi! Not Offense!" Gabe, my trainer yells outside the circle at me. I roll my shoulder and step forward towards my target. Jax switched his stance preparing to block any hit I might attempt to make. 

I get close and mock a punch for his face but swing my foot to knock his feet out from under him. He dodges my punch, but i catch one of his legs he doesn't fall but looses balance. Seeing my opportunity I push him over. I know total girl thing to do. Copying his earlier moves I poise myself on top of him trying to pin his arms. Realizing I need more weight I slide my body up and use my knees to pin his arms. Putting us at an awkward position with my crotch practically in his face. I blush at the closeness, but he doesn't seem to notice.  He's to zoned into the match it's like he blocks everything else out, I wish I was like that, cold, focused, skilled.....His legs swing up wrapping around me and flipping me onto my back. In seconds he has me pinned again. When Gabe calls the match in Jaxs favor, he removes himself and makes room for Gabe ''Abi when you're in a fight your going to need to focus and stop getting lost in your head''. 

''I'm trying but I'm not used to having to do that, while focusing on the task at hand and making sure I don't loose my head''. I frown at Gabe.

''Alright kid, shower up and we'll get back at it tomorrow.'' 

I smile in relief and rush to grab my stuff and get into the showers to nurse my body under hot cascading water. Walking into the change room I peel my top off, it's heavy with sweat and smells like an a*s kicking. Throwing it on the bench I make my way to the stales when I bump into solid muscle. I'm about to apologize for my clumsiness when I notice it's a guy, in the girls change room. He is only covered by a small white towel I blush brilliant red and this seems to amuse him immensely. 

''Hey newbie!'' He smirks.

I nod in response trying to sneak past him when out comes a blonde barbie from the same stall he was in only she isn't in a towel. Oh god! Did I interrupt that I look at the floor under the girls glare. I quickly shuffle to a stall turning on the taps to drown out her snarky laugh obviously at my expense. I sink to the floor completely disgusted with the thought of people hooking up in the girls showers and not even having the decency to be embarrassed about. My thoughts flick back to the sight of the guy in the towel, he had tanned skin, stretched over taunt toned muscle, but it was also marred with scars and tattoos. He had tawny blonde brown hair, that was longer with a wave to it. His eyes were a sky blue surrounded by thick lashes my heart picks up thinking about him. Only to plummet thinking about her, pale blonde hair, brown eyes, short and skinny perfect body.

Shaking my head I pull my clothes off and step under the hot water the steam fills my shower in no time and the heat works the kinks and knots out of my back. I wash my long brown hair out and scrub the sweat from my sun kissed skin trying to pay little attention to the scars, they aren't battle scars but scars from the past. Turning the water off I dry off throwing on a pair of jeans and a sweater before heading back to my dorm. 

You'd think the council would want to keep girls on one floor and boys on another but no. The floors are divided up based on age and since my floor is 16 years old to 20 years old, meaning there is always drama and scandals, girls screaming at each other and guys brawling in the rec room. I try to keep to myself I try to be nice to every body and not to make enemies. We all have our own rooms but that doesn't stop girls from having slumber parties and 'other' sleep overs. I pass the rec hall where I see the girl from the showers I duck my head and try to move a little faster but it,s no use.'' Hey pepping tom, whatever you think you saw keep it to yourself or I will end you.''

I shake my head '' I didn't see anything''.

''Good stick to that story''. She is speaking quietly not to be over heard but her voice still lets the threat ring clear.

I nod, before hurrying down the rest of the hall, unlocking my door and throwing myself behind it. I`ve been here a few months but I still hide from the other people, haunted by my past. I don't trust anyone and I want to be able to defend myself against anyone and anything hence why I finally signed up to my birth right. I have the rephiam blood in my genes although my family left this life ages ago, but when my dad dies my life fell apart and this was the only thing that i could think of to bring meaning back into my life.

Raphiam are ancient legends often thought of as giants and the off spring of people and angels. Which is almost the truth. We are taller, stronger and larger than the average human, not where humans would call the cops and scream giants but enough that we get stares especially if we are out in large groups. It wasn't angels that slept with human women but fallen angels who did. Angels who had their wings ripped off and thrown down to earth to roam for all of eternity. Instead of killing all of us the archangels gave us a job of guarding the netherworld or as we call it Sheol. We are to keep all the lost, tormented and twisted souls in and if anything escapes from the netherworld realm we are to track it and mediate or terminate the situation before it gets out of hand. 

The four greats are our council they lead and rule us there us Micheal, Gabriel, Raphael and Aurelia the oldest of our kind. We don't age like most people, our time runs slower and there for spend more time on there earthly realm. But we also have a habit of dying young especially those of us who choose to live on a battlefield. There are constant wars going on in the world that people are unaware of. It is a common mistake that we are here to protect the people of the world. We aren't a threat to them but we do not medal in their trivial lives or so the elders teach us. Most of the Rephiam who are here have been from a very young age and this is the only life they know, then there are few who like my family that leave the Raphiam to live among the humans. Then there is me the only one to come running back groveling on my knees to be forgiven. I was granted pardon under one condition I sign my life away to a battle field, I will never move up in rank. To some, mostly the young men this a dream job to me its a punishment with a death sentence on the end.  

My eyes start to burn tiredness, before long I`m passed out dreaming of battlefields and the dead demons in my wake. 

Author's Note

Any and all comments or feedback is welcome, I hope to continue on with this story and see where it goes. please share any ideas you have. Thank you and enjoy:)

Reviews

[Katherine P. Haley]

This is really good! The imagery is wonderful and you did a really great job at characterizing Abi. I noticed a few grammatical errors (like missing commas here and there) and also in the 13th paragraph it should be "When my dad died" instead of "dies." The story was good in the beginning but then near the end when you revealed the thing about Abi having Raphiam blood in her it got really interesting! I want more!