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BEN ANSWERS HIS DOOR without a shirt. I'm pretty sure this isn't the first time he's done that, and I'm pretty sure he's doing it on purpose. He looks good, he knows he looks good, and he wants me to see it too—but I'm in no mood for ogling a guy's body. I'm about to make the stupidest move of my afterlife career.
“Well? What did the Council decide?” Ben asks.
“It's been granted. You got the miracle.” I'm surprised by how easily the lie flies from my mouth. It's necessary, though. I don't want him to feel responsible for anything that happens afterward. It's my decision to break the rules, not his.
“Awesome!” Ben exclaims. “So... can we do it right now?”
“Any time you're ready,” I reply with a wavering smile. My happy face is faltering because it's hiding the real emotion: fear of the unknown. What happens to an Archangel who breaks the rules? I'm not even sure.
Ben manifests a plaid shirt, and I send us back to Sophie's room in the ICU. I want to get this over with as quick as I can, because I'm paranoid that someone's going to try to stop me.
“I'm sure I looked like a huge baby when I was crying my eyes out today,” Ben criticizes himself.
“Not at all.” I expand my wings, approach the bed, and lean over Sophie. There's a voice in my head that's screaming for me to change my mind, but I don't listen to it. I press a hand against Sophie's forehead, ending her long slumber, and healing her broken body.
Her eyes snap open and scan the room, but there's no one to greet her—no one visible, anyway. Ben and I wait around until the first nurse finds her awake. When she leaves to contact Sophie's parents, that's when Ben says, “Let's go.”
I ask, “Really? So soon?”
“Yeah... I don't want to be here when my parents tell her I'm dead,” Ben says. “I don't even want to see my parents, to be honest. I don't have a lot of happy memories.”
I grant Ben's request and take him back to his dorm. As soon as we get there, his arms fly around me. I should probably hug him back, but my arms hang at my sides, as stiff as a pair of uncooked noodles.
“Thank you so much, Kaylene,” Ben says. I've never heard him sound so sincere; in fact, his entire voice seems different now. It's softer. Gentler. “I don't even know what to say. I'm indebted to you forever for this.”
“You're welcome?” My reply sounds more like a question rather than an actual response to gratitude.
“You're amazing,” Ben says. “You're the most amazing person I've ever met.”
I dismiss his claim with a putter of my lips. “That can't even be close to true.”
“It is, though. I'm serious.”
“I failed you once, though. I can't be that amazing,” I argue.
Ben finally releases me from his hug and crashes on his bed. Vineet isn't here—thank goodness. This is awkward enough without him.
“I already told you... it was kinda hot when you failed me.”
“How could that possibly be hot?”
“I don't know. It's like... most girls say what I want them to say, or they say what they think I want them to say,” Ben explains.
“Oh, yeah? You're that much of a stud, huh?” I don't know if anyone uses the word stud anymore, or if it's a word from a half-century ago. I've never been good at keeping up with new lingo. Even the word lingo sounds outdated.
“I don't mean that. I just mean... the girls I knew were always nice...too nice. It gets boring after awhile. You were never too nice to me. You treated me exactly like I needed to be treated. I probably deserved to fail that mission.”
I can't wrap my head around what Ben is saying because I'm freaking out over the fact that I broke the rules. I half-expect Archangel Michael to soar through the ceiling and stick a spear in me.
“I really like you, Kaylene,” Ben says. “I know this sounds crazy, but... I wish you were my girlfriend.”
“It does sound crazy,” I agree. “I'm your instructor.”
“Yeah. For one more mission.”
His counterargument is good, but there's more than one reason why this couldn't work. “I've lived a lot longer than you,” I tell him.
“So?” Ben chuckles at my logic. “We look the same age. Besides, I've heard stories about gazillion-year-old Archangels hooking up with mortals. The age gap between you and me seems kind of normal by comparison.”
“I... lived in a different era than you,” I argue. “I'm sure we'd have nothing in common.”
“Really? I haven't felt that way so far.” Ben leans back on his elbows and adds, “It sounds like you're making up all kinds of stupid excuses. If you don't like me, just tell me you don't like me.”
“No, I do like you!” I should smack myself for letting those words fly out of my mouth. “But... like you said, there aren't any happy endings in this world. Eventually, we'd just end up disappointing each other.”
“You really believe that crap I said?” Ben rises and closes the gap between us. His hand brushes my cheek, and I know I should lean away from his touch, but I can't. I want it.
“You were pretty convincing, yeah.”
“Well... give me a chance to prove me wrong,” Ben says. “I could change your mind if you let me kiss you. Can I kiss you?”
I'm about to give him a smart ass “I dunno, can you,” reply—but I don't have a chance. Archangel Haniel appears in the room, her sword drawn and pointed at me.
“Kaylene, how dare you!” Haniel cries. “You were my most promising student. You were one mission away from becoming an Archangel! You were one of the smartest, strongest, cleverest women I've ever met... and you blew it. Why?”
I can feel my head sinking between my shoulders as I endure her lecture. I know I deserve it. I have been a fool—but Ben looks confused, and I didn't want the truth to come out like this.
“You were the last person I expected to break the rules!” Haniel continues. “I can't even begin to express my disappointment.”
“I'm... sorry,” I whisper. I know it's a lame reply, but no words could wipe this away. To be honest, I don't even regret it. Helping Ben's sister still seems more important than fulfilling a dream. I don't know if I'll feel that way tomorrow, but right now, I feel like I did the right thing.
“As unfortunate as it is, I've been ordered to strip you of your powers,” Haniel says. “That includes the ability to purge shadowlings and the ability to heal. You will be barred from Archangel Tower, and I will be taking your weapons as well. Also, you can expect your wings to disappear in a few days' time.”
I can't think of anything to say, except for, “Alright.”
“I'm glad I'm not the one who has to tell your mother about this!” Haniel exclaims. “If I am this disappointed, I can only imagine how she's going to feel!”
Why did she have to bring Amber into this? She's really not pulling any punches.
“Lastly, all of your Archangel contacts will be erased from your LightTab, unless they choose to remain,” Haniel says. “You... may still contact me, if you'd like. Disappointed as I am, I still care about you.”
Now what am I supposed to say? Thanks? Good? Nothing sounds sufficient, so I keep my mouth shut.
Haniel asks, “Do you have any questions?”
Why did you have to do this in front of Ben? That's what I want to ask, but I shake my head instead.
“Very well.” Haniel flashes a nasty look at Ben and finishes with a sigh, “I wish you well.”
In an instant, Haniel disappears from Ben's dorm—and so do I.