7. Arabella

Chapter 7

Arabella

" F eeling any better?" Isis questions while I'm in the middle of stuffing my face full of food. She got me right as I took a large bite, so I can't answer until I finish chewing.

"I don't think she can answer you right now. She's too busy being a pig. Maybe she should sit in the pen far away from us," Stark snarks as he takes another bite of his burger.

"That's a little harsh, Stark," Harper retorts. "She had a busy morning. I'd be just as hungry as she is if I worked as hard as her. First, expending a ton of magic in our first class and then worked her ass off to fight the top fighter in our class. Yeah, I'd be exactly like her."

"Thank you, Harper," I mumble around the bite of pasta I just shoved in my mouth. Both of them are right. I am being a pig, considering I just inhaled a slice of pizza and have now moved on to the alfredo. On a normal day, I wouldn't even consider eating this much food. I would be ashamed for even eating a slice of pizza instead of going for a salad like my father expected of me. Slowly, I put the fork down and push my plate away now that I've lost my appetite. Go figure the asshole Stark would be the one who makes me lose my appetite.

"Arabella, what's wrong?" Isis questions, pushing my plate back in front of me. "You earned that food and then some. Fuck Stark and his asshole comments. Eat whatever you want."

"Thanks, Isis. I'm okay, though. I started to feel nauseous from all the food. I think I'm going to head back for a small nap before going to my next class." Getting up before they can say another word, I grab my tray and head to the door where the trash and tray collection is. I don't bother looking back to see if they are looking at me or saying something about me. Instead, I just walk out the door and go straight back to our dorm. I know I shouldn't let comments like Stark's get to me, but that's not something that just disappears overnight. The reactions are ingrained in me. My father's wants are ingrained in me.

Getting back to my room, I grab some painkillers and crash onto my bed, setting an alarm for forty-five minutes. That will give me enough time to wake up and get to my next class. As I try to get comfortable, my hand hits the journal under my pillow. I found it hidden in all my stuff this morning, but I have no idea how it got there. I have never owned something as old as the leather it is bound to and the handwriting I don't recognize. At first, I thought it was a mistake that ended up in my stuff but then I saw some words that caught my attention. Fallen, Lucifer, and Seraphim. Deciding that reading a small bit won't hurt, I get so wrapped up in it that the next thing I know it's about two in the morning, and I had read half the journal in one night. A part of me wants to read more of it, but I know if I do, then I will never sleep, and that's what my body needs right now more than anything.

Tucking the journal away for after classes, I let sleep claim me for the short time I have. Hopefully, it's enough for my small amount of healing powers to kick in. I would much prefer not to go to the clinic later today because the pain has become too much. I can already feel the bruising on my ribs forming, and it's only going to get worse. Damn my powers being broken.

"Does anyone know why the angels have laws?" the teacher questions about five minutes into the start of class.

When I walked into the class a minute before it started, I almost turned around and walked right back out. I am the only angel in the class, everyone else is a fallen. It's terrifying and overwhelming. I don't even understand why I am in this class to start with. I know Angel Law like the back of my hand. It has been shoved down my throat my whole life by my father. I guess that alone is the answer as to why I have the class. He doesn't want me to forget anything or get any ideas while I'm away from home, away from him. It's probably his way of reminding me that he controls me and that I need to fall in line with his demands.

"Because angels are control freaks?" the Fallen that kicked my ass earlier in the day jokes. Several others in the class laugh as well.

"Arabella, you just recently arrived here, and I heard you were at the top of your class. Why don't you give us the answer?" she asks, turning all the attention my way. Every set of eyes turns to look at me, more proof showing that I'm completely different from everyone else in the class.

Great. First day of class and I once again am the center of attention. I hate it so much.

"Teacher's pet," someone coughs from behind me.

"If we didn't have laws, then we would live in chaos. Infighting would be taking place, and there would be more death than peace," I answer, giving the simplest response I can. I know that isn't the exact answer that she's looking for, but I also don't want to be, as the person behind me said, a teacher's pet.

"That's a very basic overview answer," she sighs and shakes her head at me.

Yup, I knew she would be disappointed.

"The laws are there because if they weren't, Arabella is right, chaos would reign. Angels are a competitive species and believe that the stronger you are, the better angel you are. Now, the Seraphim recognizes this isn't true and created rules that would protect the weaker angels. Everyone deserves a chance at happiness," she explains, pausing.

In the second she takes a breather, questions begin from the back of the classroom, more specifically from the asshole who kicked my ass earlier today. "What about the fallen? Don't we deserve happiness as well? You all did Lucifer dirty for no reason other than you didn't like him and created him as the first fallen, destroying his life and the life of his family."

"Yeah! What about the fallen?" another student chimes in. "We didn't do anything to receive the treatment you wished upon us. Just because we have a power you deem to not be angelic-like or because we don't follow your stupid rules we are stuck being less than? Most of us continue to be punished because someone in our families, past or present, did something that you Angels didn't like. How is that fair?"

I hate that in a way I understand where he is coming from. If I wasn't my father's daughter, I'm sure the Seraphim would have found a way to kick me out for not being angel-like enough. They teach us in school that if an Angel commits a heinous crime, they are either sentenced to death or forced to become Fallen. Their families have a choice and can either follow their loved one or say goodbye and never see or speak to them again. The children born to a fallen angel are forced to become fallen themselves. They get no say and automatically take the title their parents have. When they are born their wings are even black or dark shades of gray like the fallen. It's as if they have had no chance to become an angel and prove they are different than their family, thanks to the curse the Seraphim placed on the family member who was cast out. It's wrong but that's our society. Angels are hardasses and one of the meanest races. They say it's because we are superior, and they need to maintain order. I disagree but what does a little defective angel like myself know?

"That is enough!" our teacher scolds in an extremely calm voice. "The fallen follow angel laws because they broke angel laws and needed punishment. It has nothing to do with powers. Lucifer broke the rules plain and simple. Now, get these ideals out of your head before I fail you all. Class is dismissed and don't you ever bring this up again!"

Several Fallen begin complaining as they gather their stuff and walk out. I remain quiet, gathering my books and putting them in my bag, not wanting to draw further attention to myself. It's clear the Fallen hate angels and my being an angel in their class isn't going to earn me any favors right now.

"Arabella, please stay behind. I'd like to speak with you," Seraphim Sybil states right before I leave. Turning around I grab one of the desks at the front of the room and take a seat while we wait for everyone to exit. Out of the corner of my eye, I catch several people staring at me as they pass. Whether it is because I'm an angel or because I was told to stay behind, I'm not sure. Knowing my luck it's probably both.

"Can I ask what this is about?" I inquire the second the door is shut behind everyone. I'd really like to get to the library for my work-study position and find some food because, of course, I'm still hungry.

"I wanted to let you know I spoke with your father. He wants me to ensure you get a quality education here and what is expected of you when or should you return to Aeris, which leads me to my point. Do not listen to what the fallen angels say in this class. They don't understand why our rules were created or are in place for. They need this class to understand that if they should break Angel law, they will be punished more severely than they have been."

All I can do is sit and stare at her. Before this class started I was beginning to wonder why certain laws around the fallen were created based on what I had read in the journal, and her little lecture here is making me question it even more. It's like she is trying to hide something, and I'm not sure if I'm a fan of that. I also don't approve of my father intervening in my classwork.

"Yes, Ma'am," I answer just trying to get out of the conversation a little faster.

"Good, now get out of here and remember to read the next two chapters for our next class. Good luck, Seraphim Arabella," she states, finally dismissing me.

It doesn't take long for me to run out of the classroom and get to the bottom floor where the entrance to the library is. I did not want to spend any more time than I needed to in that classroom. I thought magic class would be my worst class, but I'm starting to think Angel Law will take that spot real quickly. I'll need to watch what I say and do, and I'll need to ensure she doesn't suspect anything while I try to find more information about things the journal spoke about, including Lucifer.

"How can I help you?" a female voice asks the second I open the door to the library. I turn to my right to see who is speaking to me. Behind the desk is a petite female with light brown hair in pigtails and a big pair of glasses on her face covering her dark brown eyes. I bet with a touch of makeup and a wardrobe change she could have several guys fawning all over her.

"Hi, I'm Seraphim Arabella, and I'm here for my work-study position. I'm a little early, but I was hoping I could just get started now if possible?" My schedule said I just need to help restock books and help other students find books when needed. It will be little interaction which is perfect for me. Throughout the day I haven't seen many students working or helping in any capacity. I'm almost positive this position is reserved for certain students and my father made sure I was forced to work for my stay here. I wouldn't put it past him.

"Oh, yes, of course, they said I would be getting a helper this year," she answers excitedly, coming around the desk. "Let me give you a quick tour. My name is Sasha, and I am a Fae. The library is my favorite place and my home. I am always here so if you ever have a question just come find me and ask. I try to stay at the entrance to assist students in checking out books."

"Nice to meet you, Sasha." I hold my hand out to shake hers. "I can assist you with whatever you need. I'm excited to be here." It isn't a lie either, I am excited. I've always enjoyed being in the library surrounded by books. We can learn so much from reading and this is my chance to learn about all the other species too.

"I'm glad you're excited. Most work-study students could care less and just hide amongst the shelves while they are here. I'm pretty lax about most things. I just ask if you are going to work, please put the books back in the correct spot," Sasha explains as she leads me toward the back of the library. "There are two floors and the books are separated by species. We wanted to make it easier for students to find what they are looking for. There is no forbidden section either, all knowledge we have is available to anyone."

"Okay, that sounds easy enough. I can do other things than just putting books away if you'd like." I really wanted to stay busy to make this shift go faster. Stacking books wasn't going to take the whole hour and a half that I had to spend here.

"Today let's stick with just books. When you finish, you are more than welcome to find a table and work on some homework. For your next shift, we can add some other work, but since it's Monday, there is just a large amount of books that need to be put away." Sasha spends the next ten minutes giving me a tour of the whole library and showing me where the different book return carts are placed. To make things easier, four carts are spread out among the two floors so students and faculty don't need to come all the way to the entrance to drop books off. A fifth cart is placed inside a cabinet at the entrance that collects the books that are dropped off and marked for returns. Sasha said I didn't need to worry about those today as she would take care of them after checking them in. "Good luck, Arabella and if you need anything please don't hesitate to come find me."

"Thanks, Sasha." I smile and head to the carts on the first floor. Based on how full the carts looked when she gave me a tour, I have a feeling it might take me some time to get everything put away today. I'm hoping to have time to do some studying for Angel Law, and if I'm lucky, I can try to find some books about Lucifer and his downfall as well.

It takes me almost forty-five minutes to get all the books from the first floor put away and move on to the second. At the rate I'm going, there won't be any extra time for research like I hoped. Shoving down the annoyance I walk up the spiral staircase to the second floor. I found the staircase when putting away a book in the back corner of the library and knew it was going to be the best staircase to use if I wanted to move around without others staring. It also means I don't have to walk all the way toward the front of the library to use the main set of stairs in the center of the room.

After spending about fifteen minutes upstairs I finally get to the section of books for angels and fallen angels. It's toward the front of the library, but the section is rather large, and despite there being several windows leading into the library, the shelves still look dark. Mindlessly, I grab a stack of books from the waiting cart and begin looking for their homes. As I put them back, I look at the ones around them to see if any are of interest to check out for the week, but so far, none of them have caught my attention for what I am looking for. It was disappointing.

"Why?! Why does she have to say that the fallen don't matter? That Lucifer doesn't matter?" A male's voice breaks in anger.

His voice doesn't sound familiar, but what he said piques my curiosity. He has to be talking about the Angel Law class, and if he is upset about the Fallen then I'm betting he is a fallen himself. I know I should walk away. Eavesdropping is bad, but my feet don't want to listen to my mind.

"Ignore the dumb bitch. She's a Seraphim of course she would treat the Fallen like we are nothing. They wrote the history, they wrote the laws to fit their needs and their story. The truth doesn't fit their story," the other male explains calmly. His voice I recognize. It's the Fallen asshole who kicked my ass earlier in the day.

"I thought we were safe here," the other male groans before slamming his fist on the table. "We shouldn't be treated like this here."

"You heard Lucifer before we left to come here, the Angels will pay when the time comes and it should be soon based on the prophecy. We just need to bid our time and try to find the Angel he was talking about," Rhys explains in a whisper.

Prophecy? What the hell are they talking about? I've never heard of a prophecy about Lucifer before. The angels really are keeping things from us. I need to finish reading that journal and see if it's mentioned there. If there is something that is coming I need to know about it, not only for myself but for the people I care about.

Not wanting to intrude on their conversation anymore, I turn to get away from the area and to a different section to put books away. In my haste to get away from them, I turn too fast and bump into a table behind me knocking the chairs around and making a loud noise. Fuck. Turning my head quickly to make sure they didn't see me running away, I sprint down the next aisle and cut over to the books about wolves. I doubt the Fallen Angels will come over here looking for me. Or at least that's what I hope.