Court of Command (Age of Angels #1) - Milana Jacks
Chapter One
It was August. The second month since the angels descended. Though my empty belly growled, I made no sudden moves. You never knew when an angel might land on your head. Not literally, but might as well be, because that was what happened on the eve of the Fourth of July. They fell upon the world in a shower of stars, an entire army of them.
In September, my brother was gonna start first grade. Major finally declared, junior year in college lay ahead of me. The angels’ arrival turned everything upside down. Why were they here? Nobody knew. While preserving some semblance of a normal life for my brother, my parents and I tried to figure out what was happening. In fact, I carried a copy of the Bible in my backpack. I had read it and found no answers, other than a notion that this was our doomsday, which wasn’t much news at all.
Right now, I was just trying to grab something to eat, and Dad and I decided Bel Air seemed like a place that would still have food. The wide three-story house, taking up half of Los Angeles’s richest block, appeared untouched, even deserted.
I lifted my flashlight and blinked it twice, signaling to my Dad that I was okay to move in. Between the dense ten-foot-tall hedge and the house next door, Dad flashed twice too. I climbed over the twenty-foot iron gate and found shelter behind the nearest tree inside the property, surprised the plants still thrived. Maybe the owners forgot to deactivate the sprinkler timer before fleeing their home.
Instead of looking left and right for any people, I looked up first, then around, before poking my head around the tree, twice estimating the distance to the grand double door, then sprinting across the long driveway and the lawn, lockpicks in my hand. At the door, breathless, I bent and wiped sweat off my forehead, then looked around again. No wings. No people. Not even stray animals stayed out at night. Just me, Dad, and our hungry bellies.
Before picking the lock, I tried the door. It opened. Excellent. The owners forgot the sprinklers and the door. I didn’t blame them. Forgetting to lock up was nothing compared to what I’d seen in other homes. Some people had fled LA forgetting their kids. Or maybe they never made it home to get the kids.
Inside the house, the first thing I did was scan it with the flashlight. Finding nobody, I sniffed. Rotting dead bodies reeked, and I didn’t want to stumble upon another suicide scene. Once seen, that couldn’t be unseen. This house smelled of peppermint and evergreen trees, something one would find in a forest. Strange, but again, this was Bel Air, a neighborhood I’d only seen before on TV. Maybe they left their air fresheners pumping.
I closed the massive door and sighed, leaning against it. I bet cans still lined the cupboards. I didn’t know the home’s layout, but my belly had a compass, and it directed me into the huge white kitchen with granite cupboards. I opened them. Yaaas.
Backpack on the counter, I reached up and swiped my hand over the canned goods. They toppled into my pack. In the corner, I spotted a bag of dry corn. If I didn’t have people depending on me to bring back food, I’d make this fully stocked house my permanent home.
I grabbed a pot and sprinkled oil in it, then glanced through the blinds. The street was still empty, Dad wasn’t done yet, the house seemed safe, and Nathan would appreciate already-made popcorn. In case I needed to escape something or someone, I slung the backpack over my back so at least I’d keep the food.
I poured the corn into the pot and closed the lid, then fired up the gas stove. Within a few minutes, the corn bounced and popped, the yummy white goodies dancing inside. Once the popping stopped, I took off the lid, and my mouth salivated. I grabbed a handful and shoved it into my mouth. Forgot the salt, damn it.
“Hello, mortal.”
The house lit up like a supermarket.
I screamed at the top of my lungs and spun around. Popcorn fell out of my mouth as I gaped. A massive angel, made bigger by the span of the golden wings he held erect, levitated in the foyer. His golden body radiated golden light. Wild golden hair floated about his head, giving him a visible aura. Bright golden eyes stared at me.
Seconds felt like