You Fill My Sails With Your Wasted Breath

Spying was a total bust. My father and I ended up disagreeing that morning and my mother found the solution in taking me, Katie and Joshua to the mall where we bought school clothes and stuffs.

I didn't want that! I wanted to find the stupid angel and make him squeal! I wanted to get that boy to tell me why he was here. Joshua and Katie were easily enjoying the day of not doing illegal things but it ate me inside. I needed to know. And where in the hell was Nathanael? He said he'd find me! It's not hard to find me! Damn it all to hell…..

"Ariella," Joshua said as he held up a black pair of underwear. "Why am I in this section of the mall? With three females?" He asked as he threw the underwear down. I laughed a little and shrugged.

"Because we're charming?" My mother, Katie and I came together and offered him our best smiles, to which he rolled his eyes.

"Right," he said. "That's exactly why I'm here."

"Ariella," my mother said. "Go to that music store. I'll grab you so--"

"Just go grab me jeans and a few t-shirts." I said quickly. "Let's go guys. I suddenly found the need to search for music…" I said as I started away from my mother with pink cheeks. Katie and Joshua offered their goodbye's to my mother before we all left the rather uncomfortable situation.

Our mall seriously had to be one of the seven wonders of the world. It was as tall as an ancient pyramid and it had more stores than any mall should. The floors were lined with designer blue rug and large pillars were much like the ancient ones back in Greece and Rome. The mall was larger than anything anyone had ever seen and it was great because one could get lost in it. And believe me, we wanted to get lost. We were so ready to be away from my mother but none of us were very happy with the multitude of girls in short shorts and tank tops that walked through the mall and showed off their giant boobs. Well, maybe Joshua was but Katie and I were certainly making the best of an awful situation.

"Oh my god, like, I'm pretty sure I have to order a special bra from that place where they speak that g-language. You know what I mean right?" She asked me. I laughed a little and shook my head.

"You mean China? Where we get most of our stuff?"

"That's the one where they like, have small boobs right? Cause they'd totally be jealous of my boobs."

"Oh yeah, cause your boobs are great."

"I know right?" Katie pulled her shirt down a little and I quickly tried to stop her.

"Katie!" I said laughing, making her chuckle too.

"What? I'm trying to fit in!" Katie said as she pouted. I glanced at Joshua and he was hiding his red face behind his hair. I laughed and nudged Katie's arm, making her pout in his direction. "Joshy having a hard time dealing with girlies talking about their boobs?" Katie asked.

"He's just jealous cause he doesn't have any like ours." I replied as I grabbed my own breasts. Katie and I held ours while turning around to look at Joshua. He looked away and walked passed us.

"Please stop that. I'd rather not watch you guys get thrown out for public indecency." He said. Katie and I laughed after following after him.

"Joshua, are you embarrassed by us?" I asked him. He turned to look at me and something in those blue-green eyes made me think he was the exact opposite of embarrassed.

"Not a bit." He replied, his answer so confident. Yeah….complete opposite. I put my hand on his shoulder though and he glanced my way. "Can I help you?" He asked, making me smile and shake my head.

"Never mind." I said as I let my hand drop and put it in my pockets.

"Ariella, can we go check out some shirts? I want to get something nice for tomorrow." I nodded and Joshua and I followed after her. She headed towards Macy's and Joshua gave a long winded sigh.

"You sound so excited to go shopping with us Joshua."

"I'm waiting until it's my turn to get to pick where we're going." He said as he shook his head. "I'm going to bring you somewhere and you are going to enjoy doing that with me as I am doing this with you." I smiled brightly and out of the corner of my eye, I saw someone I thought was someone I knew but it must have been someone else. "What?" Joshua asked as he looked at me. I shook my head and smiled at him.

"Nothing. I just….thought I saw something." Joshua nodded and pet my head gently.

"You idiot. Keep your eyes ahead. You need to watch for all those baby carriages." He and I looked at the convoy of baby carriages that happened to be walking down the path and I smiled at the small, wide-eyed babies before turning towards the store that Katie wanted.

"Ariella." Someone's thick accent caught my attention while their hand gripped my arm. I suddenly got a shiver so bad I could feel it all the way to my toes. I pulled my arm away from the hand that held it.

"Nathanael?" I asked softly, my eyes searching the boy's face. He had short blond hair and pale blue eyes.

"Aye luv. We need to talk."

"Why do you have that accent?" I asked as I shook my head at him.

"Apparently, the only body close enough was a boy in London. He apparently thought the word of the Lord was going to do something. I'm not entirely sure. I have this body for a few weeks as of now. I need to get this done and then get him back. He's not even supposed to be out of the country. His parents are probably going bonkers."

"Bonkers." I smiled and felt giddy inside. The English accent was wonderful. "Alright, where do you want to do this?"

"Ariella?" Joshua. I looked at him and thought it over in my head. I walked over to Joshua and put my hand on his arm.

"Look out for Katie. I'll be back in an hour."

"It wont even be that long, dear." Nathanael said as he crossed his arms. I looked back at him and almost didn't believe this was happening to me. An angel, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, was going to tell me why an archangel was chilling out on Earth.

"Joshua," I said as I turned back to the tall brown haired boy. He stared at me with worry in those big eyes. "Watch Katie and make sure she doesn't get too carried away. I'll be back in a bit ok?" He glanced at Nathanael before he nodded.

"Just make sure that guy stays out of my head ok?"

"Trust me, mate. I'm not goin' in your head any time soon." Nathanael said as he glanced around. "Ariella, I do implore you to go faster. We're going to have company soon and there aren't many of us here to stop them." I frowned, as did Joshua. Two boys joined Nathanael and they nodded to me. One was a small child, maybe the age 12 with short black hair and pale brown eyes. The other was a tall maybe 21 year old with blond hair and brown eyes. Neither of them seemed out of place but I just knew they were angels. I knew they weren't normal. I nodded to them as well and I looked around. "These two will be with your friends, Ariella." Nathanael said. "Boys, introduce yourselves."

"My name is Af," said the younger boy. "I am the angel of light."

"My name is Eae," said the other boy. "I am the angel who thwarts demons." He bowed at Joshua. "You will be in safe hands. Though, please do not think Nathanael is a good angel, Miss Ariella. He is an angel of fire and vengeance. Beware, please." I nodded and looked at Nathanael.

"I'll be on my guard."

"Thank you, brother," Nathanael said as he glared at Eae.

"Brother, be careful." The boys said to Nathanael, whose face was somber as he nodded and held out his arm for me.

"We must depart this place for now, Ariella. We will be back shortly." I walked over to him and put my hands in my pockets. He dropped his arm and sighed softly. "My dear, you're going to have to learn to trust me." I shook my head.

"I'm not trusting any angel for now. I need to make sure you can be trusted first." Nathanael nodded to me before looking around at two boys on the other side of the bridge and then a girl next to a pillar.

"Those are the angels, Amitiel, the angel of truth--" He started to point to the boy across the bridge before I stopped him.

"I thought you were the angel of truth." I said as I stared at him. He gave me a shrug and a lopsided grin.

"I am the angel of hidden things. The interpretations are varied. Anyway, there is also Armisael, angel of the womb." He said pointing to the girl. She gave me a nod and I gave her one back. "So as I said, those two twins over there are Amitiel and Hasdiel, the angel of benevolence." I nodded at both of them and they nodded back. "We must be on our way. They will be able to protect your friends for now. At least from these low level demons. Let us go, before they decide to take interest in the important one." He hurried me along and I glanced back at Joshua, who was talking to the two boys quietly. The three of them looked to the left at a group of rather boisterous boys.

"Who are they? More angels?"

"More like the opposite." Said Nathanial as he hurried me along. "I must get you out of sight before they recognize you."

"What about Joshua and Katie?"

"For now," Nathanael said as he looked me in the eye. His blue eyes seemed aquatic and almost too blue to be real. "I need to get you safe. You are my main concern. All of our main concern. Please, step lively luv and we'll be on our way." I nodded and grabbed his hand.

"Let's get going." He nodded, as if the whole situation were a do or die one, and pulled me along. I glanced back over my shoulder and saw the boys split up and head in our direction. I glanced at the store next to me and pulled Nathanael in.

"What the--" I clamped my hand over his mouth and dragged him through the dark store called Hot Topic. The music blared and the dark lights hid our faces.

"Anything I can help you with today?" A girl with a black shirt and a skirt that reached her knees asked us. I smiled at her and nodded a little. My eyes were locked on the front door and I saw a few of the boys walk by.

"Looking for a gift."

"Oh, well in the back here--" I pulled Nathanael along and we both followed the girl to the back, escaping the boys for now.

"That's good. Thank you." I said as I smiled at her again. "I think my friend and I will choose between a few of these." She nodded and let us be. Until she and everyone else was out of hearing range, I looked at Nathanael. "We're safe here for now."

"Thank ya' luv. We'll talk somewhere quiet. I can't concentrate wif all this music." I nodded and looked around.

"Buy something and we'll head out."

"Why would I do that?"

"I was kidding, Nathanael. Calm down. Let's get going."

"Is there no where you can get priv-acy?" Nathanael asked, his accent thick and heavy.

"This is a mall, Nathanael. You don't get privacy here. Maybe on the roof but I can't even guarantee that." Nathanael nodded and glanced at the girl working there. She eyed us, more Nathanael than me. Nathanael grinned and walked away from me to lean against the counter. I stared at them and the girl smiled and giggled a little. Damn, I had to hand it to him. He was turning his charm on.

I walked around the store and when I went to check on Nathanael, they were gone. Disappeared. Someone new was in their place though. She had bleach blond hair and big blue eyes that said she was bored out of her mind. Her ears were dressed up in colorful hoops and rings.

"Excuse me," I said as I walked over to her. "Where did the boy and the girl go?"

"She had to go. Is there something I can help you with?" She asked me.

"N-no…It's ok. Thank you." I headed towards the bench just outside of the store and when I sat down, I heaved a sigh.

"Sighing makes you old, luv." I jumped a mile when Nathanael sat down next to me.

"Where the hell did you come from?" I demanded immediately, my hand over my heart.

"The ruf." Ruf? Where the heck is that? Suddenly, my butt connected with the ground and my hands were pressed against rocks that lined the ground. I looked around and pouted.

"You meant the roof." I muttered as I stood.

"Well, get up luv. We've got work to do."

"What work?" Nathanael peeled his t-shirt off and put it on his head.

"I need to get out a' this bloody sun. I'm fair skinned, luv." I averted my eyes from him and brushed off the rocks from my butt and hands.

"Well," I said as I looked around the roof, which was difficult since the sun was bright and angry. "There's a hut thing over there so I think we can go there to get you out of the sun." We started on our journey and I glanced his way. "I'm pretty sure you should tell me what's going on now." Nathanael glanced my way and sighed a little.

"Well, we'll start from the beginning, I suppose. That's always a good place to start. You know all about angels yes?"

"Well, enough about them to follow some of the things you'll be telling me."

"Well, then you're grossly aware of the archangels." I nodded a little.

"Michael, Gabriel, et cetera?"

"The very disgusting things." Nathanael said as he shook his head.

"What are you?" I asked softly.

"A power," said the boy hastily. "But we'll discuss that later. The archangels are very different from angels like me and the angels many people think of. They are used to protect important humans. For example, the 12 apostles had archangels to protect them. Of course, they don't always have people to defend. Only a handful of people are important enough for archangels to guard. They do, however, have other jobs. For example, the archangel Raphael is the angel who helps those with addictions through their trouble. The archangel Sandalphon protects human prayers."

"Wait," I said as I held up a hand. "I thought there were only 7 archangels."

"No no, luv. There are 14 archangels. You should know some of them. Michael, Raphael, Gabriel, Ariel, Azrael, Jeremiel, Jophiel, Metatron, Raguel, Raziel, Sandalphon, Uriel, Zadkiel, and Chamuel. Now, back to the important information, Ariella, stop getting me off topic. There are many angels but the archangels are usually more important. However, truth be told, they get bored with taking care of you humans. It doesn't matter what goes on with them because they must drop what their doing and help you. It is a rather vexatious way of life if you ask me."

"That doesn't seem too bad." I muttered as I glanced at my hands. He shrugged and continued to explain the wonderful world of this game…

"So the big boys got bored with changing diapers. And news traveled fast. Some of the fallen angels have connections with the lesser angels such as myself, but not me, you understand. But some of them have connections and some report to the demons who do their bidding and then they report to other demons. Other demons tell more demons ect., ect. Now, a chain must lead somewhere no? Lilith was at the end of this chain."

"Lilith? Devil's wife Lilith?" I asked, making him nod.

"The very same." Nathanael murmured with a roll of his eyes. "And so the very whore of the underworld wound up at the gates of heaven asking for the archangels. The mightiest of all Michael went to see her. The two had a rather distasteful argument about the archangels."

"They met in Heaven?"

"Of course not," Nathanael said with a frown. "Moron. They met here on Earth. To most people it's called Mount Everest."

"Mou...You're kidding right?" I demanded. "You're seriously not going to tell me that when an angel and a demon meet, a fricken mountain was made?"

"Basically. It was the first meeting between an angel and a demon. That called for a sacred place. A sacred and pure place. That place being somewhere new. Somewhere untouched by anything. A place that was not going to be touched by humans. However, you all seem to find it fascinating to climb a mountain." He sighed and glanced at the sky.

"What happened then?" I asked. "What does it have to do with Zach and the others?"

"We'll get there, we'll get there. I do believe you are one of the most impatient young girls I've ever met."

"How old are you anyway Nathanael? How long have you been alive?"

"A long long time. Now, come on. Let's get this story underway. The two met in the high peeks of the mountains and Lilith had an offer. She had game, she said. A game that would keep the angels occupied."

"A game?"

"A game. It was originally going to be a game like hide and seek but they made it more like capture the flag. There are a few rules they needed to follow but--"

"Do you know the rules? Do you know most of them? What's the first one? What are the flags?"

"Calm down child. My goodness. My dear girl, there are a lot of rules and I know them all but I do not feel like telling you. You….to put it nicely, are not worthy of those rules just yet. The basic gist of the game is that the angels and the demons gathered two teams, seven on each, and they were to collect souls. The game was for each team to gather a certain amount of souls and avoid being killed."

"I don't understand. They had to outlast the other team as well as collecting souls?" Nathanael nodded.

"Basically."

"How many souls did they have to collect?"

"That I am not privileged enough to know."

"Ok, so let me get this straight, there are 14 people in this game, right? And they have to collect souls and have to avoid being killed. They have to follow these rules and….Well, I love how that whole monologue you didn't even begin to explain what you're talking about." I mumbled as I crossed my arms over my chest.

"Wha--You arrogant girl. Can't even respect me. I'm an angel after all!" He snarled out. I shrugged and stopped just a few feet away from the hut thing.

"You know, you should see if you can tell me a little more."

"More? More? What the hell can I tell you dear? That I know everything? I barely know anything. Ask someone else."

"Who else can I ask, Nathanael? Who?"

"Try the angels that live down the street from you!" He shouted back. "All I do is tell you the things that will help!"

"Then tell me why I am here! Why I was chosen to meet that boy?" Nathanael stared at me and I stood my ground. I needed to get answers. He sighed softly and rubbed his head.

"The souls. It's all in the souls that are collected." I rose my eyebrow.

"What's so important about the souls?" I asked.

"The souls are more important than anything. The whole point of the game is the souls. The whole point of this entire operation that Lilith wanted. She wanted to find souls that were special. Souls that meant something. Your soul is important. Very very important, I might add. So important that you're the target for now."

"The...The "target"? Are you kidding me? Seriously?"

"No. I am an angel. Not a clown."

"I….You mean that the angels and demons are after my soul?"

"Just one of each. Zachariel and another demon are after your soul. The others are off to find their own. There are only seven souls in play. One for each pair. A demon and an angel gets a soul to chase after. The angel is to capture it the demon to save it. Opposite to keep the balance maintained and such." I took a deep breath.

"Ok this is nuts!" I said as I shook my head. "You're crazy. This is crazy."

"Is it? Isn't there supposed to be something directly tying the main character to the supernatural things?"

"This isn't a book!" I shouted at him. "This is my life! I-I know I think it can be like a book but...This is all too real! An actual angel telling me all of this! Actual demons going to try and get my SOUL!" I shouted as I started to pace around the roof. "This is crazy. I'm going crazy. This is crazy. I'm dreaming. This is nuts."

"How many times are you going to say that?" Nathanael asked as he put his arm against the wall of the hut thingy. I sighed and rubbed my eyes.

"A lot more! I need to get it through my head! This is not a book!"

"Do you know why your soul is so important?" Nathanael asked me. "Do you want to know?"

"No! I want to--"

"It's because you're strong willed and--"

"--Just get off the roof and go home and--"

"--you never give up and--"

"--go to sleep and get this over with and--"

"Ariella! You're important because you've got a heart that knows no fear!" Nathanael shouted at me. "Do you know what kind of person that is?" I stared at him and swallowed hard.

"I'm afraid of a lot of things. I mean, I was afraid to ask Joshua to homecoming last year and I'm afraid of dogs. And I was afraid of whales because of that--"

"You are so dense, you humans." Nathanael said as he walked over to me. "There's a difference between being able to face something and being able to face something even though you're terrified. Your heart beats like a warrior from so long ago and it's a person who has that kind of courage that is important. So important that angels and demons would fight for it. Fight years and years for it. That is what this is all about. Angels and demons get three human lifetimes to find their souls. To find the right souls. Do you understand me Ariella? Truly understand me?" I took a deep breath and nodded.

"I'm special, angels get three human lives to capture souls, one for every pair and when they get them....what happens?"

"The angels find another."

"So they move on and on for how long? How many souls have to be captured? How many years does this game go on?" Nathanael sighed and sat down where he stood.

"I've grown tired of this. Come, come, we should get back to the others." He slipped on his shirt and with a wink at me, we appeared at the bench where I had sat down. I gripped the edge of the seat and stared at the floor.

"We're not done." I groaned as I blinked my eyes a few times. "Once I can see straight, I'll definitely get on your case and I will destroy you." Nathanael laughed a little and stood.

"Get your barring, luv. I'll go give some help and save your friends." He left me and I couldn't help but feel my stomach die again. I searched for a barrel but someone's hand touched my shoulder gently.

"Are you ok, Ariella?" A shiver traveled down my spine and I swallowed hard.

"Fine, William. No need to bother with me." I said as I looked up at the Viet boy I had met a just days before. I felt my stomach try to settle but it started to dive again once William sat by my side. "I'm going to go. I'll see you at school tomorrow." I said as I stood and walked away as best I could. I needed to get away from him.

"Are you sure you don't want to talk about the game that Nathanael told you about?" Those very words made my heart, and my feet, stop.