Angel's Veil

Chapter 1

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP-

The alarm never stood a chance. It was airborne before the third beep, slamming against the wall and clattering to the floor with a final, pitiful whine.

"Everlyn Seraphina Morgan!"

Eve buried herself deeper under the covers.

"That's the fifth one this month!" her mom's voice rang up the stairs. "You break another and I'm taping your next one to the ceiling!"

Eve let out a muffled grunt, face mashed into her pillow. If she stayed completely still, maybe the day would just... skip her.

Maybe school would explode. Maybe time would stop.

The door cracked open.

She didn't move. "Don't."

A beat. Silence.

"Good morning, sleepy corpse," said her twin brother, Jayden.

Her voice was rough. "Go away."

"You've got like, ten minutes. You're gonna be late. Again."

She didn't respond.

He sighed, not out of concern-but strategy. "Cool. Guess I'll have to go viral without you."

That made her peek. He was holding his phone up, already recording.

"Jayden, don't."

"Jayden, do," he replied, backing toward the hallway. "t****k says consistency is key."

She grabbed a pillow, aiming-

Too late. Cold. Freezing. Shockingly unnecessary water hit her square in the back.

Her scream was ungodly.

"JAYDEN!"

He was already running, laughing, yelling over his shoulder, "Say hi to your fans!"

Eve threw the pillow with a vengeance, but he'd disappeared down the stairs.

She sat there, drenched, furious, awake.

And then she muttered, "I swear, one day I'm gonna switch his shampoo with Nair."

━━❃❃❃━━

Eve was halfway out the door when she stopped cold.

"Ugh, my bag," she muttered, whipping back around.

Of course it was still sitting by her desk like it hadn't watched her chaos unfold just ten seconds ago.

She grabbed it, shoved her phone into the front pocket, then-

"Eve!" Jayden's voice rang up from downstairs. "We're leaving! Like now!"

"I'm coming!" she shouted, already halfway down the stairs.

The smell hit her first-warm, buttery, golden. Pancakes. Bacon. Maybe heaven.

She paused at the bottom step, groaning out loud. "If I'd gotten up ten minutes earlier, I could've eaten like a civilized person."

The kitchen was in full morning mode. Naomi, her mom, had her hair in a loose bun, coat slung over her scrubs, speed-washing a pan while glancing between the sink and her phone clock.

"Morning, love," she said without turning. "Lunch is on the counter."

Jonathan, her dad, stood by the door, shrugging into a charcoal overcoat, looking every bit the crisp CEO he was.

He glanced at his watch, then at Eve. "You're cutting it close, niña." (little girl)

"Don't start," she grumbled, grabbing her lunch bag.

Jayden was leaned against the fridge, scrolling through his phone like he hadn't just committed war crimes with a glass of water.

He offered a half smirk and a lazy salute.

Elias, her younger brother, sat on a stool at the counter, legs swinging, sketching something into the corner of his notebook.

A tall stack of pancakes sat untouched beside him, steam curling up in little food ghosts.

She made a beeline for it. "I'm stealing this."

He grabbed her wrist mid reach. "You're gonna make us late," he said calmly, not even looking up.

"I will throw you," she threatened.

He finally glanced at her, one brow raised. "You tried that last week. Didn't work."

Naomi cut in, grabbing a paper towel and handing it over. "Take it to-go, baby."

Eve loaded a few pancakes into a napkin like a criminal and turned toward the door.

Jonathan leaned over, kissed Naomi's cheek, then turned to Eve. "Don't forget your scarf. It's snowing."

She groaned. "Seriously?"

"Sí. (Yes.) And your hair's wet, so unless you're trying to get pneumonia-"

"Fine," she huffed, snatching her scarf from the hook and looping it around her neck.

Jayden had already opened the front door, letting in a gust of icy wind. "C'mon, grandma."

As Eve passed her mom, Naomi pulled her into a quick hug with one arm. "Have a good day, Eve."

"You too, Doctor Naomi."

Naomi snorted. "That's Dr. Morgan to you."

Jonathan laughed on his way out. "She gets it from me."

"No, she doesn't," Naomi and Eve said in unison.

Elias just scribbled in his notebook, head tilted. "You guys talk a lot for people who are always running late."

Eve paused by the door and looked back at the kitchen, the warmth, the smell, the movement. Then Jayden shoved her shoulder.

"Move it, pancake thief."

She rolled her eyes and stepped out into the cold.

━━❃❃❃━━

The school parking lot shimmered with thin sheets of snow, crunching under boots and tires.

Breath came out in visible puffs, and Eve's fingers instantly curled into her sleeves the second she stepped out of the car.

Jayden slammed his door shut with a shiver. "Okay, no one told me it was arctic this morning."

"Put on an actual coat next time," Eve muttered, tugging her scarf higher over her face.

Snowflakes clung to her hair as she tried to shake them off. "Not just a hoodie and vibes."

Elias was still in the back, carefully zipping his puffer jacket all the way up, then adjusting his beanie so it sat just right.

"You know, if you get hypothermia, I'm not giving up my seat in the ambulance."

"Thanks, doc," Jayden said dryly.

Naomi honked once and gave a quick wave from the driver's seat before easing the car back into the snow-lined street.

They trudged up the front walkway, boots squeaking, the smell of snow and asphalt hanging in the air.

Around them, students hurried inside, laughing, slipping a little on icy patches.

Then Ava appeared, scarf wrapped around her head like a disheveled snow nomad, coffee in one hand, half-buttoned coat flapping behind her.

"Don't say a word," she said, arriving breathless. "Vision. Oat milk. Chaos."

"I was just going to say good morning," Eve smirked, pulling her sleeves down further to cover her freezing hands.

Jayden stared at her. "Why do you look like you wrestled a snowstorm?"

"I lost."

They kept walking, breath misting in the air, the courtyard now a patchwork of slush and footprints.

Jordan passed by in his puffer jacket and school beanie, still somehow managing to spin a football one-handed.

He spotted them. "Morning. Did we all survive the walk from hell?"

"Barely," Eve said, hugging her arms tighter.

He fell into step with them. "Biology first?"

"Unfortunately."

"Aren't you supposed to love science?" Jayden asked.

Eve made a face. "Only when it's not before 9AM in a snowstorm."

Up ahead, a group of students gathered near the school doors, whispering under their breaths.

As they passed, Eve caught snatches of conversation.

"...tomorrow, apparently."

"...transfer student, from overseas."

"...model hot. Like, ridiculous."

Ava snorted into her scarf. "New kid rumors. Classic."

Jayden rolled his eyes. "Watch him be a troll."

Ava peeled back the lid of her coffee and took a sip. "Honestly, I give it two days before the entire school decides he's either a god or a serial killer."

Jordan laughed. "Or both. You never know with transfer students."

Eve snorted, tucking her hair behind her ear as her breath clouded in the cold. "Well, if he turns out to be a god, I call dibs."

Jayden made a gagging sound. "Please. You're not his type. He probably likes punctual girls."

Eve elbowed him lightly, but before she could snap back, a small voice piped up behind them.

"He's not what you think," Elias said.

They all turned.

He stood there, scarf wrapped loosely around his neck, staring past them-toward the school.

His eyes had that faraway glaze again, the kind that always made Eve's stomach twist.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

Elias blinked. Slowly. Then shrugged like it was nothing. "He's...different. That's all."

Jayden rolled his eyes. "Here we go."

But Eve didn't say anything. Her eyes lingered on Elias a second longer, then drifted toward the windows again.

And just for a moment, she thought she saw something shift in the snow.

Something with wings.

But when she blinked, it was gone.