Angel's Veil

Chapter 3

Jonathan and Eve burst into the house, breathless and half frozen, snow clinging to their coats and hair like static.

The wind howled outside as they kicked the door shut behind them, laughing through chattering teeth.

School had been cut short after lunch when the storm really picked up. Eve was ecstatic. An early release and weather like this?

Her only thought was sleep. Who wouldn't want to nap through a snowstorm?

Jayden had already taken off to hang out with Milo and Jordan, while Elias, ever the overachiever, still insisted on going to his private math tutor.

Eve stared at him like he'd grown a second head. Seriously? Who chooses math when you could be wrapped in blankets and unconscious?

In the kitchen, Jonathan was already peeling off his snow-drenched coat, muttering something in Spanish under his breath.

"Estás loca, hija. (You're crazy, daughter.) You didn't even zip up your coat!" he said, eyebrows raised as he glanced at Eve.

"I was in a rush," Eve shrugged, shaking snow from her sleeves.

"Ay, por Dios. (Goodness sake.) You'll catch a cold," he scolded gently, pulling a blanket from the couch and tossing it over her shoulders.

Eve let out a dramatic sigh. "Gracias, papá. You're such a hero."

Jonathan smirked. "You're welcome, dramática."

They shared a quiet chuckle as Jonathan busied himself boiling water for tea.

The kettle clicked on, humming in the background as Eve peeled off her boots and flopped onto the couch.

"I still can't believe Elias went to tutoring," she mumbled into the blanket. "Does he not understand the concept of freedom?"

Jonathan laughed softly, pouring hot water into a mug. "Your brother is... what do they say? Built different."

Eve snorted. "Try 'built annoying.'"

Jonathan handed her the mug. "Don't tell your mamá I said this, but I skipped school more times than I can count for storms like this. Those were the best naps of my life."

That made Eve smile faintly, but her gaze flicked toward the front window. Snow blurred the world outside into white noise.

"She's still at the hospital, isn't she?"

Jonathan nodded, face softening. "Sí. But she'll call if anything changes. You know your mom."

"It's just bad out there. Like... really bad. Jayden's fine, he's with the guys. Elias is close. But she's in the city, papá."

Jonathan placed a warm hand on her shoulder. "She's smart, Eve. Careful. And she's been through worse storms. Don't worry until there's something to worry about."

Eve leaned into his touch, nodding, but her stomach twisted anyway.

━━❃❃❃━━

Across town...

Jayden, Milo, and Jordan stumbled up the snow-covered steps of Jordan's house, boots squelching and noses pink from the wind.

Jayden clutched his beanie tighter over his ears. "I can't feel my fingers. Milo, if I lose a toe, I'm blaming you."

"You're the one who wanted slushies," Milo said flatly. "In a blizzard."

"IT WAS FOR THE VIBES!"

Jordan snorted as he unlocked the front door. "If 'the vibes' kill you, I'm not doing CPR."

"Rude," Jayden muttered, stepping into the warm entryway and immediately collapsing against the wall like a dying soldier. "Tell my family I loved them. Except Elias. He knows what he did."

"Shoes off, drama queen," Jordan said, toeing his boots off.

Jayden groaned but obeyed. "You're lucky your house has floor heating. This is how you keep your friends."

Jordan's house was quiet. Cozy. A little too quiet.

"Where is everybody?" Milo asked, peering down the hall.

"Mom's working overnight, Dad's away, and my sister's still pretending she lives with her boyfriend in the forest or something."

"So... no supervision," Jayden said slowly. "No parental witnesses."

Jordan rolled his eyes. "We're literally just gonna watch a movie."

"Not me," Jayden said, already making a beeline for the kitchen. "I'm making nachos. If your pantry disappoints me, I'm calling CPS."

Jordan and Milo exchanged a look.

"You coming?" Jordan asked, voice just a little quieter now.

Milo's eyes flicked toward the stairs. "Yeah."

They slipped upstairs like muscle memory, like they'd done it a hundred times. Because they had.

Jayden's voice echoed faintly from the kitchen. "WHY DO YOU OWN FOUR TYPES OF HOT SAUCE BUT NO CHIPS?!"

Jordan's room was dim, lit only by the soft blue glow of a lava lamp and the fading gray light from outside.

The snow blurred everything into stillness.

Jordan closed the door behind them. Not fully. Just enough.

Milo stood there, damp curls dripping slightly onto his collar, hoodie clinging to him in all the right places. He raised an eyebrow. "You're staring."

"You're cold," Jordan said dumbly.

"So warm me up."

It was stupid how easy it was-how fast they fell back into it.

One step. One look.

Then Jordan was kissing him like he meant it, like he hadn't spent months pretending they were just friends.

Milo's hands found the back of his neck, pulling him closer.

Jordan's fingers slipped under the edge of Milo's hoodie, tracing skin like he was relearning it.

Everything spun. The room, the air, the world-

"YO JORDAN, DO YOU OWN-"

Jayden.

The door creaked open.

And Jayden. Stopped. Talking.

Dead. Silence.

Jayden blinked. Once. Twice.

Milo's shirt was halfway up. Jordan's mouth was still on him.

They didn't move.

Jayden dropped the bag of shredded cheese he'd been holding like it personally betrayed him. It landed with a sad plop.

Jordan scrambled off the bed like it had electrocuted him. "Jayden-! Wait-I can explain-"

Jayden held up both hands like he was warding off demons. "NOPE. NOPE. SHUT IT DOWN. DELETE THE FILE."

"Jayden-"

"I CANNOT UNSEE-"

Milo dragged a pillow over his face and let out the most tragic groan in human history. "Kill me. Literally, just kill me now."

Jayden backed toward the stairs. "I am going to go sit in a snowbank and reflect on my life choices."

"Please don't-"

"TOO LATE. THE ICE WILL CLEANSE ME."

He disappeared.

They heard the front door open. Then shut.

Then silence.

Then-

"WHY IS IT LOCKED FROM THE INSIDE?! LET ME OUT!"

Milo rolled off the bed, half laughing, half dying. "He's gonna need years of therapy."

Jordan was still standing there, wide-eyed, flushed to his ears, hair sticking up like he'd been electrocuted. "He's never gonna let us live this down."

"He walked in on us making out. Of course he's not."

They stared at each other for a second.

Then Jordan burst out laughing.

Then Milo did too.

And somewhere outside, Jayden screamed again.

━━❃❃❃━━

Eve sat up fast, chest heaving like she'd been running.

She didn't scream. Just sucked in a shaky breath and blinked hard, trying to figure out if she was still dreaming.

Her blanket was tangled around her legs, her skin clammy.

The room felt too dark, like the walls had inched closer while she slept.

That dream...No. Not a dream.

It felt like it happened.

The sky had cracked open. She remembered that. Clear as anything.

Fire going the wrong way, the sun disappearing like someone had hit a switch.

And then those wings, massive, blinding, more metal than feathers.

Gold and white and too sharp to be safe.

They hadn't made a sound. But they still left her rattling like thunder had gone off inside her ribs.

There'd been someone under them.

She hadn't seen his face. No voice. No words.

But somehow, she'd known.

He felt familiar in the way a scar does-you don't remember getting it, but you know it's yours.

And she knew he knew her too.

Her hands were still tingling. Her heart thumped out a slow, hard rhythm against her ribs.

She whispered the name before she even realized she was speaking.

"Caelum..."

It didn't sound like hers. Like someone else had put it in her mouth.

She reached for her phone with clumsy fingers. The screen lit up and it read 2:47 AM.

One message.

From Elias.

No text.

Just an image.

She tapped it open, and froze.

It was a drawing. His style, no doubt. Messy. Rushed. Like he couldn't draw fast enough to keep up.

Same sky. Same wings.

Same faceless figure, standing in the middle of it all.