When Angels Fall (Fallen Angels) Read online

  When Angels Fall

  FALLEN ANGELS SERIES

  Book One

  By

  Jo Cattell

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright© 2012 JO CATTELL

  Edited by Bonnie Lea Elliott

  Cover Art by Wicked Muse Covers

  No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of excerpts or quotations embodied for reviews.

  This book is dedicated in loving memory to my sweet

  baby niece, Chloe Nichole, who left us way too soon.

  There are so many people I want to thank for their love and support while I made my dream come true. I should start with my husband who gave me the time to write, and my little girls, who gave up Mommy for a while to write.

  To my oldest daughter Ams, for letting me pitch ideas and read to give me feedback. To my mom and Aunts Debbie and Marty, who always believed in me, and my dad, for being my dad. To my new author friends, Lucy Swing and DeShanna Neal, for their help and advice.

  To Keren Spencer, who was my first test Beta Reader and gave me the best input. And to all the Beta Readers I had, for taking the time to do that for me. To Sharon Whitehurst, for being my editor and bugging me for pages, and most of all, to you my readers, for giving me the chance to bring this story to you.

  Prologue

  The bonfire flames grew higher, casting an eerie glow onto the faces of the group who stood around talking and laughing.

  Someone called out that it was ghost story time.

  Members of the group all seemed to look around, waiting for someone to volunteer.

  Stepping up to the front, one of the teen girls stood in front of the fire. She gave the group an evil grin. “The Corpse Girl, a town legend.” Firelight danced along her features, as she announced the name with a low tone in her voice.

  “The Corpse Girl? Are you kidding me?”One of the teen boys called out to her. “That never happened!”

  The girl seemed to ignore his outburst and looked over at someone who stood at the far edge of the fire, her eyes narrowing. “Oh, yes it did. It happened almost six years ago. A quiet ten-year-old girl was left to care for her sick, dying mother. Day after day, night after night, the girl watched as her mother’s body slowly grew weaker. Her father had left and, in his parting words to his young daughter, he said, ‘If you kill your mother and end this suffering, I will claim you as my child and give you all you ever wanted. But only after you have truly ended her life.”

  At her pause of the story, a few shocked gasps could be heard around the bonfire.

  “The girl, who was desperate for her father’s love, did the only thing she could. One night, she made her mother a cup of tea. She crushed up a full bottle of sleeping pills and painkillers and stirred them in the hot liquid. Adding sugar, so that it was very sweet, she took the deadly drink to her sickly mother. The girl watched as her poor mother drank it down, leaving nothing but a few bitter granules at the bottom of the cup.”

  A quiet weeping started from one of the listeners, as the group all stared at the girl telling the story. Her eyes were ablaze with wicked satisfaction as she glared toward the sound of weeping and continued the story, “Her mother started to gag, clawing at her throat. She looked at the girl in horror, realizing what her child had done. Her final word in her last breath was, ‘Why?’ The girl called her father and he never answered. For three days, she sat with her mother’s body. The stench of the rotting flesh was filling the room and house. At night, she sat in the dark, the word ‘why’ haunting her.”

  Pausing, the glee filled storyteller smiled. “Finally, the father returned and found what his child had done. Disgusted, he shut her in her room, locking her away from prying eyes, so that no one could see the monster that the girl had become. After the funeral, the girl, overcome with guilt, would go off to the cemetery at night and sat vigil at her mother’s grave. She would trace her mother’s name over and over onto the cold gravestone until her fingers bled.”

  “Shut up. No one believes you,” a girl shouted at her now.

  “No, let her finish,” a teen boy with dark curls spoke up, “It just seems so unreal, and if there was any truth to it, it’s pretty scary.” He didn’t even seem to notice the girl with strawberry blonde hair who stood right next to him with huge tears streaming along her paling cheeks.

  Hearing that seemed to give the excited storyteller the cue she needed to finish the story. “So, fed up with dealing with the girl, the father sent her to school. Our school. There were whispers and rumors, but no one really knew for sure if it were, in fact, the girl who we had all come to know. The quiet one who would sit under a tree and draw. Until last year, when the guilt over came the girl.”

  The teen girl telling the horrifying story paused and her smile grew, as everyone around the fire could hear that someone was gasping loudly for air.

  “She’d killed her mother in a lame attempt to make her father love her. No one liked her, really liked her, because of who she was. So, she went into the girls’ bathroom on the anniversary of the day she murdered her mother and taking a razor, she slit her wrists. With her blood, she wrote on the bathroom wall, ‘I’m sorry’. If you drive past Heavens Cemetery late at night, you may still see her, sitting by her mother’s cold grave by the light of a single candle, begging for her forgiveness.”

  Chapter One

  The summer was coming to an end when the Allen family finally moved into their new home. School was to start the next week and Nicholas Allen was not looking forward to this new fresh start. He was tired of new beginnings, new schools, and new friends. To make matters worse, his parents were dragging him to the carnival at the church to mingle with some of the new people who would be in their lives. He stared out the window of the van and hated every minute of this fresh new start.

  “Nicky,” came his little brother’s voice. “Will you take me on some rides? Kevin already said no.” Max sat pouting in his seat as he looked up at him with those sad, pleading eyes.

  “Sure, why not?” Nick mumbled, glad to keep himself busy with his little brother, rather than to have to listen to his father go on about how this was the start of an exciting adventure for them all.

  “Don’t get so excited, you might explode,” Kevin, his older brother, kidded him.

  “I hate these things. We go and they introduce us as this loving family who enjoys all the traveling we do and thinks nothing of starting over,” he rambled, pissed at the world because he seemed to be the only one affected by the move.

  “Nicky, dad said this is the last move. We have to hope he’s right,” Mark, his oldest brother, added.

  “Whatever,” Nick said between clenched jaws. He just wanted this night to be over.

  In the stickiness of the summer night, Nick pulled his dark curls back from his face. He steered Max around the carnival and waited for him to get done at the bumper cars. He looked past the rides and games, and saw his new school.

  The old brick building was attached to the church where his father was now an administrator. This was the place he would start out next week in his junior year, and Kevin his senior. It was the same as any other school he‘d been to, but this year, he would keep to himself. He didn’t want a repeat of his good-bye with Kelly. He wished things could have gone differently that day, that he could’ve made her understand why he left her there. It was too late n
ow. The damage had been done and he was 500 miles away now.

  The scent of popcorn and cotton candy filled the air, as he watched a couple having a hot and heavy make-out session while they were waiting to go on the ride. Nick stared, as the girl swung her ponytail back while the guy nibbled at her neck. What interested him was the look in her eyes as she kissed his nose and the way the guy held her, caressing her back and running his hands down to her tight ass.

  If anything, that was what Nick missed. Just being close to someone like that, but he’d made a promise to himself that he was swearing off girls for a while.

  Kevin came up behind him and grabbed him. “Have you seen some of these chicks? I wonder if any of them go to our school?” he pondered aloud, as a group of giggling girls walked past them.

  “Why would I care?” Nick asked, annoyed that he was the one stuck with Max while Kevin got to hang out with Mark and have fun.

  “Mark? Nicky is complaining again. Make him stop!” Kevin whined in a fake child’s voice as he messed up Nick’s dark wavy hair.

  “Christ, Mark, are you eating again?” Nick noticed as his older brother joined them, stuffing a corn dog into his mouth.

  “Yeah, this stuff is great. So, what is your problem? We’re at a carnival. Get over the move already and have fun,” Mark retorted.

  Max ran up to him and hugged his leg. “I want to go on the Ferris wheel next!” he exclaimed in his childlike voice.

  “Sure, why not?” Nick just then remembered that Max had wanted to play some games with Kevin.

  Little Max seemed to remember that promise too. “Oh, yeah Kevin, come play games with me!” he begged.

  “Sorry, little dude, not tonight. Nicky gets to babysit you and I’m off with Mark to hit on some girls. Have fun with that, Nicky, and cheer the hell up.” Kevin laughed and walked away with Mark.

  After playing a few games and winning some petty little stuff, Max raced toward the Ferris wheel.

  The make out-couple from the bumper cars were the line in front of them now and Nick was trying really hard not to pay attention to them. Suddenly, the girl threw her arms in the air and called out to another girl who’d been walking by. “Chloe! Where the hell have you been all summer?” She jumped out of line and grabbed a girl with long, strawberry-blond hair who was walking past them.

  They briefly hugged and the new girl, Chloe responded, “I was taking art classes and at the hospital. Millie is back in again, and I was visiting her.”

  “Aw, I’m sorry. That’s the third time she’s been that sick this year. I know how to cheer you up. Come on. Come ride with us. I got tickets!” The girl pulled her into the line.

  “Gab, you can’t do that. There are people behind you,” Chloe looked back at Max. “I’m sorry. My friend is excited to see me. Is it okay if I cut here in front of you?” she asked Max, not even looking once at Nick.

  Before Nick could say anything about how rude it was or how she should go to the back of the line, Max smiled and nodded his head.

  Nick picked him up and whispered in his ear, “You don’t let people do that. Next time someone does that, you tell them no.”

  Max laughed at him.

  The two girls kept talking about their summer and laughing while the line moved closer to the Ferris wheel. The one named Chloe was kind of cute, from what he could see. She was dressed in demon shorts and a pink tank top with her long hair pulled into two pigtails that lay over her shoulders. The view was only from behind, but every so often, she would turn and smile back at him or past him. He couldn’t tell. He could tell she’d been in the sun recently by the faint sunburn on her neck and shoulders.

  The next car came up and she handed the guy her ticket.

  “Is it just you?” the grungy carnival worker asked her as he shoved a wad of chewing tobacco into his mouth.

  She looked kind of pathetic as she nodded yes.

  “How many you got?” the worker asked Nick.

  He felt a little sense of victory as he answered, “Just me and my little brother.” He knew the girl was now going to get kicked off.

  “You can ride with them or you don’t ride. It’s the rules.” He spat tobacco juice just past her.

  Before Nick could laugh and tell her sorry, Max spoke up, “You can ride with us.”

  His victory defeated by his little brother, Nick handed the tickets over and got in next to Max with the girl sitting on the other side.

  The car took off with a jolt and Max smiled while looking from him to the girl. “I’m Max Allen. We just moved here.”

  “Welcome to Monroeville. Are you from Jersey?” she questioned.

  “No. We’re from all over,” Nick answered, not really in the mood for her questions.

  “Oh, well I hope you like our little town. I’m sorry. That was rude of me. I’m Chloe Gardner,” she said with a warm, crooked smile.

  “You’re pretty. How old are you?” Max looked up at her, being the inquisitive little boy he was.

  Chloe found that funny and laughed.

  “Max!” Nick exclaimed.

  “It’s okay. I’m a little old for you. I’m sixteen.”

  But Max wasn’t through just yet. “Nick just turned seventeen. Right, Nick?” Max was playing matchmaker. He‘d done this to both Mark and Kevin in the past, but never to him.

  “Yeah, Max.” Nick felt slightly embarrassed and tried to change the subject. “Do you go to school around here?” Since he was going to be stuck with her for a while, he might as well find out about the schools.

  “Yeah, I go to Sacred Heart. Where are you going?” she asked him.

  “I’m going there, too,” Nick replied.

  They fell into an awkward silence which Max interrupted. “Nick said you were rude to butt in front of us and you should’ve gone to the end of the line, but it was fine with me. Your friends said they haven’t seen you all summer, so I thought it was fine.’

  Nick glared at him and shook his head, not believing what Max had just done.

  “Well, it was rude, but that was why I asked you first,” she agreed while looking shocked at the older boy’s boldness.

  “I was just trying to tell him that if people don’t ask first, it’s rude,” Nick quickly tried to explain and gave Max a stern look.

  She laughed. “But I did ask first. So, Max, is your brother always so serious?” She was staring straight at Nick.

  “Since we moved, he has been. I’ve been really trying to loosen him up, but it doesn’t seem to be working,” Max explained.

  Nick put his head in his hands again and tried not to laugh at his little brother.

  “Maybe after he starts school, it will help. Wow, look at that, little guy, the ride is over. Thanks for letting me ride with you. I’m sorry I was so rude,” Chloe said as she got out of the car.

  “You’re welcome. I had fun.” Max gloated happily.

  Nick rolled his eyes as he got out, and then helped Max.

  Chloe turned and smiled at him. “Hey, Nick, was it? Don’t take things so serious. You may miss the fun in life. I’m learning that. See you at school,” she suggested and walked away to join her friends.

  He hoped he would not have to cross paths with her again, but he sure wouldn’t mind if he had to.

  When they met up with their other brothers again, Max told them about the girl on the Ferris wheel who’d put Nick back in his place.

  “So, was she pretty?” Kevin smiled. “Because, I know you won’t last a week with your stupid no girls rule.”

  “She was cute,” he answered, grudgingly.” But it doesn’t matter.”

  “How cute? Like ‘Kelly’ cute?” Mark teased him.

  “I don’t know. She was a girl. She goes to our new school, so if I see her, I will point her out.” Nick tried to blow them off.

  “Personally, I think this new rule of yours sucks. You’re going to miss out on a lot of really hot girls if you keep to it,” Mark explained.

  “Let him keep his stupid rule. Tha
t means there’s more for me.” Kevin laughed and one-arm hugged Nick.

  “You can have them. I’m so done for a while.” But his words seemed defeated, the moment he glanced back to see if he could spot her strawberry blonde head in the crowd.

  * * * *

  The first day of school was always a drag. Most people looked forward to the new school year as a fresh start from last year’s embarrassments and low grades. To Chloe Gardner, it was just the start of another year of pregnancy scares for Tabitha and a new year of Tiffany’s scams. Entering Sister Mary Margret’s classroom, she could tell this was going to be pretty much the same as the year before. She found her seat next to her best friend, Gabbie and her boyfriend, Dave.

  “Do you believe that we have to start the new school year with our ring mass? I’ve been dreading this all summer. I’m so tired of Tiff and how expensive her ring was. I hope she chokes on it.” Gabbie watched Chloe take out her sketch pad.

  “You’re worried about a stupid ring mass? How much you want to bet Sister George gives us a shitload of homework the first day?” Dave questioned.

  Laughing at the two of them, Chloe opened her book. “At least we only have to get through two more years of this. It could be worse.”

  Sister Mary Margret entered the classroom and a sudden hush fell over the room.

  Chloe had always been fascinated with Sister MM, as she referred to her. She studied the middle-aged woman and wondered what had made her want to give up everything and become a ‘Bride of Christ.’ Had she been jilted by a lover? Was she hiding from something or someone? She studied the nun’s sweet face and the way her yellow bangs showed from under her habit. Surely, there had to be something to her story she wondered as she sat sketching the sister intently when her thoughts were broken by a disturbance of the classroom door opening.