unable to focus as my body half dragged me into the school with Jophiel lagging behind. Since the news Gazardiel had set upon our shoulders, we barely spoke; trying to finally start believing how quickly things were happening. Today was supposed to be our last time attending school. It took me three times to get my locker open through bleary eyes that didn't want to stay open and I barely flinched when Jenna jumped up next to me. "Wow, you look awful," Jenna said examining my tired eyes. Staring at her blankly, I pushed my locker closed and sighed at her, shaking my head. As we walked side by side, she began talking about something that would be my first time hearing about. "So homecoming is coming up soon," she said excitedly, putting more bounce in her stride. I glanced at her sideways and shot her a questioning look. "You seriously don't know what the homecoming is?" she asked, almost stopping short.
"Nope. This is my first time in an actual school." And maybe my last .
"Oh, right. Well, the homecoming is one of the most important school events like, ever. There's dancing, food, drinks, dresses, suits and we get to go with guys!"
"Guys, huh?”
"Or we could go together... but I really want to ask Jophiel to the dance."
My heart plummeted to the pit of my stomach and I stared ahead at the classroom as we grew closer. I didn't want to see her ask Jophiel to dance, there was something wrong about it. "Why don't we all just go as a group? Just so I don't end up being the odd one out," I said swallowing a lump in my throat. I could hear as she tried to conceal a whine. "How about we do that if someone doesn't ask you beforehand, okay?" she asked hopefully. Sighing to myself, we entered the room and sat at our usual desks. I didn't want to continue talking about the homecoming; I had more important things on my mind. Armageddon. The word haunted me with Gazardiel's echo and every time I heard it, my stomach flipped. Jenna leaned in just as the teacher strode in with his cup of coffee. "By the way, I took your suggestion and started reading the bible," she whispered to me. "It's very inspiring, except for the horsemen," she continued, making my heart stop. "Horsemen?" I asked. Though I was supposed to be a divine being, I still hadn't read the bible.
"Yeah. You know, the bringers of the end of times?"
"What did it say about them?"
"Are you telling me that you told me to read it and you haven't even done it?"
"I just forgot."
The teacher began writing on the board, looking away from us even as he spoke, telling us to put our cellphones and electronics away so we could "enter the world of education." Running my hand through my hair, I leaned in closer, hoping Jenna would tell me more. "Uriel, I do hope you are just asking Miss Chandler for a pencil. Please no talking," the teacher said and it made me think that all human teachers had an extra pair of eyes and ears. As he droned on, Jenna scribbled something on a piece of paper and handed it to me quickly. Keeping it under the desk, I opened it and read what she had written. It was something from the bible that she had memorized and I got dizzy just reading it.
"And I looked, and behold, a pale horse, and his name that sate on him was Death, and Hell followed with him."
- Revelations 6:8
My hand began to shake while I held the paper. Something about this was familiar, and I could not put my mind to think of what it could possibly mean. Just as I was about to put the piece of paper in my pocket, someone stood up and pointed outside. "Holy crap, look at the sky!" they exclaimed, causing the rest of the class to get up and see for themselves. Hesitating, I slowly got out of my seat and went to the window, looking straight up at the sky that was now holding a threatening darkness above us. Lightning flashed in the distance, hitting the ground like a whip and causing a class-wide gasp that welcomed a hushed silence. Booming thunder rolled against the air, rocking the school's
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