Rise Of The Nephilim
Chapter 2

TWO DAYS BEFORE GRADUATION

10:00 P.M.

Ijust need to get through the night.

Maxine lay on her bed staring at the white ceiling, her room shrouded in darkness. She’d been thinking how lucky she was—some of those same students who’d ridiculed her in the lunchroom on the day of the fight had saved her from being expelled by speaking up on her behalf. They were probably just scared after seeing what I did to Phillip Jack.

They’d admitted to Principal Rodgers that it was Phillip Jack who’d started the fight. And since there were only a few more days before graduation, Principal Rodgers gave both Phillip Jack and Maxine a two-day suspension. Besides, the only activities taking place had involved watching the same movies repeatedly, idle chitchat, early dismissals, and the unending tradition of yearbook signing—the one thing she did not need to worry about, for she had no friends, to begin with.

She felt herself beginning to drift back to sleep and fought it because she’d trying to decide on her future:what she would do with the rest of her life and where she would go to begin it. One thing was sure:she did not want to remain in Brewster. Although she struggled with the idea of leaving Shane and Maybie behind.

She felt a strange pull as though she was being drawn to another place, somewhere strange and completely different from her own. No. Not tonight, she thought, fearing that she might have been drifting into her re-occurring nightmare. She fought, widening her eyes to shake off the strange feeling. She’d suddenly felt a strange presence near her, warm, non-threatening, along with the faint scent of vanilla, and knew that she was not alone.

Her battle to stay awake had been lost when she seemed to have dropped out of the sky and landed straight into a world of nothingness, and found herself running for her life once again. This time, though, she did not have the obscure feeling of wings on her back, nor was she some unearthly being. She was herself, with all her oddities and normality. She was Human . . . as far as she knew.

As it was before in previous episodes, it was black as tar—no twinkling of stars against black skies; no moon to light the way; only the dark, always the dark, and the sound of wings flapping above her, sending waves of sweet vanilla washing over her like a warm rain. Fear of the unknown sent chills throughout her being as she had been running to evade her pursuer once again. Panic coursed through her.

She stopped and squinted at the shimmering, golden light coming toward her like the sun in an inverted tunnel, surrounded by a sea of black, resigned to meet her fate. Death. Though everything in her screamed for her to keep running, not stopping, and never looking behind.

Out of that light came a golden Angel; his wings spanned beyond his tall, thin frame; his hair pulled back into a neat ponytail, highlighted with shimmering gold; dressed handsomely in black leather slacks, and a silken white poet’s shirt.

He stood only inches away now, silently looking into her eyes, as if trying to see through the curtains of her soul and smiled, soft lines creased at the corners of his mouth.

The beating of her heart had gradually begun slowing, though she felt its vibrations pulsing through her body, her veins, and heard its resounding hammering.

Silence filled the air as if they had been the only beings on Earth. Her body ceased its trembling. A certain peace washed over her, easing her fears of death and infinite suffering.

Was this all an illusion? A play to calm the prey before its slaughter?

Maxine flinched when he placed his hand on her cheek. “Do not fear me, girl. My name is Mathias, an Angel of the Realm.”

She breathed in deeply and closed her eyes as sensations of warmth flowed through her, evoking the perfect in an imperfect world.

It seemed as if an eternity had passed by, but it had only been seconds when Maxine opened her eyes to look upon Mathias. She smiled for she’d never seen anything so beautiful.

He released his hands from her face and placed them by his side, remembering the rules of the Realm, which forbade him to touch a Human, even one such as this. She was Nephilim, though she had not known it, yet, and as strange and unexpected as it was, she was the last hope for humanity. Mathias had always had problems with following the rules of the higher Angels. Nevertheless, they had always turned their eyes and blamed his insolence on his youth, for they knew his heart was good and pure. That, to them, was most important.

“Am I dead?” Maxine whispered.

Mathias laughed, “No, you are very much alive, and the world needs you.”

Maxine raised her brows.

Questions flashed through her mind. She had so many. However, her lips were unable to form all the words.

“Soon all your questions will be answered,” Mathias said as though he’d read her mind. “But first, you must take heed of my words, for they are words that will determine the fate of your soul and the fate of humanity. Who do you wish to be? Choose wisely and quickly, for a certain end is swiftly approaching.”

Matthias’s words knocked the breath out of her, forcing her lips open. But before she could ask what he meant, he took flight and disappeared into the darkness.

“Wait!” she said, looking toward where she thought the sky should be but wasn’t.