"The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places." – Ernest Hemingway
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✧ ANGELUS ✧
The first thing I remember is forgetting.
I could still recall clearly, the air in the hospital room, thick with antiseptic and something heavier—grief, maybe. Or pity. Or that strange emptiness people carry when they look at you but can't say the words they're thinking. Like you're a puzzle missing half its pieces.
"Here, take this." Michael held out a food flask, his voice soft, like he was talking to a wounded animal.
"No, I don't want" I replied without looking at him.
"You need to eat. It's almost noon, and you haven't had anything since morning."
"….."
He sighed knowing that I'm not going to answer him again. I can feel him looking at me pitifully, it's not new anymore, that's how they all look at me – that same look everyone gave me. The one that said, 'Poor thing. Look how broken he is'.
My name is Angelus. At least, that's what they tell me.
The last thing I remember is waking up in this hospital bed with three strangers hovering over me like ghosts. A man in his late twenties—Michael. A woman with tired eyes who called herself Sarah, my aunt. And a girl who looked like my reflection, my twin sister,
Anabel.
Their lips turned into big warm smiles the moment I opened my eyes. Their relief was palpable, their joy almost suffocating.
Then I asked, "Who are you?"
Their smiles shattered.
The doctor called it post-traumatic amnesia. Fancy words for 'your life is gone, and you don't even know what you've lost'.
My sister and Michael tried to stitch my past back together with stories. They told me we lived in Abuja, that we'd recently moved from China. That I was in SS1, third term. That my brother—Julian—was in SS3. That my parents and I were in an accident.
Were.
Past tense.
My father and brother died on impact. My mother is still in a coma, her body here but her mind somewhere far away. And me? I survived. Again.
That's what they whisper when they think I can't hear. Again.
Because apparently, this wasn't the first time death had brushed against me and left others in its wake.
Two weeks after I woke up, I went back to school. That's when I learned what they really thought of me.
Bad luck.
A curse.
"Everyone close to you dies."
They said it like a fact, like the sky was blue and the sun was hot. My two best friends died in a car accident—everyone in that car did, except me. And now my father and brother were gone, my mother barely clinging to life.
"You're the common denominator," a classmate once hissed and said to me as she edged away from me in the hallway.
And maybe they were right.
The bullying got worse. The whispers louder. The isolation unbearable… well, not really – I got used to it. The bullying however…
So, Michael made a decision.
"We're leaving," he said. "You're coming to Los Angeles with me."
And just like that, my life was uprooted again.
"Angelus!"
Michael's voice yanked me back to reality. I pulled off my headphones, blinking at him like I'd just surfaced from deep water.
From the look on his face, he'd been calling me for a while.
"C'mon, let's go. Our flight boards in fifteen minutes."
I stood, slinging my backpack over my shoulder. The weight of it felt insignificant compared to the one pressing against my ribs.
As we walked toward the gate, I couldn't help but wonder—what fresh hell awaited me in LA?
✧ KELSEY ✧
"Kelsey, wake up, you'll be late for school!" I lazily hummed at the voice of my mum as usual.
My mother's voice was my alarm clock. Reliable and so freaking annoying!
"Oh mum! I still wanna sleep!" I groaned and buried my face deeper into the pillow.
"Come on, baby get up! You don't wanna be late for school." She said as she began heading out of the room while I lazily dragged myself up – wishing the time would pause for me to get the remaining stupid sleep off my face.
'I hate mornings!'
I took my phone and checked for messages, no messages from who I wanted – my boyfriend Mason.
I dialed his number but it went to voicemail.
I grumbled, then dropped the phone and went to the bathroom to freshen up.
I got dressed and headed straight to the dining room. Then proceeded to get a maple syrup from the refrigerator…
"Kelsey, bring milk from there please." Mum said getting me furious.
"Muuum! You know I hate cereal for breakfast!" I shouted, jamming the fridge door and made my way out.
"Come on, baby, don't jump into conclusions like that. There's pancake here for you!" I paused, immediately regretting my actions as I change my direction towards the table.
"You didn't get the milk." Max, my little brother reminded.
"You better watch it!" I said, throwing a baleful look at him and sat down as my mum got up to go get it, I picked a pancake from there and began eating.
"Cos you don't like cereal for breakfast doesn't mean we should be stuffing ourselves with pancake every morning with you... Do you even know you are so arrogant and uncool? I'm even wondering how you are still with your friends…"
"Muuuuum!"
"Max! Be nice… and eat your food!" mum yelled as she came out of the kitchen.
My anger grew, but I continued eating my food.
"Here! Have it!" My mum said, handing me the maple syrup.
I even forgot I went to get the syrup from the refrigerator to eat with the pancake. The pancake is almost finished though. I collected it nonetheless and continued eating.
"You really need to control your anger. You look much prettier when happy and very much ugly when angry and arrogant – like you're right now!" Max said, snickering.
I couldn't help it any more. I need to teach this little brat a lesson!
"That's it!" I got up and lunged at him and he began running.
"Kelsey, stop it!" my mum shouted but I couldn't get myself to a halt.
"Mum I need to teach this little brat a lesson!" I said as I continued chasing him.
"I said stop it now!" my mum angrily shouts and I stopped immediately, the last thing I wanna do is getting my mum angry. I can say she's the nicest mum in the world, but don't ever think of seeing her other side.
"But mum…"
"I said it's okay!" She said with all seriousness as her eyes were raised. Max went back to his food with smirk written all over his face while I angrily went to collect my bag.
"Max, be nice to Kelsey." Mum said to the ugly arrogant little brat sitting with smirk written all over his face.
"But mum you know what I told her is the truth." He said and mum immediately raised her eyes warning him.
He sighed, and then turned towards me. "I'm sorry Kelsey; I should've known caring about my sister is wrong." He said.
I rolled my eyes. The pity card won't work on me.
"Just watch what you say to me next time." I said and began heading out.
"Baby come and finish your food." Mum said.
"I'm okay mum." Before she could say anything else, I was already outside heading towards the parking lot.
As usual, Salvador, my driver was there waiting for me with his annoying Spanish greetings.
"Hola bella princesa, Cómo va esta hermosa mañana"
"Not today, Salvy. Just take me to school."
"This beautiful morning is not the best time to be angry. What makes you angry? Would you mind telling. You know am a great listener." He said calmly as I brought out my phone to check for any message from Mason.
"Just drive." I said plugging my earpiece and grumbled, seeing no message on my phone.
Anyway, I'm Kelsey—seventeen, stunning, and absolutely impossible to ignore. Honestly, I might just be the most beautiful girl in the world. Not even kidding.
I live with my dad, who's always jet-setting around the globe doing "important things," my lovely (and endlessly patient) mom, and my little brother—he's cute, sure, but seriously annoying when he tries to act like he knows anything.
Then there's Michael. He's technically part of the family, but let's be real—he barely lives with us. He's got his own place downtown, living the solo life. Well, sort of solo. His girlfriend and their crowd practically turned his place into a revolving door of people.
Right now, though, he's off in Africa—been there for two weeks visiting some family friends of my dad's who went through some tragic accident or something. He's flying back to L.A. today. And guess what? He says he's bringing someone with him. To stay with us. Should be interesting...
"Kelsey!"
Salvador's voice jolted me back to reality and I quickly removed the earpiece from my ear looking at him waving me to reality.
"Don't think too much Kelsey—"
He began, earning an eye roll.
"—if you have any problem, there are a thousand and one persons on earth that will listen to you. Getting angry won't help you, you'll just be hurting yourself."
The look in his eyes said it all. He clearly wasn't happy with the way I was acting that morning. Well, too bad. He had better get used to it.
"Yeah, whatever!" I snapped as I grabbed my backpack and stepped out of the car.
"Go have fun and don't let anyone get you angry!" he called after me.
I didn't bother responding. I walked straight toward my girls, Cherry and Sofia, who were waiting for me at the corridor.
"Hey Kelsey!"
"What's up girls? Has any of you seen Mason today?"
"We just got here. What's up?" Sofia asked, eyeing me. "You look really angry."
"Oh, he's cheating right?" Cherry chimed in. "That son of a b—"
"He's not cheating on me… well, I don't know, but he better not! Though he's been acting really different lately," I said, crossing my arms.
"Different? How?" Cherry asked, sounding genuinely concerned.
I was about to answer when I spotted him. There he was—Mason—walking down the hallway with those annoyingly senseless brats he calls his friends. I'm pretty sure they're the ones pulling him away from me.
"There he is!" I said, already marching toward him. Without hesitation, I grabbed his arm and pulled him away from the group, ignoring whatever they had to say. I dragged him to a quiet corner of the corridor and turned to face him.
"What did I do to you? You've been avoiding me lately. Why ain't you picking my call?" I demanded, eyes locked on his face, my voice laced with anger.
He looked a little terrified, and I could tell he was scrambling for an excuse.
"Look… I've been busy, ok?" he finally said.
"Busy that you can't even send a text? For three whole days?" I shot back.
Then he reached out and gently tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, staring into my eyes. I couldn't help it—I froze. That face, that gorgeous smile… he's always been my weakness. One look at him and I forget the world.
I'm totally head over heels for him. I know I'm in love—well, that's what I thought.
Still… why is he avoiding me? It can't be because I didn't send him that nude, right? That would be beyond petty.
"Kelsey, you know I care about you…"
"Don't even try lying to me." I cut him off sharply. I needed the truth—no games. "Just be honest, Mason. Do you actually like me? Or are you only with me because it keeps you popular?"
"Screw popularity," he said, his voice steady. "I like you, Kelsey. Not for the attention, not for status—you. Your eyes, your smile, your lips... it's everything about you. You're not just the hottest girl in school—you're different. Real. And that's what I fell for."
I felt my face flush. That right there? That's why I keep falling for him. He knows exactly what to say, and I believed him—probably too easily.
"I'm sorry I've been distant," he added, gently lifting my chin and brushing his thumb across my cheek. "I promise, no more disappearing. I'm here for you."
His touch sent chills down my spine, and then his lips met mine—soft, warm, and full of everything I needed to feel.
"Mason," I whispered as I pulled back, still holding his hand.
"Yeah?"
"I'm sorry for yelling earlier. I just… I really thought you were done with me. I don't wanna lose you."
"I don't wanna lose you either, babe," he said, leaning in again.
But just as our lips were about to meet, the school bell rang. Of course.
He wanted to force it, but my girls were already there to get me.
We shared one last look before heading to class—hearts still racing, the air between us still electric.