{Saturday 8 July + Sunday 9 July}

~ Ryder's POV ~

I look out of the car window and watch the country fly past. I miss Charlie. If only she could have come with me. I hate having to leave her. What if the last angel arrives while I'm not there to protect her? I continue to worry as Cole continues to drive. 

Eventually, the countryside turns into city life as we enter Calborough. I watch as we make our way through the streets and pull up outside a hotel, and a fancy looking one at that. Trust Delphine to choose the fanciest place here. 

Cole parks the car, we get out and grab our stuff before making our way to the reception. 

"Good evening gentlemen. How may I help you?" the reception lady asks politely. 

"Hi ummm, we're here for a room under the name of Jacobs?" Cole asks smiling. 

"Ah yes, Little Miss Jacobs and her parents arrived an hour or so ago, she said she was expecting company. They're in room 119" she replies smiling as she walks out from behind the desk and guides us to an elevator. 

"Go to the eleventh floor and it will be the last suite on the left". Cole thanks the lady as we step into the elevator. The ride is silent. 

I haven't seen Delphine in so long, I'm nervous. I think back to the comment the reception lady made. She mentioned parents. Does that mean that Delphine was forced to bring guards. Ugh, fuck heaven and it's stupid security laws. 

The elevator dings as we reach the eleventh floor and we step out and make our way down the hall. We get to room 119 and Cole knocks on the door. There is some muffled shuffling before the door finally opens to reveal my baby sister, looking as cute as ever. 

"Ryder! Cole!" she squeals happily, her face lighting up. 

"Hi Del," I say sheepishly, pulling her into a hug. The last time I saw her, things didn't go so well. Actually no, they weren't that bad, it was when I got kicked out of heaven. 

She was really disappointed in me. She kisses me on the cheek before jumping out of my arms and into Cole's. I laugh and watch her smile before she hops down and drags us into the suite. Inside, we find two guards sitting on the couch, eyeing us up. 

"Jade, Dexter," I say, nodding in acknowledgment. They return my head nod with a small smile before turning their attention back to the TV. 

"Sorry they're here, Xavier insisted I take guards with me," she says smiling. 

"It's okay, we understand why" Cole replies happily. Del then grabs our hands and pulls us into a bedroom. 

"This is your room Ryder and Cole, yours is next door. But that's not that why we're in here. Let's talk" she says smiling as she sits on the bed. God, sometimes I forget that Delphine is only seven. Cole and I sit down on the other side of the bed and wait for her to speak. 

"Ryder, you're worried. Why are you worried?" she looks at me curiously. Fuck, is it that obvious that I'm worried about Charlie. 

"Your brother here has found himself his mate" Cole says grinning. I shoot him a glare as Delphine squeals with delight. 

"Ooo really, who is she?" she asks, grinning at me. 

"Her names Charlie and she also happens to be the Nephilim vessel that I was supposed to kill" I reply wearily, running my hands over my face. 

"Oh wow, I'm sorry Ryder," she says, pulling me into a hug. 

"I've already killed two of the other three angels to keep her safe" I start, quietly. "But the last one is on earth. Not yet in Linkenwater, but close. I'm nervous they'll arrive while I'm not there to protect her". Delphine nods and looks at me with a small smile. 

"Nothing will happen to her, I'll send a guardian angel to watch over her while you're here," she says, her grin widening. I watch as she closes her eyes and concentrates. She starts to glow for a moment before opening her eyes again. 

"You remember Saffron right?" she asks smiling. I nod silently, watching her. "Well, she'll be watching over Charlie from now until you get back". 

"Thank you, Del" I reply, slightly relieved. "So how are mum, dad, Arielle, and Toby?". 

"They're doing alright. Some days are good, some are bad but they're doing fine. They miss us a heck of a lot though" she replies with a small smile. 

"Will we get to see them while we are here?" I asked quietly. 

"Yeah, they are going out to dinner tonight and then to the cemetery tonight". 

"Why are they doing all that?". 

"Do you not remember what today is?". She asks, looking at me intently. I shake my head looking back at her with a confused look. 

"It's been a year today since we died Ryder" she says, giving me a sad smile. Oh shit, how could I forget. 

"Oh, right. Wow, has it really been a year?". 

"Yeah it has. That's why they are going out tonight. We'll go too, so you can see them" she replies smiling. I watch as Cole shifts uncomfortably before getting up and leaving the room, leaving Delphine and I by ourselves. 

"I'm sorry I couldn't save you Del" I whisper, pulling her into a hug. 

"It's okay, you saved mum, dad, Arielle and Toby and that's all that matters" she replies quietly. We sit in silence for a moment, thinking about the fire. 

"How's heaven at the moment?" I ask, trying to lighten the mood. 

"Boring without you" she replies giggling. I laugh and squeeze her tight. 

"Please try to do something good while you are here Ryder. Then they might let you back into heaven" she says encouragingly. 

"I know, I'll try. I promise you Del" I reply quietly. She nods and gets up and walks over to the door. 

"Get changed into something nice, we're going to dinner" she says grinning.

Cole and I pull up in the carpark of the restaurant that Delphine had said to go to. Del and her guards would be beaming here so we wouldn't have to wait very long for them. I sit and watch as cars pull in and out of the carpark, my gaze landing on a silver Subaru Outback. 

My parent's car. I internally start to panic, I haven't seen them in almost a year. 

Suddenly Delphine appears in front of my window and taps on it, making me jump. I nod and she moves out of the way so I can get out of the car. 

"They're here" I whisper to her nervously. She nods and grabs my hand, placing something in it. 

"What is it?" I ask her confused, looking down at the black pill. 

"Eat it," she says smiling. 

"It will change how people perceive you. We will still see you the same but the humans will think you look like someone else. The guards and I have already had ours, now you and Cole need to have yours". I watch as she walks over to Cole and hands him a black pill too. 

"Come on, I'm hungry," she says giggling, watching us intently. I give Cole a confused look before eating the pill. 

"It tastes like licorice," I say smiling as I chew the mysterious pill. She nods and smiles. 

"I know, now come on. I want food". I chuckle and we walk into the restaurant. Delphine decided that she want to sit at a table with just Cole and I, forcing the guards to sit together at another table, much to their dislike. 

Cole, Delphine and I follow the waiter to our table and watch as the waiter then seats the guards close by. We then order our drinks and are given menus to look over. I skim through it, quickly deciding what I want before gazing over at my family, who is seated at a table not too far from us. 

It's a good thing that they won't recognise us because I suddenly make eye contact with Arielle as she looks up from her menu. She smiles at me briefly before dropping my gaze. 

Shit, she looks so much older, even though it's only been a year. I look over at Toby and see that he also looks a lot older before gazing over at my parents. Everyone looks tired, sad. 

"Are they always this sad looking?" I whisper to Delphine who is sitting next to me. She peers around my shoulder to look at them before looking back at me. 

"No, most days they are better. I think it's just today because of what day it happens to be" she replies quietly, hugging me slightly. I nod and open my menu again, and scanning it, trying to look busy. 

The waiter returns with our drinks and then we order. I order the bacon and mushroom fettuccine while Delphine and Cole order pizzas. 

"Del?" I ask, turning to her. 

"Yeah?". 

"What's it like being a guardian angel?". 

"It's amazing" she starts, her face lighting up. 

"I get to come and go from earth wherever I want and for however long I want, I get to protect our family from any danger, and I get to help other humans too". 

"That sounds awesome," Cole says smiling. 

"Speaking of guardian angels, Xavier said that if you continue to protect Eden like how you are doing now Cole, they may consider allowing you back into heaven to become her guardian angel," Delphine says, smiling at Cole. I watch as Cole jaw drops. 

"You kidding?" he whispers astonished. 

"Nope, they will keep observing you for a little while longer but they definitely think you would be a good guardian angel as you haven't violated any rules or killed anyone unnecessarily". 

Oh fuck, looks like I'm not getting back into heaven anytime soon. I zone out and Delphine and Cole continue to talk more. My gaze drifts back to my family, causing the memories to flood back. 

The smoke, the burning. Fuck it hurt but it was worth it. If only I could have saved Del too. 

"Ryder?" Delphine asks, rubbing my arm gently. I snap out of it and look at her, slightly bewildered. I notice that the food has arrived and give her another confused look. Shit, how long had I zoned out for? 

"You okay mate? You're awfully pale" Cole says, shooting me a worried look. 

"Yeah I'm okay" I reply quietly, staring down at my food. At this point, I'm starting to feel a little homesick. I miss Charlie and I'm worried something will happen to her. 

The next half an hour is a blur. We eat dinner and talk about our family and heaven and everything else that's been happening. Eventually, I find myself back in the passenger seat of the car, heading towards Calborough Cemetery. 

We pull up in the car park and Cole turns to look at me. 

"You sure you're okay mate?" he asks, giving me a concerned look. I nod in silence and look out the window to see my sister and her guards appear. Cole and I get out of the car and join them, watching as my family pulls into the carpark. 

They get out of the car, Arielle holding a bouquet of flowers and make their way to our grave in silence. My parents decided that my sister and I should be buried together, which I think is quite beautiful really. 

We follow our family to our grave, watching them in silence. I feel my sister slip her hand into mine as Arielle lays the flowers on the headstone. I hear my mother start to sob and I wish I could hold her. 

I scoop Delphine up in my arms and walk slowly towards them, Cole and the guards hanging back so we can be alone. I walk past them and around to the back of our headstone so that Del and I are facing our family. 

Our beautiful family. My dad staying strong and holding my mum while she sobs and Arielle hugging Toby. 

"Do you think they are happy?" Toby asks our dad quietly. 

"I think so. I think Del will be keeping Ryder in line just nicely up there". I smirk and look down at Delphine who grins back up at me. 

"Mumma, I miss them" Arielle whispers. 

"I know hunny, so do I" mum replies though sobs. 

"It feels like they are here with us though, it's nice" Arielle continues, a small smile forming on her lips. 

"It does. Everything feels warmer" my dad adds. I smile at them and then down at Del. I walk back around the headstone to stand next to them. I watch as Del reaches out and touches my mum's face, causing her to stop crying and smile. 

She then jumps out of my arms and touches everyone else's faces too. I watch them all smile before scooping Delphine back into my arms. 

"I think it's time to go little one" I whisper to her. She nods and I carry her back to Cole and the guards and we all walk back to the car. I put my sister down and watch as her and the guards disappear. Cole and I then get into the car and drive back to the hotel.

I walk into my bedroom for the night and collapse on the bed. I pull my phone from out of my pocket to find a couple messages from Charlie. I reply to them before closing my eyes for a moment to recollect myself. 

I then grab my phone again and decide to call Charlie. We spend the rest of the night on video chat and at some point, I must've fallen asleep because I walk up to a sleeping Charlie on the other end of the line. 

I end the call and jump through the shower before messaging her telling her to text me when she wakes up. I walk out into the lounge to find Delphine, Cole and the guards all sitting around the TV watching looney tunes and eating coco pops. 

"Morning sleepy head" Cole says chuckling. 

"What time is it?" I ask as I walk over to the kitchen and make myself a bowl of cocoa pops. 

"Nine" Del replies happily. I nod and walk over to the couch, plonking myself down next to Del. 

"So when are you guys leaving?" she asks through a mouthful of food. 

"Soon" I reply smiling. 

"We just have to go get some car parts and then we'll be gone". 

"Well I'll miss you," she says pouting. 

"I know, but we'll come visit you more often". 

"Yay, you better" she replies giggle. We finish our breakfast and wash up before packing up and leaving the hotel. I get a text from Charlie saying that she has to work a shift today and I reply back with an okay. 

We say goodbye to Delphine, Jade, and Dexter before driving to the automotive retailer. We pick up the parts for Cole's car and also some brake pads for Charlie's car before heading home.

~ Mystery POV ~

I drive into the parking lot of the Coffee Cup and shut off the engine. I sit and look past the windshield, into the small cafe. I instantly spot the girl, working behind the coffee machine. I smirk and get out of the car and make my way inside. 

I walk up to the counter and she looks up from what she is doing and walks over. She's the one, the vessel, but something feels weird. Like she's being protected or something. I peer over my shoulder to see if there is anyone who might stand out but there is no one. I turn my attention back to the girl, who gives me a small smile. 

"How may I help you?" she asks politely. I look up at the menu board before looking back at her. 

"Can I get a BLT and a strawberry milkshake please ummm... Charlie is it?" I reply, peering at her name tag to get her name. 

"Sure thing," she says smiling back as she rings up my order. As I find a table, I watch as she gets to work. She's pretty, with a good body. 

Not a girl I'd typically go for though. Oh well, in a day or so she'll be dead so it won't matter. She soon arrives with my order and I thank her before tucking in. I watch as she goes back to cleaning looking up occasionally to check on everything. 

This shouldn't be too hard when I find out what's protecting her but until then. Looks like I'm stuck in this lousy town for a bit longer. I finished my food, but before leaving I head back up to the counter. 

"Umm excuse me, Charlie?" I ask politely. She looks up and gives me another small smile. 

"Yeah?". 

"I just moved here and I was wondering whether you knew of any good places explore?". 

"Ummm no I don't, sorry. Umm the graveyard can be cool at times I guess and there are good places to eat. But other than that, I'd say you'd have better luck in the next town over". 

"Okay thank you" I reply smiling. I go to leave but turn back to her again. 

"I'm starting the high school tomorrow. Any tips you could give me?" I ask, pretending to look nervous. 

"Ummm choose your friends wisely?" she replies with a tired look. I nod and smile at her. 

"What year are you?". 

"Senior". 

"Sweet! Me too!" I say, my grin widening. Fuck yeah! That makes this ten times easier. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow then," I say smiling. 

"Yeah. See you" she mumbles uncomfortably before going back to work. I turn and walk out the door, feeling successful in my contact with the vessel. 

This is going to be too easy. 

_________________

Hey Guys,

I hope you enjoyed that chapter! You got to meet Ryder's sister and family! If you have any questions about this chapter, please don't hesitate to ask.

Also, who do you think the mystery POV is? Let me know what you guys think and if you get it right, I'll give you a shout out in the next chapter!

The next chapter should be out soon! Let's just say things are about to get interesting haha

Anyway, thanks so much!

-Allamy xx