Outcast by Abigail Livinghouse (self help books to read TXT) 📕

“Where are you going?” Gabriel asked, following me into my room.

I sprayed some of my sweet perfume on and looked in my full body mirror. I still needed shoes.

“Why do you care?” I asked him.

Sitting on the bed and putting on my high heels. He didn’t say anything for a moment, just shook his head again.

“Look, I’d appreciate it if you’d try not to get into any trouble tonight alright? I don’t want to clean up another one of your messes, Rafaela. And God knows you make a lot of messes.” He said sternly.

“Whatever.” I snorted, standing up. His eyes darkened.

“I’m serious.” He said, his tone stone cold. I rolled my eyes.

“Whatever. Bye, bye now.” I turned and began to head out the door when I felt Gabriel grab my wrist. I spun around, about to speak, when suddenly I was caught in his eyes. I was stuck.

Gabriel

       I wasn’t sure what happened, all I knew was that I had grabbed Rafaela to keep her from going to the club and making a fool out of herself for the second time in one night and suddenly I had been sucked into her consciousness. She had turned around, and everything stopped. I looked into her dark brown eyes, and I knew her. I could see everything about her, everything that made up Rafaela Isabelle Geordie.

When she was five, her father died and she developed clinical depression. Her mother and stepfather put her on medication at the age of ten. When she was thirteen she got her braces off and decided to get her tongue pierced to show off something shiny in her mouth that wasn’t metal on her teeth. Later at fourteen, she died her hair black, started smoking, and met a guy named Conner Smith, who was fifteen. She had sex with him when she turned fifteen and him sixteen.

Also at fifteen, she got numerous piercings. In her bellybutton, ears, eyebrow, lip, and nose. At the age of sixteen now, her parents travel often, leaving the house as an open invitation for parties, she has recently joined the business of drug dealing and doing with her boyfriend Conner, and has gotten many tickets for driving while intoxicated.

I snapped back into reality suddenly, realizing that Rafaela had a hand pressed to her forehead, a slight moan escaping her lips. I swallowed. I had just read her whole life story with one look into her eyes. I knew what this was: Soul Speaking, a very rare form of speech between angels. It’s uncommon and had only been documented to occur with a human if that human was of special property to Heaven or Hell. Which means that Rafaela is going to be much more trouble than I had originally anticipated.

I now knew her perfectly, and I just wondered what she had seen of me . . .

Rafaela

What the hell had just happened? I had been about to leave and then bam! It was like I was inside Gabriel, and reading everything that had went on in his life, although some of it was confusing.

When he was four his parents were sent to a very hot, dark, and fiery place which Gabriel feared more than anything else in the world. What the place was exactly was unclear, but the rest was pretty easy to understand. Later at ten, he was put next to a very high and mighty being referred to only as Him. Then when he was thirteen, he met a young girl named Aria Carnell, who became like a sister to him.

When he turned fourteen he developed a friendship with Zale Heights, someone who went away for a while and then returned when Gabriel was fifteen. All I knew was that Zale had done something very bad and very wrong, but I couldn’t figure out what. Then at sixteen, Gabriel Robert Jamul was banished from his special place for a very bad and unknown deed. Again, the reason was surrounded by haze, but I did know that the really powerful guy addressed as Him, was real angry about what Gabriel did. Now suddenly Gabriel’s here, and tied down to me?

Why me?

Gabriel

“What in the hell was that?” Rafaela said, her voice hitching up an octave higher than normal.

I pursed my lips, looking for a way to describe an angelic property to a human. There was none.

“Gabriel”, she said when I didn’t respond, “what the hell had just happened? You know, I’ve been drunk, high, and even a bit hyper because of meds, I’ve seen some crazy shit, but that has never happened to me before.” She said heatedly.

I paused, considering my options. I really didn’t have many. Knowing Rafaela, she wouldn’t drop this. However, I could attempt to make her. Then again I could tell her, but that would be breaking so many rules I wouldn’t be able to begin. My chances of returning to my place in Heaven were already slim, but telling Rafaela would be like jumping into the pits of Hell and laughing as I burned. It was an insane idea to tell her, but I didn’t see any other. Well, before I send myself to Hell, I’m going to try to have her forget this, or at least, leave me alone on the topic.

“It’s probably just your hangover.” I said. She cocked a disbelieving eyebrow, but I continued.

“I’m sure it was nothing. Don’t worry, take some aspirin and I’m sure you’ll be fine. I should go now.” I said, walking to the door. I had my hand on the knob when she gripped my shoulder.

“Are you insane? I want to know what the fuck just happened to me. And don’t act so innocent, I know you felt it too.” She said, turning the tables on me.

I eyed her guardedly. This was bad, as if I wasn’t already in enough trouble. I sighed, looking at her with the patience of a parent looking at a poor foolish child.

“Honestly Rafaela, what do you think happened?” I asked, switching things around back on her. She quirked her lip in a sneer.

“I don’t know, that’s why I’m asking you.” She said. And the spotlight’s back on me. I shook my head.

“Get some rest.” I said, opened the door, and headed into her hall.

When I was in the foyer, I looked up to see her running down the staircase.

“Wait! Gabriel, tell me what happened right now!” She shouted, and when she was just about to get to the bottom of the stairs, I locked the door, closed it behind me, and ran.

I didn’t care where I was or who saw me–breaking about fifty other rules–I unfurled my wings and took off away from Rafaela Geordie and all the trouble she brought me.

Gabriel

Things had once been simple. I had lived in Heaven as one of God’s angels next to my best friend, and then everything had gone all wrong. Now, I was a guardian angel watching over a damn party girl who is now a powerful objective between Heaven and Hell. I was worried however, about what would happen to Rafaela. As soon as word got out that she was a mortal Soul Speaker then the search would begin, and I knew just the guy who would be searching for her first. I flew through the sky with the wind blowing my hair back and my wings beating rhythmically. So much trouble I was in, so much. Not only had I been a complete fool by speaking to Rafaela instead of just leaving like I should’ve, but I had let her speak to me using an ability that’s barely known to humans. What I wanted desperately right now was to speak to Aria, to hear her kind words and know that things will be okay as long as I figure out what to do. I wasn’t sure what to do or where I was going, only that no matter where it was, it would have to be far away from Rafaela. Which would be a bit difficult, since I’m her guardian angel and am required to be at her side at all times.