An Angel's Shadow

 An Angel’s Shadows

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Characters                                                                                                #3

Prologue #4

Chapter 1  #5

Before It All Began 

Chapter 2  #

A Whole New World

Chapter 3  #

Chapter 4  #

Characters

Ava Taylor

Lani Taylor

Emmalee Reyes

Gavin Reyes

Kai Reyes

Amaya Reyes

Blake Davis

Gideon Cambell

Katherine Alexander

Elijah Moore

Mila White

Kristin Walker

David Grey

Dawson Hunt

Liam Bailey

James Black

Crystal Barnes 

Bella Cooper

Asher Cruz

Nora Cooper

Jack Cambell

Prologue
There’s a quote I once read, one I thought was the most ludicrous thing I had
ever heard. It was written by Anne Frank, and it goes something like this:

“In spite of everything, I still believe people are really good at heart.”
I wish I could agree with her, but I’ve seen too much to ever really believe in the
inspirational stuff she always wrote about. The hate, the pain, the loss. I will
never forgive or forget the shit I’ve been through. I can’t and won’t ever forgive
the one man that sparked the beginning of the worst time of my life. Jack.

Chapter 1

 I remember the day it all started. 

Just like every other morning in the Taylor household, my mother screamed
"Ava! Get your ass out of bed!" 

I rolled out of bed, dreading the long drive ahead of me. My parents were
divorced, and my dad lived in Los Angeles. I hated taking the four hour drive
every weekend, but it was always worth it when I got there. As soon as I would
open the car door, my little sister, Emmalee, would jump into my arms. Even
though I despise my father, I would do anything for that little girl.

“Ava! I made breakfast! Come eat!” my mother shouted from the bottom
of the stairs.

“I’m coming!” I yelled back.

I pulled on my favorite t-shirt and jeans, put my hair in a ponytail, and pulled on
my shoes. I grabbed my phone and ran down the stairs. Like always, I tripped on the
third stair from the bottom, and face planted into the floor. 

After picking me up, my mom burst out laughing, and she gave me a hug.
“Oh, honey. You trip on that stair every morning. Don’t you think you should
slow down?” 

I just gave her a hug and ran into the kitchen. 

“What’s for breakfast?” I asked.

She just smiled and said “I didn’t make anything. I just told you that so you would
get up faster.”

“Mom!” I yelled. “Sometimes I wonder how you can be such an amazing teacher
when you do things like that to me.”

I shook my head and made myself a bowl of cereal. As soon as I was done eating,
we got in the car and left. As we got on the freeway, my mom put on her favorite
music playlist. We started singing along to Bad Guy by Billie Eilish, as we always
do. 

The closer we get to my dad's house, the quieter my mother gets. They got
divorced two years ago, when he grabbed our dog, Tucker, and walked out. Two
months later, the divorce papers were signed, with my dad having control of my
older brother and younger sister. I only stayed with my mom because I refused to
leave her. Pulling up to my dad’s house makes my whole body fill with excitement
and dread at the same time. I opened my door and just barely caught Emmalee
before she fell. 

“Hi! Hi! Hi! What are you doing? Hi!” My sister is so excited, she can’t stop
talking. Suddenly, my mom grabs Em and Gavin runs into me so hard, we both
fall to the ground. Gavin is my eighteen year old brother who is following in our
father’s footsteps. My father is a very successful lawyer, and he wants all three of
his children to be the same. I don’t know what I want to be yet. Definitely not a
lawyer though.

My Dad and his new wife, Amaya, come out of the house and give me a hug. My
mom hugs Gavin and Emmalee and says goodbye.
“I will be back on Monday to pick you up. Don’t forget to call every night.”

“I won’t!” I promise.

“Love you!” she yells.

I turn and follow my brother into the house. It is a four story mansion with a pool,
media room, gym, and library. Sometimes people mistake it for a really fancy
hotel.
I take my suitcase and put it in the room I call mine when I visit. As I am
unpacking, Gavin is sitting upside down on my bed, tossing a ball up into the air.  

“So… Dad has this party in the ballroom tonight, and he wants you to be his guest
of honor. He’s been telling all of his work buddies about his amazing daughter
who is going to be the best lawyer there ever was.” Gavin says.

I shake my head. “ I hate how he’s always trying to decide my future for me!
Doesn’t he know that this is my life? I don’t want to go to his stupid party!”

My dad walks in at the very end of my rant. “A: this party is not stupid, it’s a
charity fundraiser, and B: I need you to be there.”

“Fine, I will go. There is only one problem: I need a dress!” I say.

“Go see Amaya. I think she has the perfect dress for you.” My dad says very
excitedly.

I nod my head and look for my Stepmom. As I walk down the hall, I nod and
wave to all the servers and catering staff I pass. My dad loves living like he’s the
king or something. He is such an arrogant ass, and that is why we never get along. 

I go down the stairs at the end of the hall, and walk into my dad’s bedroom.
Amaya is singing to herself while curling her hair. I meet her eyes in the mirror,
and we smile at each other. Something about her appearance always makes me think
of a fairy. She