"I refuse to ever leave." Callie managed to say through a mouthful of burger. "I need more chilli sauce in this. I'll be right back." With that, Callie practically fell over herself in her quest for the perfect burger, leaving Ella and Rick alone in the small booth.

It had been sheer will-power that had allowed Rick to keep his mouth shut. Alfie had gone outside to take a call a few minutes ago and with Callie on her search for the perfect concoction of sauces, there was no longer a reason for Rick to keep his mouth shut.

"Are you stalking me or are we seriously going to pretend you actually know Alfie?" Rick snorted, slumping back in his seat. Ella said nothing, eyeing Rick with a strange expression of pride. "For more than five minutes, I mean?"

"I've known Alfie," Ella began slowly. "For as long as I've known you." Rick immediately began to shift uncomfortably in his seat. "You know – a few millennia?"

Rick couldn't help but glance a quick glance in Callie's direction. She was joking with the guy behind the counter, who was clearly attempting to flirt with her – even if Callie herself was unaware. She didn't realize that there were people who valued her honesty, her craziness.

If Callie overheard him and Ella, she'd think they were both crazy. And whilst Rick would quite enjoy the verbal smackdown Callie would give Ella upon "finding out" she was feeding Rick's drunken stories and violence-inducing ego, Callie was one person that Rick didn't want to be despised, or treated warily, by.

"You're insane-"

"The fact of the matter is, if you truly thought that, you wouldn't be talking to me still." Ella interrupted. "Look – I get you're confused. We've all been sleeping, healing, ever since we fell after the Second Coming – and we still would be if it weren't for the trouble that's stirring up." Ella went to touch Rick's hand but he couldn't help but yank it back. No. None of this made sense.

And the reason why it didn't make sense, was because it did. The Second Coming, knowing Ella, this feeling of... Of being asleep after all this time, it all sounded so familiar. Rick was so easily accepting it, when it was the craziest thing he'd ever heard.

His dreams hadn't just been of Ella's eyes. They'd included blurred visions of wars, floods and fire mixed in one, his head exploding as he woke up in a sweat. And Ella... Offering terminology and fact and reality to it all was only making Rick's head hurt more.

"What trouble?" Rick mumbled, rubbing his face. "What, you're not popping enough pills for your mental disorder?"

Ella sighed.

"The witches are on the verge of a rebellion, because they think their Imperatrix is back for the first time since the second century." Ella told Rick factually. Rick tried to nod with a straight face. Right. Witches. Of course. He was in London, why wasn't she bringing up Hogwarts? Because that had to be real too, right? "Up until a few months ago, I was sceptical as you, you know. But then some kind of supernatural entity woke us up by releasing a ridiculous amount of energy."

"Did you see a couple of dragons, too?" Rick asked seriously, feigning interest. "Look. Witches and lost memories and all of that – it's a load of bullshit. Sure, I've had a rough time sleeping recently, but all you'd have to do is recognize my pissed off expression and coffee breath to figure that out."

"If you genuinely didn't believe there was some truth in what I was saying, you wouldn't be trying to provoke me into telling you answers." Ella smiled, much to Rick's infuriation. "There's a place for people just like us, with people who are special. So long as you agree-"

Rick could no longer help it. He'd entertained Ella's rubbish for more than what was considered healthy – and anyway, Callie was on her way back to the table now, cheerfully sucking sauce from her fingers, her burger now bleeding a nauseous mix of condiments.

"But you're not getting this – I'm not agreeing!" Rick burst. Quickly, he leant forward, his voice low. "Look, I get that you want somebody to think as whack stuff as you do, but I'm not your guy, okay? I'm sorry. But I don't think you're the new Mystic Meg."

"You don't have to." Ella insisted. "I know that you-"

Callie was seconds away from their table.

"Just shut up, will you?" Rick hissed, leaning back in his seat, trying not to look flustered. Callie did not need to hear this. Rick laughed as Callie approached, looking pleased. "Oh my God, what is even in that?"

Callie's eyes widened happily.

"Everything." She told him with an evil giggle. "Dude, shift. You're in my seat. I need to eat this fine-looking mountain of unhealthy stuff."

Rick glanced at Ella, who was watching Callie with a polite smile. Ella, Rick noticed, had barely touched her fries.

A new wave of irritation washed over Rick's shoulders. He recognized that polite smile. Back in the States, growing up, he'd seen looks just like that. He hadn't thought too much of it back then since those girls giving the looks were usually the ones he'd hung out with, with Rick stupidly believing their propaganda about any girl who didn't spend more than forty minutes on their hair was clearly a loser. If he hadn't met Callie, he'd probably still be believing it.

But now he knew someone like that, someone who didn't care about their appearance – he hated that other people judged them. He'd been indifferent before, but now he couldn't stand it. So what that Callie liked her food? So what that she didn't straighten her hair? So what that she rolled into college in the sweatshirt she'd worn to bed the night before and the same skinny jeans and sneakers she'd been wearing for the past week?

It was the same way Rick couldn't stand the fake nature of girls just like Ella, who judged people like Callie, only to stuff their faces later and cry about it afterwards. What was wrong with people being different? And who the Hell was Ella, of all people, to judge Callie, when she was trying to convince Rick that he and her were magical elves?

Maybe she was high. At this point, that was the only solution Rick had to Ella's crazy.

"Can I be a total asshole and ask you a humongous favour?" Rick asked as he stared up at Callie, giving her his largest, cheesiest grin.

Instantly, Callie was glaring down at her best friend with narrowed, suspicious eyes. That look never ended well.

"What?" Callie asked slowly.

"Can you order me another shake?" Rick grinned, putting on the best puppy-eyes he could muster. "I'll love you forever."

"You couldn't have asked me that, like, twenty seconds ago?" Callie whined. Rick said nothing, simply smiling up at her, batting his eyelashes. This was going to end in one of two ways – Callie ignoring him and proceeding to feel guilty for the rest of the day for begrudging someone excellent tasting unhealthy food, or Callie agreeing but grumbling about it. And the best part was, Callie knew that Rick knew that. "Urgh! Fine!" Callie burst, slamming her burger down on the table. Rick's sleeve just about missed a small splash of ketchup as a result. "But if my burger gets cold, I'm going to hurt you. Keep it hot."

"What do you want me to do, sit on it?" Rick laughed.

"Well, you better find a way, unless you want me to spit in your shake." Callie smiled sweetly. She turned to Ella. Callie had felt Ella watching her every move so far and it was starting to get on her nerves – maybe walking in the opposite direction, with Ella out of sight, would help. "Would you like anything?"

"No, thank you." Ella smiled. "I just got back from the gym."

"Ah, the unholiest of places." Callie nodded cheerfully, shoving Rick one last time. "You suck. I'll be back in a second."

Rick smiled happily to himself as Callie wove through the crowd of seats, the guy she'd been speaking to at the counter overjoyed at her return.

"I'm sorry." Ella suddenly said, causing Rick's smile to fall from his face as he turned to face her. "I didn't get it before. Now I do."

Although Rick knew Ella was practically begging for him to ask what, he didn't bother. Instead, he took a large bite of Callie's burger, scrunching up his face in disgust at the various tastes that exploded in his mouth.

Mustard and burger sauce was one of the most disgusting combinations... Ever.

"You like her. Your best friend, you have feelings for her."

Ella's assumption was spoken at an inopportune moment – it was just as Rick had taken the last slurp of the milkshake Callie had gone to replace, that he heard what Ella had said. It took a moment for him to register the words – and then, mixed with creamed milk, mustard and burger sauce and his own spit, Rick began to choke.

"Excuse me?" Rick spluttered. "Are you out of your mind?"

Ella shrugged.

"I guess we can always ask Joey, if you agree to come with me." Ella told Rick casually. Rick shrugged, still coughing slightly, as if to ask – I don't know who that is, so really don't care. "Joey? You know, Jophiel, archangel of love and beauty?"

Archangel?

"What, you know angels now, too?" Rick managed to say, rubbing his throat. He shook his head – this was crazy. "What next, you're a whitewashed version of Morgan Freeman as God in Bruce Almighty?"

Ella surveyed Rick for a moment, saying nothing.

He was different to the others. They all had a certain look – nay, aura – about them, an inner glow that emanated from every pore. A vibrancy. They were fresh-faced, eager, approachable... Like Alfie.

Yet Rick was the complete contrary. Whilst the others looked sunkissed and angelic and filled with innocence, Alaric Lysander looked... Brooding. Cynical. His eyes may have shared the same colour as Ella's, blue, but there were no similarities between them. Rick's eyes were cold and calculating.

But then his laugh was exactly what Ella would expect from one of the Allegories. His laugh, even though it was at her own expense, was carefree and seemed to come from inside of his stomach. It was joyful and friendly and inclusive all at once, despite the almost – Ella hated to even think it to herself – cruel mocking that resided in Rick's eyes.

She supposed it could be expected. Rick was fighting his real memories – his entire life force. This... Human personality had replaced everything that made him who he was and was fighting to maintain its own facade.

Hadn't she been just as confused when she'd woken up to her reality? Sure, it wasn't exactly the same, given the differences in her and Alaric's natures, but the principle remained the same. She'd been confused as first. She wasn't perfect. The transition was something that some of the others were still struggling with. She just... She had to be patient, and she had to be confident in her faith for her fellow Allegory. Faith was what they all relied on.

All the same – Ella couldn't help but answer Rick's question truthfully.

"We don't just know angels." Ella began slowly, making Rick's eyebrow rise. Here it came. The real loony stuff. "Alaric – we are angels. The archangels." Again – Rick's smile faded just as quickly as it had come. "What, you thought the parts of your dreams with great flapping wings and pearly gates was all just a part of the experience? This isn't Disneyworld. This is real."

Disneyworld and real in the same sentence, Rick realized, was extremely disorientating for someone as tired and hungover as he was.

"Your milkshake, your Majesty." Callie sighed, slapping down the glass on the table. Reality seemed to hit Rick in the face again – every time Ella spoke, it was all he could hear, but then Callie would drag him right back into reality. People talking, pop music blaring from the radio, the clatter of cutlery against full plates. "You asshole. Did you take a bite out of my burger?"

"My breath kept it warm." Rick smirked to himself, snorting as Callie shoved him as hard as she could. Irritating Callie was almost as good as watching her be irritated with everyone else – almost.

"Sticking you under a bus will keep you warm, too. I'll show you later." Callie muttered, snatching her burger back. She glanced between Rick and Ella – their eyes were locked with one another, Rick wearing his stubborn expression. "So... Ella, what are you studying?"

"Law and Business Management at LSE." Ella replied immediately, causing Rick to roll his eyes. "But that's not important – the truth is, I'm trying to pitch Rick."

Rick's eyes instantly darted up. If looks could kill? Well, Ella would be long dead.

"Oh, really?" Callie replied conversationally, dunking one of her fries into the puddle of sauce surrounding her burger. "What for?"

"It really isn't that interesting-" Rick began – only for Ella to ignore him entirely, tossing back her blonde curls and smiling happily at Callie's curiosity.

"It's for people with special abilities – you know, high performance, that type of thing." Ella couldn't help but sit a little straighter in her pride – she wasn't even lying. "But Rick here isn't interested."

Callie nudged her best friend, aghast.

"Are you insane?" She demanded. Before Rick could even open his mouth to respond, Callie was shaking her head furiously, firing words at him again. "Of course you're insane. You must be! I mean, they think you're special? Are you kidding me?"

"No kidding." Ella added helpfully. "It's called Caesar's Academy. Only Rick here refuses to even talk about it."

"It's not like that." Rick managed to say through gritted teeth. He was growing an intense dislike for Ella and suddenly wished he'd listened to Callie's many warnings against the dangers of partying. Maybe if he hadn't gone to that stupid club in the first place, he wouldn't have this problem right now. "I mean, come on, Callie – do I really need more to boost my ego?"

"That's true, but that doesn't take away the fact it's awesome." Callie snorted. "What's Rick's special talent or whatever? You know, the thing that got the Academy's attention?"

"Oh, he's one of the big guys. He's got quite the range of talents." Ella grinned, making Callie stare at Rick with incredulity again. No way!

Rick, on the other hand, was rapidly attempting to think of a way to make Ella and Callie hate each other. It was the only way. Aside from the insane fact that Ella was doing all of this to get him to go to some crackpot Academy – which was probably what they'd told her to call her psych ward –, Ella dragging Callie into this crazy mess was seriously uncool in Rick's eyes.

Even if he and Ella were proven to be totally crazy – the only real explanation and even then, it was a very big if – what were her reasons for involving Callie? What did she have to do with any of it? What was Ella's gain?

If Rick wasn't so torn between finding out answers and amazing Callie some more, he would have stormed out ten minutes ago. She was just... Pouncing on him. And Rick did not work well under both expectation or pressure. He liked to do things his way. That's what had gotten him into so much trouble in high school. It was his way, or no way at all.

If Ella had learnt in one of her classes that this was how to manage a business, she was managing Rick's business all wrong.

"I'll be back in a second." Ella suddenly said, walking away from the table. Although Rick found her social skills to be somewhat lacking, he didn't feel too bad about her leaving – in fact, she hoped she'd get hit by a bus and never come back to haunt him.

Of course, if she then rose from being roadkill with gigantic fluffy wings, well, maybe they both didn't belong in a mental institution.

"So, are you going to tell me what's really going on now or do I still have to guess?" Callie mumbled through a mouthful of beef. "Spit it out."

"You're going to think I'm crazy – more crazy – and so I'd rather not, thanks." Rick murmured, stealing one of Callie's fries. Callie slapped his hand away, but too slowly – Rick was already grinning, the fry between his teeth. "Can't we talk about something else?"

"No, no, we can't." Callie snorted. "And I already think you're crazy. There's nothing new about that."

Rick sighed. He'd already tried telling Callie once today about the weird dreams and the potential (yet extremely unlikely) fact that he was some sort of... Magical wizard person. If Rick had any self respect whatsoever, he'd drop it now.

But the truth was... Well, he wanted – no, needed – Callie to know.

Contrary to popular belief, Rick hadn't led the most charmed life. He'd grown up in Chicago, in a middle-class family with a dog and a car at his disposal.

But looks could be incredibly deceiving. Rick's father – or rather, both of his adopted parents, the first time around – were not at all what they seemed. His father was abusive and his mother had an under-the-table drug problem. In fact, it was because of her that Rick had started dealing a little while after starting high school – when his father had finally left, accidentally killing the dog on the way, his mother had fallen to pieces and... Well. It had been pretty messed up.

The only reason Rick wasn't rotting in some juvenile prison or standard prison (whichever applied, he wasn't too hot on the details) or whatever, was because no matter how many times people had tried to stick him in the thick of things, he managed to... Get out. He didn't even have to try. He was always at the wrong place at the wrong time – well, it was that, or he had serious creepy mojo going on, but seeing as that seemed to run parallel to Ella's ramblings, Rick wasn't entertaining the idea -, but when it came down to it... He had an alibi.

Of course, in Chicago, that had left him with quite the reputation. Despite being favoured throughout his high school career by all the so-called "right" people, there were always the little comments, the Chinese whispers where everyone discussed just how deep Alaric Lysander's dark streak ran.

When his adoptive mother had finally been admitted into rehab, the dead dog found in the backyard and Alaric taken out of their care, he'd found his original family. He was a distant member of the New York Lysander's, an influential family that had an entire legacy of East Coast roots. He'd been given the choice to speak to them, too – but seeing as his real parents were dead and, after doing his own research through his not-so-legal channels, they hadn't seemed the nicest of people and he'd let them be. Anyway, they hadn't even known he existed – so why bother?

He'd been lucky – he hadn't needed to stay within the system long and just before his junior year, a woman who he'd known for years in the local neighbourhood up and decided to adopt him. She had been recovering from cancer when they first met, but she had fallen ill again when she'd taken Rick in – she was an elderly woman, who had been one of the few friends Rick had really had. She'd adopted him because, with no children of her own, her maternal instinct was almost overflowing within her – and she decided to fund Rick's college.

She'd died just before his junior year ended. After that, he was returned to the system and adopted by another family – a rich, influential, fairly kind and normal family, particularly in comparison to their predecessors – and Rick had decided to move to London, seeming as Chicago hadn't exactly remained the greatest of places in his memory.

It was strange. Rick couldn't help but think bad things happened whenever he was around people, but people always said the contrary. And Rick never felt bad about himself – he never thought he was cursed, or evil. Being in the thick of bad circumstances was just... Well. Another one of Rick's apathetic shrugs.

And it was, out of everyone Rick had ever known, Callie that knew all of this. He'd thought that talking to the antisocial girl in the corner during Induction would be at least mildly entertaining and he hadn't known anybody else in the session that day – so Callie seemed a good a person as any to pass his time with.

Of course, she hadn't been what he'd expected.

She'd been... Spunky. Upon hearing that word as an adjective, she'd snorted in his face, but Rick honestly couldn't think of a word more apt. She was feisty and unimpressed by Rick's laidback attitude and carefree chuckles. He didn't care – and rather than wanting to fix him, Callie cared even less than he did. She genuinely didn't care that he didn't care – because she cared about very few things herself.

Inevitably, they'd bonded over their backgrounds. They essentially both had no families, save the fellow children they'd grown up within the system with. They were both determined to do something, achieve something in their lives and although took entirely different approaches, had learnt that conformity wasn't the pathway to happiness and normality as everyone else believed.

The only real difference between the two of them was how they felt. Callie had a gaping absence of family – she was of the view that her fellow children within the state system only relied on her because they had to, because she was there. Rick had never felt that.

It was strange. He'd never felt like he wasn't a part of something – the trouble was, he'd never known what he was a part of.

And it was in that moment, sitting in a fairly unhygienic but brilliantly cheap and wonderful fast food joint in London, that Rick realized with a sense of terrifying foreboding that perhaps what he'd always felt a part of was the madness Ella had been trying to describe.

"I think she's from some kind of hospital." Rick finally managed to say, realizing Callie was still watching him expectantly. "A mental hospital." Rick added.

Callie rose her eyebrows and set down her burger carefully.

"The little blonde chick is from a mental hospital?" Callie asked slowly.

"She's – she's a psychiatrist, actually. From a mental hospital."

"So... The little blonde chick is a psychiatrist from a mental hospital?" Callie repeated.

"Are you seriously just going to copy everything I say?" Rick snapped.

"If I need to, for you to realize how stupid it sounds, then sure, maybe." She laughed. "I mean, a mental hospital? Seriously? You think that crappy excuse is going to pacify me?"

"Okay, fine, seeing as for once, your food isn't enough to keep you quiet-" Callie's mouth fell open slightly at Rick's sudden bravado. What? "- I've been having messed up dreams, including a set of eyes and Hell on Earth and then I went to the Icebreaker event on Friday and saw the pair of eyes I've been freaking out over in a little blonde chick about this high." Rick motioned to a little taller than where they were sitting. "And now, she's found me and is suddenly talking about some fancy-ass school for people like me, which is apparently people who are angels." Rick took a deep breath and, realizing what he'd just said, flushed a bright scarlet. He coughed once – and finally, plucked up the courage to face Callie's stunned expression. "Now... Jesus, just eat, will you?"

Callie said nothing for a few moments, watching Rick carefully. Despite his attempts at subtlety, she could see how he was watching her reaction carefully, despite his best attempts to hide it.

"Is there... Even the slightest chance... That Ella might know something you don't?" Callie finally managed to say, adding weight to every word.

Rick stared up at her in amazement.

"Callie, what are you-"

"Everyone has bad dreams, Rick." Callie murmured, chewing on her bottom lip thoughtfully. "And... I don't know, maybe if sometimes they actually mean something... They'll stop being so terrifying."

The two of them stared at one another for a moment, in a mixture of amazement, confusion and a type of relief that, in that moment, Rick felt that not even the illusion of family had ever given him.

"So you believe me?" Rick forced himself to say, his voice sounding ever so slightly hoarse.

Callie smiled ruefully.

"Well..." She began, picking her burger back up and winking at him over what she called heaven in a bun. "I'm certainly not saying I don't."

"You know you're awesome, right?" Rick grinned.

Callie smirked.

"Oh, I know." She told him, taking another giant chunk from her burger.

It seemed to be fate that Callie had accepted Rick's sudden burst of honesty so easily – when Ella returned, with Alfie in tow, it was clear there was more to Alfie than Rick had originally been led to believe. Be that as it may, when Ella saw the triumph on Rick's face, she knew half of her battle was won – Rick would at least give Caesar's Academy a chance and in doing so, would be sealing his fate.

. . .

"So, how does this whole Academy thing work, anyway?" Callie asked, jumping easily onto Rick's back and latching her legs around his chest. "I mean, if any of this is true – and I'm not saying it is or it isn't, but if it were – wouldn't it have to be... I don't know, hidden or whatever?"

"Yep. It's not on your everyday Google Maps." Alfie nodded cheerfully, adjusting his beanie.

"Wait, so you're a part of this too?" Callie questioned. "Like... This is your thing as well?"

"You're talking to the archangel Raphael." Ella told Callie brazenly. Alfie gave a small wave. "He's as much in the thick of as Alaric and I."

"Hey, can you please take a pause on the whole Alaric thing?" Rick frowned. "Nobody has called me Alaric since... Well, ever. Rick is fine. And since when did we get upgraded from angels to fancy-ass angels?"

"I'm confused." Callie murmured.

"You weren't upgraded, you are an archangel. Always have been." Ella began, shrugging. "Alfie is Raphael-"

"Hi." Alfie waved proudly.

"You're the archangel Gabriel-"

"What did you say?"

"And I'm Michael." Ella finished, taking no notice of Rick's aghast expression. "Well, technically it's Michaela. But the gender thing got lost in translation, which is why everyone thinks you're a girl."

"Whoa!" Callie laughed. "So what, you're the big leader guy? Or girl, rather?" Callie snickered, slapping Rick's shoulders in her amusement. "Do you mean to honestly tell me you're Rick's boss?"

"What did you say?" Rick repeated, with much more conviction this time. He froze where he stood, Callie cackling loudly on his back, as Ella glanced up at him innocently. "Okay, first of all, here in my human state-" Rick quoted with his fingers. "- I didn't have the most spiritually vested upbringing, so this could be crap for all I know and secondly, I didn't sign up to be someone's bitch. You are not my boss."

"Uh, yes, I am, I'm your general, actually." Ella told him seriously, looking unimpressed by Rick's words. "Look, the sooner you get to grasp with the hierarchy, the better it will be for you. Accept it and move on. If you insist on throwing a temper-tantrum then fine, go ahead and indulge yourself in front of this petty audience – just remember to not embarrass us all when we get to the Academy."

Callie was unable to help but ruffle Rick's hair as his eyes took an interestingly vivid enraged appearance.

"Is there anything odd about this Academy? Like, you know, aside from it technically not existing to us lesser mortals." Callie continued, her interest truly piqued. Even if it turned out they were all insane, this was definitely one of the more colourful conversations she'd ever had.

"Well, the witches have put it in a time-lock." Alfie said thoughtfully. Callie furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. Witches and archangels? "It's a complicated system. But they believe it was a purer time in the era they chose. You know, back to basics type stuff."

"Does this back to basics type stuff including the basic right of charging your iPod?" Callie asked shrewdly.

"They're witches, not demons." Alfie grinned. "I'll explain it to you once we get there. If you can come, that is."

It was on the tip of Callie's tongue to ask why she wouldn't be allowed, when Ella breezily interrupted, enraging Rick further without even bothering to glance in his and Callie's direction.

"I do not think it's a good idea for her to come." Ella told Rick. "She doesn't belong in a place like that."

"Considering at this point I don't even know if this place really exists, I'm going to take that as a compliment." Callie couldn't help but reply. Her attitude towards Ella was rapidly fluctuating between immense dislike and immense happiness at someone so done with everyone's rubbish – and was therefore completely lacking any constancy in the matter.

"I'm not going anywhere if Callie's not going anywhere." Rick warned. "I mean it, Michaela, or Michael, or whoever the Hell you are." Ella opened her mouth to protest, but Rick interrupted. "I don't care what your name is. But the fact is, I don't trust you and knowing Alfie was in on this the whole time, and may have possibly faked how we met-"

"Oh, sorry. I did." Alfie paused. "Well, she did." He nodded in Ella's direction.

"- and this is all giving me serious trust issues." Rick finished, glaring at Alfie in withering disappointment. "I trust Callie. Not you two. If she's not coming with me, you can go to Hell."

"Oh, for goodness sake!" Ella groaned. Her impatience – a horrible side effect of being human, or at least, kind of – was beginning to get the better of her. All of Rick's whining, Callie's incessant questions, Alfie's constant soothing... It was driving her mad! Her head ached from it all. She was providing Rick with sought-after answers, was she not? Shouldn't he be more – oh, what was the word – ah yes, damned grateful? "She can't enter the part of the Academy you belong to. Students who have been there for years, millennia even, aren't allowed into that part of the Academy and she's not even magical! She's not special enough for her to even warrant a guest card without causing drama with the witches. Surely you can manage one trip without her holding your hand? Regardless of whether you're struggling with the truth about your destiny or not, you still have an image to maintain – our image!"

Alfie, Rick and Callie stared at Ella in surprise for a few moments, seemingly lost by her sudden outburst. She'd been so... Calm, before now. Eerily calm, in fact.

Well, Rick thought irritably. At least she was capable of more than one emotion.

"Should I really be as surprised as I am that angels are so elitist?" Callie finally murmured to herself, making Ella glare at her angrily. "No. No, I shouldn't be."

"She comes with me," Rick said slowly, as if talking to a child, Ella's outburst deemed completely insignificant – not something she was used to, or had been expecting, particularly after introducing herself in both the human and supernatural sense. "Or I don't go at all." Rick hesitated, smirking slightly. "And judging by what you just said, you can't afford to go on without me and leave me in sane land on my own."

"Well, you wouldn't be on your own, you'd have me, but as Ella the General just so charmingly pointed out, I'm not special." Callie added. "But still. I see your point."

"You know what?" Ella sighed, throwing her hands up in the air in surrender – something she wasn't used to doing, human or not. "I will abide by your petty rules for today, just to get you to the Academy for your own good."

"You're assuming this place is going to make me feel thankful for something, somehow." Rick said boredly.

"It's offering you sanctuary." Ella muttered in disgust, resuming her walking again. Rick, Callie and Alfie followed. "And let's face it, that's not just what you want – it's what you need."