Race to be Reaper

Race to be Reaper

Prologue

Clarissa stood, frozen in fear. Her wings fluttered nervously. They didn’t match her dark cloak, so she pulled them in. She looked around. She was in a domed white building. All around her, angels and human spirits alike in dark clothes nervously chattered. Today, God was going to assign a special person to become his helper. The demon’s assassins were everywhere on earth. So God was assigning someone to kill them. Otherwise, they would destroy the earth. She looked at the corridor. Gabriel and Michael stood on either side of the corridor, Michael holding the list of people and Gabriel escorting them inside to where God would decide if they were to be his reaper. Clarissa watched each person come back out again. So far, none had been chosen. Lines of people were leaving the room. Clarissa watched them go. One line led to the stables, where they would fly away on their steeds. Another line was made of humans who were taking the service angels, who took the humans anywhere they wished. Another line was of humans and angels who just wanted to walk.
“Hey, Clarissa!”
Clarissa turned around. Behind her stood Beatrice, her best friend. Her rosy cheeks were flushed with excitement. She smiled back, and raised her scythe in greeting. “Hello.”
“Can you believe it? One of us could be the reaper! You would be a great reaper, Clarissa. You’ve got the whole pale face and the look in your eyes.”
Clarissa blushed. “I wouldn’t be a great reaper. I don’t have the nerve for killing things. It’s like I’d be a murderer!”
Beatrice’s face became grave. “They are the murderers. You just have to murder them first.” Then her look was gone and she was her normal self again. “Just think about it!” She was bouncing. “If I was picked, or you were picked, we’d be famous!”
“ANGELA BENDRA!” Michael’s voice boomed. A little to the left of them, a hooded figure was shoving her way through the mass of people, shouting, “Coming through, coming through!”
“Good luck, Angela!” Called Beatrice, waving her sword high in the air. Angela smiled, and disappeared into the corridor. Beatrice let her sword drop to her side. “Did you know that three other people chose a scythe for their weapon? Only four people chose a scythe! And you are one of them!”
Clarissa smiled. “I didn’t just take a scythe. I have two hidden daggers up my sleeve, poison needles underneath my fingernails, and a miniature flamethrower hidden between my teeth.” Beatrice let out a whistle. “Since when were you a walking arsenal?”
“BEATRICE CALLISO!” Michael shouted.
“That’s me!” Beatrice squealed, then clutched Clarissa’s hand. “Stay with me until I go in, please?”
Clarissa smiled, and together, they pushed their way through the crowd. The blunt edge of Clarissa’s scythe knocked more than one person out of the way. Then, they were there. Gabriel looked at both of them.
“Hellooooo,” Beatrice said, fluttering her eyelashes at him.
“Hello.” Gabriel took her arm. “Please allow me to escort you to the Lord’s chambers.”
Beatrice looked back and grinned at Clarissa, then left. Clarissa leaned against her scythe and traced a finger over the blade. She looked wistfully at the empty space above her. She didn’t have room to stretch her wings, so she couldn’t get up there. Clarissa looked at her scythe. It would work. She set it upright, and vaulted over Michael’s head. He looked up, and she jumped off the wall and into the air, still holding her scythe. She shot out her wings and hovered above everyone else. Beatrice came out. She looked around for Clarissa. Clarissa waved her scythe in the air. Beatrice caught sight of it and grinned. Then she started to leave the room.
“CLARISSA SANDERS!”
Beatrice spun around. It’s me, Clarissa thought. Then she dove down. Everyone was looking up at her. She was near the exit. Gabriel was coming out. They were going to crash!
Clarissa turned until she was vertical. She swept past Gabriel, and he stared in amazement as she sped down the corridor. He was running to catch up. She slowed, and he caught up. He looked up and grinned. “That was fast,” he said. Clarissa blushed. An archangel had never complimented her. She dropped down, and together, the walked until they came to a pair of double doors. Gabriel stopped. “This is where I wait for you. The Lord will see to you immediately.”
Clarissa took a deep breath and entered the room.

Chapter 1: The contestants

At first, Clarissa could see nothing but a bizarre white. She felt like she was transparent, showing everything. She knew it was God.
“Please sit down.” The voice was from the other side of the room. Clarissa spotted a very soft, comfortable looking chair with delicate looking legs. Beside it was an old chair, which looked very hard and had sturdy legs. She chose the old chair. To her surprise, it was very soft. She tried to look directly at God, but couldn’t. She shielded her eyes, but it didn’t help much. The light was everywhere. It was so bright, she could hardly see much, but at the same time, it was gentle, and it warmed every part of her body.
“Clarissa, you would be a great reaper. You are considerate of others, and you are kind, loyal, and gentle. You have self-sacrifice, and you have a great knowledge for many things. Also, you are creative and have a good sense of logic. I will put you in the contest. Go through this door to meet your other contestants.”
Clarissa looked at where he was pointing. She saw an iron door. She pushed it. It was barred. Clarissa opened her jaws wide, pulling the trigger. The flames barely touched her lips, and the door began to melt away, revealing three very surprised people staring at the wall of fire. She closed her mouth and stepped inside.
“Hello.” She smiled. They stared. Clarissa found their stares uncomfortable. “What? Its just a flamethrower in miniature size.”
The smallest contestant, a small, wiry boy with untidy hair grinned. “A flamethrower is very effective. But, others would have just, you know, picked the lock.”
Clarissa smiled. “But everyone has a different approach.”
“Well, that’s what we did. Except for Thomas. He broke the door with his head.” He pointed to Thomas, who was at the very back. He was very large, and his hands looked like they could snap iron like a toothpick. He waved awkwardly.
“That’s Romulus.” The boy pointed to the other person. He sat in the corner, his rat-like face twisted into something that was almost a sneer. Clarissa did not like him. He was strong, but very thin. Also, there was something else that she couldn’t put her finger on…
“Oh yea, I forgot. I’m Peter.” The boy pointed to himself with his thumb. He grinned. His bright blue eyes sparkled. “I’m good at sneaking into places that no one else can go. I can knock people out before they even know what hit them. But then, one day, a guy attacked me. I threw him into the water and he pulled me in with him. We both drowned.” His face grew somber. Clarissa put a hand on his shoulder. Then Peter shook the thought off and looked up at Clarissa. “So are you a human or an angel?”
Clarissa stood up. She ran at the wall, bounded of it, and spread her wings. The tips of her feathers touched Peter’s nose as he looked up. Thomas was staring at her, his mouth slightly open. Romulus looked amused. Clarisse folded her wings and shot down. At the last second she opened them back up, and her fingers touched the melting ground as she lifted back up. Wait… melting? Clarisse gasped. The people were sinking! Thomas tried to fight his way through the sludge. Peter was thrashing around. Romulus had dug his fingers into the wall, which was also melting, and was climbing. Clarisse dove, grabbed Peter’s arm, and tried to pull him out. She slowly dragged him over to Thomas, and grabbed his arm, also. Thomas managed to lift himself above the muck, and in one swift motion, grabbed Peter and pulled him out. Clarisse beat her wings frantically, and slowly began to rise. The roof was slowly opening, revealing the beautiful sky of heaven. Clarisse beat her wings harder, and passed by Romulus, who was climbing even more frantically. Thomas held onto Clarisse’s foot with one hand, and held Peter with the other. He was calm, but Peter was terrified. Suddenly-
She was free! Clarisse breathed the free air. She realized that they were outside the building. She landed on the roof, dropped off her passengers, and went for Romulus. To her surprise, Romulus was already out. She looked inside the place they had once been and gasped in surprise. The building was falling down a hole. Bit by bit, the house disappeared and fell into the hole, until all Clarissa could of the house were a few black chunks falling through the air, and then there was nothing except the iron door, now restored.. Clarissa waited for the house to hit the bottom. It never did. Either it was too deep, or it was bottomless. Clarissa didn’t think that anyone would put a deep hole underneath it, but there were such things as portable bottomless pits.
Suddenly, the iron door opened. A man stood there, on the edge of the pit. He lost his balance and fell. Clarisse swooped down after him. He spread his wings, but he couldn’t get any air. Clarisse caught him and slammed against the wall, digging her fingers into the soil. “On my back,” she ordered. He obeyed, and she slowly began to climb, her fingers and toes deep in the ground. The man realized what she was doing, and dug his fingers into the dirt next to her. Then he swung off her back, and his toes caught a rock. Clarissa began to climb faster, without the weight of another person on her. She didn’t glance at him, but instead kept her eyes fixed upwards, on the sky. They were getting closer…closer…
Clarissa scrabbled for a hold. She couldn’t go on… but she was so close…
She felt herself being lifted into the air by a large hand. She opened her eyes. Thomas had her in one hand, and the man in another. He set them down, and she collapsed, panting. Thomas smiled. “You saved my life, now I saved yours.” His voice was deep. Clarisse looked up into his face. She smiled faintly. Thomas smiled back. The man sat up. Clarissa looked at him. It was Gabriel! “What are you doing here?” She asked.
“I am the fifth contestant.”
Then a booming voice was heard. “THE CONTESTANTS HAVE BEEN CHOSEN. TOMORROW, THEY WILL COMPETE IN ARCHERY. LET THE FEAST BEGIN!”
Clarissa and Gabriel looked at the other three. “Want a ride?” She asked.
“Nope.” Said Romulus. However, the other two agreed. So with Thomas on her back and Peter on Gabriel’s back, they set off towards the celebration. Nobody saw Romulus reach into the air and grab an invisible rope, nor did they see him walk away, the bottomless pit following.
Chapter two: The first test

Clarisse opened her eyes and sat up. Where was she? Then she remembered. After the party, Michael had escorted them to their chambers. Now she had a good look at her room. There was a rack with swords, shields, daggers, bows, arrows, tridents, guns, her scythe- nearly every weapon she could think of. In one corner was a straw dummy. In the far corner of the room was an archery target. There were punching bags, weights, and nearly anything you could need for training. The door opened and Gabriel came in. “It’s time for the first test.”
Clarisse stretched and stood up. She grabbed the bow, and slung a quiver of arrows over her shoulder. As she left, she pulled an arrow out and shot at the target. It hit the center of the bulls-eye.
“I suggest that you don’t make a show about it,” said Gabriel. “ If you did, the contestants would all try and size you up. Stay in the middle, because when they come to the end, their last opponent will be you. They will go easy on you, and will find themselves on the ground, with a sword at their neck.”
Clarissa nodded. “Makes sense.”
A few minuets later, they joined the rest of the group. Peter gave her thumbs up. Clarissa grinned. They came out into a field, and the silence erupted into chaos. People were cheering from the stands. Many were hanging over the netting, waving their arms madly. Thomas waved back. A few people fainted on the spot. Clarissa spotted Beatrice, jumping up and down and waving her hands in the air. Clarissa waved back.
“HELLO, CONTESTANTS AND AUDIENCE! THIS IS MICHEAL, ARCHANGEL. I WILL BE YOUR HOST TODAY IN THESE EVENTS FOR WHO WILL BE THE REAPER!” The stadium became even louder, if that was possible.
“OUR CONTESTANTS ARE: THOMAS, A HUMAN SPIRIT, PETERE, A HUMAN SPIRIT, CLARISSA, AN ANGEL, ROMULUS, AN ANGEL, AND GABRIEL, AN ARCHANGEL!”
Gabriel bowed, and about half a dozen human spirits fainted. Clarisse tried and failed to keep a smirk off her face.
“AND NOW, LET THE GAMES BEGIN!”
A dozen angels leapt into the air. They were holding targets. They circled each other, and swooped down at the exact same time.
"Show offs," muttered Clarissa.
"Quiet," hissed Gabriel.
“YOUR RULES ARE: HIT THE TARGET. FIVE TARGETS. FIVE ANGELS. FIVE SHOTS. THE ONE WITH THE ARROWS FARTHEST AWAY WILL BE ELIMINATED.”
Clarissa watched as the angels hovered carefully, and set the targets down.
“AND FIRST UP IS: GABRIEL!”
Gabriel took an arrow from his bag and strung it. He measured carefully and let go. It hit the white line right next to the bulls-eye. The next one hit the first red line. There was a groan. Flit flit flit. Three arrows shot out in quick succession. One hit near the center. Another hit on the edge of the board. One missed completely.
“YOUR SCORE IS: 55! NEXT UP: ROMULUS!”
Romulus stepped up. He yawned. Flit flit flit flit flit. Before Clarissa could blink, five arrows shot towards the target. One hit dead center, and the others all hit the white line next to it.
For a second there was silence. “WOW. ROMULUS, YOUR SCORE IS 75. NEXT UP IS: CLARISSA!”
Clarissa swallowed. She stepped forward and strung her bow. She let go. It struck the first red line. So did the second arrow. Clarissa smiled in her head. They were right where she wanted them to go. She took three arrows at once. She pulled, and let go. Thud. One arrow hit the line next to the bulls-eye. Two hit the bulls-eye. None hit the very center.
“AND YOUR SCORE IS: 75!”
Clarissa smiled.
“NEXT UP IS: THOMAS!”
Thomas didn't even step up. Flit flit flit flit flit. Five arrows shot out, faster than Romulus’s arrows had. Thud. Clarissa looked. One arrow had hit the bulls-eye. Four arrows had hit the center.
“THOMAS, YOUR SCORE IS: 120! LAST IS PETER!”
Peter stepped up. Slowly, he measured. Then he struck. Five arrows flew, one after another. One hit the line next to the bulls-eye. Two hit the first red line. One hit the first white line, and one missed completely.
“YOUR SCORE IS 40. PETER, I AM SORRY, BUT YOU ARE ELIMINATED.”
Peter nodded, and left. As he passed Clarissa, she leaned over. “You did a good job,” she whispered. A flicker of a smile came to his face, and then he pushed the doors open and disappeared.
“THE NEXT CONTEST WILL BE: JOUSTING! THE TWO REMAINING WILL FIGHT WITH SWORDS UNTIL ONE HAS THE OTHER IN A POSITION OF SURE DEATH.THIS WILL TAKE PLACE IN TWO DAYS TIME. GOODBYE!”
Clarissa walked over to her target, and pulled out the arrows. Then she pulled out Peter’s, too. They walked down the corridor. Clarissa caught a glimpse of Peter’s black hair.
“Peter!” She ran after him. He stopped and turned around. “What?”
“Here.” She gave him his arrows, and he took them, a puzzled expression on his face. “They may come in handy.”
“Thanks.” He smiled faintly, and then took off. Clarissa went into her room. She took a lance from the rack of weapons, fingering it. Then she hurled it at the straw dummy. It went straight through its head. Clarissa sat down on her bed. She felt cold, so she wrapped her blanket around her arms. She stayed there for sometime. Then she stood up. She would need to train. She stretched out her wings and shot upward, then zoomed towards the punching bag. One punch was all it could take. The bag split, and sand went scattering everywhere. Clarissa sighed, and spotted another punching bag. She landed, and continued to punch it. She dealt blow after blow, until that bag, too, split. She saw a third bag. Just how many bags were there? She looked around. There were twenty-three whole bags on a conveyor belt, and in the middle was a lever. Clarissa walked over and nudged it with her foot. The conveyor belt began to move, and Clarissa turned in time to see a bag swing towards her face. She ducked, and another bag came from behind. She punched it away. Another bag swept towards her legs. She jumped, and punched two bags. She was so preoccupied with dodging and kicking and punching the bags, she didn't notice the door to her room open. Two bags came towards her face, and one bag came towards her legs. She grabbed the bags and swung under them, catching another bag and making it shoot across the floor and explode. Soon, another bag collapsed. Then a third bag. Clarissa kicked one bag, and it shot off, colliding with another bag. Both fell. Clarissa turned and punched a hole into another, which began to leak sand. She pulled it off the belt. 17 more bags to go. She ducked, and grabbed the bag as it passed over her head. Clarissa flew through the air. She kicked three bags, and they all fell. Then she let go, slamming into another bag. It fell, and Clarissa grabbed another bag. It swung her in a full circle, and she let go, taking another bag out. 12 more bags left. She swung her leg high over her head, catching another bag. It stayed put, and Clarissa punched it loose. A bag swept her feet from her, and she grabbed a bag headed for her face. Clarissa breathed a sigh of relief, then a kicked a bag. It swung towards her. She jumped, and the bag she was on exploded, including the bag that hit it. She back flipped and landed, crouching as a bag swept over her head and exploded as she punched upward. Clarissa stood up and stretched out her wings. One bag collided with each wing, and she shot forward, tearing a bag in half in the process. Seven more bags to go. She jumped, and two bags collided with each other and shot across the room, scattering sand the whole way. Clarissa tackled a bag, and it fell from its hold. But it still remained whole. Clarissa threw it, and it collided with two other bags. She twirled and hit a bag. Sand flew everywhere. Clarissa coughed. Only one more bag left. She turned. It was by far the biggest bag. She kicked it. The bag swung, and then came back. Clarissa leapt onto it. She kicked it, and punched it, but it remained strong. Clarissa ripped a hole into the bag and climbed inside. She tore it to pieces, until it collapsed. Clarissa emerged, panting and covered with sand. The floor was covered in sand, also.
“Nice job.”
Clarissa spun around. Gabriel was leaning against the wall, smiling. “You may want to get a shower and get some rest. Tomorrow, we all will be training together.” He left.
After the shower, Clarissa lay down on her bed. She looked up at the ceiling, wondering, just wondering if…
Chapter two: The dream

Clarissa dreamed a strange dream. She was on top of a metal roof. This wasn't heaven. She knew that by the moon that sparkled above her, surrounded by dark clouds. Where was she? Then she knew: She was on earth. She looked around her, amazed. A little ping sounded on the roof. She spun around. There was nothing. Another small ping. What was happening? She looked down. There were small, dark dots on the ground. Then she felt something cold on her head. She felt something wet. Blood? No, there was no pain. The pings became more frequent. The spots on the cement ground grew in number. More cold wet things were falling on her. She pulled her dark hood over her head. Then she could see it. Small gray streaks, splashing as they hit the ground. Clarissa stretched out her wings, and floated down. She flapped hard against the things. Then she saw a puddle of it not far to her left. She landed next to it, pulled her wings inside the warm cloak, and, with a bit of hesitation, she dipped her fingers into it. The thing was water! Clarissa tried to remember what the humans had called it when water came from the sky. Rain! She was feeling rain! She stretched her arms wide, and felt something against her side. She reached into the black folds and pulled out her scythe. Then, suddenly, she heard something. She darted into the shadows, and watched, eyes wide.
Then it appeared around the corner. It was a little girl! She was shivering, and water was coming from her eyes. Tears, Clarissa remembered.
Suddenly, something fell from the sky. It landed, and the girl stopped. It rose, and the moons rays fell upon it. A horned head, a mouth of fangs, an snakelike tongue, a twisting tail, and a pair of dark, dragon-like wings were enough for Clarissa to know that this was a demon. The girl screamed and ran. The demon bounded after her. It grabbed her by the neck and lifted her in the air. Clarissa watched in horror as the girl thrashed in the air. The demon laughed.
Clarissa was running towards the demon, her scythe pointed like a battering ram. I hit the demon in the side, and he slammed into the wall, the girl flying from its grasp. Clarissa threw the scythe at the demon and leapt, grabbing the child. She landed and set the girl down. “Stay here!” She turned around. Her scythe had caught the demon in the chest, and he struggled in midair, pinned to the wall by the scythe. Clarissa walked up to him. He flung out his wings.
“Sssstay back, woman,” the demon rasped. “I have the power to call the dragonssss. They will dessstroy you.”
Clarissa looked into his red eyes. “I know dragons,” she said. “They are respectable creatures and hate the demons. They’d be more likely to attack you.”
The demon’s eyes widened, then he stopped struggling and lay limp. He didn't move. His blood trickled down his chest, being washed away with the rain.
Clarissa grabbed her scythe and pulled it out of the demon. He collapsed and shattered into dust. The only thing that showed what had taken place was a deep cut in the wall. Clarissa tucked her scythe back into her cloak and turned to the girl, who was watching her with wide eyes.
“Don’t be scared,” Clarissa said. “He won’t bother you again.” She spread out her wings. Fifteen feet of pure white feathers stretched behind her. The girl gasped.
“My name is Clarissa,” she said, still holding out her wings. “I’m an angel. My job is to keep those demons from hurting people like you. Do you want a ride home?”
The girl stood up and nodded. The rain began to stop. Clarissa picked her up and tucked her in her cloak. Then she walked until she came to a clearing. By then, the rain had stopped completely. Clarissa ran towards the nearest wall. She ran up it, jumped off, and pushed down hard. She was flying! Clarissa laughed as she felt wind against her face. This was wonderful! The girl poked her head out. “I live over there,” she said. She pointed a finger to the right. Clarissa followed the girl’s instructions. Soon, they came to a little house. Clarissa let the girl out of her cloak, and she ran to the house. Clarissa jumped, and flew away. She saw the door open, saw a woman grab the girl and hug her, saw the girl point up at her, and saw her wave at Clarissa. Clarissa waved back, and then she flew away.

Chapter 3: The joust

Clarissa opened her eyes. She sat up. The demolished bags had been cleaned, and been replaced by new bags. She opened the door and nearly collided with Gabriel.
“I was just about to wake you,” he said. “But you’re already up.”
“Wait-the joust is starting?” Clarissa could hardly believe her ears. Had she really slept that long?
“Yes! Hurry!” They sprinted down the hallway, and were joined by Thomas. They stopped and saw Romulus out in the open field, doing something in the ground next to one of the fences, which was where they would be jousting.
“What are you doing?” Boomed Thomas. Romulus jumped. He spun around. “Nothing,” he said.
Just then, Michael appeared in the stands above. “Get into position!” He yelled. “Everything’s ready. The horses, the stands-go! The audience is coming!”
The four contestants ran and stood behind the curtain. They could hear excited whispers, and voices that were quite a bit louder than whispers. In fact, they were almost shouts.
“ANGELS AND HUMAN SPIRITS!” Michael's voice boomed. The noise quieted. “TODAY WILL BE THE DAY THAT THE REAPER WILL BE CHOSEN!” There was a loud cheer. “THEY WILL PARTICIPATE IN A JOUSTING TOURNAMENT, AND A DUEL. THE WINNER WILL BE THE REAPER!” Another cheer rose. “I NOW PRESENT TO YOU: THE CONTESTANTS!”
Thomas flung aside the curtain and they stepped out. The noise was deafening. Clarissa fought the urge to cover her ears.
“MOUNT YOUR STEEDS!”
Four white horses galloped into the arena. They wore gold bands around their necks with their names on them. Thomas’s steed was named White Cloud. Romulus’s was named White Ghost. Gabriel had White Snow, and Clarissa’s horse was White Flash. She mounted, and the others did too. Romulus had a little difficulty with mounting his horse. But at last they were all at the opposite ends of the fences, with their shields and lances. Romulus and Thomas were to go first. Then Clarissa and Gabriel would go last.
“READY…GO!”
Thomas and Romulus dug their heels into the flanks of the horses. The horses ran. They were getting closer… closer…
Suddenly, the ground underneath Thomas’s horse gave way. Thomas was pitched forward, and he tumbled into the bottomless pit. One of White Cloud’s front hooves got wedged between the bars of the fence, so he stood there, on his hind legs, over a bottomless pit. Clarissa climbed down from White Flash, and swung on the fence bars above the bottomless pit. She opened her wings and hovered, then let go. She now had both hands. She gently placed a hand on White Cloud’s chest, and then pulled out the hoof. She grunted. Then she slowly backed him away from the edge. Soon he was out. Clarissa turned to mount White Flash again, and spotted Romulus grinning. She felt a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach, and she turned to Gabriel.
“ROMULUS IS THE FIRST WINNER! ROUND 2! READY…GO!”
Clarissa dug her heels into White Flash’s flanks. They were off! Clarissa lifted her lance. She let her shield lower. Gabriel’s lance was headed for her neck. Just before impact-
CRASH!!! Gabriel’s lance shattered as Clarissa lifted her shield. Her own lance shattered, too.
“YOU HAVE USED YOUR FIRST LANCE. YOU HAVE TWO MORE LANCES.”
Clarissa spotted two lances on the fence. She picked one up and turned White Flash around.
“READY…GO!”
Again, White Flash leapt into action. They were galloping, gathering speed. CRASH!!! Again, the two lances broke.
“YOU ARE ON YOUR LAST LANCE. READY…GO!”
Clarissa shifted her lance. She pointed it towards Gabriel’s left shoulder. They were almost in contact. Suddenly, he moved his lance to block hers. She moved her lance swiftly. CRASH!!! Gabriel’s lance shattered. Clarissa’s lance caught him in the chest. He was thrown off his horse. Instinctively, he flung out his wings and lifted into the air. He landed with a soft thud on the grass.
“THE WINNER FOR ROUND 2 IS: CLARISSA! THE FINAL DUEL HAS BEGUN!” The stands erupted into cheers. Clarissa and Romulus faced each other. Romulus grinned. Then, slowly, they unsheathed their swords.

Chapter four: The duel

Romulus struck. Clarissa raised her sword. Metal against metal clashed. Romulus stepped back and sliced downward. Clarissa sidestepped and swung her sword at Romulus’s legs. He jumped, and sliced down. Clarissa stepped backwards. Romulus jumped. His sword was aiming for Clarissa’s throat. He was in the air. Clarissa dropped to one knee and he passed over her. She turned around, and saw him land, pulling his sword from the ground.
“You fight well,” he snarled. “But you cannot defeat me. I will cast you into my bottomless pit, like I cast Thomas, and if it weren't for you, they would all be tumbling into space, along with that building.”
“You!” Gasped Clarissa.
“Yes, me.” He began to change. His wings transformed until they were dragon-like. Horns sprouted from his head. His skin became a deep red. His eyes were like flames. His fingernails became claws. The crowd screamed. Clarissa’s mouth dropped open. Romulus was…a demon?
Romulus struck. His hands connected with Clarissa’s throat and he lifted her into the air. Clarissa knew demons liked to get a reaction from their victims. Well, if he wanted a reaction, he would get one. She smiled at him. “Nice day, isn't it? Oh, wait, days are only in earth. My mistake.”
Romulus’s eyes showed he was confused. But an angry glow replaced it. “To hell with you all!” He bellowed, and he thrust Clarissa into the pit. She was falling…falling…
Her life flashed past her eyes. Meeting Beatrice… getting chosen... saving Gabriel…Peter’s arrows… the punching bags… the girl…Thomas, falling, just as she was now…
Suddenly, something wrapped around her waist. She jerked to a stop. What happened? She looked down. Empty space was beneath her, and she was held tight by a muscular arm. Wait…muscular? She twisted her head.
“Thomas!” She grinned. He grinned back. One hand held a knife, which was sunk deep into the soil.
“Get moving, now,” Thomas said. “Before they make him reaper.” Clarissa slid out her daggers and began to climb. She was pleased by how fast she could climb. She jumped up, and rolled onto the grass. She left the daggers in the soil and picked up her sword, which she had dropped at the edge.
Romulus stared at her.
“Drop your weapon, now.” Clarissa’s voice was strong.
Romulus grinned. “I don’t think so.” He leaped to the side, caught an unwary Gabriel by the throat, and lifted him up. “Drop your weapon, or he comes with me, back to hell.”
Clarissa stared. Gabriel struggled. “Don’t do it, Clarissa!” He yelled. “Don’t do it!”
Clarissa sighed, and shook her head. “I come from a long family line of idiots,” she muttered, and tossed her sword away.
Romulus grinned. He tossed Gabriel, who collapsed on the ground, struggling for breath. Romulus dove for Clarissa. She fell to the ground. Romulus placed a talon on her cheek. She shivered.
“Such soft skin,” he murmured. “I’m sure it tastes delicious, don’t you?”
He leaned back, opened his mouth wide, and-
Romulus froze. His eyes were wide with shock. Then he collapsed on top of Clarissa. Clarissa pushed him off. Then she realized that in his back were five arrows.
Peter walked up to her. “Hi,” he said. Clarissa stood up. He grinned.
“Oh, Peter!” She flung her arms around him and lifted him into the air.
“AND THE WINNER HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED: CLARISSA SANDERS!”
The stands burst into applause and cheers. Beatrice leapt off the first row and ran towards Clarissa. Gabriel stood awkwardly next to her. Thomas, unnoticed, crawled out of the hole and picked up Romulus’s body. He threw it into the pit. There was a sucking noise, and the pit disappeared, but not before Thomas had grabbed Clarissa’s daggers. Then Clarissa swept them all into a giant hug. Peter was happy, Beatrice was excited, Gabriel was embarrassed, and Thomas was overjoyed. Suddenly, they all were lifted into the air. Clarissa realized that Thomas had picked them up and had them all in his strong arms. Then he set them down, and picked Clarissa up, holding her high. The contestants and Beatrice surrounded them, and they marched past the stands, past Michael, past the stables, and to the white dome, where God stood, smiling.
“Well done,” he said. “Well done.”
And then, Clarissa felt as though there could be no happier angel in all of heaven.

THE END