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lifted me into his arm and transported us across as well.
Upon landing, he took the lead in showing us down the torch-lit passageway.
     

CHAPTER 8
         We arrived
in front of a large metal door with the acronym A.R.C. engraved in
large, cursive letters across the middle.
         “What does A.R.C. stand for?” I asked.
         “Angels
Resource Center,” answered Sacra. “It holds our technological databases,
weaponry and combat center, and our security camera feeds from across Terredome
and other locales.”
         “And it has
my favorite amenity,” said Glinda excitedly, eyelashes blinking rapidly.
         “What’s
that?” I asked her.
         “The ATS.
Angel Transport System. Some places around the world are a little too far to
fly to, so we have pods that transport us instantaneously from one location to
another.”
         “Oh I see.”
I lied, unable to imagine how such a device could possibly exist.
         Rider
stepped in front of the door and removed his sword from its scabbard. He swung
the sword around his head once and pointed it at the acronym, all while
speaking in a foreign tongue.
         “Angelus Rider
por la resistenta,” he said.
         “What did
he say?” I whispered to Sacra.
         “Angel
Rider for the resistance,” she replied, smiling at him.
         Steam
hissed and poured out from the sides of the giant door. We all instinctively
took a step back right as it began to lift open. Glinda giggled and clapped happily
from my left and skipped through the doorway. Sacra followed, with me right
behind and Rider bringing up the rear. After he stepped through, he activated a
panel switch causing the door to slide down, closing us in.
         We were in
the ARC’s main lobby. The entire structure was a massive half-circle. Forty
doors total sat on each wall to my left and right. Most were unmarked, while
others had signs such as “Treatment Department” and “Garments.” Against the
wall directly across from us, at about three hundred feet away, sat seven glass
round elevators, encased in glass shafts. The ceiling was decorated with five
large chandeliers, sending crystal light everywhere throughout the lobby. Large
murals of skeletal samurai angels in the midst of battle were covering the
walls. They were eerily smiling as they fought various beasts in the murals. Angels
of all colors were bustling around the lobby. I closed my eyes and opened them
again, thinking I was dreaming. Some angels were like Sacra, monochromatic in
color. Others emitted a color different than their wings. Some even had skin of
various colors. One angel had light green skin, with ombré wings that gradually
shaded from pink to white. What was common among everyone was that they were
vibrant in color. Not one was dark or dull in any way.
         “Oh my. Oh
my.” I repeated myself numerous times, once again at a loss for words.
         “Enlightening,
isn’t it?” asked Rider.
         “This is
unbelievable.”
         “It’s only
an inkling as to what’s at large,” he said ominously.
    In the center of
the lobby was a circular crystal welcome desk. Behind it stood a young angel, who
seemed to be just a few years older than myself. He had caramel colored skin
and beautiful crimson wings fluttering behind his shoulders. As we approached
the desk, I couldn’t help but reach out toward his wings.
         “Cool,
huh?” asked the angel.
         “They are absolutely
beautiful,” I replied in awe. I looked at him, curious. “You sound young, but
after today’s revelations, I can’t be so sure.”
         “Take a
guess,” he laughed.
         “Are you
twenty?”
         “Ha! Try
again, older.”
         “Thirty-five?”
         “Higher.”
         “Ninety?”
         He shook
his head and laughed. “Nope. Try two hundred and four.”
         My mouth
dropped in astonishment. “You’re kidding!” I