Angeles Below I

The boy who was unfortunate

Ace, a boy who just got out of his teenage years is living a normal, but not so boring life in Angeles City. Details about his life in the world above is not so important, he’s a typical happy go lucky one and twenty years old, let’s leave it at that for a while, the more interesting part is yet to come, and that involves not-so-normal twins, being involved on a wager that puts him on a lose-lose situation, a completely bizarre and twisted, but oddly familiar world and a mallet.

Afternoon, the time Ace usually gets out of bed. The construction going on the neighbor woke him up, he would’ve slept an extra hour but he thought it might take another hour for him to fall back to sleep with all the banging and grinding noise. He’s twenty-one and he still lives at home with his parents, which is pretty much normal, “why would you choose to live alone and feed yourself and pay the bills when you can indulge bumming your ass off under your parent’s roof” he once posted on a social networking site. But there are also inconveniences that come with this certain leisure, although ace is old enough, he is till not allowed to smoke or not allowed to get caught smoking. So everyday, when he wakes up, he’ll walk a few blocks to get to his friend’s house for a smoke. But today, he won’t be reaching his destination.

“There, that one” says Elle.

“Strange, why choose him? I thought you would pick someone bigger” Ess replied.

“You’ll need more than muscles to survive below, I’ve seen his dreams and I found him the most suitable amongst the others. Come, let’s invite our guest in”

The twins showed themselves to human eyes, although there are those who saw them magically appeared out of nowhere, they immediately forgot it. Perhaps Ess, with a bit of magic, made them forget, he’s always been the discreet one.

As Ace is walking down a street called Rue De Paree, he noticed a girl and a boy blocking his path, the girl is wearing a shirt too big for her and the boy is wearing a weird costume, but Ace wasn’t bothered by that, kids wear stupid things these days he thought. What made him uncomfortable is that the two are staring at him with intense eyes, eyes that shouldn’t be on children’s faces. Ace tried to ignore them as he passed by, then suddenly the little girls spoke.

“Hiya Ace!” she sounded friendly.

Ace turned, he was sure he never saw the girl before, nor the boy. He said nothing and walked away.

“Hey! I’m talking to you Ace!” Elle shouted.

“How do you know my name? Who are you guys?” Ace impatiently asked.

“He’s my twin brother Ess, and I am called Elle, we’re here to ask you to come with us below” she asked politely.

“Huh? Why would I come with you? And what do you mean by below?”

“Because I need a human for me to win this wager between me and my twin. Oh yeah, I forgot you guys from up here didn’t know about Angeles Below, it’s a world beneath yours, it’s kinda like here but not really… hmmm, it’s hard to explain, we’ll just have to show you”

“Are you serious? Jeez! Kids this days! What a freakin wild imagination!” Ace resumed his walk, amazed at the girl’s imagination.

“looks like he didn’t believe you” Ess told his sister.

“well yeah, I kinda expected that, at least I tried asking him politely” Elle replied, she’s now holding a medium sized mallet, still too big for her to wield, nobody knows where it came from, perhaps magic.

“Hey Ace!”

Ace looked back and saw Elle lifting up a mallet. And that’s the last thing he saw.

Angeles Below

Prologo

Once upon a time or… in a not so far away land or… in the beginning of our story, on a hot afternoon, Elle, a little creature whom you might mistook as a little human girl, is wandering in a park in Angeles City.

“you’re not suppose to be here.” A voice from behind told her.

“neither do you.” Elle responded without looking back. (she knows no one was there)

“I’m only here because of you, we need to go back” as the voice passed through her, the empty space in front of her was slowly filled with substance that formed into what appears to be a young boy with white long hair who wears something like a priest would wear.

“Hi little brother!” says Elle with a cheerful smile.

“we’re twins.” The boy simply whispered.

Elle just laughed and teased her brother with a wink.

“Common, we have to go back, there are consequences Elle, people from below will notice” the boy told her.

“Relax Ess, the damage was done, we’re already walking the world above. Be calm and try to enjoy the moment. It’s been a long time since we took this form, walk with me my twin.”

Ess walked alongside his sister. He was not calm and he’s not enjoying it. He is worried, but he knows that he can’t convince his sister just yet. Elle was always the one who leads, the more dominant among the two, and as much as Ess hates it, he admits to himself that she was always the “older twin”.

Elle talks.

“it’s nice here, I wish I live here, it’s much more exciting and there is so much to do! T’s much more interesting than below. I like it here, I like the houses, I like their food, I like those fast things made out of metal that carries people and I like the people!”

“Humans? I heard from Old Merlisse that humans are not to be trusted, they are not reliable and they are weak and worthless creatures, especially the ones who live here, they don’t even use magic up here.” Replied Ess, sounding unimpressed.

Elle said nothing. The twins walked through a field filled with people, there were groups who appear to be dancing, there were three sets of ten men running back and forth passing and throwing a ball around and there are couples who hug and kiss each other, but no one seemed to notice the two individuals walking out in the open. As they reach a huge gazebo with a roof that is shaped like a giant’s hat, Elle turned to her brother and confidently said.

“Let’s make a wager, I’ll prove you wrong, I’ll prove to you that people from here have potential, that they are not weak and worthless”

“How are you going to do that?” asked Ess.

“I’m gonna bring one of them with us, to Angeles Below.” She says with a grin.

Ess wanted to protest but he hesitated. He simply said.

“It won’t survive”

“Oh yes it will my brother, not only that the human will survive, I bet that it’ll find it’s way back here to this world as well” Elle stated with full confidence.

“Ha! You will inevitably lose this wager my twin. And what would it be that I’m putting at stake here?”

“Well if I failed, I’ll have to acknowledge you as my older brother despite of us being twins, thus I would act accordingly. And if I won, you’ll have to continue being the younger twin and do everything that your big sister told you to! You see little brother, you actually don’t have anything to lose here, seeing that you are already my littlest tiny cute baby brother! Hahaha!”

“Not for long Elle, the human won’t last a single day below. Have you already picked this poor creature?”

“hmm… not yet, not here.”

On that note, the twins vanished.