The rebellious Malia

Chapter one: Don't say the forbidden name!

Once upon a time, a long, long time before, the world did not exist as we know it. About 4.5 billion years ago, there was this mega-explosion. Boom! Which divided the world into two: the gods and the underworld. The gods ruled above, far, far away from the underworld dwellers who lived deep in darkness and mystery.

The gods cherished their supreme position and guarded it jealously, making sure that the underworld could never invade the skies. And no heavenly being dared to go down into the underworld. It was a strict no-entry policy for both sides.

The skies were peaceful, and they lived in harmony using their magical powers. The younger ones were trained by the most sacred magical school, the Elixir Academy. Now, some of them catch on quickly, like they were born with spells in their blood. But for others, well, let's just say.... their training didn't go so smoothly. Malia was one of the stubborn ones.

While her sisters devoted their lives to training, Malia wanted something else, something entirely different. 

"Tirza, what do you think they do down in the underworld?" She asked her eldest sister for the millionth time.

"Shh!" said Tirza hurriedly, placing her hand on Malia's mouth. "Don't say that word again!"

"What word? Underworld?" Malia repeated once more, knowing it would piss her sister off.

Tirza quickly looked around to make sure nobody else heard. "For Agar's sake!" She exclaimed. "Why are you such a pain in my neck?"

"Just tell me already. Why is it such a terrible sin to merely mention the name? What do they do down there?"

Tirza sighed and looked away, as if deep in thought. "What don't they do? They kill, steal and destroy. That place is filled with chaos and confusion. People like us don't mix with their kind."

"But what about Shelomi? How is she surviving down there?"

Tirza's expression darkened at the mention of that sorrowful name. Shelomi was one of their sisters, who was banished by their father to the underworld after she committed a heinous crime. 

Nobody has heard from her since then.

"Shelomi chose her destiny by disobeying our father. There's nothing anyone can do," she replied sternly.

"What if the underworld isn't as bad as we think it is?" Malia suggested in a whisper. "How would we know when we have never been there? All we've heard are old stories."

"Trust me, Malia. Nothing good can come from that place. If you don't want to be beheaded, stop asking questions. You don't belong there."

"But sometimes, I feel like I don't belong here either. Everyone here has their place and their name. You are the angel of wisdom, and you're an awesome trainer at Elixir Academy." 

"You think I'm awesome?" 

"Of course you are! And then there's Jordie, she is the angel of health, and she works in the herbal garden," Malia continued mindlessly. "But me? Where do I fit in?" She asked, pointing a finger to her chest. "I don't even have a name. Malia, Angel of what?" 

"Okay. You want a name? How about the 'angel of hair,' since your hair is the source of your power?" 

"No! That's stupid and so corny!" Malia retorted, giving her sister the stink eye.

"You know what would be a perfect fit? 'Angel of mischief' because you're always getting me in trouble with your naughty attitude."

Malia laughed knowingly, a mischievous grin forming on her face. "And that's why you love me so much."

Tirza rolled her eyes while suppressing a smile. "Once you stop being so reckless, the gods will reveal your name and place to you."

"It doesn't matter if I find out my name someday. I still can't control my powers," she pointed out with a small groan.

"Well, if you focused on your training, and stopped acting 'too cool for school,' this awesome trainer right here," she said with a smug smirk, pointing to herself, "can teach you how to control your powers."

"What if that's not what I want to do? I've tried to be the perfect daughter, but it's too hard to pretend. I can't control my curiosity anymore. I want to travel to the forbidden place!"

"Listen, Malia," she said, placing her hand on her little sister's shoulder. "I know that you're in your teen years now. And you want to do stupid things with your silly little boyfriend and explore the unknown. But as the youngest daughter of Agar, the god of Armageddon, you have a responsibility far beyond you."

"I never asked for this responsibility. Can whoever gave it to me take it back? I'm scared!" She shouted, on the verge of tears.

"That's why I'm here. Your angelic powers are one of a kind, Malia. You can levitate AND teleport. The last time the heavens had an Angel with double powers was five hundred years ago."

"Everyone keeps saying, "oh, you're special," but I can't even control my powers," she said with a small sniffle. "The other day I tried levitating, but ended up turning everything upside down."

Tirza shrugged nonchalantly. "It's fine. When I first got my powers, I almost drove father crazy. Practicing is the key! Let's start today's lecture with scenarios."

"Ughhhhh!" grumbled Malia very loudly.

"You can 'ughhh' all you want, I won't let you sneak out of class today. Not on my watch!" She declared, crossing her arms confidently. "But if you're on your best behavior, I might let you out early," she added with a playful wink.

"You always say that, but you have never released me early," Malia replied with a pout.

Her big sister shook her head as usual. "That's because you are always pulling troublesome and naughty pranks on me during class."

"I hate this place, and you're no fun!" said Malia, rolling her eyes.

Tirza propped her hands on her hips and gave Malia a look that told her to watch her sass or else! "You got a problem? Maybe I should glue your eyes in place to keep them from rolling around in that empty space inside your head.”

Scared of her elder sister's anger, Malia finally shut up and kept her sass at bay. 

Tirza began the class. "You know the drill. I'll describe a scenario, and you will tell me how you would handle it."

"Aye captain," Malia replied with a mock salute.

"Scenario number one. If lower creatures invade Agar's kingdom..."

"I strangle every one of them!" Malia said in one breath, as her eyes gleamed menacingly.

Tirza was horrified. "No! You talk with them and find out what they want."

She furrowed her brows and slumped her shoulders disappointed. "So boring. Why talk when I could just smash some heads into a wall?"

"Because you're an Angel. And we are creatures of peace, respect and harmony," Tirza replied matter-of-factly.

Malia pretended to snore as Tirza talked. "Oh, I'm sorry. Were you saying something? For some reason, I'm finding it hard to keep my eyes open."

Tirza sighed and began another one of her motivational speeches. "Young lady, I'm telling you this for your own good. Life is not..." As she yapped on and on about the importance of diligence, Malia was not even listening. She had caught sight of her boyfriend, Asher, beckoning to her outside. She needed to escape this boring class somehow to meet him.

"Umm, Tirza! I think you're right. I should be more diligent," she said and began to nod in her exaggerated manner. "Before I forget, I learned a new magic trick and I wanted to show you."

"Really?" Poor Tirza exclaimed excitedly, not knowing she herself was being tricked by her cunning little sister. "I'm so, so proud of you. Show me the trick," she urged.

"Okay. First you have to take a deep breath and then close your eyes," Malia said, acting all serious. Tirza complied with the instructions and waited for the magic trick.

With her eyes still closed, she asked. "What happens next?" But there was no reply. "What's the magic trick?" She asked again. She finally opened her eyes to realize that Malia was nowhere to be found.

"Malia, come back here!" Tirza called out as Malia flew away laughing with her boyfriend, Asher.

Tirza let out a heavy sigh, rubbing her head as if trying to massage away the stress. "What in Agar's name will I do about those rebellious teenagers? I hope she doesn't end up like Shelomi."

Chapter two: Love and Nightmares 

Malia and Asher fled into a garden, their secret spot, and hid from Tirza, who was already looking for them.

"I missed you so much, beautiful," said Asher as he leaned in for a kiss. But Malia met his lips with her index finger and shushed him. "Save the kiss for later, baby. Right now, you have to keep your voice down," she whispered. "Tirza sent out the guards to look for us."

The guards checked everywhere in the garden but didn't find them crouched behind the sunflowers. 

"Where could they have possibly gone?" Tirza's voice rang out. "This is their secret spot. Are you sure they are not there?"

"I'm positive, your majesty!" replied the guard.

"Okay. Let's go check the bedrooms," she replied as her voice trailed off into the distance.

Malia and Asher looked at each other again and laughed. "Phew! That was close. She could have caught us this time."

"I know, right? Your sister is always after y