one x one | stormi. and andyy.

[stormi.]

My eyes followed the boy as he walked out of the room. Something about him was different, I just didn't know what exactly. Either way, a smile appeared on my face once he was out of the room, and I quickly turned to look at Elenor, "I want him!" I told her. Quickly realizing my comment could be taken a different way, I corrected myself, "I mean I want him to be my bodyguard!" I stated. My smile didn't waver from my face as i corrected myself and waited for Elenor's response. Greyson seemed like he would be really good fit to be my bodyguard. He was strong, a quick thinker, knew how to handle himself in different situations, and was young enough that it wouldn't be weird having him around me all the time. He also wasn't bad looking, which only helped the situation. I picked up his information sheet and looked over it once more, ”I don’t even need to meet the other candidate, Elenor. Something about him makes me sure he’s the right fit” I told her. She tried to fight me on it, saying that I need to take more time to think about it, and to at least give the other candidate a shot. I simply shook my head no, already having my mind made up. Greyson Faust was going to become my next bodyguard, and no one was going to change my mind. I quickly stood up before Elenor could get another word of protest out, ”I’ll give him a call now and tell him the plan,” I declared. Elenor had made it clear that the final decision was mine to make, and even though I had not given all the candidates a fair shot, I didn’t care. It would have been a waste of time to interview the last guy, so without another word, I gathered my things and walked out of the door back to Elenor’s office. I knew she was upset with me for choosing Greyson, but she would get over it. She had been wanting me to choose someone older and with more experience, but I had never liked that idea. I wanted to give this Greyson guy a chance, and that was exactly what I was going to do. He may have been younger than Elenor would have preferred, and maybe lacked some years of experience, but after our short encounter, he was who I felt most comfortable with.
Once I entered Elenor’s office, I took a seat on the sofa and picked up my phone and the sheet of paper with Greyson’s number on it. I swiftly slid my thumb across my screen as I typed in the phone number, and then held it to my ear after hitting the call button. I listened to it ring for a few minutes before I heard an answer on the other line, ”Greyson Faust? I asked, confirming it was him once again, ”Yes, this is Sutton Archibald. I know it’s kind of fast, but I’d like to offer you the position of my bodyguard!” I told him. I felt a smile pull at the corners of my mouth as I heard him accept the offer. I knew he would, as he did apply, but a part of my was still hesitant that he would reject the job. As I spoke to him, I leaned back on the sofa and relaxed slightly now that the stress of searching for a bodyguard was over, ”You start first thing tomorrow morning. I have a few interviews and events in England, so I of course need you to come with. Our flight takes off at 8am, we’ll see you at the airport at 6” I informed him. I knew it might be a bit stressful to get a job one day and fly across the country the next, but I believed he could handle it, ”I look forward to working with you, Greyson. Have a nice night!” I told him, removing the phone from my ear and then ending the call. I was extremely relieved that the task of finding a bodyguard was now completed. It was one less thing I had to worry about. After hanging up the call with Greyson, I quickly unlocked my phone again and sent my driver a text saying I was ready to go home. My job was finally done for tonight, which meant I could go home and rest for a little bit before my flight in the morning. I knew England would be a fun business trip, and since I hadn’t been there in awhile, I was really looking forward to it.

[ingenuity,]

I was going through the things in the apartment when I got the phone call. I answered it, seeing that the contact was already saved on my phone. I set down the picture that I had found of a woman who looked much like me, but a bit older and standing next to a man who I somewhat resembled. I assumed these were just pictures of people who never really existed, made up so I seemed more like a normal person. They were probably supposed to be my parents, who, of course, would have died somehow. In the picture, they were smiling and laughing, the ocean wind blowing their hair in their faces as whoever was on the other end of the camera attempted to take a good picture. It looked like one of those pictures that no one cared how it looked though; they only wanted it to save the memory for laughs. I had a life like that once. A first life... A life where I lived for a few decades before tragedy struck and I was killed earlier than intended. That was only a very distant, fading memory now, though. I could choose any body I wanted, but I chose this one. Why? I'd learned how to live in this one from the beginning of my life. The memories were pushed away as I set the black-framed image down on the dresser and listened to the young woman speak excitedly. I wasn't thrilled about having to go to the airport at six am, but I was glad that I hadn't failed yet. After her parting sentence, I replied, "yeah, you too," and pulled the phone away from my ear. "I look forward to working with you"? she was a lot nicer than a lot of celebrities I'd met, that was for sure. I just wasn't sure what to think yet. There had to be a reason I was here. Usually, I was to guard people who would stray away and make huge mistakes. This girl- this sweet, innocent young woman- did not seem like someone who would make a bad decision. "The devil has its ways, you know that. Fame will get to her someday, just like all of them. Just wait." I suppressed a sigh at this thought, knowing that a person could be ruined so easily with just one little convincing lie. "Do this and I'll make all your pain away." "It's just a little bit; it won't hurt." "Do it now, think about it later. Trust me, you won't regret it!" "But it's so fun!" "Look how happy all of them are! They're doing it, why can't you?" These were all small lies to get you to do something that you really shouldn't. Everyone had weaknesses, even me. The demons, the devil, they knew these things. Even I had a hard time knowing what to do down here sometimes. "We already know it's dangerous here. So why do I have to guard this girl?
What makes her different from everyone else?" I found myself wondering once again. I'd just have to find out.

Five- thirty am. I was already getting ready, had taken a shower, and was getting dressed. Much to my dismay, most of the things I owned didn't seem to appeal to me. I preferred comfy sweaters and loose shirts. What I was wearing now was a close-fitting dark grey tee, a black leather jacket, and jeans. At least the jeans were comfortable. I didn't think I looked all that bad, to be completely honest, but I preferred a completely different style. Not that I wasn't used to dressing up and acting. It was what I had to do every time I had a person to guard. It hopefully wouldn't take me long to get to the airport from here; I had no idea how far it was. After making sure I had the necessities (wallet, which was almost empty, and my phone, which had a bunch of contacts who I was unfamiliar with), I left the apartment and got a cab, the driver of which I told to take me to the airport. I kept checking the time as we got stuck in traffic a few times. By the time I got to the airport, I only had five minutes to get in there and find Sutton.

[stormi.]

I hate mornings, it's as simple as that. So when my alarm clock went off this morning in order to ensure I would make my flight, all I felt was pure anger. You would think that after all the early mornings that came along with my career, waking up before eight in the morning would eventually get easier, but let me be the first to tell you that is not the case. As I rolled over in my bed and reached for my phone in an attempt to snooze my alarm, I realized it wasn't the sound of my alarm blasting in my room. As I picked up the phone and brought it closer to my eyes, I squinted them in order to try and get a clearer view of what was popping up on my phone's screen. Soon I realized my alarm wasn't the culprit of disturbing my sleep, it was my father who had decided to give me a call before my flight. A long yawn escaped me as I answered the phone and put it on speaker, "Yeah?" I asked, too tired to start off with a friendlier greeting. I listened as he talked to me, trying hard not to drift off to sleep again in the middle of talking to him, "Hi Princess, I just wanted to give you a call before you left for England. Didn't get a chance to talk to you yesterday after your busy day, so I wanted to make sure I had a chance to check in," he explained. I felt a small smile pull at the corners of my mouth as I heard him speak to me, "Sorry I didn't call before bed like I promised, but by the time I got in last night I knew you would be asleep," I responded, feeling bad for not speaking to him last night like I had promised. My dad was one of my best friends and biggest supporters, so I hated when I missed opportunities to speak with him, since I know how much he values our phone calls. As I laid there on the phone with my dad, I felt my eyelids start to feel heavy again, "It's okay, but remember you can always call me no matter what the hour. Anyway, I know you're probably wanting to squeeze in a few more minutes of sleep, so I just wanted to remind you of how much I love you, and to have a safe trip to England," he said, "I also wanted to remind you of what happened last time you went to London. We don't want another incident like that, so please try your best to control you temper, okay Princess? I know it's hard for you when people start to push your buttons, but you've come so far and I don't want anything to mess with your success. So if you feel your anger surfacing, just take those three deep breaths and remove yourself from the situation." My heart dropped when my father reminded me of my last trip to England. An interviewer pushed my buttons a little too far, and I kind of lost my temper and said some things I should've kept to myself. I have a bit of a short-temper, always have. I've spent years trying to control it, but sometimes it gets the best of me. I don't really know where I get it from, as both my parents aren't like that at all, but for some reason I am quick-tempered. My mom always told me it just came with the good-ole teenage hormones, but for some reason my father always treated it like it was more serious than that. He would always be the one trying to make sure I remained calm and level-headed in all situations, and every time I didn't he would have a mini panic attack, almost like he was expecting something really bad to happen if I lost my temper. I never really understood it, I still don't, but I appreciate his concern. I took a deep breath and opened my eyes, checking the time before I responded to him, "Thanks dad, I'll try my best," I told him, meaning every word. When I realized it was actually time for me to get up and start getting ready, I sat up on my bed and rubbed my face, "Okay then, well have a good trip and make good choices. Love you!" he said, giving me the normal parental spiel before ending a call. I replied with a quiet laugh and picked up my phone out of my lap, "Alright dad. Love you too, and I'll talk to you soon!" I told him, ending the call after I finished speaking. I sat in my bed for a few more minutes, thinking about my dad's last comment. I knew all parents told their children to make good choices, but for some reason I always felt like there was so much more meaning when it came from my dad. I was never a bad kid growing up, never really go into much trouble, so I never understood why he put so much emphasis on my making good choices. I always related it back to my anger issues, but for some reason I felt like there was more to the story. I never asked him about it though, as it never really came up.

I shrugged slightly at my thoughts, remembering that I needed to start getting ready. It was a long flight to England, so I wanted to be comfortable for it, but also a bit fashionable in case the paparazzi showed up. I let out a long sigh before I finally stood up and walked over to my closet. I grabbed a pair of white washed jeans, a light blue top, my favorite cream cardigan, and my white vans. It was one of my go-to travel outfits, as I knew it was both comfortable and a little bit stylish for pictures. After having my outfit picked out, I headed for the bathroom to do my normal routine, and then walked out feeling nice and clean in my recently chosen outfit. As I walked out, my eyes looked over at the clock on my wall and I noticed I only had a few minutes left before Elenor and my driver would be outside my house. I quickly threw my hair in a messy bun, not wanting to spend too much time on it, and threw some foundation on my face. When I didn't have to work, I preferred to wear little to no make up on my face in order to give it a break, which is why I only threw on a bit of foundation for this trip. After I was all dressed and ready to go, I grabbed my phone and suitcases and headed downstairs to meet Elenor and my driver outside. It was a short drive to the airport from my house, so we made it there with some time to spare. Elenor took the liberty of checking my team in for our flight, so all I had to do was sit down and relax. I also had to keep an eye out for Greyson who we were still waiting on. After a few minutes of sitting, I spotted the familiar figure arriving at the airport. I quickly stood up and called out for him, waving him over when he spotted me.

[ingenuity,]

The ride was nearly silent the whole way, so I found myself following the buildings and other cars as we passed by them or they passed us. Cars had changed so much since I was last in one. In fact, the whole world had. I knew how things worked because I could tell what was going on down at earth, like all other angels, but it was a whole different thing to experience it. There were so many cars on the wide roads. People honked impatiently, traffic lights changed, and the city bustled endlessly to get to their destinations. Everyone seemed to be horrifically impatient, which I could understand easily. I wouldn't have been in such a hurry to get somewhere myself had I not been almost late. My foot tapped- much to my dismay- impatiently. I could see the large, green and white sign that signalled the exit to the airport. I checked the time once again. Six minutes. It seemed as if everyone was trying to get to the airport. Finally, we got to our destination. I had four minutes to find Sutton. Taking my few belongings with me, I walked into the airport. People filled the place, although I knew for a fact that this was nowhere near as crowded as it would be at a later time. It didn't take me even a minute to find the young girl waiting for me. I walked through the slightly crowded space towards Sutton, trying my best to avoid people. I did well at not running into anyone. However, one man, who was around my age and the same height but had slightly longer black hair and piercing ice-blue eyes, ran into me. It seemed almost intentional as we both paused and made eye contact. The glare he gave me sent the slightest chill down my spine, which got worse when he spoke. His voice was like oil; smooth and low. It came out as a hiss thick with hatred and laced with a hint of a threat. I could have sworn that if we were alone, this man would have tackled me right here. "Move." The one word was so simple, but it was the way he spoke that said it all. The air around him seemed to feel so cold and motionless that my body wouldn't allow it in. Those deathly cold, narrowed eyes watched me as I hesitantly began to move away from him. He looked like a normal young man wearing a light grey trench coat, a black scarf, jeans, and boots. However, I knew that he was anything but normal. Once I was walking away, he turned and continued on his was as if nothing had happened. "What the heck was that about?" I tried to shake it off as I greeted Sutton. "We meet again. Nice to see you."

(( mmmmhhh this is a lot shorter than yours. sorry. also, I know that my last post really sucked. I was in kind of a block at the time. ))

[stormi.]

>>No worries about the length!
My eyes followed Greyson as he headed over to me once he spotted me in the somewhat crowded airport. I tilted my head slightly as I watched he and another guy pause in the middle of the airport, their interaction not seeming very pleasant from where I was standing. I was too far away to hear the words, if any, that were being exchanged, but Greyson's facial expression said a lot about the whole situation. Once he finally walked away from the other guy and started heading in my direction again, I put another smile on my face and listened to him speak once he was near, "Nice to see you too. Sorry you're starting off your first day on the job with an eight hour flight,"" I told him. I truly did feel bad for him just being thrown in the job without much training or knowledge, but I knew Elenor planned to update him on the flight, so I hoped that would be enough. I gently gripped my phone in my hand as I looked down at the other members of my team who were sitting in the chairs Greyson and I were standing by, "Let me introduce you to the team," I said, repositioning my body slightly so I was facing everyone, "That's Anne-Marie, she's my stylist for most of my events. You'll see her hanging around a lot, because she's my savior when it comes to making sure I don't leave the house looking like a total mess," I explained to him, a small laugh escaping my lips as I spoke. I then gestured towards another member of my team, going down the row of seats, "That's Phillip, he's my make-up artist and hairdresser. Highly recommend him if you're trying to spice up your look." From my past two encounters with Greyson, I could already tell he didn't need much help with his style. He seemed to know exactly what his style was, so I knew he probably wouldn't be looking to Phillip for much advice. I then turned my head to look behind me to spot Elenor still checking everyone in, "And of course that's Elenor over there. She's my...momager, even though she's not really my mom. She just likes to act like she is most of the time since she's been my manger ever since I was a little girl," I stated, turning my head to look at Greyson. Just as I was about to make another comment, I heard someone calling me from behind, "Sutton!" the voice said. The tone of the voice running up from behind was familiar, except for the fact it sounded like the person was out of breath. I turned my head to look at the other side of me, the side the figure was approaching. I couldn't help but laugh when I confirmed who the familiar face belonged to, "I'm so sorry I'm late Sutton, traffic was terrible today! Oh my gosh, where's Elenor? She's going to kill me!" the young girl said. I shook my head out of amusement and turned to face Greyson once more, "And finally, this is my assistant Stella. Don't let this encounter fool you, she's one of the most organized and reliable people I have ever met." After introducing Greyson to the final person of my team, I turned my attention over to Stella who was trying to catch her breath while in the middle of also checking Greyson out. I quickly gave her a disapproving look before I went on to speak, "Don't worry, Elenor's too busy checking us in to notice your late arrival," I said, trying to give Stella some reassurance so she would calm down a bit. Stella let out a breath of relief, but just as I heard Elenor's voice from behind, I noticed Stella's body tense up once again as her eyes widened. I bit my lower lip, trying not to laugh at the young blonde's tense image. My gaze then focused on Elenor as she joined the group, "I noticed," she said simply. I gave Stella a slight shrug as to say 'my mistake', and then returned my focus to my manager, "Now that you have decided to join us Stella—and take the time to check out Sutton's new bodyguard—why don't you fill us in on Sutton's schedule for today?" A giggle escaped me as I listened to Elenor, feeling slightly bad for Stella as her cheeks started to turn red from embarrassment. Elenor was not a fan of the poor girl, and you could tell that by situations like these. I cleared my throat and gave Stella a comforting look as I spoke, "That's exactly what she was about to do, Elenor. Just let her get herself together," I said, giving Stella some time to calm down and organize herself before reading off the schedule. As I watched Stella gather her composure and pull out her planner from her bag, I took a seat on the chair beside me, "...Okay, so our flight takes off at eight. Including some possible delays, we should touchdown in England no later than eleven in the morning. Sutton has an event tonight, so as soon as we check into the hotel she has to start preparing. Room service will be ordered during all of this, so no one stress about that. The event tonight is being hosted by Maybelline, and starts at seven. She won't be staying the whole time because she has an interview with a late-night talk show..." Stella explained. It was clear that it would be a busy day from the moment I arrived in England, but I was still looking forward to it.

>>Typed this up in a bit of a hurry, so please forgive any mistakes.

[ingenuity,]

ah! so so sorry about that... I have no excuse

At Sutton's apology, I only shrugged slightly, not phased by the quick start of this job. "That's alright. I've travelled a lot before, so I'm used to it," I replied truthfully. None of them had any idea just how much I had travelled in my time on earth. Not that I was a fan of travelling. In fact, I would much rather have one spot and stay there, but I couldn't do that when each assignment was so different. As Sutton began to introduce me to the rest of her team, I felt a familiar, uncomfortable sensation of being watched. I glanced over my shoulder for a moment but saw nothing. My gaze did a quick sweep of the only slightly crowded area around us before stopping on an almost familiar face. The man who I had run into earlier. I expected him to turn away immediately, but he didn't. Our eyes met for maybe two seconds before I looked back to the girl who Sutton was speaking about, Anne-Marie. I still felt the hostile gaze on us, but I didn't want to appear distracted right now. My gaze lingered on the first team member before moving to the man who I now knew went by Philip. I gave him a slight nod as a sort of greeting. Compared to what I was wearing now, I wouldn't be "spicing up" my "look" anytime soon. If anything, I'd be doing the opposite and finding something more comfortable to me. However, I had to remind myself that styled had changed drastically since the last time I was here. I couldn't dress up in casual clothes from centuries ago and walk around like that was completely normal. Everyone knew this time was one of the most corrupt of all, even the people who belonged here. Sutton's voice once again drew my attention to the next person: Elenor. The woman on the phone and at the interview. I knew she was Sutton's manager, but the fact that the young celebrity called the woman her "momager" was rather amusing. The relationship that the two seemed to have, just judging by that description, sounded a lot like the relationship I had with Castiel. Just as I met Sutton's eyes, we heard a younger girl's voice from behind. She sounded like she had run over to us in a hurry as soon as she got here. Only seconds after she spoke her excuse and asked where Elenor was, Sutton announced that the young girl was Stella, her assistant. With an eyebrow raised just barely in amusement at how ironic it seemed to say that she was organised and reliable when she was late. I pretended not to notice as she took her time to take in my appearance and as Sutton gave her assistant a look of disapproval. In my opinion, there wasn't much to be looking at here, but that was only my opinion. I knew I didn't have many bad features, but it didn't mean anything. It was just a body to hold a soul and interact with the things on earth while blending in. Of course, physical bodies would mean a lot more to a human than it would an angel or demon. I glanced back where the strange man had been only moments earlier to check if he was still there, but he was gone. Suppressing a sigh of relief, I returned my attention to the group of people in front of me just in time to hear Elenor call out Stella for being late then "checking me out." I almost felt bad for the young girl. Elenor sounded a bit harsh, considering that from what I'd heard, the assistant was a good one. My sympathetic but amused gaze found Stella's bright red face, then Sutton's as she defended her assistant. I stayed silent as Stella began to read the schedule aloud. It was apparent that the day would be quite busy for Sutton, and therefore, busy for almost all of us. I still had no idea why exactly I was here. I knew for a fact that it was something important. Castiel had said a few concerning things when he told me what I'd be doing, or rather, who I would be guarding, not what I would be doing or why. I was yet to find out why this girl was so important. "Why do I have a feeling that other guy who I ran into has something to do with this?... He seemed so familiar, but he didn't look familiar. But why?"
(( left off in kind of a strange place. sorry about that. ))

[stormi.]

As soon as Stella had finished reading off the schedule for the day, I gave her a slight smile before shifting my attention back onto Elenor,"Talk show?" I asked, confused by the interview I was hearing about for the first time. I tilted my head slightly, hesitant to ask my next question, "With who?" I finally asked, already having a feeling I knew the answer. I could see by Elenor's expression she was unsure if she should disclose that information now, but she had been my manager for many years now, and she knew I wasn't getting on that plane before finding out. I watched the middle-aged woman take a minute to think about my question, before she shifted her weight onto her other leg and answered me, "It's with Fiona Walker, Sutton," she finally admitted. The name echoed in my mind as I stood in disbelief in the middle of the airport. Fiona Walker was the last person I wanted to have an interview with, and I had made that clear multiple times with both Elenor and Stella. The fact that neither of them paid attention to my request angered me, but not as much as picturing me sitting down with that lady angered me. Fiona Walker was the interviewer I sat down with last time in London. She was the lady who almost ruined my career, and who my father warned me to control my temper around during our phone call this morning. I assume Elenor warned him about this interview, and our short call this morning wasn't just because he wanted to wish me safe travels. My anger and irritation became known to the people standing around me in the airport by my clenched fists and tight facial expression. My eyes jumped from Elenor to Stella, and then finally back to Elenor. I knew she was the main one to blame for setting up this interview, so there was no point in blaming Stella, "Excuse me? How dare you book me in to interview with that women again! Do you not remember what happened last time? I can't afford to have another outburst around her, or I will lose my movie deal. You of all people should know that and you should've respected my wishes to not interview with HER!" I voiced, trying to control my anger as I noticed my words get louder as I continued to speak. My intentions weren't to raise my voice at Elenor in the middle of the airport, but all of the dreadful memories of what had happened the last time with Fiona just caused my blood to boil. That interviewer was a nightmare for almost everyone who sat down with her, but my experiences with her were always even more disastrous. That Fiona Walker hated me before I even had a chance to meet her, and I never understood why. Elenor stood still with a stern expression on her face, "It's best then that you don't let her push your buttons this time, because you're sitting down at that interview whether you like it or not," she replied, her momager sounding words angering me even more. Knowing that I could not say another thing without yelling, I gripped the handle of my carry on and walked away from the group. I needed to calm down before I caused a scene that could be held against me at upcoming interviews. As I walked away from the group and towards the private plane that had been booked specifically for my trip to England, I passed by the guy who Greyson had had an encounter with just a few minutes ago. I hadn't seen his face before now, but I recognized him from the outfit he was wearing. He was staring at me, but I didn't quite understand why. Was it because he knew who I was? Or had he witnessed the altercation I had caused moments ago? I wasn't sure of the answer, but I stared back at him as I walked by. Something about him was strange. Like I almost felt as though I had met him before, but his face didn't at all look familiar. It was almost like just his presence was something I had known before. As I passed by him I felt this weird feeling wash over me. It wasn't a bad feeling, in fact it felt pretty refreshing. It was weird though because it was almost like a refreshing feeling of anger if that makes sense. Like I felt good being in the angry/irritated state I was in. I don't exactly know how to explain it, but I know I liked feeling that way. The feeling quickly disappeared though after I had passed the unknown guy, which confused me even more. I had no clue what had just happened, but nevertheless I continued on my journey to the plane that was patiently waiting for me to board. The walk was kind of long, but it gave me a chance to calm down. This was a private airport and it was still early in the morning, so there weren't many people walking in the direction I was headed in. In order to get to my flight I had to first find my gate, walk down a couple flights of stairs, catch an airport owned car to drive me across the tarmac, and then finally take a short walk to the stairs of the plane. Like I said, it was a bit of a journey to the flight, but at least I was able to calm down a bit on my way. I kept taking those deep breaths my father had suggested as I walked, and they really did help. Once I was on the empty flight, I laid down on the sofa that was towards the middle of the small plane, and stuffed my headphones into my ears as I blasted music on my phone. I knew the rest of the team would be arriving soon at the plane as well, but just because I had calmed down a bit didn't mean I had any intention of talking to them, especially Eleanor, for at least a few hours.