+1+

It was hotter than hell inside Queen Anne’s.

I turned up the music on my laptop to tune out the loud hammering of my sewing machine.

I had awoken that morning to find piles and piles of white dresses, pants and jackets in need of tailoring. Strict orders from The Angel Mother. I obliged for the sake of Father. It’s what he would have done.

My forehead beaded with sweat  as I turned on the steam iron and tucked a few more pins in my sleeve. I hung the last skirt and turned to a pile of dresses.

Devil take this sweltering heat.

I pulled a needle out of my other sleeve, threaded it  and settled back down to work. Every time the song changed I could swear I heard someone talking outside of my door. Were they watching me ? Hadn’t they heard of security cameras ?

I heard muffled words again and opened the door to investigate.

I waited for a second and saw The Angel Seraphina pacing back and forth down the hall in front of my room.

“O, speak again, bright angel. . . For. . . thou art as glorious. . . to this night, being o'er my head, as is a wingèd messenger of heaven--”

The Angel folded her arms and continued pacing. She sounded as if she was trying to remember the words. Her hollow and frustratingly deep tone butchering any attempts at poetry.

“As is a winged messenger of heaven. . . .”, she started and failed again.

I stepped outside and spoke softly.

“Unto the white, upturnèd, wondering eyes Of mortals that fall back to gaze on him When he bestrides the lazy-puffing clouds And sails upon the bosom of the air.”, I finished, “It’s not that difficult. Does The Angel Mother have nothing better to do than teach you useless whores to recite Shakespeare”

She just looked at me with that defiant yet emotionless expression.The tone and words were not quite my own, but this Angel's display from last night left me a bit out of character.

She didn’t seem warm at all in her white suit jacket and straight white pants, the only color on her was a gold chain belt across her shapeless waist and collar pin at her throat. Two small daggers lined her  pockets, by the way her jacket draped I assumed she also had two daggers in her jacket.

How unusual for an Angel.

According to Father most of the Angels used the weapons they were allotted as decoration or in art projects.

“The Angel Mother is not ready to see you. You are to wait inside.”, she instructed.

“It’s past noon, she would never treat Father this way--”

“Mother has important matters to attend to.”

“More important than the impending death of The Demon Father---”

“Back. Demon”

“And what are you ? A guardian Angel ?”, I said with a bit of humor. A bit.

“You think Mother would leave a young uncastrated Demon bastard unsupervised at Queen Anne’s. I’m not here to guard you but my Sisters.”

I rolled my eyes.

“Dear Angel I’d beg you to castrate me before I fell in bed with an Angel.”, I replied coolly.

No sooner had the words left my mouth, did she turn and run a elegant gold dagger into my sleeve of my shirt pinning me to  the wall . She pulled it out ripping the fabric.

I was speechless. I was not sure if she was aiming for my shoulder and missed. Or if that was a warning.

“Back, Demon”, she pointed to the bedroom with the blade, her other hand on the dagger in her jacket.

Princes can't be speechless I reminded myself. I swallowed and readied a response.

“Am I really to take orders from a vapid Angel who can’t even recite Shakespeare ?”

She turned her back to me and focused on reciting.

I headed back and slammed the door. My phone had no missed calls and only few charming text from Ashe.

Brother Levit will give you 100$ for a picture of Angel on Angel

Father is not doing well. . . it’s just a bad day, right ?

Delete these text encase he gets better. He’ll have my third eye if he sees these.

I barely had a text from my brother Jonathan.

I love you

Oops. . .ignore that last one.

I should be there with Father, not here dealing with Angels.

I picked up the dagger I’d found last night and threw it as hard as I could into the wall. I surprised myself when the blade buried itself into the wall.

There was a yelp.

My eyes shifted to the closet where I detected the sound of swinging hangers. Concentrating  I could smell fresh dirt and. . . chocolate ?

I pulled the dagger out of the wall and and approached the closet. Holding the blade overhand I swung the closet the door open.

“Show yourself Ange--”

I expected to find a murderous Angel and instead an ordinary human rolled before my feet.

“Oh, God”, the human held up its hands in surrender, “Please don’t kill me I--”

“Who. Are. You ?”, I demanded.

“I’m sorry--”

“Who. Are. You.”, I demanded again. Slowly.

“Isobel Charter.”, she said. Her hands covering her face.

I looked down and saw a large camera had rolled out the closet with her. I instantly recognized her.

“You were the one taking photos our front yesterday ? How did you get in ?”

She stood up flustered and gestured to the open window above the bed.

“There was a break in the gate, so I climbed through and I saw the window was open . . . I just--I know this sound crazy but I just can’t turn back now. I’m so close. . I . . .know you."

There were those words again

I know you

Know one knew me.

I bought the white gold blade down to my side.

“How ?”, I demanded.

The human was barely 5’2 when she stood, her long dark hair was pulled back and her dark jeans and gray button up and were dusted in dirt and spring leaves.

“This" , she said.

At this she pointed to my collar pin, her eyes were transfixed on it as if she had found something she’d lost a long time ago.

“You need to leave”, I heard The Angel Seraphina reciting outside my door. Angels were not keen on humans.

“No, please you have to come with me. I just need answers. . please.”, The human begged.

“Brother ?”, The Angel pounded on the door from outside, “What is that voice ?”

“Music.”, I called back.

“Please”, Isobel Charter's eyes pleaded, “ I need answers. . . for my father.”

 This was unacceptable, a human's curiosity would always be our downfall if we weren't careful.

Isobel reached into her pocket and unwrapped a white gold collar pin marked with the Mark of The Angels and Demons, The Lux Aeterna. It looked just like the one that I wore now. Except the one she held was chipped on one side and had a faint layer of dirt.

"Where did you get that ?", I asked.

“Is this yours ?”, she asked.

I looked at the chipped collar pin in her hands

Yes

Damn.

Reluctantly I followed the human and hoisted myself out of the window. If anything this human was a problem I needed to contain. I was sure to grab her camera on the way out. The human and I jogged to where the gate in the back of Queen Anne’s College did in fact have a break in it. Almost as if someone had sawed away at the bars.

Keeping a watch behind me I followed Isobel under the gate and into the balmy Brooklyn afternoon. The street was crowded and I was glad to be out of that sweltering room.

How much did the human know. What did she know ?

“Fuck”, I whispered

“What ?”, she said

“Just walk faster.”

Isobel turned to see The Angel Seraphina coming up behind us. She was at least a block away and moved at an quick even stride in her high shoes, she wasn’t running but she walked with intent. Intent to kill.  Her hand calmly rested inside her jacket.

I let Isobel Charter take the lead even though I knew this city inside and out. We cut down a side alley that leads to a busy Brooklyn street. Running drew too much attention so we walked with great speed.

“This way”, Isobel suddenly  turned down a small street and  into a plaza.

She moved easily through the open space I realized we were on the outskirts of Brooklyn College. The closer we went into the campus the crowd thinned, until it was deserted.

A few feet away the Angel stepped through the crowd and I saw the glint of her white gold dagger in her hand. She spotted the human . . . then she charged like a bat out of hell.

“Run”, I shouted.

I sped off towards one of the academic building while the human trailed behind me. I stopped myself and turned back for her.

The human reached for my hand and held it tight as the sounds of Seraphina’ s high heels grew louder. I knew I certainly couldn’t outrun her.

“There ”, Isobel directed me towards a building on the left. I pulled her along and when we reached the door she pressed an ID to a scanner, the door clicked open and shut behind us.

We tumbled to the ground breathing hard. I sat up and realized I was still holding the human’s hands. The intimacy of it caught me by surprise and I quickly let go.

There was a thump as Seraphina tried to open the door.

“The buildings locked during  breaks.”, Isobel explained holding up her ID.

I buried my head in my hands, surely I had proven myself unfit to follow Father’s footsteps.

I’d stolen an Angel’s dagger

Left Queen Anne’s when I knew the Angel Mother expected me

Furthermore I had run to protect a  human.

Speaking of which I turned to see her getting to her feet.Blankly I followed her, going through the different options in my head to fix this situation. Only one stood out. The only solution there ever was to humans who knew to much.

+++

The second floor of the academic building was empty. The office spaces were  stacked with desks and large cluttered workspaces.. Isobel guided me to a workspace by the window.It was obvious that this was the Department of History.There was a small balcony that overlooked the entire campus but my eyes were on the walls of one of the workstations. Isobel Charter's workstation

Dozens of black and white photographs, printouts and maps covered the space. Hundreds of images with the same symbol

The Lux Aeterna

The Mark of The Angels and Demons

Oh, how careless we had been. Leaving our mark wherever we could.

To the humans the Aeterna with two opposing crowns was probably an unnoticed enigma. We left the mark as we traveled as sign to the world we didn’t belong in.

We are here

Are there others ?

I leaned closer to the collage.

Yes.

There

In the background of  six  of the pictures  was me. The photos where from different years maybe even decades. My collar pin gleamed brilliantly in all of them. My smile effervescence.

Oh, how careless I had been.

“You’re not. . .”, Isobel started, “You’re not human are you  ?”

Tick tick tick

We both turned sharply to the balcony. The Angel had climbed up the balcony and was perched the other side of the window. Her dagger tapping on the glass. She turned the blade and raised the handle to the glass.

Then it shattered.

Once inside the Angel raised her dagger and lunged towards Isobel. I was faster and grabbed  the Angel  from behind. One arm crushed her wrist and held it it down while my other arm locked around her thin neck.

She really was as cold as ice.

I pulled my arm tight around her neck untill the Angel started gasping for breathe. She dropped her blade and her eyes rolled back into her head before she passed out on the floor.

+2+

Moments later the Angel awoke with my arm around her neck and her own blade at her neck. Her arms were bound tightly  behind her with her belt.

“Listen, Angel”, I commanded in a whisper , “We are going to listen to this human, find out what she knows and then we will let Mother and Father decide what to do with her. You will not kill her.”

“Hell-hated harlot”, she attempted to curse, “The human knows to much she must die--”

“Shut up.”, I ordered.

The Angel’s eyes lingered at all of the images Isobel had collected. Isobel eyes were locked on the white gold blade I had to the Angel’s neck.

“Are you going to kill her ?”, Isobel asked.

“I. . . can’t.”, there were some rules even I wouldn’t dare break.

Isobel Charter placed her chipped collar pin  on the desk and pushed it towards me.

“I swear”, Isobel said, “This thing has been haunting me my entire life.”

“Liar, that doesn’t belong to you--”, Seraphina started, I pushed the blade closer to her neck.

Isobel continued.

“My father got this as a child back in Vietnam. . . during the war. He always told this story about how he was out getting water when his village was caught in the heat of battle when the Viet Cong moved in.He ran to find cover when American soldiers  were dropped in and started firing their weapons , not knowing their enemies from their allies. The sound of machine guns was all he could hear.

He accidentally ran right in front of the guns and prepared himself for death when he saw darkness.

An American soldier had thrown his body over him and taken the bullets. Father could see where the soldier had been shot but   the soldier was unphased. The soldier took him to safety where he silently watched over my father untill the fighting was over.The soldier promised to return my father to his family, but they were lost in the attack.

Just before the soldier departed, Dad pulled this collar pin off the soldier's jacket.

My dad was one of the few survivors of the attack. He told the story of the guardian angel to everyone who would listen. And I---”

“I’ve heard enough”, The Angel’s bitter voice cut Isobel off, “The gaul, you soft Demon Prince. Saving the enemy in the midst of war. No wonder you--”

“My father was 8 years old then”, Isobel corrected her sternly , “He was just a child caught in the middle, not the enemy.”

For a flinching second the Angel’s face was blank almost empathetic.

“Anyway”, Isobel continued taking a breath, “After the war Dad came to America and he swore to find the solider who had saved him. All he had to go on was  this collar pin and the soldier's  . . . um. . . scar. I’d heard the story my entire life and became obsessed with the idea of finding where the collar pin  came from and finding the owner.Dad died just before my senior year of high school. He never had the chance to find the solider and thank him.

I didn’t think anything more of it until my friend Hannah and I came to New York to visit colleges. Queen Anne’s College was on my list and it was open  for the garden tour.I thought it was the perfect school for me. Small, women-based  with a focus on liberal arts.  I wanted to study history and the school is a freaking a historical landmark. It was during the tour that I saw it.

Engraved on the bottom of the gate's metal work I saw the symbol from the collar pin. The tour guides didn’t know anything about it  and no matter how many e-mails and phone calls I made that day no one at Queen Anne’s ever got back to me.

Later that week we stopped by the MoMa, and you know what ? I saw that symbol again in the medieval art exhibit. I had to learn more.

When I started at Brooklyn College I had unlimited access to archives and databases. I spent 4 years obsessing over this symbol. It was everywhere.I found it in the oddest places. Churches, factories, school books  and guns.What stuck with me was a decorative page from the book of Isaiah chapter 14. The first mention of the Morningstar. . .or Lucifer.

Which was so weird, right ?

Last year I started my rotation as a GTA , helping a professor work on a visual piece on New York Architecture and guess what ?

I found the symbol right here in New York City. Again and again

Except it was on people.

I scanned thousands of photos of soldiers, parades and crowds and I found the symbol. The exact pin on the same men year after year after year.

Yet know one could tell me what it meant.

I can’t tell you how many days I’ve spent outside of Queen Anne’s begging someone to talk to me and there you were.

The man in the pictures. The man with the Glasgow smile. You fit the description of the soldier that saved my father. . . It was you.

I knew you.”

I tightened my grip on the blade near The Angels neck. It wasn’t like things like this didn’t happen before, but never this well documented.

“If this is true ? What do you want ? To thank me ?”, I asked.

“No.”, she said going through her desk, “I mean I would have if I hadn’t found this.”

The human unfolded a print out that showed a scan of Brother's Isaiah's Renaissance oil on vellum which showed  small horned demon boys dancing around a bonfire while eating the Angel.

The Aeterna adorned out necks as we danced with our little horned heads and slick red skin. I had commissioned that ugly piece of work.

Seraphina’s eyes went taut at the painting. I could feel the pulse of her cold neck jumping at the primitive nature of it.

“What are you ?”, Isobel pleaded.

“Forget what you know. Forget all of this.  In the past people like yourself always end up dead.”

The wind was knocked out of me as The Angel’s elbow flew into my stomach and she threw me to the ground. The dagger spun out of my hand.

The Angel had managed to work her wrist out of the belt and stood ready to kill.

She took the short blades from her hips and angled them towards the human,  ready to impale the girl.

Isobel ducked and found the dagger I had dropped on the floor. Screaming the human jabbed the blade unskillfully into Seraphina’s stomach.

Underestimating her opponent was this Angel’s weakness.

Pale red blood leaked over the Angel's white blouse. The Angel dropped to her knees.

The Angel grasped the dagger and pulled it out slowly. Her blouse tore and beneath it was bands of tight thick tape was binding her upper body.

"Oh, my God", Isobel was frantic, "I-I'm so. . .sorry . ."

Isobel unwrapped her scarf and tied it over Seraphina’s wound pulling it tight. The Angel let out a grunt and I reached over to pull  it tighter. She gritted her teeth

What would happen to me if the Angel tasked with watching me died in my presence.

“Call a cab”, I said to Isobel, “ We need to get her back.”

Isobel was in shock. Her eyes stuck on the Angel’s wound.

“It was self-defense”, I said to break Isobel’s trance, “She was going to kill you. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

Isobel backed up and stepped into the hall with her cell phone.

“Angel”, I  said, “We need to sneak back into to Queen Anne’s unnoticed. Tell me how.”

“Bastard.”, she managed.

“The Angel Mother won’t be pleased that you let a Demon and human get the best of you. How do you think she will react when I tell her what a failure you are .”

Her eyes tightned at the last part. The Angel  shoved me aside and picked herself up, staggering she headed for the door. I followed close behind as the Angel  tried to walk off her still bleeding wound.

“Human”, Seraphina stopped where Isobel was trying to be invisible, “This is a warning. Forget the symbol, forget everything.  Next time I will kill you.”

"T-there's a cab outside for you." Isobel stammered

The Angel buttoned  her suit jacket as a taxi approached and we drove away in silence. My eyes went to the rear view mirror to watch as Isobel turned back inside the building.

I slipped the driver my monthly allowance of 100$ to drop us off at the secluded back maintenance entrance of Queen Anne’s College.

The Angel’s wound had clotted once we arrived back and she carefully tapped in the codes to the gate. Once inside the residential dorms she looked at the looming spiral staircase.

“My Sisters are in Mother's mansion no one will be in the dorms.”, she explained.

Somehow  I didn’t expect the spoiled Angels to be living in dormitories. I stood back as the Angel twisted and fell on the marble steps. Without thinking I reached to steady her.

She tried to shrug me off, but that caused her to double over on the steps.

Hesitantly I grabbed her arm and half carried her up  stairs, the last place any Demon worth his wit wanted to be.

++++

The Angel had changed into a loose white cotton tank and white pants. Her wound was hastily patched by her own hand, she now she sat up in bed, her eyes facing forward as if she was a prisoner of war and not in her own bed.

“You were going to kill that human”, I reflected quietly sitting on the bed next to hers.

“She was a threat to our kind. She had to be eliminated.”, she said it like a creed.

“You Angels are ruthless useless simple creatures.”

“ I am not useless”

“Why is that ? Because you can hold a blade ?”, I quietly mocked her, “How did an Angel learn such things ?”

“I protect my Mother and Sisters. I learned to fight in this world  when they would not. I fought like my father and brothers did before your kind killed them.”

She kept her eyes forward and breathed heavily. Bringing up the war or Transgression was forbidden.

“That’s the problem with you Angels. Complacent simple creatures. Mother has coddled you. What good are pretty women who recite poetry and learn the arts ? Tell me, Angel?”

“I am not useless. Neither are my sisters.”

“No, you are not. You are something else entirely. You are a bloodthirsty little Angel with no regard for human life. Remember Angel this is their world . We are the one who does not belong.”

“I could belong. . . be a fighter. I could be a warrior a soldier.”, her voice cracked.

“Spare me Angel, you think because you bind your breast and change your body but you will always be an Angel. Does your Mother know what you are doing ?”

She reached over and turned the key on her nightstand, shocked at my invasion of her privacy.

While she had changed and stitched herself I’d found the prescription hormone replacement therapy pills in her nightstand. I suddenly realized why her voice was unusually deep and her body so tightly bound.

I truly hadn’t cared and knew from previous experience that transitioning didn't work on our inhuman bodies. I also I knew The Angel Mother would never allow Angels to use modern medicine in such a way.

“I should have killed that human. Don’t think I won’t go back for her”, she spat, “I knew Paris The Demon Prince was always soft but I didn’t know it was also metaphoric.”

I felt an unusual rage welling up inside me, one that made my smile burn.

“ This is the problem with Angels. You are as vacant and cold as your eyes and useless cun--”

A loud old fashioned mobile tone went off and the Angel reach for a flip phone on her bedside.

She closed her eyes as she answered.

“Yes. . . Yes . .  But, Mother you can’t he’s a . . . It’s not . . . But I . . .. Yes, Mother. . . .I’ll fetch him.”, she hung up, “ The Angel mother is ready for you.”

“It’s about time.”, I said

“What has been keeping Mother anyway ?”, I asked

I waited patiently for her to obey me.

“Angel”, I tried to sound stern, “ I will be the leader of the Demons one day, so I suggest you learn to answer me. Or I will tell The Angel Mother what you are do--”

“It’s the snowfire apples. . . they’ve been killing the humans.”