Like Angels of a Feather - Chapter 3

You might wonder why I didn't flip out that much after learning about John and the guardian angels. Well, since I was little, I had grown with the classic fairy tales known by everyone. Dragons, giant crabs and pixies were a world I had to quit very early, due to the reality catching me back at Mom's death, when I was 3. But somewhere in my heart, it was still here, and John was the proof it was true.

This morning, he decided to escort me to school. I had wanted to warn him about the Sea Dwellers, but that didn't seemed much of a problem for him. I tried to convince me so, but my foot had already crossed the limit of their territory.

"Hey, look whose motherfuckers are there!", the voice of Gaetan Makara resonated between the alleys.

I swallowed hardly, but John held my hand like an older brother.

"And who's that, huh?", Erwan Ampora asked, pointing at John. "New playin' buddy?"

My angelic friend smiled.

"If you would like to play, I'll gladly accept your demand."

Ampora grinned, revealing his gold tooth.

"Get them."

What happened then was a complete mystery. I saw John, opening his arms to the bullies, and with a sudden burst of lightning, the Sea Dwellers have been knocked out, laying on the ground. The angel hadn't moved at all, surprisingly.

"What do you say now?", he asked with a malicious smile.

Ampora flipped out, and ran away, leaving John and I laughing our butts off.

"Why did I never met you before?", I asked.

"-Because you would have not needed me now, thus forbidding you to ever meet me."

I stayed interrogative for a second, but resumed walking - this time with my shoes on.

When entering the gates of the school's court, everyone stopped chatting to stare at John. Some whispers came from groups of students, making the angel giggle. I didn't get what was going on, and put it on the fact it was angelic powers once again. During classes, the teachers didn't ask anything about the "new student", as if he has been there the whole year. This day, I have felt something very weird. But it wasn't until end of classes that things became even weirder.

In the court, Sandro Captor and Jade Harley were exchanging disgusting kiss-like mimicks. When John saw it, his face made a strange expression I would have trouble describing. I smiled, explaining him that it wasn't that sexual in 21th century, but he didn't listen. Instead, he walked to the blonde boy.

"Bonjour, my friend.", he declamed. "Say, what is the use of a steam engine?"

Jade seemed not to get it, but Sandro curiously smirked.

"I don't know, Freund. Wath thith even pothible in the East thide?"

John nodded, and walked back to me, resuming our conversation like if nothing happened at all. But, I eventually asked him about what it meant.

"That's a codename used by angels, to find other ones. This one comes from Germany, in times it was set apart between four nations."

"-You can't mean..."

"-Captor's an angel. Seeing how he is attracted to Jade, a guardian-type one."

I whistled in admiration. Those feathersacks had such powers! I could have stayed years before even guessing this pisshaired douche was a supernatural being. On the spot, I thought of something else.

"Tell me...are there more people I know who are angels?"

"-Not an easy question. There's no way I can point at a random stranger and say, they're an angel. But there are some tricks."

While walking, he showed two youngsters eating candies on a house's porch: Theresa Pyrope, lead of the Right class, and one who had lame shades.

"Look at how that boy takes his time to eat these sugary confections, even if they have plenty of those. Probably he's from a time when sugar was considered a luxury, I would say Roman time. He keep his eyes hidden, as it was said that red eyes were the signature of Mars, the god of war, and has been persecuted for that his whole life. Look at how unsure he seems."

"-Whoah, you're so amazing! So...that works?"

"-Not at all. I just happen to know him.", John smirked.

He made me mute for a second. Clever boy.

On the way back home, no one did bother me at all, for once in years. Kankri was nowhere to be seen, and Kora was outside dealing with the older Makara brother, who needed something to keep his girlfriend under control (better not guess what for.), so Dad, John and I were the only ones at home.

"Hi Dad.", I greeted as I walked across the livingroom, between tossed cans of cheap beer and crumpled papers.

"-'mornin...", he mumbled in his sleep.

"-Say, Dad, John and I will be doing our homework. Hope you don't mind."

"-'hmmmfine...just don't make noise."

"-Okay."

"-Sleep well, Mr Vantas."

I locked the room's door as a reflex. John sat on my bed, next to I.

"What are we going to do, now?", I asked.

"-What would you like to do, now?", he replied smiling. "When the sky is the limit, you don't think about what we can do or not. You do it, that's all."

I turned this sentence in my head for a long moment, trying to decipher John's enigmatic language.

"Yeah...so, as I said, what can we do now?"

"-Oh, humans and their boredom. Hey, I've got a fun game for you."

I rose an eyebrow, interested.

"First, close your eyes."

I asked myself what he would do, but for the love of mystery, I complied. Once my eyelids lowered, I felt him taking my hands in his'.

"Now, imagine the prettiest sky you've ever seen. The colour you want, with clouds or not, it's up to you. But picture yourself a sky underneath which you feel at peace."

There was one of these sceneries I have always remembered. Kankri, Kora and I in our younger years. Dad, smiling and well-being. And Mommy, before cancer got her. A happy family, playing under the trees, in the fall leaves, like children we were. And the sky, back in these peaceful days, was so orange it looked red to me. I remember the pink cloud trails flying across this sanguine immensity, and how it had amazed me.

Suddenly, I felt something odd going on. My body seemed...lighter? It was a very unusual feeling, as if all my sorrows have been taken away. John's hands griped mine tighter, and suddenly became all warm. This heat was going through me: my arms, my chest, then my whole body, down to my littlest toe or the tip of my ears. On the moment, it felt amazingly good. It was even better than a cup of warm milk after running under the rain, or a soft bed when you have been the bullied of the day once again. I smiled lightly: I was at peace.

"Open your eyes.", he said.

I obeyed...and stayed stunned.

John had his wings back on, still holding my hands. He was flying way above the clouds, in a way where I wouldn't be disturbed by the acceleration. I had a look down; my feet were hundred of meters above the ground. As a reflex, I grabbed John's hands as tightly as I could. But he told me to stay calm, and keep thinking about the peaceful sceneries of my childhood. I closed my eyes, remembering how happy we all were back that day. I felt John letting go of me, but I never fell. His magic was lifting me up as we flew together. It was amazing, a feeling of liberty I've never enjoyed before. He took my hand in his', and pulled me closer with his wing.

"Isn't that a good way to spend some time?", he asked.

I nodded, wondered by the small houses and cars below my feet. The angel and I flew down, as the magic was running out, and landed on a tall roof, from where we wouldn't be seen.

"You...you're amazing.", I let out.

"-And so are you."

I snuggled in his blue wing, which was large enough to be a blanket to me. And I think that's about when I fall asleep, cuddled by angel feathers.

I woke up long after night had fallen. John was in his bird form, perched on a bookshelf, taking a nap. This boy really was amazing. I didn't need my red book tonight; I was already happy.

---

The two hooded figures walked inbetween the cars, where from came angry shoutings about pedestrians. They didn't even bother looking where they were putting their silent feet, for danger was unknown to them. The shortest of the two was following their elder, telling them directions across the large town. The tallest was barely paying attention to what was going on around them, only listening to the young one behind them. In some minutes, they arrived to a suburbian flat complex, which walls were graffed all over and windows broken by stone throws, only covered by some tape.

"Are you sure it's there?", the elder asked.

"-I have been there several times. It is.", the short one replied. "The Inspiration is there."

"-Why waiting? Let's go and take it."

"-Not so fast. We need it to mature, first of all. And I put the best one I could on the case."

"-You mean Egbert? He's barely a newreborn!"

"-Don't mistrust my judgements. I have been doing the matchmaker for centuries, so if I know anything about that, be sure I'm never wrong."

The shortest rubbed their hands together.

"It's only a matter of time now...the Inspiration will be ready very soon."

"-I hope so."

Without a noise and anyone to see it, they disappeared in a shadow corner.