The Angel

        I jump along the same paving stones that have always led to my favourite place around the palace; we have trekked this path so many times the rocks have lost their original hue. The massive trees form an archway over our heads, creating a magical tunnel only we knew about. Dad trails closely behind me with Charlie asleep on his left shoulder; he is always right behind me in case I slip. I have never fallen on this path before because he catches me every single time I have a misstep. He usually scolds me lightly for being careless, but his grip on discipline quickly dissolves after a few seconds. He summons little fairy-like lamps that follow the three of us through the dark tunnel. Sometimes, they land on my nose to taunt me for a brief second, but then they fly off to complete their duty of lighting up the way.
"Slow down just a tiny bit, my little Vesper; I don't want to wake up your baby sister," he says to me as I giggle and nod in agreement. I love it when he calls me Vesper; one time, my Dad said my eyes were as brilliant as the evening stars, and that's when he started to call me his little Vesper. I hop the last few steps as we arrive at the pond. A completely isolated body of water that we visit every week, numerous shrubs and trees create a tight pocket around the pond and permit the water's true magnificence to shine, especially so late at night. The fairy creatures dance across the water's surface with grace and memorizing beauty before they fly away back to their homes among the scenery. I sit just before the water's edge as Dad sits down beside me and whispers in my ear.
"Are you ready for tonight's show?" I nod exuberantly as the bright gold light illuminates the lake. Adorable little ducklings fill the water's surface as they splash around with their sisters and brother while their mother watches over them lovenly.
"Why do you like ducks so much, Dad?" I ponder as I watch the reflection dance off my father's orbs with a delighted smile plastered across his face.
"Ducks are very special, Vera. They are extra cool if you really think about them. First off, they can swim freely in whatever pond they please; they can float their days away without a care in the world. They can also fly the endless skies with nothing binding them to the Earth below, they can feel the clouds and see the world from so far above the humans look like ants. They can also walk the land and visit whomever they please. Ducks will never be tied down by anyone; they are completely free," he happily explains to me as I take a moment to think about ducks.
"But won't they get lost if they have all this freedom? How will they get back to their mom?" I ask, looking back at the pond of playful ducklings.
"The ducks are never lost; they will always guide each other back home where they belong. Ducklings will never be too far away from their mom or dad because parents always know where to find you when you need help, and you are feeling lost along the way," he places his free hand on my head and messes up my hair a little.
"That's not true at all! There's no way you will know where I am all the time! What if I really do get lost and you can't find me anywhere?!" I ask him as he takes a moment to think about what to say next.
"How about this: if you are ever lost and I can't find you anymore, I will light a thousand duck lanterns to float across the skies of Hell, and they will guide you back home. You and Charlie, but Vera, if I'm ever not here for you girls, I need you to light the lanterns so Charlie can find you. When the two of you are together, there is nothing you can't accomplish. That's why it's extremely important for you to look out for your little sister; she's the only one you got in all of Hell," he brushes a little piece of hair off of Charlie's nose as I nod my head enthusiastically.
"I promise, Dad. The lanterns will bring us all home if we are ever lost and alone."

I jolt awake from my sleep as the vivid memory dances in the back of my mind. Of course, this is happening today of all days; I groan into my pillow and try to get back to my restless sleep.

I wake up later that morning, the hospital running at its enduring pace; the hospital is usually bustling with unique injuries and lots of sex-related issues. So many sex-related injuries, like seriously, these people need to stop shoving things where they should never be. Soran always has been a terrific hospital administrator and I don't have to concern myself with trivial matters anymore, just keeping a close eye on the more troublesome doctors. Cough, fucking Toppan.
The Vees have bothered me a lot less than I thought they would. I was positive that Vox was going to come knocking at my door every opportunity he saw fit; that man is a constant bother in everyone's life. On another note, I must be losing some of my grip over my morph ability because I keep waking up as Vera and not Vesper. I have been fortunate that no one has come around while I was sleeping. I've had Frazzle guarding my door at night to ensure that no one will come in under any circumstance until I figure out why I keep changing in my sleep. I wish I knew someone I could talk to about this; my abilities are rare, and no one even knows I have them. It's not like I can call up my Dad and ask him if he has had trouble keeping his identity.
It's right about the time when Carmilla pulls everyone together for a meeting to discuss how many sinners were lost to the extermination, which means I have a mountain of paperwork to prepare for this report. I have to figure out how many sinners were lost to the Angels and how many the hospital actually managed to bring back or heal. Alastor would usually help me with this steep endeavour, but he's decided to fuck off to who knows where. I groan to an invisible audience as I slam my head down on my desk hard. Is this depression? Why do I feel so unmotivated to do anything anymore? I turn my head to the side and glance out of the window as a myriad of fires and explosions fill the stagnant air of Hell. Why did this all have to happen now? Especially since this week is when I get rather.... emotional. It had to be this week of all weeks, just my shitty fortune. Today is the anniversary of when I departed the palace and cut off all contact with my Dad and, indirectly, Charlie and my mom. Probably the gloomiest day in Hell.

I was getting so lost in my thoughts that I didn't even react when the Angel from the other day jumped through my open window and landed in front of me.
"Thanks for making an appointment; I suppose I'll just go tell Soran to go fuck himself while we are at this," I lift my head off of the desk slowly and lean it against an open palm as I stifle a yawn. I haven't been sleeping worth a damn either.
"I'm sorry; I know it's hard to get past security here. Especially to get to the top floor. We need to talk about what happened a few weeks ago," she crosses her arms defiantly across her chest.
"Talk about what? There is nothing I could do with the information I have obtained about you. I mean, sure, some people would love to know there was an angel down here, but personally, I don't care cause you weren't even the first one to fall," Meko jumps up on my desk and stares at the paperwork in disgust, basically expressing what I have been feeling already.
"I am not a fallen angel. And my name is Vaggie. I want to make sure that you won't tell Charlie. I can't- she can't know, okay?" Vaggie's tone softens, and her eyes soften, as well as she grits her teeth and bores her eyes into the carpet. I could tell that she was getting quite worked up about this.
"I have heard that the youngest Princess is quite the forgiving type. She would be the child of sparkles and rainbows barfed out by a unicorn. Why are you so hesitant to tell her? If anything, she would adopt you and rename you, Miss. Snuggle bugs," I pause for a brief moment and gather my thoughts. I shoot up out of my chair in realization, and Meko goes flying away in fear, making her protest of my sudden movement known.
"You're not just some common angel. You're one of the exorcists; you were on Adam's kill squad. Oh, how ironic, you were the one responsible for hundreds of sinners' deaths, hundreds of Charlie's people." Up until this moment, I didn't really care about this Angel in Hell; I didn't even stop to think about how she ended up here. There's only one thing that makes sense: she did something Adam did not approve of, and I think they left her for dead and didn't expect her actually to live through her injuries. This keeps getting more and more interesting; you have found yourself an interesting new friend, Charlie.
"Yes, but I have really come to like Charlie, like a lot," the Angel before me blushes beat red. "And that is why she can never know that I was an exorcist. I-I know she will reject me. Why wouldn't she? She is so passionate about her people and truly believes sinners can be good people. If she ever found out I was the one slaughtering them, I don't think that she would ever look at me the same, with the same empathy and compassion. Her gaze would turn to hatred and disgust," she trails off, depressed at the thought of my little sister despising her. My more cynical side questioned if she really was here by herself or if she was planted, perhaps. It can't be a coincidence that one of Adam's ladies met Charlie on extermination day, injured and needing assistance from the Princess with a heart of cotton candy. However, she is missing an eye, and an injury like that was the intention. I don't care how far Adam would go to sell an act; there was no hesitation in her injuries. Coldblooded without a hint of mercy.
"Let's make a deal, Vaggie, was it?" A creative smile crawls its way onto my face as a plan commences to assemble in my head, the air cooling down extensively as the plan shapes in my head.
"I'm not too keen on forming deals with overlords," she gets her spear off her back and holds it out in front of her, ready to slice my head off if she needs to. Her left foot steps back as well, spreading out her body weight more evenly.
"I'm afraid you don't have much to gamble at this point. You have been disowned by Heaven; you are alone here, Vaggie. As of right now, the young Princess is the only one looking out for your well-being, and she hasn't the slightest clue that you are standing here in front of me now. I promise this deal is pretty fair in terms of contracts," I sit back down in my chair and interlace my fingers atop my African blackwood desk. A Chesire grin hardly contained my excitement; it seems time has slowed down around us.
"Here's my deal: I will not speak a word of this to Princess Charlie if you meet my following conditions. Firstly, you are never allowed to bring any harm to Her Highness, and you will do everything in your power to protect her, even if it means risking your own existence. Secondly, if she ever becomes hurt by external sources, you will bring her to me immediately for treatment. And the last condition, in order to ensure you are maintaining her safety, I want monthly updates about her well-being and activities. This transaction will not require the selling of your soul," I force my face to maintain a neutral expression as I feel my heart beat faster and faster in my chest as I plead in my own head that she will accept these conditions and sign my contract.
"Are you some kind of weird, creepy stalker?" Veggie looks at me questionably as my jaw drops wide open; my brain glitches out as I fail to think of any words I can say. "Why do you care so much about Charlie? Didn't you meet her for the first time the other day?" She places her spear away and sits down quietly in front of my desk, crossing her arms. Great, now I have to think of a bigger lie to get myself out of this one, and it has to make some logical sense.
"Her father asked me to look after the Young Princess's wellbeing if our paths were ever to cross. He came to the hospital one day because of a rather unusual injury and was very generous with some herbs I was hoping to procure," I make up some bullshit on the spot, but it works cause the tension in the Angel disappears. "It's all simply business, and I owe the king himself a favour, and everyone knows you never refuse a request from The Lucifer Morningstar. It would be suicide." I'm not lying completely; Dad did make me promise to always look out for Charlie.
"You have a deal; I accept your terms," Vaggie uncrosses her arms as I snap my fingers and produce a contract for her to sign. She takes the quill from my hand and scribbles her name on the line, sealing our contract by the laws of Hell. I snap once again, and the contact disappears to join the other thousands of contacts I have entered.
"I look forward to hearing from you very soon, Vaggie. When you need to make your reports, feel free to talk to Soran, as I will not always be here when you decide to drop in at random. If there ever is a dire emergency, here is my cell number; I will be wherever is needed as soon as I can manage." She nods her head and jumps back out the window; I make a smarter decision to close it this time. I don't want more random ass people in my office. I sit back down in my chair.
"Am I even doing the right thing, Dad? If she finds out what I'm doing behind her back, will she ever forgive me for this deception?" I head to the roof of the hospital as the lanterns start to float across Hell's night sky. I pull my knees to my chest and sit there, watching the lanterns illuminate the late sky like tiny stars, creating a path home.

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