I've never seen an angel before. But anytime I imagined one, I had never pictured one with tattoos and blue hair.

It didn't change the fact that there she was, looking at me with piercing eyes. My blood ran cold. 

"As your guardian angel, I advise that you not do anything stupid." She shifted her weight. A stray beam of light bounced off a small ring shape on her head.

"Wow, are all angels as hospitable as you," I countered.  She continued staring at me, a figure of unwavering ferocity.

"At least I don't wear a suit and tie like the rest of them," The angel defended. She pulled her hair out of her face with the hair tie on her wrist.

"Oh, yeah because this look is so much nicer," I responded. I glanced out to the street just beyond the entrance to the ally. We were blocked from view by a dumpster that hadn't been touched in decades. A circular patch where sun managed to reach it seemed to be growing its own ecosystem.

"More inconspicuous than their flashy outfits." She drew my attention back to her.

"Blue hair isn't exactly inconspicuous," I retorted. She snatched the collar of my shirt and slammed me against the wall. My head spun. I gripped her wrist as a desperate attempt at stability. My shoes dangled just above the ground. 

"Just because I'm supposed to save your pathetic life doesn't mean I have to like it. To put in in human terms 'We can do this the easy way or the hard way.'" She released her fingers. I dropped onto my shoes, gasping for air. I touched the back of my head. It felt warm and sticky.   

I looked through my bangs at her. She glared back, still standing tall. The light cut diagonally across her body. Her halo and wings defined by an absence of light rather than a presence of anything. 

It was three weeks after when I saw her again. She stumbled in my door, victory and blood coated her face.

"Holy shit." I leaped off the couch. She smeared blood onto my door as she fell into the chair. I grabbed her arm.

"I won,  April, I did it," She smiled, still gasping for air. I shook my head, looking at the blood all over her arms, turning her tattoos a sickly purple.

"Who?" I asked. Her smile faltered. Her hand reached up to cover her upper arm. I stared into her eyes. She furrowed her brows.

"The bad people. I stopped them," She whispered. It struck me how much of a child she sounded like.

"Sarah? Who are the bad people?" I asked. She opened her mouth, then closed it again.

"Sarah?" I repeated, louder than I intended to. She looked out the window.

"I don't know. They didn't tell me," Sarah responded quietly. I couched down. Her face looked even worse from below. I could see the blood in the cracks of her lips and edges of her eyes. It splotched her cheeks like paint. I tried not to think if it was hers or not.

"They?" I whispered.

"The angels in command," She replied, less grave than before. I nodded grimly and gripped her hand. The dried blood flaked onto my skin.

I looked out my car window to the field next to me. Overtaken with grass and wildflowers. I smiled as the wind blew over my face. 'American Girl' hummed through the radio. I drummed my fingers on the wheel.

The song flickered off.

"Damn," I muttered and tapped the screen. The headlights dimmed on, hardly making a difference in the midday sun.

"What the-" The car sputtered and wheezed. Panic spiked through my body.

"Not you too," I shouted. The car switched off. I pulled out the keys, cursing under my breathe as I kicked open the car door and pulled out my phone. Dead. Of course. I cursed and shoved it into my pocket. I swung around to the car hood, just starting to pop it open.

A flash caught my eye. I looked up. Just above the field was something. Something falling from the sky. It didn't look like a meteor though. I was tall and... flailing. I slammed the hood shut and ran into the field. 

As the object came closer I began to take shape. An impossible shape. It looked like a person. I walked closer to it. I was starting to see some color. Fair skin, some markings on the arm, and blue hair.

"Holy shit!" I shouted, sprinting to the landing area.

I woke up in the grass. I don't know what grass it was, but it was grass. Everything hurt. I couldn't have imagined what everything hurting felt like until now. It was like someone was stabbing me over and over. My shoulders hurt the most. 

I pushed myself up, onto my knees and tried to stand, ignoring the pain that shot through my body with every move.

I pitched forward. Tears stung my eyes. I could feel the dirt on my face and in my mouth. I hated it.

A whole part of me was missing. My wings. My divinity. My God. Gone. It was an emptiness that could never be filled. How could humans stand it?

I felt hands on my arms. I would've fought, but whoever it was could stand, unlike me. They pulled me, grabbing my waist halfway. A bolt of pain exploded through my arm. I winced as they pilled me to my feet, thankfully not letting go.

"Sarah? What happened?" April grabbed my wrist. I looked up at the sky for a sign. An angel. A shift in the clouds. Nothing. I looked back at April. Her eyes clouded with worry.

"I fell."