by Aya DeAniege
What makes her so noticeable?
The rich knowing her was strange to me. Sera was a stripper from a run down joint on the edge of the city, a place that we had chosen at random, near as I could tell. It didn’t hold the feeling of being classy enough to draw int the rich of the city.
Sera, in turn, recognized them and was careful with their secrets. I knew that she recognized them because I had centuries of practice reading humans. To the common eye, it merely looked like the guests were surprised by her presence.
Those people of the city, the guests at my brother’s wedding, had slept with the woman on my arm and were envious of my position with her.
If only modern English still had a term for what we were to one another.
I glanced up and caught Raphael’s eyes on me. He turned away quickly, reaching out an arm and rushing off as if he had just found his date—
Yes, there she was, stripping off her dress as she stood on the bar. It was an awkward striptease from a woman who was apparently too drunk to realize that she was making bad decisions in her life.
Right on schedule too, the actress drew the eyes of nearly everyone in the hall as she giggled and batted at Ralph’s reaching hands.
She didn’t know there was a schedule, but we knew, and Ralph knew her well enough to know how she would react to a certain number of drinks and the events of the night. We knew when she would be going off, and about how she would be going off. We knew what to expect and how best to handle her.
I didn’t understand why Ralph wanted her there, and why he wanted to save her so much. Humans would do as humans would do, they had to go through their problems and find their solutions on their own. Despite not understanding why Ralph made the decisions he made, the rest of us respected him for it. We would support him, and we would help him in any way we could.
To others, we called one another brother, but Father had always been very clear that we were not to view every other angel as a sibling. These were not others related to us, but instead those that were like us. We were no more related than one random human was related to another.
The arc angels had always been close. We had been knit together at the beginning of time, created of the elements of the universe, cut from the cloth of chaos.
There hadn’t quite been enough for four, however.
When Father had come to Raphael, He had been forced to look beyond the chaos. Instead, He had filled Raphael’s chaos with emotion. Just as chaotic, but not the same sort. And then went in what made Raphael different from each of us.
The Heavenly Host had always been drawn to Raphael. Afraid of the rest of us, cowering in fear, but when he walked through the fields, it was like Father had chosen to bless the Host with His presence. They flocked to him, and he paid them heed as if they were the only creature in the entire universe.
“Mike?” Sera asked as if she had said my several times.
I pulled from my thought and turned towards her as her eyebrows raised. She glanced away from me, then focused on me as her eyebrows drew down.
“Are you concerned with something?” she asked.
“That’s an odd thing to say,” I said in response. “What do you mean to ask?”
“You were staring after Raphael as if you were caught in thought,” she said.
I hesitated a moment as I struggled to align what I heard with Sera. She had just used his full name, which meant that Ralph had told her what his name was, and some sob story, no doubt, that made her use his full name instead of the nickname that he had gone by for nearly fifty years.
When I finally caught up, fully comprehending that fact, I realized that there was that odd edge to her voice, like she was waiting for my answer with bated breath. She bit her bottom lip and looked away.
“What are you concerned with?” I asked.
“Nothing,” she said.
“You have a thought in there, I can see it,” I said. “I’ve been around enough women to know that look. That is the flicker of a dirty thought, a fantasy unsated.”
I knew what she wanted. Me and Ralph. She probably saw some of his pornography and fancied herself able to be the sole witness to a very private show. It would probably make her year, if not her life, to see me pin Raphael down and have my way with him.
But it couldn’t happen, and I couldn’t understand what she saw in that little fantasy bubble of hers.
“I may have my fantasies,” Sera said with a little shake of her head, “but I would never thrust them upon another and force the other into that fantasy.”
“Did you talk to him about it?” I asked with a thumb jabbed towards Ralph.
Who had his date over his shoulder as she smacked at him and he attempted to pull her off the bar. Near as I could tell, he was still doing everything according to plan. In a few minutes, he’d ‘accidentally’ lose his grip, and Gabe would get involved. If Grace was out of the room, Sam would even get involved. It would make a fantastic story the next day for the papers.
The agreement was for this to look like the woman’s rock bottom. She’d get the attention she wanted, then we’d send her off to rehab to kick the bad habit a demon etched into her soul.
“I did,” she said. “Raphael, however, expresses the same desire. It does appear many guests are beginning to make their way out. Even the bride has retired, what is that poor groom doing? Oh no.”
I kept my back to Sam, rather than witness my brother’s so-called embarrassment. Sera’s eyes went wide, a hand raised to cover her mouth, and after a moment, she turned away, looking thoroughly startled.
“Perhaps I should see about arranging a ride home for you,” I said.
“Aren’t you going to help them?”
“No, that’s all a part of the plan,” I said without turning around. “I am not to be a part of it because I not only do not appreciate it, I might manhandle her. We aren’t allowed to leave bruises. Or hurt her, even if she’s stupid and doing something which clearly deserves being bent over a knee and spanked until she’s screaming for mercy.”
“Why would you do that?”
“If you’re going to act like a child, I will treat you like one.”
“You’re for beating a child?” Sera asked.
I considered it, then shook my head. “No, I would only beat an adult who was acting like a child.”
“You’re very strange, Mike,” Sera said.
I gave a shrug in response, then motioned to the door. Sera looked around me once more, then turned stiffly and headed for the door as I followed after her. I didn’t look back, though I was tempted. We left the room and went straight to the front doors.
Guests were filing out, waiting for their cars to arrive.
“Thank you, for tonight,” Sera said as I walked her away from the door and prying eyes.
Just because I was paying for her services, didn’t mean that I wanted everyone else knowing that. If Sera wanted them to know, she could tell them on her time.
We walked a little down the drive, stopping just out of sight of the entrance. It was a wonderfully clear night, not too cold and not too warm. Overhead the stars were up there, somewhere. Here and there I saw one or two of them, but the lights of the city that was nearby drowned out most of the sky in orange light. A haze that hung just at the edge of the world and never seemed to vanish.
I missed the sounds of the world. The animals in the trees, the wind among the leaves of the forests. The Heavenly Host dancing with the stars. I missed all of that. Nights like that reminded me of those missing qualities, it made me long for home. But home was too far away, and all that was left, was the estate behind me, and the woman on my arm.
I glanced around us to be certain that there were no witnesses, then I reached into my suit jacket and pulled out the remainder of what I owed her. In a neat little envelope, but if anyone had seen me handing it over, they would have known what it was for.
Sera took the money and slipped it into her little purse, which was only really large en
ough for the envelope of cash.
“Can I call you a car?” I asked. “I would pay for the taxi, of course.”
“No, but thank you, Mike. I had a fun evening, but I always find my way home from clients.”
“That’s fair enough,” I said. “Wouldn’t want some creep following you home.”
“Exactly.”
We stood like that for a long time. She was probably waiting for me to take my leave, and I found myself trying to ask a question, but nothing would come out.
I was nervous.
That was my problem, I was nervous and uncertain what she would say to my question, so I was having a hard time talking myself into asking what I desperately wanted.
Sera glanced at me. Her eyebrows rose slightly as her lips pressed into a thin line. I knew that look. She wanted me to spit it out.
Knowing that I was that transparent, I sighed and looked away.
“I wondered if you might consider seeing me outside of a paid night,” I said.
“Because you don’t have sex with those you pay?” Sera asked.
“I wasn’t thinking of sex,” I said.
“I was,” Sera said.
I let out a little sound, startled and pleasantly surprised. The pleasure was at her wanting the same thing as me, despite my saying otherwise. The surprise was realizing that I did want that. I wanted to bed the woman, and I didn’t know why.
Demon.
Demonic possession was my first and most immediate concern. Just because Ralph might have seen to her, didn’t mean that the demons were gone for good. Grace had been lightly possessed over and over, despite careful tending.
I didn’t want to see Sera be dragged into Hell, so I would do whatever I could to free her. If I could have had her then and there, just to be certain, I would have done it. Right on the driveway, I’d do it like I had on more than one occasion in the past.
Sera didn’t seem to be that type of woman, however. I wouldn’t push her unless she fell into my lap, so to speak.
“I was thinking of a picnic, here in the gardens,” I said.
“And see where it goes?” Sera asked.
I gave a little shrug. “Sure.”
“Is Mike short for Michael?” she asked.
That was a strange thing to ask me. I frowned at her, then relented and decided to play along.
“Yes, it is,” I said.
“Sort of like how Ralph is short for Raphael,” she murmured. “I’d like to strip you raw and have my way with you. Just to climb right up on you.”
We stared at one another. Sera frowned then, almost imitating my look. She looked me up and down as if surprised that I was not immediately responding with eager delight.
“Michael… have you had sex before?”
“Of course, I have,” I said with a frown.
“Okay, because for a second there, you were coming off as a nervous virgin.”
Startled, I stared at Sera for a second, then gave myself a shake. I rubbed the palm of my right hand against my pant leg as I watched her, wondering what it was that made it seem like I had never been with another being before. I had shared that most intimate connection with Samael in Heaven and had joined my body with more than one man and woman in the physical realm.
I was nothing close to virgin.
“No, of course not,” I said.
Her head made a little motion like she was making a sound at the back of her throat but hadn’t made the actual sound.
“I have your number. I’ll call you tomorrow about the picnic, all right?”
“Absolutely. Are you certain that you will be fine waiting alone for your ride?”
“On the side of a rich man’s driveway? Yeah, I’ll think I’ll be fine. But thank you for your concern.”
I saw my date into a room to sober up, where she was locked in. There was food and bottled water in the room. She would be perfectly safe in there. The lock was partly to keep her in, but mainly to keep others out. From her room, I headed immediately out, knowing where I wanted to go.
I found Toby, we had a discussion and went through the rules quickly. Offering sex to a Heavenly Host didn’t take much convincing. Toby could have, technically, found his own sex, but like most Heavenly Host he was afraid of coupling with humans. We knew for certain angel and human didn’t make anything, but the rest was a grey area.
And we didn’t know what kind of Host that Toby was.
From meeting up with him, I headed to a specific and secretive area, and grabbed a joint, then headed outside.
Yes, I fucking said a fucking joint, so sue me. Or don’t, whatever, it was no more damaging than tobacco and would take off the nasty edge.
I wanted to be ridden, and the only available body that would keep their mouth shut was Toby. So I had to settle for Toby. Toby. The guy with the strange something that made me want to throat punch him every time I saw him. It wouldn’t even be good sex, it’d be a step above masturbation, but barely so.
Hence the joint. A nice, subtle something that was meant to bring my energy level down, mellow me out.
I must admit, I toyed with the idea of running into Sera, and of the two of us sharing an intimate night together, sans Toby. Perhaps even with a toy or two. It could be fun, but also messy. The idea only entertained me for a moment, maybe two at most. Then I resigned myself to settling for Toby.
I’d enjoy my smoke then head back in to Toby. He was waiting in one of the guest rooms for me, off on the side of the estate that had a patio door that would give him access to the garden during the night, if he felt the urge to leave.
Most forgot that the Heavenly Host had no gender. Male and female, man and woman, it all didn’t matter to us. What mattered was mutual pleasure and consent. The age of consent had varied throughout the ages, but we had stuck to a mid to late twenties for the age of our bed partners. Even an eighteen-year-old was still a child in the eyes of Heaven.
Most humans were still children in the eyes of Heaven, though. No matter their ages, they were all like unto children, meant to be protected just as one might protect an innocent babe. Most in Heaven supported that idea, wanting to cherish what Father had created. Most, but not all.
Which meant that Grace was… young… for us. Most of our ‘partners’ in the modern age had been young. Demons had realized that we had a distaste of bedding younger humans. The young adults had a great deal more freedom than they once did, able to come and go as they pleased, even own businesses and be independent of their families.
Humans said all sorts about Heaven and Hell and Father. Most of it was wrong, and I get where they are coming from. Having never been there, they are trying to put terms to a place and thing they’ve never seen. They’re bound to get it wrong.
But at the end of the day, it didn’t matter what a man who had been nailed to a cross was miss-quoted as saying.
And to be clear?
He did say that Samael should burn in fucking Hell for his sins, which amused me to no end. The pair never got along, and things only grew worse when Samael suggested running instead of staying and being taken to what would surely be the end.
I lit the smoke and inhaled as I approached the drive. It was the part of the drive that cars drove up. Our drive was one way. It went up to the house and then away to the road. I watched a car drive past me, headed toward the house for a pickup.
If they looked at me, they would see me with a cigarette of some kind, that was all. They might recognize me, but they would continue on their way if they knew what was good for them.
As I looked up the drive, smoke almost to my lips, I spotted Mike walking away from Sera, just leaving her there on the side of the road. Not even up by the path where it was well lit, and a taxi might be able to find her easier. She was practically between two bushes. The only way she could be harder for her ride to spot was if she were standing inside one of those bushes instead of between them.
How gentlemanly of him.
I took in a drag and glanced d
own the driveway, looking for the car that must have been there to pick her up. A car came up the drive, but it passed Sera.
Who watched the car go by, then looked down the drive and spotted me immediately. She smiled and waved, but it wasn’t an inviting sort of motion, more of just an acknowledgement of having seen me. I gave a little nod, considered my smoke, then headed down the drive to her.
I could have left her there by herself, but that hardly seemed right of me. She might have a long wait ahead of her, and I didn’t want to just leave her there where a drunk might stumble on her and sour her experience of the night.
She looked up and down the drive, then glanced at my smoke. She gave a little sniff, then made a face. I made sure not to blow the smoke into her face, but humans could quickly detect the difference between tobacco and marijuana.
“What are you, fourteen?” she asked.
“Billion or so,” I said with a shrug. “Whatever, my dad’s cool with it.”
She laughed. I smiled and raised the smoke almost to my lips before I thought better of it and held it in her direction, but not so close that the smoke might be right in her face.
“You want some?”
“No, thank you, I don’t use drugs.”
“You drink coffee?”
“No, it’s a drug,” Sera countered.
I took a drag but made certain to blow it in the other direction again. I considered the drive as I gave a little nod. I knew I was distracted for a moment as a pleasant little fog settled over my mind. Suddenly I was no longer worried about the future, my past, or the assholes who had kept grabbing me because they recognized me from my films.
It was time for a new skin. I had known that before my stint in the movies and my choice to do them had been based partially on the fact that I would be granted new skin afterward. The others were so wrapped up in their current skins, and their lives in the city, that they hadn’t wanted me to part with mine for fear of the questions it would bring up.
Now, there were too many comments and knowing looks. I would be able to change my flesh. We just had to arrange it all, and figure out how to explain it given our popularity in the city.
