I was going nowhere fast. Literally.

  When I imagined training with Ellie, I thought she was actually going to teach me how to fight with my staff. But I didn't expect her training to be just stretching and running while she and Raziel engaged in real combat practice.

  During a much-needed break, I laid back under a tree for shade, catching my breath from a long run. My newly blistered hand trailed over the colorful wildflowers, finding the once colorful world around me now seemed so dull.

  My skin prickled with the familiar feeling of magic, a presence that exuded like Raziel’s and assumed Ellie and he came to check on me.

  I lifted onto my elbows and gazed around until my eyes fell upon a stunning young woman emerging from the lake. She moved with a grace, as if the water itself was a part of her as she emerged onto the grass.

  Her long, dark hair highlighted with auburn sun-kissed streaks, which perfectly matched her copper skin. She had an athletic figure, apparent in her simple tank top and underwear. And then, as if she sensed my gaze, she winked at me. Her liquid blue eyes twinkled towards me before she slipped into the arms of a man holding a towel for her. Standing tall with his dark hair and eyes, with deep, umber wings that the light turned tawny. Despite the bright morning’s cast, the orange hues around them captivated me.

  The call of my name snapped me from my mental bliss thinking about blending the smoothest colored pencils to create the lake with that orange exuding from them.

  My gaze snapped up to see Zeekiel hanging upside down from a high branch. He dropped his bag next to me before lifting himself and jumping down.

  “You know staring is rude?” he said, sitting down next to me, blocking my view of the lake.

  My cheeks heated. “She was just over there. I was only looking at the water.”

  “Where do you go when you just daze off?” he laughed.

  “Everywhere,” I said, answering his rhetorical question. “At least the people in my head can follow the script.”

  He clicked his tongue. “So, how are things going with Ellie?”

  I frowned, looking back over the field where Ellie and Raziel were still fighting. While they talked, she was taking quick jabs at him. They fought like lightning; her chakrams coming down in audible swings before her clash into Raziel’s guarded arms, erupting with light with each hit.

  I muttered, “Could be better if I got even just half of the attention Raziel gets.”

  I was ready to have someone to complain with, but the dark-winged demon surprised me with his reply. “Yeah, well, it’s a good thing.”

  “For who?” I asked sarcastically.

  “Her,” he said, nodding his chin up in their direction. “It means she’s curious.”

  “About what?” He blinked at me as if assessing my stupidity. “What?” I announced it again.

  “Alright, ducks need to land back in the pond, because I’m only going to tell you what to do one more time,” he said.

  “What?” I pleaded, even more confused.

  “Pay attention,” he clarified. “Be her friend.”

  I slanted my eyes over sideways at him. “I think I’ve been doing fine. We sleep in the same bed.”

  He stifled a distinct laugh in his throat. “That’s cute, but do you ever ask her what she talks about with Raziel?”

  “I assume you know,” I said.

  “I do,” was all he replied.

  “Are…you going to tell me?”

  “And what would you do with that information?” he asked.

  “Uh, I don’t know,” I said.

  “Then what would you do for that information?”

  “Probably nothing, because I don’t even know if your information will help.”

  “So,” he said with a smirk. “You admit you need help.”

  “You’re exhausting,” I deflected.

  “Well, then, what would you do for my help?”

  “Depends,” I answered. “What are you offering?”

  “We meld again and I’ll have Ellie opening up to you by tonight,” he offered. “I think it’s a good deal.”

  The thrill of merging with him again was tantalizing, but it almost felt inappropriate if we weren’t in battle.

  “A deal?” I teased. “I’m not religious or anything, but even the Marvel Universe has taught me you don’t make deals with demons.”

  He laughed. “We’re going to take a trip into the town outside of the Sanctuary and I can’t be seen,” he explained.

  “For what?”

  “Confidential until I get a yes.”

  I slanted my lips over to the side. “And if your little plan doesn’t work?”

  “It will,” he guaranteed.

  “Fine,” I breathed. “But only because I’m a little curious about what you think you’re going to do.”

  “Don’t worry, you got me counting your feathers,” he said, and I assumed he meant he had my back. “By the way, they talk about what it’s like back on his World,” he continued as he pulled off his tank top. “She gets excited hearing about how angels live.”

  “So you think she really does want to repair her wings?”

  “You’ll know later,” he answered, tossing me his shirt. I opened his bag to put it away, but he stopped me, saying, “No, put it on.”

  My eyes went wide. “What? Why? Here?”

  “I want to try something,” he replied. “And it doesn’t have to be right here, but it didn't seem like you were shy about seeing people in their undergarments.”

  “It really wasn’t like that,” I said, standing up and stepping into his shirt to pull up under the t-shirt I was already wearing.

  “Just getting lost in her emerald green eyes,” he continued to joke while he reached into his bag, pulling out a black button up to put on. Long-sleeved with a thickness out of place for the weather.

  “They’re blue, stupid,” I said before a sly grin spread over his face. He baited me.

  “Grab the bag and let’s go,” he said.

  I did as he said and followed him curiously over to Raziel and Ellie. He slapped me on the back and said to Ellie, “I’m taking this for a little while.”

  She looked suspiciously at us and asked, “For what?”

  “I’m going into town and it doesn’t seem like you’re doing much with her here,” he replied. “How about you?” the demon said, refocusing over to Raziel.

  The four-winged angel looked confused. “What about me?”

  “Want to come?” Zeekiel asked. “I need your help, too.”

  Raziel paused before looking towards me, possibly for me to clarify the situation, but I was just as in the dark as he was about the demon’s intentions.

  “Okay, yeah, I’m curious about what the town’s like,” the prince finally said.

  Ellie announced, “I can help, too.”

  “Nah, stay here. I don’t need you,” Zeekiel said.

  “Seriously?” she remarked, her tone heated.

  “Yeah, I have some private business with Raziel,” he said.

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  “Then why’s Ari going?”

  “Don’t worry about it,” he countered.

  “Whatever,” she said, clearly annoyed, and stormed off.

  Raziel was about to go after her again, but Zeekiel held him back by his wing. “That was harsh, don’t you think?” the angel said.

  “She’ll be fine,” he said. “She didn’t really want to come, anyway.”

  Raziel looked at the demon skeptically. “She was clearly upset”

  “You saw it,” Zeekiel defended as he motioned us to follow. “She didn’t want to come until after I asked you.”

  The prince reluctantly trailed along with us. “What did you want to talk about?” he asked.

  “Talk?” the demon started. “I definitely don’t want to talk to you.”

  “You lied, then. I think you just don’t like me around Ellie.”

  “I don’t want you around here at all,” Zeekiel replied. “But I didn’t lie. All I said was it’s a private matter.”

  I asked, “Um, are people not supposed to know?”

  The demon looked over at me. “Who’d you tell?”

  “Ellie,” I admitted. “I didn’t think it was a secret.”

  “I guess it’s not, but the flock’s gonna think we’re strange.”

  “Is it not common to do it?” I asked.

  Raziel interrupted, “What are you two talking about?” He turned to me, concerned. “Are you okay?”

  Zeekiel answered for me, “Yeah, yeah, everything’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”

  The prince and I didn’t question him any further, following him quietly as we went to Meddy and Gibel’s house. Around back, he found the tall, gray-winged Guardsmith working with others in the fields. The demon asked for a wheelbarrow and Gibel didn’t question why, just escorting him to the shed, telling him to take whatever he needed.

  Zeekiel told Raziel to take the barrow, and we were off. The demon walked ahead of us for most of the trip, with Raziel and me lagging behind. I moved slowly, holding the bag and propping my staff on my shoulder after spending most of the morning already running around.

  And though our path looked well traveled, the unsuitable terrain still caused Raziel to hunch over, struggling to push the cart. I didn’t ask if he needed help, I just threw my stuff in and took it over for him.

  Zeekiel seemed displeased, remarking, “Don’t do his job.”

  “Come on, we’re not making it anywhere like this,” I said.

  The demon sighed and took the wheelbarrow himself with my things inside until we reached the edge of civilization. We could hear the town before even reaching the well-maintained stone path.

  Zeekiel pulled us both over to the side. There wasn’t much to hide us, but he found a dense path of trees and tall grass. There wasn't enough room for all of us, especially with Raziel's wings.

  “Alright, take your shirt off,” the demon said to me as he unbuttoned his. “Your sunglasses too.”

  Immediately, Raziel turned his head, saying, “What are you two doing?”

  “Get rid of whatever dirty thoughts you have on your mind,” Zeekiel mocked. As soon as Raziel turned back around, the demon dropped his shorts.

  The four-winged angel and I looked at each other, attempting not to turn.

  “I feel more comfortable with my sunglasses,” I said, reluctantly holding them in my hand.

  “Really, Zeek,” Raziel pleaded, “can you just tell me what you’re doing?”

  “So here’s the plan,” Zeekiel announced as he snatched my sunglasses and threw them in the bag. “We’re going in and getting some flowers.”

  Our gazes still on each other, I could see Raziel’s eyes closed, defeated as he asked, “Was this all a show to tell us to follow you as the raven?”

  “You’re going to follow me, but like this,” Zeekiel said, pulling me in.

  I cringed, my eyes closed until I felt the cool goo slither over my body. I peeked over to Raziel with one squinted eye. His eyes and mouth widened in surprise as he watched intently. As the shock dissipated from his face, he lifted his arms in an almost defensive position. “Are you two alright?” he asked.

  “Yeah,” I reassured, and as the process was over, I stumbled back feeling the weight in my back.

  Raziel was quick to react, catching me by my shoulder in time before I landed back in a bush. He helped steady me forward, knowing exactly where to position me as his face awed at what displaced me. He bent into me, examining my back as he excitedly exclaimed, “Your wings look so real.” As he pulled back, he took an uncomfortably long time staring at me before he spoke. “And your face. The scaring’s are gone.”

  I lifted my hands tracing over my filled out face and eyebrows. I thought I’d already come to terms with how my face was going to look, but there was a relief going out into public without handprints burned into skin.

  “Can he hear us?” The prince asked.

  Suddenly, my arm reached up and slapped him across the face.

  “Zeekiel!” I scolded, as Raziel rubbed his cheek.

  “I assume that’s a yes,” the angel said.

  “I’m so sorry!” I said earnestly.

  “Is he in control?” Raziel asked, with a concern that made me nervous.

  “Um, kind of?” I replied, lifting my own arms.

  “Interesting,” the angel remarked. “Can you move them? Your…the wings, I mean.”

  At first nothing happened, as my assumption was Zeekiel would control it. “Um, I don’t think so,” I admitted.

  “I suppose your muscles wouldn’t be connected,” he said. “Can you move your shoulder blades?”

  I attempted to do as he asked under the weight and suddenly stumbled back again as the wings tilted up and back with the movement of my back. Raziel’s eyes widened as his jaw dropped into a widening smile. “Amazing,” he whispered. “Can you unfurl them?”

  He instructed me further as he twisted up part of his wrappings to show his shoulder while he did it himself. Though it took more shoulder work than he displayed, I finally got the wings to open up and both of us squealed with excitement.

  I lifted both my arms up to line them up and strike a pose when they went up breaking some branches around us.

  “Ow,” the angel remarked on my behalf. “You didn’t feel that?” I shook my head no

  Raziel held out his hand to help me out of our hidden area and though I would have accepted, Zeekiel was quick to slap it away. We stumbled, trying to find the medium of our wills working in tandem back onto the stoned path.

  I hoped Raziel knew I wasn’t the one who refused his help when he laughed, “Not very coordinated.”

  “I think the point was to practice,” I said, feeling the tug between our movements. I was reacting as I normally would, but so was Zeekiel, who was used to how to move with wings.

  I waited while Raziel pulled out the barrow and we walked closer into the town, first walking through what seemed more like a residential area. It seemed modern, but the architecture was more rounded and colorful than I’d seen back home. Pathways widened into more of a street like look where the pattern was all octagons. Though there wasn’t a lot of traffic, we witnessed some vehicles elevated over the road. As they traveled over, some stones turned green.

  Raziel and I obsessed over the smallest details in our different ways. While I marveled over things like designs and use of magic, the prince was more interested in how people were reacting to it.

  Most of the inhabitants seemed as human as I was, but some had tufts of fuzzy white on their faces and long antlers that protruded from the sides of their heads. It was mostly older adults, and I found it interesting, the women who adorned their antlers with large pieces of jewelry, despite the younger generation dressing more like I would.

  My body, being led by Zeekiel as we walked into heavier walking traffic, was probably the only one focused on the task at hand as the angel and I exchanged notes with one another.

  “That’s so many children,” Raziel noted with a strange amazement, passing by a park.. “Wonder what kind of game they’re playing.”

  It didn’t seem similar to anything I would have played at home. My first guess was that they were playing some sort of tag or dodge as they ran from different colored orbs on their strangely shaped field. From my angle, I couldn’t quite make out what it exactly was, but I had no reference to even attempt to imagine.

  He asked me what sports I played when I was younger and admitted I was never the sporty type and reminisced about taking table tennis for my last year of highschool for a physical education credit.

  It reminded him of a game he and Zeekiel used to play when they first met, but with their wings. The way he described it, though, was more like a game of squash.

  Once we got to the flower shop, I let the demon take the lead on all of it. Because the greenhouse attached to the brick building facing the main street lacked organization, we spent time wandering around.

  I didn’t mind, as it gave me time to make mental images of all the blending colors to flora I’ve never seen before. From the corner of my eye, I noticed Raziel sticking his face into pots that had a subtle glow as he shook his face through.

  “They’re bioluminescent when the pollen is interacted with,” he chuckled, musing they were a smaller variant than what he would see back home.

  I would have loved to hear more about it, but Zeekiel had my body hyper focused over which flowers to choose and throw in the barrow.

  At least Raziel had someone to talk to when the shopkeeper came over to ask if we needed help. She was older, with a couple of gemmed pieces decorating her whitening hair and antlers. She was clearly knowledgeable and from the smile on her face had a good time telling the angel all about what her flowers and herbs had to offer, especially for spells which he seemed the most interested in.

  Zeekiel knew how much to take out of the bag before handing it over to the woman who walked with us back to the register. Before taking payment, she noted that one flower tray in our collection would only last until the end of month.

  I appreciated her knowledge, but Zeekiel didn’t allow me to budge to put them back so I replied, “Thank you, but I’d like to enjoy the color for as long as it lasts.” Which was true, being a deep purple that had an unnatural bright blue sheen in the light.

  She accepted her payment, and the demon waved my arm as she tried to give me back the coins.

  As we walked out from the flower shop, I could really smell the flowers against the rest of the outside.

  Raziel with a pot in his hands, delighted, “I’m glad I came. This was fun.”

  My gaze, steered by Zeekiel’s influence, wandered around, glimpsing over the town’s lively streets. Shops lined the road, their windows displaying everything from enchanting trinkets to clothes floating in the windows with invisible mannequins.

  Suddenly, I watched as the shop across the street captured Raziel’s attention. I followed him until we crossed the road, where he observed the window with a childlike wonder. The rainbow display also captivated me, as it was an arranged assortment of candies even more vibrant than the flowers.

  Over the presentation of sweets, I noticed my reflection in the window. With how much I insisted I was an adult, it wasn't until I saw myself with heightened cheekbones and hollowed cheeks that I realized how young I still actually looked. The scars on my skin were gone, but my eyes remained in that same clouded gray stare. It was definitely still my face, but filtered over with an older and more beautiful mask.

  Before I knew it, Zeekiel took over, guiding me into the shop. Raziel waited, confused as I, under the demon’s control, picked up some candies and paid the cashier for the treats. There wasn’t much time to admire the setups, as my body was quick to grab certain things and leave.

  Once we emerged, I grabbed Raziel’s hand; I assumed in the intention of handing him the bag Zeekiel picked out. But a harsh jolt ran up my arm, as if I had just touched something electric. The goo over my body must have felt it too, as there was an immediate drop of the angel’s smooth hand.

  Instead, he held out the bag for the dramatic hand over I knew he was ramping up into.

  Raziel beamed with the sack in his hands opening it up. “Thank you,” he said.

  My hand shifted over the bag before he could pull one out. “Sorry,” I said. “Zeekiel did it. I think he wants you to wait or just hold them.” As the words left my mouth, my hand came back.

  The four-winged prince nodded as we headed back to our path back home.

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