“Um… I think you might be overestimating me.” The words pour out before I can stop them.
Anderson purses his lips, then sighs. “Well, that is a pity. I would hate for you to refuse this opportunity. We would have to give it to someone else, and your case wouldn’t come up for review again for…” He clucks his tongue. “Decades, I should imagine.”
Decades.
Decades.
I’ve already been here for decades. Three of them. In that time, the face of the world has changed so much that I hardly even recognize it at times. How much more will it change in the next thirty years? And what about home, my real home? Has it changed too? Or is it still the same? How much longer will I have to be separated from it?
I can’t let decades go by. I just can’t. I want to go back home. But am I really up to the task of redeeming the creatures that represent, encourage, and personify all of humanity’s vices?
Nuts. It doesn’t really look like I have a choice, does it?
“I’ll do it,” I blurt quickly. “I’ll redeem them.”
Great. Somehow.
My angel superior smiles. “Ah, wonderful! That’s the kind of attitude I like to see. I’m pleased to hear it. The board will be glad to know that you’re so excited about your new assignment. I’ll be your supervisor for the whole process, so don’t worry. I’ll give you a means to contact me, and you can reach out to me if you have questions or need assistance.”
My brows pull together a little as I try to subtly study his expression. I can’t tell if he wants me to check in with him all the time so that he can hold my hand and micromanage me, or if he wants me to not ask any questions and do everything perfectly, and would view my asking for help as a sign of failure and weakness.
Maybe it’s silly of me, to be scared of the board and the higher-ups Above like this. But my chances of getting back home depend entirely on me pulling this off. So, yeah, I’m nervous as crap about this assignment, and I don’t want to blow it.
I take a few deep breaths—I don’t need them really, but I’m in the habit of breathing to blend in with humans, and it actually does calm me down.
“Great. I can’t wait to get started.” I force a cheerful smile onto my face. “I’m excited to get back home.”
That part’s true, at least.
Anderson nods. “Excellent.” He turns as if to step away, but then pauses and looks back at me. “You will need a little something, I think, to help you on your task. Consider it a taste of the rewards to come if you succeed, and a show of our good faith in you.”
My back muscles clench in momentary pain as fire races up my spine. I arch, gasping, feeling like I truly can’t breathe, then—the pain is gone. A new weight, or rather an old weight that I haven’t felt since I fell, sits on my back. I have to adjust my stance and how I balance on my feet to make up for it.
It can’t—oh my gosh, could it be? Did he…?
I turn and race for the mirror that I have on the back of one of my apartment doors, and sure enough, they’re there.
My wings.
My beautiful, beautiful wings.
I missed them so much; more than almost anything. I used to fly everywhere, but I’ve been bound by gravity for the past thirty years. When they took my wings before casting me out, it was like I lost two limbs—no, wait, I literally lost limbs.
Angel wings, for the record, are not always big and white and fluffy. The color can vary a bit depending on an angel’s status and power, but since I was just a mid-level angel working in admin, mine are white just like you’d expect.
Or at least, that’s what it looks like at first glance. But if you stare at them long enough, you start to see colors in them, like rainbows in slick oil, all kinds of shades—ones human eyes can see and ones they can’t.
They’re beautiful. I’ve missed my wings so much. And now…
I have them back.
Over my shoulder in the mirror, I catch sight of Anderson smiling at me. “I thought you might be pleased to have those again.”
Oh, more than I can possibly say. I want to scream into a pillow at the top of my lungs, but I’m trying to stay dignified, at least until he leaves. I turn away from the mirror to face him, although it’s hard—not to sound vain, but I want to just stare at my wings forever.
“Thank you. So much.”
He nods. “They’ll have the usual abilities, so be careful that humans don’t see them. We’ll have to take them away and set your case aside if you draw too much attention to yourself and make humans aware of the supernatural.”
“I’ll be careful,” I promise.
“I’m sure you will be. I know we can count on you.” Anderson gives me a final nod, then there’s a flash of light, and he’s gone.
The flash of light is unnecessary. Angels of a certain rank can just appear Upstairs or on Earth simply by stepping from one plane of existence to another. He’s only doing that to be fancy. Showing off.
But I’m too distracted to be overly awed or impressed by his display.
I’ve got wings again!
My feathers ruffle, and I grin, turning the large wings this way and that, getting used to having them again. It feels a bit like wiggling my fingers after I sleep on my arm too long and it goes numb. I stroke the feathers, relishing how soft they are. It’s like they never left. It’s like I’m whole again.
Deciding to take the risk, I open the window of my apartment and remove the screens. I make—well, made—enough money that I can afford a fairly nice apartment, so I’m a good ten floors up, high enough that nobody should notice me if I’m careful. I slip out of the window onto the fire escape, then take the stairs up to the roof of the building. It’s just a few more flights anyway.
My wings can appear or disappear into my back without bursting through my clothing—that’s what Anderson meant by “the usual powers.” All angel wings can do that. It’s a universal thing.
Hopefully that means that my other power is back too. I lost it when I lost my wings, but if I have my wings now…
My other power is the ability to turn invisible. I really hope Anderson gave me that back too, since it would definitely come in handy when I do recon on the sins.
I get up to the roof where the wind is stronger. I shiver in the cold breeze as it whips around me, but then my wings wrap around me instinctively, protecting me from the cold and keeping me warm.
Gah, I’ve missed them so much.
Stepping back to the middle of the roof, I take a few steadying breaths. Okay. I haven’t done this in three decades, but it’s just like riding a bike, right? And everything else about having my wings back has returned pretty quickly.
Flexing them behind my back, I let them spread wide, then I run for the edge of the roof.
Once, I would have pushed myself off without a second thought, or even dived off the roof like an Olympic athlete. But I’m not quite so confident now.
What if…?
I reach the edge, and it’s too late for any doubts. My footsteps stutter only a little before I leap off, my wings arching up, catching the breeze.
They spread wide, and I soar.
Yes! It’s all I can do not to scream in joy and triumph. I laugh wildly instead, feeling the wind whip at my face, twisting and flipping around until I’m breathless and dizzy.