The Skies
"Jisoo-yah... don't be so cruel, please...?" Jennie, for the nth time begged her cousin while doing her best to make those cute mandu faces. Her overprotective older cousin has that sort of weakness whenever she starts puffing her squishy cheeks and talking in her baby voice.
"I said NO already, Jennie-yah! Uncle Cherbs will be cruel...to ME...if I allow you to!" They are suppose to be cousins but she feels more of Jennie's babysitter, she eye-rolled in her mind. Yet--in all seriousness--Jisoo adores Jennie so much. They only have each other anyway and they are more of bffs and sisters than just the daughters of the twin Head Guardians of The Skies. IF together they'll outlive their fathers, Jennie and Jisoo will succeed them. BUT Jennie is 'fragile'.
"But why can't I?" Whined the younger angel.
"Because--" you are different, Jisoo wanted to say but instead said, "you-you were born sickly! You are not strong enough to go down there, Jennie. It's dangerous in the human world! My father said, it isn't like the way it was before we were born."
"But aren't we immortals?"
That made Jisoo pause a bit, gathering the right words to give as much facts and at the same time, dodge things that would touch the very sensitive topic of Jennie's rarity. Yet can't help but mumble too, "Gullible much?" too low was her voice it didn't reach her cousin's hearing--which by the way makes sense because their 'immortality' is just some myth, humans, most likely just made up.
"Technically, we die. I mean we do live for a very, very long time--waaaaay longer than those humans do...you know that right?" Jennie nods. "But once angels step out of the Pearly Gates, we become almost humans, mimicking their vulnerability. We still heal faster than they do though." Jisoo turned to the younger angel, "But I heard stories that some who get seriously injured and don't make it in time to come back...they bleed to death just like regular humans."
"But why would they get that hurt?"
"Jennie, the world below is dangerous. Its occupants only exist to survive." Jisoo sighed and looked away.
"Jisoo-yah?" Jennie, literally snapping her fingers in front of Jisoo's face. The latter spaced out without realizing.
"Some angels...they die down there...protecting their humans." Jisoo said sadly and looked down. "Come on now, Jendeukie! Our fathers are probably looking for us by now!" Jisoo trying to end the discussion. She turns and starts to head to their abode's direction.
Jennie followed but her questioning did not stop. "Isn't that forbidden? A sin?"
Jisoo, tensed up at the question but nodded riggidly. She kept with her steps, not bothering to look at the cousin walking after her.
"But why?" Jennie sounded almost whiny.
"Why what?"
"They would die for their humans? That's not our job, right?"
"Right."
"But why?"
Jisoo let out an annoyed sigh and stopped and turned to her cousin. "Jennie...when...IF you'll ever go down there, you'll be experiencing..." Jisoo thinking carefully for the apt word, "sensations..." She looked up to see her cousin's confused face. "I mean... during my first time I felt what they call hunger and thirst..." A memory came to mind suddenly. A smiling child offering her her 'food'. She remembered immitating the young creature, putting the thing inside her mouth...that was the first time she had a taste of the human food. And that was the first time, she'd been physically around her human. She smiled at the thought. Snapping back to reality, she sees her cousin's curious face. Jennie wouldn't let go of the topic. But then Jennie is a special case, thus, know little. Jisoo continued, "the following time, I cut my finger and that was the first time I bled. I Iearned then that I felt the human pain for the first time. And I don't ever want to feel it again." She ended with a shiver remembering the stinging feeling.
"But why?" Jennie again with her whiny question.
Jisoo gave Jennie an exasperated look which served futile because it didn't make her cousin get off her case. The other girl with her innocent, curious face merely stared back at Jisoo, waiting for the answer.
"Affection."
"Affec--what?"
"Affection. It's when angels start feeling the need to do more for their humans. They want to see them all the time. And be with them all the time." Jisoo explained, wearing a timid smile suddenly.
"Is that what you feel about her?" The question was out of nowhere for Jisoo, took her aback. And she wasn't able to hide her reaction. Jennie caught the fear after the surprise. The older girl giggled as soon as she recovered, feigning innocence. She tried to walk pass her cousin.
"Jisoo-yah... is that what you feel about her?" Jennie's not to be ignored.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Jisoo stated with a shrug to appear nonchalant.
"Hmp!" Jennie literally stomped a foot.
Exasperated, Jisoo continued walking, annoying her younger cousin the more.
"You're a liar, Unnie. It's a sin"
"I am not!"
"Yes, you are!"
"Am not!"
"I heard you talking in your sleep. Her name is Chaeyoung, right?"
Jisoo stopped on her tracks, ears pounding at what she heard.
Jennie gives her a knowing smirk.
Jisoo never once thought of laying a finger on this cat-eyed angel until now. The smirk is way too tempting to get rid off. For one, she feels outsmarted by her overprotected cousin. Second, she'll be in deep trouble if her secret ever gets revealed--fatal, in fact, for her innocent human.
Gritting her teeth, she gave Jennie a fake smile, mustering all the patience she has left since the conversation started. Sighing,
"Alright, you win. Ask me anything---just not THAT one thing!"
"But I wanna see what's below, Jisoo-yah!"
"Jennie, Uncle Cherbs forbids it!"
"Why you will help me! I promise to have a quick look around and just see what humans look like!"
"It's ugly below, trust me! And humans are not special at all!"
"Jisoo-yah, please! My curiosity is killing me by the day!" Tears springing out of the ducts.
Jisoo can only sigh.
"I swear, Chu! I just want to have a peek and will never ever do it again." Raising her hand to make a pledge.
"This will get us into big, big trouble, Jennie-yah."
"Why it's just between you and me. Bring me to your human, Chu. We'll see her both and that's it!"
Jisoo is so torn it's making her head ache. But remembers her own human, Chaeng. It's her 19th Spring tomorrow!
"Jisoo-yah, I just want to stop being curious. We will pretend it never happened after we come back."
Silence.
"Puh-lease???" Jennie would have kneeled but Jisoo stopped her.
"Okay, okay!" Sighing deeply. "Our fathers are having a conference with the Elders tomorrow. We will sneak out but we have to be back before they finish."
Jennie tosses herself in mirth into the arms of her poor older cousin.
"You're the best, Jisoo-yah! I can't wait!"
Jisoo sighs for the nth time.
"It's a brief visit, right? What can go wrong?" She whispers to herself.
A/N: that's Chapter 1 for yall!!!
