Hollowing Souls

The Third Man

11 months later . . .

August 19th, 2011

Alex ran down the white flowing stairs, jumping over the balcony half way down to land on the marble floor below. She tore down the hall and slid into the kitchen. It was empty, so she grabbed a bowl out of the cabinet, found the milk and cereal, then dropped down at the island, making breakfast.

Suddenly the box of Lucky Charms disappeared, and Alex looked up to see Balthazar leaning against the wall, arms crossed, cereal in his hands.

"No fair!" Alex exclaimed, pouting. "Your wings work."

"Your wings are almost healed," Balthazar shot back. He approached, dropping the box of cereal on the island. "You should be able to fly within a few months." He flicked his own wings for emphasis, and light sparkled off of the amber feathers.

Alex sighed. She had been living with Balthazar for the past eleven months. There had been no sign of Castiel, and no news from the Winchesters. No news of anything from the outside world, actually. Just her and Balthazar. Not that she minded him anymore. He could be very good company.

Light fingers ghosted over her wings, and Alex turned her head. Her left wing was mobile, but was nowhere near strong enough to fly. It was also slightly deformed, and would always be that way. Alex could only pray that it would work. She was pulled out of her thoughts as the angel pulled her cereal away from her. "Hey!"

"How can you eat these things?" The angel made a face. "They taste of sugar and chemicals."

"Well, my sense of taste isn't as developed as yours." Alex pulled her food back. "And for your information, I like sugar and chemicals." To prove her point, she took a large bite.

Balthazar rolled his eyes dramatically. "I'll never understand humans." Then he was gone.

Alex wolfed down the rest of her cereal then ran up the stairs. She leaned against the doorway, breathing heavily. "Stop doing that," she panted. "Not cool."

Balthazar was sitting in the open window, staring outwards into the backyard. He turned at the sound of her voice. "Do what?"

"Disappearing during conversations." Alex staggered into the room and flopped down on an unused bed. "First you threaten to take my food, then you just leave before I'm done talking."

"I was done talking." Balthazar turned his attention back out the window. "When are you going to learn Enochian? T bol a gone turs."

It is a language beautiful. His words translated roughly in her mind. "I can understand it," she told him. "I just can't speak it."

"Well, you should learn."

"But won't I learn naturally? I can already understand it."

"Vous pouvez me comprendre si je parle en français," Balthazar rambled off. "Vous pouvez comprendre toutes les langues."

You can understand me if I talk in French. You can understand every language. Once again, the words translated. "So . . ."

"So just because you can understand different languages doesn't mean you can speak them." And with that, Balthazar flared his amber wings and disappeared.

Alex rolled her eyes. "Bitch."

"Heard that," a voice breathed in her ear, but when Alex turned, there was nothing.

"Alex?"

Alex's heart leapt to her throat, and she turned. "Dean?"

Nothing. Alex tipped her head, sure she had faintly heard the hunter's voice. She shook the thought away. She was going crazy being locked up here. With a heaving sigh, disappeared back downstairs.