Vespers (Fields of the Nephilim: Interlude)

Chapter 19

They soon came to me. I never thought it to be so soon though. Just the other night I prowled the city alone and it was then I heard indistinct voices. No, these were not the kind of voice I was truly expecting. They are not the ones I am expecting as well. I felt their strong aura among the crowd. They followed me from the shopping district of Ginza until I took the train towards Shibuya where I rented a small apartment for myself.

Now I decided to face them so on the third day since that night, I went back to Ginza. It was early in the morning yet the crowd was exhilarating. The shops were all packed with locals and tourists. Now I am just a face in the crowd with the indistinct jeans and shirt I was wearing and an additional baseball cap and pair of glasses for the kid-around-the-block look. No one would notice the rare silver hair and eyes I possess, of course, except for those who share my blood. So I believe I’d spot them easily among the crowd as well if that will be the case.

I entered Matsuzakaya and not before long I felt the presence, or rather, smelt it. I looked around and I saw the girl from behind the counter. She was busy speaking with foreign couples who appear to be interested in some goods she was offering them. She might’ve sensed me as well for I saw her stopped and subtly sniffed around as her eyes landed behind the rack of souvenirs where I was standing. I could see her confused expression which suddenly vanished when her attention was once again back to the customers. I was able to study her closely. She very much resembles a normal Japanese girl of seventeen but I couldn’t be wrong, she has the blood of an angel and she knew what I am when she looked at me.

I went out of the shop and entered one of those fancy rooftop gardens just around the corner where I could still see the entrance of Matsuzakaya. I stood beside the candy stand where I could still glimpse the front door of the shop and not before long she was already standing behind me.

“I didn’t see you walked out the door” I said in a hushed voice without having to look at her.

“Well not likely, I followed you immediately when you went out. I never thought you’d actually come up here just to spy on our entrance” she said lightly. She offered me the cone of ice cream she was holding as I turned around to face her. I just urged her to eat it. I am not interested in ice cream; I am interested in what she is.

“What are you doing in a place like this?” I was not actually prepared so I just blurted out random questions.

“I was born and raised here so basically I live here” she answered. This stunned me. As I have thought, she’s not from Gehenna. I couldn’t find the next words to utter to my amazement. Perhaps I was just too surprised to know that there are still some of us who had survived without any higher interval.

“You’re an angel aren’t you? But unlike the others I’ve met, I couldn’t read the pride in your soul…for what you are I mean. Your soul seems older and tragic…” she said almost in a whisper. I doubt if anyone around us could really decipher our conversation.

“Others?” this had caught my attention. It could really be possible that she is not the only one around here, not to mention me.

“Oh well yes. You’re not really aware of it. Have you been sleeping your entire life?” she said in a teasing tone as she licked the last of her ice cream. I gave a low chuckle.

“Oh well yes..” I mimicked her tone with a slight shrug. She laughed at this then looked at me with more seriousness.

“That’s not too bad. Every now and then I feel the presence of angels around the place; some were more human like me. I mean, some doesn’t even know what they are and some have much more stronger aura and that I couldn’t even see their form. I believe they’re the ones from up there---” and with this, she subtly pointed one finger up “---you know what I mean?” I nodded at this.