The Above || Completed

10 First Order of Business

Aeron was pacing around the extraordinary courtyard when I emerged. There were rose bushes, apple trees, morning glory flowers and lavenders growing in the garden. Their stems and thorns were a murky, powdery green that made them look as though they'd been kissed by snow. The flowers sprouted pale pink, yellow, red and purple petals. And they were coated with specks of white as though someone had dusted flour over each one of them. There was a path that led down to the great baobab tree that Aeron was pacing under. The baobab's trunk was white as snow and it's leaves were a sensational pale green. And because trees weren't the same in the Above, mist was given off  by the trunk of the tree and this rich, watery fragrance filled the air. Aeron looked a little out of place.
Nevertheless... A handsome sight in a handsome place. Don't mind if I do...
Wait. Nope.

When Aeron spotted me, his face lit up with a wonderfully charismatic smile. He beckoned to me, so I made my way to him.
"You came," he said happily, taking my hand.
I was kind of taken aback. "Uh, yeah. What are you-"
Aeron pulled me round the other side of the tree. I wanted him to let go of my hand. Even though it was warm and welcoming. A perfect fit to my own...
The point is, it had to go!
He took me to see the hammock that was hung up between branches. I let a giggle escape me. Aeron finally let go of my hand, though I found myself wanting him to hold it again. Of course, I abstained from reaching for him myself.
"I figured it would be relaxing to sit here and talk." Aeron shrugged.
I smirked. "How did you know I liked hammocks?"
"I didn't. It's my lucky day." He raised his eyebrows.
"Oh, okay." I could feel my cheeks flushing.
Great...

We sat down side by side on the hammock. Our bodies were touching but I tried not to put that much weight on that side of my body. Aeron didn't seem to notice.
"So, let's get down to business," he said, taking a breath.
I nodded. "Where do we start?"
"The plan is to show people this book we found, telling them that we're investigating a case on behalf of the council. Whoever says they can read it, has to be an angel," he explained.
"I've picked up two problems." I held up two fingers. "First, how do we get out of this...compound? Second, it's easy for anyone to lie about being able to read something."
"Getting out is simple but it has to be at night between the guards' shifts," Aeron said. "We'll have to get our hands on their schedule first."
"I guess that's the first order of business. What about the dishonesty problem?" I said, raising an eyebrow.
At this, Aeron chuckled. "Look, I know this angel came here on a secret mission and all but I don't think one of God's servants would lie."
"If an angel can keep a secret like this, knowing that we've figured him out, I'm pretty sure he can lie," I said.
"Or she," he added quickly before saying, "Well, telling a lie is different from keeping a secret. And really, all we've figured out is its presence."
"I guess you're right." I shrugged, surrendering.

"Great." He grinned. "So, Maddison, do you have any idea how to get us the guards' schedule?"
I pondered a little. "There could be one at the main gate or one of their meeting points. Maybe in one of their dorms?"
"The main gate is a good place to start." He gave a nod. "I could go there before sunset today and check it out. You can look into their meeting points."
"Sounds good. We'll keep the dormitories as a last resort," I said.
"Agreed," he said, an adventurous glint in his eyes.

The silence settled peacefully over the courtyard, allowing my mind to mull over the plan. I wanted to tell Erica all about it. I wanted to tell Grace so she could give us some insight on anything she knew about angels. She could've helped. And Zachariah could've teamed up with Grace. And-
"We can't tell any of the others about this, can we?" I asked with pleading eyes.
"No, we can't risk it. One of them could be the angel so we'll have to ask them to read the book too," Aeron responded, knowing that he was disappointing me.

Despite the fact that he'd already told me, I wondered again why he'd chosen me specifically.

^^^