Let Me Sleep

Angels and Demons

My guardian angel? Were they nuts?

"Wh-what?" I stutter again, as per the norm. "Are you guys on drugs?"

"No, Kendra." Iggy seems appalled that I could even suggest such a thing. "We are angels of the Lord."

I'm laughing. Just bursts of giggles bubbling up in my chest and breaking out.

"You guys are crazy!" I say, breathing heavily. "Who set this up? Was it Zander?" Both of them are staring at me.

"It was God, Kendra." The professor replies. "There is a war in heaven, and we are rallying our forces."

"You're joking, right?" I ask. "Or I'm dreaming. Either way, this is ridiculous." But they look totally serious. I mean, what would the point be of keeping up the gig for so long?

"You're serious." I say finally. "Aren't you." I have a sick feeling in my stomach.

"Completely." Iggy replies, and turns back to the professor, placing his hands on the desk with an air of authority. "What's the plan?"

"Go back to class for now." He says. "There's a fire drill scheduled for next period. When the alarm goes off, there will be a van waiting for you. Get inside, and we'll go from there. Oh, and by then, I'll have deleted you from school records. It'll be like you never existed here."

"What?" I squeak, but they ignore me.

"Understood." Iggy says, and we move to leave. But he stops at the door. "Oh, one question; who's driving?"

"Gabriel." He replies with a touch of a smile. Iggy sighs, placing his forehead against the doorframe.

"I don't want to-" I start, but Iggy grabs me by the wrist and pulls me away.

I'm staring out the window. Life was boring, annoying, and altogether a drag. But not anymore.

The fire alarm blares through the building, and in an instant, Iggy and I are up out of our seats, clashing with the throng of people, sweaty, noisy, bothersome people.

And then we're away.

The van is black, but isn't like a minivan. No, it's a full-blown surveillance van. The side door is open, and the van is running. Iggy, with his longer legs, leaps in first. I follow suit, barely getting in because Gabriel decided that once Iggy was in, that was it. For several unsure seconds, I'm leaning backwards out of the door nearly falling, before Iggy pulls me in.

"Gabriel!" Iggy barks through the screen to the front seat. "You asshole! Be more careful!" Immature giggling is coming through the screen. "Who else is up there with you?"

"Castiel." Gabriel replies, his voice surprisingly high. Like a teenager's before puberty.

"What!?" I've only known him for less than a day, but Iggy is positively livid, angrier than I've seen him. "Why is Castiel here?"

"Because we needed another man and he volunteered." Gabriel says, the 'duh' left hanging in the air.

There's a woman in the van, her hair dyed navy blue, and with glasses. She's reading a book by the back of the van, and I almost don't see her.

"Anna." She says without looking up from the book. "At least, that's what they call me down here. My name in Enochian is much more difficult to pronounce."

"N-nice to meet you." I say. "I'm Ken-"

"Oh, yes." She finally looks up. "Kendra. I don't know why we need the help of a human." She says 'human' as if it leaves a bad taste in her mouth. I shrink down self-consciously in my seat.