Try Again

Part 3: Second

     I was seated. With an enormous effort I managed to keep doing so. I found the back of the angel's head and stared at it. Her pale hair had a bluish tinge. My stomach twisted, and it wasn't all because of the church. It was horrible to just sit and not act. The angel seemed to sense someone watching her and half-turned to scan the congregation. I stared straight ahead, knowing there was nothing to make me stand out. I could be just another human.

     The mass ended. I stood slowly, keeping the angel in my sight. I wanted to know what had gone wrong with her when I left early. I had a couple minutes to spare. Besides, I might need to go after Suo in the third try, maybe use this one to gather information. I would adapt. Demons are made to.

     The angel scanned the church again, then touched where her communicator was. I blinked. Maybe she was my alibi. Another angel who'd seen me. That would explain why leaving early ruined things. I lurked behind a pillar, waiting to see where she'd go.

     She touched her communicator again. "I've lost sight of the she-demon. Should I proceed to her residence?" A pause. "Understood."

     I stepped from behind the column. "Hey, angel. I'm over here." The angel threw out a hand. Blue fire erupted in a circle around me. I swore. Angel magic was strengthened in churches. I held up my hands. "Look, I'm not here to cause a scene."

     The fire died into a flickering ring around me. The angel approached. "What are you here for then?"

     I shrugged. "To warn you. A demon's going to try his hand at ending your life."

     Her eyes narrowed. "I thought you weren't supposed to be in contact with your kind, Savidge." She didn't pretend to not have been spying on me. Knowing angels, she knew everything.

     "I haven't been." Telling her about my resetting ability would freak her out, but magic was something angels understood. "I'm stuck in a time-loop. I've lived this day a couple times, and I'm pretty sure you died in both. There's a demon named Suociv on the loose. He's after me too."

     For a second, I thought she would believe me. But, no. "Liar." The blue fire flared.

     "Suit yourself."

     Someone screamed outside. The angel's eyes snapped to the great doors.

     I sat down, trying to appear as non-threatening as possible. "Look, you don't need to believe me. I'll just save you the trouble and say how this would go. I say, 'I know that your partner, angel in the green suit, is heading to my apartment.' You go, 'Hey, that's cool, Nomeda, you could've found out about that from the tattoo on your ass.' I'll be like, 'fair point, bitch,' and we resume our stalemate."

     "Trust me, Savidge, this isn't a stalemate. I could end you easily."

     I shrugged again. "Pick what you believe. I don't care any more about angels than you care about demons. But if you go outside and there's a demon in a blue hoodie causing a ruckus, know that you're on a one-way train to murder-town, and I warned you about it."

     She stared at me for a long two seconds. The fire illuminated her pale hair. "I'll deal with you soon, demon." Wings exploded from her back; she was across the church in seconds and marching out the doors. The fires died down, leaving no trace.

     I ran after the angel. As soon as I was out of the church the knots in my stomach untied. It felt great not wanting to throw up all the time. So I was in a good mood when I spotted the angel pinned by a tom demon at the foot of the marble stairs. I leapt off the steps and slammed into the tom. The impact knocked breath from both of us; when we stopped rolling I ended up on top. "Hey, Suo." He snarled and threw me off. I landed in a crouch. My hair fell around my shoulders. "I'm still trying to figure you out. Killing me I get, and a bunch of dead angels is any demon's wish, but why did you have to involve Felicity?"