What the Halo? I ONC2020 I

Chapter 3: Michaela

My cloud was already waiting, puffing its impatient fluffs of hydrogen abound. I put a pep to my step, knowing it would color darker with every second I made it wait. Arriving on planet earth on a black cloud was no fun at all. "Don't sweat it, lill'one," I said, "Here I am."

"Michaela!" Rafael came running down after me, out of breath and a little ridiculous in his morning robe. The other guardian angels, all dressed in their human attire, getting on their assigned clouds for our daily commute, turned their heads and giggled. Rafael ignored them, all his fiery attention for me. "Didn't you forget something?"

I accepted my briefcase and grimaced. "Thanks, bro."

"The first envelope, you read on the commute, the second you can't open until you're with Cain. You have to read it together. If you ..." He yelled after me. My cloud descended rapidly and Rafael's voice became a wisp of beautiful noise, its meaning lost in water droplets and air. I smiled and threw my brother a playful hand kiss. He told me all of this twice already. No worries.

I squatted down and got comfortable. Halo in my briefcase, shoes in the fluff pile beside me. I reached for the first envelope and opened it. Its contents was fairly disappointing.

Location and time of my meeting with Cain and his asshat credentials.

Important task ahead of you.

Trust you will do well, yada yada yada, love, dad.

Did I remove my shoes for that? There was still that second envelope.

It stared at me. It called my name. "Michaela, you know you want to." Yeah, I knew I wanted to. How bad could it be? Cain didn't know what Rafael had or hadn't told me this morning. A sneak peek would not only satisfy my curiosity and prevent me from dying of cloud boredom syndrome, but it would also give me a head start. The demon would be looking for ways to belittle me again. It couldn't hurt to educate myself. I liked the idea of being one step ahead.

I slipped my finger under the seal and pulled. The snap of the wax, followed by the tear of paper felt exhilarating. With giddy eagerness, my fingers unfolded the letter.

"Michaela and Cain,

You have been chosen for a mission of great importance.

A child from the underworld has fled its home and found a new one among humans. You must locate this child and return it before its sixth birthday, six days from now. It is important that no harm comes to the child.

Michaela will handle all interactions with humans. Cain will not engage with them.

Cain will determine strategy: where, when and how you'll operate. Michaela will not argue.

Failing is not an option.

God."

I coughed, a sudden pain tangible in my chest. Cain will determine strategy? A demon? A pain in the A demon?

My own father had planted a knife right between my wings. Did he think I could not manage? That I needed Cain to find a demon child among the humans? I knew the children of this city inside out. I could make them eat out of my hand. I'd have that toddler back in hell in no time and the only reason I'd take Cain along, was so he could see how magnificent an angel I really was.

When I stepped off my cloud, the first thing I did was crumple that second letter to an insignificant ball and pitched it into the trash can where it belonged.