I woke up to another knock on the door. “Wake up, Quinn.” It was Nep, again. She’d gotten changed since I’d last seen her, and now wore sweatpants and a t-shirt covered with illustrated beetles, laid out like in an old field guide. “Let’s introduce you to everyone.”

I got up and stretched. I still felt sore, but I could walk. My knee... when had my knee gotten better? It bore no cuts or scrapes or scabs at all. Maybe when I’d changed back? The sun was already dipping lower over the horizon, casting a warm orange glow over the room. How long had I been asleep for? Nep led me out of my room, through the library and back down to the lower floor. The table was now set up with plates and several boxes of pizza.

Nep pulled out a chair for me and sat beside me. On the other side of the table sat Angelina, alongside another woman who I didn’t recognize. She was wearing a black leather jacket over a gray undershirt, contrasting starkly with her fiery red hair. She gave me a small wave and smiled. By contrast, Angelina seemed to be in a perpetual state of annoyance, tapping her fingers against the table. A white chair sat noticeably vacant next to her.

“Where is she?” asked Nep.

“Sorry!” A third girl stepped out of one of the doors on this floor. She was wearing an oversized white hoodie and jeans, with wavy platinum-blonde hair that was nearly white. Her eyes were hidden behind a pair of glasses with almost comically large circular lenses. “Sorry! Sorry. Just finished up.” She hurried to the seat next to Angelina and sat down, her eyes trained on me.

Nep nodded in acknowledgement. “Okay, now that everyone’s here, some introductions are in order. First, I’d like everyone to meet Quinn. She is going to be staying with us from now on. Please try to make her feel at home, okay? Her situation is a bit unordinary, but, well...”

“We’ll do what we can,” said the woman in black, leaning towards me across the table and reaching out... to pat me on the head. “You poor thing. To lose everyone you know at such a young age.”

I pushed her hand aside. “I’m not a kid.”

“Sorry.” The woman smiled again. “I just.. how cruel they are. But don’t worry. We’ll take care of you. Is there anything you need yet? We should get you some more clothes, maybe a—”

Nep cleared her throat. “Before we go off on tangents, some formal introductions, please. Let’s not forget that we are Angels.”

“Right.” The woman straightened, adjusting her jacket before giving a deep bow with an exaggerated flourish. “Angel Sarah Crossley, division NA0510, although I am currently assigned to Santuary 73, as we all are. My symbiote is Simulium. It’s nice to meet you.” She held out her hand. I took it, tentatively.

“Nice to meet you, too.” Division? Assigned? Just how organized were Angels supposed to be?

The girl in the hoodie stood up next, giving me a small wave. “Hey. Angel Heidi Schwartz here. Host for Hylobius, division... PA0412, I think. Yeah. And don’t worry, I’m going to treat you like an adult.” She adjusted her glasses and smirked at Sarah, who frowned back.

“I’m only concerned about her. Like any responsible adult would be.”

“Whatever you say. Anyways, it’s nice to meet you, Quinn.” She held out her hand and I shook it.

As Heidi sat down, Angelina got up and quickly recited her introduction. “Angelina Park. Division PA0439. My symbiote is Libellula.” She sat down as quickly as she got up, not even bothering to shake my hand. I suppose we had already met, but still she felt a bit standoffish.

Finally, Nep stood up and gave a curt bow. “Angel Nep. Just... Nep is fine. My symbiote is Laccotrephes. Although I am from division IM0120, I have been assigned to oversee Sanctuary 73 and the surrounding areas, alongside the angels assigned here. So if there’s anything pressing, it’s imperative that you let me know. In short, I am in charge here. And I am the one that you should go to if you have any questions okay?”

“Um...”

“It’s your turn, now,” she prompted. “Go ahead.”

What to do? “Hello. I’m Angel.. Angel? Quinn Lee. My division is... I don’t think I’ve been assigned a division. What even are divisions?”

“It’s administrative stuff. Don’t worry about it,” said Nep.

“My symbiote would be Vespa. Right?” They nodded. “Where is Vespa, anyways?”

“She’s not here,” said Nep. “Don’t worry about it. She’s just being disciplined for being... a bit unorthodox in making you an Angel. Like I said, don’t worry about it.”

“Disciplined? Administrative stuff?”

“Yest,” said Nep, “There’s—”

“Let’s just eat, please,” said Angelina.

Nep chuckled. “Yes, let’s eat,” said Nep. “Help yourself, Quinn.” She opened up the boxes, and the heavenly scent filled the air. My stomach grumbled. I hadn’t eaten anything all day, and this morning’s exhaustion had made way for ravenous hunger. The pizza was delicious. I devoured one slice before reaching hesitantly for another.

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“Go ahead, dear,” said Sarah. “You must be starving after transforming for the first time. It always makes me hungry, that’s for sure. Your body needs to get back all those nutrients somehow.”

I took two more slices.

“Back to business,” said Nep. “I’ve got all the paperwork filed through our contacts with the government. We can take on the responsibilities of something resembling your legal guardians, for emergency situations.”

“Wait. What about my parents?”

“You parents are—” Heidi started.

“We will do our best to find out what has happened to your parents. We can’t promise anything, though,” Nep interrupted. “If you have information about your parents, I advise that you write it down. There may be ways to restore this, if we can locate them. But until that point, you need a place to stay, to sleep, to eat, to learn. A place to get comfortable with your abilities, with people who know and understand them. We’ve talked this out with Vespa, okay?”

“Okay.” I still didn’t trust them, though. Even if they said they were Angels and seemed to know what was going on, even if Nep hadn’t been startled in the slightest by the transformation, even if Vespa had assured me that it was safe... “Can you show me that you’re Angels? Prove it to me. That you’re not Demons.”

Angelina spoke first. “And what would you like us to do? You don’t know anything about Demons, do you? Do you know what they’re capable of? Do you know what Angels can do that they can’t?”

No. I didn’t. “Well...”

“Then what’s the point of doing anything to prove it?” She finished her slice of pizza and put the crust back on the plate. She didn’t eat the crust? What sort of monster didn’t eat the crust?

“I...”

“You don’t know,” Angelina said. “That’s why you need to trust us and learn from us. So that you can know. But we’ve been broadcasting a lot of signals as to our identity this whole time. It’s how those of us that didn’t see your pretty orange insect body can tell that you’re an Angel.”

“The greetings, for example,” said Nep. “Like a barcode that identifies who you are to other Angels. As well as the energy that emanates from our bodies, even in human form. I suppose it’s not easy for you to compare, since we’re all Angels, but it’s there. A slight glow, like the black light that emanates from Echoes.”

I hadn’t noticed, but as she said those words, I started to vaguely see the halos around them. “I guess I’ll... just have to trust you, then.”

“Don’t worry, dear,” said Sarah. “We’re just looking out for your well-being.”

“That’s right,” said Heidi. Nep nodded as well, giving Angelina a nudge.

“I suppose that’s right,” she said, not looking me in the eye. “Though it’s not like we could exactly refuse to let you stay here. This is an Angel boarding house, after all.”

“Right. I’ve been meaning to ask. Just... what is all this stuff? Organization? Divisions? Assignments?”

Nep smiled. “Sorry. That’s right. It must sound so cold and corporate. You can blame our new management for that. That’s probably why Vespa’s whole protocol is a bit... old-fashioned. The whole one host, one symbiote thing just doesn’t work when you need to protect the whole Earth, you know? So there’s some admin and standards set up by the head office. Got rid of a lot of the weirder rules. Lost some regional charm, but gained a lot of international cooperation. Redistributing angels with proper skills to deal with emerging threats as they come up. Nothing really to worry you with, though.”

Why hadn’t Vespa mentioned any of this? “That sounds...”

“Don’t worry too much about it, Quinn,” said Heidi. “None of us really get what’s going on. Except Nep. She’s too much of a nerd to let it go. It’s really straightforward. Kill Echoes and Demons. Protect people.”

“I’m not a nerd,” said Nep. “I just really like this stuff. When I became an Angel, it opened my eyes to so much, and I just.... couldn’t help but look into everything. So many pretty Imagos. And learning about them meant learning about the Angels and the organization and—”

“Careful, Quinn,” said Sarah. “Nep can get a bit handsy with Imagos. She’s got an unhealthy obsession with insects. If you know what I mean.”

“It’s a perfectly healthy obsession,” said Nep. “At least, for an entomologist.”

“Shall I open the door to your room?” asked Sarah.

Nep blushed. “Okay. Moving on. Your personal effects, Quinn. You don’t have many of them, I take it, because your house is inhabited by Demons now.”

That’s right. Most of my belongings were at home, still. My laptop, my clothes and toiletries, books, souvenirs... “Is there any way I can get my things back?”

Nep nodded. “We can try. Maybe. Depending on the Demon that is currently residing in your house. Can you describe the Demon?”

I tried to focus on what little I could remember about the person who’d answered the door. “He had... black hair? And was wearing a suit.”

Angelina rolled her eyes.

“Was an Echo accompanying him?” asked Heidi.

That’s right. “Yes. A pigeon. What was it again... E1-Messenger?”

The atmosphere around the table fell. The four of them shared nervous glances, except Angelina, who reached for another slice of pizza. Eventually, all eyes turned to Heidi. The girl in white adjusted her glasses. “Sounds like him, alright.”

“Ecto?” asked Sarah.

“Ecto.” Heidi nodded, biting her lip.

Nep sighed. “We should keep excursions to your house at a minimum for now. Definitely not worth trying to get your clothes. We can buy you some new ones. You’d like that, wouldn’t you? One run, just for the most important things. At most.”

“Wait. What’s going on? Who is this Ecto dude?”

“A Demon,” said Angelina.

“Ecto is a major Demon,” said Nep. “Not the sort to go up against yourself, Quinn. Or really, even all of us together should not confront him, due to a few peculiarities about his placement.”

“What’s so strange about him?” I asked. “Is it the Echo? That pigeon? I fought it like... right after becoming an Angel. It’s nothing to be afraid of. Just annoying.”

Angelina smirked. “That wasn’t the whole Echo, Quinn. Think. It can duplicate itself. How many individuals do think compose E1-Messenger? A thousand? A million?”

Nep put a hand on Angelina’s shoulders. “Quinn, there is one pigeon for every human on Earth, right now,” said Nep. “And enough left over to serve as lookouts for Ecto all around the world, all reporting constantly. An endless river of information that the demons use to keep their machinations. Already, now, they know, probably, that you are here, though thankfully we and our Sanctuary are protected from their scheming. Ecto is—”

Heidi slammed her fist against the table. “Ecto is the Demons’ watchtower. The Archdemon of Eyes. And your house is now his panopticon.” She spat the words out as if she hated them. Sarah put a hand on her shoulder, but Heidi brushed it away. “No, I’m not going to calm down, Sarah. You know how I feel about dealing with Ecto.”

“Right,” said Angelina, in an uncharacteristically upbeat tone. “So that being said, let’s break in and get your stuff back.”