Well, this was it. It was a sunny autumn afternoon, and everyone was out and about. Even Heidi was taking a day to go run some errands. I was the only one at Sanctuary 73. And today, I’d be meeting Thea again. On purpose, this time. Nep’s warning still echoed in my head, but I pushed it aside. I was tired of being dismissed and given non-answers. I wanted to find out the truth. And it seemed like Thea was the only one willing to share that.
“She’s misleading you.”
“Shut up, Vespa. I’ll be the judge of that.”
There she was, standing on the street corner, checking her phone, wearing the same purple suit she’d been wearing last. Despite her odd outfit, nobody seemed to notice her. I supposed that was one of the perks of being a Demon. Catching my eye, she slipped her phone back into her pocket, flashing me a smile as she headed my way.
Could Nep’s words really have been true? This was all an act? Thea seemed so natural today. She’d dropped the suit, dressed just like any other girl our age. But when I’d first seen her, she’d looked like a child. This was, after all, just another facade, right? But looking at her, it was hard to see even a hint that she was anything other than a normal human being. Her unnatural smile and uncanny features had somehow vanished, and all that remained was, for all intents and purposes, an ordinary teenage girl. Well, an ordinary teenage girl wearing a purple suit.
“You know, it’s rude to stare.” Even her voice had lost its uncanny quality.
“Sorry,” I said.
“Don’t worry about it,” she said. “Now come on.”
“Come on? Wait—”
She grabbed my hand and took off. “I found this lovely new cafe! You just have to try it. And then maybe we can go shopping? I’m so hopeless with fashion; you have to tell me how to pick out an outfit. I—”
I ground to a halt. “Hold on. I called you here for a reason today, Demon. Not to hang out. We aren’t friends.”
“Of course. That’s right.” Thea smiled, though she seemed... was she really disappointed? Had she actually been looking forward to spending time with me? “I can show you that. If you want.” She led us into an alley. After checking to make sure nobody was looking, she reached into her jacket pocket, fumbling about for a bit before holding out a small object. It was made of transparent crystal, shaped like a tetrahedron. “This is the paradox, Quinn. The tangled knot that Ecto has made. And your parents are caught inside of it.” She giggled.
I took the crystal and turned it over in my palm. “Mom. Dad,” I whispered. It certainly looked like they were there, trapped within this glass pyramid, though they were far from the only things kept inside. Beneath the crystal’s surface, the interior was murky, clouds of dust swirling around, rearranging into familiar scenes one by one; people I knew, memories I had. Everything that had been taken away from me. Seeing it all like this, I felt myself tearing up again, the weight of the loss hitting me for the first time in weeks. Even though I’d been so lucky, had found a place to stay, it couldn’t replace what Ecto had taken from me. I turned to Thea. “How can I get them back?”
She seemed to hesitate before answering. “You can kill Ecto.”
“Why did you hesitate before saying that?”
She bit her lip. “Because...”
“Because she is a Demon too. She does not want you to kill him.”
Thea’s eyes narrowed as she heard Vespa’s buzzing. “I don’t want to kill him, no. And it’s not the only way to—”
“I thought you said he was awful?”
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Thea sighed, leaning against the brick wall of the alley. “He is. But I don’t want to kill him. He’s... he’s still something like a father to me. He raised me. I feel like I... I dunno, I feel like I owe him something. And though he may be violent, and cruel, and his methods are abhorrent... he’s working towards a good cause. We all are. It’s for the good of humanity.”
“She shows her true colours.”
“How can you say that? He erased my life.”
“And your so-called friends, are they better? They destroy our Echoes, brutalize us... you’ve never actually seen an Angel hunt before, have you? Watch it. Watch it for real. Watch what Angelina looks like as she rips into Demon flesh and blood. Watch as she smiles and laughs while she tortures them, inflicts as much pain as she possibly can.”
“But—”
“But what? She’s working towards a good cause? Exactly.”
“Do not listen to her,” Vespa said, “Demons are dangerous. Echoes are dangerous.”
“Are they?” Thea smirked as a little black bird landed on her shoulder. “Quinn, this is E-1 Serenade,” Thea said. “Isn’t he the cutest?”
It was an Echo, alright, molten eyes glowing beneath obsidian feathers. It opened its long, slender beak and let out a little song. The melody made me feel sad, somehow, though the sound was sweet. Looking at it, I found nothing remotely threatening about the little bird. It hopped down Thea’s arm and pecked gently at the palm of her hand. But despite all that, it somehow felt... wrong. Like it didn’t belong here. “I... I’m not sure how to feel.”
“Yes, that’s the Angel in you,” said Thea. “But you can tell that he means you no harm.” She held the bird up to her cheek, and it ruffled its feathers against her, curling up for comfort. “They’re peaceful, too, so long as we’re around to keep them in check.”
“Then why—”
“Why do they attack people? Because the Angels are hunting us down all the time. We’re always on edge, always stressed, always pushed to be on the defensive. Backed into a corner, who wouldn’t lash out? It turns these harmless creatures into violent monsters...”
“Or is it the other way around?”
“Quiet, you,” Thea snapped. “Anyways, back to my point. I don’t want you to kill Ecto. There has to be another way to free your parents. If that’s really what you want. I can... I can talk to him about it. Maybe.” She looked away. “I... I don’t want any more killing. That’s all. You can understand?”
“...I guess. And what if he doesn’t let my parents go?”
“Hmmm...” Thea bit her lip, muttering something to the bird sitting on her shoulder. The Echo replied, murmuring in a mix of high-pitched notes and crackles of radio static. She turned back to face me. “Well I do have one other plan. But to do that, I might need a little bit more cooperation from you.”
“Cooperation?”
“Yes.” She looked me in the eyes. Her eyes were so big and clear and sincere. “I promise I’ll ask for you. I’ll ask him why he put them away. I’ll ask him to let them free. But if he doesn’t agree... I’ll call you again. Soon.”
And with those words, a horde of pigeons descended upon us. Ecto’s Echo. E-1 Messenger. Hundreds of flapping wings, scattering shards of obsidian dust across the dusty alleyway. Out of instinct, my human skin was torn off its bones, the glossy shell of my chrysalis forming and dissolving away to leave only my gleaming black-and-orange Imago. The pigeons’ eyes glowed ruby-red, sensing my presence and hurtling towards—
“Stop!”
Thea grabbed my shoulder. My hands were already gripping my long, chitinous glaive, but she stopped my motion with just a gentle touch.
“Calm down, Quinn. See? You’re just scaring them.”
I stopped. The pigeons stopped, too.. They resumed their normal behaviour, acting pretty much like, well, pigeons. I slowly put my weapon back. My head reverted to normal, then my fingers, hands, arms, body... I was back to normal. The pigeons were completely passive. I’d never seen them act so calmly before.
The bird on Thea’s shoulder buzzed and chattered once again. Thea seemed to understand just fine. “See, Quinn? I’m not lying. I’m telling the truth.” The pigeons started to gather behind her, grasping at her hems and sleeves with their beaks. She smiled. “It seems that Ecto wants to see me. I’ll be sure to tell you how it goes.” With a wink, the swirling cloud of pigeons took off, carrying her away just above the rooftops.