“So I will be... a wasp.”

Nep nodded, reaching up to her shelf and pulling down a tank that contained a rather cramped wasp nest. The container buzzed loudly even closed on the table. The shelves all around me were laden with terrariums, each one filled with an assortment of insects strange and familiar alike. It was a bit overwhelming, but thankfully I wasn’t too squeamish. Not like I could afford to be.

Deep breaths. I carefully opened the lid of the container. The wasps flew out one by one, investigating my hands and climbing up my arms. It was a bit scary at first, but after so many days with Vespa buzzing around my ears, it was strangely comforting. Speaking of Vespa, she was sitting this one out. Something about being too stimulating for the ordinary hornets. “I’m... going to be able to communicate with these, too?”

“Vespa,” said Nep, nodded. “Hornets. They are famously loyal and fierce. Deadly predators. Vicious to their enemies, but defenders of their homes. A proud and excellent symbiote to have, and a rare one, too. Vespa does not choose lightly.”

“And my body...”

“Yes, you’re slowly becoming merged with your smybiote. A marvellous harmony. That’s what angels are. It’s beautiful.”

“It’s scary.” To think that my body was being... changed. It was a transgression on who I was. I didn’t sign up for this, didn’t realize just what I had accepted. And now... my skin crawled. For a moment, I felt my flesh melting away again, the carapace hardening over my forearms, muscles tearing and reforming, and—”

“It can be scary, yes.” Nep put a hand on my arm, and the momentary transformation ceased. “But it is necessary because we face such a great foe. To kill Demons, we must become stronger and faster and deadlier. “

There it was again. Were we only here to kill Demons? “Nep, why do we have to kill Demons?”

At the mention of Demons, the hornets around me became very agitated. “Why?” Nep turned away for a half-second, apparently considering the question herself. “We simply must. The Demons will destroy humanity otherwise.”

“How can you say that? They never seem to be doing anything harmful. Just doing their own things. Well, there was that one time, with the... the bull. But even so, the Demons...”

“May I remind you that the Demons erased your entire life? Made things as if you never existed? And you aren’t the only one like this. They are slowly worming their way into every position of power, rewriting the past to seize control of the present.”

“And what if we’d be better off like that? Our world’s pretty awful, isn’t it? Couldn’t they run things better than us?”

“Where did all this come from, Quinn? You cannot trust the Demons to have our interests in mind. They are not human. They do not understand humans. They don’t belong here to begin with. They aren’t from Earth. They don’t belong on Earth. Your body knows it, feels it from its genetic code. They are not like us; they don’t share our link to the great tapestry of life. They are usurpers. Parasites. We owe them nothing.”

“You’re telling me they’re aliens?”

“You’d better believe it, kiddo. They simply appear human, try to blend in. But they can change their shape as they please. Even their appearance is yet another lie to make us drop our guard. You’ll see that soon enough.”

Kiddo. There it was again. I wasn’t just some child. And for her information, I’d seen that already, seen Thea change shape before my eyes. “Then why are they trying so hard to take control of the Earth? To change our world? What’s so special about this place?”

She got up and put her hands on the table, leaning forward with a frown. “They simply want it, Quinn. Is there always a reason? Our home, our world is under threat. There simply isn’t the need or time to ask such questions. Better to kill first and go digging later.”

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Only there to kill. That was our purpose, wasn’t it? Or perhaps Thea’s words were getting to me. “But what after that? After we stop them, and kill them, what happens to us?”

That seemed to strike a nerve. A shadow fell over Nep’s face as she closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. After what seemed like forever, she finally spoke again. “Don’t worry about that. Trust me. Just focus on the task at hand. What happens after...”

Trust? As if? This was suspicious as hell. “Trust what? You have an answer. Just tell me.” The wasps started to buzz violently, but I brushed them away. Somehow, I knew they wouldn’t sting me, and indeed they simply retreated, though still circling my head.

“No.” She was visually agitated, her breathing laboured. Something was up. She bit her lip, eyes squeezed shut as she shook her head over and over. “You’re not ready.”

That was it. “I’m not a kid, okay? You can tell me. Stop looking down on me.”

Nep sighed. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to come off like that. I’m not looking down on you, Quinn. Some things are just... better left unknown. You have understand, Angels, we... things go back a long, long way. Far beyond our own comprehension. You really aren’t ready for the answers to some of these questions yet. And I’m not saying this because you’re young. I’m saying this because too many people I know have had their minds destroyed trying to wrap their heads around this. It’s not a healthy... a healthy avenue of thought.”

“But you know the answer, and you’re fine.”

“Yes, after they handcuffed me to a post and locked me in my room for a month.”

Oh. “That’s...”

“Yes. Exactly. I sympathize a lot, Quinn. I’m full of questions, too. But asking questions about who we are and what our purpose is... I sometimes wish I never did.” She sat down again, swivelling in her desk chair once or twice before stopping. “You’re certainly full of questions, today.”

I nodded.

“What’s put you in such a mood?”

“I... I’ve always had a lot of questions about this. And Vespa has been vague. I was hoping that you... that you had the answers. I think I understand the threat of the Demons a little better, but everything else...”

“I get it,” said Nep. “I wish I could give you a satisfying answer. I will say this, though.” She put her hands on my shoulders. “You are an Angel, now. Everything around you is changing. Your body, your past, and present, and future. You may not have wanted this, may not want it still, but now, you have no choice. There is only one path forward now, a path of trust in us, and in our cause. I’m sorry I can’t say any more than that.”

“That’s...” Blind. Blind faith. Quite a tall order. And yet, it felt oddly compelling to me. That, despite everything, despite all the things still hidden, it was right. Not like I’d take her at her word just like that. Not anymore. And if Thea would be able to find my parents... I had to at least give her a chance, too.

“It’s a lot. I know. And it’s not an answer. But it’s all we can tell you.” The wasps buzzing around me returned to their container, one by one, and Nep took that as a sign that today’s session was over. “I guess we can try this again soon, Quinn. I’m in no mood to keep going anyways as-is... you can go now. I’ll clean up.”

“Thanks.” I understood. Mostly. But it felt too blind, to crazy to be true. Perhaps Thea had a point.

“Oh, and one last thing,” said Nep.

“What?”

“You haven’t been talking to any Demons, have you?” Her eyes stared straight into mine, black and piercing and staring right through everything. She knew. She definitely knew, somehow, about what had happened last night, right? Was this a test? Or was she genuinely unsure? I tried to stare back at her, but her eyes were glass, betraying nothing of her inner feelings.

“I think I would know if I was,” I said.

She narrowed her eyes for a few moments before smiling. “Okay, good to know.. I ask because Demons often target new Angels, try to tell them that everything we do is a lie. And that usually leads to them finding some very, very harsh truths about this world long before they’re ready.”

“Is that so?”

“No. We usually find them lying nearly dead in an alley, with their entrails drawn out like a spiderweb and a message for us written in their blood on the asphalt.” She giggled. “If you were talking to any demons, well... I’d be very, very worried. They can be surprisingly charming, after all, and very convincing with their arguments. But it’s all an act. Deep down, they don’t see us as anything more than insects to be squashed so they can have this world to themselves. And they’ll reason circles around you to get you on their side.” She scribbled something down on the notepad lying on her desk. “Anyways, have a nice afternoon. I’ll see you at dinner.”