Victor flinched as Summer applied warm water to his wound. She tossed the bottle aside and dabbed his bloodied hand with a paper towel.

Mr. Au grabbed the first aid kit in his car and handed it to Connor, before doubling back toward Jake, who was leaning on the driver-side door.

Victor glared at his reflection in the puddle of water and blood on the ground. "What you did back there was pretty awesome."

"You're the one who kicked that demon's ass," Summer said while eying the first aid kit. "All I did was put a little pep in your step. Do me a favor, though. Next time, how about you only aim for the head."

Summer showed absolutely no fear in the face of a demon. Was it adrenaline that made it so easy for her to dash into danger? "Either way, thanks."

"What are friends for?"

"Who taught you how to treat a wound?"

Summer cracked a nervous smile. "I was always getting hurt as a kid. It got so bad that my granny taught me a little first aid."

Connor picked up the tossed water bottle and then handed her a tube of antibiotic cream. "I'm not surprised. You took every game we played way too seriously." He brushed a loose strand of hair from her shoulder.

Victor rolled his eyes. "You guys aren't gonna turn into that couple, are you?"

"Couple? Wait, who told you..." Summer glared at Connor. His cheeks flushed a bright red.

Victor snickered to himself. "I was just teasing. I'm happy that you two are together. Just please, don't get all lovey-dovey around me. I get uncomfortable when strangers do it, so imagine how I'll feel watching you guys exchange kissy faces all day."

Connor placed his hand on Summer's shoulder. "No promises." He took the antibiotic cream from her and pulled out a bandage roll.

Victor's dad was conversing with Jake near the car. "Guys, he can read auras," Victor said. "First April, now Jake. I think I'm picking up on a pattern."

Summer dropped her eyes and promptly started wrapping Victor's wound.

"Your dad interrogated the demon," Connor said.

"Wait, really?"

"He said that he was just following orders."

"From Aayan?" Victor asked. He snuck a glance at Summer, tightly wrapping his hand. She was absorbed in the act.

"Yep. Your dad also got a description out of him."

"Alright, now we're getting somewhere!"

"I wouldn't get too excited. He's apparently a tall white guy with long brown hair."

Victor exhaled sharply. "Great, we're looking for a tall white guy in Wyoming. That really narrows it down."

"That's not all. We found out that La'el might be the person behind all of this. Actually, person isn't the right word."

"That's a pretty name," Summer said while inspecting Victor's freshly wrapped hand. "Who's that?"

"La'el is the overseer of Hell."

"So he's the devil?" Victor asked, stiffly moving his arm up and down.

"The devil, as described in many religions, is inaccurate," Connor said. "Even the various depictions of Hell are incorrect."

"Are you actually about to provide us with some important information?" Victor asked, feigning a look of shock.

Connor poorly hid a smile. "I've never been to Hell, so of course I can't really prove that what I've been told is true." Connor placed the remaining bandage roll back in the first aid kit. "Hell isn't a place where damned souls go to burn for eternity. It's more like a rehabilitation center."

"So Hell is like a prison?" Summer asked.

"When a mortal soul who has committed horrible acts dies, instead of ascending to a higher plane, they go to Hell, where they're given an opportunity to be sent to Heaven."

"This La'el guy must be the warden then," Victor said.

"It's a little more complicated than that," Connor said. "I was told that La'el was one of God's first creations, tasked with helping souls repent for what they did as humans. Ultimately, he decides who stays in Hell and who is allowed into Heaven."

"If this super old and powerful angel is in charge of keeping them in line, how do they end up possessing humans?" Summer asked. "He must suck at his job."

"Angels aren't omniscient. There are prison breaks on earth, right? The same thing applies to the souls in Hell. It's just that before, demons would only possess humans to revel in as many of earth's pleasures as possible. Drinking, gambling, drugs, etc." Connor met Summer's gaze. "It's possible that La'el is purposefully sending demons to this plane in order to harm the spiritually sensitive... people like yourself."

"Over my dead body," Victor declared.

"Our dead bodies," Connor retorted. "We're not going to let anything happen to you. Besides, it might just be a coincidence. We still don't know what's really going on."

"That would explain why that janitor demon asked me what I saw," Victor said. "He was probably trying to find out if I was spiritually sensitive." Victor sensed Summer tensing up. "Either way, nobody messes with my friends. I'll personally make sure of that."

Summer forced a smile. "Those demons are gonna be in for a rude awakening when I find my water gun." She grabbed her amethyst pendant and her smile waned. "Thanks, guys. Seriously."

Victor placed his uninjured hand on her shoulder. "I thought angels were supposed to be all loving and peaceful. Why would this La'el guy be sending demons to this plane?"

"That's the million dollar question," Connor said.

Mr. Au walked up to examine Victor's hand. "Good work."

"Thank you," Summer said. Jake stood near the car, absorbing the pink horizon creeping up behind the school building. "What did he tell you?"

"He's the new orchestra teacher. He was going inside to grab some papers he left behind when he noticed a man and a woman running toward him. He panicked when he saw their auras, so he hid."

"Anything else?" Connor asked.

"That's all I could get out of him."

Victor started toward Jake. He leaned on his dad's car, making sure to obscure his injured hand. "Do you live nearby?" he asked. Jake froze, gawking at him. "Um, you good?"

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"I've never seen someone with a golden aura before." He began admiring Victor's necklace. "Can you read auras as well?"

"No, the necklace was a gift from my friend, Summer." He pointed to her as she and everyone else headed their way.

"You are all blessed with such beautiful auras, but yours and Connor's are especially radiant."

"Yeah, we're a bit different."

"You know, anyone can learn how to read auras. It's difficult, but with enough practice, it can be done."

"Really?" Summer asked, wide-eyed.

"Yes. I can teach you how, if you're interested."

"Of course! Thank you!"

"You're welcome. You can even teach yourself how to change the color of your aura, but it's a pretty advanced skill. Even I haven't been able to do it yet." His eyes met Victor's. "Oh yeah, you asked me if I live nearby. My apartment is about thirty minutes from here. Chester, if you wouldn't mind."

"It would be my pleasure."

Victor reminisced as they drove past the school's practice field. He recalled the grunts and screams that came from the football players doing drills as he took the bus home. The enormous pine tree he'd look up at every morning was just as ominous as he had remembered, and the flagpole was still slightly bent from the time Stephen Elder's dad drove up to the school drunk.

Jake was in the front seat, staring out the window. "I've gotten bad vibes from people before. But what I felt back there was something different. I always wanted to believe in the existence of supernatural beings, but knowing that demons are real..."

"You'll get used to it," Victor said flatly.

"Why were they after me?"

"I wish we knew for sure," Connor said. "But we think someone is ordering these demons to hunt down the spiritually sensitive."

"Any clues as to why?"

"Nope," Victor responded. "We're still iffy on most of the details."

Jake exhaled sharply, then glanced at Summer, her hand resting on Connor's knee. "I guess I really do need to buy a bunch of holy water."

"I'll text you the link to a great wholesaler," Summer said. "But this should hold you until you can get more." She handed him a bottle stored in the seatback pocket.

Jake shook the holy water, watching as the liquid settled. "I oddly miss when the rise in murders was my only source of paranoia." He sighed deeply. "Now, let me fulfill my promise. The best way to learn how to view auras is to look at yourself in the mirror, except you don't actually look at yourself, you look past yourself."

"Huh?" Victor asked.

"Stand in front of a mirror and relax your eyes. Instead of looking at anything specific, you use your peripheral vision to look at your aura. For an example, have you ever spaced out while looking at someone? You aren't actually looking at that person. You're thinking about something and your eyes just so happen to be on the person you're facing. It's very similar to that. Look at yourself, but focus on your peripheral vision instead. It's going to take a lot of practice, but eventually you will see an outline around your body. If you keep it up, you might even see colors."

"How did you find out about this?" Summer asked

"I've always been interested in new-age philosophies and practices. There are a bunch of groups online that help people like us thrive in a world that dismisses our gifts. I can send you some links, if you want."

"Please, do!"

Jake peered out the window. For several minutes, all anyone heard was the hum of the car's engine. The setting sun presented a picturesque horizon while also giving everyone a break from the smoldering afternoon heat.

"I don't know how best to ask this," Jake said, breaking the silence. "So I'm just going to come out and say it." Jake turned around. "Connor, V, are you guys human?"

"I am," Connor answered. "I used to be an angel, though. And V is half-angel."

"From his mother's side, I'm assuming?" He presented a nervous smile. "No offense."

Mr. Au chuckled. "None taken."

The wooden frames and multicolored bricks that comprised the many unfinished buildings in Jake's apartment complex caught Victor's eye. A haze of dirt and the potent smell of freshly laid cement caused everyone to recoil, prompting Mr. Au to close the windows. Eventually, they reached a three story building painted dark-blue. It was one of the few finished buildings in the complex.

Jake cracked the car door open. "I don't really know what to say. Thank you just doesn't feel like enough."

"It's more than enough," Mr. Au said. "Please, keep in touch. We need as many allies as possible."

"Hopefully we meet again under better circumstances," Jake said before heading into his apartment building.

Mr. Au let out a booming yawn as he drove out of the complex. He fiddled with the car's infotainment system until Jamiroquai's "When You Gonna Learn" began blaring through the coaxial speakers.

"Dad," Victor said. "Please, not now."

"What do you mean? You love Jamiroquai."

"No, you love Jamiroquai. They're honestly okay at best."

Mr. Au turned the volume up, muddying the sound due the blown out speakers. "Oh hush. You wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for this album."

"What does that mean?"

"Don't worry about it."

Despite living in Covington his entire life, there were vast swaths of the town that Victor had never seen before. All of the unfamiliar buildings on their way home filled him with a surge of anxiety. But after reaching a recognizable stretch of road, he sank a little deeper into his seat. "Hey Summer," Victor said. "How often should I do that mirror thing?"

She grabbed Connor's hand and lifted it up to her face. His eyes widened. "I actually just came up with another exercise that doesn't require a mirror. Lift your hand up and stare at it, but move your focus to the outline of your hand with your peripheral vision."

Victor lifted his uninjured hand and stared at it blankly. They used to be so rough and covered with cuts and bruises. "We're not gonna add this to the group sessions, are we? I don't think I can stop myself from laughing if it's just me and Connor staring at our hands for thirty minutes."

"No, you can do it in your free time." Summer lowered Connor's hand while still clasping it. "Connor, eventually you'll be able to read colors. I'm so excited!"

"What color is my aura?" Mr. Au asked. One hand was on the steering wheel and he wrapped his other arm around the passenger's side headrest.

Summer leaned forward. "Mostly red."

"What does that mean?" Mr. Au asked.

"Red is usually associated with strength and passion."

"What about gold?" Victor asked.

Summer shrugged. "You're the only person I've ever met with a golden aura."

"It's gotta have some elite, super special meaning," Victor said. "What do some of the other colors mean?"

Summer leaned back in her seat and peered up at the closed sunroof. "White is associated with spiritual balance."

Victor gave Connor a quick glance. "Balanced? Oh, please..."

"Shhh," Connor said with a wry smile on his face. "Let her finish."

Summer let out a snort. "Someone with a mostly blue aura is usually creative and sensitive. Green is associated with compassion, yellow is optimism and friendliness, orange is ambition and courage, brown is greed and self-involvement, gray is depression and sadness, and violet is usually for the spiritually advanced. Jake's aura was violet, by the way."

"You said there were swirls of black in our auras when we were in the hospital," Victor said.

"The only people I've seen with completely black auras are demons. But usually black shows up when someone is injured or under a lot of duress."

"I'm gonna have to write all of this down," Victor said.

"Being spiritually sensitive is more than just crystals and seeing people's auras," Summer said. "As you continue to meditate and train, you will start to notice the subtleties of human communication. Eventually learning what it means to really connect with someone."

Victor stared at his hand for a while, trying to parse her meaning. His gaze rose. "Connor, why did you hide the fact that you could see auras?"

"You never seemed like the type to believe me. Your constant mocking of Summer was confirmation. I didn't want to say anything that might push you away."

"Yeah, I made fun of her, but she was still my friend. You could have said something."

"As time went on, I grew fond of laughing at the two of you bicker."

Summer squeezed Connor's hand. "So you just sat there and let him tease me for years because you thought it was funny?" Connor grimaced and then swiftly pulled his hand away. A guffaw came from the driver's seat.

The sunset's purple and orange hue hypnotized Victor. He sank even deeper in his seat as the sporadic number of recognizable buildings turned into several miles of familiar locales. They dropped Summer off first. The tension in her grandmother's body released the moment she noticed their car.

"Text me when you get home," Summer said as she backed away from the car.

"That's way too long of a wait," Connor said. Victor stifled a snarky remark.

"Don't forget to practice seeing your auras!" she exclaimed. "You too, Mr. Au!"

The drive to Connor's home was a quiet one, exhaustion hitting everyone at once. Even Mr. Au couldn't stop himself from rubbing his eyes.

"Text me when you get home!" Victor mocked as Connor stood on his porch steps.

"Very funny," Connor said. "Thanks for everything, Mr. Au."

"Don't mention it."

"Connor, we were pretty awesome back there, weren't we?" Victor asked.

"Absolutely. Heal up, bro."

"Will do."

Victor promised himself that he would take a shower the second he got home, but he made the mistake of sitting down first. The couch felt like it was made of the finest upholstery, and the distance to the stairs lengthened with each breath.

His dad interrupted his fusion with the couch by walking up to him with a first aid kit in hand. The almost blindingly sharp pain got duller and duller with each passing moment after they left the school. By the time Victor got home, he almost completely forgot about his injury.

"Lemme see," his father demanded. Victor lifted his arm and let his father unwrap the bandages. Mr. Au's eyes widened. His hand appeared to be almost completely healed.

Victor clenched fist. "Good as new."