Chapter 17: The World

"Remi, where is she?" A tall man with golden hair bellowed.

"You could at least knock," Remi muttered. "She's fine."

He stood, brushing at his pants. I tried not to stare at his bulging zipper. I was failing at that.

"There she is. We need to get her back. She shouldn't be out of the world." He barely glanced at me and spoke to Remi as if I was some sort of object.

"Angandriel, she is exactly where she wants to be." He looked down at me sitting on the floor. "You don't want to go back, do you?"

I looked over to Angandriel. There was something familiar about him, too. I followed the thread of thought. Wait. He had been Anton that first night he'd come to rescue me. It hadn't been the real Anton. It was like my mind had been over written and now that I could see his face clearly, he didn't look anything like him. "Anton?"

The man glared at me.

Remi laughed. "Man, she saw right through you."

"But you look nothing like Mila's brother. How did you...?"

"The Veil rewrote him in your memory. He just looked like Anton so he could check on you." He leaned over and whispered behind his hand not any quieter, "He's not very good at hiding."

Angandriel glared at him. "Stop telling her lies."

"It doesn't matter what I tell her. The Veil will wipe it away anyways. I just wanted some company," Remi said.

"Charges are not company." Angandriel marched forward and grabbed my arm. He wasn't harsh about it, but he did insist. "Come on, Kira. You can't be out of the world like this. It's not good for your soul."

"Does it make me bad?" I asked as I attempted to stand. My stiff legs buckled, I sagged against his grasp.

He held me up by one arm, not even slightly off balance by my weight. I hung limply in his grasp. "Yes."He stated as he looked down at me. He picked me up with one arm and marched out of the house. He didn't even bother closing the door.

"Remi!" I shouted, looking back over the Angel's shoulder.

Remi stood in the door. "It's okay. When you get back, just call my name if you remember me."

Angandriel continued his march forward. The surrounding forest was covered in snow, which was odd for a summer day, but I guessed if I was out of the world that could be normal.... right? I was getting this weird sense of déjà vu.

Angandriel squatted low then launched into the air. White feathered wings burst from his back. I wasn't even shocked. Maybe I was just getting used to all the weird stuff that kept happening. He pumped them up and down until we gained so much height that I couldn't see the house below.

"So, you're my guardian Angel?"

He remained silent as he flew.

"I take that as a yes. And your name is Angand.... Angleand, Angie?"

"Angandriel," He stated.

"Angie, got it, okay. And once you put me back in the world, I won't remember any of this?"

He gave an ever so slight nod. Maybe it was just a normal part of flying, but I took that as a yes.

"So, do you have to put me back in the same spot as I started? Do you think you can just take me home?"

Angie narrowed his eyes.

"Good, that would be great. Thanks."

He flew for a long time. I didn't see the sun anywhere, but it seemed to get brighter somehow. We flew on. The wind was starting to chill me, but the heat from Angie's body was warm. He wore some strange metal arm cuffs, a breast plate, and a metal pleated skirt. The whole thing looked utterly absurd and stereotypical. His golden hair was shoulder length and his bright blue eyes were hard as stone. If he had any emotions, it was impossible to read it in his face.

"Quit starting at me," he said.

I didn't look away. "When will we get there?"

"Soon."

"How did Remi get me to his place so quickly?"

His lower left eye lid ticked to the left.

I laughed. "You don't like Remi? I thought he was nice."

The eye ticked again.

I chuckled to myself.

"Brace yourself. We are coming up on the world now. You're going to feel some pressure." He flew towards the shimmering barrier. As he approached, he slowed as if the air here had gotten thicker and harder to fly through. I took a deep breath as we pushed through it. Immediately, all my worries came back. Rent, Mila, Anton, my car, my injuries. Every muscle in my body ached, my head felt like it was going to split open at any second. I sucked in a breath to avoid screaming.

"We're almost there," he said.

He flew right over the streets, passed people walking to their jobs and traffic. No one gave us a second glance. I guessed this was the Veil at work, erasing anything weird from their minds. He flew right up to my balcony and forced the door open. He set me on the futon next to the real Anton.

"Be a good girl now. No more trouble."

"Angie, wait."

Angie stopped as he faced the door. His golden hair shimmered in the light.

"I don't know what you've done for me in the past, and I know I won't remember you, but thank you for everything. I know you've saved my life, too."

Angie gripped the door tightly. "I'm just doing my job, little one." His wings sprouted out when he was clear of the balcony. I watched him fly off down the street and disappear from view. As soon as he disappeared, my head felt fuzzy.

Anton's snores drew my attention. I looked over at the clock. I was going to be late for work. I really shouldn't have been out all night drinking.