Excerpt: In God We Trust

“The room? That was you?” Mei demanded. Oh crap she was so not being able to stay in the suite. This sucked, she just wanted to have her bath and sleep in that deliciously sinful looking bed.

“Yes, that was me.” Crazy lady said.

“Oh snap! But wait, how I know?” Mei demanded.

“What do you mean?” The angel said.

“How do I know that you're not just a crazy person. I can think of a bunch of ways to rig that. Angels, I mean really? You're going to tell me there's no god and angels rule everything?”

The woman, angel, whatever raised her eyes to the heavens and then there was a flash of light and Mei could just make out a set of black wings behind the woman.

“Whoa...ok.”

The angel smirked, “do you now believe?”

“um yep, believer, right here.” Mei replied nodding vigorously. “But ok, how am I supposed to find Michael. And how do you know that he wants to be found?”

“I do not,” The angel replied. “I just know that there are forces that would rather he never come back, and they are amassing now, to make that happen.”

Mei blinked a few times, opened her mouth and shut before coming up with an answer, “So, you mean that this is all because the angels are couping?”

“Not...exactly.” The angel said. “There are other forces at work as well, but yes, there are those that enjoy—the way thing are.”

“Ok, I have a question,” Mei said. “um, if you said that you can't be seen by our world, how am I talking to you now?”

The angel seemed to look distinctly uncomfortable. “We can, appear as humans.”

“You're so lying,” Mei said with a giggle.

“I do not lie. The way we appear...this body welcomed me,”

It took Mei a minute to figure out. In her defense she wasn't the one that believed in demonic possession, that was all Tina but she'd seen the exorcist dammit. She slid off the bed and backed away. “You possess people? I thought that you were the good guys!”

“We do not possess. We come when we're invited.”

“Um, hello, in a body that doesn't belong to you, that's possessed. That's like the definition of possessed.”

“She prayed for this.”

“Oh so bullshit. No one prays to be possessed. Besides you're saying there is no god so what you hijacked her prayers? So no cool!”

“Mei, you should calm down.”

“No way! You get out of here.”

“The world--”

“Has been doing fine without you guys wandering the earth for however long. It doesn't need me.”

“It does. This is what I'm trying to tell you. There are more demons walking among you, taking you for their own nefarious purposes.”

Mei glanced around, this whole thing was nuts. Completely and totally and she wondered if that meant she was dreaming. Oh she totally hoped she was dreaming because then all of this could be blamed on the Thai food. Yeah that was it, it was all just some freakish dream. Probably brought on from too much Supernatural drooling and meeting Jared Padalecki the other day. Yeah, that's all that this was.

“This is no dream.” The angel said.

“If this was a dream you'd say that,” and ok, that didn't even make sense to her but she was going with it. Besides, the whole entire situation was a little out of the normal scope for her. Out of the normal scope of anyone's normal.

“Mei, we don't have time for this,” the angel huffed.

“You want me to help you, you have to let me freak. Part of the deal.” Mei said and she desperately wanted to call someone. She didn't know who, Chan sprung to mind but she wasn't sure at all if Chan believed in angels and demons. Besides she couldn't just fuck her over by announcing that there was no god and an angel had told her that. Yeah, no. She was totally on her own there and she hated it. She wasn't good on her own, not really.

“Mei, you are never alone.”

“OMG, get out of my head!” Mei snapped, backing away further. Still, it was a nice sentiment. She sat down and put her head in her hands. “Ok, so you don't randomly possess people?” Really out of all of this that was what she had the hardest time with.

“I do not, no. Most angels do not come to earth at all, preferring our own realm. But there are a few...that have forgotten what it means to be on our side.”

“There are bad angels?”

“There are the fallen,” the angel admitted.

Mei frowned, her biblical mysticism was rusty but she was pretty sure that was a euphamism for something else. Something not nearly as cool as angels. “Those would be...”

“What you would call the demons.”

Mei nodded, of course, that only made sense really. Ying and yang, polar opposites. Can't have light without darkness. That was the first thing about this freaky situation that did make sense. “Right ok, so the demons...they're not abiding by the treaty?”

“There was no treaty per se, more like Michael smote them all and sent them to hell. Now they've found out that Michael is gone, hasn't been seen in no one knows how long and they're out to retake what they had before.”

“Hell on earth?” Mei asked, hesitantly. She sat down on the bed, it really was comfortable, and swallowed hard. “I'm thinking that'd be really bad.”

The angel nodded, “it would be the destruction of everything we know.”

Mei nodded slowly, “right but that still doesn't answer why me?”

The angel shrugged, “I do not know. I am only the messenger. What I do know is that you were chosen specifically.”

“But if there's no god and Michael's missing, who chose me?”

The angel smiled, “the only ones that all the angels listen to. The Thrones.”

Mei blinked, “Um ok.”

“They are like, the judges of your world. They hold all the knowledge of heaven and earth.”

Mei stared at her with her mouth hung wide open. “Wow...”

The angel smiled, “it's quite the honor.”

Mei looked at her, “and so you're coming with me right? I mean I won't even know what Michael looks like. I'm assuming that I won't be able to see his real form or anything and so yeah, I mean he could be in anyone. Do I just start knocking on people's heads asking if Michael was in there?”

As she said that, Mei had an uncanny idea to start drawing a manga based on that theme. Finding angels by knocking on people's heads. Would have to make the main character pretty effeminate and maybe the whoel thing would be yaoi or maybe just shojo. Heck, they'd already done the whole thing of angels in Ceres, she could do a doushinji about pretty boys looking for angels. It'd be a comedy for sure.

“Mei focus,” the angel said. “I will be there when you need me but you must find him on your own. This is paramount.”

“Is this like a superpower? My new secret identity as angel finder? Do I get some kind of cool superhero suit?”

“No,” the angel said and it was clear that she was starting to get exasperated with Mei. “You don't get a suit. But you can tell whomever you wish about your quest.”

“Quest huh? Um, ok, but I don't even know where to start.”

“I would suggest where the demons congregate.”

Mei sighed, “why did I know you were going to say that.” The angel turned to go and Mei stood up, “wait! What do I call you and how do I find where the demons hang out?”

“I am Bath Kol, and you will find them when you find them. You have good instincts Mei.”

“Right,” Mei said with a sigh and the angel was gone with a flutter of wings. Mei looked around and then flopped on the bed. “I'm so going to need my laptop.”
“The room? That was you?” Mei demanded. Oh crap she was so not being able to stay in the suite. This sucked, she just wanted to have her bath and sleep in that deliciously sinful looking bed.

“Yes, that was me.” Crazy lady said.

“Oh snap! But wait, how I know?” Mei demanded.

“What do you mean?” The angel said.

“How do I know that you're not just a crazy person. I can think of a bunch of ways to rig that. Angels, I mean really? You're going to tell me there's no god and angels rule everything?”

The woman, angel, whatever raised her eyes to the heavens and then there was a flash of light and Mei could just make out a set of black wings behind the woman.

“Whoa...ok.”

The angel smirked, “do you now believe?”

“um yep, believer, right here.” Mei replied nodding vigorously. “But ok, how am I supposed to find Michael. And how do you know that he wants to be found?”

“I do not,” The angel replied. “I just know that there are forces that would rather he never come back, and they are amassing now, to make that happen.”

Mei blinked a few times, opened her mouth and shut before coming up with an answer, “So, you mean that this is all because the angels are couping?”

“Not...exactly.” The angel said. “There are other forces at work as well, but yes, there are those that enjoy—the way thing are.”

“Ok, I have a question,” Mei said. “um, if you said that you can't be seen by our world, how am I talking to you now?”

The angel seemed to look distinctly uncomfortable. “We can, appear as humans.”

“You're so lying,” Mei said with a giggle.

“I do not lie. The way we appear...this body welcomed me,”

It took Mei a minute to figure out. In her defense she wasn't the one that believed in demonic possession, that was all Tina but she'd seen the exorcist dammit. She slid off the bed and backed away. “You possess people? I thought that you were the good guys!”

“We do not possess. We come when we're invited.”

“Um, hello, in a body that doesn't belong to you, that's possessed. That's like the definition of possessed.”

“She prayed for this.”

“Oh so bullshit. No one prays to be possessed. Besides you're saying there is no god so what you hijacked her prayers? So no cool!”

“Mei, you should calm down.”

“No way! You get out of here.”

“The world--”

“Has been doing fine without you guys wandering the earth for however long. It doesn't need me.”

“It does. This is what I'm trying to tell you. There are more demons walking among you, taking you for their own nefarious purposes.”

Mei glanced around, this whole thing was nuts. Completely and totally and she wondered if that meant she was dreaming. Oh she totally hoped she was dreaming because then all of this could be blamed on the Thai food. Yeah that was it, it was all just some freakish dream. Probably brought on from too much Supernatural drooling and meeting Jared Padalecki the other day. Yeah, that's all that this was.

“This is no dream.” The angel said.

“If this was a dream you'd say that,” and ok, that didn't even make sense to her but she was going with it. Besides, the whole entire situation was a little out of the normal scope for her. Out of the normal scope of anyone's normal.

“Mei, we don't have time for this,” the angel huffed.

“You want me to help you, you have to let me freak. Part of the deal.” Mei said and she desperately wanted to call someone. She didn't know who, Chan sprung to mind but she wasn't sure at all if Chan believed in angels and demons. Besides she couldn't just fuck her over by announcing that there was no god and an angel had told her that. Yeah, no. She was totally on her own there and she hated it. She wasn't good on her own, not really.

“Mei, you are never alone.”

“OMG, get out of my head!” Mei snapped, backing away further. Still, it was a nice sentiment. She sat down and put her head in her hands. “Ok, so you don't randomly possess people?” Really out of all of this that was what she had the hardest time with.

“I do not, no. Most angels do not come to earth at all, preferring our own realm. But there are a few...that have forgotten what it means to be on our side.”

“There are bad angels?”

“There are the fallen,” the angel admitted.

Mei frowned, her biblical mysticism was rusty but she was pretty sure that was a euphamism for something else. Something not nearly as cool as angels. “Those would be...”

“What you would call the demons.”

Mei nodded, of course, that only made sense really. Ying and yang, polar opposites. Can't have light without darkness. That was the first thing about this freaky situation that did make sense. “Right ok, so the demons...they're not abiding by the treaty?”

“There was no treaty per se, more like Michael smote them all and sent them to hell. Now they've found out that Michael is gone, hasn't been seen in no one knows how long and they're out to retake what they had before.”

“Hell on earth?” Mei asked, hesitantly. She sat down on the bed, it really was comfortable, and swallowed hard. “I'm thinking that'd be really bad.”

The angel nodded, “it would be the destruction of everything we know.”

Mei nodded slowly, “right but that still doesn't answer why me?”

The angel shrugged, “I do not know. I am only the messenger. What I do know is that you were chosen specifically.”

“But if there's no god and Michael's missing, who chose me?”

The angel smiled, “the only ones that all the angels listen to. The Thrones.”

Mei blinked, “Um ok.”

“They are like, the judges of your world. They hold all the knowledge of heaven and earth.”

Mei stared at her with her mouth hung wide open. “Wow...”

The angel smiled, “it's quite the honor.”

Mei looked at her, “and so you're coming with me right? I mean I won't even know what Michael looks like. I'm assuming that I won't be able to see his real form or anything and so yeah, I mean he could be in anyone. Do I just start knocking on people's heads asking if Michael was in there?”

As she said that, Mei had an uncanny idea to start drawing a manga based on that theme. Finding angels by knocking on people's heads. Would have to make the main character pretty effeminate and maybe the whoel thing would be yaoi or maybe just shojo. Heck, they'd already done the whole thing of angels in Ceres, she could do a doushinji about pretty boys looking for angels. It'd be a comedy for sure.

“Mei focus,” the angel said. “I will be there when you need me but you must find him on your own. This is paramount.”

“Is this like a superpower? My new secret identity as angel finder? Do I get some kind of cool superhero suit?”

“No,” the angel said and it was clear that she was starting to get exasperated with Mei. “You don't get a suit. But you can tell whomever you wish about your quest.”

“Quest huh? Um, ok, but I don't even know where to start.”

“I would suggest where the demons congregate.”

Mei sighed, “why did I know you were going to say that.” The angel turned to go and Mei stood up, “wait! What do I call you and how do I find where the demons hang out?”

“I am Bath Kol, and you will find them when you find them. You have good instincts Mei.”

“Right,” Mei said with a sigh and the angel was gone with a flutter of wings. Mei looked around and then flopped on the bed. “I'm so going to need my laptop.”
“The room? That was you?” Mei demanded. Oh crap she was so not being able to stay in the suite. This sucked, she just wanted to have her bath and sleep in that deliciously sinful looking bed.

“Yes, that was me.” Crazy lady said.

“Oh snap! But wait, how I know?” Mei demanded.

“What do you mean?” The angel said.

“How do I know that you're not just a crazy person. I can think of a bunch of ways to rig that. Angels, I mean really? You're going to tell me there's no god and angels rule everything?”

The woman, angel, whatever raised her eyes to the heavens and then there was a flash of light and Mei could just make out a set of black wings behind the woman.

“Whoa...ok.”

The angel smirked, “do you now believe?”

“um yep, believer, right here.” Mei replied nodding vigorously. “But ok, how am I supposed to find Michael. And how do you know that he wants to be found?”

“I do not,” The angel replied. “I just know that there are forces that would rather he never come back, and they are amassing now, to make that happen.”

Mei blinked a few times, opened her mouth and shut before coming up with an answer, “So, you mean that this is all because the angels are couping?”

“Not...exactly.” The angel said. “There are other forces at work as well, but yes, there are those that enjoy—the way thing are.”

“Ok, I have a question,” Mei said. “um, if you said that you can't be seen by our world, how am I talking to you now?”

The angel seemed to look distinctly uncomfortable. “We can, appear as humans.”

“You're so lying,” Mei said with a giggle.

“I do not lie. The way we appear...this body welcomed me,”

It took Mei a minute to figure out. In her defense she wasn't the one that believed in demonic possession, that was all Tina but she'd seen the exorcist dammit. She slid off the bed and backed away. “You possess people? I thought that you were the good guys!”

“We do not possess. We come when we're invited.”

“Um, hello, in a body that doesn't belong to you, that's possessed. That's like the definition of possessed.”

“She prayed for this.”

“Oh so bullshit. No one prays to be possessed. Besides you're saying there is no god so what you hijacked her prayers? So no cool!”

“Mei, you should calm down.”

“No way! You get out of here.”

“The world--”

“Has been doing fine without you guys wandering the earth for however long. It doesn't need me.”

“It does. This is what I'm trying to tell you. There are more demons walking among you, taking you for their own nefarious purposes.”

Mei glanced around, this whole thing was nuts. Completely and totally and she wondered if that meant she was dreaming. Oh she totally hoped she was dreaming because then all of this could be blamed on the Thai food. Yeah that was it, it was all just some freakish dream. Probably brought on from too much Supernatural drooling and meeting Jared Padalecki the other day. Yeah, that's all that this was.

“This is no dream.” The angel said.

“If this was a dream you'd say that,” and ok, that didn't even make sense to her but she was going with it. Besides, the whole entire situation was a little out of the normal scope for her. Out of the normal scope of anyone's normal.

“Mei, we don't have time for this,” the angel huffed.

“You want me to help you, you have to let me freak. Part of the deal.” Mei said and she desperately wanted to call someone. She didn't know who, Chan sprung to mind but she wasn't sure at all if Chan believed in angels and demons. Besides she couldn't just fuck her over by announcing that there was no god and an angel had told her that. Yeah, no. She was totally on her own there and she hated it. She wasn't good on her own, not really.

“Mei, you are never alone.”

“OMG, get out of my head!” Mei snapped, backing away further. Still, it was a nice sentiment. She sat down and put her head in her hands. “Ok, so you don't randomly possess people?” Really out of all of this that was what she had the hardest time with.

“I do not, no. Most angels do not come to earth at all, preferring our own realm. But there are a few...that have forgotten what it means to be on our side.”

“There are bad angels?”

“There are the fallen,” the angel admitted.

Mei frowned, her biblical mysticism was rusty but she was pretty sure that was a euphamism for something else. Something not nearly as cool as angels. “Those would be...”

“What you would call the demons.”

Mei nodded, of course, that only made sense really. Ying and yang, polar opposites. Can't have light without darkness. That was the first thing about this freaky situation that did make sense. “Right ok, so the demons...they're not abiding by the treaty?”

“There was no treaty per se, more like Michael smote them all and sent them to hell. Now they've found out that Michael is gone, hasn't been seen in no one knows how long and they're out to retake what they had before.”

“Hell on earth?” Mei asked, hesitantly. She sat down on the bed, it really was comfortable, and swallowed hard. “I'm thinking that'd be really bad.”

The angel nodded, “it would be the destruction of everything we know.”

Mei nodded slowly, “right but that still doesn't answer why me?”

The angel shrugged, “I do not know. I am only the messenger. What I do know is that you were chosen specifically.”

“But if there's no god and Michael's missing, who chose me?”

The angel smiled, “the only ones that all the angels listen to. The Thrones.”

Mei blinked, “Um ok.”

“They are like, the judges of your world. They hold all the knowledge of heaven and earth.”

Mei stared at her with her mouth hung wide open. “Wow...”

The angel smiled, “it's quite the honor.”

Mei looked at her, “and so you're coming with me right? I mean I won't even know what Michael looks like. I'm assuming that I won't be able to see his real form or anything and so yeah, I mean he could be in anyone. Do I just start knocking on people's heads asking if Michael was in there?”

As she said that, Mei had an uncanny idea to start drawing a manga based on that theme. Finding angels by knocking on people's heads. Would have to make the main character pretty effeminate and maybe the whoel thing would be yaoi or maybe just shojo. Heck, they'd already done the whole thing of angels in Ceres, she could do a doushinji about pretty boys looking for angels. It'd be a comedy for sure.

“Mei focus,” the angel said. “I will be there when you need me but you must find him on your own. This is paramount.”

“Is this like a superpower? My new secret identity as angel finder? Do I get some kind of cool superhero suit?”

“No,” the angel said and it was clear that she was starting to get exasperated with Mei. “You don't get a suit. But you can tell whomever you wish about your quest.”

“Quest huh? Um, ok, but I don't even know where to start.”

“I would suggest where the demons congregate.”

Mei sighed, “why did I know you were going to say that.” The angel turned to go and Mei stood up, “wait! What do I call you and how do I find where the demons hang out?”

“I am Bath Kol, and you will find them when you find them. You have good instincts Mei.”

“Right,” Mei said with a sigh and the angel was gone with a flutter of wings. Mei looked around and then flopped on the bed. “I'm so going to need my laptop.”