Feather
Ilike the Abyss. I may never want to leave, I thought to Rumple and plumped up what felt like a lumpy pillow under what may have been my butt. I still wasn’t sure.It’s warm and cozy and there’s lots of music. Needs fluffier pillows, though.
The area around me filled with exasperation. “It’s not warm, little one. That’s me, holding you together. And the music is mesinging.” He cleared his throat. “And don’t grab that ‘pillow’ so hard. It’ll get even harder.”
It was pretty handy not having blood to blush with.Sorry. But it is nice. Or you are, or whatever.For a moment, I felt what had to be a hand on my face.I have a face!I tried not to get too excited; the last time that happened, I’d blown all my atoms back apart and Rumple had had to start over again. I decided to see if I could get him excited instead, but not with an inadvertent grope.You always call me Little Sacrifice, or little one. My name’s Feather.
“Is it now?” I couldn’t see Rumple rolling his eyes, but I knew he was. I gently curled my freshly-formed lip in his general direction. It wobbled, but stayed attached to my face.
It is if I say it is,I retorted, feeling smug.That’s how I got here, after all. I made up my name, said it out loud to the gate, and asked it to let me?—
“Wait. You didn’tsingyour name? No wonder you’re such a mess. That gate is tuned; it’s a miracle you got through at all. What are they teaching in Sanctuary these days?”
Not much good, from what I hear. Not that I’ve been allowed in any lectures or seminars or whatever. They barely let me out of my room.
“Why not?” he asked. But before I could answer, he finished for me, “They ostracized you because of your smut. So they believe they’re all pure, then? No stain among them?”
Pretty much, I thought after a while, but I was thinking of Righteous’s stain.Righteous, he’s Head Boy—he’s got smut in the shape of Italy on his arm that won’t go away, which is weird. Their soap is incredibly strong. My friend Sunny has freckles that keep coming back, but I love those. I hope she never gets all the way purified. If she does, I’ll find her some makeup to put them back on. Oh, I could use glitter!
Rumple’s laugh pealed out, filling the Abyss again. “Glitter. Only you, little one.”
I sent an invisible sneer his way. Why did everyone keep insisting that glitter was not a true artistic medium?Anyway, the Protectors are super careful not to get dirty when they go to Earth. They do a bunch of bullship missions, minor stuff, since they’re so worried about tracking mud all through Sanctuary.I tried to keep my mental tone from being bitter.They spend more time getting dressed up to go to The Merge—which is a sex club, I don’t care what they say—than they do getting purified. Why not do some real good on Earth? Why are they so scared of a little smut? It comes off! And they could be doing so much for humanity. It’s like they’ve forgotten how to protect. Sanctuary’s not all that and a bag of chips, either. They don’t have puppies, or vibrators with rechargeable batteries, or chocolate cream pie…
The void around us shook with anger and frustration. At first, I thought Rumple was as upset as I was about the lack of pie, but then he said, “I should never have left Gavriel in charge.”
I knew it!I felt my atoms start wobbling, and I fought for control.I knew it, I repeated calmly, when I felt less like an overcooked flan about to crack, and more like a well-baked vanilla sponge.I knew your name was Seraphiel. I guessed it, and now I get my prize. My wish.He was very quiet for a moment, and I thought,Rumple? Seraphiel... Rafe?
The void was so quiet that if I couldn’t feel him underneath me, holding me up, I would have thought I was alone. Alone. Rumple had been alone here for a very, very long time, thousands of years. Maybe he needed to hear about his friends.
They miss you. Mikhail misses you so much. He talks about you. He said you loved jokes and guessing games…
“You know that’s true,” Rumple said after a long pause. “And you are almost right. Part of my name is Seraphiel.”
Partly right. What do I get for partly right?If I had eyebrows, I would have waggled them.I mean, the prize for guessing the whole thing was a wish.
“And what wish did you have in mind? I can’t make you a lifetime supply of chocolate fondue right now.”
Oh, I don’t know. I thought maybe I’d… take your virtue.I envisioned myself as a cartoon villain, twirling my greasy mustache, with a giant, shadowy angel tied to railroad tracks. Huge like Mikhail, but with a curly blonde woman’s wig on, and an enormous rack.
His laughter that time was so loud, I felt parts of the void shake loose. “For partly right, I’ll give you a kiss,” he agreed at last, his hands working on my form again. It felt like he was sculpting my fingers. “If you guess the whole thing—enough of it that I could be pulled through the Great Gate without becoming an ‘atom boy’—then I’ll give you my ‘virtue.’”
Sweet! Make my lips next. I’ll need to practice puckering. As soon as I’m unsmooshed, I’m going to show you how the Heigel Jellies kiss.
“Heigel Jellies?” I felt his hand squish into what was probably my brain pan. “Must have gotten something mixed up in here?—”
Stop it! You know that lobotomy left scars no one can ever see.He sighed, and I spoke over his grumbling song.So, if I’d known my whole name, I wouldn’t have been exploded?
I felt something soft trail down what might be a cheek. “I’m not sure. You ascended when you made your sacrifice. You could have been trapped in the gate, like the rest of the High Angeli and Protectors who’ve been repairing that thing for millennia. But to make it through without singing, to even get the gate to open… Well, he’s never let anyone through before who didn’t?—”
Wait, he?All my molecules quivered with curiosity.So the gate is a guy. Is he hot? I mean, he’s totally hot as a gate, superthick columns, and not like a gately dad bod, but solid. Stacked. You could really grab hold of his knobs and rock all of Sanctu?—
The universe shook so hard, I flew apart.
Don’t do that again,I grumped when I felt Rumple’s hands pushing me back together one more time.
“I’m sorry, it’s just… that was unexpected.” He sniggered as he worked. “You really do need to get out more. Fantasizing about sheets. Lusting after Revel.”
Who’s Revel?I wanted to ask if that was the gate’s name, but the void around me pulsed with sadness. Like he was thinking of friends who had died, that he would never see again. Or worse, family.How long have you been alive, Rumple?I asked instead.
