Ha-lo

n (plural ha-loes or ha-los)

1.A ring or circle of light around the head of a saint in a religious painting 2.An aura of glory imagined to surround somebody or something famous or revered. 3. Something that resembles or suggests a ring of light. 4. A circle of light around the Moon or Sun, caused by light refracting from ice crystals in the atmosphere. 5.a thinly populated spherical region of stars and other luminous objects surrounding a galaxy.

[Mid-16th century. Via Medieval Latin Greek halos "disk around the Sun or Moon"]

Book meaning: A ring of pure gold, which is blessed by the Lords of Heaven. It circulates the energy of the wearer and transforms it into power. When power is flowing strongly into the ring it glows. This power can be telekinetic, a fast healing factor, a cloaking ability, and many more. It wards off hunger and weariness; it also suppresses feelings such as love and anger. Without a halo, an Angel is powerless.

Chapter one

The sound of boots landing in a puddle disturbed the silence of the night, coming from the alleyway that was partly lit by the moon. Near the back of the ally way stood a man, Kurt, as he wished to be called. He had his back to the entrance of the ally, turning slightly he looked toward it.

When one would look at Kurt they would mistake him for what he is not, a poor and secretive human being, even with his male model looks; wavy shoulder-length golden hair, bright blue eyes, perfect skin and a lean body. It was probably the way he dressed to hide what he was; old black boots, dirty old jeans, a white stained shirt, a slightly dirty brown trench coat that was never buttoned, a brown fedora hat, and to add to the effect it looked like he hasn't shaved in a day or two. He wore what he did in effort to hide, and he did pretty well at it.

Kurt turned fully when a threatening voice broke through the silence, and the sound of shoes hitting the surface of the puddle. "Hey, you hobo, where'd you get that gold band?" The thief said indicating the golden ring that hang from a silver chain around Kurt's neck. The gold band shined brilliantly, as if it produced it's own light, a kind of light that any human in the world longed for, to keep for themselves, to cherish, and do anything to obtain it.

"What does it matter to you?" Kurt said in a deep but beautiful voice as he grasped the ring. The thief stepped closer, want in his eyes for the ring, possessed by its brilliancy.

"Where'd you get it?" The thief said steeping closer.

"You've lived your life in poverty, you've always been poor, the only way you got what you wanted was by stealing it from others. Your want is strong, that is why you fell so easily, why just looking upon it you became taken so quickly, Mike Fuller" Kurt said turning fully to the poor man.

"W-what are you talking about?" Mike said putting a hand to the gun that was hidden under his leather jacket. "How do you know my name?"

"I know a lot about you Mr. Fuller. I know that your daughter, Annie, is dying of leukemia, and her mother was a prostitute and left her in your incapable hands. Trust me Mr. Fuller, please put the gun down, you don't want to make a terrible mistake." Kurt said as Mike pulled out his gun.

"Who are you?" Mike said walking forward, pushing Kurt back against a wall. "Who are you? How do you know about Annie? How do you know who I am? I've never even met you." By now, Mike was screaming and tears were coming out of his pained eyes.

"Mike please, don't do this." Kurt asked a bit frightened now, sensing that Mike was about to pull the trigger. Without thinking and out of his control, his white wings unfurled from his back, the ten-foot wide alleyway a little too small for Kurt's fourteen-foot wingspan.

Mike frightened and unbelieving of what he is seeing subconsciously pulled the trigger. The gun went off three times, the loud bangs of the automatic seemed like the only sound in the night.

The golden ring glowed slightly, and the bullets stopped before two pierced each of his wings each, and one pierced his gut. For a moment, the bullets stayed suspended in the air then fell. Mike fell to the ground and stared at Kurt amazed. "W-what are you?" Mike breathed.

Without saying anything Kurt tucked his wings close to his body, ran, and leapt off a nearby trashcan to the other wall and propelled off it into the sky. His white wings lifted him effortlessly into the sky. Down below, Mike, still on the ground. "I, I just saw an angel." He said in awe.

A few blocks away Kurt landed on top of a tall skyscraper, the wind played with his golden hair. The lights of the city illuminated Kurt's face as he sat on the edge of the roof and tucked his wings away.

"Go away Gabriel." Kurt said as he heard a slight fluttering and the sound of shoes hitting the cement of the roof.

"What, no hello?" Said a voice that came from a man with light blond hair and rich green eyes, he wore what looked like and expensive designer suite. "I don't know what's worse your attitude or your skill at being an Angel? You don't even know how to use your Halo yet."

"I know how to use it." Kurt said with venom in his tone.

"Ah, yes, but you still can't control it."

"Gabriel, what do you want with me?"

"Nothing, just a small conversation, that's all." Gabriel came to stand next to Kurt.

Kurt had the golden ring in his hand and rubbed his thumb over it, it glowed slightly. "Why is it so hard for me?" Kurt said to himself.

"I don't know, maybe, you didn't get proper training." Gabriel shrugged.

"My Priest taught me well." Kurt said and wrapped his fingers around the ring. "I'm sorry Gabe, but I can't stay and chat, I have to take off." With that, Kurt spread his wings, leapt off the roof and flew over the city.

"Suite yourself." Gabriel said examining his nails with false interest.

Flying high above the city, Kurt looked down upon the restless city. He could hear the constant honking of horns, the millions of voices of pedestrians combining into a jumble of incomprehensible noise. Noise, every where you go there is just noise, never-ending noise, whether it is cars, people, or even the occasional blaring sirens, noise is every where and Kurt does his best to get away from it.

Kurt flew to the other side of the large city, West Downtown, as the civilians call it, this was the part of the city were all the apartments are, and were you can escape some of the noise. Kurt landed on a red brick building, being sure no one saw him. He quickly hid his wings beneath his coat and headed for the stairwell that led down into the building.

He tested the door, locked. Kurt stepped back and held his hand out in front of the doorknob and the gold ring glowed slightly. Kurt heard a click and the door swings open. "Don't know how to use a Halo, my ass." He said smugly. Then he stepped through the door, closed it, and locked it.

His footsteps echoed in the stairwell, with green floors and off-white walls. He went down two floors before getting to the one he desired. He opened the big steal door that separated him from a carpeted hall. He fallowed the hall down to the fourth door on the left. Instinctively he put his hand in his right coat pocket and produced a key from it.

"I don't even know why I carry a key when I can use my Halo." He said under his breath as he unlocked it. After forcefully opening the sticking door, he was inside an apartment.

Inside the apartment, it was pretty bare beside the forest green couch and television; a side table was being used for a T.V. stand and wooden T.V. trays were being used as side tables. In the bedroom, there was just an unmade bed sitting on the ground and it had one bathroom, which too was respectively clean. The whole apartment was riddled with white feathers some to large belong to any bird, some looked old as if they have been there awhile, and most of them from spring molting, even though it was the the middle of winter.

Kurt looked around and kicked a few feathers aside. "I'm going to need to clean those up before too long." He reminded himself before shrugging off his trench coat. He walked into the living room and laid his coat across the back of the couch, laying his hat on top of it. He stretched out his arms, and wings, and then yawned. "I'm so glad to be home." The tips of his primary feathers nearly brushed the walls on each side of the living room.

Kurt jumped over the back of the couch and landed on his back, though painfully for he landed on the remote. He reach under him pulled the uncomfortable contraption from beneath. "Hey, I thought I lost this." I said looking at the black rectangle covered in all the essential buttons.

He pressed the power button and the T.V. blinked to life, first being fuzzy, but then clearing out, showing the news, the anchors voice came moments later. "An other angel sighting has been reported today just outside New York City. People are beginning to speculate. Is this a miracle or a hoax? A blessing or a mutant freak?"

"Shit." Kurt hissed. "How could those fools think me a hoax?" He huffed then changed the channel, and a respectable soap opera was on about some woman falling for the man of her dreams.

Kurt lay back with his hand behind his head, his wings limp and sprawled. The sound of the soap woman's soft voice lured him to sleep as she lay over her lovers' body.

Kurt felt a soft breeze on his face then a warm burst of air that smelled strongly of tacos.

"Hello neighbor." Kurt was awakened by the cheery voice of his foreign friend, Aero.

Kurt was slightly startled by the closeness of Aero, face to face. "Aero! What are you- How many time must I tell you I am not your neighbor, we don't even live close to each other! And what are you wearing?" Kurt said examining Aeros' pink Hawaiian shirt, bright yellow shinny jeans, and red converse.

"Well, Gabriel told me I should wear this. Do you like?" Aero said his voice had a hint of a german accent.

"Oh I should've figured that." Kurt sat up to let Aero sit down on the couch. He yawned and rubbed his temples.

"Kurt I didn't know you watched soap operas." Aero pointed out noticing the T.V. "and you really need to clean up all these feathers, it looks like an Angel died in here."

Kurt shook his head and said. "Aero, how'd you get into my apartment?"

"Oh, you leave your balcony door open."

"Oh, great, remind me to lock it next time I don't want you to barge in on me sleeping. What time is it?"

"Uh, six thirty in the morning." Aero said looking at his wristwatch.

"Why are you bothering me at six thirty in the morning?"

"I wanted to talk."

"About?"

"Nothing really. So, how are you?" Aero said cheerfully.

Kurt sighed and got up from the couch. Walked to the bedroom and found a black shirt and blue jeans, put them on, in place off his dirty cloths, and picked out a white shirt and blue jeans for Aero. He walked back into to the living room and threw the cloths at Aero.

"Hey, what was that for?" Aero whined removing the shirt from the top of his head.

"Put those on. I figure you're around the same size as me, maybe a little smaller." Kurt said in a deadpan tone. Aero is a few inches shorter then Kurt, and relatively smaller, so the white t-shirt was baggy on Aero and the jeans barley fit.

"Kurt, did I really look that bad?" Aero said fixing his short curly hair.

"Yes."

On top of a roof in the middle of the city, the sun was just beginning to rise. Kurt sat on the ledge and watched it as the city began to wake up.

Aero stood near by he stretched and flapped his raven black wings with boredom. The wind blew, and ruffled the black feathers. He closed his wings and looked at Kurt. Tired of the silence and dying to talk he said. "Kurt what are you doing?"

"I'm listening, Aero, maybe if you're quite you can do it too." Kurt said rubbing his thumb across the gold ring with his eyes close.

"Listening? For what? The only thing I here is the sound of the city; cars, angry pedestrians, barking dogs, and police sirens." Aero said sitting down next to Kurt looking out over the city as the sun beings to let it's life rain down upon the restless city. Up on the roof barley anything is herd to the human ear, but to an Angel their hearing is much more sensitive.

"That is because you're not listening hard enough. Listen past the everyday noise of the city and focus on the voices of the people. I'm listening to see if there is anything interesting happening." Kurt explained and looked over at Aero. "Use your Halo if you have to."

Aero bowed his head and placed his right hand on the bracelet, a piece of tattered black cloth, on his left wrist that had a gold ring similar to Kurt's tied to it. He rubbed the ring with his pointer finger. After a while of silence, Aero lifted his head, "A car wreck happened on twenty-fourth and someone got shot." He said understanding now.

"Yeah, nothing we need to worry about." Kurt stood up and stretched his arms and wings. "So what's the plan Speedy?" He said and nudged Aero with the toe of his boot gently.

"I don't know." Aero said shrugging.

"I have an idea." With that, Kurt jumped of the ledge, spread his wings, and flew toward downtown. Soon after Aero fallowed. The two flew to Downtown, were the streets were empty and the lower class thrived.

Without being see the two landed behind a corner store. Casually they walked out from behind it looking like normal citizens. Kurt walked down the street looking around as a car passed. Aero hurried to catch up with Kurt when one of the men in the car gave him a dirty look. "Kurt what are we doing here again?" Aero pleaded.

"Don't worry shrimp, it's going to be worth it." Kurt reassured him.

"Worth it? I don't see what's worth getting my wings plucked off like a fly."

Kurt stopped at a fenced in basketball court. On a bench sat eight teens of different races, one was a girl the rest were guys. "This is." Kurt said to Aero, pointing. One with an Afro held a poorly inflated basketball. "Hey, usually when I pass by here there's a basketball game going on. What's the deal?" Kurt said to the teens and they all looked up.

The kid with the Afro held up the ball. "Our ball got a hole in it, it won't air up." He explained. The other nodded with a bummed out look on their face.

"Well that sucks." Kurt said entering the fenced in area. He walked closer to the teens. "Let me see it."

"Ok." The Afro kid tossed the ball and Kurt caught it.

Kurt turned the ball several times in his hands examining it before speaking. His ring glowed slightly. "It seems fine." He looked over his shoulder at Aero who was coming up behind him. "Hey Aero, can you fill this ball up?"

Aero looked baffled. "What? Well, not without an air pump." He said then Kurt mouthed Use, your halo.

And Aero gave him an, Are you crazy? Look.

Then Kurt glared at Aero.

"Ok, ok, I'll see what I can do." Aero said. Kurt tossed him the ball and he turned it around until he found the air valve hole. He put his lips to it and blew, the gold ring glowing. When the ball was adequately inflated, Aero dribbled it a few times to make sure it was ok. Then tossed it to the Afro teen that dribbled it also.

"Man, how'd you do that?" The teen said surprised.

Kurt smiled. "Well what do ya say? Want to play five on five?" Kurt claps his hands once.

"Sure, names Will, and this is Steve-o, Juan, Ryan, Josh, Jesus, Chris, and Sam." Will said going down the line of teens sitting on the bench.

"You guys aren't like those creepy pedophiles who lure teens into their cars and rapes them are you?" The girl whose name was Sam said.

Kurt laughed and shook his head. "No, we're nothing like that. We didn't even come here in a car."

"Then why are you being so nice?" Steve-o continued.

"I guess you could call us miracle workers." Kurt smiled. "Ok lets get the teams together."

One team consisted of Aero, Juan, Ryan, Josh, and Sam. The other was Kurt, Steve-o, Jesus, Chris, and Will. Kurt went to the sidelines with Aero to get ride of his trench coat and hat. "Kurt, what are you possibly trying to do here?" Aero asked as Kurt shrugged off his trench coat, his wings perfectly hidden by his Halo.

"Trying to influence these kids here to make the right choice in life." Kurt removed his hat and placed it on top of his coat.

After walking back to the group of kids, they all got in their places then passed in the ball. For most of the afternoon the group of ten played; the cheering and the laughing as one of the kids would fall on top of one another or they would all try to pull Aero down as he tried to keep the ball away from them. Aero would eventually loose the ball to one of the teens, but he'd get back up and play the game.

Kurt after a while stood on the sidelines, watching them. He thought about the days when all the Pupils would play in the school courtyards of Heaven. How he would just stand and watch all the Elves huddle in one group while the Angels in another, and some Elves and Angels would merge together chatting about the day and their thoughts. However, for some reason when Kurt first started training, he stood alone in the courtyard, watching the other Pupils. It would seem like all the other Pupils didn't want to talk to him, as if he was some freak, of coarse Kurt didn't know why, but he accepted it.

Then one day while Kurt was sitting all alone away from the crowd, there was a disturbance in the cluster of Elves, not like a fight, but like someone was pushing their way through. The Elves looked as if this person was crazy, and they were probably right, cause an Angle broke free from the crowd. This Angle was different from the rest not only because he was the shortest one there, but also because of his tan skin, black curly hair, and dark eyes. He also walked with a determined approach, like he was going to get to where he wanted to go and no was going to stop him.

He Stopped in front of Kurt, who was looking at the ground. The Angle looked at Kurt with his head tilted, the tips of his oversized wings almost touching the ground. "Hey, why are you alone?" He Angel said with a strange accent that barely made his words comprehensible.

Kurt looked up. "What?" Kurt said not understanding well, but he did not care at least someone was talking to him.

"Why are you alone?" The other Angle said again more slowly.

"Cause nobody wants to talk to me that's why."

"Well I'm talking to you does that make me nobody?"

"I guess, unless you have a name." Kurt replied smiling at the joke.

"Jamal, but you can call me Aero. Every one else calls me Aero."

"Why?"

"Because they say my wings are too big, but because of that I'm a faster flyer. But they also say I'll grow into them." Aero explained. "What about you are you nobody or do you have a name also?"

"Kurt."

"So I guess were friends now right?" Aero smiled with a wide toothy grin.

"Yeah, I guess your right." Kurt smiled back.

***

A ball hit Kurt on the head, making him come back into the present. Every one was staring at him. "What?"

"Kurt it's getting late." Aero told him. "Some of the kids have already left. You stayed there in dream land the whole time."

Aero was right, it was late and some of the kids were gone the only two left were Will and Sam. "Oh I'm sorry I was thinking."

"Ok, let me know when you do that. Cause if you don't next time I might take you to the hospital."

"Hay my moms gunna' kill me if I'm not home." Sam said then ran off and disappeared.

"Yeah same here too." Will said then got the ball and fallowed behind Sam.

"Kurt what was all that about." Aero asked looking worried, as Kurt fetched his belongings and put on his coat and hat. Then Kurt shot his eyes off in the distance. "Kurt?"

"I hear something." Kurt said turning to look down the street. Then he took off into a run, out of the court and down the street.

Sure that no one was around he unfurled his wings and took off into the air. He flew to where he heard a woman's plead for mercy, a dark ally way between a nightclub and a hair salon. He landed in front of the ally way his wings ready to take flight if he needed too. He heard the soft pleas of the woman. "Please, don't kill me. What do you want my money? Are you going to rape me? Please if you just leave me alone I won't tell any one. Please don't kill me." The woman's voice was full of terror and clouded with sobs of fear.

"Kill you? Oh of coarse I'm going to kill you, but then you'll be my undead sex slave." Another voice answered, it was deep and rich, like honey.

Kurt Step into the ally way to see a death pale man standing over a blind folded woman. The mans featured were as hard as stone, but still smooth and elegant and he had eyes that were blood red, he had a ghost like charm to him, and he wore cloths that looked like they were from mid, eighteen-hundreds, England.

The woman had brown hair that at the moment was chaotic an erratic with abuse, she also had on blue sweater, stained with dirt, and equally dirty jeans. From under the black blindfold, Kurt could see she was crying.

"Well, well, well, it didn't take that long now did it." Said the man as he stood up, and turned around facing Kurt. "Nice to meet you my winged friend, you may call me Jack."

"Leave, Jack, you're not welcome here." Kurt said with venom in his voice. The two circled each other sizing each other up, even though Kurt was a bit taller.

"Not welcome? Not welcome! It's New York my friend every one is welcome."

"Please, who else is there? Please save me. Don't let him kill me." The woman pleaded.

"Silence!" Jack yelled at the woman. He turned back to Kurt, "Wemen you can't live with them, but you can't exist without them."

"I think you mean 'Can't live without them.'"

Jack sighed and gave a blank board look. "Angel, I'm tired of your attitude." Then Jack leapt and pinned Kurt against the wall. "We'll have to fix that won't we?" Jacks skin was ice-cold against Kurt's'. He put his hand on Kurt's cheek. "This is going to be too easy."

"You sick bastard, get off me." Kurt said and with all his might and with the power of his Halo he pushed Jack off him and into a pile of boxes ready to be picked up with the trash tomorrow morning. Jack was practically eaten by the pile of boxes and trashcans. Kurt got up and ran over to the woman, knelt behind her, and began untying her binds while she faced the entrance off the ally way. "Listen to me, when I remove the blind fold I want you to run, and don't look back. I mean it. Don't. Look. Back." Kurt removed the blindfold just as Jack leapt from the pile of boxes and rammed into Kurt pinning him to the ground, his blood stained breath inches from Kurt's face.

"You know you're really starting to tick me off." Jack said. His voice was full of rage. Jack put a gloved hand on Kurt's Halo. "How about I make you feel my pain?" With that Jack bit into Kurt's lower neck, making Kurt scream through clenched teeth. As Jack did so, he took the gold ring, chain and all.

The woman stopped running hearing the moan of Kurt, after hesitating a moment she turned around slightly. She watched as Jack pulled away from Kurt, his pointed teeth were stained with blood. She saw how Kurt rolled over to his side clutching the side of his neck and screaming through clenched teeth. She saw Kurt's white wings, now stained with dirt and grime from the filthy cement. She saw how Jack, now triumphant, disappeared into the shadows with the gold ring hanging from a chain in his hand. She saw Kurt unconscious laying on the ground in the fetal position. She saw an Angel.