Chapter 8

Hope's body still ached when she woke up.

A quick glance at the clock told her that she had slept through two days. Her thighs suddenly and involuntarily clenched as her bladder filled quickly. Without even thinking about how sore she was, Hope jumped up to her feet and bolted for the restroom. It was such a relief that she sagged.

When she was finished relieving herself, Hope made her way to the kitchen where she sat about fixing herself something to eat.

While she was making herself something to eat, her mind went to her next step. She figured that it would be wise to just do a fly over for the next few days. She would have to be careful about how many miracles she used and how strong they were. One more overload like that and….

Well, she was almost afraid to think about what would happen if she went overboard.

H er hands were shaky as she placed the slice of bread on top of the small pile of ham and, after completing the sandwich, she moved towards the living area. The city of Los Angeles stretched out before her, a show that was even greater than those on the television. Hope ate her sandwich, watching the lights of the massive skyscrapers twinkle against the navy black sky. It reminded her of the skyline of London, when the sun set and she and Mr. Aziraphale had decided to spend some time together. Hope smiled as she remembered a couple of times when he would take off a night at the bookstore, and the two would take a flight through the city, ending up at Big Ben.

A lmighty above, she missed her guardians.

She wanted to swear to the stars that the next time she saw Gabriel, or any of the Archangels, she would sock them into the face. Unfortunately, there was a threat that they might sock her back and they probably threw a harder punch than she did.

H ope, suddenly feeling her appetite dissipate, placed the uneaten sandwich down on the table and turned towards the window. She felt a little better if she was flying through the city.

Hope knew that she shouldn't do what she was thinking. Mr. Aziraphale and Mr. Crowley both warned against flying when there were too many people out, since there were a few loonies out there that wouldn't hesitate to track her down and do awful things to her.

The clock chimed nine-thirty.

Most of the people in Los Angeles would be out on the streets, partying up a storm, getting drunk or high. If anyone spotted her…...

Well, if anyone spotted her, they would probably chalk it up to being drunk or high.

Her heart would be thundering if she had one as she shut the lights off and made sure to lock the door to her apartment before she turned to her window. The window was big enough for her to jump out of if she had enough momentum going. Hope sighed as she opened the window, a strong gust of dry wind entering her extremely cool apartment. Her wings appeared on her back; white colored feathers that were speckled with brown. The feathers blew gently in the breeze as she tucked them close to her back.

Hope closed her eyes as she let herself fall forward.

The wind blew through her ears loudly, blocking out the roar of the city below her.

Her breath was taken away as she opened her wings and she was yanked upward. Hope caught the air currents easily, and rose up above the clouds. The city of Los Angeles stretched out before her in a sea of glittering lights. It was almost as breathtaking as London at night.

Almost.

Hope soared high above the city before dipping downward. She weaved between the buildings, not bothering to hide herself as she flew faster than a bullet. Hope spiraled and did loop-de-loops. Everything created a buzz of excitement and a rush of adrenaline that had Hope laughing. She eventually circled back to the Airbnb, doing rounds around the building.

Every so often she would glance down, relaxing a bit when she saw that no one was paying any heed to her. She got careless, the excitement rushing through her causing her mind to be clouded. Hope didn't know that she entered the visible realm and was lowering herself too low, until she glanced down at the ground, and, much to her shock, found herself being gawked at. Some people had cellphones out and were taking pictures. Her heart was beating quickly as she quickly yanked herself upward, riding the upward draft until she reached the roof of a building. Hope landed there, nearly pitching forward in an attempt to fold her wings in at the same time.

Slightly out of breath and reinvigorated, Hope felt a feeling accidental embarrassment. She sent a prayer upward thanking the Almighty that Mr. Aziraphale or Mr. Crowley weren't there to see that. She most definitely would've had her ears chewed off (metaphorically) by the Principality.

The demon would have probably shaken his head, looking very disappointed in her.

With her wings against her back, Hope moved to the edge of the building, allowing for the dry breeze to caress her. Hope took a deep breath, allowing her shoulder muscles to relax ever so slightly. The stale breeze felt amazing, and she allowed her power to stretch outward over the city. Aziraphale warned her not to do that, especially when she was just getting used to her powers and in a city with the Devil. But she wanted to feel the city, and the wanted the city to feel her.

Across the city, across the state of California, everyone felt a feeling of hope and goodwill. There was an uptick in love for each other that would continue for one week after she had left.

Feeling better and suddenly tired, Hope turned and made to leave the rooftop when something tingled on the back of her neck. Her breath caught in her throat as she turned, the sound of evil snickering.

Hope's blood froze.

"Finally found the little pigeon that's been fluttering around."

Mazidekeen…

Hope's stomach lurched dangerously in fear as the head torturer stalked forward, twirling her daemonic blade around in a show of skill.

Oh, please Lord, let me escape….

Without another thought of her next actions, Hope flung herself off the roof. Her wings caught the air currents and she was off. With the demon's evil chuckle echoing around her as the dark-haired creature ran after her, Hope flapped her wings as hard she could. Her first instincts told her to go back to her R&B but at the last second, she turned a corner, figuring that it wouldn't do her any good to lead the head torturer back to where she was hiding out.

Even though she had protection there, it wouldn't do her any good on her mission if she was trapped inside her temporary home.

While Hope didn't know where she was going, she knew she had to go somewhere that the demon behind her that was getting closer and closer by the second couldn't go. The next thing that appeared in her mind was a church, but there were few churches in Los Angeles. And she didn't know if there were any near where she was.

Behind her, Mazidekeen laughed, a horrible little laugh as she leapt from the rooftops. Hope was panicking, and trying to keep her mind steady and clear but with each flap of her wings, and with no refuge in sight, her mind became more and more clouded with panic.

Hope glanced behind her, her heart almost stopping when she saw that Mazidekeen was right behind her. The demon could leap upward and take her down, if she so pleased.

And it looked like that was exactly what she was going to do.

Please God…..

Almost like a miracle in real life, straight in front of her, was a church. The spires of the cathedral beckoned her forward, and, with a singular burst of energy, Hope shot forward. She heard the demoness behind her curse loudly as Hope crashed through the door, her wings covering her body in protection. Hope laid dazed on the floor for a moment as searing pain in her wings made everything disappear. Then she jumped with a start as there was a frustrated scream.

Hope's eyes connected with the demon's, the angry orbs that promised pain beyond all imagining. Mazidekeen stalked just outside the threshold, like a jungle cat examining the prey in front of it, and wondering if it would be worth the pain to get it.

Immediately, Hope sprung to her feet and ran towards the altar. With each step taken, the young messenger could feel the torturer's eyes on her. Her wings flared when she reached the font, and her hand dipped into the blessed water, giving her a slight surge of power. Her eyes dared the demon to cross into consecrated ground, and to see what she could really do.

But instead, and much to her relief, the demoness snarled something before slinking off into the night.

Hope remained standing at the font, wondering if the demon was just playing coy with her. When a few more moments passed, Hope allowed her knees to give out. Tears of relief flooded out of her eyes as she sobbed quietly.

"I just…I just want to go home!" She cried to the statue of the Virgin Mary. "Please! Just let me have a life of peace! I didn't do anything to deserve this!"

Silence was the only response to her pleas.

AN: Sorry for the inconsistent updates guys! I've started a new job and just got done with training! Thank you for your patience!