Waking up was Halley Burgess’s least favorite part of the day. It involved effort, which she didn’t particularly like to exert. She could be using her energy for so many other better things, like punching that dopey idiot of a neighbor, Felix, in the face. And yet, here she was, rolling out of bed, getting ready to help him.

God, he really is an idiot, she thought as she spread her small fluffy wings and shook them out a bit. A few red and blue dyed feathers drifted to the ground. How did he manage to get himself into so much trouble? Doesn’t he know the rules? It’s the first one in the book, too! Angels are not allowed to pursue relationships of any kind with humans. That’s the rule, word for word. And here’s the goody-two-shoes Felix breaking it and getting himself thrown into hell. Well, not if I can do anything about it.

Halley quickly brushed her blonde hair with teal highlights and threw on the first thing in her closet: a black t-shirt with the phrase “2 words, 1 finger” printed in red across the chest, a jean jacket with pointed studs on the shoulders, and a fraying pair of red shorts. For most people it would’ve taken quite a while to gather such an ensemble, but Halley had organized her closet in such a way that her outfits were all together on one hanger. The same went for her shoes, which all had the socks she liked wearing with them stuffed inside. She grabbed her black platform sneakers with red and black striped socks and proceeded to grab a backpack from beside her bedside table and run from her room.

Dashing down the long narrow hall of the joint building they lived in, she arrived at Felix’s room. Halley banged on the door until a bedraggled boy finally answered.

His black hair was a disheveled mess that covered most of his face, and matched his mussed up wings. Felix’s wings resembled a strange combination of the cherubic shape of the female wing and the more angular and elongated one of the males. Just visible through the mop on his head was an eyepatch tied haphazardly over his left eye. The injury that had made this necessary was caused by Halley years ago when the two were still enemies. Although they still weren’t the best of friends, their relationship had healed over time.

“What-” the boy, Felix Naughton began, but was interrupted by a loud yawn. “What’s goin’ on?”

Felix spoke with a bit of a British accent and was usually good at dictating words properly (that is, after he’s had his morning coffee). Unlike Halley, whose voice was deep and husky but unmistakably female, his voice sounded like a pre-pubescent child and could easily be confused for the opposite gender.

“God, put a freaking shirt on,” Halley said, embarrassed. “We’ll talk then.”

“Hnnggg… gimme a minute…” he replied, still partially asleep.

In what was certainly longer than a minute, Felix emerged from the dark recesses of his ever-expansive living unit wearing a pair of straight legged pants and a grey cardigan over a pastel pink button-up dress shirt.

“What happened to your usual stuff?” Halley asked, referring to his previous style that consisted of light colors and Gothic elements.

“I figured I should make a good impression on the judge.”

“About that…”

“Halley, I know that look. I don’t care what you planned. I’m going to the hearing!”

“But why? You know you’re guilty, they know you’re guilty… everyone knows! Why not choose the lesser of two evils?”

“It’s the right thing! And there’s no place in heaven where I won’t get caught.”

“What if I told you that you wouldn’t be in heaven?” Halley said with a smirk.

“No… no, no, no, no, no. I’m staying up here.”

“Come on… Earth isn’t that bad! You’ve been there hundreds of times!”

“And look where that got me!”

“I see your point, but really? You’ll stop because of what the higher power thinks? What happened to ‘Mr. I’ll-Fight-For-Every-Angel’s-Free-Will’? Don’t you think whoever you left misses you? She’s probably sad, alone, and confused right now.”

“But I-”

“I get it. If you’d rather follow some silly rules than be reunited with whoever you’d been so willing to throw your own life away for, go ahead. I’ll just leave you to go to your hearing, where they’ll find you guilty and lock you up and torture you. Then you’ll be left in pain, not even knowing who you did all this for.”

“Halley-”

“But hey! If that’s how you feel, do it! I won’t stop you.”

Felix gazed at her in awe. “I- I guess I’ll do it. But how?”

Halley drew a strange knife with sigils etched all over it from her bag. “This.”

“But that’s…” he said, looking at the blade in worry. “Halley, how did you get this?”

“Same way I got half of the cool stuff I have.”

“You stole it?”

“Yup.”

“Still, someone’s sure to notice the Blade of Expulsion missing, and there’s no way I’m using this to get away.”

“Why not?”

“Why not? Why not? Halley, do you have any idea what this does to angels? I’ll Fall!”

“It’s that or die. Pick one.”

“You wouldn’t get it. You’re a Nephilim. The rules don’t apply to you. You don’t know the pain of Falling.”

“You go through a few physical changes. The way I look at it, it’s like angel puberty.”

“A-angel puberty?” Felix stammered, an expression of disbelief on his triangular face. “Does puberty usually include wings forcing their way back into your body, nearly rotting away, then tearing themselves out again, all bone and blood and feathers that shed everywhere?” Felix said, raising his voice in loathing of the other teen’s views.

“Wow, jeez. I get it. Falling equals not good. But! Consider the options! You can Fall and go through… that. The pain will eventually go away. On the other hand, you can get tortured to the point that you’d rather die. Just think about it.”

“Fine, I’ll do it.” He said after a moment’s consideration. “But only under one condition. You have to come with me.”

“Sure. I got nothing to lose.”

Using the ornate stolen knife, Halley opened the portal. They stepped through and disappeared from Heaven.