The Fine Line of Heaven and Hell

Update: Chapter beta'd by Gaia!

A/N: I read a story recently that took an unexpected turn. Usually those types of stories wind up being the better ones, but this time, I just blanched throughout the rest of the story, hoping something would work out and not seem so bad. I was wrong. It just ended sadly (it was a happy ending though), and I was incredibly disappointed. I wonder what the author thinks of his story. Does he like it? It makes me wonder if mine will have one of those strange plot twists that people don’t take kindly to. It also shows me how much pressure paid authors go through. Yikes, I feel for those people. I can always change something if my readers hate it that much.. HE couldn’t, and I hated that story. Indeed. Anyway, that was random, so I’ll move on to the next chapter.


Chapter 6-Getting Comfortable
========================
Stretching lazily as she tried to convince her eyes to open, Shuey began to analyze her
latest encounter with her dark haired irritation. So now he knew about her past to some
degree. Would this make some difference in her life? She acknowledged that it most
likely would, and figured she should get accustomed to this latest annoyance quickly.
Idly, she wondered if she might have to kill him, even though he was obviously much
stronger. How could she possibly kill someone so much more powerful? She herself had
no abilities, and she didn’t know many, or really any, of his. He was nauseatingly
charismatic and he could turn his wings transparent; those were the only abilities she was
acquainted with, if they could really be called abilities.

Knowing this, she acknowledged that she could not kill this demon, Jerrick. In other
words, she must find a way to use this situation to her advantage. Puzzling over this
briefly, she began to prepare for a shower. Her wings seemed to have retracted at some
time during her sleep, so she had no worries over them being seen. At the moment, a
shower sounded like paradise. Gathering some fresh clothes, a semi-loose t-shirt and a
pair of cargo pants, she stepped inside the rather small bathroom without a sound.

She was so used to being alone, having Cordon in her room had alienated her to some
degree. She had felt invaded and even slightly defensive. Shuey hated those feelings
beyond all words. Roughly pulling off her tattered tank top, she tossed the blood-crusted
physical reminder of her own inability to survive unacknowledged into a small can beside
the toilet. Without thought as she glanced at her slightly gaunt face in the mirror, she
unhooked the clasp on her pants and stepped inside. Running cold water only, she
glanced around the small shower for the shampoo. The icy water beat against her back,
soothing the burning skin between her shoulder blades. Her wings must have retracted
within the last couple hours.

Focusing on her problem, Shuey began washing her messy hair. How could she turn this
problem around to make it work? She knew he’d taken some strange fascination with her,
but she hadn’t yet figured out what that interest was. He had to have some type of need
for her if he hadn’t booted her out the door or killed her as quickly as he noticed
her….species? Race?

He had even gone so far as to appear appreciative of the fact that her lineage was what it
was. Maybe he wanted to study her in some manner. Depending on what that would
entail, she could give him what he wanted in return for what she wanted. It wasn’t until
she was wrapping a towel around herself that she realized that she had lost herself inside
her head yet again. This was a common occurrence.

Slipping into her pants, she meandered back into the room with the bed. Glancing at the
thing, she realized she hadn’t even taken down the covers. Although that was normal, it
seemed she hadn’t moved much during her sleep. Deciding to leave the blankets as they
were, she slid the deep green shirt over her head. Once she reattached her handmade
sheath, she slid her dagger in place without looking down at it.

Her jacket lay crumpled on one side of the bed, while her boots were on two opposing
sides of the room. Apparently she hadn’t cared much about them as she settled into sleep.
With a roll of her eyes at her own apathy, she donned the heavy footwear and decided to
make a trip to the library.

Just as her foot thudded on the bottom stair, the night clerk’s head popped up and smiled
broadly. Her blond hair was curled today, and bounced around her face in a bizarre,
bubbly manner. Cool blue eyes watched her with avid interest as Shuey walked up to the
counter. “Yes?” When Clara looked at her like that, it always meant she had something to
say. Shuey had learned this over time as she encountered the blond more and more. She
was also unafraid of anything, like she had nothing to fear from a three-century-old
demon whose powers were nearly unmatched. This had happened the fifth day she’d been
here.

Not even a flicker of surprise crossed Clara’s face when she was questioned. Instead, she
pushed her frames up and smiled at her in a blinding beam of white. Sometimes this
woman scared Shuey. “Miss Shuey, Mr. Cordon would like to see you in his office.”
Damn, and she’d been hoping to avoid that one today.

Sighing without any mental recognition of the act, Shuey headed in to face her current
problem: Jerrick Cordon. Knowing he knew she was there, she didn’t even wait for
permission to enter before opening the doors to find the man sitting at his desk, stretching
his arms out and stifling a yawn.

Jerrick eyed his visitor with inward glee. So she hadn’t been able to avoid Clara; he’d
known that would work. “Were you leaving?” After a slow nod, he was fairly sure she
didn’t catch his meaning. “Are you coming back, or running away?” Instead of the
widening blue eye he expected to see, he received a look that implied that she hadn’t
even though of running. Inwardly groaning at his own idiocy, he waved her to sit down.
“Never mind then, have a seat.”

Her face went from thoughtful back to stoic within three seconds as she carefully walked
towards the chair. Honestly, she acted as though he was going to kill her. If he had been
planning to kill Shuey, he would have done it already. “I have some things I’d like to ask
of you.” An eyebrow rose, meaning that she was at least listening to him instead of
getting lost 'up there' while he was speaking. He had come to terms with the fact that she
often stopped listening to him when he spoke and somehow forgot about him as she
thought of whatever she was thinking. Sometimes it was rather irritating, sometimes it
was pretty cute. For the most part, it was irritating.

He waited for her to sit fully before he actually began talking. “Since you don’t plan on
running off, I’d like you to stay, at least until you gain dominion over whatever abilities
you have as a demon… or angel. It normally takes until the age of twenty to fully retain
all powers for a demon, but it only takes an angel until the age of eighteen, so I’m
guessing you’ll have retained all of them by the time you hit nineteen. That’s at least two
years. Will you do this for me?” Shuey’s brow instantly furrowed in thought as she
analyzed the question bit by bit.

From her perspective, she could only see advantages to this situation. She had as much
safety as this place provided, she had a job, shelter, and she’d have time to gain control
over powers she didn’t even have yet. Would she any have abilities at all? She had read
in a mythology book that humans were created from angels and demons breeding with
one another. Demons’ bodies only absorbed negative energies, and angels’ bodies only
absorbed positive energies from the environment. These energies altered their
appearances and their abilities. So shouldn’t she be a human? This flaw was made her
disregard the book as flawed, but in her mind, she always wondered.

Returning herself once again to the topic at hand, she thought over the request. “And if I
have none?” By the widening of grey eyes, she speculated Jerrick hadn’t thought of that.
Shuey would even venture to guess the idea was quite funny to him. That annoyed her on
some level, but she was willing to disregard his lack of thinking. After all, he was making
a very tempting offer to her, which made her wonder: what did he get out of this odd
arrangement?

Jerrick watched as Shuey slowly began to close up, meaning she was absorbed in
analyzing something. He leaned up onto his desk, casually propping his elbows on the
edge and waiting for the right moment to snap her out of her reverie. “Then when you
turn nineteen, you can do whatever you want. Although if you don’t have any abilities,
you’re most likely going to be killed shortly after your departure.” This earned him a
glare that almost scared even him. Almost. “During your spare time, I’d like you to learn
how to defend yourself with a good acquaintance of mine. He’s very trustworthy.”

Knowing she was about to object, he waved her off, earning yet another baleful glower in
his direction. She’d probably kill him if she could, he knew it. “If you believe so
adamantly that you won’t acquire anything, then you should at least learn to defend
yourself, correct?”

Shuey eyed Cordon accusingly; he had to have some ulterior motive. No one would
actually offer this to someone like her. He wanted to use her in some way, and she
wanted to know what way that was before agreeing to it. She understood that others
would use her the moment she stepped away from her greasy guardian’s compound.
She’d known that she’d be manipulated, and that she’d have to allow people to control
her to some degree to get what she wanted. It was like making some sort of unwritten
deal, right? “The catch?” she ventured shortly, at least thinking he’d be somewhat blunt
with her.

He smiled alarmingly, making her want to hit him for some reason, but only shrugged his
shoulders. “You also take the time to honestly try and get to know me.” Get to know
him? What the hell did that mean? She didn’t have to get to know him to work for him.
What did that have to do with anything? This demon before her wanted her to get to
know him. How did one… person get to know another?

Jerrick watched avidly as confusion flickered onto and away from those elegant features.
Shuey was trying to figure out the what’s and why’s. It was so rare to see expression on
that face that he was pleased to be fortunate enough to witness such an event. He
leaned forward a bit, his chin bumping against his bowed hands. Her brows furrowed
deeply as that crystal eye widened and narrowed to varying degrees. Pout lips began to
turn downwards in a tiny frown. “I don’t understand," she replied bluntly after moments
of silence.

“You will soon enough. I’d like you to work tonight. Sorry for the inconvenience, but
Fred had a family emergency and called in today. Could you do that?” Blinking in
surprise at the sudden change in subject, Shuey nodded slowly in confirmation. Did that
mean she was dismissed? Without even answering him?

As if reading her mind, he did that 'charming guy' smile. “You can think it over and tell
me whenever you make a decision.” Without response, Shuey simply stood and strode
from the room, intent on ignoring her customers as they ordered drinks just to annoy her.
Approaching the bar, she noticed someone behind it that she did not know. This
concerned her; she’d thought she’d memorized everyone around her. She stepped through
the small door on the side of the bar, pausing to assess the man serving a demon with
lightly green tinted skin and a scaly tail. Lizard demons had no wings, and usually had
scalier skin than this one, but that wasn’t the problem at the moment.

“You must be Shuey.” She jumped slightly at the sound of her name, free hand readied
near the hilt of her blade already. So he expected her? She supposed that was only
natural, but when he turned to face her, his blue eyes froze her to the spot. Those eyes
weren’t human, nor were they the neon demon eyes.

Those were angel eyes; she should know, having one herself. How was he not dead? He
was working in a place demon patronage was the majority of the business, and they
hadn’t noticed? How was that possible when they questioned her the moment they
noticed her own eye? His eyebrows shot up to the middle of his forehead when he looked
her directly in the eye. Forcing a chuckle, he ran a hand through his short spiky hair. He
sure didn’t look like an angel on the outside, but there was no mistaking his eyes. He
wore a white tank top that left little to the imagination when trying to picture such a
chiseled chest without obstacles.

His broad frame completely filled her vision as he stepped closer, reaching out a hand to
her. She immediately snapped out of her astonishment and slapped the offending thing
away. “Don’t touch me.” Blue eyes widened and he dropped his hand immediately. Were
all angels quick to follow direct instruction?

“I’m sorry, you don’t even know me. Are you alright?” Hearing this, Shuey reminded
herself that he didn’t know she was of mixed blood; a sin so unholy to the angels that it
probably meant death. She nodded curtly and skimmed the bar briefly in assessment. It
seemed to be clean and the heavier drinkers hadn’t come in yet. “I’m Leon. There’s a big
meeting tonight, so I’ll be helping out until about two,” he said softly, as if saddened by
something. She had thought Jerrick’s charm was irritating, but this guy’s mood swings
might just be worse. It would be a close call in the end, anyway.

There was about an hour of silence while a few more customers ambled in, asking for
large drinks so that they wouldn’t have to ask for shot after shot. This left work rather
boring, but if there was going to be a big meeting, Shuey knew she’d need this Leon’s
help. Said creature cleared his throat, as if trying to gain her attention, so she looked his
way in acknowledgement. “Are you… ah… an angel?” An angel…

“No.” This seemed to subdue him for a little while, allowing for a few moments of
awkward silence on his part. She could see him fidgeting in the corner of her eye as she
cleaned a recently returned mug. “What?” He seemed to be antsy about something, and
his jumpy nature was getting on her nerves.

Blue eyes widened once she questioned him, but he stayed silent for a minute before
responding. “You… aren’t going to ask me?” Dear whatever deity there was, she was
stuck with an idiot. If she hadn’t asked him already, chances are she wasn’t going to.
Wasn’t it natural not to ask that type of thing? She shook her head, knowing only insults
would spew if she opened her mouth. He appeared to be surprised by this and watched
her for an unknown amount of time before asking, “Really?”

At this, Shuey paused in her mug washing to glare at him. This had the desired effect, as
he looked as if he understood that she really wasn’t going to ask him if he was an angel.
“Why not?” was the question she was graced with after only two minutes worth of quiet.
If she answered him verbally, would he shut up?

“None of my business.” The damn man jumped again when she spoke, as if it were
frightening to hear her voice. What did she care if it scared him? Maybe he’d leave her
alone.

“But aren’t you curious?” It seemed that she had no such luck. He was adamant about
this, and she was simply too apathetic for him to let her be. The only interest she held in
knowing whatever species he was lay only in the knowledge of how he hadn’t been
killed by the equally idiotic demons that frequented the bar.

“No.” He only stared at her as she set the mug down, proceeding to take glasses from a
nearby table, swiping down some spilt beer as she did. Once she had returned, his eyes
still remained on her. Shuey really hoped all of his species weren’t like him. That would
be incredibly sad, and she feared for their survival… and awaited their extinction eagerly.
“If you aren’t an angel, what are you? I’ve never seen a human with eyes like that.” So he
wasn’t human, or he wouldn’t have said that when he had the same eyes. Why would she
ask for answers when she could find them on her own, anyway? So that left to question
what he actually was. She’d heard of demons who could take the form of others, but
wasn’t sure if this was such a demon. She had no proof, but she was guessing that a
Shifter wouldn’t want to come into a demonic bar posed as an angel.

“None of your business,” she said dully, ready to hit the man beside her. Why was he so
nosy? It was almost like he wanted to say, “I’m an angel” and she supposed he expected
her to be awed by it in some manner. Unfortunately, this was not the case.
“I see,” he said after a few seconds. Inwardly she breathed a sigh of relief. In fact, she
nearly rejoiced the fact that he finally understood that she just didn’t care whether or not
he was an angel. “I’m a friend of Jerrick’s. That’s why I can be here without anyone
attacking me.” Damn, another mind reader.

Resigned to the fate of listening to Leon prattle on about whatever he was saying that she
wasn’t actually listening to, Shuey only hoped the rest of the night remained quietly
uneventful. Actually, she spent most of the evening hoping that she never had to work
with this thing again. It was only twelve and she was more than ready for bed.

Luckily, the rest of her shift remained without unpleasant incidents, disregarding the
distasteful one she had to work with until two.


A/N: I thought of Leon when I was riding in the car with a friend of mine. He was talking on and on and I just wished he’d shut up. I thought it’d be fun to have a character that reminded me of him, and he’d probably chase after me with his car if he ever found out about it. *smile* This chapter was more like a setter chapter than an eventful chapter. I really didn’t know how else to keep her there, you know?

Anyway, there’s the sixth chapter, completed, and I have a fairly interesting chapter 7 inside my head already.

A question I’m sure I’ll receive: “How is an angel a friend of a demon?” It’s not taboo to be friends with angels in a time of peace, but it is rather uncommon. Leon and Jerrick were both born after the battle for the planet, so it was alright for them to get to know one another. I’m pretty sure you’ll learn how they met in one of the upcoming chapters, ‘cause you’ll see Leon a few more times for sure. *smile* Probably more than a few, but I don’t think he’ll be a major character. I’m not sure what will happen, though, so if I do make him one and you don’t like it, sorry. O.o I’ll stop writing before I make this a documentary, then. ^.^ I hope you enjoyed this chapter.