"Seraph, please take a seat." I try not to let my nervousness show in the slight trembling of my hands as I take a step forward to sit in the single solitary marble seat in the center of the stone room, the council seated around me.

    "You have completed your schooling and training and are now requesting to be a guardian, is that correct?" The oldest and most distinguished of the twelve council angels in front of me asks. I simply nod, not trusting my nervous voice. "You understand the risks involved, the consequences, the danger, the rules? You are willing to pledge your life and your future in eternity to that life?" Again I nod. "Very well. It happens that we are running low on willing candidates. Here is your first charge. All the information you will need is within this file." I don't see a file on the desk in front of him. Unsure what to do I remain seated. Then a manila file folder appears in front of me and floats down to rest in my lap.

    "That is all Seraph. You may leave now." Without another word I take the file and slowly stand and walk out of the stone room. My heart is pounding in my chest, pumping my golden blood through my veins. They actually approved my request. I can hardly believe it! Nearly a hundred and twenty years of school and training and being told I'd never make it and I finally did.

    Once I am outside and on familiar ground I let my wings stretch out from their resting place at my back. The muscles slowly unwinding from the tense position. When my wings are thoroughly stretched out I open them wide and take off with one powerful push. The breeze is pleasant on my face and through the feathers of my powerful wings. I push my wings and glide home.

    I land lightly in front of my humble little home and enter through the front door, folding my wings so I fit. With a flick of my wrist my door closes and my blinds shut. I sit on the floor because I had no chairs and pull out the manila folder from where I had tucked it before I flew home. Taking a deep breath I open the folder and look at the picture in front of me.

    I smile at the lovely face in front of me, memorizing every detail of the face of the human I am to protect for life. This obviously isn't what they look like now, they haven't even been born yet. This is a picture of what they will look like in their prime. I don't bother to think about the alternative, which is that the picture is what the will look like the year I last see them.

    I look at the thin folder and the little information I have so far. The defining parts of them haven't been decided yet. This folder isn't just my assignment, it's my report. I have to leave tomorrow afternoon to get there on time. I check the time and decide to go and get all the preliminary things done at the agency tonight instead of trying to get it all done tomorrow. I grab my satchel and put the folder in it. Then I exit my home without a backwards glance, there will be time for that later.

    I pull the strap of my satchel across my chest, over my head, and adjust it to sit between my wings without rubbing. Then I open my wings, bend my legs, and take off. I soar in the warm air, closing my eyes I reach out my hands and brush the clouds by me as I pass by in a blur of speed as my wings propel me onward. I open my eyes and look for the place I want.

    I spy the large floating orb that is the agency and adjust my flight path accordingly. I dive in through one of the many entrances and land lightly by a front desk. "Hello Seraph, we've been expecting you," the slightly ornery angel behind the desk says without looking up from her paperwork. I don't bother to answer knowing it will only make her already edgy mood worse. "Vivian!" she calls, again without looking up and in a rather grumpy tone.

    A young angel appears behind her seemingly through the wall. I smile at her and she returns it, quietly gesturing me to follow her. I walk through the little gate and follow her through a series of hallways until she enters a room.
"Just go in and sit down, I'll be in soon. I just need to grab your file." Without answering I enter the room and sit on the exam table. I know that they need an exam before I go. To make sure they aren't sending someone in who isn't physically ready. And if for some reason a guardian isn't physically ready that they make the proper adjustments to make sure the job can still get done. Still, at least I'm a green, no history of injury yet. Well, no injury that matters at least.

    I kick my shoes off and think about the rest of the preliminary that I was taught about in training. Next they take me to a different room and I just sit there and listen as they rattle off information I already know about where I'm going and what I have to do and what the rules are and all that fun stuff. Then they take me to another room and give me my essential supplies like medical and combat supplies- "just in case" as they say, and food and clothing. Things like that. Why this all doesn't happen in one room I have no idea. But the agency loves wasting time on things like that.
About ten minutes after she left Vivian reappears in the doorway. "Sorry that took so long. Some things got misplaced. Now we are actually quite busy, no matter how hard that is to believe. So we are just gonna take a look at your wings, considering you have a habit of spraining them and the air resistance is different there."

    I fight the urge to roll my eyes and turn to sit sideways on the exam table so she can inspect my wings. I hardly think spraining one wing once counts as a habit of spraining both. I tense as her fingers make contact with the sensitive feathers and skin of my wings. I hear her mutter an apology and tune her out after that.

        After an unknown amount of time she's finally done and writes a few notes in the file. Then she gestures for me to follow her out the door. Wordlessly I do as I'm bid and follow her to the interview room. Without being asked I enter and sit behind the table in the middle of the room.

    "I'll just send the director in," Vivian starts to say as she begins to exit and pull the door closed behind her. But I stop her, "He's behind the one way glass on that wall. You needn't close the door, he should be here momentarily." Vivian freezes, nervously glancing between me and the "mirror" on the wall across from me. "Oh come on, I know you're there just come out and talk to me." I say decisively to my reflection. I hear a door open in the hall and someone call Vivian. She composes herself and promptly closes the door.

    I stare at my reflection, waiting. My just past shoulder length auburn hair is as straight as usual. My bangs sweeping across my forehead from the part on the right side, my piercings just barely visible, even the ones that climbed the cartilage of my ears. They're all a shade of purple today in an effort to bring out my violet eyes more. I don't know why I chose to wear the purple ones today, it just seemed like a good idea.

    To amuse myself while the time ticks by making faces in the mirror. I don't know how long I sit there waiting, finding it harder and harder to amuse myself but not letting it show. I'm running out of new faces to make right when the door opens again. I jump up and beam at the giant of an arc angel in front of me. "Hello sir, pleasure to meet you," I offer him my hand to shake.

        He looks me over, his expression part irritated, part amused, and a slight part is either impressed or skeptical. He ignores my hand and points to the chair I just vacated. Taking the hint I sit back down. He sits across from me, taking his time. I wait expectantly. When he opens his mouth, ready to talk I hold my hand up to stall him a moment and pull my chair closer, I rest my elbows on the table and lean forward.

        He huffs, definitely irritated now, "Miss Seraph are you quite ready?" I keep my hand up a moment longer and make some small adjustments to my position until I'm comfortable. Then I look him in the eyes, a very bold move since he is a higher ranked angel than me, and nod. He sighs and begins, "Could you please take this seriously?"

    And like he flipped a switch I drop my nonchalant facade. "I take this more seriously than my own life Sir," I state in a stony tone. For a second, and not a moment longer, he looks surprised. "Then all of this, your behavior just now-" he starts, a small amount of confusion entering his voice. I smile, quite proud of myself for fooling one as high and mighty as him, "Well you wanted to see me sweat right? So I got bored and decided to make better use of my time than satisfying your grumpy side."

    He blinks at me for a few seconds, completely shocked that I, a much lower ranking angel than him, had the bravery to stand up to him. I turn my cheerful demeanor back on. "So, you were saying, about my mission," I helpfully supply. He blinks and continues to stare at me in shock. "Sir? Are you alright?" I ask, slightly concerned for his mental state. "R-right. I guess we better get start." And so we did. He stayed direct and to the point the whole time.

    When he's finished telling me everything I already know he stands and offers me his hand to shake. Slowly I stand as well and look at his hand skeptically until he pulls it back. "Right this way, they already have your supplies ready." I nod and follow him down a hallway and around a few corners and to another room where I don't even bother to enter. I stand in the doorway and wait for him to hand me my supplies. I take the bag from him and am about to leave and go home when he stops me.

    "One last thing. Here," I turn and look at him, he hands me a chain with a single pendant on it,"if you ever need any sort of help use this. We'll come." He doesn't explain any further than that. I don't bother to ask either. I simply turn towards the nearest and largest open window and take off into the evening sky.