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discharge. You are out here because you don’t sleep, and thought to clear your head with a bottle of vodka, so you stepped out onto the balcony and discovered me here.”
    “ How do you know those things about me? Do angels know everything? Are you a mind-reader or something?”
    “ Perhaps it would be best if we went inside to talk,” she said, gesturing toward the fire escape. “We have much to discuss.”
    Curiosity won out over uncertainty, and Jackson motioned for her to follow him. This entire situation was growing crazier by the second. Not only had he discovered an otherworldly being on the roof of his building, but she knew things about him that he would have much rather kept to himself. The way she kept looking at him with those piercing eyes of hers made him feel completely exposed. He didn’t like the feeling, but decided to endure it for the sake of appeasing his curiosity.
     
     
     
     
    A massive gray dog raised its head as Sarah followed Jackson into the small apartment. After studying her for several seconds, he seemed to decide that she did not pose a threat to his master and dropped his head back down to his paws with a loud yawn.
    Jackson slid the balcony door closed and turned to face her. Even in the dark of the early morning, Sarah could make out his silvery-gray eyes. She had recognized him instantly when he came toward her on the roof, remembering the unsettling emotions that he had caused in her at their first interaction. They were just as turbulent now, but Sarah was better able to contain them. They were no longer unknown to her.
    He held her gaze silently, waiting for her to speak. She shifted uncomfortably under his perusal. He continued to stare silently at her. Sarah cleared her throat.
    “ You never told me your name,” he said finally. “Let’s start there.”
    She nodded. “Sarah,” she answered, fiddling with the hem of her t-shirt. Why was she so tongue-tied around this man? She was a messenger for crying out loud. Talking was one thing she knew how to do. Yet, for some reason, she was having a hard time giving voice to her thoughts while he was staring at her so intently. “My name is Sarah.”
    “ Okay Sarah,” he said with a nod, “Why don’t you tell me about yourself. I’ve never met an angel before,” he said with a slow smile. That smile put Sarah instantly at ease. Starting by explaining angels and their existence to him would be easy. She followed him into the living room and sat once he had gestured toward the couch in invitation. He lowered himself into a chair across from her. He placed his elbows on his knees and his chin in his hands and waited for her to start talking.
    “ Well,” she began, “angels have existed well before the birth of your planet. We were there when Father created the universe.”
    “ Father?” Jackson interrupted. “Is that what you call…him? The big guy?”
    “ God,” she verified with a nod. “It is what we call him.”
    “ All right,” he said. “So you’re sitting around in heaven and the big kahuna creates the universe. I think everyone knows it didn’t just stop there. What happened next? How did angels end up here among humans?”
    “ Angels were not needed on earth until the Great Falling of Angels. One angel decided that he was more powerful than Father. He caused others to rebel against him as well. They were cast out of heaven into hell after the Great War. They are known as the Fallen, or demons. They delight in causing pain and suffering in people. They are everywhere, just like angels.”
    “ So the big guy sends you to fight back?”
    Sarah nodded. “Something like that. Every angel is given a choice between serving in heaven or on earth. Many jump at the chance to come here. Each one serves a purpose.”
    “ This is amazing!” Jackson said with a smile. “People have been running around talking about alien sightings and Bigfoot. People who believe in angels are lumped in with those whack jobs,