The Listeners

No one liked to acknowledged the fact that Angels existed. When the first stirrings had crept across the Internet, on underground radio stations, the atheists and agnostics had rallied, insisting that it was some sort of Fundamentalist Christian propaganda, backlash as a result of the big Supreme Court decision construing the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment once and for all.

The first generation of Seraph-voiced hadn’t been able to handle their gifts, and the world discovered that, no matter what religions held sway, Angels were real, and their power was formidable. When the government had to intervene, round up the mad men and women whose power had broken their sanity, society was forced to admit, through gritted teeth, that Angels existed, and there were some mere mortals who could talk to them - and use them. Control them, no. Use them, yes.

While the government scrambled quietly to find a way to deal with the Angel issue, society did what it did best - turned its nose up and pretended not to notice that anything was different.

And then they appeared - the Listeners. Ones who could hear angels but not see them, not talk to them or use them. They lingered in the corners of offices and police stations, in court rooms and restaurants, keeping an ear out to help maintain law and order. It was a little harder to walk in oblivion when the Listeners were there, a constant buzz in the background, seeking out Seraph-voiced and their angelic companions.

When a Listener stepped into Cody and Marsh’s ninth grade English classroom, the cheerful, pre-bell din died. Everyone stared as the Listener - a small, nondescript woman with mousy brown hair - perched on a stool in the corner and smiled benignly. Mrs. Larson cleared her throat and did her best to keep the students’ attention on her, but they kept looking at the Listener, wondering who among them was Seraph-voiced.

Cody and Marsh kept their heads down and their Angels silent while they pondered the overrated tragedy that was Romeo & Juliet.

They supposed they shouldn’t have been surprised when Elise was waiting for them after school, sitting on the hood of her car, guitar across her knee.

“What’s going on?” Cody asked.

“Get in the car,” Elise said. “Kyle’s waiting for us.”

Marsh’s heart leapt into his throat. Kyle was Gabriel’s companion.

(395 words)