• “Let me get this straight, you want me to steal a feather?” He asked, setting his teacup on the coffee table. He sounded slightly surprised by my request, but his face gave no emotion to what he was thinking.
    I nodded. “I want one of his feathers.” I showed him a picture of a man with large, black feathered wings. “This is the Angel of Death. I want one of his feathers,” I repeated to the gentleman sitting across from me.
    I had hired the master thief for this job, knowing no one else could get the job done. This was a mission I wanted done right.
    The thief said nothing, not even asking why I wanted a feather from the most dangerous angel of all. Somehow though, I felt that I should explain. “If I get even one part of his wings, I could be the strongest being alive. That is my dream.” I leaned back in my seat. “I could get rid of all the evil people in the world. Sanitize this pathetic place into something better. That is why I need that feather.”
    “You do realize the price you are going to have to pay for me to do this, don’t you?” The master thief said, seemingly unruffled by my desires for world domination. It made me slightly uneasy, but I ignored the feeling. “Once the job is done, I get my payment no matter what.”
    “You can have whatever you want,” I assured. “Anything except the feather, of course. Other than that, whatever you wish for is yours.”
    “Good. But don’t worry. I never take more than what the job was worth.” He smiled, but it didn’t make it to his eyes. “Now than, is the only thing I need is a feather? Not a specific feather by any chance?”
    I shook my head. “That’s all I need. But if you could get more than one of his quills…” I trailed off, seeing how he’d react. Apparently it didn’t bother him because he simply nodded as he got out of his seat and walked over to the window, the sunlight shining on his pitch black hair.
    “I can do that. Now then, shall I draw up a contract?” He asked, he looked back at me with his green eyes. “I don’t want either of us to go back on our words.”
    “Of course,” I agreed. ‘He’s most definitely a professional. A contract that will protect his rights no matter what happens. Smart.’
    “Okay then.” He snapped his fingers and a roll of parchment landed on the table, words already written on it. “It’s all ready. Just read it over to make sure it’s all there before you sign.” I started to read the document. This is the condensed version of what it said.

    Ms. Kari Black has officially hired Mr. Damon Chimera, to steal a feather from the Angel of Darkness. If the latter is able to return one or more of these feathers unharmed to the client, he is able to take the suitable price for the job. If the price is more than the client can pay, than the stolen item will be returned to Angel of Darkness, along with the name of the one who wanted to steal it. Once the client is given their item however, they can not give it back after hearing the cost of the job and must pay the price no matter what.

    I nearly laughed. Wanting to give the feather back? No way was that going to happen. This is what I wanted. ‘I guess that’s just for precaution though,’ I thought as I signed the contract. I handed the thief the paper, unable to stop a small smile creep across my face.
    “Good. Now then, I’ll be back in a couple of days so I’ll just come by to drop it off. Alright?” He started towards the door and then left before I could respond.
    ‘Oh well. It doesn’t matter.’ I got up and crossed my arms. Walking over to the window, I stared down below. Being on the twenty ninth floor, the rest of the city seemed so tiny. Smoke floated over the town, contaminating the air. Down below, the sounds of police sirens and the shouts of people rose above the smog. “Such stupid people. Worthless, the lot of them. Life without meaning shouldn’t be allowed to live. That’s why…that’s why…”
    “Ms. Black, is your visitor gone?” Darwin, my butler, opened the door and walked in. “Can I take this tray back to the kitchen?”
    “Yes, that’s fine.” As he collected the tray I asked him. “Darwin, why are humans such despicable creatures? Why did God allow these…these-things to live?” I couldn’t understand why. All they did was connected to violence. “Worthless scum,” I muttered.
    “I wouldn’t judge them so harshly Ms. Black. You’re one yourself,” he reminded me, not looking up. We’ve had this conversation many times before, and normally when he reminded me, I stopped talking and sulked for the rest of the day. But today, I was one step closer to my dream, which was coming quickly.
    “I know that. This is why I’m the only one who can clean this place up. With that feather, I’ll be able to get rid of the ones tainting this world. Then this place will be perfect.” I laughed in anticipation; any day now, my wish would become a reality.

    * * * * * * * * * * *

    I lay in bed that night, staring up at my ceiling. I was too excited to sleep, too wound up to even close my eyes. Right that moment, the thief could be snatching a feather from the angel. The image caused a smile to grow across my face, which was something that rarely happened.
    I could imagine it now; me, standing in front of all the other humans, watching them beg for their life. To them, I would be God himself. I would have the power to judge the pathetic, worthless creatures as I saw fit. It wouldn’t matter if in society’s eyes a man was a saint, if I thought he was meant to die, he would. I laughed at the thought of seeing them cowering in fear. After all, I was about to become the ruler of this world.
    Even if they didn’t like it.
    “Oh Father, how long I’ve waited for this,” I purred. “I can’t wait to see you cry out for mercy.” My eyes narrowed and my smile became an evil, twisted smile that was filled happiness.
    Father was the reason I was like this. And the reason Mother died. He really was a truly retched man. But it wouldn’t matter much longer, because I would have the revenge I had desired since the day Mother had been killed right before my very eyes by my father’s own hand.
    I thought of the pain I was going to put him through and how he would beg at my feet for forgiveness. I giggled in amusement. “Of course, you won’t get any.”
    Being God was going to fun.

    * * * * * * * * * * *

    The next four nights I couldn’t sleep. Excitement coursed through my veins, my dream of purifying this world was soon coming to life.
    “Hello?” The Master Thief poked his head into the living room where we had our meeting just five days before. “Ms. Kari, are you here?”
    I jumped out of my chair and bolted towards him. “You got it?! Where is it?!” I saw a black feather; tinted with what I assumed was the red blood, rest in his palm. I frantically tried to snatch it out of his hands. I wanted it with all my soul; I could feel it calling to me.
    “Now wait just a minute.” He walked into the room, holding the feather above his head so I couldn’t reach it. “Before I give this to you, about the payment, you might want to hear the price first-“
    “I don’t care! Give me the feather!” I snatched it out of his grasp. Feeling it resonating in my hands, I grinned. I could feel its power. “Yes…Yes! I have it!” Happiness filled me and my knees gave out. My dream, my sweet dream was not just a dream anymore.
    I cried with joy, having never felt this way before. I was elated, those hatred, horrible creatures would finally be out of my life. I was free of them. I could not word could express the bliss I was feeling, because it almost didn’t seem real. I could finally purify this world.
    And best of all, Father would die the painful death he deserved.
    After a few minutes, I looked up at the thief. My eyes still watery, I saw him simply standing there. “About my payment…”
    “Go ahead, take whatever you like. Darwin, write this man a check for me will you?” The thief just stared at me. “What?”
    “Who said I wanted money? I asked for a fair price on my job.”
    “What is it?” I asked.
    “You have one rule: you cannot use the feather,” he said.
    I felt shock seep through me. I must have heard him wrong. “What? What did you say?”
    “The price of the job is that you can never use that feather or any of the other feathers that belong to the Angel of Darkness. If you do, it is most likely that it will kill you instead of your enemy. You’re forbidden to use it. No one else can use it either. At least, not if it’s for you.”
    “But-but-that’s not fair!” I cried. “I refuse to pay!” But it was too late; I could already feel the restriction. It weighed me down and I felt confined, trapped. The happiness I had felt just moments ago had vanished. It was if it had never even been there in the first place.
    My dreams of getting rid of those foolish creatures, and Father dying in despair, were now just that. A dream; a dream that I could now never fulfill.
    “But Ms. Kari, you already have,” he replied. “Remember the contract we signed? ‘Once the client is given the item, they can not give it back after hearing the cost of the job and must pay the price no matter what.’” He shrugged, shaking his head. “The moment you touched that feather you had paid the price.” He chuckled at my misfortune. “I told you that you should hear the price first. By the way, the contract also said, ‘the client can not give it back after hearing the cost of the job and must pay the price no matter what.’”
    “How dare you! How could you do this to me?!” I shrieked in rage. “I could have given you anything! Anything! And this is how you pay me?! What kind of thief are you?!”
    “Whoever said I was a thief? I’m one who grants wishes, for a price of course. The price is never more than the client can bear though, so you’ll be fine.”
    “Fine?!” I screeched, trembling in utter fury. “You just shattered my dreams! Isn’t that more than I can bear?!”
    “No,” he said calmly, ignoring the vehemence I was now emitting. “People’s dreams are broken everyday. Besides, you said I could take ‘anything’. So think it as if I’m taking away your dreams.” He smiled; this time looking sincerely happy, not like the first day I had met him.
    It was if he was enjoying himself.
    “Don’t worry; I do it all the time. It’s no big deal. You’ll get over it. Maybe.” The man started out the door. “Bye the way, if you had asked the Angel of Darkness for a feather yourself, he would have been happy to give it to you.”
    I sucked in a breath. “Why?” I breathed. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
    “You never asked. Besides, you’re wish was that I steal a feather, not to tell you how to get it yourself. If you want to blame someone, blame yourself.” He left the room saying, “Humans. Such foolish, foolish creatures.”
    I never saw him again.