She was so pale. Her skin had lost what little color it had, and now she was almost grey. Her hands looked as limp as dishrags. She didn't know how she was still breathing.

But Parnella had to seem strong. She needed to pretend. She had found throughout the years that pretending could be a dangerous thing. But the only other option was to watch her angels get destroyed, and if that meant going through hell, so be it.

She would pretend everything was okay. She was going to leave them here, this she knew, but how could she say that to two four and eleven year old boys? Especially when their relationship was rather... shaky at times.

Hagarty never was a good husband. Hell, he never once played with them. But after his career collapsed, he turned into a shell with nothing to protect. So he turned to drink. Since Parnella had to work more to sustain the house, she was always away. Slowly, Hagarty became even more distant than before. The night he broke her eldest angel's hand had been the last straw. They were divorced by the end of the week.

And now, she was leaving them, alone with this monster. She hadn't been able to completely estrange them, so that's where they would be going; back to a life they didn't deserve.

Her train of thought was shattered by her two miracles timidly coming in her room. She couldn't let them see her like this; a fake smile stretched across her face.

"Come here," she called them and was surprised by how level her voice sounded. It came with being a parent, she supposed. And, them being the brilliant children they were, came to her side.

"Listen... Mummy's going to be leaving for a while. I'm not sure when I'll be back." God, why does this have to happen! her brain shouted, but her voice remained a pane of ice. Her eldest seemed to understand. His shoulders began to shake and she heard faint sobs coming from him.

"Brilliance?" She felt names like 'Sweetheart' and 'Honey' were not appropriate for her angels. They deserve better. The eldest looked up.

He sniffed. "Yes, mummy?"

"I want you to promise me that you'll protect your little brother, okay?"

"Okay, I will." He grabbed the other child's hand and gave it a little reassuring shake, but it was more for himself.

"Don't worry, Mike," the four year old spoke. He looked up at his brother with those bright eyes that always seemed to be staring at everything. "She'll back back soon, won't you, mummy?"

Parnella sighed. "I sure hope so."

There was a moment of silence where she closed her eyes, but the eleven year old suddenly started whimpering, and with some effort, she opened them again. He seemed to relax a bit. She spoke again, this time to her youngest miracle. "Listen my little genius, I wanted to apologize."

"Why?"

"Because I was never around while you were growing up, and... I don't know if I ever will be now."

"Don't be that way, mum. When you come back, we can spend a lot more time together. Maybe we could even play with the toy swords you got me. I know they're toys; I tried hitting Mike with one when I was angry and it didn't cut him. That means they're not real."

She laughed, just a little. "Yes, that's right. You are so smart, brilliance."

"I know."

"Oh, my little angels," she breathed. "I can just tell that you're going to do big things one day." By now she was struggling to keep her eyes open and her limbs had gone numb. But there was one more thing she needed to say.

"I want you to be good little boys. But more important, be strong ones. Okay?"

"Mummy, mummy," her youngest raised his hand trying to get her attention. "I heard once that knowledge is power. You need power to be strong. So, does that mean-"

"Yes my miracle, it does." She felt herself giving in, and she welcomed it. She had said everything she needed to.

The last thing she heard was one angel weeping while the other called her name.