The Holy Order of Magdalene
Demon Exterminators and Exorcists
The metal plaque was old and worn, having faced years of wind and rain. She stuffed her hands into the pockets of her black jacket as she gazed up at the towering church, its gothic structure looking very much out-of-place surrounded by the sleek skyscrapers. She paid no mind the crowds of people hurry past her this way and that, talking animatedly on cellphones and flagging down cabs. She let out a deep sigh, the sound of Manhattan filling her ears.
'I can't believe they wouldn't let me bring him... He's my partner for Christ sake!'
When they told her over the phone to come alone, she was outraged. The only thing stopping her from unleashing her fury was his gentle hand on her shoulder and calm expression, silently asking her to not make it a big deal.
'And he's supposed to be this big bad demon...' She thought to herself, scoffing aloud. 'He's more benevolent than Mother Theresa. Really, the discrimination these people have is absurd.'
Demons were just another one of the many supernatural beings kicking around, just like the vampires, faeries, mermaids, elves, witches, ghosts... the list goes on and on. But the demons had predated humans for centuries, and had preferred to keep to their own... that is, until a rebellious demon crossed portals and attempted to take control of Earth. The aftereffects were devastating, and sparked an entire movement of demons seeking entrance to the mortal realm. Possession was the easiest method for the weaker demons, called legions, to use to force their way through worlds. Once on Earth, the legions left instructions for opening portals and summoning the higher-ranking demons.
Humans began associating demons with evil and spinning them into their religions, passing down myths of their acts of terror on humanity. Organizations rose and fell over the years to prevent the human world from being completely overrun and defend the people. The Order of Magdalene was one of the oldest in the world, built on the foundations of a religious backbone with a long-standing history of demon "exorcising" and a worldwide network of resources and locations. It's New York site was both the American headquarters and the place where Rosette Christopher lived for the majority of her adolescence.
After the death of her parents, nearly nine years ago, the good people of Magdalene opened their doors and adopted both her and her younger brother. Now at the ripe old age of 20, standing outside what used to be her home, the blonde contemplated her life choices that led her to this point.
The Order had recognized how special the siblings were upon first meeting them, originally believing them to be apostles or even angelic. Within the first year of Rosette's adoption to the religious institution it became painfully clear that she was by no means angelic. Her brother, Joshua, was really what drew attention. He had the unique ability to heal wounds, and on occasion had materialized large glowing wings. She possessed none of these feature, instead having what The Order called "a divine essence and aura" and that she had an "incredible amount of life". She had no idea what that meant, but ironically this "overabundance" was what the sister's became most wary about when dealing with her. To the disappointment of The Order, she never truly opened herself up to Catholicism; no matter how many times the bible was studied or how often it was drilled into her head the dark and twisted nature of demons. It just never felt right to her, to have such a black and white perspective of things. Joshua however, was completely taken with it; a true devote follower through and through. Rosette felt that it was because of his good standing with The Order that she was given so many leniences. If she were anyone else, and not related to what they considered a holy messenger, she would have been kicked out a long time ago.
It was only until she was 13 and met him that the pieces of her life truly fit together. He was the one who encouraged her to begin her exorcism training, even though her faith had been painfully lacked.
"Think about it Rosette... where else will you get free, elite combat training? Just because you don't follow their faith, doesn't mean that you can't use their resources..."
And he had been right. It was one of the best decisions she ever made, to stay and go through exorcist training. She could always count on him to be her voice of reason cause with her hot-head, she certainly needed one. His thoughtful, gentle disposition complemented her brash and stubborn nature... making them the perfect team together.
Their meeting had been one of utmost chance. She had slipped out past the nuns to scale the tall black gates surrounding the convent, and escape to the wonders of the city.
The sun was aglow in full valor and the warm summer breeze drifted past her as she ran wild through Central Park, her braids fluttering behind her. The feeling of being surrounded by nature made her feel more at ease and relaxed than the concrete jungle ever could. This was her favourite place to go to blow off steam and explore. Every once in a while she'd slip out of the safety of The Order and come here. The smell of soil and vegetation reminded her of a place she'd never been but desperately missed, like a lost memory that was nagging on her conscience. She never thought much of these feelings, believing it to be a normal response when one lived in such an industrialized setting.
When the delicious burning in her lungs finally became too much, she slowed to a stop, greedily gulping air to catch her breath. Running made her feel so alive, and it was common knowledge that she never stayed still for long. It had been a while since she'd been able to really stretch her legs, with the sisters of The Order keeping such a sharp eye on her. She knew they wished she was more like Joshua, and be content to stay inside and pour over books. Rosette knew her brother loved running through the forests just as much as she did, but he hated breaking the rules of the people who took them in. Even today he wouldn't go with her on her adventure. It wasn't her fault that she didn't fit in there, and she certainly couldn't make herself feel guilty for deliberately being disobedient.Sometimes she wished that The Order had never adopted them. At least they'd still be together, and she'd have her partner in crime. Instead, here they were... slowly drifting apart. He never wanted to go exploring anymore, and was always with Father Remington. Her loneliness had been eating away at her for some time, until today when she absolutely had to get away from it all.
'And escape from another boring bible study...'
She stubbornly shook her head to dispel the tears beginning to form. The floral dress she'd been wearing was covered with smears of dirt, and her shoes were completely covered in mud. She made a face as she analyzed the worst of the stains on the garment, noting that the sisters would be even more displeased when she returned and they saw the state of her appearance. She was shaken from her thoughts when she heard a low growl.
Wide cerulean eyes snapped open, and she whipped her head around to search for the source of the sound. Never before had she stumbled upon an animal here, let alone a dangerous one. Fear crept up her spine and goosebumps formed alone her arms.
A closer sounding snarl caused her to abruptly spin around and face her attacker. It had the body of a bear, but instead of fur, was covered in leathery scales and spikes protruding from its back and tail. Its long claws were imbedded within the bark of the tree it was perched on, and its predatory eyes never wandered off her as it opened its crocodilian-like mouth to show four rows of large, sharp teeth designed for shredding flesh.
Her heart beat rapidly in her chest as she slowly took a step backwards, the action making the beast before her visibly more agitated. It let out a ferocious roar that encouraged her to turn and ran as fast as she could in the opposite direction.
She didn't know when she started screaming, but she knew one thing for certain... that she didn't dare glance backwards at the quickly gaining pursuer.
'I'm going to die! I'm going to die all because I couldn't sit through another stupid bible study!' The words kept repeating in her head. 'I'm going to die!'
Her foot caught on a protruding root and she went crashing to the ground, her attacker at that moment making a lunge for her and narrowly flying over where she had landed.
In a moment of fear and adrenaline, she blinding reached out and grabbed a sturdy branch from the forest floor and scrambled to her feet.
The monster was soon upon her again, this time slowing pacing around her in a circle, hissing and snarling at her as she swiped her weapon in front of her to create some distance.
"Stay back!" she shouted, her voice shaky and uneven.
The unfazed beast lunged at her once more, this time when she swung out, she hit her target and it went tumbling to the forest floor.
"You want a piece of me!?" She yelled.
Her enemy's response was another deep growl as it regained its bearing. Again it took a run at her, this time it locked its powerful jaws around her weapon and to her horror, shattered her branch and knocked her off her feet. She couldn't help the scream that tore out of her throat, as she scrambled backwards. The beast charged her once more and she threw her arms over her head as a desperate last resort while simultaneously crawling into a ball.
She waited... but nothing happened.
She hesitantly cracked open her eyes to see that the monster appeared turned to stone. Still staring helplessly into the statue of the jaws of her assailant, she heard a voice break her out of her shock.
"Are you alright?"
The hulking beast above her was suddenly pushed over, hitting the ground with a heavy thud. She dragged in a ragged breath and raised a hand to her chest to try to ease her racing heart.
Worn down sneakers appeared in her line of sight, then she felt hands gently grasped her arms and lifted her to her feet. Her eyes followed the dark pants upwards to the grey t-shirt, and landed on his face. He looked to be around her age, with golden tan skin and long dark hair that she was certain gleamed purple where the light hit it. The navy headband across his forehead almost went unnoticed as it blended in with long strands that fell around his face.
'Did he do that?' She wondered, 'Did he turn it to a statue? But he's just a kid...'
His red eyes stared into her own imploringly, their catlike shape being something she'd never seen before.
"Are you alright?" he repeated once more, his hands still clutching her arms and helping her stand.
'His voice... it's so gentle and soft...' Trapped in her study of the boy before her, all she could manage was to dumbly nod her head while staring into his strange eyes.
"T-thank you..." The words clumsily tumbled out of her mouth. She finally broke their eye contact and cleared her throat.
He released her arms nodding slowly and took a step back from her.
Her voice regained its usual confidence when she continued, "I don't know what that thing was... or what you did to it, but thank you..."
She peered up at him in awe with her big blue eyes to see the slight smile he gave her in return.
The two stood there for a couple of silent moments more, neither moving or speaking, until he turned and began to walk away from her.
"Wait!" she cried, and hastily chased after him. Planting herself directly in front of him she stuck out her hand and announced "I'm Rosette... Rosette Christopher! Who are you?"
The strange boy looked slightly taken aback by her outstretched hand, more so out of surprise she figured, before he hesitantly reached out and took it. "My name is Chrono..."
The awe in her eyes travelled to her voice as she asked, "how did you do that thing before? You know, freezing the monster?"
He looked deep into her eyes, as if deciding what exactly to tell her before he straightened his spine and replied, "I'm what you humans call a demon... and that," he lifted a thumb over his shoulder, indicating to the indisposed beast, "is one too."
She cocked her head to the side, "a demon?" She repeated.
His node of affirmation led her to continue, although she could tell he looked like he was waiting for her to run away screaming "lunatic".
"The covenant tells us that demons are evil..." His brows raised in shock as she mentioned of the covenant. "Now I can totally see that other thing being a demon... but you?" She paused and gave him another once over, "you're not evil, are you?"
With that, his face took on an almost dumbfounded looked. He slowly shook his head from side to side, powerless to stop staring at the peculiar girl covered in mud in front of him.
"Well Chrono the demon... not many people can say they've rescued me, but for saving my life I think we should be friends!" The smile that gave him was so honest and heartfelt that he felt his own mouth mirror hers without even thinking about it.
"Alright, Rosette Christopher..." He smiled, testing her name out on his lips for the first time.
A passerby scurry past roughly collided with her shoulder before they kept rushing past, startling Rosette back to the present and causing her to stumble.
"Hey! Watch it buddy!" She angrily called after the man, fist shaking in the air.
"Hmph. Jerk." She mumbled as she reluctantly pulled out a scan card from her coat pocket.
With a flick of her wrist she slid her pass card over the reader, foot tapping impatiently as the iron gates slowly began to open.
She marched through the halls with confidence and purpose, nuns hastily scampering out of her way.
"That's Rosette, she used to be a sister here..."
"What do you mean, used to be? Did she just up and quit?"
"I heard that she was kicked out..."
"No, no, no! She caused too much damage out in the field and got arrested!"
The whispers and rumours surrounding her name annoyed her to no end, but she kept her head by thinking of what Chrono would tell her in such a situation and marched on to her destination.
'Deep breaths Rosette. Deep, deep breaths... Count to ten if you have to...'
"Isn't she the apostle, Joshua's, sister?"
'1... 2...'
"I wonder how many demons she killed to become such a legend around here..."
'3...'
"Someone told me that she's reason for Sister Kate's nervous breakdown last year..."
'4... 5...'
"I heard she got kicked out for getting caught fooling around... with a devil..."
Gasps erupted from all the nuns, "Anna!" and once more their chirping continued.
'Fuck this.'
The click of the safety from her gun instantly silenced the group as they realized with horror that her hearing was better than they gave her credit for... and now they were all staring down the barrel of her gun
"I'm sorry..." She began, clenching her teeth in restrained anger, "Sister Anna, was it? I didn't quite catch that... mind telling the story again?"
The redhead of the group cast her eyes downwards and audibly gulped as she felt the armed woman's furious gaze rest upon her. She knew the rumour to be untrue, but in the heat of moment she couldn't stop the words from escaping her mouth.
"I-I-I..." She trembled, feeling her vibrantly coloured bangs dampen from the sweat beginning to form on her brow.
"You-you-you..." The older girl cruelly mimicked, "...should learn to keep your god dammed mouth shut in matters that don't concern you. Jesus, aren't nuns supposed to be righteous people?"
The group of girls all positively quivered in place, knowing they were indeed out of line. Rosette took a step closer to Sister Anna and leaned in as she spoke low voice, carrying a promise of pain, "If I ever hear you breath a bad word about my partner again... I will end you." She leaned back hard into the girl's terrified twin pools of green, "are we clear?"
The girl nodded her head so eagerly, Rosette thought her habit might fall off. "Good."
With lightening fast reflexes, she re-holstered her gun and continued walking down the corridor, "you sisters have a nice day!" She icily called over her shoulder, taking immediate pleasure in how quickly they scattered and ran.
'Sorry Chrono... I tried.' She thought as she mentally apologized to her absent companion.
She soon arrived upon large oak doors, and without pause, grasped a golden handle and swiftly entered.
The sizeable room was flooded with light. Its windows skimmed the high ceiling before meeting the smooth, glassy wooden floor, framed by thick velvety mauve drapes that were now tied back to welcome in the sunlight. Tapestries hung from the walls, as well as regal portraits of past directors and popes alike, and elaborate oil paintings of biblical scenes. A beautiful, carved statue of the Virgin Mary stood to the side of richly crafted large desk. The trolley covered in fine china and uneaten biscuits standing untouched by the sitting area told her that she'd come just in time to postpone tea time.
"Thank you for coming in on such short notice... and complying with our request. Terrorizing a few third class militia hardly seems a high price to pay for your cooperation." Hands clasped behind her back, the occupant stood in front of the massive windows, turning her head to peer at the incomer over her shoulder.
"Don't thank me. I almost dragged him with me just to make a point." Rosette scoffed back, defiantly crossing her arms over her chest.
A fine brow raised in response.
The figure at the window turned to fully face the blonde and gestured to the couches. "Please, take a seat."
Her voice still carried the same stern tone that Rosette had gotten used to arguing with over the years. Much about the woman before her remained the same since the day she first met her. The same unwavering hazel eyes, the same elegantly styled short chocolate hair, the same style overall. Her black high collared blouse ruffled around the neck and was adorned over the shoulders and chest by an overlay of black lace. The black skirt fell just below her knees before slightly flaring out in a relaxed ruffle, revealing black stockings and sleek black stilettos. A string of pearls graced the junction where sleeve met wrist, and a stunning silver cross pendent hung low from her neck. Conservative, but fashionable.
As she sat down upon the formal pink sofa, Rosette couldn't help but reach over to the trolley next to her and snag a cookie. It wasn't an Oreo, but it'd just have to do.
The click of heels alerted her to the older woman's approach, and the brunette gracefully sat on the matching couch facing her with a delicate teacup in hand. "As you know, Rosette, we here at The Order have been very obliging to your wish to work as an open contractor for other agencies... especially since it was we who gave you most of your battle repertoire, of course not anticipating on you leaving us so soon after," Rosette noticed her eyes harden before she quickly took a sip of her tea and pressed on, "but it has come to our attention that your expanding business is, potentially, a liability to us... and I can't take that risk."
"Liability. Really." The smaller girl shook her head in disbelief.
"Very much so, and I'd appreciate it if you'd start treating this seriously." The tension was slowly rising in the room.
"Madame Director," Rosette mock exasperated, "are you suggesting that you can't trust me to not sell out secrets?"
"...It's not you I'm concerned about." Her grip on the dainty cup tightened noticeably. "We both know that you'd never do anything to harm Joshua, and he has all but created his own sanctuary here. A home."
"Your point?" She asked with glaring blue eyes.
"Chrono can't be trusted."
'And it always leads back to this...' Rosette mused.
"Here we go..." The blonde rolled her eyes, "so he's a demon. Big deal. I don't see you staying home to raise babies... Oops! Wow, would you look at that? I guess stereotypes really can be broken!"
Setting down her teacup in favour of pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration, she ground out, "This is not a simple behavioural flaw, Rosette. It's in his nature! He-"
"-You don't know him!" She hollered over the other woman, quickly jumping to her feet. "You don't know a damn thing about who he is and until you do, you have no right to judge him!"
The two glared at each other in silence, before hazel eyes closed in defeat.
"Why am I here? What do you want from me?"
"I want you to cut ties with that... devil... and come back to the convent. You could see Joshua when ever you wanted, and-"
"No, Sister Kate." Her decision on that matter was entirely decided, and she was tired from battling about it every time she set foot in this office.
"Well then..." Kate picked an imaginary piece of lint off her elegant skirt, "you can start by giving us a list of all your current, and previous clients with their files and any other additional information you've collected."
Immediately taken aback, Rosette was again on the defensive. "You must be outta your freaking mind! No way! We're not your spy service!"
"It's the only way for The Order to track and evaluate your business dealings and ensure we aren't at risk."
"Go to hell." She yelled as she marched out of the room, slamming the door with unrestrained force.
The hallways were cleared this time as she stalked through them, slamming three more doors on her way out of the building.
Since day one, she'd always preferred her partners apartment to her own. Possibly because he was such a clean freak, where she could barely remember to do her laundry.
Still furious about her confrontation with Sister Kate, the door was unceremoniously thrown open as she swooped into the room to drop her navy jacket to the ground before flopping down on his worn, soft couch.
"Judging from the look on your face, I can already tell how it went... what was it she wanted?"
Rosette dangled her head off the end of the armrest, long golden strands spilling to the ground as she looked up at him.
His tall, lean frame casually leaned against the archway that she knew led to the kitchen, arms crossed loosely in front of his chest as he peered down at her with a sympathetic smile and soft eyes. Although essentially ageless, he looked around mid-twenties. His shoulder length hair gave him an air of youth, still wearing the same blue headband as always, but the silted red eyes gave him away as supernatural. Judging by the dark grey t-shirt and casual jeans, that "important meeting" he claimed to have that was a bad excuse to not have to go with her to the church. For some strange reason, devils were very particular about proper formal attire when it came to their politics and meetings. That lazy bum probably never even left the cozy Brooklyn apartment once all day!
'Liar.'
"Oh, the usual... just trying to forcibly convert me. Again!" She threw her arms in the arm in frustration.
He furrowed his brows in confusion, "Really? That's it?"
"Oh! Oh! Get this..." Rosette shot up into a normal sitting pose, "she wants all of our files and names of all out clients. Past and present!"
"Did she mention why?" He gently pressed, fully aware of how riled up she was.
"Because, Chrono... we're a liability don't cha know?" Using air quotes to illustrate her feelings on the matter.
Practically feeling the steam coming out of her, he retrieved the snack he'd just finished preparing when she came barreling into the place.
She was rambling about the unfairness and nerve The Order had, but he couldn't make out a word she was saying as he opened the microwave to tear open the bag of popcorn and empty it into a large bowl. Most of the time Rosette didn't actually need anyone to listen, and he'd learned long ago what to do during her frequent fuming sessions.
She never stopped talking as he approached her with the food. He set it in her flailing hands so smoothly that she didn't notice its presence as he took a seat next to her on the couch.
"Can you believe them? Of all the nerve!"
He quietly regarded her with a small smile and nodded in agreement.
"I mean, come on! Do they really-" She quickly paused to cram a fistful of the salty snack into her mouth.
"Do they really think that the entire world revolves around The Order? Like-" Another pause to stuff more popcorn in.
"They're so pretentious and-" Another popcorn break.
"Hypocritical-" And another.
Soon she was too preoccupied filling her belly, to keep fuming aloud all together.
The dark-haired man watched with a wide grin that had broken out across his face, terribly amused by her predictable behaviour.
When her fingers only met the bottom of an empty bowl she gave a pout, then suddenly turned serious.
"...I don't know how it never bothers you. All the hate they send your way..." Her voice trailed off.
"Well... I am a demon. A devil, even. That's frightening to people, and I can understand that. It wasn't too long ago when I really was everything they think of me now..."
"Don't even! I won't have you wallowing about in self-loathing, even if I have to pound the sense back into your thick skull myself!" She angrily poked him in the chest to emphasize her point. "Nobody's perfect, and you're busting your ass to make amends now. In my books that makes you really fucking noble, so I'm sure as hell not gonna let anyone drag you down. Kapeesh?"
"...Kapeesh."
He smiled down at her and ruffled her hair, sparking an immediate wrestling match between the two. His height and longer reach were to his advantage, but she'd always been extra feisty. Amidst the tangling of limbs, laughs, and shrieks, a high-pitched ringtone rang out, effectively ending their play.
She dove over the sofa to dig her phone out of her coat pocket.
Propped up on one elbow, the young man watched her comically pop up again, phone pressed to the side of her face.
"...Uh huh...Uh huh...right. Harbor. Got cha." She lowered the phone and picked up her coat from the ground. "Well, time to suit up cause it looks like we've got a job."