Even angels go to Hell
Chapter 2 – Not your usual story
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So, just as I was told, I "dragged my ass back there". Socks and I are almost at the gates now, and I can already see the gang waiting. What a drag.
As the guards gave us permission to enter (after checking we weren't Strigoi), we pulled into the Court and got out of the car. Everyone was there. My parents, Lissa, Pyro (my nickname for Christian, short for pyromaniac), Tasha, Adrian, Eddie, Mikhail and Dimitri. Bastard. After getting out of the car, I started greeting everyone.
"Hi, mom." I said while hugging her. "Zmey" I simply said, adding a nod to my greet.
"Liss, how have you been?" I said, after hugging her.
"I'm fine. How are you? You seem thinner, have you been eating properly?" she said, everything really fast. God, I missed her.
"Liss, relaxed, I'm just fine." I said while laughing a bit. I noticed Socks snickering on the background. It had been a while since the last time I truly laughed.
"Eddie, hi!" I said as I greeted him with yet another hug. "How has everything been? Any Moroi fighting with nails and teeth to get as their guardian?" I said playfully.
"I wished. No one's interested!" he said, with a glint in his eyes. Eddie, you sneaky bastard!
"Don't lie to me, Eddie, you know you can't fool me." I said, smiling.
"Hi, Tasha, Mikhail." I greeted them both.
"Hi, rose. Glad you're back!" they both said.
"Adrian, come here" I said before hugging him.
"I missed you" he whispered in my ear.
"I missed you too" I whispered back.
Then we broke apart. It was time to face Dimitri. Bastard.
"Hey" I coolly said.
"Hello, Rose." He said "Welcome back" he finished.
"Thanks. It's good to be back." I said.
"Listen, Rose, about what I said-" he started
"I'ts ok Dimitri, really." I said brushing it off with an easy smile. "I totally get it now. Love fades. Mine has." I said before Lissa pulled me away and started rambling about the last 5 months, but she didn't make even one reference to Pyro. Something was off, and I was going to find out what it was, but maybe later. Now, I had important things to take care of.
"So, where's the war room?" I asked
Eddie and Mikhail were currently leading me to the infamous war room, where everything was. Maps, weapons inventories,…. As I said, everything. Dimitri (bastard), Lissa and Pyro are trilling after us.
Another 2 minutes of awkward silence and we arrived. I went around the main table to stand in front of the map.
"So, how many guardians have we lost so far?" I asked, analyzing the maps and documents on the table.
"We started off with about 70. Now, we're down to 25." Mikhail said. I frowned a little. 'That much?'
"Battle plan?" I asked
"We went in just before sun rise, but they still managed to escape. We can't figure out how they don't burn in the sun." he said
"That's because these aren't regular Strigoi." I said
"What do you mean?"
"The original Strigoi of this…let's call it pack, suffered an anomaly on his transformation that made him immune to sunlight. Therefore, all of the other Strigoi that were created by him are also immune." I explained
"And you know that how?!" Pyro asked
"Because the original Stigoi is my brother." There was a general gasp around the room. "In everything but blood. And now, well, I think I can had species to the list of things we're not siblings in." I said, rambling a little bit.
"Well, anyway, we need to make a plan." I said
"What's on your mind rose?" Socks asked. How thoughtful
"I say we keep it simple. Protocol 355." I said
"That's a three man job. Me, you and…?!" he asked
"Excuse me, but, what is protocol 355?" Pyro asked again. God, I've been here for, like, 5 minutes, and I'm already thinking of not-so-nice ways to shut him up
"Their nest is in this mountain, right?" I asked
"Right" Mikhail said
"I say me, Socks and Eddie go up here and take three positions around the mountain, forming a triangle. Then, we place explosives in the form of a triangle too, and blow up the mountain. As the Strigoi are forced to leave, the three of us will destroy them." I explained
"Shouldn't I be joining you too?" Dimitri asked. I didn't even bothered to look at him, I just shook my head no while staring at the map
"No. Three is The Holy Trinity. Four is bad luck." I said. "I'm not making that mistake again." I said, a little bit more to myself than too any other person
"Don't you think that's way too simple? Why are you, of all people, calling the shots now, anyway?" he asked. Some things never change
"Because, Pyro, the irrational part of my brain works like the rational part of yours" I started "He knows me. He knows to expect the unexpected. So, the unexpected thing to do is to complicate. But, he already expects that, so he's expecting me to keep it simple. But then again, I know that it's expectable. So, the unexpected thing to do would be to complicate the plan. Don't you see it? It's a never-ending cycle. Everything I do is expectable. And everything he does is expectable as well. So it's better to keep things nice and clean." I finished my explanation
"Alright, but what about the other guardians?" Dimitri asked. Bastard
"I suggest they form a ring around the mountain in case we let some of them escape. But they'll need training." I said
"And who will train them?" Eddie asked
"I will. But they'll have to pass a test in order to be accepted in battle." I said, my mind running wild
"What test?" Dimitri asked. This time, I actually looked att him while I was giving my answer
"We'll see how many times they get up after I knock them down." I said with a smirk