Chapter 7

Miles lead Daniel to his room in the orphanage, "Ok, this is my room. I've pretty much lived here my whole life. Feel free to make yourself at home. It seems we're going to sticking together for a long time."

Daniel looked about the room curiously, "Thank you. It's so much more colorful than my room. Everything is gray."

Miles plunked down onto his bed, "Really? Not even a splash of color?"

Daniel sat cross-legged on the floor, "Not unless you count me." Miles couldn't help but laugh. There was a knock on the door. Daniel tensed up, his eyes growing wide and his tail going stiff.

Miles whispered, "Don't worry. No one but me can see or hear you." With that he got up and opened the door, "Oh hey Helga."

Miles stepped aside so she could enter the room, "There you are Miles! I've been looking everywhere for you! Where did you go?"

"I just went out back because Christine wanted to talk to me." replied Miles.

Helga immediately looked relieved, "Oh I see. I also came by to check whether or not you cleaned your closet like I- AHHH!" Helga had been turning towards the closet and now she jumped back and whipped out a pocket Bible. Startled by her scream, Daniel jumped back as well, tripping on his wings and landing with his back in the corner.

"What is she screaming at?!" Daniel asked as he sunk his claws into the wall.

Miles stood in front of Helga, "Helga what's wrong?"

"There's a demon in here! He standing in the corner, surely you see him?" replied Helga gesturing to Daniel.

Miles looked at Daniel and back at Helga, "You can see him?!"

Helga nodded, "Yes. I see him. Step aside Miles, I will handle this."

"No wait Helga! This is Daniel, Christine's son. I know you think Christine is just my imaginary friend but in reality she is my guardian angel. And this is, despite appearances, her son." his arms spread out, Miles ran in front of Daniel. Helga seemed to calm down and lowered the Bible. Daniel, in turn, relaxed and released his grip on the wall.

"Are you sure Miles?" asked Helga.

"Yes. Christine introduced us personally. I know this sounds crazy but-"

"It's not crazy. I have seen your guardian angel and I see a slight resemblance in…" Helga paused as she looked at Daniel.

"Daniel. His name is Daniel."

"God is my judge… a fitting name." muttered Helga. She turned to Miles and Daniel, "Miles. Please step away from him."

Miles planted his feet, "Helga, I know-"

"Step away! I hear what you are saying Miles but I need to see for myself. Now please. Step away." Miles looked at Daniel who gave him a nod. Miles reluctantly step aside.

Helga turned her full attention to Daniel, "You. Please step forward." Daniel did so, his eyes on the ground. Helga held out the Bible. Daniel looked at it and at Helga who appeared slightly surprised, "You do not shun the Bible?"

Daniel replied, "Why would I? Mother used to read me the Bible every night before bed."

Helga said to Miles, "While I can see, I can't here. What is he saying?" Miles relayed what Daniel had said. Helga opened the Bible, "Is that so? Can you recite?"

Daniel closed his eyes, "'The Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him.' Exodus 15:2" Once more Miles repeated Daniel's words.

Helga put away the Bible, "No demon would be able to quote verses like that. I'm sorry I doubted you."

"It's cool. People make mistakes." replied Daniel with a smile as Miles passed on the message.

Helga smiled nervously for seeing Daniel's sharp teeth made her uneasy, "Well, I have other things to attend to. No more going outside today Miles, you'll catch a cold." With that she left the room.

After she was gone, Miles breathed a sigh of relief, "Whew! For a minute there, I thought we were screwed! I had no idea Helga was gifted though."

"Why did she think I was a demon?" asked Daniel.

Miles laughed and said, "Dude, seriously? No offense but if Christine hadn't introduced you to me, I would have thought you were a demon too!"

Daniel tipped his head to the side, "I don't understand. Mother always said that I was an angel, no matter what people said."

Miles dropped his smile, "Surely you must have wondered every time you looked in the mirror?"

Daniel tipped his head to the other side, "Mirror? Never heard of such a thing." Miles pulled a full length mirror from his closet and set it against the wall.

"This is a mirror. You can see reflections in it. See?" Miles stepped away from the mirror so Daniel could see him-self. Instantly, Daniel jumped away from the mirror, terrified of what he saw. He latched onto the ceiling with the claws on his hands and feet. Miles looked up, "Whoa! What's the matter?"

Daniel sunk his claws deeper in, "Is that what I really look like?"

"Last I checked it wasn't a fun house mirror. Come down, your reflections not gonna bite. Come on." Daniel detached his claws and landed gracefully. He cautiously approached the mirror. With a hesitant hand he reached out and touched the cold, smooth glass. He took a step back and examined his reflection more closely. Only now did he truly see the resemblance he shared with his father.

My father, if that's who he really is, was right. We look so much alike. Is this the reason why that woman and the other angels think I'm a demon? If I look like a demon, why would Mother always insist that I'm an angel? And why would she attack my father? Mother... why did you leave? I have so many questions…

In the following days Miles introduced Daniel to the many wonders of the Middle Realm. Daniel was fascinated by television, and could stare at it for hours. He finally had gotten accustomed to his reflection and found it extremely entertaining. On a sunny day, Miles took him to a small man-made lake in his park. Daniel had leaned over the edge and peered at water, "I can see myself in water too? Cool!" Miles removed his shoes and socks. After rolling up his jeans, Miles sat on the edge and dangled his feet in the water causing ripples to disturb the surface. Daniel leaped back, startled. But he quickly approached again and gave the water a dab with his hand, "It's just like the bathtub back home!" Daniel began to splash the water with his hands as he bent over the lake. However he bent too far and toppled into the lake with a yelp. He resurfaced just long enough to cry, "Help me!" before his wings dragged him down. Without hesitation, Miles dived in after him. He grabbed a flailing Daniel and heaved him to the surface. With some effort, Miles managed to get both of them on the shore. Daniel was shaking like a leaf as he clung to Miles.

Miles slowly pulled away, "You good?" Daniel nodded. Miles stood, "Ok. Uh, stay here and dry off. Spread out your wings so the sun can get 'em. I have to go get my hat." Due to that incident, Daniel gave a mile wide berth to any body of water that was more than 2 feet deep.

Another thing Daniel came to quickly dislike was cars. At first he was attracted to them because they were shiny and came in so many colors and sizes. But he accidently hit one with his tail while walking with Miles through a parking lot and set off the alarm. The loud blaring sound frightened Daniel causing him to fall backwards into another car and set off another, more high-pitched than the other. Daniel covered his ears and shouted, "Miles make it stop! It hurts my ears!" Miles grabbed his hand and ran, pulling him through the parking lot. As they ran, Daniel's wings and tail thumped against more cars and soon almost the entire parking lot was screaming with alarms that could be heard two blocks away. Once they had reached a quiet spot, Daniel said with a childish pout, "I hate cars."

Miles laughed and thought I can't believe how naïve and innocent he is. It's like he really has been locked in a room for the majority of his life. He has no idea about anything. Before I met him he had never even heard of a mirror, let alone looked in one. It's kinda sad but in a way he's lucky. He doesn't know how messed up things can be…

It had been several weeks since Christine had left Miles and Daniel with only each other to depend on. The two had bonded and were almost like brothers, just as Christine had wanted them to be. Miles and Daniel had gone to see a movie at the local theater. However, they had misjudged the length of the movie so when they stepped outside, the sun had already set and darkness had fallen. Walking close together, the two nervously went from streetlight to streetlight. As a shortcut, Miles and Daniel decided to sprint through the park. It had fewer lights but would get them to the orphanage faster. After readying themselves, the two began their mad dash through the darkened park, sticking close to what little light there was. They had almost made it through the park when Daniel's shackles caused him to trip and fall. Miles skidded to a stop and ran back to him, "Daniel, get up! Come man get up!"

Daniel sat up and let out a sharp cry of pain, "I think I twisted my ankle! ARGH! Damn shackles!" Miles tried to get Daniel on his feet but was only able to half-drag him into the pool of light from a streetlamp. Miles tried to see how bad the right ankle was, but the shackle was in the way.

He grabbed a big rock lining the gravel path, "Hold still. I'm going break it off." Miles slammed the rock down several times on the shackle, each strike resulting in a scream from Daniel. Finally Miles tossed the rock aside, "It's no use. *pant pant* It must be magical or something." Daniel nodded as he attempted to catch his breath as well. Suddenly there was a bright flash and Christine appeared before the two boys.

Christine was covered from head to toe in blood. Some of it was hers, oozing from gashes, scratches, and bites on her body. The other splatters were black and sizzled as they burned any of Christine's exposed skin. Her traditional white robe was soiled with blood and dirt and ripped in many places. Her wings were drooping and missing feathers as well as being splashed with blood. Christine's grass green eyes were dull and glazed over and her sides heaved as she struggled to breathe. She was attempting to stand tall but her legs were shaking, threating to give out. Christine fell to her knees in front of the boys. Miles and Daniel rushed to her side, with wide eyes. Christine embraced them tightly and wept, "I'm so sorry boys, I'm so sorry!" Daniel and Miles could hardly hold back their own tears as they hugged the single most important woman in their life. Reluctantly, Christine pulled away and looked the boys over. Both seemed fine with the exception of the blood smeared on their faces from Christine.

She hugged them again before saying, "Boys. I came to warn you. By kidnapping a young angel, Umbra activated a Heaven Gate and attacked Heaven. For the past weeks he has been bringing more demons into Heaven and trying to take over. We managed to chase him off but there were major casualties and much of Heaven is in ruins. This is bigger than the normal conflict between angels and demons. St. Michael wants to declare war against Hell and all of its inhabitants. I fear that Umbra will take advantage of the chaos and come for both of you. You must be able to defend yourselves." Christine pulled her connection cross from under what remained of her tattered robe. She removed it from her neck and placed around Miles', "This will help shield you from Umbra and keep lesser demons away. Don't hesitate to use it as a weapon. Normal mortals won't be able to see it because it is a supernatural object so don't worry about that."

She then turned to Daniel, "And you Daniel will need to use the extraordinary powers you have been gifted with. Use them against evil. Fight fire with fire." Christine's hands hovered over Daniel's wrist shackles, "Haec uirtute praeditus Dei remitto codices ab illo suffocant. His compedibus non tenere te. Utere donis sermone Domini percute eos, qui resistunt. Amen." Daniel gasped as all 4 of his shackles snapped open and fell off. When the shackle round his right ankle fell away, he winced and gingerly touched it. Christine looked it over. Her glowing hand passed over the twisted ankle as she whispered, "Sana." A small white orb passed from Christine's hand to Daniel's ankle, instantly healing it. She helped Daniel to his feet. She looked at the Miles and Daniel and smiled, "You two have grown up so fast and I'm so proud of you. I love both of you very much." She opened her mouth to say something else when suddenly a large, beast-like shadow shot from the surrounding darkness and huge, cruel jaws closed on Christine's neck.

Daniel unleashed a horrified scream as Christine tried to struggle against the teeth penetrating into her flesh and growing dangerously close to vital structures. Both boys are frozen in place by fear and shock, Daniel still screaming. Miles was silent but tears were spilling from his eyes. Christine managed to screech, "RUN! RUN AWAY, RU-" CRACK! Now Miles let out an agonized cry as the gruesome sound of Christine's neck snapping in two reached his ears. It's prey now dead, the thing turned toward Miles and Daniel and stepped into the light of the streetlamp. It was huge, hulking monster of a dog with enormous paws and teeth. Blood dripped from its mouth and onto its sharp, cruel claws. It had a lush, black pelt that was laced with red streaks and empty, hungry, cold maroon eyes. The Demon-Dog let out a snarl as it rocks back and forth on its haunches, preparing to pounce.

Miles jumped back as Daniel stepped toward the Demon-Dog with an angry growl, his crimson eyes flashing with anger. The Demon-Dog made a mock lunge at Daniel with a loud bark. His rage boiling over at his mother's murder, Daniel sounded a bone-chilling, demonic roar that made the Demon-Dog shrink back and dip its head. Miles put a hand on Daniel's shoulder, "Daniel, what's gotten into you?!"

Daniel turned to Miles, angry tears mixing with his burning eyes and teeth locked in a horrible grimace, "That thing killed my mother. It killed my mother." Daniel's hands began to glow and steam. The Demon-Dog had partially recovered from the shock and began prowl towards the boys. Daniel clenched his right fist, "It killed my mother!" Daniel's fists burst into flame as the Demon-Dog leapt at Daniel. He held up his flaming hand and shouted, "YOU KILLED MY MOTHER!" A fireball flew from his palm and struck the Demon-Dog in the snout, knocking it backward with a yelp.

"Oh my God!"cried Miles, while Daniel stood stunned at his first fire-casting. The Demon-Dog was lying on its side whimpering. Miles grabbed Daniel by the arm and began to pull him in the direction of the orphanage, "Come on Daniel, let's run while it's down!"

Daniel sunk the claws on his feet into the ground, "But what about Mother? We can't leave her here!" Miles looked at the lifeless corpse of Christine, her eyes wide, and mouth gaping.

He turned back to Daniel, his voice breaking, "We have no choice. We're on our own now and we have stay strong and together. She would want us to leave, she died for our safety." The Demon-Dog began to get to its feet. Daniel finally nodded and allowed Miles to pull him toward the direction of the orphanage. An ear-splitting howl tore the air and drove Daniel and Miles into a sprint as they heard big, heavy paw steps racing up behind them.

As Miles and Daniel ran toward the orphanage with the Demon-Dog hot on their tails, Miles suddenly realized that by going to the orphanage, everyone inside would be in danger. "This way Daniel!" shouted Miles as he skidded and turned away from the orphanage.

Daniel followed suit replying, "Where are we going?"

"Just run! I know a place!" Just as the pair was beginning to tire, they reached the base of Miles' tree. Though it topmost leaves and branches were charred from the storefront fire, Miles scrambled up the trunk and as high up as he could as Daniel leapt up into its boughs with an easy bound. The Demon-Dog stood at the base of the tree barking and growling. It raked its claws on the tree trunk and began to howl. Miles glanced at the night sky. The moon was high and the stars were out. Damn! It's probably around 10 or 11 o' clock and the sun won't begin to rise for over 7 hours! We can't stay up here that long! Christine… What should we do? I'm so lost…

Author's Note: Hello everyone! Sorry it took me so long to post this. I had a huge block that parked itself right on top of my creativity. But, as you can see by this long chapter, I demolished it with a sledgehammer! Ha Ha! Anyways I hope you like this chapter. Please read, review, and most importantly, enjoy! P.S. I almost forgot to translate the Latin! Whoopsy! Here it is: 1.Haec uirtute praeditus Dei remitto codices ab illo suffocant. His compedibus non tenere te. Utere donis sermone Domini percute eos, qui resistunt. amen. Translation: With these words, endowed by the power of God, I release you from these bindings that stifle. These shackles no longer hold you. Use your gifts to smite down those who oppose the Lord and his word. Amen. 2. Sana Translation: Heal