A/N

Iloveyoumissgirl: Haha thank you so much. I love your comment.

Madh-M: I hope you see this when you reach this chapter. Thank you so much for your review on chapter 4 and I hope you still like my story when you've finished reading.

Song title is So am I by Ava Max.

I had little trouble finding a good song for this chapter but when I listened to this one I realised that it fit Lilith quite good actually so that's why I decided on this one.

I apologise for the long wait but school is taking up a lot of time. For those of you that don't, I'm currently attending vocational school to become a professional truck driver. I will take my driver's test in a few weeks but then after that it's full time internship and hopefully a job after that so I can't promise quicker updates. I hope that is okay. I have every chapter planned out I just need time to put the words down on paper.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy the chapter =)

Chapter 10 So Am I

Do you ever feel like a misfit?
Everything inside you is dark and twisted
Oh, but it's okay to be different
'Cause baby, so am I (so am I, so am I, so am I-I-I-I-I)

Can you hear the whispers all across the room?
You feel her eyes all over you like cheap perfume
You're beautiful, but misunderstood
So why you tryna' be just like the neighbourhood?

~Ava Max

"Hey, wait up!"

Mary looked over her shoulder and saw Lilith striding towards her, dressed in casual clothing with her hair hanging loosely over her shoulders. Mary sighed and leaned back on the motorcycle. "What do you want?" she asked when the tall nun was standing beside her.

Lilith frowned down at her, towering over her more than usual because of the height disadvantage Mary had by sitting on the bike. Lilith was clearly ticked off by her attitude. "I want to come with."

"Do you even know where I'm going?"

"Arc Tech. Camila told me."

Mary bit back a groan and pulled the helmet over her head so Lilith couldn't see her eye roll. "Of course she did." she muttered.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Mary groaned internally, she hadn't expected Lilith to hear that, but then she remembered how her hearing had improved ever since her trip to the other side, and she bit back another groan as she tried to come up with a way to explain to Lilith without setting her off completely. "I've just noticed that the two of you have been spending a lot of time together lately."

Lilith looked away, a contemplative look marring her face.

"Hey, I didn't mean anything by it." Mary tried to backtrack, she didn't want to tick Lilith of more than she already had.

"No, we..." Lilith shook her head and looked back at Mary. "We have been spending a lot of time together lately..."

Mary eyed her for a few seconds, trying to figure out what was going on inside the tall nun's head. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No."

"Fair enough." Mary shrugged, not really expecting another answer but also relived because she did not feel like playing a therapist right now. "Hop on." she waited until she felt Lilith's arms encircling her waist before kicking off, leaving Cat's cradle behind in a cloud of dust.

"This looks eerily silent." Lilith stared at the big, seemingly empty, building in front of her. It was mid afternoon; the building should have been bustling with activity.

"Something's up." Mary came up beside her, securing her shotguns to her sides. "But whatever happened, it looks like they've left."

"I can't hear anyone in there."

"How do you...?" Mary started then rolled her eyes as she looked away from Lilith.

"What?" Lilith was starting to get a little pissed off by Mary's attitude.

"Your hearing." Mary shrugged and pulled out a binocular that she directed towards the entrance. "I keep forgetting."

Lilith frowned as she stared at Mary; who kept looking through the binoculars instead of meeting Lilith's eyes. "Are you weirded out by it?"

Mary lowered the binoculars and took a few seconds just staring straight ahead before she turned her head to look at Lilith. "No."

"That's all you have to say? 'No'. You're not gonna say, 'I'm not weirded out by it, Lilith.' 'It's completely normal, Lilith.' Or maybe 'It is weird, Lilith but it's a cool power'. Just... why are you laughing?"

Mary was full out giggling, tears running down her cheeks and all, which honestly just pissed Lilith of even more. "I'm sorry." Mary gasped out and took a few deep breaths to regulate her breathing. "I'm sorry, Lily." she reached out to give her arm a quick squeeze. "It's just that, you make a very good impression of me." she grinned.

Lilith shook her arm off. "It's not a joke, Mary."

"I know and I'm sorry. I know it's been hard for you to accept all the changes but you're doing great. You and Ava have worked hard to figure out and learn to control all your powers. I'm impressed really. That's probably why I keep forgetting about the smaller powers like your hearing. It's like it's always been a part of you. Second nature."

"I..." Lilith was speechless. She had not expected such heartfelt words from Mary of all people.

"Come on." Mary clapped her on the back before ascending down the hill towards the building. "Let's check this out so we can be done with it."

It took a moment before Lilith followed. Mary was clearly done with their conversation and even though Lilith wanted to get a better answer out of her, she knew now wasn't the time for it. So she followed Mary down the slope and towards the large building.

The glass doors were shattered into a million pieces and it crunched under their boots as they carefully tried to step around it. Once inside, Lilith noticed the lifeless security guard almost immediately. She was lying halfway hidden behind the podium, in a large puddle of blood. Crouching down, she tried to find a pulse but to no avail.

"The blood is still a bit warm," she told Mary as she stood up. "It can't have happened more than half an hour ago."

Mary frowned and gestured to down the hallway. "Let's keep going."

Lilith nodded in response and extended her claws as she crept as silent as she could down the steel grey hall. Mary was close behind her, bringing up the rear with one shotgun ready and loaded.

They saw more guards the further in they came. Some knocked unconscious but most were dead by either a bullet or knife. Lilith did her best to ignore all the blood and gore around her, she needed to focus on the mission. Even if it wasn't the mission she had expected when she had went after Mary.

"Lilith!"

Lilith stopped and turned at the urgent call of her name. Mary was standing by an open door, beckoning for her to come over. A dejected expression on her face as she looked at something Lilith couldn't yet see.

She understood her expression when she came closer and saw Kristian Schaefer's lifeless body in what appeared to be an office. He had been shot in the head.

"Who could have done something like this?" Lilith sighed.

"Isn't it obvious?" Mary scoffed. "It's Vincent. Who else?"

"I still have a hard time seeing Vincent as this person."

"Well, get used to it because unless we stop him, this won't be the last time. He will keep-" Mary stopped mid sentence, cocking her shotgun and aiming it at the door leading further into the facility. "Who's there?"

"Mary?"

"Yeah, it's me. Me and Lilith. You can come out, it's safe."

The door opened slowly, hesitantly. Once it was opened enough for a person to come through, Jilian's face came into view. She hesitated a bit, looking back and forth between Mary and Lilith, before she opened the door fully and stepped out into the office. Lilith took in her haphazard appearance as she came closer. Her left arm was tied with a temporary bandage created from her ripped shirt.

Mary walked up to her. "I'm sorry, Jilian, but Kristian-"

"It was Vincent." Jilian cut her off. "He came here with a dozen mercenaries. I think they were possessed. They shot down everyone. I barely managed to get away," she looked down at Kristian with a sad and remorseful look. "He saved my life."

"What did he want?" Lilith asked and Mary cast her a look that said back down, but Lilith ignored her. They needed to know. "Did he tell you anything?"

"I..." Jilian looked terrified as she stared back at her. "He took the Arc."

"The means to raise the dead..." Camila muttered as she skimmed the heavy tomb about ancient symbols and artefacts. It was a tedious job and most would have spent their free Saturday doing anything else, but Camila enjoyed the quiet in the library, it was a welcome respite from the otherwise technology heavy parts of her job. She had been at it the whole day and it was now well past dinnertime.

She was deeply immersed into the text when a commotion outside broke her concentration. There were a lot of talking and shuffling but the walls were too thick for her to hear what was being said. The library was close to the infirmary though so she figured it was a team coming back from a mission. Someone would alert her if she was needed.

So she decided to keep reading for a few more hours.

It was well past midnight when she saw it. It was as close to a match as she could remember, having only been able to see it for a few moments.

The amulet.

"Mother Superion, I think I found someth-ing..." Camila stuttered to a halt when she noticed that Mother wasn't alone in her office. Mary was standing in front of the desk while Lilith was leaning against the wall. All three of them stared at her with serious expressions.

"Camila," Mother stood up. "It's good that you're here. Mary and Lilith just came back from Arc Tech. Vincent has stolen the Arc."

"What?"

"He broke into Arc Tech." Mary spoke up. "Killed most of the guards and Kristian Schaefer in the process. Jilian managed to hide behind a security door but she couldn't stop him from taking the Arc."

"That's..." something clicked into place. The final puzzle piece finally revealed. "I know what his plan is. Or, I think I know or well I'm pretty sure that I know."

"Camila?" Mary snapped.

"Yes."

"What's his plan?"

"Oh well..." Camila looked around at the three women in the office before her eyes settled on Mother's. "Maybe we should get Ava and Bea first so I can tell everyone together."

"Yes," Mother looked a bit worried as she turned towards Mary. "Can you get them, Mary? They should be in the infirmary."

"The infirmary?" Lilith spoke up before anyone else had a chance to. "Why?"

"They were attacked on their way home earlier this evening." Mother told them, her voice level and firm. "Sister Beatrice was stabbed but she is stable now. Ava told me they were surrounded by wraith possessed humans. Sent by Vincent. He told them to stop inferring with his plans."

Camila suddenly remembered the commotion that had disturbed her a few hours ago. It had been Bea and Ava. A wave of guilt washed over her for not investigating who had been hurt.

"Hey?" Lilith placed a gentle hand on her arm. "Are you okay?"

"I-" she shook her head. "I heard when they arrived in the infirmary earlier but I was so caught up in the book I was reading that I just ignored it. What if she had..." she swallowed hard a few times to try and push back her sobs. "...and I never got the chance to say goodbye just because I was busy and..."

"Camila." Lilith placed her hand son either side of her head and turned it so she had to look up at the other nun. "Beatrice is okay. Mary is off getting her right now. You couldn't have known that it was her."

"I know but-"

"No buts." Lilith shook her head. "Don't beat yourself up over this. She's okay, we're all okay, and that's the important part."

"I-" Camila drew in a deep breath and smiled up at Lilith when she felt her heartbeat settle into a calmer rhythm. "Thank you, Lilith." She placed her hand over one of Lilith's and squeezed. She noticed how the older nun blushed and smiled wider.

Lilith cleared her throat and took a step back, retracting her hands in the process. She looked around the room in an attempt to avoid Camila's stare and ended up sharing a quick look with Mother Superion. Camila grinned when the nun blushed harder at the look of exasperation Mother was giving her, and bit back a giggle.

Mary walked towards the infirmary in long strides. Her mind kept visualising different ways Beatrice could be hurt and conjuring up images of what she would look like as she walked into the room.

None of that came close to what she witnessed.

Instead she saw two girls looking at her with expressions that told her she had clearly just interrupted something. She ignored it for now to instead relay the message and watched as their expressions turned into horror instead.

"Vincent has broken into Arc Tech. The bastard has stolen the arc."

"He what? That fucking bastard." Ava spat out.

"He is a bastard yes," Mary turned towards Beatrice. "You think you're up for moving a bit? Camila has news about the Amulet and Mother wants us all to be there."

"I can move-"

"She shouldn't move." Ava said at the same time. "You need to rest."

"It's only a stab wound, Ava."

"Only a...!? It's a fucking stab wound, Bea." Ava snapped. "You could have..." she rubbed her hands over her face. "How many stab wounds have you had!?"

"A few." Beatrice shrugged.

"A few?" Ava looked over at Mary, her expression deadpan. "A few she says, like it's no big deal. Sometimes I'm seriously questioning what kind of people I've gotten myself caught up with." she muttered. "Lunatics all of you."

Mary just shook her head and walked over to the corner to retrieve a wheelchair. "Here, shut up and just use this. I don't have time to listen to your lovers quarrels."

"We're not lovers."

"We do not quarrel."

"Whatever." Mary rolled her eyes. "Do you want me to help you on or do you want Ava to do it?" she pushed the wheelchair closer to the bed.

"I can help her." Ava said and pushed Mary away to gain better access to Beatrice.

Mary looked on as the Halo Bearer gently moved the injured girl over to the wheelchair. "So that's a thing now." she muttered to herself. She stayed a few steps ahead when they walked to Mother Superion's office, doing her best not to listen to the two arguing back and forth about Beatrice's lack of self preservation.

Whether those two had gotten together for real or not this time, Mary knew that they would be unbearable to be around for any longer periods. Or rather, more unbearable than they already had been.

She held the door open to the office until Ava had pushed the wheelchair inside, and watched as Camila immediately went over to Beatrice and apologised for not visiting earlier. Mary frowned at that and was about to ask when she met Lilith's eyes. The taller nun just shook her head so Mary decided to let it go.

"Now that we're all gathered," Mother Superion spoke up and gained everyone's attention. "Camila, please tell us what you've found."

Camila looked around the room, meeting the eyes of everyone one at the time until they settled on Mother. "I found the amulet. It's a resuscitation or resurrection device. It's how Adriel controlled the wraiths. I think Vincent is going to use it together with the Arc so summon every Wraith and demon from hell."

"How will he do that?" Ava asked but Mary already knew the answer to that question.

The Arc.

"The Arc." Camila said. "He's going to use it to open a portal to hell."

"He still needs a power source though right?" Ava looked around at three sisters and Mother. "Right?"

"Theoretically yes." Camila nodded. "But he had a direct link with Adriel for years so he might now another way to open it."

"We can't take any chances on this." Mother Superion spoke up. "Our scouts will keep looking for any signs of him and we will leave as soon as we have any inkling to where he might be."

"Did you find anything from the possessed Ava took out?" Beatrice asked.

"Unfortunately no," Mother sighed. "They were gone by the time our team got there."

"He knows how to cover up his tracks and he knows us." Lilith said. "He will always be one step ahead."

"Not for long." Mary rested her hand on her shotgun handle and Lilith cast a reprimanding look.

"We work as a team, Mary."

"I know. But once we get a hold of that murderer I won't be held accountable for my actions."

"That's enough girls." Mother Superion interjected before Lilith could respond. "You are dismissed for tonight. Tomorrow you will all start preparing so you're ready as soon as we have words of Vincent's whereabouts. Beatrice," she turned to the wounded girl. "I want you fully healed before you resume your training. I will keep in contact with Sister Julienne who will be the one to decide when you're ready. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Mother."

"Good, now off to bed all of you."

They shuffled out of the room one by one.

Mary watched Ava as she pushed Beatrice back towards the infirmary, the two of them bickering about what Mother had said about Beatrice needed time to heal and she chuckled at the sight. Beatrice had a tendency to get back into the fight before she should and it had many times led to her worsening her injury. She had no doubt though that Ava and Sister Julienne would be able to keep her in check.

Vincent may be a slimy bastard but at least he did one thing right. He brought them Ava.

A/N

I hope you liked it. There will be one more fluff chapter then the action will begin for real so I hope you are all ready for that haha.

Leave me a comment and let me know your favourite part of the chapter.

Oh and happy February tomorrow. Can't believe January is already over.