You all thought I'd make you wait! Here we go guys!
"Afriel." Michael calls and the assassin stands to attention. Beca ponders the name, she had never heard of any of the League of Angels assassins be called Afriel than it all clicks into place. Afriel was the Rogue she was hunting, the A carved into the dead assassin's chests, the animalistic nature of their demise. What shocked Azrael more was the face that matched the name of Afriel.
"It's impossible." Azrael finally lets out. Her darkness and anger diminishing away, her humanity making her way back into her body as she is flooded with memories. One in particular, one that she would never forget.
"It's okay, It's okay. I'm here. I'm always here Hale." Beca comforts Hailee, stroking the hair out of her younger sister's distraught face, planting a gentle kiss on her forehead being careful not to scare her further, her eyes fixated on the door leading to the domestic disturbance. Their father beating and abusing their mother.
"Get away from Mommy!" Hailee yells, pounding her fists harder and faster into her step-father's leg. He looks down and laughs at his daughters attempts to get him away from her mother before turning and picking the five year old up by her hair and throwing her toward the stove. Hailee hits the ground hard and slides, hitting her head on the stove with enough force to create a small dent in the metal.
"Hailee!" Beca calls out to her unconscious sister as she runs over to her.
"Where's my sister? I have to be with my sister." Beca runs back to the paramedics and they look over to the ambulance holding her sister. They eye off one of the paramedics tending to Hailee and she shakes her head to them. The paramedics tending to Beca all drop their heads. They were going to have to break the news to Beca, her whole family had died that night.
"Please, I need to be with my sister, where is she?" Beca asks, the paramedic watches her burst into tears and his gut twists.
"I'm sorry sweetheart." He says, kneeling down to meet Beca's level. Beca looks deep into his eyes and it clicks in her head.
"No, no, no! NO! Hailee No!" Beca becomes frantic as she runs over to the ambulance holding Hailee. She looks in and finds Hailee, lifeless on the stretcher.
"Hailee, wake up please. I need you. Please don't leave me." Beca whimpers out, inhaling deeply as she gets in and grabs her sister's cold, pale hand and placing her head on Hailee's chest.
"Hailee." Beca breathes out as she gazes into the same hazel eyes that she last saw nearly twelve years before. An uncontrollable tear trails down her cheek as she tries to muster words to speak.
"I saw you die. You died. I saw you." Beca stutters as she tries to stand up but failing at first before trying again with more effort and managing to get to her feet, maintaining her footing as much as possible, her body wanting to just give up from the fighting and the shock of seeing her sister that she watched die with the rest of her family.
"You only thought she was dead. Young Afriel here was dosed with Rhododendron Ponticum to make you think she was dead. She was then brought here and raised by me, she begun training at the same age you did but in secret at my side." Michael answers the question that Beca keeps asking in her mind. She remembers the Rogue that attacked Chloe, Stacie and Aubrey, the Rogue that injured her.
"It wasn't a Rogue. It was Hailee. You were leading me to her for her to kill me." Beca breathes out, almost losing her balance from the injuries she had sustained, her body growing increasingly weaker.
"'Ana last hayili. hi mitat. Matat mundh zaman tawil. (I am not Hailee. She is dead. She died a long time ago.)" Afriel states outright and it brings further tears to Beca's eyes. On closer inspection, she could now see the end of a scar on her younger sister's neck. Beca turns to Michael.
"You tortured and brainwashed my sister you bastard!" Beca lunges toward her former master only to be met with Afriel kicking her in the chest, sending her back to the ground with a thud. Michael makes his way over and takes his sword out of it's sheath. He looks down to his former student and turns the sword around so the blade is pointing down to the centre of Beca's chest. Michael raises the blade and thrusts it down only for Beca to roll out of the way painfully. Michael follows her and slams the blade down, again missing her. She rolls backward and gets back up on her feet. Michael stands back and allows his former student to get her balance before advancing again, this time Beca dodges the sword and knocks it out of Michael's hands, she however gets knocked to the ground again and Michael pounces on top of her, pulling a knife out of his jacket and thrusting it down toward Beca's chest, she catches his wrists and uses as much of her strength as possible to hold the blade from piercing her chest.
"It pains me to do this Azrael, you were my best student but the creed must be upheld." Michael says as he uses his strength forcing the knife down, the tip cutting into Beca's chest. She lets out a small inaudible cry before her eyes turn furious.
"My name is Beca Mitchell." She grits out as she pushes the blade out again. Michael then puts his other hand on top of the handle and forces the knife down, the blade piercing Beca's chest further, she cries out.
"Alrrahat fi alssalam eizrayiyl. (Rest in Peace Azrael.)" He murmurs but a gunshot rings out and Michael falls to the ground next to Beca, she turns her head to see his face registering shock, his eyes wide open and a bullet hole in his forehead. Beca leans her head back and spots Chloe on her feet, her mask removed and the gun pointed, a small amount of smoke rising from the end of the barrel. Beca rolls over and stands up carefully, her hand floating to her chest. She shares a smile with the redhead until she feels a blade pierce the back of her shoulder. She cries out in pain and turns around to see her sister standing ready with another throwing knife. Chloe watches as Beca moves to stand between her sister and Chloe, her hands raised.
"I'm not going to fight you Hailee, you do what needs to be done but I am not fighting you." Beca says and Chloe holds her gun in the raised position, trying to move to keep it pointed at Afriel however Beca moves with Chloe to block her shot.
"Chloe, get out of here." Beca says, her head turned slightly so her voice travels over her shoulder to the redhead.
"No, I'm not leaving without you." Chloe answers back watching the wounds on Beca's back slowly bleed out.
"Chloe, get out of here. Now. Take the Bellas and go, just like I told you." Beca says with anger, almost trying to scare Chloe out of the base of operations. Her eyes stay right on her sister. She finally hears Chloe start to move, the redhead sidestepping her way out of the room, Beca mirrors her moves to block either girl from attacking the other, acting as a wall. As Chloe goes to exit the room, Beca's voice stops her.
"Chloe?" The redhead turns back to the scene in front of her.
"I love you with everything I am and I'm sorry." Beca says and it instantly brings tears to Chloe's eyes as she turns to leave.
"I love you too Beca." She says before turning back to the empty hallway and sprinting back toward the exit.
"Hailee? This isn't you. You are not this person. Your name is Hailee Mitchell and I'm your big sister, we were inseparable. I promised you that night that I would always protect you and be there for you and I'm sorry I wasn't there that night but I thought you were gone. I'm sticking to that promise, I am always here and I will always protect you. I love you Hales." Beca cries as she drops her hands down to her sides, shaking her head.
"I'm not fighting you, I'm not going to fight you because you are my little sister and I love you. You are not Afriel, you are Hailee Mitchell, my beautiful little sister. Please Hailee. This isn't you." Beca adds as she steps forward carefully. Afriel just watches as Beca moves closer to her.
"You're wrong Azrael. You left me all those years ago and I was taken in. I became someone else. I became who I needed to be. I became strong enough to punish people like our father. People who do wrong in the world, as is our creed." Afriel replies and Beca is taken aback by the claim.
"Hailee, I didn't leave you. I saw them pull you out of the house. I saw them trying to revive you and give up. Hailee, they said you were dead, and it broke me. I promised to protect you and I failed. I lost you Hales." Beca says through tears, she watches as her sister tries to process what is being said. Beca steps forward again, being cautious.
"I would never leave you behind Hailee. You're my sister, you were all I had left! Then I found out that I lost you too so I did what I had to. I became this to silence everything that was haunting me, your voice, Mom's voice. The memories of that night. It used to haunt me always until I learned to shut it all off, I used it as a defence, a way to not have to deal with my pain but life is about overcoming the pain we endure, not running from it. Michael… Hailee, he tortured you and brainwashed you into becoming a weapon, a weapon they can point in any direction and fire. I thought the same as you, I thought it was all a lie, I killed my closest friend because she told me the exact same thing as I'm telling you now but Hailee, it's not a lie. The League wanted to take out the world leaders and put disguised assassins in their place. Michael lied to us, he didn't want to do what was right. He wanted to rule everything, he wanted to commit the mass murder of innocent people." Beca confesses and Afriel takes a step back, her eyes darting from one direction to another. Beca knew she was trying to fight the truth that Beca spoke but for a moment she saw her sister.
"You know I'm telling the truth. It will be hard when the emotions come back, all the things you regret, all of your pain and memories, they will come back in force, it will almost be painful but you will get your humanity back. We can stop this Hailee, you and me. We can be who we once were again. Please Hailee." Beca pleads as she reaches her hand out, walking toward her sister until she is right in front of her. Even though the younger girl was only sixteen, she was taller than Beca, it made Beca hurt not seeing her grow up. The last time she had seen Hailee was when she was only five.
"What happened that night? After I hit my head?" Afriel asks straight but with a hint of sadness. Beca drops her head.
"I stopped Dad from hurting you more, he took me upstairs and he… he raped me Hales. I could hear Mom yelling out, I told her to go help you. She called the police and they came. They took Dad away but he got one of the policeman's guns and shot Mom then they shot him. The police helped me and got me checked, I kept asking about you than they told me you were dead and I broke down, next thing I knew I woke up in a hospital and Uriel was there, she brought me here." Beca answers and Afriel's face turns slightly sadder. Beca knows that there is an internal war going on within the younger girl. She knew that Hailee upset about what had happened that night, upset that she couldn't be there to protect her older sister from their father.
"That night, it's always there. In my mind. I've always tried to push them away but even when I did. They were still there, the memories, seeing your face, seeing Mom's face, remembering the way Dad smelled, how rough he was. I remember it all but the thing that I will never forget was that moment that the paramedic shook his head and confirmed that you were gone. That was the moment my heart stopped beating because I lost not Mom, not that asshole but you. I lost you. Hailee I need you. Please." Beca tries to get through to Afriel again and she watches as a subtle tear falls down the younger assassin's cheek. Beca feels a slight bit of relief as she starts to see Hailee's humanity breaking through. Beca slowly steps forward and wraps her arms around her younger sister.
"I need you Hailee. Please don't leave me, not again." Beca cries into Hailee's chest.
"I left you a long time ago Beca." Afriel replies as she thrusts her knife into the right side of Beca's ribs.
So there you go... Hailee Mitchell lives!
For those of you who guessed it, well done! Hope this was shocking enough for you!
But the question now is... What will Beca do now?