Chapter 1
I stared up at the ceiling while Linkin Park cooled the angry rage that was my 'gift'.
I felt Collin and Magenta in front of the front door. Magenta was sitting on the third step on the staircase and Collin was pacing in front of the door. He was waiting for someone. But who? His gift was intuition. He just knew when things were going to happen and how. He couldn't see the future but he could feel when something was going to happen. He felt that someone was coming in need of help. Magenta's gift was to wash away negativity. Magic, I guess you could say. 'See no pain, feel no pain.' Were the most frequent words I heard.
Collin had found me curled up in an abandoned church near the southern border of Georgia. His gift had told him that I needed someone like him. Unlike the rest of us, Collin and Magenta willingly stayed on Earth after they cleansed their souls to help the other damned. Well the damned that wanted to be helped. They welcomed me into their home and treated me like their daughter. In 1800 when my father was dying in Virginia of the small pox, he asked the doctor to pray in church and ask The Father to "bring Leonardo Smith's wealth to him on the eve of his death". Collins gift picked up on the need for someone to be at the dying mans bedside. So back to Virginia I went with Collin and Magenta supporting me all the way. And as I stood over him on the eve of his death he told me the single sentence that almost killed me, again.
"We sold your soul to Lucifer so we could go to Heaven." He wheezed.
They are not here yet, padre, so calm yourself and sit down! I thought to Collin, my voice a whisper in his ears and his mind. We spoke fluent Spanish when I was human and now both my thoughts and voice had a Spanish accent and sometimes I would slip into Spanish when I was upset.
"I'm sorry, Maxwell. I just wish who ever it is would hurry!" he grumbled.
Magenta? Can you calm him? His impatience is irritating. I thought. Collin sat down beside her. I smiled, He hated it when he upset Magenta and I. Not 10 minutes later I felt a warm presence run up the steps with speed that put Superman to shame. But this presence was tinged with pain, fear, longing, and hope. What an odd mix of emotions.
Collin opened the door before she could knock. In the blink of an eye had her on the couch crying her eyes out in agony.
"Sweetheart! Come down here please! Our guest needs you!" Collin called. He was upset as well.
I got up and turned my music off. My gift hit me like a brick. Thoughts, emotions, sounds, and memories bombarded my mind and body. Shadows danced around mimicking the presences of people everywhere. For a split second the pain was excruciating, than, to put it in other words, I shut the door.
As I walked out of my room I peaked at the mirror. Emerald green eyes stared back; my chocolate hair was still in its bun. I brushed my bangs out of my eyes and quickly changed into a black and red tube-top sundress that ended at my knees. Than ran down the stairs and into the living room in less than a second. The guest turned.
"Maxxi!" Scarlett called and suddenly she was in front of me with her arms squeezing me to her. I noticed almost immediately something was wrong.
"Hermana, what's wrong?" I asked holding her at arms length.
Scarlett was a perfect name for her. She had short curly red hair and stormy green eyes. She was tall and when I had first met her I had thought she was a goddess incarnate. That beautiful.
She smiled slightly at my name for her. Even now I considered her my sister.
"He's been taken, Maxxi." She whispered, her usually sing-song voice now like sandpaper from crying.
I pinched my eyebrows together.
"You have to help my find and free him!" she cried. Gripping my hands so tight I lost feeling in them.
"No! That man tried to kill me! I will NOT encontrar a ese bastardo! Fue enviado a matar! Va a terminar el trabajo, si alguna vez me encuentra!" I raged.
"Maxxi, Maxxi! Calm down. English would suffice!" Magenta said.
"Maxxi, what are you talking about? Elliot wasn't sent to kill you, he was sent to protect you." Scarlett said, confused.
"Leonardo told me that Elliot came to kill me. They sold my soul to Lucifer and killing me would send them to heaven." I said, irked.
"No, no, no! Maxxi all of that is a lie!" Scarlett cried. She sat me down on the couch and held my hands as if she were afraid I might run.
"You were born to send Lucifer to Hell for good. You are the only one who has this power. You have this power because you are the first, last and forever the only child of Gabriel and Michael." Insert gasp. "Lucifer took you from heaven and by touching you he damned you. He impregnated Clarisse and told she and Leonardo that you must die within a year after you turn 16 or they would be his slaves in Hell. They agreed. But they came to adore you so Lucifer had to find another way to kill you. Gabriel and Michael caught wind of Lucifer's plan and sent Elliot and I to protect you. But before we could pull you into our circle Lucifer sent a Hound to kill you in your sleep. We couldn't get there fast enough for we had been at a church in Pennsylvania conversing with Gabriel and Michael. They activated your inner angel and in doing so made you a damned soul. When we got to your house Clarisse was dead, Leonardo was out cold and you were gone. " She finished. The silence that followed was deafening. No one spoke for a few minutes. I stood up.
"Excuse me, I need a moment." I whispered. Than ran. I ran all the way to the local church and when I found no one there I proceeded in to stand in front of the statue of The Father.
It couldn't be true, could it? Me? The daughter of Gabriel and Michael? What would happen if I died? How could I possibly fight the fallen prince of heaven? I can barely control my gift! What power was she talking about? So many questions, so many unanswerable questions! I looked up at the statue. Was it just me or were the eyes glowing gold? It was! And the last thing I saw was the statue coming to life. Damnit.
"Maxxi? Open your eyes honey." Someone whispered, almost urgently.
My eyes opened slowly, adjusting to the light. Was I still in the church? Scarlett was staring down at me worriedly. Above her was the ceiling of the church. I closed my eyes again; I focused on pushing my gift back. My head was hurting worse than ever before. Was it because I was in a church? I haven't come into a church since I died. I thought it would hurt me. Obviously not.
"My head hurts! ¡Oh, Dios que duele!" I groaned.
"It's going to. You don't except what you are. Gabriel was trying to speak with you but you don't believe that she's your mother. You didn't allow her to speak with you. Why did you come to a church? You never came before." Scarlett whispered. That's why she was whispering! She knew my head hurt! I sat up slowly, carefully, so as not to make everything spin and my head throb even more than it already was. I looked out the window, nice. It was dark. I'd been unconscious since noon. Vulnerable. I looked around; the church had a scattering of lit candles, making it look both beautiful and terrifying.
"I have no idea why I came here. It seemed like the only place no one would find me." I whispered.
"It was a better idea than going to your stream. This holy land, no one could hurt you here. Not even me." She whispered, looking around.
"How did you know about my stream? Wait! Don't tell me. Gabriel told you, didn't she." I said sarcastically.
She glared at me. "No, Michael did. Gabriel has been heart broken over the fact that she may never meet her daughter. So Michael contacted Elliot and I. he told us of your whereabouts. We've been following your trail for a long time. He told us you were here." She said firmly.
"I'm sorry. How can you spring this on me than assume that I'll automatically help you because I'm the daughter of Gabriel and Michael? It doesn't change who I am. Just who my parents are." I said. Irritation was quickly turning to anger. I couldn't control my gift when I was angry.
"I never expected that Maxxi. I was only trying to help. You're the only person that I know that was always exceptionally good at sneaking in and out of places. I need Elliot, Maxxi. He's all I've got here. I can't survive without my brother. You would ask the same if it was Collin. Wouldn't you?" she asked desperately.
"I would. But that was when I was human. I can't control my gift, Hermana. I could seriously hurt someone. I don't want to take that chance." I said, I shook my head carefully. My head still hurt a little.
"What if I could teach you how to control it? Than would you help me?" She asked.
I contemplated the thought. Could she? Did she even know the extent of my ability? I didn't want to hurt her. I frowned.
"I don't want to hurt you, Scarlett." I said.
"You won't! My gift is protection. Elliot's is fire. He controls fire. That's why they chose us. We could protect you. So you can't hurt me." She said, excited.
" If you get hurt, in the slightest bit, we stop." I said sternly.
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