Chapter 2
The next morning, Rosette and Chrono made their way to Sister Kate's office. They were told by Father Remington to go to her office after breakfast and morning duties. "Are you sure it's a good idea to bring me into Sister Kate's office, Rosette?" Chrono asked nervously. "Don't be ridiculous. Besides, if the minister said it was okay, there's no need to worry about it!" Rosette reassured him. Chrono however wasn't really convinced by her reassurance. When they stepped foot in Sister Kate's office they saw a stern look on her face while Father Remington was also standing by. "It's the first time a demon has entered my office! However, the situation requires it." Sister Kate said seriously. "I see, can you tell us what the situation is all about?" Rosette asked. "Alright, you and Chrono have been assigned on a mission in Atlantic City, New Jersey to retrieve a 12 year old soprano singer from Fatima, Portugal by the name Azmaria Hendric." Sister Kate began explaining. "So what is the reason to bring this girl to the Magdalene Order, Sister Kate?" Rosette asked. "To save her from her adopted father Ricardo Hendric. He is the owner of Melda Hotel and is also known to be an occult collector as well as a Satan worshipper and demon tamer. He is also listed on our blacklist and is known to have a serious lung disease called tuberculosis. As for the girl, the circumstances in which she was adopted are pretty suspicious. Also, all the choirs she used to sing with are missing. Minister Remington is doing further investigation on this case." Sister Kate continued explaining the mission. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but does Melda Hotel have a casino in it since Atlantic City is after all known as a gambling hotspot?" Rosette asked enthusiastically. "Yes, I believe there is!" Sister Kate sighed. "Wow! That is so Jake!" Rosette exclaimed excitedly while Sister Kate ignored her and continued explaining. "That powerful demon tamer is making some kind of a move. The girl is very important to him and we suspect that she is in some kind of danger." Sister Kate concluded. "So when do we leave?" Chrono asked seriously. "You two shall be leaving for Atlantic City by train this evening, and since Atlantic City is known to be a huge gambling site I suggest you wear something more fitting for this location as a way to blend in!" Father Remington advised. "Yes Minister, I promise we will not let the Order down this time!" Rosette assured them. "Well, I do hope so!" Sister Kate said with slight doubt. "Come on Chrono, it's time to pack our bags and I am thinking of wearing something sexy while undercover!" Rosette said mischievously to Chrono. "Not that daring pink dress! Shouldn't nuns be more on the modest side of clothing?" Chrono asked intensely surprised. "Yeah but this is Sin City we're going to so I may as well look convincing in that regard, right Chrono?" Rosette asked in a sly manner. "Alright, I suppose your right!" Chrono sighed. The two then left the office and began packing for the mission ahead of them.
Rosette and Chrono left for Atlantic City at sunset by train. It took them 3 hours to get there and by the time they arrived the city was already in full lights. They took a taxi to Melda Hotel and once they got there, Rosette went into a change room and put on a sexy pink dress that bared one shoulder as well as slits that exposed her legs. After she was done changing, Rosette spotted the casino area and begged Chrono to spend some time gambling. Chrono reluctantly agreed and he got some coins for the slot machines where Rosette played ten times but failed at every turn, much to her frustration. "Chrono, can you give me another coin?" Rosette asked as she realized that they had ran out of coins. Chrono then slapped Rosette's hand. "Hey, what's in your bonnet?" Rosette asked. "You've had your fun. This isn't the time to be gambling in a casino Rosette." Chrono reminded her in frustration. "But Chrono, since we are already in sin city, why not sin a little. Besides, it's not every day I get to wear such a lovely dress." Rosette said and started wiggling her rear at him so he would give her a coin to continue playing. "Loooook Chrono!" Rosette said seductively while Chrono was totally horrified by her move. "Come on big spender, just one more coin!" Rosette pleaded and stretched her hand out. "Sorry Rosette, but the mission comes first." Chrono said firmly as he took Rosette's hand and tried to pull her away from the slot machine. "Whaaa, I don't want to go, the slots are calling for me!" Rosette whined and accidentally broke the lever she was holding on to, much to their horror. They both rushed their way out of the casino area and went to the theater room. They seated themselves at the top balcony, which gave them a view of the whole theater. "That's strange! There's no one here?" Chrono stated confused as he saw that there was no audience present. "No Chrono, there she is, singing!" Rosette said while spotting the girl at the center of the stage singing the Star of Bethlehem. "So, this is the girl that we were sent to retrieve?" Chrono asked. "Yes, she is the one." Rosette confirmed. "My, she has a beautiful singing voice! Who would have thought that a 12 year old girl would already be a professional soprano singer?" Chrono stated in amazement. "Well, she was a member of an orchestra when she came over from Portugal so it's not too surprising that she is already experienced in this." Rosette explained to Chrono. "I still don't understand, out of all the exorcists, why did they choose us to protect this girl?" Chrono asked. "It doesn't matter. Look over there, that man in the first row who is bound to a wheelchair. That's Ricardo Hendric, the owner of Melda Hotel and a demon tamer that Sister Kate was telling us about." Rosette explained while spotting the man. "No, it can't be!" Chrono said in shock. "You know Mr. Hendric?" Rosette asked. "No, it's that man beside him. He is a demon I used to bump heads with in the past." Chrono explained as he recognized him. "Are you sure Chrono?" Rosette asked. "Yes I am, and that proves one thing. Ricardo Hendric's success must have come from a contract with a demon." Chrono concluded. "Oh my, he must be planning on using this girl for some kind of ritual." Rosette said as Chrono absent mindedly stared at Rosette's bare legs. "You pervert!" She called out on him. "Sorry, I didn't mean to look at you like that." Chrono said ashamed. "It's alright Chrono, let's just keep on listening to her singing. Then when she leaves, we'll follow them!" Rosette said while calming Chrono down. "So Lerajie, how is she progressing?" Ricardo Hendric asked the demon beside him. "It's no use, it's not nearly as half as we expect from her." Lerajie said disappointedly while looking at the sound measuring machine. Ricardo clapped his hands and Azmaria stopped singing as soon as she heard him. "Alright, that's enough for tonight. Go back to your room and get some sleep." Ricardo ordered his adopted daughter. "What?" Azmaria protested. "I said go!" Ricardo demanded harshly. "Yes sir, good night." Azmaria disappointedly said and Ricardo's servants escorted her out of the theater. "Now's our chance, let's get a move on!" Rosette said and they both made their way out of the theater. "It's been two months since we have obtained that girl. Are you sure that she is the one?" Ricardo asked Lerajie. "I am sure. Although there are still some inconsistencies, we however have been achieving more results. Don't you worry, she will awaken soon enough!" Lerajie assured Ricardo. "I have only one solution and that is everything to me right now. Besides, I don't have much time left." Ricardo concluded while they were exiting the theater. In the meantime, one of Ricardo's men went to make sure that the girl was in bed as requested by Ricardo. "Dress her up for bed and as always, don't let her out. That's the order." One of Ricardo's men said to the maid. "Well, there's a bit of a problem with that." The maid said to the man. "Nonsense, she must be in bed. Let me check that room." The man demanded as he opened the door and walked into Azmaria's bedroom. In her room they saw a curtain tied to the leg of her drawer and the window was opened. "It can't be. Are you saying that she has escaped from here?" The man asked in disbelief as he looked down from the window. "Unbelievable, find her at once! She's outside, go around the veranda." The man commanded while rushing out of the room. Azmaria was hiding under her bed and once they had left she ran out of her bedroom and went into a staff room that was close by. In the meantime, Rosette and Chrono who followed them, split up. Rosette went to Ricardo's private floor which was located at the top floor and where Azmaria's room was located. Chrono on the other hand climbed out of the window and walked on the ledge of the wall to observe whether something was happening outside. They both had communication ear buds as a way of communicating to each other. "Rosette can you hear me, where are you?" Chrono asked. "I'm at Ricardo's private floor. From the looks of things, it seems as if something has happened. I'm having trouble hiding myself here." Rosette said as she was hiding in a hallway, behind Ricardo's bust. "At least you're inside. Remind me again why I have to be outside?" Chrono asked. "Because walking around with a child brings too much attention, so follow my lead, Okay?" Rosette explained. "Why am I always the one who gets these jobs?" Chrono asked himself dissatisfied. Just then, a statue like gargoyle on the balcony of the hotel suddenly came to life and charged at Chrono. "Chrono, what's wrong!" Rosette asked as she heard the communication ear bud fizzing out. One of Ricardo's men heard Rosette's voice and walked over to the bust. "This is not good!" Rosette panicked and quickly ran to the other side of the hallway looking for somewhere else to hide. As she promptly looked around she spotted a room that was for staff only and went inside. Once she entered the room, Rosette saw a frightened Azmaria hiding and came closer to her. Azmaria was so frightened that Rosette had to shush her so they would not be spotted. "Well, did you find Azmaria?" Ricardo's main henchman asked one of the other men. "I'm afraid there's no sign of her." The man said. "Damn it! Keep looking for her, she must be around here somewhere!" The man demanded and they both made their way through the hallway. Both of the girls sighed in relief for as they didn't get caught. "That was close. Sorry that I had scared you, I am not the kind of person who would be targeting anyone, let alone a girl like you!" Rosette assured Azmaria. "Miss, please don't tell anyone that you saw me hiding in here. I was trying to escape!" Azmaria begged Rosette. "Calm down, everything will be alright. In fact I am extremely grateful to have found you, Azmaria Hendric!" Rosette assured Azmaria in a motherly tone. "Who are you?" Azmaria asked curiously. "I am Sister Rosette Christopher and I was sent by the Order of Magdalene to rescue you!" Rosette introduced herself. "You're a sister?" Azmaria asked in disbelief looking at Rosette's dress. "Well, appearances can be deceiving. Now let's get going while the getting is good!" Rosette explained, took Azmaria's hand and headed towards the door. Just when she opened the door they bumped into Lerajie who was standing in front of them. "Lady Azmaria, I have been looking for you!" The demon said to a shocked Azmaria and then turned his attention to Rosette. "Young lady, this is a private floor and I assume you know that you are not allowed to be here. I am waiting for an answer." The demon addressed Rosette suspiciously. Azmaria jumped in and answered "Sir, this guest had lost her way and I was trying to help her." Azmaria tried to convince Lerajie while letting go of Rosette's hand. "If that is so then I suggest we escort her back to where the guests are. As for you Lady Azmaria, perhaps it is time for you to return to your room." Lerajie demanded and began to escort Azmaria back to her room. Rosette wondered as to how Azmaria was more worried about her safety rather than her own. Just then, the gargoyle along with Chrono burst into the hallway through the window and slammed onto the wall. "Oh my God, Chrono!" Rosette shouted out. "Chrono?" Lerajie said in disbelief as he recognized his name. Rosette punched one of Ricardo's men beside her, took out her gun and shot at the gargoyle. "Come on Chrono, let's get out of here!" Rosette said. She turned towards Azmaria and shouted "Alright, we're going to jump so hold on!" She grabbed Azmaria who screamed as they jumped out of the window. Rosette used her gun to shoot out a thin black bungee rope onto a tiny balcony by one of the windows as a way to prevent them from falling while Chrono zoomed his way down through the tiny balconies. Lerajie looked down through the broken window and signaled the gargoyle to attack the three. "So Chrono, we meet again!" Lerajie said to himself and started laughing in a sinister tone. While the three were running on top of the glass roof of the casino area of Melda Hotel, the gargoyle along with three other ones was flying after them. "Rosette, they're gaining on us!" Chrono warned her. "Damn, these creatures are so stubborn!" Rosette frustratingly said and began shooting at them. Once she shot all four of the gargoyles, they fell onto the glass roof which promptly shattered and they all fell into the casino. Luckily, Rosette, Azmaria and Chrono's fall was cushioned by a huge palm tree as they then landed on the ground. "Are you alright Azmaria, did you injure yourself?" Chrono asked Azmaria. Rosette coughed and turned her head up only to see all of the damage that was caused by the fall. The gambling kiosk and other gambling tables were completely ruined. There were also lots of civilian casualties that were caused by some of the gargoyles falling on some of the individuals while others were knocked out unconscious. The people began crying out for their loved ones out of despair for the disaster that had happened. "Oh my God, What have we done?" Rosette asked herself while looking around the wrecked casino area, and injured or even dead civilian bystanders. "These creatures were stone gargoyles that were infused with mystical powers." Chrono stated. "It doesn't matter what these creatures were, it doesn't erase the fact that it's our fault." Rosette said in a bitter tone. "I am aware of that Rosette." Chrono responded agitated. "No, that's not true. This is my fault! It's all because of me. This is what happens to everyone that gets close to me. This is what happened to my mother, my father, everyone that was ever close to me!" Azmaria said as her voice was filled with guilt, while tears were coming down her face. Azmaria then began singing the Star of Bethlehem and while she was singing, white wings sprouted on her back. An incredible amount of glowing energy engulfed the damaged casino. The powerful golden glow disintegrated the gargoyles bodies and healed everyone in the casino as well as it revived the dead ones. The people rejoiced as they considered it a miracle that they were all healed. Rosette and Chrono were just standing there astounded as to what was happening right before their eyes. "What is this power that we are witnessing Chrono?" Rosette asked him in wonder. "I don't know." Chrono responded in a puzzled tone. As soon as Azmaria was done singing she passed out onto the ground due to extreme exhaustion. Rosette and Chrono ran towards her to see if she was alright. "Azmaria, are you alright?" Rosette asked as they tried to wake her up. Meanwhile, Lerajie was observing what was happening. "This is far better than what we have expected! Now this is the kind of power that we can use! However, for now I will have to report this to master Ricardo. The real fun shall begin soon Chrono!" Lerajie said to himself and laughed sinisterly as he left.
The next morning, Rosette and Chrono took Azmaria with them back to The Order of Magdalene. When they arrived, they took her to Sister Kate's office. "Who is it?" Sister Kate asked as she heard a knock on the door. "It's me Rosette. We are back from our mission." Rosette said. "Of course! Come in!" Sister Kate responded. They walked into Sister Kate's office while Azmaria curiously looked around as if this was the first time she was in a church setting. "Sister Kate, this is the girl who you sent us to retrieve, Azmaria Hendric!" Rosette introduced her. "It is a pleasure to meet you ma'am!" Azmaria said politely. "The pleasure is all mine Azmaria! Now that you are with us, feel free to make yourself at home!" Sister Kate gleefully responded. Azmaria felt overwhelmed with all the attention for she never had experienced anyone paying attention to her. "I have one question Sister Kate. Why am I here, and how do you know anything about my adoptive father?" Azmaria asked. "Because we the Magdalene Order know about your powers and realized that Ricardo was planning to use you for that very purpose." Sister Kate explained to the girl. "Are you sure I will be safe here from him?" Azmaria asked in a worried tone. "As long as you are within the confines of this Order, you should not be in harm's way!" Sister Kate assured her. "So where is Father Remington right now?" Rosette asked Sister Kate. "He is still investigating the missing choir as well as Ricardo's plans in regards to Azmaria." Sister Kate explained. "I see, so what should we do now?" Rosette asked. "For starters, I am assigning you and Chrono the task of cleaning up the remains of the bullet testing room that you have recently wrecked down!" Sister Kate said sternly. "What, you can't be serious. That will take all day for us to do!" Rosette protested. "Then you may as well get started. Besides, if you wouldn't have been so reckless then you wouldn't have to clean up such a horrendous mess." Sister Kate said to Rosette in a critical tone. "Alright, I guess we better get started then!" Rosette said with a dismayed tone and the three walked out of Sister Kate's office. Once they reached the area of what now remained of the bullet testing room, Rosette and Chrono were appalled at how much they had to clean up. "Oh my God, Sister Kate really has gone hard on us this time. I would much rather write a report than to clean up this pile of crap!" Rosette said dissatisfied with her cleaning responsibility. "Well, it could be worse. Sister Kate could have come up with a much harsher punishment, you know." Chrono stated. "Yeah, thanks for the reminder, mister know it all!" Rosette said sarcastically. "May I help you with cleaning up this mess?" Azmaria asked. "You don't have to burden yourself by helping us clean up Azmaria!" Rosette gently said to her. "It's not a burden at all! I would much rather do something productive than to just stand here and do nothing. Besides you two would be able to get the cleaning done much sooner!" Azmaria insisted. "Alright Azmaria, I really appreciate you helping us!" Rosette sighed while Azmaria grinned excitedly. "So Azmaria, how come you don't mind helping us clean up this mess?" Chrono asked curiously. "Because being a part of a choir involves taking on many responsibilities, so I am pretty used to all kinds of tasks and duties. After the war, business became scarce back home so we, the choir, moved to America. We lived in a small place and although it was quite hard at times it was very lively and I enjoyed every moment of it!" Azmaria said nostalgically. "I hope the choir will be found soon Azmaria." Chrono said to Azmaria sympathetically. "Thank you Chrono!" Azmaria said. "I can see you're blushing Chrono. Care to explain me why that is?" Rosette teased Chrono. "Don't take it the wrong way. I wasn't blushing. I was just making her feel better, that's all!" Chrono assured Rosette nervously. "Alright Chrono, I believe you! I just wanted to see your reaction." Rosette said mischievously. "Now then, let's start cleaning up this crap load of a mess!" Rosette demanded optimistically and the three began cleaning the rubble. A few hours later, Father Remington returned to the order from his investigation of the missing choir and handed the report to Sister Kate. "I see, so they are preparing for some kind of ritual?" Sister Kate asked while reading the report. "That's correct." The minister affirmed. "If that's the case, then why haven't they made some kind of move to retrieve Azmaria?" Sister Kate asked worriedly. "They are confident that they are able to do so, and to think that they hold us in contempt. It seems that they are waiting for the right moment." Father Remington stated. "With that being said, have you been able to find the rest of the choir?" Sister Kate asked. "It was horrible. It is quite obvious by how they were killed. It is like the devil's doing." The minister said while revealing the tragic fate of the choir. "Oh dear, this is going to be really tough for her." Sister Kate said with great empathy. "However, shouldn't we tell her about this?" The minister asked. Just then, the minister heard something by the door and went to check who was there. To his surprise, he saw a tea trolley cart by the door that Azmaria herself brought to Sister Kate's office. Azmaria ran outside in tears and began crying next to a tree. "It's all my fault once again. It's all my fault!" Azmaria sobbed. "Azmaria!" Rosette shouted as she was walking towards her along with Chrono. Azmaria looked at the two of them with tears in her eyes. "What's wrong Azmaria?" Rosette asked curiously. "It's nothing, I am fine." Azmaria said unconvincingly while wiping her tears off. "Then why were you crying?" Chrono asked. "No really, I'm alright! Everything is fine right now!" Azmaria said while forcing a smile on her face. "You shouldn't keep your feelings to yourself Azmaria!" Chrono said as he was aware that Azmaria was pretending. After some time of trying to calm Azmaria down, Rosette became impatient, to the point that she grabbed Azmaria's arm. "Come on sister, you're coming with us!" Rosette demanded while dragging her to the car. "Wait Rosette, are you sure this is such a good idea?" Chrono asked nervously as he knew what Sister Kate's reaction would be. Before they left, the three nuns also tried to reason with Rosette but to no avail. Afterwards, Rosette began driving away to a forest not too far from the Magdalene Order while Rosette had blindfolded Azmaria. Meanwhile, the three nuns went to Sister Kate's office to tell her about their abrupt excursion. "She did what?" Sister Kate asked furiously. "Yes Sister Kate, she and Chrono took off with Azmaria. We tried to stop her but she wouldn't listen to us." Sister Anna explained. "That Rosette! I swear to God that girl is so irresponsible it's going to drive me insane!" Sister Kate yelled angrily while crunching a piece of paper. "I can see where she's going. Shall I go retrieve her?" Father Remington who was also there, asked calmly. When they arrived at the forest, Azmaria took off her blindfold and was surprised to see where they had taken her. By the forest, there was a huge grass field with a large lake. It was a very relaxing view, as the water of the lake was so clear that the whole forest could be seen in it. "Azmaria, stop staring around and get down here!" Rosette shouted out. "Alright Azmaria, let's go!" Chrono said and the two began running their way to catch up to Rosette. "This place looks very much like the spot Rosette and I first met each other. She was around your age at the time. She was an obstinate girl who was unable to let other people see her tears. Now that I think of it, she probably sees herself in you, Azmaria." Chrono explained. "Really?" Azmaria asked surprised. Just then, Rosette splashed a wave of water at Chrono and Azmaria, much to their unpleasant surprise. "What's with you two? Aren't you having fun?" Rosette asked while laughing at the two drenched souls. "That was overdoing it Rosette." Chrono said as he was not amused. "Should this even be called fun!?" Azmaria frowned. "If I am really so awful, why don't you just stop complaining and do something about it?!" Rosette taunted Azmaria and began splashing her some more. Azmaria finally had enough of Rosette's splashing game and started splashing her back. "Why you! Take that and that!" Azmaria said while Rosette avoided Azmaria's splashes. "You missed, you're too slow." Rosette mockingly said and all of a sudden fell into the water. "I can see that you're too slow as well Rosette!" Azmaria said cheerfully and splashed some water on her again. The two girls then began to splash some more water onto each other. "Take this and this." Rosette said. "Take that, and that." Azmaria said as they both kept splashing each other. Chrono was looking at them with a slight grin on his face. Rosette and Azmaria then turned to splashing Chrono, much to his dislike. "So what's with you being the only one left out?" Rosette asked. "Yes, it's so much more fun when you join in the game!" Azmaria said enthusiastically. "A game is it? Alright then!" Chrono said and jumped into the water. Now all three of them were playing in the water and splashing each other. It seemed like all of their worries had disappeared. Later that evening, they were sitting on logs by a fire while Rosette and Chrono were preparing coffee. Azmaria couldn't have thought of a more fun day. "Here you go Azmaria!" Rosette said while handing the coffee to her. "Thank you." Azmaria said. "So, I can see that you have cheered up a bit now." Rosette said to Azmaria. "Yes Rosette, today has been a really fun day! I don't remember when was the last time I had so much fun!" Azmaria stated. "I am glad you enjoyed yourself Azmaria as we both enjoyed your company as well! There is a saying of mine that I always love to say. When you're having fun, have fun, and when you're angry, act angry... and when you want to cry your eyes out do it! Because after you've cried, you feel better. Eventually you will be able to smile again, but when you keep your problems to yourself, and force yourself to smile, the person who that is hardest on is you." Rosette said. Azmaria was very moved by what Rosette said. "That is really one true saying. I could really use it as a piece of advice." Azmaria said who was inspired by those words. Rosette sneezed abruptly right towards Chrono, much to his disgust. "Rosette, that's gross. You have to stop acting like an impulsive idiot or else you'll catch a cold." Chrono said as he reached for a pink cloth and handed it to Rosette. Azmaria started laughing at them and they started laughing along with her. Just then out of the blue, Lerajie appeared and pinned Chrono's face down to the ground which startled the two girls. "I have come to return you home my young mistress." Lerajie said as his eyes were glowing red. "Lerajie?! What's happening?" Azmaria panicked. "All of the preparations are now in order! So tell me, did you enjoy your brief taste of freedom my dear?" Lerajie asked while provoking Azmaria. Rosette tried to pull out her gun. "Oh no, my gun!" Rosette said to herself when she realized that she didn't bring it with her. "Well, Sinner Chrono, it has been such a long time." Lerajie stated. "I was locked out." Chrono revealed angrily to Lerajie. "Locked in a form like that? Have you fallen so low that you could not break free?" Lerajie asked Chrono while mocking him. "In that case, that shall end right now!" Lerajie said and a black energy ball formed from his hand. "Death shall await you, Sinner Chrono." Lerajie sinisterly smiled. "No, wait!" Azmaria shouted out. "I'll go with you, if you promise not to hurt them." Azmaria begged Lerajie. "What are you saying? You can't do that Azmaria!" Rosette said in a surprised tone. Azmaria nonetheless started walking towards Lerajie. "Azmaria, no!" Rosette shouted and tried to stop her. "It can't be helped. I told you I always bring misery to the people around me. However, thank you for today! I will never forget it!" Azmaria said as she continued walking towards the demon. "Azmaria!" Rosette called out in vain as she was holding the thin brown blanket Azmaria was wrapped in. Once Azmaria came towards Lerajie, he lifted Chrono up and threw him onto Rosette. "What a noble lady you are. So young and yet so willing to sacrifice yourself. Nonetheless, the fates of these two are preordained." Lerajie said and took Azmaria with him high into the air to the Zeppelin where Ricardo and his servants were waiting. "No, you promised!" Azmaria yelled at Lerajie. "Time for you two to die!" Lerajie said as he threw the dark energy ball at Rosette and Chrono. Azmaria was deeply shocked when she saw the energy ball hit them with a huge light explosion. "Noooooo!" Azmaria yelled out of desperation as she believed that the two were now dead.