Note: There are references to 'Oh Sister Where Art Thou' in this chapter so go back to my page if you haven't read it already.

Chapter Thirty-Three

Painful Confession

Aurora swallowed hard as she looked at Diablo who glared at her.

"I'm sorry," she said, "I hope I haven't offended you, but I'm merely curious, after all, all of you have told your stories, yet you have not."

Diablo narrowed his eyes again but his look softened.

"I suppose it is only fair I speak of my life as well, and who my older sibling is, or was." He said.

Aurora shuffled a little as she turned to listen to the raven who reached into his brown trouser pocket and pulled out a crumpled photograph.

He held it up and Aurora leaned forward to see it was a photo of two young boys and a teenaged girl with long dark brown hair, blue eyes and high cheekbones.

They were smiling at the camera and the girl was behind the two boys with her fingers behind their heads making bunny ears whilst the two boys were grinning, one of the boys who was wearing glasses had his thumbs up whilst the other boy was holding up his index and middle fingers with his thumbs facing the camera giving the 'Peace' Sign.

"What a nice photo." Aurora said as she took the photo to have a better look at it.

"Is one of the boys you?" she asked.

Diablo nodded.

"Yes," he said, "I'm the one giving the peace sign." He held up his taloned fingers in the same way as in the photo.

"I see." Aurora said as she studied the photo.

As she looked at it, she saw the girl in the photo seemed rather familiar, as if she had seen her before, and she felt a spark in her head as if something was reawakening in her, but again she couldn't be sure what it was.

Regan cocked her head as she looked at Aurora.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

Aurora didn't answer as she looked at the photo and tried to rack her brains to try and figure out why this woman in the photo sparked something in her.

She could see it in the eyes that she felt she should know who she was, but again, she couldn't recall.

"Aurora!"

The hybrid jerked up as she heard Regan's voice.

"You okay?" the vampire bat asked "You didn't respond there!"

"Huh?" Aurora asked then looked at the other Disciples who looked at her concerned.

"Aurora?" Lilith asked.

"I'm fine." Aurora said quickly "Just...away for a moment." She handed the photo back to Diablo.

"Who were those people?" she asked the Raven.

"My brother and sister." Diablo replied, "My sister, like Lilith lost her brother Nigel, I lost her."

"What happened to her?" Aurora asked.

Diablo sighed.

"She was taken." He said, "She was in New York, and she was snatched by gang members, and raped and murdered." He forced the words out.

Aurora gasped yet at the same time, she could feel the same spark in her head as Diablo said the words 'New York'.

Blinking her eyes, the Hybrid tried to search why that word sparked something in her head, like the photograph of the young woman and her brothers.

She knew what New York was, a famous city in America, yet she couldn't understand why it sounded so familiar to her, like something was there she knew, or at least had known, but she couldn't place her finger on it.

She pushed that thought aside as she looked up at Diablo who continued to speak.

"After we found out she was missing, my whole world crumbled!" Diablo said, "My sister, she was my role model, my protector, the person I could talk to when I couldn't talk to our parents."

"Just like me and Nigel." Lilith said sadly.

"When I was a little boy, I remember the times we spent together, how she always made time for me, helped me with my homework, encouraged me when I felt low, protected me from bullies, and most of all, I remember climbing into her bed when I had nightmares." Diablo said looking at the fire "I know a lot of kids would go to their parents, but in a way, I felt safer when I went to my sister."

Flashback

Eight-year-old Callum stirred and tossed in his sleep as he lay in the grip of a nightmare, he kicked his feet about and shook his head.

"No! No! stop it! No! Leave me alone! Stop! No!"

Sweat poured down his forehead as he continued to kick at his sheets as the nightmare continued then suddenly, he opened his eyes to find himself back in his own room.

He rolled over and saw his clock read two thirty in the morning and he saw through his bedroom window a sky filled with twinkling stars.

He rubbed his forehead as he thought of the dream he had had, it seemed so weird, but so disturbing.

He had dreamed he was surrounded by figures, and all of them towering over him, all with deformed monstrous faces.

He felt like he was drowning, almost like he was trapped, and these demons were looking over him, some laughing, some jeering, others just staring in silence, and he had tried to fight, yet he felt paralysed, it was like he was being held down and he couldn't get free.

He wasn't sure why he was dreaming it, but in a way, he knew deep down the reasons why.

He had been under a lot of stress at school as there were a couple of subjects he struggled with, and it didn't help that a group of boys had been bullying him.

Callum rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling trying to calm down, yet his heart was beating hard in his chest, and he was finding it difficult to settle.

After ten minutes of trying to settle himself down, he found it almost impossible to doze off again and sat up.

He wondered whether to go and see if his parents would let him into their bed, but he wasn't so sure as his father had been telling him he needed to be strong and not let his dreams get to him.

"You need to be a man son." He often said, "Dreams can't hurt you!"

Callum sighed, then looked at the photograph of him, his sister Monalisa, and his older brother Callum on his bedside table.

He thought about Jake, but he knew his older brother had a big test as school and had gotten to bed early to make sure he had enough sleep before then.

Then he remembered his fourteen-year-old sister Monalisa, and he decided to see if she would comfort him.

He often felt he could go to his older sister when he needed to, as she never judged him and was always first to defend him and Jake when they were being harassed by bullies, so he decided to go over to her bedroom.

As carefully as he could, he crept out of his bedroom and looked across to where his sister was sleeping.

It wasn't hard to find her room as it was just across the hallway, and he could see a couple of posters adorning the door.

One was of a silhouette of a girl performing a karate kick against a multi coloured background saying, 'Karate Girl, like a normal girl, but cooler', and the second one was a grey poster with a British Crown Symbol saying 'Keep Calm and Kick Ass'.

There was also a sign on the door saying, 'Keep out, unless you have chocolate'.

Callum tiptoed across the hallway, yet as he made it to Monalisa's door, his foot stepped on a floorboard, and it creaked!

Callum sucked in a breath and froze on the spot as he waited to see if anyone heard the noise, but luckily there was no movement from anyone's bedrooms, so he tiptoed on and soon came to Monalisa's door before gently pushing it open.

He soon saw Monalisa lying face down on her bed, the moonlight was shining in through her window which made it easy for him to walk over without tripping over anything, yet luckily his sister kept her room tidy, unlike him and Jake.

He felt guilty walking her, but he felt he needed her for comfort after that nightmare, so he gently stroked her shoulder.

"Mona?" he said gently "Sis, Mona?"

"Mmm, Ugghhh..." Monalisa moaned softly but didn't wake up.

"Mona...Mona! Sis!"

"Ugghhh...whazzat?" Monalisa opened her eyes and groaned.

"Mona! Wake up!"

"Ah what? I'm up! I'm up!" Monalisa looked up from her pillow and looked over to see Callum holding a brown teddy bear in his arms.

"Cal?" she asked turning to face him and putting her lamp on which hurt their eyes slightly but after a few seconds they got used to it.

"What's going on?" she asked, half asleep as well as a little annoyed,

"Sis..." Callum said, his eyes wet and puffy "I had a bad dream."

"Did you?" Monalisa asked, her annoyance fading quickly.

"Please." Callum begged "Can I sleep with you? I'm scared."

Monalisa looked at her brother and she knew she couldn't refuse him seeing how scared and vulnerable he looked, and she was always looking out for him when he needed it.

"Climb aboard." She said with a sympathetic smile and shuffled along in her bed and Callum gratefully climbed in and snuggled in.

As he did, he took a deep breath as he smelt his sister's scent, that soft rosy scent that soothed him, knowing she was near.

"I'm sorry to disturb you." He said, "But after such a nightmare, I do feel safe with you."

Monalisa chuckled sleepily as she wrapped an arm around Callum.

"It's okay Callum." She said, "I understand, and I do feel honoured you come to me when you're feeling scared or worried and my childhood teddies can't give you the comfort you need."

Callum smiled.

"Not always true the latter." He said, "I brought Mr Brown with me." He gestured to the brown teddy in his arms,

"Oh yes!" Monalisa smiled "Mr Brown, your favourite along with Paddington, Rupert, Smokey and Rosevelt."

Callum nodded.

"They're still in my room, but they're watching over me." He said.

"Like guardian angels." Monalisa chuckled.

"They help a little." Callum said yawning as he felt sleep overcome him again, "But they're nowhere near as good as you."

Monalisa chuckled.

"Thanks Callum." She said as she too lay down, feeling sleep take over her "You know I'll always be there for you...Even when I reach my old lady years!"

Callum smiled.

"Thanks...sis..." he murmured before sleep finally overtook him again, knowing he felt safe, and no nightmares would plague him.

End Flashback

Aurora looked at Diablo as she listened.

"She must have been such a wonderful woman." She said, "Someone I would have loved as a sister, I don't even know if I had one."

Diablo wiped a tear from his eyes.

"That was such a long time ago." He said, "I still think of those times, yet not with comfort, but hurt."

The other Disciples looked uncomfortable.

"Why?" Aurora asked.

Diablo glowered.

"I found out ten years later when I visited New York with my older brother Jake to get closure, I found out she was alive, not only alive, but hiding in the city, a mutant, just like us, and with a new family of mutants."

Aurora gasped.

"Alive?" she asked to which the Raven nodded.

"I found out for the past eleven years, ten years ago, she had been hiding in New York as a mutant, it turned out when she had been killed by the gang members, she had been mutated due to Toxic Waste in the sewers when they dumped her body."

"But if you found her? Why didn't you feel joy?" Aurora asked.

Diablo glared.

"At first, I felt overwhelming shock when I found her, but then my shock turned to anger, as if she had been alive, why didn't she tell me why she couldn't come home? Like she could have found a way to tell us, then maybe I would find it easier to bear, but instead, I suffered years of grief! Years of suffering from the loss of my sister!"

Aurora chewed her lip.

"I'm sorry." She said, "I guess I can understand your anger."

Diablo said nothing as he looked at Aurora.

"After you found her, what happened next? How did you become a raven?"

Diablo narrowed his eyes, and he soon spoke about how his sister's enemies had almost killed him, and he had been forced to be mutated.

"I'm not afraid to admit I was outside the hiding place, and I was unlucky enough to be caught and nearly killed, but when I saw what I had become, I almost wished for death as I knew I couldn't return to my old life."

The other Disciples agreed.

"Some of us found it hard to accept." Seth said "Lilith and I especially, but the others..." he looked at Ravage, Lamia, Samson, Marcus and Chastity.

"We took the water and made the choice that there was no going back, and now we feel we can do so much better and do more for the humans when we punish the wicked." Chastity said, "Especially when we were failed, we won't let anyone else be failed!"

"Agreed." Lamia said, "After how we were let down."

Marcus nodded and saluted.

"No-one should be let down!" he said.

"Indeed no." Diablo said "That's why we're here, why I recruited you all! To follow our own path, and punish those who wronged us, as well as others like us! The law cannot touch some sinners, but we can!"

"Diablo."

The Raven looked back at the hybrid who had her hand raised almost like a curious schoolgirl.

"What...what did she mutate into?" Aurora asked, "Your sister?"

Diablo narrowed his eyes as he looked at the hybrid and Aurora almost felt scared as she saw his eyes flashed as well as narrowed, but then they softened, and he sighed.

"She mutated into a lizard." He said, "In fact, looking at you, you almost remind me of her."

Aurora touched her face.

"I do?" she asked.

Diablo sighed.

"I can't be sure." He said, "You are a lizard mutant, and you don't know who you are, so I cannot be certain."

Aurora chewed her lip as she touched her face again.

"Do you think I am like her? Or even related to her?" she asked.

Diablo cocked his head.

"Do you remember anything that might connect you to her?" he asked to which Aurora shook her head.

"No." she said, "I've tried to remember, even try and picture my family, whether it be my mother, father, or any siblings I might have, but I remember nothing."

Diablo looked again at Aurora and studied her.

"Then I feel no need to dwell on it." He said then looked at the other Disciples who were looking tired.

"We best get some sleep." He said, "Get as much rest as we can before we move on."

"Good idea chief." Samson said.

"I'll take the first watch." Rex volunteered.

"Like always Rex." Ravage said, "I'll take the next one after you."

Rex saluted to Ravage in thanks before standing up and walking over to a rock so he could sit and keep guard.

At the same time, everyone started to settle down into their sleeping bags to rest until dawn.

Aurora as much as she wondered why she remined Diablo of this sister of his, she felt tired and decided to think more on it tomorrow, she was feeling so tired and she settled onto her sleeping bag next to Regan who compassionately placed one of her wings over her in a bid to keep her warm and safe which she accepted gratefully.

"Sweet dreams Aurora." Regan whispered.

"You too Regan." Aurora smiled as she closed her eyes.

Meanwhile Lilith frowned as she looked at Aurora as she remembered Diablo speaking about his sister, and she almost wondered if this hybrid girl before them was in anyway connected to Monalisa, the lizard mutant that was Diablo's sister, yet she couldn't be sure.

"If Diablo thinks Aurora looks like his sister, I will keep a close eye." She thought as she lay down on her sleeping bag.

"What if she is connected to her?" she thought to herself "I got a hunch, but I don't know for sure, but I will keep an eye on her, and see if anything that triggers her mind again like before..."

She kept her eyes on Aurora as the fire slowly burnt down into embers and she herself began to feel sleepy.

"If you got a family left behind, like me..." she whispered "I will help you remember them, and help you go home, unlike us, you may have a chance...and I won't deny you it."

Diablo has spoken about his past and about his sister and has even admitted Aurora reminds him of Monalisa, yet is uncertain that she is connected to her, yet Lilith is having a few thoughts of her own.

Btw, in the flashback when Callum and Monalisa speak of Callum's teddies, they are all represent famous Bears, Paddington (Paddington Bear) Rupert (Rupert the Bear) and Smokey (Smokey the Bear) and the last one, Rosevelt (Theodore Teddy Rosevelt, 26th President of the United States).