Chapter 7
Gathered in Superion’s office.
Suzanne took to her desk with her girlfriends seated either side of her. The rest of the crew gathered on the other side of the desk. Lilith leaned against the window with Mary sitting on the windowsill beside her. Camila and Serita sat just between the ladies and Beatrice sitting facing the desk, beside her sat Ava with Hanna curled in her arms playing with her toy rabbit.
“Why are you convinced the wraiths are after the baby?” Suzanne asked confused.
“They are” Ava stated. “First time I met her mother, it was a Wraith attack. Second time, it was after Hanna’s birth. I was on my way here when a half dozen Wraiths tracked me down. I thought they were after me, so I quickly got rid of them and took her into hiding. Hiding the Halo’s presence until it was safe” she sighed and shook her head. “I didn’t expect them to find her here”
“Why would they go after the girl?”
“I don’t know, but today’s attack proves it”
Michelle shifted in her chair. Leaning her body closer to Suzanne. She pulled up an arm, rested elbow on the chair arm and laid her forehead on her fist. “I’ll secure this place, but I’ll need to make a call first”
“Thanks mum” Ava spoke.
Michelle smiled, then focused on Hanna with a curious look. “This woman…she said she was human?”
“She was”
“And the father?”
“The same I think, don’t know, she didn't say much about him..bet the jerk wasn’t too kind when he found out she was pregnant”
Michelle chuckled as she lifted her head from her fist “It doesn’t matter for the race, there are always jerks” she leaned back into her chair, focusing on Hanna with a questioning gaze. Despite the joyful looks from the young baby starring up at her.
“Does it really matter what’s in her blood?” Serita asked confused.
“It will explain why” Michelle answered.
“What we need is this place secure, she is just a child, she shouldn’t be hunted” Beatrice demanded. “Why would the Wraiths target a child?”
“Why indeed” Michelle comment intrigued.
“You don’t know”
“Not yet Beatrice, but I will” Michelle declared, standing upright. She turned to Beatrice, smiling at her cold stare. She didn’t take the fury of the ex-nun to heart, she was a warrior and protector. Michelle knew well enough that Bea will do anything to protect Ava, she also appreciated how Bea decided to protect this unknown child with the same intensity. “There is one method I can test, to find out who this child really is” she declared, walking around the table and approaching her daughter. “It only takes a moment”
“Will it hurt?”
“No”
Beatrice turned to Ava and Ava turned to her, their eyes locked in each other's gaze.
“How?” Lilith asked.
“By looking into the child’s soul” Michelle answered.
“That’s one way to do it” Mary observed. “And that will determine her origins? Why the Wraiths are after her”
“It will”
“Then I say whatever is best to protect Hanna we should do it” Camila voted.
The other two ladies nodded in agreement. Serita hummed.
“For the child” Jillian answered.
Suzanne turned to her briefly, then focused on Michelle with a light nod.
Michelle looked at each and every one of them before taking a kneel before her daughter. Focusing on the little family. Their attentions tore from each other and to Michelle. From the look in their eyes, she got her answer. She reached forward and touched either side of Hanna’s beaming face. The baby giggled in her grasp, she smiled up at her. Michelle took a deep breath and closed her eyes, focusing her sight deep into the girl’s soul.
A moment later she ripped herself away from Hanna, falling to the ground.
“Mum!” Ava called afraid, throwing herself out of her chair to her mother's side. The others followed her lead, gathering around Michelle.
Michelle’s breaths were ragged, she nodded, but couldn’t speak. She starred at Hanna wide eye.
Suddenly Michelle shot forward, grasping Hanna’s legs. She stared at the baby despite the voices around her, calling out her name. She ignored the footsteps gathered either side of her. Her gaze only pulled away when she felt hands touch her back and side. She turned left and right to find Jillian and Suzanne either side of her.
“What the hell is going on?” Jillian asked. “What did you see?”
“Something new” Michelle answered, her tone was curious, but her smile was of excitement.
“Then why are you happy?” Suzanne asked confused.
Michelle laughed, shaking her head. She pulled herself away, taking a stand, the others followed her lead. Her girlfriends helped her up and held her upright “My apologies for my outburst” she apologised, addressing her daughter and Hanna. Briefly turned to the entire Crew as she explained “She’s half human, but what is the other half is…unique…I can narrow it down she’s not from Hell”
“Is she like us?” Lilith asked.
Michelle turned to her and shook her head. “No, but what she is, it mixed with her human DNA and now she’s…unique”
“How unique?”
“Put it this way, I was there on the birth of Angels and Demons. I saw the seed that brought upon these worlds and watched them grow…but she is different. There are familiar traces in her soul that suggest angelic, but we won’t know what she is until she’s grown”
“You say angelic like its an umbrella term” Suzanne pointed out.
Michelle sighed, nodding her head “it is”
"And this angelic side of her is what drawing the wraiths in?"
"Like moths to a flame"
“So how do we protect her?” Mary asked her.
“I’ll make a call and put up some magical barriers to hide her scent. That will keep the Wraiths away. I’ll need some time before I can make it safe enough she can explore outside Cradle’s grounds”
“We’ll keep her safe” Lilith assured.
“Good, keep her in here until I return” Michelle turned and headed for the door.
“Mum?”
Michelle stopped and faced her daughter. “Ava?”
Ava approached her mother, grabbing her hand. “tell me, is she safe?” she whispered.
“when I’m done, she will be”
Her daughter let her go with a relieved sigh. Michelle leaned over and kissed her daughter’s temple. Pulled back and headed out the door. Ava closed the door behind her. Then faced the crew determined. “Okay, we know the Wraiths are coming after my daughter and my mother is creating a charm around this place. What else can we do to protect her?”
Ideas came forth across all corners, strategies formed in quick accession. Ava watched them discuss the plan, chipping in every now and again. She sat herself next to Beatrice. Taking her girlfriend’s hand while she clutched onto her daughter. Feeling her daughter play with her hair. For now she felt safe and assured her daughter will be safe to live here in hush whispers only the two of them can hear.
Yet there was a gnawing feeling at the back of her mind that said otherwise.
Later that night
Ava and Hanna retreated to their room for the night. Ava lying half upright in bed with Hanna lying on her stomach. They were waiting for Beatrice to finish her shower. During this time, Ava pulled off her OCS cross necklace, splitting off the object in two and showing the object inside to Hanna. One particular object no one other then Hanna knows of its existence.
“You see this?” Ava whispered, her daughter giggled, reaching out for the item. “hey not yet” Ava laughed, pulling the little hands back. “not yet, but I will at the right time” She leaned down and kissed her daughter’s head.
The door suddenly opened, forcing Ava to snap the cross closed again and hurriedly put on the necklace before Beatrice walked into the room.
“Hey” Bea greeted, closing the door behind her and walking to the them. “How is she?” she asked as she laid down beside them.
“She’s good, food coma has set in. She’ll probably be asleep shortly” Ava laughed. She lifted her daughter off her chest and placed the baby lying between them. She rolled over on her side, arm underneath her head and Beatrice’s. Her other hand playing with the baby’s hands, making the child giggle between them. Ava looked up and caught a weird gaze from Beatrice. “what?”
“How are you this good at taking care of her?”
“I didn’t sleep for the two days. Just been studying like mad to find out everything I can on how to raise a baby” Ava admitted. “The orphanage…it gave me some practice in looking after kids, they would come to me in the middle of the night. Especially when they had bad dreams and I would stay up and tell them stories. Make jokes. Tell them anything I could just to help them feel safe and before long, they would be sleeping in my bed with me” she paused to smile at the memory. “Those were the only good times there, helping those poor kids out. Even when I couldn’t move I chased away their monsters, at least for the night”
Beatrice smiled at her proudly. “I always knew you were a hero”
“Even when I was a bit of a dick”
“Especially during your dickhead days”
“HEY I said little!”
“You were never a little dickhead Ava, you were a biggest Dickhead I know!” Beatrice laughed.
“Babe!” Ava whined offended. “Not in front of our daughter!”
Beatrice’s smile faded. Her body involuntary twitched at the declaration and unfortunately, it did not go unnoticed.
Ava frowned. “Hey, I’m sorry I don’t want to make you uncomfortable”
“Do you really think its in Hanna’s best interest to be my…daughter?” Beatrice asked.
Ava nodded, enthusiastically. She budged closer, curling around Hanna, she pulled away her hand and cupped Beatrice’s face. “Of Course!” Ava declared. “There is no one else in the worlds I would have raise Hanna with then you! I know this is all sudden and strange, but Bea…I would love for you to raise her with me”
“Ava..I don’t…I don’t know how to take care of a child or raise one….what if I fail her and she turns out like…” she trailed off, leaving the following words unmentioned. For the mere mention of those two people should better left unsaid, but Ava caught the hint immediately.
Ava shock her head with a gentle smile “She’s not going to be like them and you know what! We are not going to be like them! Do you want to know why?”
Beatrice nodded worriedly.
“Because you are not them and you will never be like them! We will raise her better, she is going to have the best life despite how weird and scary ours is. Yes it’s going to be difficult and very odd, but its going to be good. This may not be how we wanted to begin this journey of our lives after everything we done, but just like before. We are going to take on this challenge and we are going to be victorious”
Beatrice smiled at Ava’s declaration. She raised her hand and cupped Ava’s. “You really think we could do this?”
“Babe I don’t think I know we can!”
Beatrice was about to agree when her attention drew to the child between them. She watched the baby chew on her own shirt, content being surrounded by her newly adopted mothers. Beatrice turned to Ava and asked “Do you think we could raise an angelic child?”
“Yeah what’s the worse that could happen” Ava dismissed.
Beatrice pulled their hands down with a narrowed gaze.
Ava winced. “Okay okay, I heard you, don’t jinx us! But seriously Bea, we can do this and hey, thank you for baby proofing the armoury. That was a very sweet gesture!”
“Your welcome my love, this place isn’t quite safe for babies yet, but its getting there”
“And you are a doing a great job of doing it” She leaned over Hanna and kissed Beatrice’s lips.
Hanna looked up at Ava and begun to cry.
Ava pulled back and laughed “Oh I’m sorry Captain aren’t you getting enough attention. Here let me fix that!” she leaned down and peppered the child with kisses. The cries quickly stopped, morphing into joyful cries of laughter. “How is that Captain oh Captain or would you like more attention? How about this!” Ava pulled back a breath and blew raspberries on her daughter’s stomach. Her daughter’s laughter bellowed forth, causing the ladies to laugh.
Beatrice laughed at the pair, then lowered her hand to Hanna and cupped Hanna’s hand. Her smile was ear to ear as she watched the two play. All her doubts on her worth vacated her mind at the sight of them two’s energy.
Outside on the roof of Cats Cradle
With the barrier in place. A spell, made of her blood and energy, emitting an invisible wall to keep all those inside the cradle secure. Michelle observed her work, watching the guard duty on the Wall lead by the Crew. Lilith and Mary sharing one of the towers while Camila and Serita installed security cameras for beyond the wall. Especially pointing to secret entrances only few were aware of.
A burst of light appear behind her, she smiled at the timing. “Perfect my friend, as always” Michelle remarked.
Faith walked to her friend’s side while stating “It took a while to find it” she huffed as she took a seat, removing a thin gold bracelet from under her shirt. “But I did”
Michelle turned to her happily. “Thank you, my friend, I owe you one”
“You owe me two!” Faith scoffed.
“What did you find out?”
“Hell claims it wasn’t them, they are dealing with angel attacks on the daily. They don’t have the man power to send Wraiths to here, but they have noted a few have been coming here”
“Let me guess, twenty two?”
“How did you know?” Faith asked concerned.
"Because my daughter has killed them"
Faith scoffed, shaking her head. “That’s not all, word with the Angels they are spreading out their forces. It appears one of their generals have been taken and they are blaming us”
“What on earth for?”
“Oh for the usual crap how we are not helping them end this conflict they started and all that fucked up malicious jazz”
Michelle sighed, rolling her eyes. “Blessed by the Old Gods for this realm”
“Blessed we are my friend”
Michelle turned to the heavens, titled her head and asked “Is the band still in place?”
“The no Angelic forms to step onto this realm band? Yes it is. Poor soul who tries to defy it”
The colour drained from Michelle’s face as she turned from the heavens.
Faith noticed the strange reaction and twisted to her friend. “what? What is it?”
“There is one more favour I require from you”
“Be careful friend you are going to be in debt”
Michelle smiled for a moment. “There is a serious and very…delicate issue need to be done”
Faith looked at her questioning “such as?”
“how does raise a possible…probable…angelic child”
“A What?” Faith laughed.
Michelle snapped her gaze to her questioning “What’s so funny?”
“My apologies my friend, please tell me the issue”
“I just did”
“What an Angelic child? Come on be serious tell me what is wrong. I can storm the gates of Heaven and Hell if it is required, now tell me!”
“How does one raise an Angelic child!”
Faith frowned at her friend. “are you serious?” she whispered, as if to keep this secret away from the gods themselves. “are you sure?”
“I am sure of night and day, this child is of angelic origins…not fully, she's part human”
“my friend” Faith started, dread in her tone. “there is no such thing as angelic children. Those beings don’t breed”
Michelle stared wordlessly at her friend. “one did”
“Then be careful of this half breed” Faith bolted to her feet and started to march away.
“Wait that’s it!” Michelle shouted, watching her go.
Faith sighed, she stopped and turned her head to Michelle. “I don’t know what to tell you my friend, it doesn’t matter how much this child has of angelic origins. It shouldn’t be possible. Those beings are cut” she groaned, shaking her head. “Just…be careful when the angel side hatches..it’s not a pretty sight”
With that Faith turned her head away and disappeared in a bolt of light.
Michelle watched the empty space, then turned to the stars twinkling above Cats Cradle. Peering into the beyond to the Old Gods themselves and hopped, they were watching her. “Beloved you are Old Gods and beloved you will forever be, excuse my shock, but what is going on?” she leaned forward with a suspicious gaze and prayed “This child has nothing to do with them…please…if you are watching over us tonight…let her be free”