Chapter 3

Family

I growled as I made my way back to the base, my arms felt numb and I clenched my teeth every time I stepped on the ground. I remember the bloody battle, killing the captain was too easy with a silent shot. Getting into the base and locking the gates was even easier, I quickly killed all those dusk's one by one throwing explosives at them and shooting my bullets. I let others help me with snipers, but I was the only one in the action. If worse came to worse, I would have my dagger to claw at my foes.

Through all that trial and effort, all that uproar I didn't even get to see prince Ian! Not ONCE did I see his black shadowy wings and heartless icy glare, and much to my dissatisfaction I couldn't strangle the life out of him when his 'superior angel team' fell before my tactics. I shook my fists, bickering and deeply panting. I was tired but too enraged to care, even the snipers were too afraid to face my wrath and fury. For I was the angel reaper, I was the most fearsome person on the planet. I was the most advanced, the most heartless, and more or less the deadliest.

"The angel reaper is back!"

"Share her glory and victory!"

"So? Did you slay it? The demon prince Ian?"

I coldly gazed at the group surrounding me, they didn't seem to sense I was angry for some odd reason. I seemed to make it quite clear I wasn't happy in the slightest, my voice shook as I softly spoke.

"No, he ran away. I didn't even see him." I stated, pushing myself past the group and stomping into my chambers. You could tell which room was mine easily, since I boasted way too much about my kills and title. My door had mounted white angel wings, a skull above the two. I remembered when someone first called me the angel reaper I attached a black hood to the skull and put a small toy scythe in the middle of the wings.

I would be called deranged but I was a blood thirsty killer, and the blood of my foes would have scattered my walls if I was in charge but the boss wouldn't have anything to do with that. Tom would say, stuff like "you do know who has to clean up your room right? We can't have the smell of rotting flesh emitting from your room. You can stuff the wings but no more!" I chuckled at the memory of Toms face when I brought a bucket of stained red water and asked if I could paint my walls in blood as a prank. He almost fell over, at my demonic grin.

"Anne! Your back!" I paused at my door, gazing behind me at little Bells making her way over to me. Her hands stretched out for a hug, I patted her head as she hugged me.

"I said I was going to come back... didn't I?" I told her smiling, Bells bashfully looked down at the ground smiling up at me in admiration.

"Did you get Ian?" she whispered.

I sighed in annoyance before opening my door. "No, but he better watch out. I plan to kill him with my own two hands."

Bells left me as I flopped down on my bed, it was one of the largest few rooms in the base. No one even questioned why I should get the biggest bed either. I didn't really ask for it, it just happened.

One half of my wall was a gigantic map of the area, I would make plans and research on heists every now and then. I took out a marker and put an X through the circle of the last base and wrote Ian got away before sighing and gazing at the other points I have marked.

Many years of planing and heists were scribbled on the paper, from recent investigations there was about eight other main bases we have yet to attack or steal from. Small area's with X's marked through them were already attacked and burned to the ground. I also divided the map into two, listing off where you would mostly find a certain angel. We were in the light angel territory it seemed, we had marked off exact locations undetected. We had our days where we could not even leave the base because the higher ups were looking for us, ready to kill, but they seemed to be distracted lately.

This was the first time it seemed that Ian was in a light angel territory, attacking at the closest base from the dark side. I rose an eyebrow, were the angels in a war of their own? I bit my knuckles, no... that couldn't be it. I paced around the room, once again gazing up at the map. Well it wouldn't hurt to assume the angels were in a war would it? I grabbed two daggers tying a white feather to one, and a black feather to the other, at the top middle of the map I stabbed the two daggers down crossing to remind me later in case I forgot. I took out my red marker and decided to mark them out as different colors, black could be dark angels and red could be white.

By the time I was finished it looked like I was planing world domination or something evil. I felt like a lieutenant or captain of the war. I put a few black question marks in dark territory, we didn't know much about the bases on that side of the province. Only this area, we couldn't risk more then a two days outside the base.

"Wow seems like you were busy." my head jolted from my captain fantasy as I gazed back at Tom who observed my wall in interest. I put the markers down and jumped down from my bed.

"Just marking general knowledge down for future assignments. I realized that we know a lot about the light angel side since the base is on that side of the province, and the dark angel side is on the other half. Like the two were cut off from each other. Sort of like they were in some sort of war." I finished my thoughts, gazing back at Tom.

He nodded before stroking his chin. "Well I'm sure it's just a coincidence, if they were at war they would be fighting all the time. Would they not? They would try to recruit us and not destroy us."

It seemed sense, but I still felt like I was more right. Something deep in my gut told me something was a little off about the angels. "Yeah, I suppose so. Maybe I'm thinking too much into it. Besides I am a bit tired."

Tom nodded stepping into my room, I just noticed he had a plate of food as he set it down on my desk on the other side of the room. "You should eat first, your becoming a smart angel reaper and if you must continue your research you need to rest."

I felt my stomach gurgle and I walked over to him thanking him for bringing food to me. "Yeah, thanks."

Tom smiled at me and left, leaving me in my room. I attacked my dried up meat and mashed potatoes like a mad woman, starving and happy to be served for once.

The rest of my room was filled with either feathers or small experiments, they asked if they could research angels that we killed and retrieve here a long time ago. I didn't care as long as they didn't dirty my things, but now the research intrigues me once again. We never have brought a dark angel but we did notice the change in blood from light and dusk angels, it was a slight difference but that's all they told me. I wasn't highly respected at the time, I was hardly the blood thirsty angel reaper I was today.

I pulled open the drawer containing the files they had to lay out regarding the experiments, it seemed they did a lot more then just compare blood. They seemed to have also checked various reactions to see how the angels preformed magic. The light angel blood turned blue when put near infrared lights, the dusk's didn't although in the experiment it had said dusk blood differed greatly. I found a file and peered inside to find many old blood samples from way back when, the dried blood was cracked but seemed odd to me. I could easily tell the difference between the dusk and light bloods, the light blood was brownish blue still from the infrared still but the dusk blood was completely black. There was something in the blood that differed greatly between the two and it wasn't color. It had to be their output and input of magical ability.

I shook my head, this was too hard for me. I decided to get some rest, I placed both test tubes on my desk beside my plate of food before laying down in my bed. I gazed at the two things in frustration before sleepily drifting off.

Of course, this would have been ideal. If I weren't jumped on a few hours into my rest by Bells.

"Anne! Anne! You got to come see this! Lady Morel just gave birth to a beautiful baby boy!" I moaned in annoyance, feeling my body complain as I sat up and rubbed my eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever that's great." I yawned rubbing my eyes. After about four seconds my brain finally clicked in place and my eyes widened. "Wait what? No way!"

Bells nodded shaking and jumping a bit in excitement. "Yes yes yes way! Come on!"

I quickly followed Bells down the hall and through the mess hall, we raced down the stone carved stairs and we were suddenly hit by the smell of dirt and moss. The underground foyer was where we went in case their was some emergency, a pregnant woman having a baby down here wasn't common. If anything this was a joyous occasion that rarely happened in these dark times. My heart pounded excitedly in my chest as lady Morel lay sleeping on the small bed that was dragged down here, Tom was near her holding a little baby sleeping soundly in his arms.

"Awwwe." Bells cooed walking up to Tom and stroking the baby's head. I curiously stared at the precious little boy in his arms and almost fell in love with him. Lady Morel was the nicest person in the base I knew, and a great friend to Tom's, the girl was blessed to have such a treasure.

"Want to hold him Anne?" my eyes widened and Bell pouted slightly. I nodded slowly and unsure, and heard my heart pound in my ears as Tom slowly gave the baby to me. He was so warm, his eyes weren't even open and his hair was soft and black. Okay if I wasn't in love with him before, I definitely was in love now.

"What's his name?" I asked softly, my voice probably surprised them. I surprised myself, I actually sounded normal right there. It was if there weren't angels and this was just a natural everyday thing.

"Ross." I heard Morel respond, I gazed up at her unaware she woke up. My heart sank a bit but I felt like she wanted to see him more then myself. I walked over to her and gave her Ross, and she smiled in thanks.

"It's a beautiful name for a beautiful baby boy." I responded. Bells grabbed my hand and smiled up at me, I couldn't help but give her hand a reassuring squeeze in return.

"Yes, times like these remind me that in our darkest moments light can be found. Happiness and miracles, I'm glad Ross is here with us." Tom stated, he hooked his arm around my shoulders and we all watched Ross sleep soundly.

"We are all a family here after all." Bells replied. Lady Morel only nodded tiredly holding her baby close to her.

I thought of the people at the base, and silently agreed to Bells. In a way, everyone here has lost their old families but together we created a new one. Old man Jones would always struggle getting around the small pond that leaked in from time to time, and the three children would play in the small pool making sure Jones wouldn't fall in. The oldest of the two looked like he was about to run and catch the old coot if he fell. Then there was a young girl named Mary, and you would see her crying in the mess hall in the middle of the night, if she had a bad dream about her mothers death. There was always a little boy around her age that would be over protective and keep an eye out for her, as he walked through the halls once or twice a night so he could coo and calm her down. Lastly I would think of old blind Norma, who didn't have anyone to talk to, she would just sit in a chair all day and fiddle with the hem of her shirt or listen to the children play or the adults bicker or go out on missions, but there was always a teenage boy who would sit down next to her and whisper secrets in her ear. I would never know what he would say to the old girl but she would raise her head and smile at what he would say, and sometimes he would stay with her all day taking her out for walks or talking with her for hours on end.

I always thought I killed the angels for revenge, to repay what they had done to my family. I had to seem foolish now, because I actually still did have a family. The base was my family, and realizing that now made me feel a bit sad but relieved all the same. I felt like I belonged here, and I would always have them to rely on or speak to. The base was filled with my family and now I realized I wasn't killing angels to avenge my families death, it is to protect my new family from danger.

I smiled to myself, happy to be apart of this family.