Angelraised

I inhaled again and stood from my bed. My top was sleeveless and my shorts were short, both were colored a soft purple. I walked through my bedroom door and silently shut the door behind me. I woke from my daze as I reached the door to my garden. It was the middle of the night, so no unwanted guests would interrupt my venture to solitude.

I entered my garden and sat on the edge of my small pond. Looking into the water, I saw past my glamour and looked at the girl I was meant to be. The girl I longed to be. With a sharp intake of air, I reminded myself I only had a few hours until the reception ball that started the duels. In each duel, it would be the two boys who wished for Angel to marry them and the same was for me. I shivered as the cool air swirled around me.

I opened my eyes and stared at the face of my mother. Actually, she was truly only a ghost of who my mother once was, an almost empty sh.e.l.l who couldn"t seem to grasp anything around her in the world she was swept into.

Tears pooled in my eyes for her as I realized what she had truly become to protect Angel and I.

"Mommy," my voice squeaked out like a small child. She opened her arms for me as I ran straight into her waiting embrace.

"It"s okay, baby. I"m here now. Let it all out," Mom whispered into my hair. I sobbed into her and wished things could be different.

"Mommy, I love you," I managed to wrestle out and I felt her smile against my hair.

"I love you too, my precious Rose," she paused in her words, "I wish things could have been different."

"What do you mean?" I asked, feeling myself calming within our s.p.a.ce together. So many unspoken words embraced the s.p.a.ce around us. I wanted to tell her, but I couldn"t manage to find the words to tell her.

"I wish you hadn"t been found, which lured your sister back to this prison. I wish I could have hidden you better inside that world I created for you," I heard her as she took in a sharp breath. "I wish I hadn"t told Michael about you and Angel at all, maybe then this would be different."

"Mommy," I started as she stopped me from speaking further.

"I already know, Rose. I know you love me, I know you don"t understand what I"m even talking about, I know-"

"Mommy, I remember everything." Her eyes widened at my admission and she looked at me with a newfound graciousness. She pulled me back into her arms and we sat like that for a while.

I pulled away after a while and walked her to the edge of my enchanted pool. In it, I saw my appearance had changed. My hair was brown without the highlights but, instead, the tips of my hair were silver.

"Rose, I have something for you," Mom said and I turned to her. From her cream colored robe, she pulled out a long sword in a sheath. The handle was silver with a small rose end and a spiral around the handle that looked like a vine with thorns. "This is something I planned to give to you before I had to leave you behind, but now I think you need it with you."

I pulled the sword out and noticed the beauty of the thin silver blade. I swiped my finger down and felt a slight sting. I pulled my hand away and noticed the small cut along my hand. Just as soon as I had noticed it, my skin pulled back together. Symbols presented themselves along the blade. I recognized the ancient demonic language like it was a birthright.

"The one to wield this holy blade will shine with light bring enough to save a world and have a darkness dark enough to put balance in this world," I read out loud and heard the doors to my garden swing open. I looked up fast enough to recognize Angel with a matching sheath on her hip. Her sword"s handle had an angel on it instead of a rose and her swirl had stars and a moon along it.

"Mommy, if we survive this, we are taking you with us," I said and ran back into her arms.

"I know, baby, that"s why I"ll be waiting for you to finish what I started," she said. I pulled away and walked towards Angel who laced her fingers with mine.

For the final time, I looked back at my mom, but she wasn"t looking at me. She was looking down at the ground with a look of guilt across her features.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lakina had worked magic upon my features. I had released my glamour for this project. She had half of my hair in braids that laced upon my scalp until falling in with the rest of my hair. The other half had soft waves through it. My eyes had eyeliner lining each that made them look larger than they were. My lips were colored a deep red and there were tiny gems that lined the top part of my eyeliner.

My outfit was completely black. My right side had pants and a sleeve of lace where as my left side had the pants part with a half skirt covering my leg and a long sleeve that attacked to a small circular string that wrapped around my middle finger. My black sheath was tied along my waist and hit me on my left side. She had me wearing boots with flat bottoms that made them easier to move in. I looked the part of a warrior princess rebelling against her family, which is exactly what I was about to do.

Angel walked into my room then. She was wearing a matching outfit that was reversed and in white. Her white sheath was tied at her waist with it hitting her at her right side instead of her left. I connected my forehead with hers as her hair became the opposite of mine. She had finally told me that what happened to me with the connection of the two halves of me happened before she ran away from here the first time. Her eyes opened to be a dark brown with gold swirled in them.

"Are you ready for this, chère soeur?" Angel asked me with her familiar nickname she had started calling me. It meant "dearest sister" when translated from French.

"Of course, Angel, let"s end this once and for all," I replied. She smiled brightly and nodded only once before stepping away. She held out her hand and I took it in mine as we walked towards the throne room, where we would run head first into the nightmare, yet someone wouldn"t walk out alive, and we had no idea who it was going to be then, nor did we realize someone would die because of us.

All because of us....