Angels Born of Hell and Fire

Chapter Six
I woke the next morning feeling groggy and still very tired. I peered over at Jasper and nearly jumped out of my skin as I found her blue eyes open and staring at the ceiling. For one terrible moment I thought she was dead, but then she said,

"I can see."

I couldn’t find anything to say to that.

"Megan I can see without my glasses." she said again still staring up at the ceiling.

I took me about five seconds to comprehend what she was talking about.

"That’s great Jasper." I said my brain working furiously.

What did that mean? That Jasper suddenly had perfect vision? Did it have anything to do with what had happened last night? Had Adam somehow changed her? What if he had changed more than just her eyes? Was that even possible? Did that mean something had changed with me as well? I didn’t feel any different.

Jasper turned her head finally to look at me and gasped.

"Oh-my-god Megan! Your eyes! They’re purple!"

I blinked and put a hand to my face, as if there would be some physical change as well. Jasper was still staring at me.

"They’re the same... you look just like him!"

I had to look away from her.

"Don’t be ridiculous Jasper, just because my eyes are different doesn’t mean I look anything like him."

"But...how? I mean when-" she stopped and I looked at her sharply. She was staring at the place on the floor where the three of us had stood last night. I gasped at the sight before me. The events of last night where being played out in droplets of blood; A small puddle of it formed where I had bit Adam, then drops leading to where Jasper had lain. I could even follow the trail out the door and to my own room if I wanted because I had left a bloody hand print on this door so I knew there was one on my own.

Jasper rounded on me.

"Megan what happened last night?! All I remember if you suddenly flying in here and then Adam was standing just over there and then..." her brow furrowed in concentration. "He called me over to him, and I had to go, I didn’t even have a choice...I heard you call me back but..." she looked back at me. “What happened after that Megan?" she demanded again.

I couldn’t look at her. I couldn’t tell her. Not all of it, because I was ashamed.

"Nothing Jasper, It doesn’t matter. Your safe now, that’s the only thing that matters." Too late I realized my blunder.

"What do you mean I’m safe now? When was there any doubt?"

I took a deep breath. I could feel her confusion, and her anger at being left out, but I ignored them.

"Last night, Adam came into my room, saying all kinds of crazy thing about how we weren’t his. I didn’t understand it. Then all the sudden he had grabbed me and dragged me in here. He-he... bit you..." I looked at her face. She looked surprised, but in true Jasper fashion, accepted this oddity and moved on.

"Then what?"

I thought about it, mulled over it a moment, then deciding that since I couldn’t lie, I’ll edit.

"He made both of us drink some of his blood. I think that’s why you can see now."

"And why your eyes are purple." she said and I nodded.

"That’s what I’m figuring too. I also think he said some type of incantation or something but I’m not completely positive ‘bout that."

She thought about that for a moment, and, seeming to come to some kind of conclusion, nodded.

“I don’t understand how this is all possible but okay. I’m starting to agree to your messed up dream theory.”

I smiled thinly.

“It all does seem like something out of a movie doesn’t it?”

Jasper ran a hand through her tangled hair.

“Ouch.” She said as she found a knot. “Oh that’s really gross… there’s blood in my hair.”

“Sorry, I probably should have thought about that… there’s some stuck on your face too.” I grimaced as I saw her face twist in disgust.

“Okay yeah that’s really, really gross.”

“Sorry,” I said again.

"So what do you think we’ll being doing today?" she sighed.

"I have no idea; he said something about training didn’t he? Which sounds… terrifying quite honestly." I looked about the room until I found the little clock that hung besides a vanity mirror. " Marie will probably be coming to get us for breakfast soon. I should probably go change. And you might wanna shower or something."

“Yeah, I do.” Her blue eyes looked over at me. It was weird seeing her without her glasses.

“Thank you Megan. I don’t know exactly what went on last night but thanks, for staying with me. I probably would have been freaking out pretty hard if you weren’t here.”

I took a deep breath, emotions swelling up in my chest painfully.

“Only one of us is allowed to be freaking out Jasper.” I said tightly, trying not to cry. “That’s my job remember.”

She smiled, fidgeting with her hands.

“Yeah, I know.”

I slid off the bed and was walking towards the door when I heard her say,

"Damn, I’m going to have to wear another of those stupid skirts today."

I laughed,

"I’m sorry, If I could I’d let you borrow a pair of my pants." I looked over my shoulder to find her staring wide eyed at me.

"What?"

"I didn’t say that out loud!" my own eyes went wide as, even though I heard it, her lips hadn’t moved.

Holy crap I can read Jasper’s mind!

"And I apparently I can read yours." she said dryly.

We stood there a moment, silent outwardly and trying our damnedest to stay quiet inwardly. Then,

"Stop singing the mission impossible song," I said and she laughed.

“What do you mean? I wasn’t singing anything," she said innocently.

I rolled my eyes. "Of course you weren’t. Look I’m gonna go change and then we can figure this whole mind reading thing out ‘kay?"

"‘Kay."

I opened the door, thankful it seemed to be still unlocked from last night, and almost tripped over the person sitting there. A boy, probably about the same age as Jasper and I, blinked up at me with sleepy green eyes that soon went wide. He jumped up and quickly glanced in both directions down the hall before looking back at me.

"Uh, wh-where are you going? You’re supposed to stay in your rooms." he told me trying to look stern.

I cocked my head to the side, studying him. He had sandy blonde hair that was more sandy than blonde; it fell forward in his eyes so that he had to jerk his head every now and then to see clearly. He was pretty much the same height as me, and looked scrawny and small beneath the strange uniform he wore. I recognized it as the all black one the man ShadowWalker had worn, and the guards by the doors.

"I’m going back to my room." I told him, wishing he would just move out of the way.
I felt Jasper come up behind me.

"Who are you?" she asked in her true blunt Jasper way. Her presence seemed to completely confuse the boy, his eyes went wide again as he saw her and he swallowed noticeably. I couldn’t help the smirk that tilted up my lips. Boys like him where funny.

"Um...I’m- I’m Gabriel."

"Okay Gabriel, could you please move out of the way? I really need to change before Marie comes to get us." I told him and his eyes sifted back to me. He met my gaze and immediately looked away, as if bothered by something.

"Alright, but don’t go anywhere else. Adam said for you to stay in your rooms unless escorted."

I shared a glance with Jasper.

This boy was our guard?

She raised an eye brow and I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing.

Oh yes, like this tiny little boy would be enough to stop both Jasper and I if we were really determined to go. Which we couldn’t, not without a solid plan at how to get out of here.

"Well that’s perfect then, ‘cause I’m just going back to my room." I slid past him and walked the sort distance to my room. "Bye." both mine and Jasper’s doors closed at the same time.
I leaned against the heavy wood door any took a deep breath.

That was just too weird.

‘I know.’

I frowned.

‘Jasper, get out of my head, trying to think here.’

She gave the metal equivalence of a shrug.

‘Sorry, it’s just kinda hard; it’s like you’re just there, in the back of my head.’

‘Which is terribly creepy if you think about it.’

‘Yeah, which is why I’m not.’

‘Okay, okay, whatever, just get out.’

She paused and I could literally feel her thinking. This was really weird.

‘I don’t know how.’

I was shifting through my wardrobe by now, trying to figure out what to wear.

‘You should wear the black shorts.’

‘Thank you Jasper but I think I got it covered,’ I paused. ‘I like the green and white skirt best.
’
‘Ooooh your right that is creepy.’

"Tell me about it," I muttered aloud.

There had to be a way to turn it off. I frowned, concentrating on the part of my head where I could feel Jasper. She was right; it was like this little compartment in the back of my head, or a door that said ‘Jasper’ in big bold sparkly letters.

‘With a big gold star. I’ve always wanted a door like that...’

I smiled.

Okay, a door with a big gold star and Jasper’s name beneath it. Theoretically speaking, if I closed the door, then I should be able to have my head to myself again.

‘Megan I have two doors.’ came Jasper’s worried thoughts.

‘What?’ I searched around in the back of my head and yes, there were two doors, the second stained dark, a pair of black wings painted on its surface.

‘Adam.’ I couldn’t be sure who realized it first, or if we both just figured it out at the same time.

Unlike the one to Jasper this one was firmly shut, and if my testing pushes where anything to go by, locked. I felt him on the other side though, taking in Jasper’s and my observations curiously; as if this whole thing was one great test that had fascinating results. It probably was.

Jasper wondered what would happen if she took a mental chain saw to it.

‘Probably nothing. I don’t think we’ll be able to get rid of this.’ I felt her disappointment and laughed. ‘Poor Jasper, she doesn’t get to destroy something.’

I studied the two doors in my head for a moment.

‘I’m gonna try closing it now Jasper.’

We both seemed to agree that changing while the other was still in our heads was out of the question. It was bad enough that we could still feel Adam on the other side of his door like he was constantly watching us. The feeling made my skin crawl. Both Jasper and I reached out at the same time and shut our mental doors.

Silence.

‘Jasper?’ I pushed the door slightly, still nothing. I could feel her, like she was standing next to me, but I couldn’t hear what she was thinking.

Woohoo, I never thought I would be so glad to get rid of the voices in my head.

As it turned out, black shorts just so happened to be what I wanted to wear that day, so when Marie knocked on the door I was dressed in those, a black cotton T-shirt and black combat boots. Seems like goo attire for training. Wistfully I thought of my Vans, which had been lost to the slave traders. There was no better shoe, than Vans.

I decided to wear my dark hair up but when I looked in the mirror to do so I nearly jumped out of my skin. The purple of my eyes glowed alarmingly in the morning light, standing out against my pale skin and outlined by black eyelashes. My dark hair fell around my face, only making me seem paler, and my eyes more distinct. I stared, unable to believe the face that stared back was my own. But yes, the hair was still the same dark brown color that was almost black, my skin had always been pale but with cinnamon colored freckles that seemed to have all but faded completely now. My eyes were still the same shape, I had always had long black eyelashes — a gift from both my parents — the only real differences where that instead of the dark brown eyes I had looked into my whole life I now was faced with purple ones. But none the less the face in the mirror disturbed me, because Jasper was right, I looked very much like Adam now. So much a like we could have been related. It made me want to scratch my face off.

I looked away from the mirror, putting my hair up by feel instead of sight. I knew it would be days before I would dare to look in a mirror again.

When Marie gathered us she didn’t seem at all surprised by my physical changes, or by Jasper’s lack of glasses, she just lead us silently down the hall to the dining room. I looked around but I couldn’t find the boy named Gabriel. Maybe he had gone to guard somebody else.

‘Or maybe he went to guard school because he sure was bad at it.’

I slid an amused glance towards Jasper.

‘Leave the poor boy alone. It’s not his fault he got the raw deal of sitting outside your door all night’

There was a pause.

‘Staaaaaaaallker.’

We both coughed out badly concealed laughs. Marie looked back at us curiously. I grinned at her, feeling much more comfortable in her presence. She wasn't the one I was scared of...

Adam was already seated at the table when we got to the dining room.

The sight of him hit me like a blow to the head, making me dizzy. I felt Jasper stiffen next to me; contempt flowed off of her in waves. We walked in slowly, cautiously even, but Adam focused on the papers in front of him, seemingly oblivious to our arrival. I knew he wasn’t though. I could feel it. Not necessarily threw the door in my head, but from him directly. He was aware of us, and was fairly excited about something, but chose to pretend otherwise.
We sat at the table on either side of him were Marie directed us, unable to do anything else.

I eyed Adam suspiciously, what was he playing at?

Suddenly he smirked and looked up to meet my gaze.

"Well I just can’t seem to hide anything from you now."

"Sure you can, it’s just harder now," I said in a sour voice.

I did really not like the fact that he seemed to be able to read beyond the door easier than I could.

"Yes, much harder, but I believe the payoff will be worth a few lost secrets," he turned his gaze to Jasper. "And how are you feeling this morning? Fine I hope?"

Now Jasper looked at him suspiciously.

"I’m okay," she was obviously trying to figure him out just as hard as I was.

"I’m glad to hear it. You both have quite I day ahead of you," he said just as Marie and a few other servants came in with platters of food. I surveyed the display and couldn’t believe that they had made all this food for just three people. Call me cheap but I hated leftovers, so I always only made just enough food for everyone in my family. The spread laid out before us could have been enough to feed my whole Algebra class.

"What are we doing?" Jasper asked while I was still eying the food.

Adam helped himself to a piece of baked ham.

"Oh this and that. I am aware you met one of your guards this morning?" he asked, directed at Jasper.

"Uh yeah,"

‘Though he’s not much of a guard.’ she added silently.

"Gabriel is capable enough at what he does,” Adam said with a small smile making Jasper flinch. She had forgotten he could see her thoughts as well as I could. “I want you to be familiar with them seeing as you will be spending much of your time with them."

“Them?” Jasper asked, “There are more?”

“Of course, you will meet them here shortly.”

Great, more people to watch us all the time, making any chance of getting away impossible.

I suddenly became aware that he was talking to Jasper solely.

I swallowed a mouthful of eggs.

"And what will I be doing?"

"You will be training of course; we can’t have you leading an army ignorant."

I froze.

"What?"

His eyes lifted at the tone in my voice.

"Ah, I see that you have yet to uncover that secret,” he thought about this a moment while my brain worked frantically.

Lead an army? Me?! No way! I knew squat about military procedures, and even less about how to fight.

Adam smiled at me and I became aware that he had slipped into my head without me realizing it.

"You have good instincts little one, I’m sure you will do quite fine after a few months of training. Most of the people here have been training their whole lives in preparation for this day. You will have the best trainer in the whole army. You’ll be fine."

If I hadn’t been so panicked over what he was saying I would have been severely pissed that he had just walked right into my head without my permission. I would have to devise some type of lock for my side.

Again, our conversation was interrupted by the entrance of people, but this time they weren’t servants.

Three fairly young looking people walked in, followed by the man named ShadowWalker. One of the teens was Gabriel. He stood next to another blonde boy and a tall girl with her dark hair pulled tight into a pony tail.

From across the table I felt Jasper’s interest peak. My own curiosity burned. I had always been too curious for my own good and I was convinced that I was going to die someday because I stuck my nose where it didn’t belong. The old saying ‘curiosity killed the cat’ applied to me in more than one way.

"Ah, ShadowWalker, thank you for bringing them." Adam looked to Jasper. "Let me introduce you to your guards. On the right you have Savannah, who will also be your sister’s instructor, beside her is Peter, and of course you’ve met Gabriel," Gabriel’s cheeks flushed a shade of pink but he otherwise kept his gaze trained straight ahead like the others.

‘Sister?’ Jasper wondered.

‘I think he means me.’ I answered.

'Um... alright' Jasper thought puzzled.

That was really weird... apparently Jasper and I were now suddenly related…

I looked over the two new comers. Savannah had that hard look to her that said that she was more likely to beat the shit out of you than she was to say a kind word. She stood tall and straight, her build more similar to a boy. Her skin was a natural tan tone that told of Hispanic heritage, her dark brown eyes saying the same. If it wasn’t for the death glare she’d be quite pretty.

Peter was about the same height as her, much taller than poor Gabriel, and much stronger. He filled out his uniform as the other boy could not. His hair was pale and straight, trimmed neatly to fall just above his eyes as to not block his vision. And what eyes they were. He had pretty eyes, a color that wasn’t green or blue or grey, but could probably switch back and forth. Despite his current hard look I could see that if he smiled his whole face would soften, and become boyish, there was a hint of dimples at his cheeks.

I shared a look with Jasper, eyebrows raised.

She mentally shrugged. But I could feel her interest, it actually surprised me. Jasper wasn’t the type to care all that much about boys.

Adam suddenly stood, disturbing my thoughts.

"Now, if you two are finished I do believe we should all get to work," he said. I wasn’t actually finished, but I stood as well, sensing that I didn’t have a choice. At least I had gotten something to eat to brace me for what was about to happen.

As I stood, Peter’s eyes met mine. Surprise smacked into me, followed too quickly by anger. Then his pretty eyes looked away and I was left dumbfounded. Those hadn’t been my own emotions, they had been Peter’s.

I mulled over that as Adam gave out instructions.

Jasper was to go with her guard — Peter, and Gabriel — while I was to go with Savannah to begin my training.

"Chaos." Adam said. It took me five seconds and a mental shove to realize he was talking to me. I looked up, surprised.

"Yes?" What was up with the weird name?

Adam came forward and grabbed both mine and Jasper’s hands.

"I trust you both on your own today. I know you just got here but I trust you can take care of yourself and not do anything foolish? "

I felt Peter’s eyes upon me. I have no idea how I knew they were his, but I think it had something to do with the hate and contempt that flowed towards me.

"We’ll be fine Father." Jasper said and just a little sarcasm slipped through.

‘Father?’ I looked at her like she was stupid.

‘That’s what he wanted me to say. Couldn’t you feel it?’

The answer was no, I hadn’t, but maybe that was because I was more concerned why some dude I had never met before today was glaring daggers at my back.

Okay so I had gained a new name, a sister and a new father in a matter of minutes. Maybe it was some sick fantasy of his.

I smiled, something that must have looked more like a grimace.

And Jasper and I were meant to play the doting daughters eh? We didn’t even like our biological fathers.

My mouth opened, some sarcastic comment about to spew forth, but Adam’s hand crushed down on my own, threatening to break it. I gasped slightly in pain, trying to pull away.

“Chaos?” the dark menacing tone of his voice frightened me even more than the evil glint in his eyes.

“We’ll be fine…. Father.” I nearly choked on the words.

"Good." He lessened the death grip on my hand and I quickly snatched it away. Bending he kissed both of our foreheads in gesture that would have been fatherly to anyone but Jasper and I. He suddenly dipped his head in Jasper's direction, his violet eye filled with a type of wicked delight.

"My Empress,” he said grandly, surprising the crap out of both Jasper and I. What the hell?

Then he walked out of the room with ShadowWalker, leaving us with hostile strangers.

There was a moment were we all just eyed each other a little uncertainly, then of course it was Jasper who broke the silence.

"So... where are we going?" she asked the two blond boys. Peter looked at her fleetingly, then away to a spot just over her head.

"Adam has instructed us to escort you to the library where you are to begin your studies. Your tutor will already be awaiting your arrival." he said the whole spill in an emotionless almost robotic voice. I raised an eyebrow at Jasper.

"Right..." she said,” And what is Meg-… my sister doing?"

Savannah answered.

"The General will be starting her formal training with me, then later she will move to the group classes." her eyes shifted to mine and seemed as if she was challenging me. I felt no real hostility from her, only that she didn’t hold me in as high regard as Adam did. I was fine with that because I didn’t even hold myself in as high regard as Adam did. Her calling me ‘The General’ had unsettled my stomach some though. Was I ready for this? I had thought I was, when we had walked out of our rooms, but now I just felt scared and pathetic.

"Um...alright. I guess we should be going then?" I asked unsure.

I didn’t necessarily want to leave Jasper. What was I supposed to do without her being next to me to calm me down? I could feel the panic tighten my lungs. I didn’t want to be alone with these people. What if Adam had lied and this was all just a trick to get us away from each other? What if they were really taking us away to do something horrible to us? They looked like normal regular people but so did Adam, and he obviously was far from normal. Many different horrible things flashed through my brain like a sick slide show, provided by crime shows and horror movies. Oh god. I now regretted ever watching them.

‘Megan calm down. I’m right here remember? ‘Jasper’s thoughts smoothed over my own terrified ones.

I inhaled sharply, feeling the ever present eyes of the guards on me.

‘Right. Right. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t freak out.’

‘I’m scared too, don’t worry.’ She grabbed my hand and tried to smile for my benefit. ‘We don’t have much choice it seems. ‘ She nodded towards Peters impatient face.

I swallowed painfully.

‘Right.’ I stepped away from her, letting her hand fall as I neared Savannah. Her dark eyes watched me in a hostile manner.

“Lead the way?” I squeaked.

Savannah didn’t say anything, only turned to Jasper, bowed at the waist a little awkwardly, and motioned for me to follow. I cast one last look at Jasper’s confused face, before heading out.

‘Good luck.’ It was a shared thought.

{End: Chapter Six}