"The Dark Stranger"
© VeGirl 2014

I stare at her with open mouth. "You are sister to my sister? That means we are family, and still you wanted to put a dagger in my back?"

She actually looks like she is ashamed of it, but then raises her chin defiantly. "Your side of the family has never done anything for me!"

I start to laugh. "I hear you sister." The second I hear those words come through my lips realization hits me. "I've got two sisters today!" I smile wide and she watches me as if I have hit my head hard. "I thought I was an orphan up until a few months ago."

Aoleon watches me guarded, almost with a silent question if I might have lost my mind completely.

"Guards!" I call and the girl flinches.

People comes filing towards us and I gesture towards the two who has been bound like prisoners who are alarmingly flickering their eyes between us and the oncoming crowd. "Free them," I exhale relieved with my smile still on. I hear the on-lookers gasp, even the ones who has heard our conversation. I fling my arms out as I address the crowd as if I was some kind of rockstar. "She is my sister!"

There is a whoosh through the crowd as if wind rustles the leaves in a forest of trees. People start to whisper amongst each other and the rustle turns to a loud cacophony of sounds.

"Hold on a minute!"

Surprised I turn and look at Vincent who has objected. "These two has plotted against you and you are willing to simply see past that?"

Everybody has halted and are now watching us breathlessly again.

"What says they won't turn on you and drive a dagger into your backs, including Esme's?"

"Vincent I..."

She try to object, to tell him that she can manage to hold her own, but Vincent simply flicks his wrist to silence her and it is efficient. He walks up really close to Kent, the magicshop-owner. "So what is your point of view in this plot?"

"I...I just..." says the startled man as his vocal ability returns to him.

"You just...?" I am amazed at how Damian's appearance has changed; every movement tells me he is a predator and I can see Kent's eyes widen in fear.

"Damian...?" I warn him.

Quickly he turns an ominous look at me, but the next second Kent flinch as Damian's attention has returned to the man. "Tell me now." He speaks slowly but the voice is low and rumbles like a growl.

"I...I'd been searching for The Mighty for quite some time when Aoleon required my assistance." Kent rambles out in an impressive speed while his eyes are wide open in fear for Damian. "She told me that she might help me find one of them."

"The Mighty...?" Damian seems bemused.

Esme harrumphs and motion with her hand. "That'd be me..."

Damian furrow his brows. "What's going on Momba?"

Esme grind her teeth. "Would you stop with the wicked witch of the west-jokes?" she grunts. "I'm nephilim, which makes me one of the most hunted species in the history of time; even worse than vampires. Nobody wants us!" Her face is strained and that laces her words. "We're supposed to be washed from the face of the earth."

The room is eerily silent.

"But you're a witch as well, and that makes you much more powerful!"

We all turn towards Kent whose eyes tingle admirably. "It is an honour to be in your presence." He inclines his head respectfully.

The room is still quiet enough that any stray needle dropping would make everybody flinch.

"Aren't nephilim supposed to be tall and like... ominous looking?" My voice cut through the air.

Esme glare at me. "So I'm short; shoot me!"

Laughter bubble out of me and echoes throughout the vast space. With a few quick steps I walk up to her and throw my arms around her. "I like you just as you are."

It feels as if the entire room exhale in relief.

Even Esme relaxes and hugs me back. "Right back at ya' even if you are a renegade," she says with a chortle.

We untangle from the hug. "What about getting out of here?"

She rolls her eyes. "Please!"

* * *

An hour later, we are all sitting on the patio behind my house in the real world. Kent, the magician still looks overwhelmed just to be in Esme's presence and Damian is watching him suspiciously.

Vincent sits by my side and Aoleon sit on the other side of the table. "Can you really see me as your sister?" her voice is now weak, almost a whisper and she sounds actually flabbergasted; there is no other word for it.

"I'd love to Aoleon."

Tears takes shape in her eyes and she reach over the table and hugs me. I close my eyes to shut out the immediate protective stance my three friends and confidants have taken around the table.

"I always wanted a sister but my father's daughter has never acknowledged me." I feel her pad me awkwardly on the back and I snicker.

"So you have learned that physical contact is a good thing?" I say humoristic as she holds me a little too tight around the neck.

"I'm sorry!" She quickly releases me and we sit down again while I snicker.

"So... does this mean you are no longer after my position by the throne?"

"I was never..." she starts, but I raise my brows which shuts her off efficiently. "I mean, all I wanted was a change..."

"What type of change are we talking about?"

She sighs. "This pecking order!" Her tone is bitter.

"Yeah, that is crazy up there. There are two solutions to this problem; one, be prepared to go to war on this one upstairs and be very prepared to lose. Two; stay here!"

She raises her brows surprised.

"You seem to adapt farely well."

"Yes, it is strange; every new thing I am taught I seem to remember the second I am taught it." She seems astonished. "It is like I already know everything, I just forgot it."

I laugh; recognizing it very well. "So, this isn't the worst imaginable place after all?"

A smile widens slowly on her face. "It has its perks."

* * *

"What about Mr Magic here?"

Kent flinches. "You scare the crap out of me, what are you?" He tries to mask the fear with anger, but that fails when he says what's on his mind.

Damian, whome he was referring to smiles mean and his eyes glimmer dark and blood-red. "I'm a different kind of monster."

A shill runs through Kent that is quite visible for the rest of us.

"Stop trying to scare him; we're all monsters here!" I say exasperated. "None of us wants to blow our cover, so we're all pretty much in the same boat."

"Only one eats the other..."

I turn and glare at the smug vampire. "Didn't Esme give you some kind of brain haemorrhage or something? And I clearly remember flinging you across a room, so stop being an ass!"

The glib smile changes into a thin pursed mouth where he suddenly slide his tongue very obvious over his upper teeth inside his lips before he shrug his brows.

"I get that it is hard not to be an ass for a millennium, but try."

"I haven't been a vampire for more than..." He halts as he realise his slip and that is almost the same instant that Kent and Aoleon gasps.

"Vampire...?"

I frown at her, hadn't I already talked about him with her, I wonder? I suppose it is different when you have one right in front of you.

"Yes." He shows his fangs as he utter the affirmation and both our new friends recoil. "Vampire."

"Stop being such a drama queen." Esme has her hand on his thigh and smiles at him, something that makes him instantly smile back.

"What?" he feigns innocence.

This is Esme's turn to purse her lips. "There is no need to scare them." She raises her brows expectantly. "You radiate enough to make them stand on edge." His smug grin only annoys her further. "Shush boy!"

"Yes Momba," Damian says with eyes twinkling and she can't keep her face anymore, but lit up in a wide smile. "See, there is that beautiful smile..."

"You're such a suck-up," she snickers.

"Sucker? Of course, I'm a vampire."

Their bickering has all of us watching them. They are probably the most unlikely couple we have heard of, but then again; who is normal in this company?

A bright flashing light in the sky catches everybody's attention; it isn't like lightening, but like an enormous photo-flash. One bright source of light falls from the flash, reminding me of a flare or something falling; could it be a meteor?

"Oh no," Esme says and her panic increases. "Oh. No!" She says again, much louder as the light serenely falls. She grabs Damian's arm. "We gotta get out of here," she all but yells.

"What is it?" Damian start to worry due to her reaction.

"You better get out of here to." She looks wide-eyed at the startled Kent.

An incredibly loud bang makes us all flinch and Esme snaps her finger and three people vanishes from my patio. "What?" I have no more time to say anything until I realise that the bright light is heading our way. "What is it?"

The light subsides both in speed and brightness and we sit there amazed to find it to be bigger and bigger until it finally hover over my lawn and we can identify four shapes. When they set foot on my lawn the bright light has subsided to a soft white glow and I finally understand what is going on.

"Good day," says my father, the King and both Aoleon and Vincent bow low before him. The three Malakhim guards that flanks him feels ominous and still gives me the shill.

"Hello father," I say a little more casual. I will certainly not bow down to him. "Has my mother sent you to persuade me?"

His face breaks up in a short smile as he walks slowly towards us.

"Did she tell you that I am pregnant?"

His face gets a tad strained. "Yes, she wasn't especially pleased when she got back," he says evasive.

"She let out a few shrill noises that gave that impression, yes." I give him a strained smile. "So, why did you come here if not to force me back?"

He actually smiles. "Just wanted to make sure," he smiles. "And I came to congratulate you my daughter, and you." He turns towards Vincent who blinks surprised. "Congratulations and good luck, young man."

Vincent looks surprised at this. "Thank you sir," he says and looks like he doesn't know if he should bow again.

"So, you didn't like Aurelius?" My father has a teasing twinkle in his eyes that I can't remember ever having seen. "I guess it is better to make your own choice..."

"Definitely..." I smile at him. "Vincent is a good man," I add with a smile towards him. "And suddenly I got myself a few sisters I had no idea of." I gesture towards Aoleon and my father nods to her and she returns it. "So, what about Gazardiel, won't my other sister do a good job?"

"I am sure she will."

"Then all is well."

"I just had to see you to make sure that you won't regret this decision afterwards; it's irreversible..."

"Good." I give him a pointed look and want to ask; what do you think? "No father, I hope that this is all that both you and Gazardiel want," I answer instead.

"You're a rare girl." He smiles and takes a deep breath and looks like he tries to shake things off. "It feels weird that you'd rather chose to spend your time here." He looks at the surroundings that differ so much from what he is used to. "You are always welcome home again."

I exhale and smile at him. "Thank you, it might take a while."

"I've got time." He flashes a smile before he says goodbye and walk a bit off the edge of my patio. With a last shared smile he bends his legs and jump. At first he simply hovers a little bit off the ground and then he and his confidants shot upwards and keep rising until they reach the atmosphere and with a loud bang they disappear in a flash of light.

The patio-door creaks, making us flinch. "What the fuck was that?"

.