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"Okay!" Anthony dropped his knife and fork and pointed at me. It was Sunday night and I hadn't trained today. 

I was supposed to, but I couldn't. I was tired. Maybe I did need to train to get used to my strength. Yesterday was tiring but it was too much to handle on a first go. 

"What?" My father asked as he wiped his mouth with a napkin.

"Am I the only one here who has noticed Alex's sudden change in hair and eye color?" 

I glanced at both of my parents to see them watching me. My brother was sat on my left while my dad sat at the head of the table with my mom on his left and my brother on his right.

Mom placed her knife and fork on the plate. "The doctor said her hair cortex-"

"The part that controls the hair colour." He stated obviously trying to show of his much studied for medical degree.

"The cortex controls the hair strength and colour, yes. It apparently mutated during her heat stroke. They said her heat stroke was so severe, some of her genes mutated. She's lucky to be alive." She mumbled the last part and continued eating. Anthony's face went red as he frowned.

I sighed and stood up from the table. "May I be excused? I'm tired and I'd like to get an early night. I'm going back go school on Tuesday right?"

My father frowned. "Yes, you may be excused. And yes, you go back on Tuesday." 

"Thanks," I picked up my plate and walked into the kitchen. I was so tired it was unbelievable. I've been listening to the voices in my head and started to recognize which voice belonged to whom. My mom's was easy to spot. All she could think of was me, work and keeping everything in order.

My dad wasn't hard since all he thinks of is work, work, and work. And my brother kept thinking of Eliza and when he was leaving. Sometimes the thoughts were incoherent and sometimes they were clear. 

I placed the plate in the dishwasher and walked to the stairs. I hadn't talked to Gabriel since yesterday. He helped me off the roof, into my room and told me to be careful if I thought someone was calling me. He said each one is different and I would be able to tell if it's a trap or someone I didn't know. Like when Mary called me for example. I knew her so I had a feeling it wasn't a trap. I didn't think it was, so I went with it. Then again, it was my first call. I would have gone either way.

I opened my bedroom door and went into my closet to change into a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt.

It was only seven thirty and I wanted to call it a night. Having a really small amount of energy sucked. Especially since I'm supposed to have more than most angels, it doesn't help that I lose it after one session.

I lay down and stared at the ceiling. I hadn't had a dream last night and I was itching for a flashback. I was waiting for the Genevieve memory. I was waiting for the memory involving the Raleigh and Fayetteville fires. It was obvious to me now that I was involved. 

Maryanne called me a monster. I wanted to know what I'd done. I wanted to know...

I shut my eyes and sighed. Could I control the flashbacks? There must be some way of triggering them.

I could slowly feel myself drifting off to sleep with the last thoughts in my mind of Genevieve and the burning flames of Fayetteville...

*May 1831*

"How dare you?! Where is he, Leo, or so help me god I will do something we will both regret."

I watched Lonny (me) hold Leo up against a very Victorian styled wall. I looked around the house and noticed very old traditional furniture and old wooden floorboards. 

Leo frowned down at her and looked behind her. Axel was on the floor panting and Tristan was watching with wide eyes. 

I stared at Tristan and smiled. He looked exactly the same as he did now except his hair was blonder. Almost white. 

I turned back to Lonny and saw the tears threatening to spill over her eyes. I tilted my head. What was going on? In my head I could practically feel the bolt on the cage containing my memories loosen.

"Lonny, the Elders are very furious with both of you. Especially him, since it was in his duties not to-"

"I do not care!" She barked. The tears that were threatening ran down her cheeks. "I turned over a year ago and I have not heard or seen of him. What have you done with him?"

Axel stood up. "We ordered him away from you for the time being."

Lonny dropped Leo and turned on Axel with frantic eyes. "No."

"It was our orders from the elders, we had no choice." Axel defended. 

A door opened and I heard the foot falls of heels and boots. A blonde Maryanne came around the corner with a gorgeous blonde male. I stared at him and frowned. Who was he?

He wrapped his arm around her waist. Was he her partner? Why haven't I seen him before?

"Axel, where is he?" She demanded. "How could you send him away?"

"Orders, Genevieve orders. It wasn't our fault."

"Then tell me where he is!" Lonny demanded in a hard voice. 

Leo went to stand next to Axel. "I am sorry, but we can not."

Lonny's nose flared and her jaw set. "Fine. If you won't tell me then I will do what everyone else is afraid to do until I find him. Do not forget I am not afraid to sin." She walked to Genevieve and grabbed her hand. Tristan and the blonde man walked around the corner. "I will find Gabriel. And I will die trying if I have to. Others will if necessary."

The bolt popped off.

They took Gabriel from me when they found out that we were in love. Gabriel's orders were not to touch me or even think such thoughts. And when they found out, the Elders lost their marbles.

And so did I.

Genevieve and I walked out into the night and met the men. Lonny's face was furious and her hands were shaking. Genevieve frowned. "Do not do anything reckless-"

"That is exactly what I am going to do." She interrupted. "Starting with this town. The Elders will regret this."

Hearing her speak like that, I could feel her fury. Feel her rage. The blonde man whose name I still didn't know shook his head. "Lonny, I do not think--"

She ignored him and walked away but Tristan grabbed her arm. "Gabriel would not want you to do this."

She stared at him, the rage blinking away into emotionless eyes. "Gabriel is not here." She pulled her arm back and walked away.

The memory disintegrated but everything came in a red blaze. I could see myself on fire, manipulating it and spreading it through-out Fayetteville. I stared at myself with wide eyes and an open mouth. I was so powerful... dangerous. The blaze was huge as she threw the flame and made it dance and twist to her demand. People were running, trying to avoid it.

She ran in different directions in a flash and spread the fire through the whole town. I watched in horror as the town set alight and saw Lonny watching the fire spread and kill. She was stood a distance away with silent tears pouring down her cheeks.

The memory changed to her doing exactly the same thing but this time to Raleigh. This didn't last as long because she did it faster. There were screams and shouts as the fire spread through the town.

The memory changed again to the black dust and smoke surrounding Raleigh most likely a couple of days later.

Lonny's face was emotionless as she walked around the burnt rubble of Raleigh. 

I felt a twinge in my chest as I watched her walk around. I touched my cheek and felt tears rolling down them. 

I could feel her emotions... My emotions... Finally...

Although her face was emotionless, inside she was dying. She was regretting what she did. I regret what I did to those towns. Her heart beat with mine in a steady and yet broken rhythm. She missed Gabriel. She missed his love. She missed his protection...

Everything she wanted to feel I was feeling right now. Pain, loneliness and regret. She was almost childlike. The way she broke, the way her emotions completely overcame her rational thought. It was fascinating. It reminded me of how I felt at the beginning of all of this. 

I was her, and she was me. I felt ashamed and yet a part of my mind was trying to excuse what she did. Excuse her actions.

She walked into a half standing building and started mindlessly rummaging through things on the floor. She picked stuff up and threw them back down as she looked left and right, her eyes settled on something. I turned and saw a man hiding behind a bookcase... So, it was me. Harold Gardiner did see me.

Odd how that worked out...

Now I was his great-great-great granddaughter... It must have been a sick joke by the Elder's to have made me reincarnate as one of his granddaughters.

Lonny stared at him but didn't bother with him. She wasn't in the mood. 

She walked out the building and a sudden piercing noise sounded through both my ears and hers. She dropped to the floor with her hands over her ears as I did the same.

I watched as Genevieve walked up to Lonny with a frown. Her eyes were red and her hands were shaking.

"Genevieve---"

"You need to leave. You've done enough here," She mumbled in a shaky voice.

"Why did you do that?" Lonny asked as she stood up.

There was something wrong with Genevieve. She was holding herself back. Her hands were shaking with anger and her eyebrow was twitching.

"Genevieve?" She asked.

She swore in Enochian. Her fist suddenly connected with Lonny's chin.

I groaned out in pain at the same time Lonny did. 

Her head whipped to the side and she stepped back. Her eyes widened as she stared at her. 

Genevieve's teeth barred and she growled. The piercing whistle sounded through both my ears and Lonny's. 

She dropped to her knees and Genevieve kicked her stomach. "I cannot believe you! You self," She kicked. "Centered," She kicked again. "Evil creature!"

I felt everything she did. The pain of a rock hard foot against my ribs. I fell to my knees and watched as she continued to hurt her.

Lonny grabbed her foot before she could kick again and pulled her to the ground. Lonny started coughing. "What have I done to you?" She groaned out. 

Genevieve started to stand up. "Jasper's dead! You killed him!" She sobbed. 

The cage holding my memories threatened to open.

I killed her partner. He died in the Raleigh fire... That's why Maryanne hates me... I remember when she picked me up from the mall last month when she saved me from the Blondes. She said people changed; some more than other i.e. me. She said I changed and she hated what I become. 

I groaned and put my head in my hands. Of course, Mary hates me! I killed her partner for god's sake!

"Wh-What? Jasper's---" 

"Yes." She screamed out. "He's dead! Because you are too selfish to care about anyone else other than yourself! You killed him! You killed a lot of people within these last couple of days, Lonsa!" Genevieve turned her back on her. Lonny started to stand up as she turned back to her
She stood up just as Genevieve said, "You're a monster."

"Genevieve!"

I looked to where the voice came from and saw Cameron walking toward them.

Lonny's legs gave out and she dropped back to the floor. Genevieve brought her foot up and the last thing I saw was the surface of her foot connect with her face before everything went black.

*Present*

I jumped up and touched my face. Everything was in proportion, my nose wasn't broken and my ribs were fine. 

But I couldn't say the same about my emotional state.

I sat on the edge of my bed and started crying. I couldn't believe it. During my rampage, I killed Maryanne's partner. I couldn't blame Mary for hating me. I would hate her if she killed Gabriel.

But when I was human, we used to be friends. Best girl friends in fact. Then she disappeared and started to hate me. Maybe the two years she disappeared for, reminded her of what I'd done. 

I sighed as the tears finally subsided. I looked at the clock. Five minutes past two. 

How was I supposed to get back to sleep now? I stood up and walked toward my table when I paused. There weren't any voices in my head. Only a light ringing sound.

I looked toward the window. It had that same alluring feeling as it did yesterday but there was something different about it.

Someone was calling me. But I couldn't tell whether it wad good or bad. Gabriel told me not to listen to it... But I was curious. 

I walked into my closet and changed into a pair of old black jeans, white v-neck t-shirt and grabbed a grey sweatshirt off the rack. With my body heat, I wasn't even sure if I needed a sweatshirt.

I slipped my feet into a pair of Converse and tied my hair back into a lose pony tail. Gabriel would probably kill me for this if he found out.

I went to my table and put my lighter in my pocket.

I unlocked my window and opened it. I looked down at the grass and didn't even think twice about jumping out. I looked up at my window and frowned. As long as it doesn't rain, my room should be fine.

I started running toward the ringing at full speed. There was only a half moon tonight but it shone bright enough to make out the outline of different objects. I dodged in and out of a number of things I couldn't make out in dark. 

As I ran, all I could think about was Maryanne. I wondered if Maryanne could ever forgive me. It was an accident... Then again I was being selfish. It was an act of impulse, if I remember correctly.

It explains so much though. Why Maryanne hated me so much when I thought I didn't do anything when in fact I did everything.

I stopped running and slowed to walk when I started to get a bit tired. Being only half angel probably meant I couldn't do everything yet like run for a long amount of time.

I didn't know where I was but I continued to walk toward the ringing anyway. 
The ringing suddenly stopped.

I halted and looked around. I started to panic slightly. I didn't know where I was and there wasn't anybody...

I felt a boat load of energy being radiated from the same direction the ringing came from. There was so much, I couldn't tell if I knew anyone there on not.

There was a lot of angels here... 

I could hear the whispers in my head as I started to walk toward it. There had to be at least twenty... I was stupid to go towards it but I think these were the angels calling me. 

I could see a light up ahead. It was orange and flickered from side to side... Fire.
I walked out of the trees and gasped. 

A whole load of blondes around a small fire. They were all standing up and staring at me in silence. 

Angels that included Axel and Leo. I could feel a low growl escape my lips. I discreetly took my lighter out my pocket. 

Okay, maybe I was stupid to come here. For all I know they could be planning to chop me up and cook my over this fire. Maybe I'm exaggerating a littler but what did I know about these Pure's?

I looked around the blondes and paused at one of the males. The only one not staring at me. The only one with his arms crossed over his naked chest and his eyes staring down at the ground...

"Cameron..."




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(partial edit: 2023)