"Nox de nocturna."

"A what? You know I don't speak whatever that was."

Danika rolls her eyes and glares intensely in my direction.

i keep my head straight and try not to look at her at an attempt for survival of the fittest. 

i would say danika was about my height. and yet i was intimidated by her. her imposing 'nobility' made her conceited and arrogant. then there was the nuvo vampire chic attire that made me think twice about addressing her. 

"Intimate advisers that help us conceive and review our blueprint with us and is at our side every step of the way from now to recycle. think of them as guides that we are very close to and trust with our soul- our life force. All guides have spent at least one lifetime as angels themselves, you know." Toby explains.

i distinctly could feel my face contort as i tried to conceive just what that entitled. i think i would've known if i had a Nox de whatever they're called. no ones ever been in my life long enough to fill the role.

"They're like helpers. They give guidance on how to control our energy. They're always their especially when you first start out."

i nod my head at tobys words. "your guide helped you with your persuasion influence that's why you're so good and strong." 

toby Grins. "Yup." then he sees the concern on my face and his features soften. "Hey, don't worry. you're still part angel so whoever's your Nox de nortuna will know just what type of practice you need to get you working on control." he said with a softer voice.

i didnt have time to thank him when Danika showed her displeasure by snorting.  

toby grimaced and was about to speak up but danika didn't seem to give a care as she paraded over to spit hateful comments at him some more. 

"hold it sparky we still don't know what she is let alone the full extension of her grace." danika spits out heatedly. "we're under siege and low in numbers to boot, and you want to add more baggage than we can afford to carry? what if she gets herself killed?" Danika goes silent and a sheen twinkled in her eyes. "wait a minute, can that be arranged?" 

tobys lips start to quirk ever so slightly. "danikas right." he says smiling while he sheathed knives around his waist.  

 "whether or not you are the destroyer we've been searching for is irrelevant. we can't be around all the time as bodyguards its time you learn to defend yourself." toby tightened the lace to his kick ass boots. he straightened his stance and grined at danika. 

"she's all yours." he winks. "remember, lower body is fair game just no scratches on her face."

i wrinkle my nose. "whats wrong with my face?" i ask touching my cheek. 

"-You can't be serious." danika argues profoundly. 

when that didn't work she gestured her arm at me up and down as if she were visually explaining in what ways i was deficient. "She's just some sparkle time thing you keep around. She's not even one of us!" she yelled outraged that toby would even think i was worthy of her time and insulted all the same. 

i stay quiet watching them bicker from my spot on the chair. hey, it was comfortable, more so than my own bed. my body ached something bloody awful. the throbbing headache set in between my eyebrows didn't help.

and those ankle cuffs secured to the chair those didnt budge. you bet I tried until i found out they got smaller each time i thrashed wildly. thankfully my wits got to me before the panick attack did and i stopped fighting it.    

when danika stalks away to simmer down i release the air i'd been holding.

i relaxed in the chair loosening up the knot in my shoulders as i rolled my neck. aww yeah so much better

in between snagging lethal amo toby regarded me once more. "For whatever reason the reaper is after you. And until we can find a way to put it down then your stuck with us-" 

"You mean kill right?" i asked him. 

toby shook his head in answer when danika all but stormed across the room and practically jumped me. 

"Might as well call it over here and let it eat my energy!" danika bit out angrily. 

"there's no killing it." toby watched my reaction. 

"This type of being isn't like a ghost with bad vibes who can be cast away by invoking higher powers with a few words. The only way to make sure it never harms another is if we trick it inside a hexagram." he said all businesslike. 

i understood why he was leader. there was an authority about him that generated acclaim and favor at least with the smart kids. i'd noticed it that first day i met him. people didn't like toby but they at least respected him. 

"It can be done? This hexagram. You're positive it can hold something that evil and malicious?" 

"Certain. But first we'd need to teach you about spell casting."

danika Groans. "No." she shakes her head. "absolutely not.  i won't do it and you can't make me." she crossed her arms in a relentless attempt at preserving her principles. 

at first i thought she would get her way but then a light conjured around toby making his eyes glow bright blue and thats when things started to get weird. abruptly the twins ceased all outside communication as they bent over from the waist their noses almost touching the floor. the only one who didn't bow his head was toby. 

danika looked peeved when Toby's eyes returned to normal and things returned to how they were before the strange glowing.     

"Why do I need to learn casting spells i'm no witch. really I thought the headmistress would just chant the spell on a full moon." Why couldn't magic be easy? But no. It was all new untainted candles and cleansed and previously charged crystals under a new moon. 

and to think i used to believe all witches in pointy hats did was say a few hocus pocus rhymes in a catchy tune and be done with it. there was a lot more to this enchanting business than popular culture led me to believe.  

this time it was danikas twin that spoke. "Because you're new to practicing magic." joshua said filling me in. "It may be years until you stretch into your potential. you were able to see Toby in full angel that counts for something. Danika here specializes in creating doubles and in order for this trap to work she's the only one who can teach you properly." he said. 

danika snorts. "Nice to hear someone acknowledge how amazing I am. It wouldn't kill you to say it more." she said smugly as she inspected her perfectly manicured black tie nails. 

joshua flipped her the bird. 

toby pulled on a leather glove while he threw me a pointed you-will-do-as-i-say look. "You will need to come up with some sort of schedule that you both can stick to that doesn't co-relay into what you two are already doing on a daily basis. It's going to take a while for me and Nirva to make the charms Kira grabbed for us and get the spell ready."

joshuas lips quirk. "sweeeeet!! this is gonna be kick ass." he said grinning widely. "what? s'been awhile since i've had some action. look at that i'm getting excited already."

danika gags while joshua wiggles his split tongue at her. i blush when he catches me staring and winks. i'd never seen a tongue cut in half before and i could only imagine how much that had to hurt. 

toby distracts me when he kneels at my feet. I knew he could see the terror in my face when he looked into my eyes with a sincere form of compassion. thankfully he stayed calm and spoke to me in a soothing voice while he touched my arm in a gentle reasuring manner.

"this is important. i know you're tired but i need you to answer honestly. has the reaper contacted you?" he asks looking straight at me.

i blink shaking my head. "who?" that name didn't ring any bells.

toby grins. "right, i keep forgetting. in this lifetime you would know him as rider."

did he have to have the dimples.

i take my hand back away from his grip. "what does he have to do with all of this?" 

sure i didn't like the guy but that didn't mean it was okay to mistakenly identify him as being someone  he wasn't.  

"if he knows who she is then it could be a trap." danika looks at me with narrow accusatory eyes. "he killed mason because of you and your stupid portal thingy. he was following you to protect you for your own good after that day you were seen with rider."

yeah i kind of was forced to tell them about my gift. not that i had a choice in the matter. 

it was either spill my guts about the fact that i could see dead people and talk to dead people or be interrogated all because danika was 100 percent sure i was working for dark forces. 

joshua grins his black eyes positively sparkling with impish delight. 

toby stands up as he reaches for a long pistol and sticks it securely behind his back. "that doesn't sound right. i saw them together." he explained to danika. "he doesn't recognize her. i sure don't." toby looks at me doubtful. the throwing spirals in his pocket bulged. 

i turn my head away from his intense staring. 

i was starting to get fed up with this recycling we're better than you nonsense. it was clear to me that i had to be of angel decent in order for them to accept my word as truth.  

"makes sense. i mean, if she's a nephillim like you say she is than she wouldn't have gone through with her life plan with the scroll keeper." joshuas voice broke through the silence. 

i couldn't exactly blame them. even i was curious to know if i was part angel. i had to admit that had a ring to it. 

joshuas regal eyebrows climbed up his impressive hairline. "anythings possible but we won't know for sure until aislin stands in front of the council." joshua said assessing me from head to toe understandably unimpressed. 

i was no amazon chick. if i had any angel in me whatsoever than it was dormant. thats the only explanation that made sense because my looks were unmistakably plain. 

i mean sure there were my eyes but that was an inherited disease which means that some past ancestor had the same color of grey. 

i was frustrated.

did i want to spend the rest of my weekend inside an isolated room with dangerous angels talking about rider or whatever his name was? No

could i do anything about it? absofreakinglutely not. 

those vibrating cuffs around my ankles prevented me from going anywhere unfortunately. so even if i could leave there was no way i was getting anywhere. 

while i was forced to endure question after question i was starting to doubt my very existence. if i was part angel then who was my father? and what of my sister? i couldn't think about the fact that having a gift wouldn't make her want to kill me. 

it wasn't just me that i wondered about. i was beginning to question if other people in my life were lying about who they'd said they were. and if so, what did that mean? 

from across the room a sizzling danika stormed in front of me looking pissed and ready to crack something. "we don't have time for this. what does the reaper want?" danika asks me stubbornly crossing her arms over her chest not letting me go until i'd cracked. the tall spikes on her shoulder pads ascended upwards due to the motion. 

they were wasting time. i knew absolutely nothing but they didn't believe me. 

i sigh frustrated because it had been awhile and still they would not let me go. 

"why do you keep calling rider by a different name? and why do you keep asking me things like i'm his friend. i barely know the guy!" exasperated i pick at my nails not bothering to look at their faces. 

i didn't even bother to apologize for yelling at her. stupid danika and her ugly leather jacket. 

toby grabs danika by the arm dragging her aside so they could have some more privacy.

 i didn't understand what was so important they couldn't say in front of us. if i had to guess i would say they were arguing some more about me. 

i rolled my eyes. please

as if they didn't do that enough.

i needed something to distract me from thoughts of toby with danika. 

weary and fed up i glanced at joshua from the corner of my eye knowing full well he was reveling every minute of my breakdown. 

and then there was the fact that even though they knew my biggest secret i had no clue what these fallen angels were up to. heck i wasn't even sure if they were on the side of good for humanity. 

since they were indestructible and phoexlike a human life could mean nothing to these striking individuals. they cared a great deal that one of their own had perished but would that feeling crop up if a human died on their hands?