Saint Joseph School

She was wishing that it didn’t have to come to this. She was wishing that everyone had been able to be happy. But it just wasn’t going to happen. Her friends… Her Brother! They were all just so……

Blind.

They were blind, blind to what she was able to see through her new eyes! It was as if blinders had been lifted from her, and she was seeing all that there was instead of just what was just in front of her. Adam had just seen Blood… Blood and Power. He hadn’t bothered to think about it, about Eternity! Eternal youth, forever young, forever beautiful! More importantly, though, forever able to stand for what she believed in. She had thought that she was going to be able to have that with people at Saint Joes, but for all of them who accepted what she had, it became too much! And now, the others were jealous and afraid of what she was. And as she had been told, when Heroes find something that they are jealous and afraid of, they would do everything they could to try and destroy it.

At first the change had frightened her too. At first she saw herself as a monster, and hid what she was and denied herself what she needed. Then… then when she had returned to place where it had all began… the place where her new life had been given to her…

It became clear to her. So much became clear… but she had had help. And now she was going to repay that help, and finally go where she should have been all along. Sapphire…. No! That wasn’t her name anymore! She was going to become a new Angel, a new Angel for Him…

Jolted out of her thoughts, the jet gently shook as the landing wheels skidded across the landing strip. First by boat, then by truck… but finally she was in the one place where she wouldn’t be hunted and killed simply for wanting to exist as something more. The windows had been shaded until landing… there was the worry that the sun would be too intense above the cloudline. But as the pilot came forward, he nodded to his passenger.

“It’s nightfall, as we set our timetable to. Are you ready to disembark?”

Gathering up what few things she was able to bring with her that meant anything anymore, Angelique DuBois stepped towards the doorway. “Come on, this flight has been way too long, and I’m Starving!”

Nodding, the pilot hit the release for the hatch on the small private jet, the salty sea air immediately filling the cabin. Stepping down, feet still a bit unsure due to the long amount of travel, Angel’s face broke out into a huge and joyous smile.

Standing in front of the VonMandrake jet were two of the most newly welcomed people into Angel’s life; Karlof VonMandrake and Nieves Trudeaux.

“Welcome home, my Angel.”, said Karl, “I wish I had better things to say, but it appears we have a few new problems.”

Angel steps off the plane, loving the sight of her two favorite people. She smiles to them, then frowns upon hearing Karl's last words.

"Problem? Oh god, what's happened now?" She walks over to Karl and kisses him sweetly, then turns to Nieves, giving her a long hug, as well as the same kiss that she gave to her love, Karl.

((I'll be posting for Nieves Trudeaux))

Nieves felt the worries she had been feeling wash away as she saw Angel step from the jet. Perhaps it was all just threats and hollow musings. Either way, she would let Karl speak, as she might becme too empassioned about the whole affair.

Embracing Angel, the sanguine haired teen held on for as long as she could. It really did feal like a relief to have Angel home. The two parted with a smile, and Nieves offered the blonde a boquet of roses that she had been keeping in a levitated state behind Karl.

"I'm so very glad to see you! It's like not having to wait to breathe again."

"Nieves, you don't know how glad I am to hear you say that. I am so glad to be back home, with you and Karl."

She smiles and hugs Nieves once more. The pallid and undead flesh of her cheek, grazes across the red-haired beauty's jawline. She pulls back smiling to her and taking the levitating roses in her hand. She then looks to the two teens, becoming serious for a moment.

"Now, tell me... what has happened?"

"I think that the first problem we are having is that Adam is determined to find you. I had hoped that it would not come this soon, but I understand events beyond everyone's control have made things uneasy at your school.

Because of this, I am going to need your school communicator. I understand that it has GPS tracking, and the last thing we need is for him to be bursting in, all bravado and bluster, and ruin what chance there is left for your friends.

On another note, there is someone who has been snooping around Nieves affairs, both public and private. I have no idea if this has anything to do with what we are currently trying to accomplish, but it seems almost too coincidental to not look into. Do you have anyone left in Paragon that you can speak to in confidence, and not have them rush to their usual conclusions?"

As Karlof spoke, he escorted the two ladies across the busy airport and past Arachnos security. The Fortunata-led Wolf Spiders seemed to tighten the grips on their varied weapons as the teens passed, but didn't fire when the Threat Ratings for the two Bloodvine students came up on their helmet display. There was no fight any of them could finish with this group, but Arachnos Intelligence would know of their movements.

"As loathesome as it may seem," Nieves interjected, with a roll of her eyes. "Kristina has a bit of a sirority-minded feeling toward you, Angel. Could you exploit that? I know she's a bit of a worrier, but, all that's would be asked is to keep her ears open for you, and to tell you if anything came up. Nothing a friend wouldn't do anyway."

It was annoying things had gone as far as they had, or else they might be able to use Detective for his eyes and ears in Paragon City. Oh, well. Not all things were meant to be easy.

"It's all rather fortunate that I can keep tabs upon Kristina. If any of this harms her, I will have to deal with the person or people responsible. The Trudeaux police their own," she said a bit sourly. "And, as my power grows, it is becoming much easier to watch her."

As Angel passes the Arachnos security with Karl and Nieves, she lets a sly smirk slip through to one of the men. She looks back to Nieves and nods to her.

"I can talk to Kris. She might be able to give me some news on Annie's condition."

Angel looks to Karl, wrapping her arm around his, as the three of them walk out of the airport.

"I can turn off my comm unit. They won't find me when it's turned off. Besides, I still want to be able to go back into Paragon. This will let me keep tabs on where Detective and the others are."

"I will give Kris a call and find out as much as I can"

Angelique lay still and silent in her bedroom. It was just after 4pm and she had been sleeping the day away. Ever since she made the final move to the Rogue Isles, her sleeping habits had slowly changed. She had been thinking about the impending procedure before she had gone to rest right before sunrise, thinking about the price she was going to have to pay to give back to one of the last few people she cared about in Paragon.

It was far too early for Angel to get up... it felt so good to remain still, to let her body calm itself and renew... with the renewal came less of a drive to feed, and more of just a desire to seek out what gave her power and life. Was this what she had been missing, the chance for her body and mind to be at restful peace during the daytime? Is that why things had been so difficult in Paragon?

As Angel rolled over, she saw the message light blinking on her Aeon Labs Hypercom-6 that she had bought to replace her original communicator. She couldn't help but smile as she reached over and snatched up the device.

The first message came through crystal clear, the voice of the boy who had made it possible for her to have her new life speaking only to her, "Angel, liebchen, I wanted to make sure you knew that I put your leftovers in the cooler in the apartment. It is not the same, I know, but I am sure it is better than waking up hungry. I will see you in the evening."

The next message she heard, however, was the voice of the woman who have given to her her new existence. “Angelique, I just thought you should know, your idiot Childe has struck again. Adam had the audacity to seek me out, in his words, ‘To protect me’. He’s under the impression that in destroying me, your children and you will become mortal again. Please tell me, dear, you did not fill his head with such lies. I taught you better than that. Please contact me when you wake up this evening. I simply must tell you of his promise to destroy his progeny” Angel, puts her hand to her forehead, closing her eyes and shakes her head slowly.

“Great… Just great…”

It was almost reflexive; the way Angelique's fangs extended when she grew angry, her jaw strengthening and flexing as thoughts of violence went through her mind. Looking out on the streets of Mercy, Angel didn't see what it was that had driven Adam to the madness that had consumed him. She felt the beat of a mortal's life just by touching them, but nowhere was a need to snuff out the life. The hunt was something best done slow... before she had taken sips from mugs, now she had found how easy it was to knock out a group of Luddites and simply get what she needed without the worries she thought there would be.

Calming down, Angel walked into the kitchen and opened the cooler that her Karlof had stocked for her. She smiled at it’s contents, then reached out for the bag. Pouring the seductively red plasma into a mug, Angel licked her fingers and briefly warmed the wonderful liquid in the microwave. After she pulled out the cup, she slowly began to drink, reveling in the taste. It seemed to always be better when it was warmed up, much like drinking straight from the source. Still sipping at her snack, Angel then walked back into the bedroom and began returning messages.

The first person contacted was her Sire, but was only able to leave a message. “Marie, I got your message and I’m sorry that I missed you. We should make a time when we can talk in person. Give me a call.”

She disconnected that line, and then called another. The voice heard on the other end is a sweet sounding familiar German accent.

“Hello, mien liebchen”, she spoke to him.

"Guten Nacht, Angel. And how was your rest?"

“It was good. I’ve been sleeping a lot better now that I don’t have to wake up and go to school. Anything eventful happen while I was asleep?”

Later...

Nieves stood and looked at the sight of Detective, incapacitated as he was. She marveled to herself that vampires could survive all manner of attacks; but, a shaft of wood placed just right would render them totally helpless. Wicked Siren looked like she was just a little rattled, rather than hurt. This had been Adam Hartigan's second attack on the girl, the third of four of the BVA girls to be a recipient of his company, and the third of three to receive an actual attack from out of him. Her mind went back to her first meeting with him, when he was known as Detective.

He had Haley-Anne off in a corner, and she was bleeding, in of all places, Pocket D. Neutral Ground! It flew in the face of everything. They had agreed to work with the students of Saint Joseph's School, and here he was, in his school uniform, relishing in her schoolmate's harm. She had challenged him; asking what was going on, telling him that Pocket D was neutral ground and therefore a place to not fight. Instead of an explanation, the boy, who pretended to be a vampire, psychically attacked Nieves and left her debilitated. When she recovered, Haley-Anne thanked her, and they both went their ways. Later she had heard that either before, or after that incident, the so-called hero had attacked the same girl another time.

Then there was Siren's disappearance. Little did anyone know he had attacked her in such a way as to scar the student. That was followed closely by Lilith's run-in with Adam in Pocket D. If she recalled correctly, Lilith said he had made comments about feasting upon her blood, and how it must taste. Fortunately, he ran off with some other girl, leaving her exotic schoolmate safe from attack. The other girl was most likely not doing well, or a vampire by now. But, she was not Nieves' concern.

The part which had tipped it all was when he came, stalking Siren. Or was it herself he was after? She knew Adam had suspected Karl and Angel of working on the cure for this vampirism, but she had deceived him into believing that the Mistress of Blood was in danger, or so she thought. After Siren had left for Port Oakes, Nieves had assumed the girl would be safe and would return to operating with the Bloodvines. That turned out to be a mistake. Instead, he had cornered her in a shipyard, her cries over the school communicators only letting them know what had happened when it was almost too late. By the time Nieves had arrived, Hartigan had captured her schoolmate, and was preparing to feast upon her. It was only by baiting him and challenging him that Nieves was able to learn of Hartigan's new plan for human genocide at the hands of a combat ready vampire community. It was only by playing on his pride that Nieves had distracted the vampire just long enough for Karlof to catch up and ambush the predator unaware with some sort of spell of mental domination. His teeth clenched, and the effort of holding the undead mind threatening to overwhelm him, Karl yelled for Nieves to get the Bloodvines for help.

Unfortunately, Karl's request for the Bloodvines to assist were not able to be met, as they had already turned their Comms off, and had retired for the evening. By the time she and Siren returned, Karl was in hideous shape, passed out with cuts and lesions on his face and hands. Even after he was completely revived he began to wretch, and even lost his balance several times. It was a lesson for Nieves. No matter how highly she thought of her dark prince, his powers had limits, and the task of holding a vampire wasn't as simple as one might expect.

Now, as she looked at Karl still trying to regain his strength and steady himself to return to the Academy, she held a new sense of conviction on the upcoming task. Hartigan’s plan would overtake all, no matter where they lived, and turn the world into a place of powermad bloodsuckers in his image. Neives watched with hate in her eyes as the bribed Goldbrickers cut Hartigan down off of the pile of construction material, the long jagged wooden pole poking messily out of his chest where his heart should be.

She wasn’t going to tolerate the hunting of her countrymen, and she wouldn’t tolerate the attacks on her school. She just hoped that Karl and Sara’s confidence in their plan was not misplaced, and that they could truly end this oncoming disaster at the same time they fulfilled Angel’s last request as a Hero.

Angelique sat quietly in her bedroom; the lights were off, and the teen was on her bed just hugging her knees and thinking.

Twelve... Samson said that there were twelve of them that Adam has created. God, what have I done? He wasn't supposed to be like this, I was only trying to save his life... I was trying to help, to make things better...

She looked over at the clock, seeing the time had reached 5 am. Just outside her window, Arachnos soldiers beat another hard lesson into yet another escapee from the Zig.

Twelve... I need to find them... No more, or else things will just... God, where is Karl and Nieves!? I hate being alone... usually they’re here by now! Oh god, please don't let anything have happened to them…

Just then her eyes light up with fear.

Oh... Adam, so help me… if you've gone after them, to find me... I will hunt you down myself!

Looking out at the full moon, and talking to no one but herself, "It didn't have to be like this, Adam..."

The quiet ring tone of her cell phone interrupting her thoughts, Angel quickly answered without looking to see who it was.

"Karl?"

However, instead of a smooth German accent, Angelique heard the purr of an even more familiar female voice.

"Angelique, my childe, what is wrong?" her sire spoke quietly into her ear. Disappointed, Angel slumped back onto her bed.

"I'm worried, mother. Karl and Nieves haven't come home yet, and the sun is almost up. Usually they’re here by now! Oh, why can't I be more like you? You don't let your emotions show, you're so calm and you can see every angle before it happens... Teach me to be like you. Cast a spell to take away my emotions or something... Anything."

Softly, the elder vampire known as the Mistress of Blood reassured her vampiric childe, "Angelique, calm down. Your friends are probably at the Academy; do they not have dorms there, much like St. Joseph's? They probably were working on the experimentation well into this morning, and deemed it too late to try and come home to you. Please, darling... it will be okay."

Looking up at the darkened ceiling, Angel focused on the stillness that unlife had brought her, and worked to calm herself down. "Yeah... you're right... I'm just overreacting. I can’t help it, they mean so much to me, and they’ve done so much for me! But, if you think that they’re fine, I’ll try and rest until sunset. Hopefully they’ll both be here with more news on how things are coming. Antoine has given me a deadline as to when this cure needs to happen, and I’m running outta time. And then there’s that crap that Adam pulled by creating those other twelve vampires. This guy, Samson, some friend of his from a long time ago… He says that number thirteen was on their way. I need your help to find them; your senses are more refined than mine. I’m also hoping that Master would be able to help as well, but I haven’t heard from him in a while. I hope he’s not mad at me…”

“Oh, who knows with him; he’s the last of your worries. You get some rest and I’ll see what I can do, alright? Try to have pleasant dreams, my sweet Angel.”

Nodding to her phone, Angel knew that her sire was right. “I will, mother. Please be careful, too. I don’t know what those friends of Adam are capable of.”

Mistress chuckles “Don’t worry about me, little one, I can take care of myself. Now, go to sleep. We will talk later.”

“Good night, mother.”

“Good night, my precious angel.”

Finally, the two women hang up their phones and return to their separate tasks. Sensing the time, Angelique laid her head back on the bed, waiting for dawn to approach. Closing her eyes, she fell deep into a death-like slumber. Perhaps she would hear more from either of the two, and the happenings of the evening, when she awoke with the next sunset.