Return of the Legion

Ivy's POV
When I wake up, I hear whispers in the room with me. Looking around I spot The Prophet, Mystic and Deviant quietly talking about something at the foot of my bed. The Prophet wears a look of anger, The Mystic has concern in his eyes and The Deviant is clearly frustrated by what was said.

Suddenly the look The Prophet wears changes, as he realizes I'm awake. Relief floods his features as he races to close the gap between us. He smiles, taking hold of my hand and whispers, "Oh, thank God. How are you feeling?"

"I'm...I'm okay. Sore, but that's to be expected, I guess," I quietly reply, thrown off by his reaction, "What...Did you find anything?"

He looks down, sighing deeply before he answers, "Yeah. They were Shadows. They were after you."

He produces a small paper from his vest pocket, passing it to me and I see mine and Ava's names wrote on the back. Flipping it over, I see it's a wallet sized picture of us returning home from Church, and my blood runs cold.

"Why would they be after me? I'm nothing special," I whisper, still staring at the picture in my hands.

The Deviant releases a dry, sarcastic laugh before seething, "You have no idea how special you really are! You and your sister are the most important people here!"

"Deviant! That's enough!" The Prophet shouts, placing a firm hand on his chest and pushing him away from me.

"No!" The Deviant barks, "She has the right to know, but you're too chicken shit to tell her!"

"You know that's not how it works!" The Prophet argues.

"Prophet! Deviant!" I call out, slinging my legs off the bed, ready to stand and stop them, but The Mystic stops me, by placing a strong hand on my shoulder.

When I look up at him, he shakes his head sadly, telling me, "Let them fight it out."

"She deserves to know! The prophecy is about her and her sister after all!" The Deviant roars, pushing The Prophet back, "Besides how can she fulfill her destiny without knowing who she really is?!"

"Ashley! That's enough! We can't take that risk!" The Prophet retorts, using The Deviant's given name.

This causes The Deviant to freeze before growling, "We have to, Andy! If we don't The Priestess could be killed and then where would that leave us?!"

"The Priestess?" I inquire, watching the two fight, not able to comprehend what they're saying. Who is The Priestess?

"Ashley!" The Prophet snaps harshly.

"Just stop this!" I shout, catching everyone off guard, "Just fucking tell me! Who is The Priestess? What prophecy? What is going on?"

A grave look looms over The Prophet's face, The Deviant looks at me with satisfaction. The Mystic seems uncomfortable by the situation though, so I press, "If you won't tell me as a fellow Wild One, then tell me as yours and Eve's granddaughter."

A flash of shock crosses The Prophet's features, then it weakens and he falls to his knees before me. He quietly answers, "The Priestess and The Rebel...They are said to be twin girls, related to Eve: The Divine, who will cripple F.E.A.R. and bring an end to the war we're faced with...but there's a twist to this."

"What's the twist?" I softly demand, never taking my eyes from The Prophet.

His blue eyes meet mine for a moment, before he lowers them again and weakly states, "The Rebel dies and becomes the martyr of our cause."

What? The Priestess...The Rebel...which ones which? I have to be The Rebel. I can't let Ava die! I will protect her, at any and all cost.

"You can't," The Prophet whispers, his voice cracking with emotion, "You can't protect her and you can't just choose to be The Rebel. It was decided for you, before you were even born. I'm sorry, Priestess."

"No...No," I murmur, tears welling up in my eyes, "You're lying! My father said-!"

"You're father was wrong!" The Deviant interrupts, "He said you could choose your own destiny, but not for this. This is...This is beyond our ability to choose. Take it from someone who knows."

"Someone who knows?" I demand, glaring up at him, "How could you possibly know?"

"Do you really think I wanted to be The Deviant? News flash, Princess, I didn't," he growls, returning my glare, "That choice was made by God, for me, for him and for you and your sister. It's not something you can change just because you want things to turn out different. Don't get me wrong, there are things you can do to change the outcome of an event, but this isn't one of them."

"Watch me," I growl, then bolt from the room and run into the night-cooled desert. My legs protest, but upon hearing three sets of footfalls behind me, I push myself to run harder, faster.

"Ivy!" The Prophet calls out to me, "Wait!"

The Deviant's POV
Ivy does the unthinkable after telling her the truth. She runs. I didn't think she could even run after what she'd been through. Any normal human wouldn't have been able to after what she has been through. Then again, she's not entirely human...

"Damn it, Ashley!" Andy roars, before running after her, Jinxx and I hot on his heels. We chase after the girl, Andy calling out, "Ivy! Wait!"

"What the hell?" CC calls out from the look out post.

"Explain later!" Jinxx shouts back, as we continue chasing Ivy into the desert. If she gets lost out here, she'll be food for the vultures by tomorrow night. We can't let that happen!

"Ugh! Fuck this!" I growl, ripping off my vest and allowing my black wings to expand. I take off after the girl, quickly closing the distance between us, then grab her by the back of her jacket, pulling her up into my arms.

She screams into my ear, fighting against me, so I quickly shift my hold on her and restrain her wrists in one of my hands. I glare at the young woman in my arms and shout, "Stop and calm the fuck down!"

She stops fighting, staring at me with wide eyes, then she stammers, "Wh-What are y-you?"

"A fallen angel, just like the rest of the Legion. Just like you. You're half fallen angel," I calmly answer, looking her in the eye, to drive the point home, "You know deep down I'm telling the truth."

"How?" She demands, her voice cracking slightly with fear.

"You said it yourself. You're Eve and Andy's granddaughter. They were both fallen angels too. Your human side comes from their grandson's wife and your mother," I explain, releasing her hands and looking up at the sky, "Let me show you something."

I look down to look into her wide eyes, but she nods, swallowing back her fear. I smile at her, then take off, flying even higher into the sky, tightening my grip on her. I watch her look around in awe, as she gazes down at the world below. Then her eyes meet mine, before they land on my black wings and she rests her arm around my shoulders. I tense, expecting pain as her hand gently brushes my wings, but it doesn't come.

Instead I gasp at the amazing sensation it causes to run through me and bite my lip as my eyes close tightly. She continues to stroke them, sending chills of pleasure down my spine and before I know it, I'm gently panting.

"St-Stop," I demand through my clenched teeth, and she pulls her hand away immediately, apologizing to me. When I gain my composer back, I shakily say, "Don't be sorry. I just didn't want us to crash. I'd be okay if we did, but I was worried about you."

"Does it...hurt when someone touches them?" She inquires, looking up at me through her long, thick lashes.

"Normally, yeah. With you, it didn't," I respond, gently lowering us to the ground, not far from Andy and Jinxx.

"Why not with me?" She whispers, still watching me.

"I...I don't know," I whisper back, setting her back on her feet, but not releasing my hold on her.

Confusion takes hold of me as I wonder what just happened. Why didn't it burn when she touched my wings? How could her touch feel so amazing and comforting?

The look on Andy's face, as he approaches, tells me he knows the answer to these questions and that he doesn't like it.

Notes