The Difference Between Life and Death

Seeing Angels

When I got down to the locker room I saw Matt standing with a towel in his hands drying his hair when I got to my locker I handed Matta black long sleeve shirt and some dry jeans. Then I grabbed my dark blue button up and put it on along with some dry jeans and slipped on some work boots and grabbed myself a towel and started my hair off as best I could because we were in a hurry to get to the bottom of what has been going on lately.

“Hey Cam you ready to go before this rain gets any worse?” Matt asked as he sat down to put his shoes on. His mood seems to have gotten worse since meeting William Stern and I was starting to get a little concerned about him.

“Yeah, let’s go find Snow so we can get out of here and get back to trying to figure out what’s going on.” I said as we walked back to the main lobby. When we got there Snow was standing by the door with the box of files off my desk looking slightly irritated.

“You guys ready to go yet?” She asked sounding as irritated as she looked.

“What’s going on Snow?” I asked trying to read her but that was like trying to read a brick wall. So I gave her a little smile and she gave in.

“Nothing really I just don’t like that guy William.” She said quietly as I picked up the box of files as we headed out to my truck. The rain had eased up long enough for us to make it out to the truck and get in before it began to pour again. As we pulled out of the parking lot to head home we stopped and got some pizzas and some soda and energy drinks for the long night ahead of us. 

“Well now that we have the files we can divide them up and get to work on finding out what’s going on.” Matthew said as I parked the truck.

“Yeah that would be a good idea.” I said as we got out and carried the stuff into our apartment.

“Well I think we should start with eating first no one does their best work on an empty stomach.” Abalinda said with a smirk as she stared at the boxes of pizza on the table. 

“Abalinda, how is it that you can eat twice as much as Cameron and me but never gain a pound?” Matthew asked with a smile then added “Sometimes I think your part guy.”

She just smiled and grabbed a pizza and said;

“I guess I just have a high metabolism.” Then she opened the box and started eating. And so Matt and I grabbed a box and some files and got to work.

The first few files were pretty much dead ends because every possible lead either no longer practiced dark magic or they were dead along with the rest of their families or the members of their covens. Until we came across one whose name had been mentioned at least once in all the files. Her name was Kurami Sanyo. Her family line is one of the oldest most powerful line of necromancers that date back close to the beginning of time, her family line said that they had documents of her giving birth to a set of twins close to 200 years ago but after that there is no other documents until I came across one stating that she had went insane after her children were hunted down and put to death for killing innocent humans. They were 10 years old.

The one in charge of tracking down the children and putting them to death was a fallen angel named Ophelia. After the death of her children the report states that Kurami’s mind began deteriorating over time and she went completely insane and no one had seen or heard from her for almost 50 years so everyone just assumed she had died but her body had never been located. And with only a handful of people knowing what she looked like it would be hard to track her down because over time it wouldn’t be that hard to change what you looked like.

The last person who saw her that was able to give a strong description of her was a member of her pack. A man who looked nowhere near his true age but that tended to happen with the demon wolf race. His name was Michael Windel he was believed to have been one of Kurami’s former lovers but it was never proven to be true or false. He went on record to say that before the death of her children Kurami was a strong beautiful woman with long flowing silver hair and blue eyes and was around 5’4 or 5’5 and was quite petite. But after the death of her children her hair turned black on the ends and one of her eyes turned red when her psyche split perhaps as a way of containing her inner demon.

After their death Kurami spent most of her time in wolf form according to the file trying to protect her pack because her children had scared the mortals in the area to the point of killing off whatever supernatural creature that they came across and they ended up finding her pack and managed to kill three or four members before they all went into hiding. Now as a result Kurami has sworn to take her revenge on all those responsible. 

There was also a section of the file on Kurami and her blood promise to enact her revenge against Ophelia and all those she cared about. From what Cameron understood about blood promises are that they are a very dangerous form of black magic that can result in the separation of the soul from the body because the magic is so dark the soul can’t handle the force of it. Some say it can even be powerful enough to extend the person’s natural life until they have completed the promise they made to begin with.

As Cameron was reading over the file on Kurami Matthew had taken on the task of find out what he could on Ophelia and the mystery man Uriel. We were all sitting there in silence when all of a sudden Abalinda got really excited about something.

“Alright boys listen to this; you know our mystery couple from your vision Cameron well as it turns out Ophelia and Uriel are no ordinary angels they are archangels and to put a whip cream on top of this whole messed up pie Ophelia is golden boy Uriel’s big sister.” She said as she all but jumped up and down on the couch telling us there was more to what she had to say.

“Well don’t stop their Snow what has you so excited?” I asked her with an amused smile. 

        “Well as we now know your girl is head Archangel right well as it turned out she seems to have committed a pretty big no-no amongst the big shots up there.” She said as she pointed towards the sky. “As it turns out our golden girl had a soft spot for bad boys and got herself thrown from heaven for falling in love with a big bad down under named Balthazar who ended up getting stripped of his power because he and our beautiful Angel had a child but once word got out about the baby he vanished.”

“Why do I get the feeling like there is more about to be added to the already awful things you just told us.” Matthew said with a serious tone to his voice.

“Because there is.” Snow added getting really fired up before she said. “Shortly after the baby vanished from the angels and demons Ophelia was found dead killed with an angel blade the only thing that can kill an Archangel and get this. This exact one was forged by none other than Balthazar himself but when they went to question him he was nowhere to be found it was like he had vanished into thin air.”

“What about the other Archangel. Uriel?” Matthew asked looking intrigued.

“As far as I can tell golden boy is up with the big shots doing whatever it is that they do he was never question about the death of his sister or the disappearance of Balthazar or the child.” Abalinda said as she grabbed another slice of pizza which had long since gotten cold. And stuck it out to Matthew for him to reheat it for her, so he stuck his hand out and I could see the ripples of heat come from his hand and then the room smelled of fresh pizza.

“Thanks Mattie.” She said with a satisfied grin “But back to what I was saying about our angels and demons I think we would be able to figure out a lot about all this if we could locate Uriel. But I don’t think they have land lines upstairs.” She added as she finished her slice then eyed the box and held it in front of Matt like a child wanting a new toy.

“We could always try to summon him but we would need a powerful witch in order to pull something like that off and there is no guarantee that doing something like that would summon an archangel.” Matthew said sounding indifferent to the idea as he heated the pizza for Abalinda.

“That’s actually not a bad idea.” I said as I scratched my jaw. “I mean what could it hurt to try right now it’s the only solid lead that we have on anything.” I replied as I sat back in my chair trying to figure out where to get a witch powerful enough to summon an archangel.

        I could tell Matthew didn’t like it but we were both thinking the same thing about it being the only solid thing to go on right now. As we sat there I could feel the waves of confusion and fear rolling off him. Not the type of fear when you’re scared something is going to hurt you but the fear of not knowing what to do and facing the unknown. I don’t know how long we sat there flipping through files looking for any other possible leads we could find but when I looked up from the file in my hand because the words were starting to run together it was dark outside and the clock said 2:28 a.m. 

“Cameron I think we should get some rest and start again when we wake up.” Matthew said as he stood up and stretched “I’m taking a shower then going to bed.” He said as he cast a quick look at the couch where Snow had fallen asleep. He disappeared in his room only to come back out with a pillow that he slipped under her head and then covered her with the blanket before finally going back in his room and shutting the door.

Cameron sat there for a few minutes thinking about Matthew and Abalinda. They were an odd pair but he could see that they would die for each other they truly were fire and ice but put them together and they form the perfect team. The sound of the shower being turned on pulled him from his thoughts so he got up and walked into his room. As he changed he couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to have a brother or sister. The closest he ever got to having brother was Alex that is until Matthew came along. 

As he laid in bed drifting in and out of sleep he couldn’t help but wonder what it was like for Ophelia. Because she fell in love with the what she had been told was wrong and forbidden her entire life and raised and trained to destroy because they were the enemy. I guess it’s true that your heart decides who you love not the way you were raised or the people around you. Everything happens for a reason even if we don’t know what that reason is there is always one. But for now, he really needed to get some sleep so they could get some more work done tomorrow.

After a night of restless sleep and strange dreams he got up and took a shower and decided to get back to the files. When he walked in the living room he saw that he was the only one awake and decided to put on a pot of coffee. When the coffee was almost done brewing Abalinda came out of the guest bedroom in a pair of what looked like her brother’s flannel pants and a black tank top with a very cute case of bed head and a look on her face that said she wasn’t fully awake just yet.

 “Hey sleeping beauty want some coffee?” I asked as I handed her a big steaming mug. She took the cup and made her way over to the island to sit down. While she sat there drinking her coffee I decided to make some eggs, sausage and toast for breakfast. I was halfway through making breakfast when Matt came out of his room looking casual in jeans and a blue t-shirt talking on his cell to someone with a very serious expression on his face. A few minutes later Matthew finished his phone call and joined us in the kitchen with a serious look on his face his eyes pinched in the corners with concern. After he pour himself a cup of coffee he turned and stared at the floor for a moment before looking at me.

“Cameron what do you know about your parents?” Matthew asked me as his eyes began to darken with confusion like they often do when something is weighing heavy on his mind or his heart. 

I stood there for a minute taken back by his question. Confused as to why he would want to know about the people who raised me and then the one who turned on me one dark night a year ago. 

“Honestly, I guess the same everyone knows about their parents my mom usually stayed home while my dad worked at the office. They raised me like all parents do I guess that is until my dad murdered me that’s about it. He was a cruel man to my mother and me. Why?” I asked still confused by his question.

“Cameron, have you ever heard of the Guardians?” He asked as he took a drink of his coffee.

“Not really, I mean I’ve seen the title in different books and in the archives but that’s about it. Why.” I asked even more confused now than I was before.

“Well as it turns out, the people who you thought were your parents were actually guardians who you were placed with when you were a child to protect your identity and who your birth parents were. For your safety, of course a lot of good putting you there did as far as protection. No offence to the female guardian she did her best to keep you safe.” Matthew said lost in thought.

“My birth parents? What do you mean?” I asked as I stared at him.

“Yeah that’s where things start to get complicated I want to look into a couple things before I tell you anymore on that note but needless to say you are one very unique individual Cameron.” Matthew said as he walked over to me. “I need to swing by an old friend of mine’s place before we go to the office I need to pick up a couple of things before we get any deeper in this.”

“Yeah, no problem let me just get dressed and we can go I need to get a couple things from my office anyway.” I said as I headed to my room to throw some clothes on so we could leave. 

I grabbed a black pair of dress slacks out of my wardrobe and a light blue silk button down along with my black Italian leather boots. As I was getting dressed I couldn’t help but wonder what it was that Matthew had discovered with his secret phone call. Once I was dressed I grabbed my suit coat and keys and headed out to meet Matthew at my truck. As we got it I couldn’t help but notice the cool crisp morning air and how refreshing it felt to take a deep breath in and enjoy the life that was given by some miracle. 

Matthew was particularly quiet, other than giving me directions as I drove to his mystery friend’s house. We were headed down a long dirt driveway when Matthew finally spoke.

“When we get here let me go in first to make sure she is home before we both get out and go in.” He said in a soft and slightly amused tone.

“She huh? Does your sister know about this particular she?” I said as I mocked the man who is more like family to me than anyone I’ve ever known.

“Oh, shut up Cameron,” He said as he smiled at me. “It’s not like that she is an old friend from a long time ago.”

“Sure, she is how long ago are we talking like 5 years or what?” I asked him as we pulled up to the large plantation style home. Which seemed quite an odd style home for the UK it seemed more of an American style home.

“More like almost 20 years Cam. Abigail and I go way back we hit a point in our lives where we wanted to be young and dumb. Life wasn’t much more than an afterthought in those years we were carefree and crazy.” Matthew said with a small smile and a look in his eyes that told of a secret life that he had on tight lockdown. “Trust me you will really like her. I will warn you though she is a demon. But not like what you might think of when you hear the word or in our line of work.” Matthew added quickly.

     No sooner did Matthew get his door open did she come out of the door. She was a rather petite woman with long amber curls flowing down her back and the most striking almond shaped honey colored eyes with a touch of gold in them. Her complexion and a lovely shade of tan that one could only come by naturally. Though petite she had rather pronounced curves, not very in your face but rather subtle. She also has a warm smile for Matthew that could touch your soul that curved the corners of her soft pink lips towards her dimples.

“She is quite lovely is she not my Brother?” Matthew asked me as we climbed out of the truck just in time to embrace the woman in a warm hug.

Her attire caught my attention the moment I was out of the truck and could see better she wore what seemed to be a corset that looked like nothing I have ever seen. It was a light green with gold lace and accents on it. She wore a long billowing skirt that was made of a light material for the summer weather. The skirt was the same shade of green as her corset and lightly drug the ground it was so long and she wore a simple white off the shoulder top that was for the most part covered by her corset. I could just barely see her black boots poking out from under the edge of her skirt.

She looked to be from Persian descent with her strong feminine features and bold attitude. You don’t hear of many demons in that part of the world. But when you come across one you know to steer clear because they are usually on the good side but can be very easily agitated. I could tell she had a special place in her heart for Matthew.

“Matthew, what are you doing way out here? You silly boy its been ages.” She said with a deep husky Persian accent that seemed to fit her perfectly. “And you’ve brought someone with you a very young someone.”

“Abigail, this is Cameron my partner with the bureau and my friend.” Matthew said as he placed his hand on my shoulder. “He is in a sense my brother more so than he is my friend I have come to find myself rather find of the young lad.” As he said this I couldn’t help but smile to myself having someone say this type of thing about me. 

     She slowly looked me up and down with a curious gaze before she turned back to Matthew as the little smile fixed itself back on her lips.

“So, Matthew what can I do for you today because your much longed-for visits don’t happen without you needing me for something whether it be business or pleasure.” Abigail said with a hint of mischief in her gaze as she looked at him and winked which caused Matt to turn about 10 shades of pink.

“Well, you see Abs we need your help with a case. Because a not so good criminal may be back and knowing Cameron’s history would be of great use.” Matthew said as he looked back and forth between the two of us.

“I’m failing to see how I’m needed here have you simply tried back tracking his family history.” Abigail said as she placed her right hand on her hip and placed the other on her left cheek. “The only reason I can see my use for in this situation is for supernatural reasons.”

“That’s where we are running into a problem, we can’t trace him back beyond the couple that were taking care of him. We run into a block if you will because after the guardians taking him in we have nothing anywhere on who Cameron is or what he is for that matter.” Matthew said as he glanced over at me. “He is somewhat of a mystery but a major asset to the bureau with his many skills.” Matt said as we started to walk towards the massive home that stood in the distance.

I couldn’t help but feel like we were about to start out on a long road ahead the minute we step into her home because with these visions I knew nothing good could be coming our way. We walked for a few minutes in silence just enjoying the warm air and the sun on our skin, we finally reached the porch which wrapped all the way around the house with a hand rail to match and a large swing for two on one end and a wooden rock that looked to be very old with intricate carving.

     We stood there for a minute trying to prepare ourselves for whatever happens next. As we entered her home it was not at all what I expected, it was quite modern with touches of tradition here and there hinting at where she came from and who she was. We walked down a wide and brightly lit hallway and came to a sudden stop in front of a dark red door that opened up into what looked like an office of some sort.

There was a cool gray couch sitting in the center of the room with small glass tables on each end and a beautiful mahogany desk was in front of the couch and there were bookshelves lined with what looked like books that were hundreds of years old. It looked like a very normal office but you could tell that there was something very different about this room that was like nothing I had ever felt before. 

There was something so hauntingly beautiful about this friend of Matthew’s and her home it told a story without saying a word. You could feel a sense of power but it wasn’t uncomfortable it felt like one that you could embrace and feel at home with.

Once we were all gathered in the room Abigail began to gather a few books off of one of the bookshelves. Books that looked to be much older than any if the others in her collection. I was just standing near the end of the couch when Abigail turned and glanced at me for what seemed like an eternity.

“Go ahead and make yourself at home on the couch while I gather a few things we will need before we get this party started.” Abigail said as she started looking in a drawer of what looked like crystals and other magical items. 

I walked over and sat down on the gray couch which was much older than it had originally appeared the legs of it had very intricate carving and what appeared to be different types of battles. Although it was old the couch was very comfortable and inviting. The grey material felt almost like a cross between a suede and a velvet and was very soft to the touch it was unlike anything I had ever felt before. 

As I was lost in my thoughts I hadn’t noticed that Matthew and Abigail had join me over where I was by sitting in the large high back chairs made of the same grey material as the couch. They appeared to be a very old very unique set. Abigail had noticed I was looking at her a gave a gentle smile.