The Awakening Ch. 31-40

Caliope reached to Amra and put a hand on his back. He seemed to be lost in a trance, but as soon as her hand touched him, he opened his eyes and smiled 'Asteria... you are safe...' he reached to her mind. 'What can I do to help?'

'Let me use you again, please? I need to see them to vanish them... I need to use you to invoke their true shape...'

'Please remember my friend is here too, don't do anything that might harm her...'

'I promise...'

'I am yours... body and soul... use me...'

Amra smiled and moved his hand to her arm, guiding her towards the front of him. Chef Remesch put himself in front of Vanessa who was watching half curios and half afraid. Caliope stood in front of Amra and he rested both hands on her shoulders; the barrier around them started to dissipate and the shadows started to move again. Caliope felt her heart beat faster, she was scared but she knew he was going to protect her. 'Relax my love... let me in...'

He whispered in her mind and she started to feel her vision blurred, it was only seconds before he took over and started to speak through her. She could feel how strange she felt on her own body; it was as if she was a spectator in her own body. Then she heard herself speak "Dark creatures that hide behind the realms of the shadows, I command you to show your true nature!"

There was a strong earthquake and the building trembled, everyone gave a step back and double guarded. Caliope was sweating and shivering but she stood there without moving. The creatures stopped, holding their place as well. From the deepest corner in her mind she reached out to him again 'they stopped coming, they are not moving...' Amra held her tighter 'one more time love, hold on...'

"Creatures of the shadows, fallen ones, it is time to show yourselves and reveal your true form!"

Another earthquake and this time, the chandeliers threatened to fall down. Vanessa was visibly affected and was now worried on her own safety. Elaine rested a hand on her shoulder and started to calm her down. Caliope gasped and saw the dark shadows slowly take human shape, they were people that look like any other normal person she could walk pass by at the street. Amra now slowly started to leave her body, she could tell, as she was getting back in control of her senses and her vision as well.

"Pronab... " Amra called him as he slowly released Caliope, just in time for Pronab to catch her. She did not fainted this time, but she felt her body heavy just as much as her mind. She saw Amra now fading away and started to question her own sight. "He can see them now, he is merging into their dimension to vanish them..."

She nodded and finally closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she found herself in a couch with Vanessa sitting next to her, who smiled as she saw her wake up. "You had me so worried baby... that was quite the scene!"

"Where... where are we?"

"Still at the Restaurant, I went out to see the damage but from the outside is like nothing happened! that is crazy!"

"... where is Amra?"

'I am here...' he whispered to her mind quickly.

"He is talking to Elaine and Pronab in another room... they wanted to leave you to rest..."

She smiled and nodded. Hearing Amra in her head made things easier. Vanessa helped her sat on the couch and she noticed how tired she was.

"Here, have some water... want me to call your boyfriend?"

"Thank you, there is no need... I know he is here..."

"I have to admit this is overwhelming... you, sweet and smart Caly, a dark Angel?"

Caliope chuckled and shook her head "Oh no, please... I am only the daughter of one... a convenience towards our fight."

Amra's words echoed in her head 'you know you are more than that...'

"Baby, you are awesome! you should know that!"

'She is right... hmmm... I like her' this time she could sense Amra's humor.

Caliope laughed and then hugged her friend, who gave her a kiss on the cheek and that made Vanessa relaxed.

"Amra likes you, he likes that you are standing at my side..."

"He does? how do you know?"

"He can speak to my mind, and I can speak in his too..."

"Look at you! Miss Super Powers!"

They both laughed and hugged again, just in time as Amra was entering the room and walked towards them. Caliope smiled as he sat next to her, pulling her to his arms, she kissed him deeply, and he replied the kiss with the same passion. Behind him, Elaine and Pronab arrived, Chef Remesch and Falshore were still talking on the other room.

"This has been a very eventful evening... we will have to just let Chef surprise us, because I don't think we should stay here longer." Elaine was being pleasant but her tone gave a hint of how serious the situation was. Caliope finally released Amra and smiled nodding. Amra kept an arm around her and nodded as well.

"I am filled with questions but I guess it can all wait for another moment..." Vanessa added as she was standing up.

"You are staying with us at the residence, everything is arranged." Caliope warned her friend with a smile, and she thanked her.

It was Pronab who gave the final first step for them to leave "Lets get going, General Maxwell has called every two minutes wondering about the outcome."

Falshore nodded "Yes, he is very upset and quite irritated towards this attack, we had been receiving calls of unexpected creatures like these last 24 hours."

Caliope was surprised "really? similar to this? and what did they do?"

"Unfortunately we do not have a half breed from them with each army to detect them, so they suffered some casualties, but at every trench we had a victory."

Pronab nodded "yes, we were lucky to have Caly with us."

Caliope blushed and lowered her head, she was now a person who they were considering of advantage at their side. The big stigma on her back that had been weighing for so long started to feel less heavy.

"We are going back to the residence and we will continue to make plans for next week, we are rushing the big meeting and it will be a crucial event... but you dont have to worry my dear, your wedding will be flawless, your union is going to be celebrated!"

Vanessa grinned "and I would really like some real -vacations- after this interesting day..."

"I am so sorry!" Caliope squealed.

"You should be!" she reprehended her with a hand.

Caliope laughed and Amra smiled at her; Elained sighed with relief and nodded, heading to the door and holding it open. "Ok you all need to get going, and I need to clean this place up..."

Chef Remesch interrupted her chuckling "Oh Lady Elaine, please, go ahead with your people, I will clean this up... my boyfriend knows what to do."

Vanessa looked surprised "...your boyfriend?"

"Yes, my Victor, he has experience."

Caliope smiled and together they all head out with the rest of the group. Once they got into the car, Caliope snuggled in Amra's arms and sat on his lap, he caressed her arms tenderly and allowed her to rest her head on his shoulder, she was so tired, the possession of Amra did not made her lose conscience this time but her body was stressed and in some pain. Vanessa was watching the scene with a smile.

"Once we get there, we will do the proper introductions and presentations, I am sorry you had to find out about us this way Vanessa." were Amra's kind words.

"At the contrary, I think that only this way would make it easier for me to believe in it... or I would have thought my friend was losing her mind."

"I think I would have been lost in my mind if it wasnt for her..." where Amra's last words before Caliope nodded and closed her eyes, falling asleep.

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CHAPTER 34

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"Men are made for greatness, to stand up and be men, defend their women and children, be strong supporters so people can look up to them... women are not made to be victims and helpless, they are made to be strong together with them, be worthy of their appreciation, to stand against oppression and be the hand on their back pushing them a bit further..."

"Ok Amra, you got my vote, when are you running for president?" Vanessa grinned.

Caliope laughed and shook her head. Amra smiled softly and caressed Caliope's hand gently as everyone else was enjoying a relaxing night in the library after dinner. Maxwell had to excuse himself as he had to manage last details for the wedding; he had promised Caliope a special and thoughtful gift, and he was doing it as a surprise.

Elaine sighed "I am going to excuse myself; I need to rest, tomorrow the twin Generals are arriving for the wedding, and they are always full of energy!"

"The twin Generals?" Caliope asked a little confused.

Pronab chuckled "Mengyi and Mengfei are twins, both are Generals located in Malaysia and as we did not had the chance yet to go there, they are coming to us."

"Ok... full of energy, is that a warning? what Angel has no energy?"

Elaine chuckled "Oh they are just playful and naughty, but they are fun and easygoing so you have nothing to worry about."

As she finished her sentence, Elaine gave Caliope a wink and headed towards the door, leaving a hint of new adventures for the next day. Vanessa was still gasping each time she found a new rare and valuable book in Maxwell's library, which was almost too often. Pronab kept reading his book and each time Vanessa made a silent comment on a new discovery, he smiled without keeping his eyes out of the pages.

Caliope stood up and walked next to her friend, a gentle squeeze on her shoulder brought Vanessa back to the library "Yes, they had time and resources to find all this rare books... I haven't seen you this excited about books before!"

"Caly, if I take only one of these books to the curators of the Museum, I am going to get a pay raise and new position." Vanessa chuckled as Caliope grinned "Oh! that rare?" She turned her head towards Pronab and smirked "Where does he get these books? can we get some for her?"

He lifted his eyes from his book for the first time in a while and looked at the one on Vanessa's hands. He pondered about it for a short time and then put his book aside and walked towards them "This book is from Europe, late 18th century, and is not a classic, he probably acquired it from Lord Marshall, he is a collector, human but aware of our existence, he is a very private person, he only allows to be contacted once every few months and does not always enjoy sharing some of his collections."

"Even if he is paid well? I am sure the Museum where I work would pay fortunes for rare good old treasures like this."

Pronab shrugged "I wouldn't know, last time I had contact with him didn't turn out very well..."

"Why? what happened?" Caliope was now interested. He gave her a grin "He said no."

"To give you something?" she continued, her grin as big as his. Pronab nodded and Caliope laughed "you are too special, you know that?"

He smiled at her and nodded again, returning to his chair and his book. Caliope smiled and looked at Vanessa shrugging "Maybe you need to talk to the General about it."

"I surely will! tomorrow at some point... isn't tomorrow your last day as a single lady? we need to throw you a bachelorette party!"

Caliope blushed and looked towards Amra who was quiet and smiling at her. He kept a very serene and undisturbing stance during the evening but now he was curious "What is that about? why do you do it?" he asked.

"You don't know?"

"I know very little, I haven't married before."

Caliope laughed and pinched Vanessa's arm as she returned to sit with him. Vanessa faked pain but smiled as well, and walked to finally take a seat with them "Is not a very religious thing to do I am sure, and to be honest I don't know when it started, but it has been something many do it, if not all, throughout the years."

Amra put an arm around Caliope and kissed the top of her head as he pulled her close and tight. She smiled at him and snuggled in his arm, laying her head on his shoulder as she focused on Vanessa's explanation. "Since in theory, one is supposed to marry their true loved ones and only once, the bachelorette party is made as a symbol of the last day as a single woman, since after that she will be tied to one man only. Some only present funny gifts, and please don't ask me to detail you those... and some invite male strippers to make it more fun, again, it is supposed to be the last time she will be single and would be -ok- to see a naked man, other than her husband to be."

Amra frowned and perked a brow, Vanessa couldn't help but to laugh at his reaction. Pronab had already rested his book and was also chuckling at the detailed description.

"I don't think she should be seen any naked man to begin with... and she is dating someone already, so she is not available."

Vanessa sighed "Amra, is all literally speaking, I mean..."

Caliope decided to interrupt "It is an excuse for the female friends of the bride to go out alone with her, make fun of her, be silly, celebrate that is the last time her friend is going to be available to do that, and just have some fun, there is also the male version of it, is a very commercialized event."

Amra smiled "I can see that... I don't need one of those parties, thank you... but you should, if it is going to be your last time to enjoy it as you said, you can go do silly things with her."

"I don't want to... is going to be a very silly move considering what happened last time I was out without you... I don't want to make things worst being so close to our wedding..."

Vanessa sighed "I am sorry, I did not thought of that, you are right. We can still make some fun dinner all together."

"That I would like." Caliope nodded with a smile, Amra agreed.

Vanessa was happy and excited, and Caliope agreed to let her organize the event on her own. They all headed to bed and Caliope walked Vanessa to her room, close to hers. At the door, Vanessa smiled in silence and then gave her a tight hug "I wish I could have enjoyed more moments with you before this, but I am happy, honored, and extremely blessed to have been invited and allowed into this wonderful event, to be part of your new life, of this new truth and reality..."

"Awww my dearest friend, I couldn't have dream of marrying without you at my side, you know that... and this feels a little less heavy knowing you share the knowledge of it... I felt overwhelmed many times..."

"It will all be fine dear, don't worry... they will make things happen, I can see how determinate they are, and how powerful they are... it will all be ok..."

"I am nervous... about the wedding... but excited over all..."

"If you were not nervous I would worry, it is ok to be nervous, it is ok to fear a little to the unknown... but you my friend, you are in good hands, the best ones!"

They held each other tightly once more before Caliope headed back to her room. Vanessa sighed and closed the door, looking around her room and realizing she still was amazed by all the new world that just opened to her a few days ago.

The morning after was cold and grey, very unusual for what they were all expecting. Elaine was wearing a clean and simple suit and she was ready to head to the Airport and welcome their new guests. Caliope was curious and wanted to go as well but Elaine insisted her to stay, she did not put much fight. Instead, Vanessa made sure she kept her busy with many details for her wedding; she had to put some order in how she wanted the tables displayed on the yard, and how she wanted the altar build at the top of the hill. Caliope found out how complicated it turned out to be to work on a wedding. Amra smiled at her and offered some help, but he found out he felt useless deciding on things such as the display of flowers and location of decorative drapes "...and that is why this is a woman's job, or gays..." Vanessa grinned.

"I am really going to be tired tonight after all these preparations... you should have warned me!"

"Oh please! you are having it much easier than most!"

She laughed and nodded, continuing to work on the many other tasks she had before the night. After a break during lunch, she noticed Elaine had not returned yet and started to get worried.

"Pronab, why is Elaine taking so long?"

"She must be spoiling the twin Generals."

"Spoiling them? how? what do you mean?"

"They have particular tastes, we all do..."

The way he mentioned the last words made Caliope blink twice in surprise. She never thought about it before, but it was true; each General or Angel had some strange taste or fixation in something in particular, and Pronab had just admitted to have one as well. Vanessa was smiling at Pronab and dedicating him more attention than usual, a small hint of jealousy creeped up on her. She took a deep breath and repeated to herself mentally -just one more day- before she focused on her friend and the rest of the plans of the evening.

As she was walking by the main entrance, she saw a large bouquet of red roses with a card, she asked one of the servants who delivered them and all he knew was it was a young man who just left. She opened the envelope and read the card:

-I know you would have been much happier with me... but if this is what you want, so be it... I promise you, it will be one hell of a wedding!-

Amra sensed something wrong, even though he did not know where or how, he dropped the book on the floor and headed out of the library searching for Caliope. As soon as he found her, he saw her leaning against the wall, a hand on her chest and the other in a fist, gripping tight to a piece of paper; she was in tears. He rushed to clean her tears with his fingertips and kissed her forehead "What is bringing you this pain and tears?"

"I thought he would stop bothering me... but now, it seems that dark Angels are not the only threat against our perfect day..."

He closed his eyes and briefly after he shook his head. Once he sighed, he opened his eyes and cupped her chin to make her look at him, she tried to avoid his eyes, but she knew his will was too strong. "You realize I will have to end this... I can't have you suffering... not like this... "

"Why did he had to set his eyes on me?"

Amra suddenly smiled "Why wouldn't he? you are beautiful, smart, you would not imagine how many things you are, not just to me..."

"He is threatening to ruin my day, our day... I feel helpless, but if I had him in front of me I don't know what I would do, besides slap him on the face and kick him hard somewhere painful..."

"...and that is why he will have to die..."

"Do you have the power to decide who lives and who dies? isn't taking a human life against your natural law?"

Pronab was the one who replied her question, he spoke with almost glowing eyes "He will die, under his hands or mine... we both care about you, but he is jeopardizing more than just your wedding, he is putting at risk our existence to the world and he is playing with fire... he wants to set some vendetta towards Amra because he is with you... he is fool enough not to realize that he never really had you."

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CHAPTER 35

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Sunk in a couch, Caliope was silent as Maxwell and Falshore discussed new security measures for the wedding. Vanessa was bringing coffee to Caliope but she refused it, making it difficult for her to know how to help.

"You should have told me he tried to reach to you again... I would have come to be with you before..."

"You are sweet, Nessa... but you wouldn't have done much and you would have wasted valuable time best invested now for my wedding..."

Caliope tried to make her friend feel better, and it worked; Vanessa was smiling at her and nodding. They remained hugged in silence as both watched Amra nod with some advices he was getting from Maxwell.

An hour later, Elaine finally arrived at the residence accompanied by two men; both were dressed in long-sleeved shirts and trousers, they had their hands tattooed but only one had some silks wrapped in his head. Caliope couldn't help to notice how one was smiling and the other one was more serious, avoiding eye contact. They both bowed their heads to Maxwell and Falshore, and then turned towards the rest.