Connections

Priscilla sat down in one of the chairs behind Codex watching as she ran her hands over the keyboard and used the mouse to swap between windows on her screen. Codex’s eyes flickered to the side before going back to the screens. 

“So an angel, that’s gotta be fun.” It was more sarcastic statement than a question. 

“I don’t, I don’t really remember.” Pris dropped her eyes to her hands fiddling with them in her lap. Codex breathed a laugh through her nose, one side of her mouth curling upwards. 

“Yeah, that’s gotta be annoying.” 

“My whole life I thought I was one way. You know, I lived how I thought I was supposed to. I did everything right-”

“But then your parents went and got themselves killed.” 

Pris looked up at the teenager, blinking once at her. Pris moved her mouse and on one of the screens popped up several news reports from the day her parents were killed. 

“I looked you up. Sorry.” 

“It’s all right. If somebody walked into my home claiming to be an angel I would probably be suspicious as well.” 

Codex tuned all the way round to face Pris. 

“So you really never wondered why?” 

“What do you mean?” 

“Your parents, they were never meant to have children. They tried….look their records. Five years of IVF and trying to get pregnant and nothing. The doctors said they were barren, neither one of them could have children. They had given up. For three years they had given up on having a child and then one day they just get pregnant. Apparently completely naturally. It’s just weird.” 

“Miracles happen.” Pris’ mouth went dry. Codex was right, of course, the pregnancy had not been a natural one. Pris had planned it she was sure, on her departure from heaven she had travelled through time to find the perfect place for her to hide. Where better than to hide in plain sight and give hope back to a family. 

“So you don’t remember anything?” Codex’s words broker Priscilla’s revere and she looked up at the girl. 

“Bits. Broken memories, flashes but nothing of real importance. I remember flying.” 

“Yeah, your um…your wings are pretty impressive.” Codex laughed. Pris fluttered the white feathers behind her back. 

“When we were first made earth was little more than a water planet. There was only one continent. I remember when it first started to break apart, our Father, the one who made us he gave us wings so that we could easily move between the islands that were forming.” 

“You remember that?” 

She nodded, took in a long breath and look continued to fiddle with her fingers. 

“I remember my brothers. I remember standing with them, seeing the world form, humans being made, the evolution that our Father had planned working out so beautifully. But other than that I don’t remember much at all.” 

“It’s hard not remembering things, I get that. There are things about my parents that I don’t remember. My mum’s voice or my dad’s laugh; but sometimes I smell something that reminds of her perfume. Or hear a joke that my dad would have liked. Scott is always telling me that it doesn't matter if I can’t remember what colour eyes mum had had or what my dad’s favourite jumper was. All that matters is that I remember how they loved me, what it felt like to be loved and to love them.” 

“I love my brothers, I know that, but I am scared.” 

They shared a moment of silence. 

“There is something I need to remember and I know it will help me but they are hunting me for that information. Without it I think….I don’t know what to think really.” 

“It’s all right we’ll figure it out. And Scott will look after you. I don’t know why but he trusts you. I’ve never seen him trust anyone as quickly as you.” 

“What about you?” 

“I’m useful, and I was a kid. Sometimes I think he only bought me here so he could make sure there wasn’t a demon in me and then he realised I was good with all this stuff so he kept me around.” Codex laughed. 

Pris closed her eyes and lent her head forward, one hand coming up to rub at her temple. 

“You okay?” 

“Yeah, just a headache.” 

“Get them often?” 

“No, never I have exemplary health.” A wave of nausea came over her and she placed her other hand on her face. 

“Whow, Okay just relax.” She could hear Codex talking beside her, feel her hand on her shoulder but the noise in her head so loud. It was like scratching. Pris wondered if this was what Scott had heard at the clearing. With her eyes closed Pris began to see images a face. A face she was sure she knew. Bright eyes were looking at her through the messed dark locks. 

“Priscilla, sister? Can you hear me?”

 

She called out wanting the scratching to stop, but only with his voice did it subside. 

“I am Michael, do you remember me?” 

“Yes.” Pris answered now standing in a white room with him. 

“You are my brother. The oldest of the Angels.” 

“Yes and you are my sister, the only female Arch Angel. You were one of the greatest of our kind.” 

“What do you want?” 

“I want you, my sister to come home to us.” 

“But I…” 

“You must be tried for your crimes Priscilla, there is no way around this.” There seemed to be a sadness in his words but, his face didn’t completely back it up. 

“My crimes? What is my crime?” 

“You fell, you ignored your Father’s law and fell to Earth. It’s one of our greatest sins. You know that. You saw what had to happen to Lucifer and then you…” He cut himself off, veining upset at the memory. 

 “No.”

“No?” Michael’s eyes narrowed on her. 

“I don’t…Lucifer…there is something there. I know that. All of this has to do with him. I know that I know something that you or Father does not want coming out.” 

“Just come home, Priscilla, your punishment will be lessened if you come freely.” 

“Why have you come to me and not our Father?” 

Michael sighed, casting his eyes downwards for a moment. 

“Father is gone. He has been gone for a long time. We do not know where he is or why he left us but I am in charge now.” 

“In charge?” 

“Of Heaven. He left me with the command of the Angels.” 

“Then you would punish me?” 

“Priscilla, please I beg you come home, come back to us. We have missed you.” 

“I don’t…” 

“PRISCILLA!” His shout took the breath from her. 

“No. Michael I will not come back not yet. I need to know, I need to understand and you cannot help me with that.” 

“Priscilla, I will come for you. All of Heaven will come for you!” 

“I don’t care.” 

Pris turned on her heal and started to run away, she was sure eventually she would hit a wall and be stopped. Still she knew he would not follow her, he could not get to her through this dream. The scratching started again mixing with the words of his shouts behind her. Pain shot through her head and her stomach making her crumble, her knees buckling underneath her. 

There was a hand on her face, a warm comforting hand. Pris grabbed hold of that feeling and dragged her eyes open. 

She was lying on the floor with Scott and Codex looking down at her. 

“Pris?” There was concern all over his face. 

“Scott? Oh…I’m okay. I’m all right.” She made to stand but her head was spinning and she clung to his arms for support. 

“Okay come on let’s get you upstairs.” Scott slid his arms beneath her, made awkward as he had to bend around her wings. With help from Codex he lifted her off the ground and carried her out of the room. The stair case seemed too long to her as she held him around his neck, her head flopped onto his shoulder. Scott stepped into a room at the top of the staircase and laid Pris down on the bed there, he smiled down at her before leaving and closing the door behind himself. 

Once he was back in the room with Codex he flopped on to one of the chairs. 

“She is heavier than she looks.” 

“Don’t let her hear you say that.” Codex laughed.

 

Scott smiled at her, sitting up straighter and adjusting the leather jacket around his broad shoulders. 

“What have you got for me, Codex?” He asked. 

“Not much. I can’t find anything about the Devil. Just all the normal crap about him being in hell but no way of getting down there. But I did find this guy.” She flicked to a different window on her computer screen and the picture of a man popped up. Scott got out of his chair and moved to stand behind her. 

“So I’ve been seeing him pop up a lot in the research, at first I thought it was just a title you know, the honest Knight, but then I found pictures. This is a painting of him with the other Templers from twelve thirty two. Again in fourteen sixty. Another one in the eighteen hundreds, he is the same every time.” 

“Family resemblance.” 

“No go, it’s too alike and the Templar’s didn’t have families. It’s the same guy every time.” 

“So what about him, we don’t have time to hunt him right now, Codex.” 

“Well obviously I started tailing him for just that, but listen his known as the Honest Knight because he can’t lie, and when people are around him no one can lie to him.” 

“And it helps us how?” 

Scott had leant over her shoulder and was flicking through the pictures and articles written about the Knight. 

“There is an account from seventeen ninety, a kid had lost his memories after a battle and didn’t remember anything.” She took hold of the mouse and clicked onto an account from the internet, “His parents were distraught, their son didn’t remember them. So thy found this guy and boom, all the kids memories where back.” 

“Just like that?” 

“Well I guess he did something to him but listen, what if we find him and get him to work his magic on Pris? She needs to remember right so why not?” 

“It’s a good idea. Have you found him yet?” 

She sucked in a breath through her teeth. “No, but I’m close, I’m sure I am.” 

“Okay, Codex, do your thing, do it quickly. I doubt angels will be fooled by the magic here for long.” 

Scott turned and moved back towards the door. Codex spun round to face him and called after him. 

“You know you could always take us to your place in Texas! We’d be safe there!” 

“No, Codex, another time.” 

“You hate me don’t you?” 

Scott laughed. 

“This isn’t the time for sightseeing, sweetheart. I’ll take you there another time.” 

Codex sat back down, smiling to herself. Scott wondered back up to the room where he had put Pris, he stood outside the door for a moment. He wasn’t sure why he felt drawn to go back in there. She would be sleeping and there would be no point to him being in the room, still he felt as if he should be. He felt as though he should be there for when she woke up. 

“Scott?” Her voice coming through the door pulled him out of his thoughts. He turned the door handle and stepped in. 

“How are you feeling?” She was sat up in the bed, her hands clutching the side of the mattress, though her wings were spread out hiding most of her body from him. 

“I’m fine. I guess I…” She took in a long breath and blew it back out. 

“Yeah.” Scott went over to her and sat down beside her. Pris’ wings folded back further to make room for him. 

“We think, well Codex found someone who might be able to help us. His name is Kurt Aleron, he’s a …. A knight Templar I guess and still alive. Codex thinks he will be able to get your memories back.” 

“Good, where do we find him? We should go straight away.” She got up from the bed and started walking towards the door. 

“Whow, hey, steady now. We haven’t found him yet. Codex is working on it. Just slow down.” 

“No you don’t understand we have to do this quickly. Earlier what happened, I think it was a connection with Michael.” 

“The Arch Angel Michael?” 

“Yes, he said that he is in charge of Heaven now and that I have to go back to be punished for falling to Earth.”

 

“What?” 

“He said that…Oh…Scott I have to find my memories as quickly as possible and find out what it has to do with Lucifer! Michael was angry, like he wasn’t just following orders but like he was desperate to have me back there. To not remember why I left in the first place.” 

Scott nodded. 

“We are pretty safe here. I’m warded against most things so it should take them a little longer to find us. Just calm down and we’ll go see if we can help Codex. I have fairly extensive library here we might find something in there about this Knight.” 

Pris nodded and waited for Scott to move past her, following him back down the stairs. The pain that she had been feeling earlier had gone, but left in its wake was an uneasy feeling in her stomach. She looked down at her hands, at the golden swirls that now decorated her skin. She had seen the same markings on Michael and Ramiel in the woods as well, but they had not been on the other two Angels there. Michael had told her that she was Arch Angel as well once, so perhaps it was only them who had these markings. A way of distinguishing each other’s rank perhaps So deep in her thoughts about her own kind Pris hadn’t noticed that she had sat down in a large chair until she felt how uncomfortable her wings had become. Huffing a little she stood again and moved across the room to a more convenient chair. She opened her wings slightly to let them fall either side of the chair back. 

“It’s going to take a while to get used to having those back I bet.” Codex smiled at her sympathetically. 

“It’s all just so new, but familiar.” 

Codex raised an eyebrow at her comically then returned her attention to the computer. Pris looked around herself not knowing what she should be doing. Scott was on the far side of the room standing with one shoulder rested against the bookshelf. There was a book in his hand and he flipped through the pages. She watched as his forehead creased in frustration, his tongue would occasionally slip out and run along his bottom lip and a muscle would twitch in his jaw. She couldn’t help but admire his stature, the height and breadth of the man was more than she had seen before. She wondered for a moment if there was gym of some sorts secreted away in the house, the muscles that had lifted her had to be trained somewhere. 

Pris shook herself away from the thoughts, there was no way she could even began to start thinking about anybody else. No she had prided herself on being able to survive without another person around so why would she need one now. No these people were simply helping her to find her way; that was all she could think about. 

“I’ve got him!” codex jumped out of her seat and jumped over to the printer. She whipped the bit of paper up almost before it had finished printing. She handed it over to Scott who had darted over to her side.  He smiled at her and clapped a hand on her shoulder. 

“Awesome, Pris let’s go!” Pris got up and followed him to the door. Codex grabbed the green army style jacket from the back of a chair and slid it onto her arms as she caught up with them. Scott spun in his place to look at her. 

“Oh no, you’re not coming with us.” 

“Yes I am! No way am I missing this!” 

“It isn’t safe for you out there Codex!” 

“You know what? Enough Scott, You do this all the time, I’m old enough now and I can handle myself. So deal with it I am coming with you!” 

Scott huffed at her but said nothing more. He simply turned and walked back out of the house.