Child of the Morning Star

by Tatiana Carey

  “Why?” Atropa asked, “I want to go with you.” She moved to follow the other but was stopped by two hands on her shoulders.

  Lilith shook her head. “You can’t come with me,” she stated, “the whole town thinks you died in that fire. Just stay here until we dye your hair, okay?”

  Atropa nodded, understandingly. “I didn’t think of that,” she whispered. “Be back soon, ‘kay?” Atropa urged and placed a kiss on the demon’s cheek.

  Lilith assured, “I’ll be back soon.” She walked out of the room, twirling her keys.

  Atropa sat on the bed. Her violet orbs were droopy, she laid down on her side and slowly closed her eyelids. Atropa curled up, making a little nest in the sheets. Without another thought, she fell back asleep to the faint sound of Lilith’s lullaby.

  * * *

  “Castella, you’re a fuckin’ moron,” Senoy said coldly. Turning from the teen she mumbled, “I can’t stand cherubs.” She began to walk away from the fuming girl. Why she went and procreated was beyond her. Her daughter seemed to bring nothing but trouble. First falling to a demon’s curse, then ruining the image of their family, and now wild delusions. Senoy was at her wits end.

  “I’m telling the truth!” Castella insisted, stamping her foot. “She’s a fallen, I could feel it. I knew she was horrible, I knew it! But no, ‘she’s just a demon passing through, she’s not worth starting a fight’. Well look at her now! She even had that new girl with her! With her stupid black hair and horrid purple eyes.” The cherub continued to grumble about the teen. From making her sick to wrecking her town, that new bitch was nothing but trouble.

  Senoy paused in the doorway. She turned back around and glared at the younger angel, “What did you say?”

  Castella sucked in a deep breath. She knew that face, it was shock, and a shocked face on her mother was never good. Castella cocked her head, “I said, she had that new girl. They were leaving the fire. Lilith probably set it!”

  “No, about the girl’s appearance,” Senoy clarified.

  Castella was puzzled but repeated, “She had black hair and purple eyes.”

  Purple eyes.

  Senoy shook her head, “No, it couldn’t be.” Her thoughts began to rapidly wander till it hit her. This was their last safe haven. Senoy had never felt more stupid in her entire life. The influx of demons, the new arrival, it all made sense now. She quickly turned back around to go down the hall in long strides. “I need to call my sister,” the angel announced.

  “Mom!” Castella yelled after the disappearing figure. She huffed and fell onto the couch, crossing her arms, no one ever listened to her! The cherub grabbed her phone and began to text her many followers, hoping they’d make her feel better.

  * * *

  Lilith moved through the store. She grabbed ten packs of dye and hair bleach, she had no idea how much she needed or what color red. Lilith looked at each shade, deciding to just get two of each. Her thoughts drifted back to the beauty waiting for her at home. How excited Atropa would be at her arrival. How much Lucifer would probably approve of the color change. Lilith hummed to herself as she filled her basket. The store bell chimed as another person entered. The air shifted, there was something wrong. The demon stiffened. She knew that presence and that smell, it made her stomach drop. Lilith snarled lowly in her chest.

  “Lamia.”

  That voice chilled the demon down to her corrupted soul. “You,” Lilith hissed. She turned to the angel. “What do you want?” the question sounded more like a growl.

  Sansenoy stood there, as if frozen. “You have changed,” she whispered in wonder. The demon looked so strange, dressed in the clothes of this time, but those eyes, Sansenoy knew those fiery eyes. They were the same eyes she saw that day, so long ago. The brightness of defiance in them was still shining, an ember that could never be snuffed out. Sansenoy respected the demon, for she stuck to her guns and never faltered. It was a rare trait, even among the highest of angels.

  The demon scoffed. “Strange, you still look like a damn statue,” Lilith bit back. She threw the tin foil and a comb into her basket. The demon moved past the angel to the checkout, “Leave me be. I’ve got stuff to do.”

  The angel grabbed Lilith’s shoulder. “With the antichrist,” Sansenoy said, her voice was tense and strained. The angel’s eyes softened, remembering when the demon was human, “Do not do this, Lamia. There is still hope for you, I promise you, there is.” Sansenoy saw the flash of surprise in the red eyes, but it was quickly repressed.

  The demon slapped the hand away, “The same ‘hope’ you gave Judas and Delilah? I’ll take my chances with Lucifer, now leave me alone. Go to your sister and her cherub, before I make you wish you did.” Lilith stalked to the counter and checked out quickly before heading to her car. “That bitch!” the demon roared, she punched the steering wheel again and again. “Fuck!” Lilith tore out of the parking lot, leaving tire marks in her wake. They knew Atropa was there, they knew and they’d be after them soon. Lilith reminded herself to make sure to reinforce the wards around the property. She wouldn’t let anyone get to her princess.

  * * *

  Atropa sat on the toilet. She hissed as her hair was combed and pulled this way and that to get all the tangles out. The bleach had made it crinkly, a feeling Atropa didn’t really care for. “Ow,” she whined, as Lilith gave a harsh tug. Her head should be used to this type of abuse by now. Atropa frowned, this would probably be one of those feelings she’d never get used to. Like period cramps or a paper cut.

  “Oh hush,” Lilith said. She wrapped the strand in foil before setting the comb down. “There, I’m done,” the demon looked at the girl’s foil covered head. “Oh God,” she tried to hold back a laugh at the scene but failed, a few chuckles slipping past her lips.

  “What?” Atropa quirked an eyebrow. She took the mirror Lilith handed her and laughed. “Oh my god!” Atropa covered her face and both girls snickered loudly at the sight. “I look like a cracked out witch!”

  “Or Frankenstein’s bride getting ready to be electrocuted,” Lilith commented back.

  The teen sighed, getting over the jokes. She set the mirror on the sink. “So, what now? Do we just wait?” Atropa asked flicking some tinsel out of her eyesight.

  “Yeah, like forty minutes or so, the color needs to set.” Lilith looked at the box to make sure before throwing it in the trash. “We can watch a movie,” she suggested.

  Atropa shook her head, “No, I’d rather just sit here and talk.” Her violet eyes looked up at the demon, “with you,” she added.

  Lilith frowned, “What’s wrong, besides the obvious?” She knelt down before the teen. The violet eyes stared at her, they were dull and completely different than the ones she saw before. “Atropa?” she said, getting the teen’s attention.

  Atropa blinked, “I just,” she didn’t even know where to begin, “I don’t understand what’s going to happen. I’m the antichrist, but, what does that entail? How will I know what to do?”

  Lilith smiled, “Well, God did leave you something to help you along.”

  “They did?” Atropa leaned forward, “What is it?”

  “It’s kind of like an instruction book. Gives you details about what’s going to happen and what you have to do to ensure it does,” Lilith frowned. She knew the final part would be one Atropa would struggle to fulfil.

  “Well, where is it?” Atropa began to get excited, “we’ve got to find it, so I know how to do my part.”

  Lilith snorted, “You don’t seem all that worried about starting the apocalypse.”

  Atropa shrugged, “Who am I to argue with God?”

  Chapter XVI: Angels

  “You can’t be serious,” Senoy said. Her legs and arms crossed, she was furious with her sister, to contact a fallen alone. The idiot! Who knows what kind of damage could have been done to the town. There was only so much she could cover up with charming smiles and fake news articles.

  Sansenoy shook her head. “I am. I saw
her, in a store. She was buying hair dye for her.” The angel didn’t wish to speak the cursed name, if only out of superstition.

  Senoy stiffened at the emphasis. “You can’t be serious,” she whispered again, but the cold eyes that met hers showed that the other angel wasn’t lying.

  Sansenoy tugged at her hair, “She did not attack, merely growled and stalked off. She has learned control. I will give her that.” The angel let her head fall on the couch cushion. Sansenoy looked up at the ceiling, “She has changed.”

  “Changed how?” Senoy asked. She pulled her pencil skirt down, and brushed back her hair. Her organized life was being destroyed by this damned nonsense. To think, the demon she had chased into the sea was under her nose this whole time, using those little imps as cover. Senoy wanted to pull out her hair. “Couldn’t have possibly changed that much.”

  “She is no longer feral. She seems more mature, older even.” Sansenoy looked at her sister, “I fear her, Sen. She is more powerful than before and she is training her. If the girl was to know about what she truly is and their plans for her, it could make her very problematic.”

  Senoy stood at this, “Silence! There is nothing to fear, our Lord will protect us, so do not feed into her pool of terror.” The angel smoothed out her blazer and skirt, “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to call Sem.”

  “Are you kidding me?! You can’t call him, he’ll ruin everything. You know he can’t handle this sort of thing without whipping out a sword!” Sansenoy got up to go after her sister. She wouldn’t let him ruin another mission, especially not this one. “His immediate reaction will be to try and kill her, no matter the cost. Do not call him,” she begged.

  “Sem is the one that caught Lilith the first time,” Senoy walked out the room, “He can do it again.” They needed the demon knight out of the way first. The girl would be next and then all would be well again. The skies would remain blue and the Earth would continue to spin. The Lord would be angry at them for a short while, but they’d see the error of their ways and thank their angels for not listening. Senoy was sure of it.

  Castella walked past her mother. She shrugged off the icy feeling and went into the living room. “Hey Aunt Sans,” she greeted happily.

  “Hello Cast,” Sansenoy fell onto the couch, lying her head against the cushion once more. “Your mother is a twit,” she commented, it left a bad taste in her mouth.

  “What’s she doing?” Castella asked.

  Sansenoy rubbed her tired eyes, “She’s calling Semangelof.”

  Castella frowned, “Who’s that?”

  * * *

  “Damn, red looks good on you,” Lilith said as she dried Atropa’s wavy locks.

  “Thanks,” Atropa muttered, trying to keep hair out of her mouth. She listened to the hum of the blow dryer and smiled. Memories of someone else flooded her mind. Gentle hands and a kind smile. A simple song.

  Lilith continued her work but a low sound made her pause. Her sensitive ears picked up a tune. Lilith, knowing the song, hummed as well.

  Atropa let her eyes close. It was everything she remembered. Without thinking, soft words escaped her lips. “Hush and shush my little one, there’s nothing left to fear. Soon I’ll take you in my arms, and I’ll always hold you near.”

  Lilith smiled and began to sing as well, “But when the sun comes up, I’ll have to disappear, but in the night I’ll squeeze you tight and I’ll always hold you near.” The demon watched as Atropa’s body relaxed. Lilith continued to sing, “You are in my heart, and that’s where you shall stay. Someday soon, I’ll grab your hand and I’ll take you away. And when the sun comes up, I’ll be by your side. And in the night, if you have a fright, I’ll sing you this lullaby.”

  Atropa felt a tear slip past one of her closed eyes. A gentle hand wiped it away though. She blinked and stared up at Lilith. “How do you know that song?” she asked.

  Lilith smiled and kissed the teen’s forehead, “ It was your mother’s. She taught me it. I used to sing it to you when you were little. Before they found out I was watching over you.” For a while, they kept Atropa in a normal city. They quickly moved though, once they realized Lilith had found them. The demon sighed, she had been reckless in her pursuit. “You used to cry all night, that song was the only thing that would soothe you.”

  Atropa smiled at this confession. Her mother had made her a song. The teen didn’t remember her, not fully, but the loving feeling was there. She leant in, toward the other, feeling like a child again. “Keep going,” she whispered.

  Lilith nodded and started the dryer again. She finished and looked at her masterpiece. “You’re beautiful,” she thought aloud.

  Atropa giggled, “You are too.” She looked up at Lilith’s red eyes, “My hair matches your eyes.”

  The demon frowned, “Yeah, I’m sorry I couldn’t make it lighter. I tried, but, once you go black.” Lilith shrugged and put away the blow dryer. “Hey, stay there for a bit,” she said and went out of the bathroom.

  Atropa raised an eyebrow. She smiled and did as Lilith requested.

  The demon ran back into the room. “Alright, I got it,” Lilith aimed the camera and took a picture of the girl’s new hair.

  Atropa didn’t have time to smile before the shutter clicked. “Let me see,” the teen said. She grabbed the photo. Atropa gasped at it, “Why does it look like that?” she asked.

  Lilith frowned. “It happens when our pictures are taken,” the demon explained, “Yours isn’t as corrupted though, so be happy about that.”

  “Corrupted?” Atropa took another look at the photo, clearly confused.

  “Yea, it’s because our souls are tainted. Humans come clearly, because their souls are not marked by Lucifer, nor God, ours is.” Lilith took the picture back. “Angels show up like a beam of light, we’re normally shadows.

  Atropa frowned, “I guess that’s why they never took pictures of me.” She sighed and stood up, “Anyway, let’s go.” The teen moved past her love.

  “Where?” Lilith asked. The demon nonetheless, followed the teen out of the bathroom and into the bedroom.

  “To the library,” Atropa answered, “If I’m going to rule, I need to know about Armageddon and all that jazz. You said he left me a book.” Atropa packed a bag and slung it over her shoulder. “There’s a big library in the city over. Dad said there were Satanic practices in the basement. If I was going to leave a book for the antichrist, I’d leave it there.”

  Lilith frowned, “When’d you talk to Lucifer?” She knew the girl would figure out where it was, just didn’t think it’d be so soon.

  Atropa shrugged, “We chatted while you were gone. He was telling me about all the weird shit around here. The library came up, then you talked about the book, I just put two and two together.”

  Lilith couldn’t argue with that, “Alright, I’ll drive.”

  Atropa chuckled, “Good, ‘cause I can’t.”

  Lilith followed her princess out of the house. Darren and Erin joined them for the odd study.

  Erin hopped into the car, “Let’s go gang, to the next mystery!” He smiled when he heard Atropa’s cute laugh. It made his dumb joke worth it.

  Darren rolled his eyes at his twins comment. “Rut ro,” he said, making everyone in the car crack a smile.

  Chapter XVII: The Prophecy

  Dusty old shelves filled with literature surrounded them, and Atropa wouldn’t have it any other way. All four were spread out, rummaging through the piles of old texts that rose to the ceiling and littered the floor. They were in the basement of the library. It was filled with loose files and books with old, cracking leather cases. Atropa looked through another dusty manila folder but came up with nothing. She wished God had left what the hell the thing looked like.

  “Found it!” Erin called from rows away. The sound of feet running through the maze of books ended at the blonde imp with an old, gold lined case. “I knew it was around here somewhere,” Erin whispered and carried the heavy chest to the near
by table. The object landed with a harsh ‘Thunk!’ against the wood.

  “How’d you know it’d be there?” Atropa asked. Her eyes scanned the cracked spine and golden clasp. There was dust over it and looked like it would disintegrate if she touched it.

  None of the demons decided to answer, instead they opened the case. It creaked and groaned but finally came loose. A burst of air covering the group. It made the demons jump back with a hiss.

  Atropa coughed and tried to fan away the dust cloud that had gathered, “Jeez, how old is this thing?”

  “When was the Bible written?” Erin asked and gave Atropa a cheeky smile. He slipped his hand behind the damaged book and pulled it out. It burned like hell, but he got through it. “Careful,” Darren cautioned. He helped his twin set it down on the table.

  “This is ancient, how is it not in a museum?” Atropa gazed over the piece. She flipped open the cover and stared, confused by the text. Atropa turned and asked Lilith, “What language is this?”

  “Demonic,” Lilith answered. She looked over the teen’s shoulder, “God wrote it in this so no human could decipher it. Also, the book was only able to be found after you were born.” Her mind drifted back to the language, “There’s a translator around here somewhere.” The demon went off into the dark corner where the book was found. “Where did they hide it?” she asked the darkness. “Aha!” the demon pulled up a handful of cinders. Lilith fished out the sheet of paper and blew.

  Atropa gasped as characters burned into the sheet, turning the color of embers before cooling into a scorched black. “How’d you do that?” Atropa was amazed by the, well, magic.

  Lilith only smiled and brought the paper to Atropa. “Here,” she handed it to the teen, “We’ll leave you to read.” She really didn’t want to be there to see the teen’s reaction to the ritual.

  The girl whipped around, “What?!”