The Chamber of Sins
Chapter 2.4 "The half-angel"

A ludic ray was playing with Robert’s eyelids, making him turn. The boy sensed the refreshing sheets wrapping around him, and he stretched his body. Then, his right foot touched something rock-hard, making him retreat, alarmed. Robert squinted his eyes to sharpen the blurry image of Derek sprawling at his feet.

“Ahh, man. You scared me like hell. What are you doing down there?”

Derek seemed more preoccupied with watching Margo than responding.

“That girl is crazy!” he whispered in Robert’s direction.

Tell me about it, the boy said to himself and looked around.

Noticing his look, Derek completed, “They are all in the living room - your family. Poor them; they don’t know what happened to you. And yes, it is not a trivial cold. You are transforming, and you are almost there.”

His words got Margo’s attention.

“You are a kind of angel,” Derek continued.

“So, am I dead?” Robert said, not consoled by learning about his state.

“You are not, but she is,” Derek said, satisfied while Margo threw a furious look at him. He didn’t care about their feelings because “his new friends” represented a serious problem. Together, they both were a ticking bomb, and only the thought of it made him furious.

“You're a... half-angel,” Derek whispered, annoyed with the situation created.

Robert threw back his head and let out a burst of loud, humourless laughter. Then, crossing his arms over his stomach, struggling to catch his breath, he gazed at Margo. The girl wasn’t amused. At all. She was stuck with the boy, and those creatures from hell could turn up any moment now. She felt scared and powerless.

“You are joking. Tell me you are playing with me,” Robert said.

Derek nodded.

“I am not, boy. You two ruined my happy, quiet days here on Earth.”

“Is there a solution?” Robert begged.

“Unfortunately, no. It had never happened before,” Derek explained, frowning at Margo. “It is only your fault, and it would have helped if you had followed me without struggling. Now, Heaven is in danger because of you. And you,” he continued looking at Robert- “shouldn’t wear things that are not yours.”

“I found it, man. It was under MY fridge, in MY kitchen. You shouldn’t have lost that damn pendant in the first place,” Robert attacked indignantly.

“You...,” Derek thundered.

“Shut up, both of you,” Margo yelled. Both Derek and Robert stopped, puzzled by her cry. “There ought to be a solution. Will you replace one, or will you be sitting here talking nonsense?”

Derek didn’t answer, just stared at an imaginary dot on the wall.

“So we are doomed,” she whispered. A heavy, uncomfortable silence was tormenting the room.

“We are going to stay together for the time being,” Derek said sorrowfully.

“What about my school?” Robert asked, puzzled.

“What about it? Nothing changes for you. We will be accompanying you. We are invisible to the others, remember?”

Robert sighed and turned his back to them.

The door opened, and Amelia entered the room, followed closely by Adrian. She got a plateau with fruits and cereals. Rufus tangled between Adrian’s feet and came closer to the bed. He sniffed Robert’s body and once positioned by his feet he started howling.

“Rufus, shut up, boy,” Adrian murmured.

“Where is Miss Lionnet?” Robert asked without turning his back.

“It is her day off. It’s Thursday, isn’t it?”Amelia said.

“Thursday already?” Robert asked, confused. Four days passed since he had started wearing that pendant. “What about my school?”

“Don’t worry, honey. We informed the principal.” Amelia giggled and started ventilating her face with her hand. “It is so hot in here,” she said while opening the brand-new balcony window. The woman returned to bed, waving her hips. She pursed her exaggerated red lips and, bending her upper body, leaned towards Robert’s ear.

“Let me take care of you, honey,” she susurrated sensually. Robert smirked and turned his face towards her.

“Mom?”

“Yes, darling?”

“I am tired, and I need more sleep. So you can take care of somebody else.”

On the other side of the city, a woman was ambling down the tree-shaded street, occasionally checking back to see if she was being followed. The clouds had gathered above the city, leaving very few tiny patches of blue sky uncovered. She turned right at the following corner and vanished into a courtyard surrounded by haughty trees.

The house hallway was narrow and dim. The woman entered the last room on the right. A single light was on, casting a warm yellow light on a cabriole couch and an antique Bergere chair. Green velvet drapes were framing the large windows, and cream-coloured inner-laced curtains had been kept drawn, allowing daylight to enter while rendering the outstanding view of the city.

Rocky walls were keeping the temperature of the house at a chill level. The woman trotted to the wood-burning fireplace and stopped to listen to the street sounds for a moment - tweets and toots and children voices arguing and playing interrupted the calm of the morning. The woman sighed while pressing a button on her phone. The fireplace socle started moving, and a going-down stone staircase appeared.

She descended, her palms against the moistened walls. She stopped and looked up until the fireplace was in its closed position. The basement was empty - only a few shelves pinned on the freshly painted walls. She took a pair of goggles from a rack and scanned the surroundings. The wall waved and revealed a door unseen by the naked eye, perfectly camouflaged by a virtual image.

Once inside the hidden room, she dropped her handbag on the floor and went to the closest computer. Unfortunately, the modern technology objects, scattered everywhere, almost ruined the prewar gothic style of the high-ceilinged room.

Nine big-screen TVs forming a considerable panel were transmitting closed-circuit television images from all around the city. After studying the ongoing images for a while, she moved to another screen where green bullets were pulsing in a round web of red lines.

A door opened, and a massive man entered. He squinted at the woman and sketched a smile.

“Hey, boss. Durand called. He and Stephionee had found a cluster of demons outside the city. They want to set camp for tonight somewhere close to Lilleshall Abbey,” the man informed and, using his phone, opened a secret door; shelves loaded with weapons appeared.

“Miss Lionette? Dubois continued. Lefebvre has found a new ingredient for our weapons. He insists he laid his hands on a precious piece of ancient angel halo.”