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Is this love? She felt it in her stomach first. Twisting and turning, screaming and burning, making her want to cry. Yet, she liked it. She yearned for it. She didn’t want it to slip through her fingers. Her tight gripped, calloused, battle-worn fingers. She held onto it with everything she had. The pain stretched into her throat. It stretched so far she didn’t know what to say. The pain clogged her throat trapping her words. When the sun got tired and the moon took its place, when the heavy heads of those who were going to bed hit their pillows, hers held her down. The passion within it killed her. The light that extended endlessly shined right through her heart. When her dreams at night were not plagued with terrifying images, and she was able to see herself in the future, old and frail, the one that made her feel this way sat next to her. When she woke up in that aged state in the morning, someone was there, resting next to her. Is this love? Her spine was next, shaking, waking, tearing, breaking, taking its sweet time. She wanted the pain. She needed it to breathe. She needed it to live. She was never this weak before, as to rely on someone for her strength. This was love. She just didn’t realize it.
~
Suddenly, it got worse. The burning, breaking and bothering. Her stomach shrunk as did her throat. A cold trickle traveled down her spine.
Adriel lived because Ava bled. They were locked in a battle. Ava weld the sword, the oh so holy sword. When Ava approached the divine being, no mercy was shown. Adriel struck hard and fast, an attack that would incapacitate any mortal. Yet Ava wasn’t one. His attack fell feeble as Ava simply fazed right through it. Ava’s already tight grip on the sword grew impossibly tighter. Her knuckles grew white, wrapped around the Divinium. The blue glowing sword whipped through the air, aiming for the ribs of Adriel. Adriel, however, was faster and was quick to deflect the attack. His quick hands caught the sword right before contact. Ava drew back, retracting the sword from his grasp, and stepped back to prepare for another attack. Adriel was quicker. She dipped and weaved right as he was about to reach her and slashed downwards with the sword. Adriel parried with one of his forearms and the blade clashed against his arm, yet didn’t pierce the skin. The Halo Bearer was agile and uppercut slashed at Adriel, attempting to catch him off guard. The attack failed and once more as Adriel grasped the sword once more, this time letting Ava’s attempts at pulling the sword back fall insufficient. Using whatever strength Adriel still had after a millennium of lying quiescent, he ripped the sword out of Ava’s grip. The sudden display of strength stunned Ava. Dark brown eyes grew wide in terror as the man-like being made a display of his swordsmanship, swinging the sword around in a dance before deciding to bring it down on Ava. Clearly, whatever Ava had been tapping into earlier returned. Air whipped little strands of the hair that were too late to move out of the way with her. When Ava jumped out of the way, her eyes fell to Beatrice. Well, more of like what was happening to Beatrice. She was swarmed. At least five possessed were trying to bring her down. A sharp pain twinged in her chest. Looking down, she was met with the blade of the Divinium sword going right through her. Adriel had stabbed her. Her eyes snapped back to look back at the eyes of the supposed Angel. All she saw was death, rage, and anger in those now dark orbs. Ava opened up her mouth to yell out in pain, but the only thing that came out was blood. Her hands reached up to try and keep the blood in her chest, but when Adriel pulled the sword out of her, all that was left was a gaping hole, draining her blood. Ava felt the familiar feeling of Adriel’s hand inside her chest. She felt him try and grasp the Halo once more. The last thing that Ava heard was her name being called out in that familiar British accent. The pain seared through her body finally reaching her mind. Everything went blank.
~
“AVA!” The Halo Bearer’s lifeless body crumpled down to the floor before Beatrice could reach her. The twisting and turning in her stomach only intensified. Adrenaline rushed through her blood, reaching her fingertips, jolting them with electricity. Words stopped at the back of her throat. Only being able to croak out the fallen Halo Bearers name. Step after step, Beatrice charged at the pale body on the floor as fast as possible.
Before Ava could collapse, a golden pulse exploded from Ava’s back, expelling all of the wraiths that inhabited the area. Adriel was blown back through a wall.
The burning. It expanded from her stomach and seized every inch of her body as she pulled the Halo Bearer up to her chest. Pain flooded her from within. She pleaded and pleaded in her mind for Ava to be okay. When her throat finally opened again, the only thing that escaped her lips was her sobs. The cries of Beatrice sorrowed the ears of everyone it reached. Her arms wrapped around Ava’s body, pulling her into her chest as she rocked back and forth.
“Ava, please, please, I can’t lose you!” Her voice finally found its way out of her throat. A crimson, sticky liquid coated Beatrice’s hands and soaked into her clothes. Knowing the Halo had been drained by the various time’s Ava used it in battle, the Sister Warriors knew Ava wouldn’t be healed anytime soon.
As her emotions overwhelmed her, Beatrice slunk back into the training and experience she gathered over the years. “Mary, go get us a car. Camila, keep pressure on the wound as Lilith and I carry her.” An emotionless voice broke out through the silence that engulfed the other Sister Warriors. The bystander’s bodies who were possessed were all collapsed to the floor. Mary waded through the countless bodies that littered the floor, unconscious or… otherwise. Lilith followed her closely, carrying Ava’s legs. Camila and Beatrice were next, carrying the upper half of Ava while applying pressure on her wound.
“Here! Here!” Mary ran to a van and broke the window of the driver’s door. She unlocked the other doors and allowed the others entry to the car. The sounds of sirens pulsed through the air, drawing closer with each second that passed. Camila pushed her way past Mary and sat in the driver's seat, ripping off the plastic that covered the wires of the car and pulled out the ones she needed to hotwire the car. Being in sync with Camila, Mary immediately traded places with Camila and began applying pressure to Ava.
“Faster Camila!” Beatrice yelled in a somewhat surprising steady voice from the backseat, not taking her eyes off of the cold and pale woman who just wouldn’t stop bleeding.
“Got it!” Camila yelled as she immediately pulled out of the parking spot and sped down the road. “Lilith,” The woman who stayed relatively quiet throughout the whole ordeal turned to face Camila. “Get me directions to the nearest hospital or church,” Camila said in the most demanding voice any of the other nuns had ever heard. Lilith immediately reached for the small device Camila placed on the dashboard and began to use fiddle with it. Beatrice wasn’t able to tell what she was doing. Then Camila was constantly looking at the small device as Lilith held it. Beatrice wondered where they were going but when she tried to ask, nothing came out. Her throat was closed, or so it felt like it. Shaking off the feeling, Beatrice focused once more on the woman under her hands who was starting to bleed less and less.
~
After a while, though, Beatrice wasn’t sure how long since she was too hyper-focused on the Halo Bearer, Camila parked the car and immediately hopped out. Beatrice finally looked up from her blood-soaked hands. It was a church. Of course. The one time they needed actual medical attention and help, Lilith and Camila brought them to a church. A church! Beatrice was about to voice her protests once more but was cut off.
“I’m the least suspicious one hear, so I’ll go check it out and ask for help as quickly as I can.” Camila was gone before anyone could speak out. After a while, the bleeding stopped, and Beatrice was able to stitch Ava back up and bandage the wound as best she could.
“Hey,” Beatrice immediately removed one of her hands from Ava’s chest and pulled a knife out of her sleeve and put it to the throat of whoever just grabbed her shoulder. “Woah, hey,” It was Mary.
“Sorry,” Beatrice’s dark eyes immediately turned remorseful as she realized what she had done.
“It’s okay,” Mary carefully placed her hand back on Beatrice’s shoulder. Beatrice tensed under the contact. “I understand,” Mary gave her a reassuring squeeze, which did help. “I have a question though,” Mary finally dropped her hand, ending the contact. Beatrice looked up into her eyes to show that she was listening. “This whole ride, you weren’t able to look at Ava’s face,” Mary paused for a beat. “Why?” The question took her off guard.
“I-” Before Beatrice could say anything else, Camila burst back through the doors and gave them the all-clear. Everyone moved to once more grab Ava to move her.
The Sister Warriors quietly moved through the church and to the rooms that were offered to them. There were only two, each with a queen-sized bed. The team decided that Lilith and Mary were the ones who needed the most rest, aside from Ava, so they took one room. Camila, Beatrice, and Ava took the other.
“Here, let’s set her on here,” Camila offered, approaching the bed. They gently set Ava on the bed, Beatrice sitting right beside her. “I’ll take the couch,” Camila offered with a tired smile.
“Oh, no,” Beatrice began. “Let me,” Even in the most stressful of times, both Camila and Beatrice were selfless to the very end.
“Just let me,” Camila’s tired smile turned into a knowing one, leaving no room for argument. She quietly moved to the couch and laid down, getting comfortable.
Beatrice turned back to Ava. They had stopped the bleeding while Camila was gone, but Beatrice still wouldn’t take her hands off of Ava. Tucking Ava into the blankets, careful not to agitate the wound, Beatrice slipped into the vacant space next to her.
Mary was right. Beatrice hadn’t noticed until she said it, but Mary was right. She hadn’t been able to look at Ava’s face the entire time. Why? Why did thinking about her cold pale face make her heart sink past her stomach, through her legs, and into the cold ground? They were friends. She could do it. She could look at Ava’s face.
Slowly, Beatrice dragged her eyes from where they currently reside and brought them to Ava’s face. She observed the once flush and bright face now cold and dark, drained of any life she once held. Her once dark and inviting eyes were now covered with heavy lids. Her once bright pink lips were now blue and cold. A Slow trickle of blood that once freely flowed from Ava’s forehead down the left side of her face to her chin was now frozen into the skin, a now dark red color. Bruises were beginning to form on her cheeks and under her eyes, the right eye being more visible as it had swelled slightly.
Beatrice’s heart just kept on sinking, even as she brought out one of her hands to wipe away some of the dry blood. When her hand came into view, she noticed it was trembling, shaking even. She immediately brought up her other hand to steady it. Why was she this weak? She has witnessed tremendously worse injuries throughout her years serving in the OCS, yet none caused this feeling she was experiencing now.
Wanting to comfort Ava, yet refrain from hurting her, Beatrice snuck a hand under the covers in search of one of Ava’s. When she found one, she entwined their hands together, believing it was just a friendly action between two friends. Relishing in the contact with her friend the twisting, turning, and burning in her stomach subsided for the time being.
~
Sun streams broke through Beatrice’s eyelids, stirring her from her slumber. Deliberately, Beatrice shifted around in the bed, catching her bearings. Something warm was in her hand, and when she tried to move it, something kept her in a tight grasp. When she finally opened her eyes, she was met with dark brown eyes staring right at her.
“Hi,” A hoarse voice carried itself sweetly through the air and settled just as nicely in her ears. It was Ava. Ava! Beatrice immediately shot up into a sitting position, with no sign of sleep remaining.
“Ava.” Her own hoarse voice broke out of her throat. She reached out her hand and brought it to the cheek of her bedmate.
“That’s me,” Ava smiled and mindlessly moved into the touch.
“You’re awake,” Beatrice observed.
“That I am.” Ava’s smile grew as she conversed with the nun.
“You’re okay?” Beatrice asked, but it came out more like a statement.
“Well, I’m still hurting, but it appears so,” Beatrice was stroking the side of Ava’s face continuously.
“Good,” Beatrice concluded before drawing her hand back, as she heard someone coming down the hall. Ava seemed to chase the touch, moving her head slightly forward.
“Hey, you up Beatrice?” Mary’s voice asked after knocking on the door. Beatrice moved out from under the covers, realizing that she was still in her battle gear.
“Yeah, I’m up,” Beatrice answered while Ava began to try and move out of the bed, yet two firm but gently placed hands on both of her shoulders prevented her. “You still need rest.” Ava received a look from Beatrice that meant there was absolutely no room for argument.
“Fine,” Ava flopped back down on the bed but immediately winced as she forgot she was still not 100% healed. “I’ll stay here doc,” Ava waved her hand around to ‘shoo’ Beatrice away.
“Good,” Beatrice said as she left the room, closing the door lightly and heading down to where she heard a commotion.
“How’s Ava?” Camila asked when she noticed Beatrice entering the room. They were strewn about the area, all looking at different things.
“She has woken up,” Beatrice answered, receiving shocked looks from all of her sisters. “I know, I was surprised too.” The nuns and Mary all stopped what they were doing and moved to stand next to Beatrice.
“That was a scaringly fast recovery,” Lilith chimed in.
“She’s not 100% yet,” Mary had to refrain from mentioning Lilith’s recovery. “Right?” She turned back to Beatrice.
“Right,” Beatrice nodded at Mary. “Have you all decided what our next move is?” Beatrice decided that maybe changing the subject would stop the worrying throb in her heart.
“Well, we can’t go back to anywhere the OCS will expect us to go,” Camila moved over to a map. “So no Cat’s Cradle, no Arqtech, and no OCS safe houses.” Camila spared a glance to each sister that followed her to the map.
“Where does that leave us?” Beatrice asked, looking at the room they were in. It resembled a library, having bookshelves line the walls and a few tables with chairs. It gave off a dusty smell, unquestionably not being used often in the small church.
“I know a place,” Mary said, matching the bent-over posture Camila had. She pointed to a small spot on the map.
“That’s in the middle of nowhere?” Lilith stared down at the spot Mary pointed out.
“Trust me,” Mary said and moved to roll up the map. “It’s not the middle of nowhere,” Despite the dark and depressed mood that each of the sisters held, Mary smirked at them, clearly wanting to surprise them.
“Let’s change, eat, and get refreshed. We’ll head out tonight,” The sisters moved back to the rooms they were in. “I’ll check on Ava, you all can go get ready.” Beatrice received curt nods in response as she opened the bedroom door again.
A small snoring sound filled the air as Ava was sleeping. The worrying throb dwindled and dwindled as Beatrice drew closer to the slumbering girl. A couple of hairs moved in sync with Ava’s breathing, moving away from her nose when she breathed out and delicately falling back down as she breathed in.
Beatrice sat on the edge of the bed and gently moved the hairs out of Ava’s face. Sadly, the gentle attempt fell ineffective as Ava stirred from her sleep anyways.
“Hey, you,” Beatrice’s gentle smile grew wider as Ava regained consciousness.
“Hi,” The hoarse voice broke through the air once more as Ava realized what was going on.
“We’re going to be leaving soon,” Beatrice admitted to Ava as she shifted a little bit more towards the girl.
“Three questions,” Ava also seemed to shift towards Beatrice, but both were oblivious to it. “One, where are we? Two, where are we going?” Ava tried to prop herself up on her elbows but lacked the energy to.
“We’re in a church that was generous enough to help us, and Mary will not tell us where we are going,” Beatrice answered. Ava nodded along with the answers and glanced around the room. “Don’t worry, you won’t have to move much,” Beatrice seemed to have read Ava’s mind as the girl visibly relaxed at the words. “I’m going to go get ready, do you need anything before I go?” Beatrice asked as she got up off of the bed.
“Uh, no, no I’m good,” Ava answered quickly.
“Ok,” Beatrice gave her a gentle, yet reassuring smile. “What’s your third question?” Her reassuring smile turned into a curious one.
“What… what happened?” Ava asked, her voice losing its sturdiness. Beatrice blinked at the question. “I mean before I uh... before I passed out.” Ava waited patiently for her to answer.
“You were fighting Adriel. You must have tapped into the skill of a previous Warrior Nun because you were using the skills of an experienced sword fighter,” Beatrice searched Ava’s eyes for signs of stopping, but none appeared. “I think you got distracted by something because you,” Beatrice began choking up. Ava grabbed her hand and gave her a gentle squeeze. “You stopped fighting for a minute, leaving yourself open for an attack. Adriel took that chance and stabbed you through the chest.” Ava’s open hand drifted to her chest where the sword once was. A burning sensation filled her chest as the memories flashed into her mind. “He reached into your chest, I think to grab the Halo, but before he could grab it, you expelled a force, like an energy pulse, which exorcised the wraiths and sent Adriel through a wall,” Ava had been stroking Beatrice’s hand the entire time she had been speaking. “I thought you wouldn’t heal,” Unshed tears that brimmed Beatrice’s eyes had begun to fall. “I thought we lost you, Ava,” The Halo Bearer tugged Beatrice’s hand, drawing her into a tight, yet gentle embrace.
“I’m still here,” Ava whispered in her ear. She grabbed Beatrice’s free hand and brought it to her chest where her heart was. The beating calmed down the aching in Beatrice’s own heart. “I’m still here,” Ava repeated once more. “With you,” Ava whispered. If Beatrice’s ear wasn’t right next to her mouth, she wouldn’t have heard. Beatrice just tightened the embrace in response.
“Ok,” Beatrice leaned back from the hug, not taking her eyes off of the Halo Bearer. With a final smile, Beatrice left the room, yet fell back against the door. Why was leaving so hard for her? She wanted to burst right back into the room and engulf Ava in another protective hug and never let her go ever again.
Unbeknownst to her, Ava too collapsed back against her bed and let out a similar breath. Neither of them knew what was happening with them. Beatrice had repressed everything she knew about love as soon as she realized why she was shipped off to a boarding school. Ava was just too new at life to even realize what was happening, sure she had movies which did help a lot, but none of them could have prepared her for real life. Especially real life with superpowers and demon-slaying nuns.
~
When Beatrice returned to the room after preparing for the drive, Ava fell asleep once more. Deciding to not wake up the Halo Bearer, Beatrice scooped up Ava in her arms bridal style. When she passed by her sisters, she didn’t want to acknowledge the small burn of regret forming in the pit of her stomach. She wasn’t really out to anyone else except Ava, of course, most of them knew, but Beatrice hadn’t distinguished that.
When she got to the van, the lack of blood surprised her. If she was remembering correctly, Ava bled all over the car. There should be a huge puddle of blood right in the middle. Beatrice wouldn’t be able to get the image out of her mind.
“I cleaned it this morning,” Camila said from behind her, gazing down at the more lively face of Ava. “At least tried to,” Camila breathed out, clearly disappointed by her efforts.
“Thank you, Camila,” Beatrice choked out as Camila met her glazed over eyes. “It means a lot,” Beatrice gave her a slight nod before setting Ava down on one of the seats this time, instead of the van floor.
“All packed?” Mary said as she loaded herself into the driver’s seat. Her being the only one knowing where the destination was didn’t leave room for anyone else to drive. A hum of agreement traveled from sister to sister. Lilith sat in the seat next to the driver’s seat while Camila sat more towards the front, leaving Beatrice a little bit more privacy with Ava. For that, Beatrice was thankful. Ava immediately unconsciously moved to snuggle with Beatrice as soon as she sat down. Ava’s head found itself in Beatrice’s lap, burrowing into the latter’s stomach. Beatrice’s hand immediately found themselves stroking Ava’s hair, scratching her nails at her scalp. Ava gave a sigh of relief at the contact.
~
“Were approaching the border now guys,” Mary called from the front of the car, but it fell on deaf ears as everyone was asleep. “Huh,” Mary glanced at everyone. “I at least thought you would keep me company Camila,” Mary gave a fraudulent frown, genuinely amused.
“Identificazione,” The guard at the border asked as Mary rolled down her window.
“Yep, here you go,” Mary reached into her pocket and grabbed a fake I.D. she apparently had in hand. The guard eyed it for a while glancing at Mary. He then moved to check out the rest of the van to see if there was anything illegal in the van.
“Go ahead,” the guard said as he returned the window and handed back Mary’s I.D.
“Thanks, officer,” Mary said as she pulled through the rest of the checkpoint, driving into France.
~
The Sister Warriors continued driving for a couple more hours before Mary suddenly swerved off of an unpopulated road, releasing a string of unrepeatable curse words, waking up the others.
“Mary! What’s happening!?” Lilith yelled as she snapped awake, her claw-like nails already grown out. Instead of getting a verbal answer, the sounds of bullets and gunfire answered her. Everyone else was up in an instant. Before Mary could drive behind any cover, the bullets had blown out the tires of the van.
“Fuck!” Mary cursed as the speed of the car decreased significantly with no tires. No one dared to correct her language. “Everyone, out of the car now!” Everyone jumped out of the car, well, Ava was helped out by Beatrice and Camila. The nuns collected at the front of the car, careful to stay behind the car’s engine as the rest of the car wouldn’t offer much defense.
When the bullets died out and the people holding the guns were reloading, the Sister Warriors charged at them, ready to attack. When Ava saw exactly who was attacking them, she saw red whisps influencing the people.
“Wraiths,” Ava muttered from behind the others.
“Of course there are wraiths!” Mary yelled as she unloaded one of her shotguns into the group, taking down two men. The rest of the sisters followed suit, using their respective weapons to try and incapacitate the possessed.
It happened too quickly. Ava had been watching Beatrice again while she was taking down a wraith. An unsuspecting Beatrice was currently in a hand to hand combat fight with one of the possessed. Another possessed off to Beatrice’s left pulled out a handgun and aimed the barrel straight at Beatrice.
“NO!” Ava yelled jumping in front of the gun just as it fired, nailing her right in the stomach. Ava had known that she didn’t have enough energy to give off a similar blast like that one time Crimson fired one of Mary’s shotguns at Beatrice. The other sisters watched in horror as Ava crumpled to the ground once more. The pent up rage inside Beatrice ended the fight quickly.
“No, not again Ava, not again,” Beatrice cried as she scooped Ava up once more in her arms.
“Sorry, just had to save you,” Ava said weakly from Beatrice’s arms, giving a faint smile.
“We need to get her out of here!” Mary yelled placing a hand on Beatrice’s shoulder, pulling her backward. Beatrice picked up Ava for the second time that day with some help from Lilith. They ran towards the road and got into the van the possessed used to get to the location. “I’m just going to keep driving to where we were heading before,” Mary told the others while stepping on the gas. “Do you think she can handle that?” Mary turned around, facing Beatrice.
“Yeah, yeah she should be ok,” Beatrice answered with raw emotion dripping off of her voice. Camila placed both of her hands on top of Beatrice’s to help suppress the bleeding.
“We need to stop doing this,” Ava jokes, the faint smirk not leaving her face.
“Ava. Stop. This is no joking matter,” The stern voice Beatrice gave caused the smirk to immediately drop off her face.
“Right, sorry,” Ava said, closing her eyes to ignore the pain searing through her stomach. Somehow, the burning of Beatrice’s hands was stronger. She could feel the outline of it, she’s practically memorized every curve and crevasse due to the number of times Beatrice has laid her hands on her. It burned more than the pain of the hole in her stomach. This hole in her stomach would be naturally stitched up with time. The burning outline of Beatrice’s hand would never leave her.
The rest of the car ride was full of deafening silence. Except for the occasional grunt or groan Ava would emit when either Camila or Beatrice shifted their hands.
~
“We made it,” Mary said, four hours after the attack. Ava was in the far left corner in the back of the van, having healed three hours into the trip, Camila was in the middle of the van peacefully sleeping, Lilith was still in the passenger side seat also fast asleep, Mary was in the driver’s seat, and Beatrice was in the far right corner at the front of the van.
“Hey, Camila,” Ava was shaking Camila’s shoulder to wake her up, Mary doing the same for Lilith. Beatrice had already left the van and was stretching her legs silently beside it. “We made it,” Ava explained to a sleepy Camila.
The Sisters piled out of the van, taking in the view around the. They were in a small village, seemingly in the middle of nowhere. The town was embedded in the side of a cliff, surrounded by flourishing green trees, fresh with the arrival of spring. The town was old and made of cracked cobblestone, slowly attaching itself to the cliff. Undoubtedly, this village had existed for many decades now, visibly old and run down. No villagers walked the streets at this hour, as the night had crept over the horizon and darkened every corner of the countryside. No sounds were detectable as the sisters took in the scenery in front of them.
“Where are we?” Lilith asked, following Mary as she had begun trekking down the old cobblestone road.
“Old friends’ place,” Mary decided not to elaborate further. The shotgun-wielding warrior stopped abruptly and began knocking on a door.
“Mary? Venez, venez vite,” A woman, not visible due to the lack of light, ushered the girls into her home quickly. “Que fais-tu ici?” The woman asked once the door was closed, peering through the windows, looking for eavesdroppers.
“We got in a bit of trouble,” Mary approached the woman and laid a hand on her arm. “We just need to lay low for a bit,” Mary elaborated further. The woman nodded along with the explanation. She showed the Sister Warriors around her home, showing them their respective rooms and bathrooms. There were only four bedrooms and five girls.
“I’ll stay with Ava,” Beatrice said, looking to the girl next to her. The Sister Warriors were going to the kitchen to discuss some things before heading in for the night. “I need a private word with her,” Mary nodded at the two of them and continued down the hall with the rest of the nuns.
“What is it?” Ava asked once Beatrice shut the door.
“What was that?” Beatrice’s voice dripped with venom as she turned around, tears stinging her eyes.
“Woah, Beatrice,” Ava stepped forward and laid a hand on Beatrice’s arm, which was quickly shaken off, leaving a hurt look on Ava’s face. “What are you talking about?” Ava asked.
“Why would you do that!?” The quivering in her voice didn’t leave with the increasing volume.
“Do what?” Ava had a deer in the headlights look on her face because she was genuinely confused.
“Do that!” Beatrice was pointing at Ava’s stomach, not being able to bear saying the words out loud.
“You were in danger!” Ava’s voice was rising with Beatrice’s.
“Then let me be in danger!” Beatrice unwillingly took a step forward. “You don’t have to always save me!” The welled up tears were now freely falling.
“Yes, I do!” Ava yelled back, also moving forwards. “That’s why I have this!” Ava reached behind her back to gesture towards the Halo. Beatrice let out a choked laugh.
“You have to be more careful, you don’t know if the Halo will always save you!” Beatrice’s voice grew impossibly louder as the tears streamed furiously down her cheeks.
“You’re not in charge of me!” Ava’s voice kept on growing with the nuns. “And why do you care? It’s not like y-” Ava wasn’t able to finish her sentence.
“Because I love you… I’ve always loved you,” Beatrice’s voice suddenly dropped smaller than its ever been. Ava’s eyes grew in shock as the words settled in her mind. Beatrice’s breath kept on heaving, despite the decrease in volume. “Ava, I care about you. I don’t want to see you get hurt,” The stream of tears persisted throughout the entire conversation.
“I- What?” Ava finally found her words.
“I love you and it hurts. It feels like,” Beatrice began choking back sobs. “It hurts like hell when I see you get injured,” The nun could care less about her language right about now. “I’ve felt it in my stomach, always there,” Beatrice paused for a beat, unable to look the Halo Bearer in the eye. “Always burning, twisting, and screaming,” Tears had formed a small puddle around the nun’s feet. When Ava stayed silent, Beatrice continued. “When I saw you get stabbed by Adriel, it felt as if the world had ended,” Ava had stepped forward and grabbed one of Beatrice’s hands, forcing her to meet her eyes.
“I know I’m not the Halo Bearer you guys wanted or deserved,” Ava glanced away in shame. “But, I’m the Halo Bearer you guys got,” Beatrice stood grounded, too afraid to move, fearing she might startle away Ava. “I’m trying my best to live up to the expectation you guys have for me,” Ava looked back up to Beatrice’s eyes. “I mean, I got the Halo, right? I’m the one supposed to be making the sacrifice play,” Ava gave off a dry chuckle. “I’m expendable, right? If I die, the next Bearer will step up,” The tears that had brimmed in Ava’s eyes now dropped.
“Hey, no,” Beatrice placed a hand on Ava’s chin to look her in the eye. “You’re not expendable,” A sincere look bore into Ava. “We can’t lose you,” Beatrice paused. “I can’t lose you.” An unidentifiable force drew them impossibly closer. Beatrice’s breath hitched in her throat when she felt Ava’s breath against her lips.
“You love me?” Ava broke the silence with a smirk on her face, but neither of them backed away.
“Is that so impossible to believe?” Beatrice matched her smirk.
“I mean, I am great,” Ava’s smirk turned into a grin. “But seriously. You love me?” Ava’s smile dropped and the look in her eye turned sober.
“Yes, Ava Silva,” Beatrice also turned serious. “I love you,” Beatrice finished, still feeling Ava’s breath against her lips. Suddenly the feeling stopped. Ava’s breath was replaced with something else. Something softer. It was her lips. Before Beatrice could register what was going on, Ava had pulled away. Beatrice immediately chased after the Halo Bearer’s lips.
The kiss was slow, full of passion, but patient. The movements were sluggish, lips sliding against lips. Ava let go of Beatrice’s hand and brought it behind her neck, pulling the girl impossibly closer. Their bodies were flush against each other, warm and inviting. The burning in Beatrice’s stomach subsided alongside the aching in her spine. Her body finally stopped trembling with yearning, yet was replaced by want. Beatrice pushed further into the kiss, eliciting speed and passion.
Before the kiss could turn into something more, Ava pulled back.
“Sorry,” Ava breathed out, clearly out of breath as she drew in quick breaths. “Sorry, I just… I want to take it slow,” Ava placed both her hands on the nun’s chest.
“Yes, of course,” Beatrice wrapped her hands around Ava’s waist. “No need to be sorry,” A gentle smile graced Beatrice’s lips. “We should probably go join the other before they think I killed you,” Beatrice leaned in and placed a quick kiss on Ava’s lips. A small laugh erupted from the girl.
“You have already killed my heart,” Ava winked.
“That was terrible,” Beatrice chuckled.
“I know, I just had to,” Ava winked, entwining her fingers with Beatrice’s. “Is this okay?” Beatrice pondered for a beat.
“Of course,” Beatrice raised their hands and laid a kiss on the back of Ava’s hand. “Let’s go,” Ava nodded and stepped out of the room, heading towards the kitchen with Beatrice towards their family.
“You said Hell,” Ava gave a devilish grin from beside Beatrice.
“Shut up,” Beatrice pushed Ava with her shoulder, yet letting a small chuckle leave her lips.