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Lee stopped at the entrance of an alley, looking at her watch, who's glass she noticed was now broken, and saw that it was still half an hour before nine. She still had time, she wasn't ready to go back home just yet. She wouldn't be able to keep away the tears if she stood in front of Ms. Connors.
Entering the alley, Lee sat down on the cold, wet ground, pulling her knees to her chest as she tucked her head between her knees.
She just needed to process it all. It had all been her imagination right? Those things couldn't be real.
She sat there for a long time, unnoticed by the passing Londoners. And it's quite some time, more time than Lee could afford to spend sitting there, that she heard a cough, looking up in shock as her worst fears got confirmed.
"Come on. We need to go," Azrael, her dad said, extending a hand for her to take.
"What are you doing here?" she whispered, looking up at him through scared eyes, because just him being her confirmed her fears.
"I will explain it all later. All I can tell you right now is that you are not safe. We need to move," he said in a gentle whisper, his eyes sympathetic as he looked back at his daughter.
Getting up off the ground, Lee dusted off her clothes, still looking scared and shaken.
"What were those things?" she asked as the two exited the alley, starting to walk down the street.
"They were the undead. Creatures of the underworld." he said with a sigh, earning an even more confused look from his daughter. "I told you that I will explain later. Let's just go right now."
The orphanage wasn't far from where they were right now and so it only took them about ten more minutes before they were there. Opening the door, her dad motioned for her to get inside.
"Go, get your bags packed. We are leaving," he says and Lee turns around giving him an incredulous look.
"What?" she asks.
"I am taking you home, darling," he said with a sigh and Lee could hear that he sounded tired and so she listened.
She entered her room and looked around at the mess, getting her duffel bag from her cupboard and putting all her favourite clothes, conflicted about what to put in and what to not.
A few minutes later, she exited her room and came out into the common room where Ms. Connor usually sat in her chair, knitting, only to see that no one was there other than Bree, who gave her a smile.
"I see that you are finally getting out of her," she said with a happy smile, but her eyes said something else, showing just how envious she was.
Everyone at the orphanage had already always been envious of Lee since she had contact with her real dad and most of the others didn't even know their parents.
"What?"
"Your dad. He's here, isn't he? And he and Ms. Connor went to the office, they only go to the office when Connor needs papers signed."
Lee doesn't give a response, just nodding and heading in the direction where the office was, knocking on the door once she reached.
Peeking inside, she walked in when she received a nod from Ms. Connor.
"Are you really taking me to New York, dad? Is this supposed to be some sort of birthday gift?" She asked with gritted teeth, receiving a sigh.
"I am taking you away from here, and I am taking you home. But not to New York. I am taking you to your real home."
"But my home is here. I have always been here. You didn't take me away even when I begged you to do so. So why now?" She asked.
Her dad turned away, signing in one last spot before he smiled at Ms. Connor.
Ms. Connor got up from behind the desk and came over to Lee, pulling her in for a hug.
"We will all miss you Eleanor. But I know that you are going to do great things some day, I can't wait to see you rise to the top of your game," she said with a smile.
And the only thing Lee could think of to respond with was, "It's just Lee, not Eleanor."
Ms. Connor laughed, stroking Lee's hair affectionately and gave her one last hug before her dad led her out of the room with a hand on her shoulder.
Once they were once again out into the streets, her dad spoke up again.
"So, I know that you may have a lot of questions, and I will answer them all now so you can ask away. Let me just explain some things, you can ask whatever you want after that."
Lee nodded, looking up at him, curious to finally know what was going on. The chills and the panic from before was still there underneath all the confusion, after all.
"So, I think you saw those creatures today. And you saw me controlling them. As I told you, they are the unknown creatures of the Underworld who have not been seen for centuries now as they had been locked away. But they got free tonight and they came for you."
"What? Why me? And what's this underworld? Dad, I am really confused right now."
"Look, this might be shocking right now. But these things exist. The supernatural world exists, and as of now, you are a part of it too, you have always been in fact. Because I am Azrael, the God of Death. And you, Lee, are Death's daughter."
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