In This Life

(9) Ezekiel 11:19

I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.

"Are you coming back to Madrid?" Beatrice looked down at Ava as she felt her hand being pulled into her girlfriends lap. The pair were on a train that will take them toward Heathrow, where they would go to the airport. It was the middle of rush hour in London so the train was completely packed, everyone squished together like tuna in a can however, Beatrice and Ava had managed to snag the last chairs in their carriage. "Where you go, I go." Beatrice responded as she leant her head atop Ava's.

They were silent for a while after that statement. Just basking in each other's presence and living in the now. Beatrice could tell something was troubling Ava though, she always could. The warrior nun could phase through walls, send demons back to hell, fight off groups of possessed and levitate but the one thing she could never do was hide her feelings. "What's troubling you?" Beatrice asked softly and Ava sighed before looking up at her with an even softer smile. "This holy war...it's our last shot Bea. It's the endgame and then it's over, we can get to relatively normal lives. I can't fuck this up, not again." Beatrice planted a quick kiss on the top of her head before making eye contact with Ava again. "This is not your burden to shoulder alone. Just because you're the halo bearer doesn't make you our one and only saviour, you've got help from everyone at the OCS. And you've got me." Ava couldn't find a trace of a lie on Beatrice's face. She smiled before giving the girl a peck on the lips. "So what's the plan for when we get back? Are we telling people about...well you know." Beatrice gave Ava a cheeky grin before angling herself so her back was to the wall of the train and she was facing Ava head on.

"About us? If it's okay with you, I think I'd rather keep our relationship on the low. Plus, I kind of like the idea of a secret."

"Oh so I'm just your dirty little secret now am I?"

"Technically, it's our little secret."

"Whatever. You know they'll have us sussed the minute we walk into the building?"

"I know. I don't care about Camila, Mother Superion, Yasmine or any of them know. They're my family. It's the other sisters." Ava caught the anxious look on Beatrice's face at even the thought of the sisters finding out. Ava cupped Beatrice's cheek with a loving smile. "It's okay. If I'm being honest, I couldn't care who knows. But I care about you, so if that's what you want I'm right behind you." The Brit beamed before looking up at someone stood in the aisle next to Ava. An older woman, she didn't look much older than Jillian.

She had long brunette hair from what Beatrice could see of it from beneath her beanie and she was dressed in designer clothing. Normally, Beatrice wouldn't pay much mine to civilians apart from the occasional once over, a habit from her training to be a Sister Warrior. This woman hadn't stopped looking at them, to the point that it was concerning.

Suddenly, the woman made eye contact with Beatrice and it was like a silence had settled over the train when the woman slowly smiled at her. The two men that were sat in front of Ava and Beatrice suddenly got up and left the carriage, in fact, the train came to a complete halt. Everyone, including staff exited the train. Leaving only Ava, Beatrice and the strange woman in the carriage. "Bea?" Ava asked as she looked around before her gaze also stopped on the woman who had now sat down in front of them.

Ava took Beatrice's hand into hers in an almost vice grip as she glared into the woman before them. Beatrice could tell they had met before. "Reya." Was all Ava had to say before everything made sense to Beatrice. "Ava, it's good to see you. I don't have much time sadly, I just come to make sure you remember the plan." Reya had this energy about her that Beatrice found off. She was intimidating but there was something else to her presence that she couldn't quite put her finger on.

"You must be the infamous Sister Beatrice. Ava spoke very highly of you. I'm glad we finally get to meet."

"It's just Beatrice." Reya gave an amused grin in return.

"Ava? The plan please."

"Find Lilith. Find out who all seven champions are, kill them before the coming rainstorm passes."

"And?"

"Find my father."

"And?"

"Kill him too."

"Good, a very basic version but that's the plan nonetheless. Since finding Lilith will probably be a difficult task, not forgetting the seven champions, I've brought you this." Reya held out a silver medallion, on it was eight stones. All a different colour, however the central one was Divinium. "Each stone represents a champion, when the holy war begins each stone will glow and as a champion dies, so does the light from their stone. If they are glowing, you can touch one of the stones and see glimpses into their eyes." Beatrice took the medallion from Ava's hands to examine it before looking back up at Reya.

"When does the holy war begin?" Beatrice asked before suddenly everyone who had left the train was boarding and retaking their seats. Reya stood up and smiled again.

"When tragedy strikes."

Little filler for you all, let me know if your liking the book people