2 Demons 1 Angel

Ch 6. Damian: Similar yet Different

Chapter 6. Damian: Similar yet Different

Damian (possibly triggering to some people. All there is a suicide type cut but nothing life threating)

Obviously, this girl Abigail didn't tell her entire story. I wanted to question her further last night, but Todd refused. Saying that she needed to rest. I tried to question Todd as well. He shut me down.

The two walked into the kitchen, Abigail supporting Respaw- Daniel due to his injuries. She did appear similar to my mother, however none of mother's typical emotions were in this girl. I assume she is a defective clone, why did grandfather allow her to survive? This girl seems almost heartbroken. Over what? She had saved the other clone in the room, and he was already up.

Also, the story she recounted last night... I remember that night, when mother dragged me along to witness what would happen to Jason. I remember seeing a girl, about three years younger than myself, skin and bones, covered in scars. She was shaking. When we took Jason away, I recall asking my mother, "Mother, who was that girl?" "Her name was Atalanta. You shall know her one day in the future." I haven't thought about that incident in years. That name meant 'as good as a man' in Greek. Why was that her name? Grandfather obviously had made her forget her original name. He had replaced it with 'child', she didn't like the name I saw, she flinched at the word.

I didn't realize I was staring at her, lost in my thoughts until Todd waved his hand in my face. "Earth to Demon."

"TT, don't call me that."

She was blushing and biting her lip, why?

"So, how did you meet ... Daniel?" I questioned Abigail. I really didn't want to defend myself this early in the day from a girl who hates alter egos.

"I would say around ten or eleven months ago, Ab's found me. Patched me up, drugged me to a Lazarus pit, and she drugged me up to the mountains where we hid in a cave." Respa- Daniel explained. He was eating cereal put before him. The girl was playing with her toast, not looking at him.

"Tt, you must have not received the memo."

"And that memo would be?" Res- Daniel questioned me.

"That the pits have been poisoned for the last year. Since we took care of the demon. So I am going to ask you again how-"

"He didn't come back because of the pit." The girl mumbled.

"Wait. If you didn't use the pits, how did you bring me back? Also, what do you mean the pits are poisoned?" The second question was directed at me.

"Since the death of the demon, anyone who enters the waters becomes ... "

"You have heard of the effect of the pit rage?" Todd questions. Resp- Daniel nods. "Well, it is like that, but it won't go away. It also won't heal your wounds anymore."

"Clearly you didn't enter the pit. So how are you alive?"

Resp- Daniel stares at Abigail. Again, it hits me how similar yet different this clone is from my mother.

She sighs, "I.. I took a risk, and it worked, ok?"

"No. Definitely need more than that. How did you bring me back?" Resp- Daniel questioned with venom in his voice.

The girl brought out a knife. It was a simple pocketknife engraved with Arabic on the hilt. I caught the words "A knife is so much more –" The rest of the message was obscured by her hand. She drew back her left sleeve to show a cut across it like a suicide person who was stopped. The scar was directly underneath raw skin on her wrist, as if she had worn manacles for more than half of her life. She cut there again on the old scar.

"What are you doing!?" Re- Daniel yells.

I was expecting red, but green came out of the wound. Lazarus green.

"You have been to the pits that many times?" I questioned. She's wrapping her wound with some gauzes she took out of her pocket.

"Yes," She spoke in a small voice. "I have... have no clue how many times I've been in there. Or why. All I know that it has made me look younger by at least a year."

"Two years Abby." Res- Daniel said softly.

There was a silence that hung in the air. This girl had been into the pit enough to make her blood as green as the Lazarus water.

Todd broke the silence, "So are there any other abilities we should be aware of. Due to the pit?"

She glanced at Resp- Daniel. Sighing he said, "Fine I'll tell them for you."

She gave him a small smile. "Thank you."

"After you found her Jason, the rescue mission failed. Ras decided to force a different type of punishment on her."

"What type of punishment?" I questioned.

"Two types. First was letting her meet two other clones of you, Damian, and a clone of Abby herself. Dean and David. Dean had red hair, David brown. Ruby had blonde hair, green eyes. Other than that, exactly the same in looks to Abby."

Todd commented, "Why do all of the guy's names start with D?"

Resp- Daniel ignored Todd's comment. "He allowed a relationship to be bonded with the four. Then he ... tore them apart. Seeing how strong they were growing together. Next, he ... left Abby chained in a cave in pure darkness. It caused her to go blind."

Todd intervened, "You are saying that she is blind? Yet she can perfectly stitch you up?"

"You didn't let me finish. Once he was sure she was completely blind, he injected her with something. She sees through echolocation. Also, that scream of Abby's you heard earlier, came from that. Using it like a screech owl I suppose."

Todd and I just stared at her. She is literally a human bat.

"After some time, Dean, David, Abby, and Ruby made it to the mountains. She brought me to the same cave they called home. At some point he came after them. Dean, David, and Ruby were killed, and Abby captured. "

Now I understand her heartbreak. Both Respawn and I look exactly the same to the other clones. This also explains why she saved Respawn. Her hair was covering her face, tears hit her jeans.

I finally spoke, "If you can't see color how could you keep them straight? Especially as they looked the same physically?"

Her head rose. I saw her blue eyes. Mother has green eyes. Perhaps she is not a clone. Those blue eyes looked very familiar. Almost like...

"I could tell them apart by their rhythms."

Res- Daniel cut her off. "Heartbeats Abby."

"Right heartbeats. Just like I can tell you two apart from your heartbeat, how they act, and .. um what's the word?" She looked over at Res- Daniel for help.

"Demeanor."

Abigail motioned to Resp – Daniel. "That word, however, you say it."

Clearly, she is not well educated if at all. It seems that studies were not grandfather's priority with her. I decided to ask her simple questions from now on. "Who are your parents? Or are you a clone of my mother?"

Her face went to confusion, head tilting sideways. "What are pare- parents? What is a mother?"

Todd choked on his coffee. Daniel was shaking his head at the ground, a slight smile on his face. I just stared. I understand she may not comprehend what the word parents means. But mother? How does she not know what a mother is?

Res– Daniel spoke up. "Ma, Abby. Ma is the same thing as a mother."

She frowned. "Oh. No, I am not a clone of her. I never meet our Ma. And I don't want to."

I stared at the pair in front of me. Coming to a decision. "Todd, I believe we should take these two to father."

"Agreed. I will grab some coats for them first, and call the others in. We will go in two hours."