Barely An Angel (Completed)

29~ Calling the Shots

"What...what do you mean?" I scoffed.

"You can't just undo something that was done to someone's mind. That would take almost as big of a toll as it did to do it in the first place," he explained. "We could think that it would be saving all those blackeyes to have Dario just take back what he did, but it could just be putting them in more danger. Don't you think I would've done something by now if it was that easy to save Haze? Haze was my best friend. My family. He's the only person I have in this world." Demitri trailed off, swallowing hard.

"So what do we do?" I murmured. "We have to do something. You need Haze back. I want to free Dario from whatever trap he's in. I bet the guilt for what he's doing for Anton has been eating him alive."

He leaned up against the brick wall next to him, running his hand through his hair. "We could find out what Anton is holding over his head and take care of that. That much we can do. But as for undoing whatever was done to their minds, we'd need the help of someone with more power, or at least, enough to make sure nothing else can go wrong." He looked at me. "You mentioned that your aunt wanted to help with the Fangs situation. How is she going to do that?"

I traded glances with my mom. "Well, she's not just an angel like my dad," I sighed. "She's an archangel, which means she has a direct line of communication with the Chancellors. We're planning on sending a message to them and seeing if we can get the Chancellor of Vampires involved in this situation."

"That...wow, um, that could be just what we need," Demitri beamed. By this time, it had gotten dark enough that I could just barely make out his facial features. The distant sound of late-night construction found its way to my ears, and I wondered what in the world could be so important that they had to build it around the clock.

"Yes," my mom smiled. "Anna said we could use all the help we could get, and as much as I hate to admit it, she's right. We were wondering if you're going to be all in for this. I mean, I'm positive I already know your answer, but I thought I should ask just in case," she laughed.

He considered her with an open gaze. "Yes, of course I'm all in. Anything you guys need. I'm there. I just want to save Haze."

"Great," I grinned. "That's exactly what we'll do. And more."

***

"Hmph. A blackeye, really Veren?" Anna regarded Demitri with disgust. "You should've told me that before I said he could help us. I'm surrounded by two too many blackeyes already."

Demitri sneered. "You guys are really letting her call the shots around here? Maybe I won't help after all."

"No, Demitri, you're welcome here, and she's not calling the shots," I insisted, flashing a glare at my aunt. "Seriously, Anna?"

She crossed her arms, turning towards my father. "Are you going to let my niece talk to me like that, Veren?"

He glanced at me. "Ramona, just ignore her, okay?"

"Oh sure, just ignore me. Because what I say doesn't matter-"

"No, it doesn't! Not when you're insulting my family and our friend!" Dad snapped. He took a deep breath, composing himself. "Now, if you're done being so self-centered, there are matters at hand here that are actually important."

Anna's mouth opened, then closed again, no sound coming out besides strained breaths; the beginnings of words, but nothing more. I cast a glance at my mom, who stifled a giggle at Anna's expense.

"Right, now that we've established that, can we please focus on forming a plan?" Dad huffed.

Anna cleared her throat. "Fine. Let's do that then." She tugged at her blazer, tightened her ponytail.

"Where should we start?" Demitri interjected.

"Good question," I replied, bringing a hand up to my forehead and pushing my hair back. "I think the most practical starting point would be to figure out whatever Anton is blackmailing Dario with, while Anna establishes communication between us and the Chancellor of Vampires."

My father stared pointedly at his sister. "Think you can handle that?" He asked sarcastically. She rolled her eyes.

"Yes, I can do that," she strained. It was hilarious to me just how uncomfortable the subject of vampires made her.

Dad clapped his hands together. "Great. Let's get this party started, shall we?"

Demitri laughed, giving him a high-five. "We shall."

Him, my parents, and I spent the next hour deciding the who,what, where, and how of learning just what Anton was holding over Dario's head, while Anna tapped into the Chancellors' telepathy stream. That was the sole method of communicating with them, as apparently, they didn't accept simple letters. The only people equipped to do what Anna was doing would be people at similar levels of authority.

"Let me just talk to him at school," I insisted, referring to Dario. "We're actually kind of friends, maybe he'll feel comfortable enough to tell me what's going on. I don't think this part of the task would require all of us at once."

"You're right," Dad said in agreement. "You do that, and relay whatever you find out to us, no matter how insignificant a piece of information may seem."

I thought back to the night Anton and his helpers had me trapped in their hideout. Dario didn't want to use his ability on me; he even refused. But what was it exactly that Anton said, that had pushed him to change his mind?

My breath caught in my throat. "Guys," I breathed. "I don't know what it is exactly that Anton has over Dario, but I think I know a good starting point." 

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Hey, sorry this took so long to upload, and yes, it's a bit shorter than usual. But I do hope you enjoyed it! Let me know what you thought in the comments, and vote if you enjoyed! Till next chapter!

~R.J. <3