Warrior Nun: Margo

"Guardians of the Realm: Ephesians 6:12"

Margo lay still in her bunk for a second before wiping the sleep from her eyes. She sat up slowly. Her head was throbbing, a side effect from the lack of oxygen. She was alone which was unusual considering she spent every waking moment with Marla, Simone, and Paige. It was silent and although it was something that she would usually crave, the silence put her on edge. She could feel it gnawing at her insides; it was like a void needing to be filled. She glanced around the dark dormitory. It wasn't the darkness of night but a hopeful darkness that happens just before the sunrise. As Margo's vision adjusted, she could see a distorted figure sitting in the corner.

"Hello?" Margo said faintly.

"Good morning my child," the voice said firmly.

"Who...who are you? Where am I?"

"You're at St. Joseph's."

"What happened?" Margo said rubbing her head.

"What do you remember?"

"I remember my father taking me to a small room behind the alter to be baptized I think and," Margo paused. She could feel a bandage wrapped around her wrist, "I remember being burned."

"You had an anxiety attack and passed out during your confirmation," the distorted figure rose from the chair and with assistance from a cane, walked toward Margo's bed, "on your way to the ground you knocked over incense. It burned you."

"The order," Margo whispered.

"What?" the voice said firmly, "speak up."

"I heard Father Maurice say that I am apart of the order," she said pulling of her bandage revealing her raw skin, "What have you people done to me!" she yelled.

"Silence," the voice demanded, "you will not raise your voice to me child," the voice scoffed.

"I—"

The figure took the cane and struck the edge of the bed. Margo's eyes widened. Her heart began to race. She felt like she was still sleeping because this couldn't be reality. As beams from the egg yoke sun poured through the crack of the blinds, the voice Margo was speaking with began to take shape in the form of a woman.

"Father Maurice was right. You have a rebellious nature," the voice ridiculed, "I am mother superior."

"Is this a joke," Margo asked rubbing her burn.

"No," she said swatting Margo's hand.

"Ouch," Margo said rolling her eyes, "well what can I do for you mother," Margo continued sarcastically.

"I'm sure you've heard about a secret sect of the church called the order of the cruciform sword or the OCS. Perhaps around one of your mouthy classmates."

"There have been whispers," Margo said quickly, "but what has that got to do with me. Aren't you all nuns?"

"For the most part," she said firmly.

"Well, I'm not a nun," she smirked.

"No. You aren't and that is not why I am here," she said as she paced back and forth, "I am here because the OCS is at war with the spiritual realm and because of this war we have desperately activated a classified sect of the OCS called the guardians of the realm."

"Guardians of the realm," Margo chuckled slightly, "what does that even mean."

"It means exactly how it sounds. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places," she quoted.

"So...what does this have to do with me?"

"You remind me so much of her," she said staring at Margo.

"Of whom?"

"Ava," she said with a faint voice, "she was reluctant to be recruited as well, but the halo chose her."

"Halo?"

"Yes," she said snapping back to reality, "I have no time to explain everything to you here. You must come with me immediately. You now bare the sacred mark of the archangel. You are a guardian of the realm."