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Chapter 30 - God's Children

The cataclysmic natures exploding in the room scared Jamelet, Summer, and Natalie. In all the years of testing the girls’ powers – they never imagined that the girls could produce such strength. The boys had even seemed to emasculate their powers to great heights. Howie had joined the battle with great surges of electricity. Each man that had tried to touch Howie exploded with huge volts of power. Jamelet watched as more bodies fell upon the floor, splattering huge heaps of blood upon the gray floor. Two bodies of what seemed to be Cyrus and Steeles were smoldering within a huge heap of bloody limbs as Paige and Alison joined to defeat another swarm of guards.

Jamelet felt her heartbeat quicken as she turned back to Summer and Natalie. Something seemed wrong within the picture before her. The girls and boys were winning without much of a fight from the opponents. Cyrus and Steeles would provide better protection of their desired guards. Jamelet bit down on her bottom lip, turning back to Summer and Natalie. It was then that she noticed Ana’s body had disappeared. Her eyes went wide in shock. “Natalie and Summer?” Jamelet trailed with sickness.

“What?” Summer asked with confusion.

“Where is Ana?”

“The drugs were still…” Natalie glanced at the bare spot. The only evidence of Ana’s body was a small puddle of blood. Natalie shivered as she watched the blood begin to crystallize into tiny slivers of ice. It wasn’t a good sign. “Ana’s gone!”

“That’s what I was saying!” Jamelet complained.

“Where is she?” Summer hissed.

“I-I-I don’t know!” Jamelet screeched.

*~*~*

Ana’s head clouded from the medications as she was dragged along the floor. She stumbled to gather her balance. Her head pounded from the blow from the butt of the gun. A steady stream of curses could be heard from her abductor. She struggled to gain her footing, only to find the man wrenching upon her neck with more pressure. She yelped softly at the throbbing in her body. It felt as she was enveloped in a cloud of confusion.

“Howie,” Ana suddenly called through the graininess of her voice.

“Howie is busy,” a voice snarled.

As soon as the voice invaded her hazy mind, Ana began to choke on a putrid smell of burnt flesh. Ana opened her eyes, focusing on the image that was dragging her by the neck. She faced a pair of dark gray eyes. Her mind blanked immediately – it was Steeles.

“GET OFF ME!” Ana shrieked, reaching up to grasp Steeles by the wrists. Her mind flooded with images of icy terror. She heard him laugh, slamming her onto the ground. She gagged as the wind was knocked out of her lungs. She struggled for another breath as Steeles continued to laugh. She stared at the white lines encasing her soul. She felt the icy exterior of her body cease to be. She struggled to orient herself as Steeles forced her onto her knees within circle of blood-red lines. Something began to drain her energy.

“Give into the temptation, Anastacia. You are in the ritual circle now. This was drawn with the blood of your friends. We took them during testing for this specific act. Cyrus is dead by Mr. Carter’s foolish actions. I managed to fall into some sort of water… Provided by Paige’s act of ignorance. That’s not the point. Now, you’re in my home. You are where I need you to conquer. You will open the portal of Hell for me. You will call your friends out and block them from defeating me. You find yourself getting weak, don’t you, dear? The mixing of your friends’ blood is drawing your energy away. You will give into the temptations – don’t worry about that. Such a pretty child. Aren’t you dear?” Steeles cooed softly behind her, antagonizing her.

Ana swallowed against the dryness of her sore throat. The nature of her body was rebelling. Her eyelids fluttered feverishly. It felt like her body temperature was rising. “Go to Hell,” she whispered.

“Precisely,” Steeles answered indignantly. He reached down and snatched her wrist into his hands. He held a small dagger with a foreign inscription upon the blade. Ana looked up at him lazily, becoming revolted at his appearance. His skin was tinged with blackness. Huge chunks of flesh began peeling off his forearms. The smell of death lurked within Ana’s nasal passages. She gagged as Steeles began speaking in a foreign language. Ana recognized it as Latin, but couldn’t translate the words.

Ana hissed in agony as Steeles dug the blade deep within her wrist. The pain exploded within her wrist as sharp squirts of blood began to taint the circle of her friends’ blood. Instantly, her body heated with an intense fire. Ana screamed out, calling the attention of everyone else. The intensity of the fire within her soul sent her flying onto her back. She convulsed within the circle as the blood pooled against the bloody lines. Steeles began to scream the words of Latin.

She screamed at the pressure building against her chest.

The fire raged within her soul.

The ground began to cool.

Ice tinged with Ana’s blood formed beneath her trembling body.

More fire licked at her insides.

She screamed out in Latin phrases.

Suddenly, bursts of ice shot out from Ana’s hands. They traveled against the ground, searching for the Dark Angels of the Lord. Immediately, the ice consumed Brian, Kevin, AJ, and Alison. Their bodies froze and became incased within a cocoon of ice. Each body fell to the floor with heavy weights. Steeles grinned with delight, whispering: “Man of Death – Brian. Man of Visions – Kevin. Man of Tangible Mind – Alexander. Woman of Heart – Alison. The Devils true patriots.”

The guards ceased to fight as the ice encased their own bodies. Before they could react, they screamed in torment. Their organs became to expel from their rotting flesh. Icy organs spilled upon the floor, drawing a thickening black hole within the center. Howie, Rose, Paige, Nick, and Kimberly stood in complete shock.

“ANA!” they screamed.

It was too late.

Steeles began to chant against them, drawing the blade across Ana’s left wrist. Her body fed the flames of her soul. She screamed out again as sweat began to break out in beads across her clammy forehead. Her blood poured against the circle, enlarging the portal of blackness. Suddenly, strong icy hands seized Kimberly, Rose, Paige, Nick, and Howie. They screamed out as they were dangling over the engulfing black hole. They tried to free themselves, but it was useless. The cold hands clung to their bodies, freezing against their skin.

“God’s True Angels… Angel of Earth – Kimberly. Angel of Waters – Paige. Anger of Winds – Rose. Angel of Fires – Nickolas. Angel of Sun – Howard. Angel of Ice – Anastacia,” Steeles answered, trembling with delight. He bent down toward Ana’s immobile figure. He ran his finger along the blood red lines, placing it against his tongue. The black hole began to spark with fires. Steeles held the final task. He pushed Ana to the edge of the circle, allowing her to stare into the black hole. She was braced against her knees – her blood continuing the pour from her wrists.

“Anastacia, look at what you created. This is your life. You were God’s strongest angel, but I defeated you. The devil prevailed over your weak soul. You couldn’t even save the man you hold strong affections for. Look at him, dangling above the portal. Once I complete the final incantation, his soul will be dropped into the pits of Hell. He will be tortured for the rest of eternity. But you can save him.”

Ana remained silent, trying to fight the grogginess of pain.

“I only truly need your powers to control Hell. Sacrifice your powers and life, and your friends will remain unscathed. I promise you that,” Steeles challenged.

“DON’T ANA!” Howie screeched as the ice began to choke him.

“ANA!” Jamelet, Natalie, and Summer cried.

“Your choice, Ana. Die or let others die,” Steeles continued. “You’ve plagued these people since you were born. Your own mother feared you. How can you continue living this life with that guilt? You killed your stepfather. Do you remember that? Don’t you remember your mother’s face? That’s the reason she locked you away with me. She couldn’t have a murderer as a child. Now, you want to murder your friends? You would rather let them die? So, what’s your choice, Anastacia? What road will you take toward God?”

Ana fell silent, letting her eyes slip closed. Death seemed almost too present in her mind. Steeles continued to taunt her within her dreamless agony. Panic continued to brew in her chest. She felt as if her body were still licking with intense flames. She could hear her friends screaming for salvation.

Death or murder?

Live or die?

Save or sacrifice?

Be God’s Angel or the Devil’s Advocate?

Ana wetted her drying lips, squeezing her eyes shut. She would not cause her friends’ death, nor would she accept her own death. It was an accident with her stepfather. She was only a child and had already asked for God’s forgiveness. He loved her. Ana felt tears trickle down her hot cheeks. She called out for God’s help. She prayed for Him to take away the pain. She prayed for Him to give her the strength to carry on.

Suddenly, Ana’s body temperature started to fall. Her mind became extremely clear as God wrapped His arms around her in a protective embrace. She no longer feared Steeles. She imagined her icy palace. The snow was falling gently against the banks of snow. With the images - her skin turned an icy blue as her eyes whirled with complete white irises, as if her eyes were toiling within a blizzard.

“Anastacia, what are you doing?” Steeles cautioned wearily.

Ana ignored his wavering voice. Her skin turned a deeper blue than before. Tiny cracks began to split against her flesh, peeling back. She imagined the poles of the earth.

Extreme cold.

Forbidding ice.

Cold.

Ice.

Hail.

Freeze.

Within an instant, Ana’s body exploded into several slivers of sharp ice. The elements of her body sliced through Steeles like shearing knives. He gasped as blood spurted from the arteries of his body. The icicles peeled large amounts of flesh away from his body. Steeles’ blood continued to seep into the blood circle as the icicles rained upon the cold ground. He fell forward against the circle, causing the portal to explode with heat. Howie, Kimberly, Nick, Paige, and Rose fell out of the air and slammed onto the ground where the portal to Hell had been. Kevin, Brian, AJ, and Alison began to melt from the cocoons of ice.

Ana’s body quickly melted back into her human form. She lay against the cold ground, breathing heavily. In all her years of possessing the powers – she had never formed her entire body into ice. She sat up, still breathing heavily. She watched as everyone pulled themselves together. Cyrus lay within the corner – dead. The guards were slaughtered. Steeles lay upon the floor – dead. Ana glanced down at her hands - noting that the wrists held no evidence of cuts. She started laughing hysterically as Howie collapsed beside her.

“Ana?! Ana?! Are you okay?!” he blurted, drawing her into his arms. Ana continued to laugh hysterically as tears were beginning to trail down the corners of her eyes. Jamelet, Summer, and Natalie burst from the small vehicle, running toward the group. They checked to make sure everyone was okay. Everyone stared at Ana with confusion. “Ana, sweetie?” Howie cooed.

“Guess what?” Ana announced with a giddy smile.

“What?” Howie asked.

Ana listened to the chiming of a clock signaling midnight. She glanced to make sure that Cyrus and Steeles were actually dead. They were. Ana started laughing again. She smiled as she leaned up and brushed her lips against Howie’s cheek. “I’m officially eighteen!”