An “Angel” Of Light!

Chapters so far (may vary):

Chapter 1 - A New Life

Chapter 2 - The Mansion

While I may still be a fan of Mandela Catalogue, I am also a really huge fan of Oceanliners and Titanic as a whole. As a result, I decided to make a secondary blog dedicated to it!

I couldn't help but smile so giddily as me and Iris both went inside my mother's mansion. Just as I initially thought that it was big on the outside, of course it was WAYY bigger inside! Not to mention, it was so beautifully antique as well! I stepped inside into the strangely cleaned living room which had furniture that was old, as well as a cleaned fireplace in front of them too. I walked around in the kitchen too, it was also clean! I was expecting any dust or mold spores but it looked like someone did a good job making my new home spotless! 

Iris grunted, trying to move my heavy bags into the mansion. I instantly went to her and helped by grabbing one of the luggage and neatly placing it on the wooden yet very stable floor. "Iris, this place looks absolutely amazing! Mom really did have an amazing lifestyle!" I commented so excitedly. 

Iris looked around and smiled. "Looks like your dad hired the right people to clean and restore this mansion." She said, walking around the living room and the kitchen. 

"Huh, you know I was weirdly expecting mold spores to appear..." Iris couldn't help but comment as she looked at the faucet. She shrugged and went back to me, patting me on the shoulder. 

"So, prima, what do you think?" She asked me, which I was personally appalled because look at it! The entire place! I laughed wildly and hugged her very tightly.

"I LOVE IT! Oh man I cannot wait to live here for the rest of my life! Oh I wish Mamá would see that I am gonna eat and sleep and rest here and- Augh, this is everything I dreamed about, Iris! Living in a fancy mansion that has everything that makes it better!!" I rambled so enthusiastically, zipping and looking around quickly at practically everything about the mansion. 

Iris went over to a pot that had only soil but no plant or flower. She shook her head and smirked. "What a pity. Your father couldn't even hire a florist too." She said so playfully. 

I went over and patted her on the shoulder. "Oh, Iris...Aren't you forgetting something?" I playfully asked before I went over to the pot and placed my hands on the dirt. As usual, I felt a tingling yet comforting sensation under my palms and a small and simple yellow flower grew tall. I pouted. 

"Yikes, not good enough..." I sighed. I did it again, and this time, I grew a vibrant marigold flower. I smiled proudly and stood up. 

"Not bad! Hmmmm...speaking of marigold, this mansion does need the good ol' Marigold touch." I remarked as I looked around the walls of the manor, now having the goal to make it feel more like home and what Mom would've definitely liked. I instantly grew beautiful green vines around, most that had brightly colored flowers and fruit growing around. They all climbed around the walls, the ceilings, and the chandeliers, only avoiding the windows and doors so that we can clearly see, exit and enter in and out of the place. 

"Woah there, big girl! Soon, you'll be pulling a Jack and the beanstalk here!" Iris chuckled as she stared at me doing the magic here. I just brushed it off with an excited comment and continued decorating the manor more until I finally stopped. Now it really felt more like home here than ever. 

"There you go! What do you think?" I asked Iris, who scanned the rooms and the walls around. She smiled and nodded her head. 

"Not bad, Olympia...not bad. Though I could do without the venus flytraps in front of me." Iris responded, pointing to the venus flytraps that were now right at her face. I giggled and removed them. 

"Sorry. Anyways, I'm gonna go find my own room!!" I said, instantly running to the staircase. I couldn't hear Iris yell out my name for my bags. 

~meanwhile (third person POV time)~

The Alternates all hid secretly behind the pantry, the cabinets, and the furniture, silently observing the woman, apparently named Olympia and her cousin Iris, that went inside their new residence. They could clearly hear the enthusiasm in Olympia and how giddily and excited she was about this mansion, which was apparently her Mom's old home. 

What really did surprise them was how Olympia behaved. Unlike most, if not all residents of Mandela County, assuming she was a new resident here, she was weirdly a lot more happier and less miserable than what they have witnessed in most people here in this county. She didn't act so creeped out about the manor or didn't even mind how strangely clean it was, instantly assuming that her father seemingly hired some crew to clean it up. Surely this would mean they would still attack her and inflict damage upon her mind, right? 

They continued observing her and Iris more, seeing how the former kept running and glancing around in a hyperactive child-like manner as she rambled on about how much she loves her mom's mansion. They were now even more conflicted over how they would get those trespassers out. I mean they literally found it first before them so it would be fair to at least kill them, possibly!

Then the most extraordinary thing happened right in front of their eyes: This woman growing a golden flower out of thin air from a pot filled with soil! But it gets even more stranger! She somehow grew a ton of vines around the inside of the manor, on the walls and ceilings! They grew around the alternates, in which they had to keep adjusting without any suspicion from the women. 

N was so speechless, like he just couldn't believe it! A human with powers. Powers! All this time, they were under the impression that humans were merely complete weaklings and cowards. Measly wastes of time and space created by God himself. Now there it was, a human with the powerful ability to grow plants around so easily with her mind! This was so impossible! How did she gain those powers? Was she born or cursed with them? N wanted to know answers, but he knew he and the alternates couldn't come out of their hiding...yet.

That was until she went upstairs, leaving her cousin behind, sighing and shaking her head. She stood there, stretching and yawning, feeling and hearing her joints crack. "Man I need a break..." She said to herself.

Now was their chance...maybe they can do something about this young woman rather than the other one. 

~meanwhile again~

"What do you mean?" Gabriel replied in a more passive-aggressive tone, making Six slightly more intimidated by the false angel but he quickly regained his composure to explain to him. 

"I mean two women that literally arrived here with their car and they are going inside! I am not even sure if they are mere explorers!" Six responded with an ever so slightly voice. Gabriel frowned more and slowly went out the door to deal with those invaders. Suddenly, he and Six heard footsteps coming from the staircase. 

"Crap! One of them is comin' here!!" Six whispered, his form frozen. Gabriel just faintly tilted his head and looked back at the hooded man. 

"Do not worry, Six. When the time comes, we will strike. Just wait." Hesaid in the most calm and monotonous way possible that made Six both excited and more worried. They both hid neatly in an obscure spot where they could see the woman walking out of the staircase and into the halls, but without her spotting them or being suspicious and paranoid from them. 

The woman smiled and suddenly, a lot of green vines and colorful flowers appeared around the walls and ceilings, much to the surprise and shock of Gabriel and Six respectively. 

"H-H-How the- the...How did she do that!?" Six gasped and tried to whisper as quietly as possible without audibly freaking out over this new predicament. 

"I am...not sure." Gabriel answered, as he was indeed in surprise over what this seemingly ordinary woman could do. 

"A weakling with unnatural powers. That is something that I have never witnessed before..." The antichrist couldn't help but comment on it as he observed the woman easily growing more vines around her. 

"How do we deal with her now?? She could easily overpower us!!" Six tried telling Gabriel the possible chance that this girl was much more powerful than they could underestimate, but of course, the latter highly doubted it. 

"We are more powerful than her, Six. I do not think she can attack us while she is obviously very distracted with our new home and her power itself." Gabriel explained to Six in that same calm, but this time with a tint of aggression in it. Six felt that he shouldn't sense the disagreement he held in his body against his true savior, but he unfortunately did. 

"B-But Boss-" Gabriel didn't listen to Six's pleas and complaints as he slowly yet quickly moved closer to the woman, who was now in one of the central rooms of the hallway and was exploring around. 

"Ooooh, I love this room! I'm keeping it!" She remarked so happily and excitedly, not realizing that the "angel" was already about to attack her. 

As she was decorating the room with her flowers and plants, Gabriel suddenly appeared behind her...Suddenly two of the grown vines that were in front of the woman came into life, startling her. 

They struck at the antichrist within a blur, blocking his demonic actions and protecting their creator. 

"Boss!!" 

(For easier storytelling purposes, I'll bold in Gabriel's words)

For a few weeks, they have been monitoring this big mansion, to make sure no pesky fleshy creatures invade this new planned home. Ever since their outbreak, many homes and a few churches (except for St. Gabriel's Church somewhat) had been destroyed or burned down to avoid more invasions with the Alternates, but it didn't always seem to work. If anything, it just made the problem worse! More and more alternates could continue to roam around nomadically and any human will stumble upon them and...well you know their fate. 

Still, they needed a place to settle in and rest from their daily missions of hunting every human out there with their mind changing abilities. They may be powerful demon-like creatures but even they need some sort of comfort and hospitality in a new home. 

St. Gabriel's Church was their old home many years ago and the Alternates were settled in very well at this place, until just months ago, it was burned down in half. They did attack and kill the people that started this mess, but they couldn't live there anymore due to the damages that were making comfort and hospitality difficult for the Alternates. Gabriel did thankfully notice this and decided they all needed a new home. He may be a monster, but he's not a total one to his creations (kinda...).

They stumbled upon a big house in a very remote area of this county, a mansion with many windows and a few balconies. This would mean more rooms for the alternates to settle down! On the exterior sides, there were a lot of vines, leaves, and plants spread around all over the windows, even on the front door too. This made Gabriel come to the conclusion that this was a very old mansion, and he never mind it at all. In fact, he liked old antique things, considering he was billions of years old.

Gabriel went to the front door and twisted the knob around. It was locked. Six, who was self taught to be a professional lock picker for certain missions in case his victims didn't have television, went forward and picked the lock with a few small tools he collected over the weeks to help him with his skills. Gabriel opened it and inside was dirty and musty, but otherwise, a graceful sight. The ceilings were high with a couple chandeliers. The living room was elegant and big, with many furnitures placed there, most of them were old. A brick walled fireplace was in front of the chairs and couches, filled with soot and ashes. Next to the living room was a kitchen, but it was filled with dust and a few mold spores. There was indeed a faucet and a stove, along with an oven as well, but they were all dirty as well, with the faucet having more mold spores. 

"Hm, what a mess." Gabriel commented as he and his creations walked around. The false angel ran a finger along a dusty counter, feeling the uncomfortable yet familiar, fuzzy contents under his digit. He soon saw a flower pot nearby which only had soil but it had no plant nor flower grown on it. 

"Are you sure we can live here??" Six asked, both unsure and disgusted as he opened a few drawers out of curiosity. 

"We've got no choice, Six. This is the only one we could find throughout this county.." N replied to him, sitting on one of the old couches, instantly regretting it as he felt something wet under him. He stood up and went over to the rest of the Alternates.

"It may not be too late to clean up this new home." Gabriel announced as he spotted a bunch of cleaning supplies in the kitchen pantry. 

Six shrugged and went over to grab a broom. "Fine by me, as long as we can get all the soot out of here and I get to relax." He responded bluntly. N rolled his eyes and grabbed the rest of the supplies, handing all of them out to various Alternates, including Stanley and the Preacher. Operation Alternate cleanup had began. 

While the Alternates were first busy cleaning all of the dust, spores, and dirt out of the living room and kitchen before the rest of the rooms, Gabriel, out of his own curiosity since he had this feeling sometimes, went upstairs to the nearby beautiful staircase and looked around at the walls that were between the stairs, yet at the same time, were not closing in on him as well. As he went up this spiral trail, across the walls were a bunch of stained glass windows, most of them covered in vines. He removed some of those vines, revealing intricately patterned art on most of the windows. A few of them were either cracked or have irregularly shaped holes on them. He overall found them rather uninteresting. 

He continued walking through the staircase until he finally reached the end. He was now inside a hallway filled with many doors that led to the many rooms the mansion had. He decided to open one of them that was nearby the staircase. It was a cozy office room with a king sized bed laid out on the left and an antique desk and chair across it. There was a huge window with closed curtains at the center of the wall that was across the "angel". Most of the contents were dusty, no surprise there, but not as much as the living room and kitchen was. Gabriel instantly chose this as his room to rest from now on. 

As he walked around the room, he saw a couple vases, and this time they had flowers, but they were dead, drooping on the wooden floor depressingly. Gabriel gently grabbed one of the flowers and examined it. It was a rose whose colors were somber and dark, some of its shriveled petals attached to it while the rest were laid on the floor. It was almost amusing yet he pitied the flower. 

"How pathetic..." He said softly as he let go of the lifeless rose. Gabriel soon went over to the large bed and placed a hand on the covers. It was still surprisingly soft and comfortable despite many years of abandonment. He went to the window and opened the curtains, the bright sun shining onto him immediately, though it was partially blocked by the vines covering the glass. Still, it was a beautiful sight to see and he couldn't help stare at the forest in front of the mansion. Maybe this could be a good home for him and his creations to stay at-

"Boss!" Six yelled for him as he suddenly came in, his hands to his knees as he panted and breathed heavily from running all the way upstairs to the false savior. 

Gabriel turned around and looked down at him in a stoic yet intimidating expression. "Um...we..uh.. got a bit of an issue here..." Six said, looking up at him. 

"What is it?" He asked, his voice mixed with irritation. Six stood up straight and opened his mouth to answer his question.

"...There's two humans coming here..."

(Also apologies if I made OOC stuff here-)

Next chapter

(I am back from the grave everyone, have fun reading this!)

I was busy putting nearly all of my belongings in boxes around my family's house, with my dad, my uncle, and my cousins helping me out, including Iris. While I couldn't see it, I would very much tell that they were emotional from me leaving them to start a brand new chapter in my 21 years of life. I could not blame them at all. While I was feeling excited and optimistic about this new adventure, I was still very sad to leave them here, but that's all a part of growing up, right? Someday, you'll have to leave your family nest to pursue your new life that is right in front of you. 

Anyway, I was super excited to live at my mom's old house in Wisconsin, as she and her own family, even from many generations ago, lived there! I looked at an old, rustic yet beautiful photo of this house, or rather a mansion, because it was huge with many windows! I automatically assumed that this meant more rooms to explore for myself! I also saw that there were a lot of green leafy vines surrounding the entire house, especially on the walls and windows, which, to me, gave off a really peaceful vibe about this house. While I had no idea what really happened to my mom right after I came into this world, I did know that I would be living in her legacy from now on, both literally and figuratively.

I looked at an old postcard from 2009 that my uncle gave to me recently, as he collected postcards all the time as a hobby, which Iris (who is his older daughter) and the rest of the family found strange but I thought it was pretty dorky and adorable, as I liked all dorky and adorable things. It was a colorful, nature-like postcard that said "Come visit Mandela County, Wisconsin!", which was where my mom's mansion had been built many centuries ago. While I had no doubts or negative feelings about Mandela County, Iris, being the more smarter (and slightly annoying) one, was more or less the opposite. 

She taught me something about this county that, to her, made it extremely dangerous: Alternates. Strange, demonic-like, creatures that can inflict a disease called Metaphysical Awareness Disorder, or M.A.D. Basically, if you get this disease, you are probably the most unluckiest person in the entire world. Iris kept telling and arguing with me that those creatures were extremely harmful for me and anyone else on this entire planet to go near in this county, but I still held that goal of living in my missing mother's home strongly to my heart. How could I refuse this? This was someone that would have been important as my dad was in my life, but she disappeared. So I just brushed it off. Along with Iris, my father was worried about me too. He very much badly wanted to go with me to the old mansion but I refused to let him go. He was already in his mid 50s and to me, that was way too old for him to drive me literally hours from Florida to Wisconsin. I couldn't let his worries and pressures get to his health. My uncle brushed it off, as he believed my optimistic personality would be way more powerful than the Alternates. Iris and Dad were unamused by his jokes about it.

As I put down the postcard and added the rest of my belongings in my boxes and bags, I sneezed, causing a bunch of flowers and vines to grow uncontrollably around the walls of the living room. I, along with my family, soon had one thought in mind other than my new home: my powers. 

I was born with the ability to manipulate, animate, and grow flowers and plants, inherited by my mother. When I was just a toddler, every time I would curiously touch or walk on the soil, flowers and grass would appear under my hands and feet, but it wasn't too bad, except for when little me and my dad would go out to the park and I would often run around the grassy ground and more grass and colorful flowers would pop out, forming a trail behind me, much to the mesmerized shock of some kids and their parents. Because of this, my dad would often had to monitor how I play in the park. I managed to control this however. As I grew older to around preteen and teenager age, my emotions made it hard me to control this increasingly powerful ability. If I was angry or feeling any negative emotion, I would either have a dangerous, often prickly or poisonous plant growing near me, or any beautiful or normal plant surrounding me shriveling up and dying in the most uncomfortable way possible. I still went to public school because it really never happened every day, just maybe once or twice a week. 

I loved growing any flower and any plant, heck even any tree, though it takes a lot of energy to grow a single tree. My favorite flowers were daisies, roses, daffodils, bluebonnets, lilies, and marigolds. While I never really liked poison ivy, I didn't mind them as much as I was immune to this kind of plant, along with some other poisonous plants too. I would easily make all species of plants grow and become animated, filled with life inside of them, from the most common species to some rare species. I say, some, because the rest of the rarest species took a lot of time and energy for me to grow as much as a single tree would from my hands. One time, I had tried growing a Rafflesia arnoldii, a well known parasitic flower notorious for its rotten corpse smell, and I fainted in the process, waking up in a hospital hours later. While I was considered powerful by my family, even the strongest ones have some limits. 

I was uncomfortable by how whenever I often walk in public, trees and plants nearby me would groan and move towards me, and it was sometimes visible to any witnesses or to my peers around me. I tried to avoid this as quick as I could as this happens often, just running or walking fast like my life depended on it. Most of the time, I would either have my dad or a family member, come with me and make me feel a little more comfortable while walking in public to ease this common predicament. And for the past couple years, they have taught me how to control this kind of ability. This made me a little nervous since I'll probably have nobody to guide me in the future of my new journey. However, I guess there was only one way to find out...

I often kept my ability a total secret from my friends and peers. I mean, how would I tell them that I was born with the power to grow and animate plants?? Obviously if I did tell them, they wouldn't believe this at all, as it clearly looked and felt fictional, so I mostly just hid it to myself. But it was really difficult. Even though I had a family member always coming with me to help calm down my uncontrollable powers, sometimes, when I walked with my friends in public places without my family member with me (cause, no offense, they can be a bit embarrassing at times), more trees and plants would move and groan towards me. Whenever that happens, I would try my best to walk as fast as I could ahead of them so that I could get out of this situation, without making them feel suspicious of me.

After many days and hours of packing up, I finally put the last of my belongings in one of the boxes! It was finally time for me to go to my new mansion! I put most of the packed up boxes in a rented moving truck and the rest in my car. I later had one last lunch with my entire family. We all joked and laughed around, but I could tell they were deep down really saddened to see me go. When our lunch ended, I gave each of my family members big emotional hugs (except for Iris, since she was going with me to the mansion to help me settle in before she could go back here at Florida), saving the best for last, my father.

He was crying the most. When my mom mysteriously vanished, he made it his goal to provide me with the best life I could ever deserve as his little girl, even when I was born with plant powers. He helped me navigate through the worse times, taught me how to control my powers, and most of all, helping me become strong and confident throughout my life, even though I never had a mother in my entire life. He did indeed miss her very much to the point where he wouldn't even go out on a date with another woman, as he thought this would mean he was replacing my mom with someone else. 

Our hug lasted longer than with the rest of my family members, before I pulled away and kissed his cheek. All of my family members did a big tearful group hug together before we all pulled away. 

"I'm gonna miss you all so much..." I said to them, wiping away my happy yet sorrowful tears. My dad patted my cheek gently to soothe me one last time, like he always did when I was little. 

"We're gonna miss you more, Olympia...our little flower." He said to me before giving me a kiss on the forehead. 

Iris soon looked at the time and then at me, pushing up and adjusting her round glasses. "Olympia, it's time." She said to me softly. 

I took a big deep breath and grabbed my bags. We all went outside as me and Iris got in the car. I slowly came out of the driveway, but not before waving goodbye to Dad and our entire family, who all waved back and yelled goodbye. 

My top priority: moving to Mandela County, Wisconsin.