Stolen

Alice shrugged, not really caring whether or not he liked it.

"That's a girl," Miracle encouraged. She was learning very well indeed.
Antony was frustrated. "But couldn't you have made me a normal person demon? Why do I have to be a cat mutant?"
"Oh, stop whining," Miracle snapped.

"No," Alice hissed swinging around, "I don't choose what demon you turn into! Your fate chooses it!" She grabbed Antony's collar and swung him to the ground. "Don't think for one second that I wasn't reluctant to bring down such a curse on someone I loved! You are too important to me! I..., I don't want to loose you." She stammed.
Alice sank down to the ground, sniffing a little. She took in a few deep breaths, but she just couldn't do it. She tarted to cry. Hard.

Miracle couldn't help thinking that Alice was acting like a little brat. She was the one who brought him down here in the first place, she was the one who brought his death on him, murdered him, she was the one who turned him into a demon. It was all her fault. She robbed him of life. Yet the guy asks an innocent question and she's the one who throws a spaz.
Miracle shook her head. Antony began to move towards Alice but the angel stepped forward and hit him, though not too hard. "Don't make a big fuss, it's just..." se nearly finished her sentence, it's just attention seeking behavior, but Antony was already at the girl's side, rubbing his sore neck where she had yanked his colllar and trying to comfort her.

Alice sniffed, wiping away her tears. She stuck her chin up defiantly, refusing to look at Antony. Her eyes narrowed for a moment, just before snapping open all the way, the redness growing inside of it.

"What's she doing?" Miracle asked. Antony shook his head. "I don't know..."

Alice got off her knees and stepped forward, not even making a sound with her movements. "Is someone there?" She asked calmly, her voice with the same tone as her mother's.

"I don't know, is there?" Antony whimpered. He scampered over to Miracle and clung to her leg. She shook him off, not even blinking.

Alice held her hand forward, looking directly at a shadow, drifting on the ground. "Come now, I promise you will be fine."
One by one, children came drifting out of the shadows, souls lost from war and plague. Alice looks forward, waiting for them to come closer. "Who are they?" She asked Miracle, not frightened by their hollowed out eyes. They could no longer see themselves into the light.

"Probably the still-births," the angel answered with a shrug. "I wouldn't really know; children were never my department. Whoever they were looked after is probably either dead or prisoner now." Miracle hated to think what this meant for her family.

Alice looked at each with sympathy and greeted them all with a curtsy. "Hello there, children." She smiled gently. "I will be your care taker for the time being."
The children looked at her in bewilderment. "Why?" They asked, their weak hearts suddenly beating faster.
"Because the others are gone." Alice replied calmly. "Now, come along," She took one of their small hands and it was suddenly alive again, its charred flesh turning to bone, then muscle, then skin. The little boy gazed up at Alice in wonder. She smiled down at him, and reached out her hand to rub his ears, now that of a dog's.
She began touching the other's heads, each one unique as a demon when revived. There were about 8 in all, their kind rare. Stillborns often find their way into the light, that is the reason their mothers are called 'Angel Bearers.' Either that, or they are reborn into the soul of another baby, yet to be born let alone thought of.

Miracle nodded. "Nicely done. Though their actual carer, if they are still alive, may be annoyed." Every bit of practice the girl could get she would need. Though , she seemed very skilled already. Sad that a child her age would know so much about demons.

Alice paid no heed but continued walking, well, skipping, forward, the children following in pursuit.

"Is anything going to explode?" Antony asked nervously. This made Miracle grin; maybe she could glean some fun out of tormenting this man.

Alice wondered about this. "Possibly." She answered. "Anything can happen!" She said, wagging her finger at the children like a teacher. "So we must always be prepared! Right, children?"
The children nodded, not really understanding what that meant.

"Things always explode here," Miracle said, leaning in close to Antony so he flinched away. "There are things here that'll kill you without blinking."

"If you do die, you will just return to me. We are bound together, you see." She touched each of the demon's fore heads, including Antony. She flashed a smile and continued forward. "There's no need to be afraid." She reassured them.

Antony gave a nervous laugh. "Forgive me if I am not consoled," he muttered dryly.
Miracle perked up as if she had heard something. She hissed something in a strange, sharp language, then paused. Again, she spoke, this time recieving an audible answer. Whatever she was talking to was getting closer.
"It's another angel, like me," she whispered in reply to Antony's confused look. "That's just what we need!" the cat/man demon whimpered.

Alice stepped forward defensively, her arms spread wide open to protect the children.

Miracle hurridly pushed the girl's arms down. "That could be interpreted as a sign or disrespect!" she hissed, a little worriedly. "Besides, it's okay, he's my brother."
The angel who stepped out of the shadows was a mortifying creature. He was almost twice Miracle's height and his appearance was three times as hideous. "What language am I speaking?" he asked as way of introduction.

"English, I suppose," Alice said, glaring at Miracle. "How do you do?" She asked him, her chin held high. She was not to be messed with!