Dedicated to @Kaz67BadWolf

"Uhm... Surprise?" - Harlynn Pierce

Chapter XVIII

"Alec is getting take-out," Ana said when she opened the door leading to Alec's apartment, my hand still in the air ready to knock. "He'll be back soon."

"What's he getting?" I asked as I walked past the red-head.

"Chinese!" Ana replied with a wide grin. When she saw my look, she added. "Don't worry. He's getting your soup and fried bananas."

"He better," I grumbled and we both laughed.

I saw Ana's eyes drift down towards the sports bag. "What's in there?"

"A magical sword," I replied with a blank expression. Ana laughed and walked further into the home, shaking her head. I grinned to myself as I followed her. I knew my friends and I knew that if I acted skeptical, they would try to steal my bag to see for themselves. If I said something 'ridiculous' they often left it alone.

I placed both my bags next to the couch and looked towards the kitchen, where I saw Ana rummage around in Alec's cupboards. She pulled out a few plates and some cutlery. "Get some drinks, will you?" She called at me.

"Sure," I replied, walking towards the fridge in Alec's small kitchen and pulling it open, taking out a bottle of coke and some pineapple juice. I helped Ana to put everything on the table in front of the TV and when that was done the only thing we had to do was wait for Alec to arrive.
.

"I'm back!" Alec yelled as he walked into his own home, his arms full of plastic bags.

"Do you have the food?" Ana asked, her eyes glued to the TV in front of us. Ana had connected Alec's laptop to the TV and we were currently watching Game of Thrones.

"Of course I do," Alec scoffed. "I never forget food!"

"Once you forgot the get the pie," I reminded him. I could hear him wince and I smirked slightly. "And we cannot forget that one time where you forgot to buy bread and had no lunch for a day."

"Okay, okay, I get it," he muttered. Me and Ana high-fived. "Let's just eat and watch," he glanced towards the TV, "Game of Thrones."

Alec sat down between us and put the bags in front of us. He started unpacking our food and we divided it among us, bickering as we did so.

"Those fried bananas are mine!" I complained, ripping them out of Alec's hold. I glared at him. "You don't even like them, so give them to me. Those are mine." He held up his hands in surrender and backed away from my bananas.

After five minutes, the food was equally divided – somewhat – and we started eating as we watched TV. Occasionally we made some comments on what happened or we bickered about something, but most of the time we were quiet as we watched.

After we finished our food and sometime after we watched Daenerys being badass, Ana excused herself to the bathroom. "Do you want me to pause it?" I offered.

"Nah," she declined, "I've seen this show so often. It's alright. Just keep watching, I'll be back soon."

"Suit yourself," Alec replied, his eyes glued to the screen.

"Stop obsessing over her," I laughed at him, believing his crush on the dragon mother to be hilarious.

Alec shrugged his shoulders. "I'm still a guy," he said, "and a guy can dream."

Our conversation was disturbed when we heard a blood-curling scream coming from the bathroom. Me and Alec shot up, both our eyes wide. Ana, I thought in horror, recognizing the scream.

Alec had already jumped up from his seat and was holding a plant as make-shift weapon. His dark eyes went shortly to me and widened drastically. "Is that a sword?" He asked.

Looking at my friend in bewilderment, I looked down at my hand. Without myself even knowing, my hand seemed to have reached for Glorious.

I was holding the sword tightly. As always, Glorious softly hammered in my hand like a beating heart, making the adrenaline pulse through my veins like a wildfire. "Uhm..." I said, trying to think of something. "It's cosplay."

Alec's eyebrows shot up and his mouth opened, but before he could say something I quickly added, "Let's check on Ana." Alec nodded and both of us sprinted towards the bathroom, me having a slight head-start.

I kicked open the door and jumped inside, blade ready to kill whatever monster was stupid enough to harm my friend. Alec jumped in next to me, holding the plant over his head. My gaze immediately found my red-haired friend cowered in the corner of Alec's bathroom. Not immediately finding the thread, I turned towards Ana to tell her what was going on, but then I saw it.

My eyes widened and I took a step back, my hands started to get clammy and I winched slightly.

"What?" Alec asked, noticing my little panic attack. "What is it? A demon? Oh crap, it's a demon is it not?"

"It's worse," I squeaked, "much worse."

Then Alec saw it as well. "Holy mother of sin," he said wide-eyed. "That undoubtedly is the largest spider I have ever seen."

Why does it have to be a spider out of all things? I mentally complained. Why not a wendigo? Or even a bloodthirsty dragon would be better...

"That thing is a monster!" Ana shrieked, having ran over to us and hiding behind us. "It's not a normal spider!"

"No kidding Sherlock," Alec replied sarcastically, "just look at its size!"

"Not the time Alec," I hissed at my friend, my eyes never leaving the thing.

They were right though. It's not an ordinary spider. Unless spiders suddenly got as large as a small car.

"We should get out of here," I warned my friends, "back away slowly."

I could hear them shuffle backwards, but before I could leave the bathroom, the door slammed closed before I could do so.

Glancing backwards, I tried the doorknob once. It wouldn't budge. "Oh crap," I complained.

"Harlynn!" Both Alec and Ana yelled in panic, pounding on the door.

"I'm fine!" I yelled back. "Get out of here! I know what I'm doing, believe me!" My gaze went back towards the monster and I forced my racing heart to calm down. I hate spiders. I really really hate spiders. I held Glorious tightly in front of me, the blade vibrating wildly in my hold.

The spider crawled down, one of its monstrous hairy legs crushing Alec's toilet to pieces. A low rumbling left the creature and a grin found its way on my face as I started to feel the thrill and excitement that came before battle. "Come and get me, you son of a bitch." I muttered, narrowing my eyes - forcing my fear and nerves away for now.

Furious flames appeared and danced across Glorious' hilt and the spider backed away, its eight eyes focused on the angelic flames. I slashed at the spider, flames torching the air and the spider hissed, backing away. The monster slashed at me with one of its hairy legs and I blocked it with my blade.

The angel blade cut through the leg, almost slashing it off. The monster spider shrieked loudly, backing away and crashing into the wall. When I had cut the spider, a shockwave went through my body and I clenched my teeth shut when an invisible force threw me away.

I stood up on shaking legs and focused on the monster – or as well as I tried to at least. Glorious was pulsing in my hold like a raging thunderstorm that wanted to let loose and unleash its terrifying power. I tightened my hold on the hilt, afraid that its power might destroy the entire apartment-complex – you never know for sure just what magical weapons are capable of...

The sword did not seem to agree with my decision. It pulsed more wildly and more furious, I could feel its vibrations deep within my soul and I clenched my teeth shut tightly, drawing blood to my lips. "Come on, Glorious," I muttered under my breath. "We only have to destroy the spider. Not all of New York." Or the entire continent.

While I was distracted with the blade, the spider slashed at me with one of its large hairy legs. Glorious emitted a sound that almost sounded like an alarmed shriek and my feet seemed to move out of its own, jumping out of the way. My eyes widened in surprise.

That wasn't me, I thought, my mind racing. I glanced down at the angel blade. Did it just took over my body? I thought in alarm, not sure what to think of it. Sure, it might have saved my life by making me jump out of the way, but still... having your body taken over and not being able to control your own actions – however short – has something odd and almost creepy about it.

Right after Glorious made me jump, I had control back once more. I jumped up high in the air, and just as when I destroyed the ventula, I did not think about my actions – I just acted. Right when I was jumping, memories flooded my mind. All in less than a millisecond. And they weren't my own either.

Horrendous and enormous monsters I couldn't even begin to comprehend surrounded me, the flames of Glorious being the only guiding light as I fearlessly charged forwards – fire slashing at darkness.

I stood on a battlefield surrounded by blood and fire. The fallen bodies of my comrades and enemies everywhere.

Thousands of memories and scenarios flashed behind my eyelids. And after a while I realized that they were the memories of the Archangel Gabriel, transferred to me from Glorious.

As if a renewed energy grew within me, I held up the flaming sword as I dived down towards the monstrous spider and pierced it into one of its greenish black eyes. The spider howled as Glorious flared up even brighter and the flames of Heaven consumed the spider and turned it towards a pile of ashes within as much as a second. Some of the flames have hit myself as well, but it did not seem to hurt me.

Landing on my feet, I stared down at the ashes, Glorious still burning fiercely in my hold. I kneeled and stared at the ashes. "That's what you get for messing with the wrong person, you bastard," I whispered before I stood up once more.

The door to the bathroom slammed open and I whirled around in bewilderment, Glorious zooming and ablaze in hot flames.

Alec and Ana literally fell inside the – now destroyed – bathroom. Ana fell first with a shriek and Alec landed right on top of her. Alec looked up and when his eyes fell on me they widened to the size of soup bowls. Ana was pushing at his chest, trying to get him off but Alec wouldn't budge – too captivated by the golden-white flames that danced across Glorious' hilt.

Finally, Ana looked as well to check what made Alec so widemouthed and her expression pretty much matched his.

Oh crap, my subconsciousness cursed.

They finally stood up, still staring at me wide eyed.

Mentally forcing Glorious' flames to disappear, they did and I turned towards my friends with a lump in my throat.

"WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!" Ana shrieked loudly.

"Uhm..." I stammered unsure. "Surprise?"

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Alright then... the next chapter is finally here. I'm sorry it was kinda on the late side XD I had a vacation and afterwards I had an operation (I had my wisdom teeth removed - no fun). But I'm back now, okay?

Anyways, with that said and done, make sure you let me know what you thought of the chapter!

Ana and Alec know (kinda), how will that turn out? What will Harlynn tell them? What did you thought of the monster spider? Are you scared of spiders? The memories Glorious transferred to Harlynn, you think they mean anything?

If you're one of those people who's waiting for Lucifer to reappear once more... don't worry, he will make another appearance in the book soon enough - he's getting kinda impatient XD

In the meantime, make sure you also comment below (or here in an in-line comment) all kinds of dares and questions for ANY character. As long as this character has made at least one appearance in the books, you can ask/dare them anything :)

Until the next time then.

Hugs and knives,

- Luci