Author's Note: Bah. This chapter took so long to write… sigh That's what writing block does to you. What really sucked is I also went on a drawing slump… That left me really bored and frustrated. To Le Luna, I'm glad you like the story so far! And just so you know, I got threatened by spork twice that day… And to Cold Drake Queen. I was gonna answer all of your questions in an e-mail, but your e-mail wasn't on your profile, so… it goes here. But it goes at the end of the chapter…

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Chapter 71: Mirror Mirror, On The Wall

Place: 17th Dimension Rift - Sari's Lab

Date: October 3, 2024

One of Pricilla's first thoughts the beginning of the next day was that maybe it all hadn't been such a good idea after all. This thought continued throughout the week. She had forgotten how independent she had been (and truthfully still was) and just how inquisitive she had been. Her counterpart (aptly nicknamed Echo for differentiations sake) had demanded to know everything that had happened since Pricilla had become Lordess and that in itself took up most of the day, since Echo asked questions at every pause for breath.

The Lordess wondered if she had always been so inquisitive that it had taken her so long to figure out that the people she had been hunting and killing weren't what she was being told the were. Echo shared the same sentiments, though hers led her to doubt what Pricilla was telling her. That caused more difficulties and when the explanations were finished and questions answered, Echo was silent. And she stayed that way for the rest of the day. It wasn't until when they were showing her to her temporary room that Echo turned to Pricilla and spoke.

"Don't expect me to do what you say just because you tell me to."

To give Sari credit, the scientist did not gloat about how she knew that this would be a bad idea. Or at least not to the vampire. She made a few offhand remarks to Matthew, who was being quieter than usual. The rest of her thoughts were, for the most part, kept to herself.

The following days were very quiet and tense.

"So are we going to keep Echo around?" Sari asked, eyes glued to the project in front of her. One hand was holding several wires while the other had a screwdriver jabbed inside the gadget. Matthew nodded from his position not to far away.

"For now," he said. "Pricilla was right about her giving us a better stand point."

"Echo said it herself that she's not going to do what we tell her. I mean, what if she follows the last orders she was given?"

"Hm?"

"Destroying the 'loopholes' as she thought-er- thinks of them."

"You mean killing Eric."

Sari's eyes raised from her project to Matthew, frowning. "That's exactly what I mean," she said. "I mean, she has someone she's been taught to hunt under the same roof as her. You think that she's not going to go after him because we told her it's bad?"

The angel paused, thinking this over. "I don't think she will," he said after a moment or two. "Echo and Pricilla are the same person at heart, even if five hundred years of memory separates them. If Pricilla has reason not to kill Eric, Echo will have a similar, if not the same reason."

The scientist blinked and tilted her head. "So what's she gonna do? Just back down?" A skeptical sneer passed over her features and she blew a strand of hair out of her face, having no free hands, before turning back to the box of wire and metal in front of her. She gave a sigh as a blinking noise from her watch made her pause her work again. She dropped the wires and screw driver, pushing back her sleeve to look at the large watch. "We have visitors," she said flatly, rising from her seat.

Matthew blinked, rose from his seat and followed in confusion.

---

"But I'm saying, if the egg came first, there's no possible way it could have gotten there with the chicken."

"And I'm saying there's no way the chicken could have gotten there if it weren't for the egg."

Ciepher's face scrutched up a bit. "So how did the egg get there?" he asked.

"The chicken," Usuakari answered.

"And how did the chicken get there?"

"The egg."

"What a minute," the general said, pausing in his walking. Usuakari stopped, looking back at him with a curious expression. "Why are we arguing about this? You know the answer, don't you? You were there."

Usuakari paused, blinked, then smiled and said nothing at all. Ciepher heaved an exasperated sigh as the black haired angel turned back around and started walking again through the halls of Sari's laboratory. Ciepher followed.

A familiar looking vampire rounded the corner, catching both of the angel's attention. Usuakari smiled broadly, quickening his step. "Pricilla!" he called, now catching the brunette's attention. She looked a bit startled and confused by their presence. She also looked a bit different. Her hair was no longer in it's usual ponytail, instead was only half up, the long strands falling down her back and making it clear how long it really was. She had abandoned the black trench coat and gloves and wore something that, while similar to her usual corset and jean look, appeared suddenly much more feminine.

Both of the angels sensed something was amiss and the following five seconds seemed to stretch a lifetime. It had dawned on Usuakari that Pricilla wasn't wearing a glove, and upon looking at her hand, was shocked to see it whole. Ciepher's eyes darted from the vampire's left hand to her face, then back again in slight surprise as Usuakari made a quick move to grab the formerly skeleton hand.

In the seemingly slowed down time, Usuakari had grabbed the vampire's hand and the vampire had promptly pulled it away. The air grew thick, signaling the vampire was casting a silent spell. In response, Ciepher drew Usuakari back a step with one arm and immediately threw up an energy shield before them.

The close proximity of the two cast spells sent all three flying backward.

Ciepher was the first to get back to his feet. He watched the vampire carefully as she rolled onto her feet. "She couldn't have gone purity again, could she have?" he asked the other quietly. Usuakari was climbing to his feet, watching the vampire just as warily. The brunette's head jerked up in a scowl and her eyes flashed yellow.

The black haired youth shook his head. "No," he said. "I'm not even sure that she's the Pricilla we know."

The brunette stood to her full height, her arms outstretched. The air around them tightened and Usuakari and Ciepher immediately jumped on the defense, preparing their own spells.

"STOP!"

The two angels faltered at Pricilla's voice which didn't come from the figure in front of them, but behind. Their heads turned to see the vampire they were used to seeing heading towards them, followed by Matthew and Sari. Without even a nod of acknowledgement to the angels, Pricilla moved past them to the girl who had stopped her spell casting.

Pricilla stopped in front of the other, their noses inches apart. "You are not to harm them," the Lordess told her look-alike sternly.

The other's yellow eyes narrowed. "You can't tell me what to do," she said with a hiss to her tone.

"But I can," Matthew said sternly, taking a step forward, though keeping his distance from the two vampires.

"Who is that?" Usuakari asked, pointing towards the second Pricilla.

"That is a mistake," Sari answered.

"That's Pricilla's lesser demon side, Echo," Matthew corrected.

"Same thing," the scientist mused.

Echo have a snort, her acid gaze moving from the others to Pricilla again. "You going to let your lover fight all your battles for you?" she asked in a low voice. Another snort of disapproval. "Status has made you weak." She took a step back, her glare constant for another moment of silence to let those words sink in. She then turned on her heel and stalked back down the hallway, away from the small group.

Pricilla took a deep breath, watching Echo walk away, a mixture of emotions bubbling up inside her. Finally she exhaled and stalked after her other half at a fast pace.

"Would someone mind explaining this?" Ciepher asked, unwilling to let his guard down.

"I told you," Sari muttered. "It was a mistake. And I can't take much more of this."

The Master of the Angels heaved a sigh and shook his head as Sari started walking in the opposite direction. He turned to his two angels. "We were short a member when Pricilla got the magic bind cast on her," he explained. "She thought it'd be a good idea to have some extra help around."

"So now you have two Pricillas?" the general asked, a bit of doubt in his voice.

The blonde paused for a moment, but in the end decided to dismiss the question. "Why are you two here?" he asked. "I wasn't expecting you for another few days."

"Just to update you on the trial against Bideo," the raven haired angel piped up. His smile, however bright it was, didn't reach his eyes. "The council wants the demon who got attacked to stand as a witness against him."

"But we can't do that," Matthew said. "If they find out just who she is…"

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Pricilla followed Echo to Faith's mirror room where the other stood in front of the full length mirror. The lordess frowned deeply. "I don't see why you aren't cooperating," she said darkly. Echo flung around, an angry face that Pricilla remembered all too well on her face.

"Not cooperating?" she asked, practically screaming. "It's because I don't believe it!"

"What's not to believe? I thought I explained it rather clearly."

"You!"

The elder vampire frowned a bit. "What about me?" she asked slowly.

"I don't believe you!" the younger vampire shouted, shoving Pricilla roughly with one hand. "There is no way that I become you. You! You who work with humans and angelics – our enemy! You who has become so weak that you must ally yourself with this kind of team. You who has fallen in love with-"

"Stop!" Pricilla shouted, her eyes darkening.

Echo shook her head, sneering. "You disgrace Andrew's memory."

"Andrew is dead," the lordess said sternly.

"So, what? Even your memory of him is gone?"

For a long time, the elder vampire was very quiet, choosing her words carefully. And Echo waited for the answer, half of her hoping that it would convince her. "You don't know what I know," Pricilla said at last.

The younger vampire threw up her hands. "You said earlier that you told me everything!" she shouted.

"Then you don't see what I see!" the lordess retorted. Words fell out of her mouth before she was conscience of them. She didn't stop them though. "There's something about Matthew. There's something I feel around him that I know I've felt before! I want to know that that feeling is!"

Echo shook her head slowly, still sneering. "Send me back."

"What?"

"Send me back!" the younger shouted, motioning to the full length mirror. "I don't want to be here anymore! I don't want to be subservient to part of myself that is so weak!" She strode away from the mirror, looking instead to the mirrors on the wall. "You… who fights for angels…"

The elder vampire's hands clenched at her side, the leather of the gloves cracking at the movement. "I do not fight for him," she said slowly. "I do not fight for angels. I do not fight for Andrew. I do not fight for Damian. I am the Lordess of the Vampires and I fight for no one but myself!"

The eyes of Echo's reflection in one of the mirrors flickered up to meet Pricilla's gaze. Six other reflections of the two of them stared back. A glimmer of understanding and consent flickered through Echo's eyes. Acceptance. Acknowledgement.

Their gaze was broken as a sudden rumble made the ground beneath them shudder. Both sets of eyes turned to the doorway and Pricilla sucked in a breath at the familiar presence she felt.

"He's come back."

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Answering Cold Drake Queen's Questions (for everyone else, these questions were left in a review and I figured I'd answer them… beware… lot of ramble commences now…)

Holy Crap. Okay. Lets see if I can answer all those questions. takes deep breath The story is over halfway done and the second book is in the planning stages. Yes, I know I should go back and edit those early chapters, however that is very time consuming and eventually I'm going to re-write the entire story in a more… well… up-to-date with my writing style way and improve it so it's not as jumpy and certain aspects don't suddenly change because I don't want them the way they are (like Lord Damien changes appearances half way through and Matthew and Teresa no longer have halos somewhere in the middle… smiles weakly)

Concerning the memories. Pricilla has lived 2000 years (yeah, she's old) as a vampire. These 2000 years have been filled with trials and tribulations, love and joy, and a million and one other things. After this long, she thought she knew who she was. Then suddenly, these dreams start happening. She doesn't see them as memories because she doesn't really feel connected to them because the woman that looks like her in these dreams is acting in a way she wouldn't. Because of different experiences, she's become a different person. She doesn't believe they are her memories because she doesn't WANT to believe they are hers. And as such, anything that reminds her of it, anything that points towards the conclusion that they are in fact memories she forgot, she pushes away (ie, Matthew). As for the motorcycle thing… every kick-ass hot chic, ESPECIALLY a vampire one, HAS to have a nifty mode of transportation. It… more or less suits her personality. She's a very independent, fast paced woman. Motorcycles are one rider and fast, so they suit her. And also, you have to realize that she is fighting very hard against the demon wars. Not many people believe her or believe in her (this also accounts for part of the reason why she doesn't have vampires directly following her orders), so she doesn't have many allies. While the gaining of a motorcycle was a wonderful deal for her, that was just the start of it. By now, Pricilla isn't concerned with the motorcycle. She's fighting with Sari and them because this is what she honestly believes. The motorcycle has become just a perk of the job. And further note on the "why doesn't she command her vampires" note, know that Pricilla isn't a good leader. She's very independent (as I stated before) and very prideful and as such, prefers to do things herself. She doesn't want people doing things in her name (it's not mentioned, but it bugs her), she would rather do them herself. There's also that issue that not many people believe or trust her. That includes her own people as well.

Matthew… yeah. You're not supposed to know much about him, but as it were, he's a simple character. He's probably the only 'pure' character in the story (him and Usuakari). He only truly knows one thing, and that is his love for Pricilla. Other things come and go, but his love is what stays and it's his drive for nearly everything he does. 'Touched by Chaos', I think I mentioned it a bit in one chapter, but it was a quick scene between him and Sari, so easily overlooked (gah, I'm forgetting my own story). Chaos is one of the Fallen. You find out more about her in the second book. And yes, Matthew is a brainless twit. So is Usuakari, and they are the most powerful in Heaven. But as I said, these two characters are 'pure'. They are indeed creatures of love and love alone (unlike most of the other angels, as you've noticed, who are, for the most part, corrupt). THAT is why they are the most powerful. Because they are the most angelic in nature. And the teleportation thing… In this story, Heaven, Hell, and Earth are viewed as different worlds, perhaps different dimensions of the same world. Through magic (or science) you can cross the boundaries of these worlds and travel through them (as with the dimension rifts). Heaven is harder to get into than the others because of Heaven's Gate and the Safe Guards. One can get into Hell quite easily, but uh. Honestly, who would want to go willingly?

Zell. I can't tell you what Zell's gonna do. That would be a spoiler. I can say he disappears for a while. But he'll be back.

The seven deadly sins. I don't think I've even mentioned them once. This isn't mentioned in this story, but will be in another is that the FIRST vampires created and the FIRST werewolves and the FIRST shadow demons… they were more the embodiment of those sins than the present demons. Just as the first set of angels were more virtuous than the present ones. The demon and angelic species have been tainted (for better or for worse) with human blood. In heaven, Usuakari is the only original angel alive. That means nearly everyone else in Heaven was re-born and eventually came back, or something along those lines, meaning they tasted human sin. They are more susceptible to it. Demons are the same way. (I'm excluding the Fallen when talking about demons, because they kind of… follow different rules) The first set of demons that Lucifer created are long since dead. They drew in humans to become part of them, as a bit of revenge against God, taking the creatures he 'favored over angels so they could no longer feel the warmth of his light'. However, the humanity has seeped into the demonic so present demons are capable of good. And Pricilla… well. She's different from most demons anyway….