Angels of Death

I

An early morning sunrise was never something Lina was particularly fond of. Shielding her visage with the sheets of her bed, darkness once again reigned in the absence of light. Lina always liked to think of it that way. The darkness was only an absence of light, just like the cold was only an absence of heat. Yet, she never saw hate as an absence of love. Lina liked to think hate and love were two sides of the same coin.

"Rosalina Kincardine!" called the strict and annoyed voice of her mother, Louisianna Kincardine. Lina's family always had normal names that were spelled in strange ways, apart from hers. Yet again, the name she was more known as was more commonly spelled with an E in place of the I. Louisianna was a woman of shortness. Much like Lina herself. Louisianna being one hundred and sixty four centimetres, Lina was only four centimetres shorter of her mother. The resemblance Lina bore to her mother was something people often liked to point out, much like her best friend from where she used to live, Sarah Li - more commonly known as Li - had done once. Lina had replied with; "Yeah, it's this thing called genetics." Louisianna was a proud Scottish woman with a distinct Irish accent from having grew up in her Ireland until she was ten when her father died, which they then moved to Scotland. However, Louisianna never seemed to drop the accent.

They both had the same curling, black hair, Lina's being only slightly longer. The same rounded lips that were a shade between pink and red. The only difference being, Lina bore her deceased father, Persesus - Percy - Kincardine's deep ocean blue eyes, her mother bearing Lina's grandmother's forest green.

Maneuvering her way from the bottom of the stairs and through the living room into the dining room, Lina sat down at the breakfast her mother had prepared for her as she always did on a Friday morning. Sausages and bacon. Lina began picking at the food before beginning to eat it. Conversation was lost to the thin air when in the same room as her mother in the mornings. Lina communicated with her mother on occasions that occured, such as history or religious studies homework, her mother being an archaeologist herself.

However, Lina seemed to want to break tradition today. Mainly because of the absence of someone important.

"Where's Susana?"

Her mother perked up, staring at Lina across from the counter with a bewildered look before providing Lina with an answer.

"College."

Lina creased her brows. Her sister never went to college so early. Susana was never a believer in too early or too late. It always had to be right on time. It might have been a result of having no friends in high school that made it a habit.

"Does she have an exam?"

"Not that I know of."

Lina let it go for now. Still, she was suspicious. Susana Lyn Kincardine, early. It was just not like her at all. Susana Lyn, a woman of perfection. Her bed always made evenly, made her own breakfast, cleaned the house when it was her turn until the sunlight gleamed off of it - annoying Lina. Who did her homework, handed it in on the exact due date. Never missed a strand in the hair when she brushed it. Lina had every reason to be confused.

For now, she let go of her confusion. Grabbing her school bag and preparing herself for her first day of the third new school in the past year, Lina made her way out of the door.

Now, being Scottish-Irish in the middle of South Carolina was no big deal as her mother had told her. Having a distinct Irish accent mixed with a Scottish one was not a big deal from having lived between Ireland and Scotland all her life, as her mother had told her. So, why did Lina feel like it was a huge deal? Inhaling through her nose and exhaling through her mouth - as her father had taught her when dealing with this - calmed her anxiety a little.