Azrael Bishop

Chapter 1

The needle like droplets fell in an endless bombardment; occasionally a brilliant blue flash lit up the little city. The bell rang, a signal to the children that they could leave the solitary building. With cracked walls and floors the only thing that showed the building was in use was the dimly lit glow in the cracked and unwashed windows, but there was no other place for the children to go.

Azrael stood under the old dead tree, for what little cover it offered with its gnarled broken branches, she waited patiently for her friend to appear from the run down building. she wore an electric blue hoodie whose sleeves went past her finger tips acting as gloves to shield her hands from the cold.  While the part of the hoody that covered her body cut off just below her rib cage with a black tank top underneath. She also wore baggy black trousers with to electric blue strips of material running down the out side, the trousers were so long she had to fold them up at the ends so they wouldn't completely cover her blue sneakers. She wore her short black hair down, so it just touched her shoulders with her bright blue eyes and pale completion; she was quite pretty on the rare occasion she smiled. A sudden flash struck a little distance from where she stood, she was almost certain she saw the silhouette of a man? but she couldn't be sure for it was gone in an instant.

"Let's get going Azrael; you know your dad is going to kill us if we're late for your party!"

Azrael jumped and spun only to stare into the bright green eyes of Rei, (it must have been a trick of the light, there's no way...),

"Jesus Rei, you scared me half to death, what took you so long?"

Rei smirked to herself "big nose held us in because of some kids acting up, and you know you cant say that your dad would have your head"

"whatever he's not here, and speaking of which lets take the short cut or we're going to be late"

"fine but if we get scratched up you owe me extra cake"

"Deal" Azreal smirked at her friends adorable pout

Rei finally let out a huff of air and they began their track home.The girls turned to face the path cloaked in shadows to begin the journey home, while they chatted to each other about nothing in particular. With thorns and brambles clinging to their hair and clothes, they continued to move forward into the shadowy overgrowth. But as they neared the end of the alley-way flooded with shadows; A blinding flicker obscured their vision, only to revealing the dark towering form of inter-winding turrets, stained glass windows and an ominous black cross pinned in place over the entrance to the gothic structure. The building completely over shadowed the small graveyard not a few feet away where a murder of crows nested.

A man in his fifties with greying hair and a smiling face walked to meet them, umbrella in hand. There was nothing out of the ordinary unless you looked at his clothes, for he wore a priests robe and walked with such grace you knew he was aged well beyond his years.

Azrael flashed a grin, in greeting "hey dad, got my party ready?"

"Sure thing sweet heart, but you know the others couldn't make it what wi..."

"Thump" Rei screamed as the small black clump of feathers landed at their feet, Azrael stooped to pick up the bundle of shadows, but she already knew the crow was dead even before she touched it. Whoever had killed the poor bird had good aim, for the bolt had gone straight though its heart. Azrael looked up to see a group of boys standing across the street laughing at the bird they had killed; but there was something odd about the leader, he gaze fixed on her every movement. Though she couldn't be sure, the air around him appeared darker as if a shroud of shadows encased his entire frame. But then she blinked...

"What the Hell!" but luckily her voice could not be heard over the down poor of water.

"Where going inside now Azrael"

"But!" she had to find out what was going on with that guy

"NOW!" she stared at him for a few minutes struck dumb, he never raised his voice to her before.

"Of course dad, as soon as I bury the crow"