"Dear Rachel,
Hey baby girl. How is it seventeen years in the future? I hope it's good. That you're good. I know it probably seems weird that I'm writing you a letter for your seventeenth birthday, instead of your eighteenth. My beautiful girl, I was seventeen when I had you, and I guess it only seems fair for me to explain.
Rae, which I hope that is the nickname I went with, no more than seven hours ago I nearly lost you at the hands of sickness. Instead a purple eyes stranger saved you...baby girl I'm so sorry. Wait- I'm getting ahead of myself. Okay start over.
Rachel, the life I led ,before you came into my world, was and is probably one that I have told you about in stories, but it is all real Rae. All of it.
I was what is called a "hunter" and I tracked down and killed monsters for a living. No not like a bounty hunter, I'm assuming you're as sarcastic as your dad...which is another story but anyways! Hunters! I am a fifth generation hunter and was raised in a life that meant we fought hard and died young... Please tell me I didn't raise you like this. That you're not a hunter..."
Her words burned my eyes. She never wanted this for me.
"But I left it all. Walking away was and is still one of the most terrifying things I have ever done in my life, and trust me when I say I have done some pretty terrifying things in my time... If you knew your grandfather you would understand. I'm sure you have questions and when you're ready, feel free to ask me! Knowledge is power baby, and I want you to know.
Now about your dad. You have his eyes. Bright and full of life and mischief. Dean Winchester is the name of your father and baby by the time you read this he may be long dead. Like my family, Dean and his brother, Sam, and Dad were hunters. Poor Sam, he didn't like it. Dean said he will change his mind eventually but I don't think so."
I smiled sadly.
"I wish I could tell you Dean was here with me but, well, he doesn't know about you . I think under different circumstances maybe I would have tried to track him down, but it is not an easy task.
I think that covers the bases for now. Now for the real purpose behind this letter.
As I said earlier, not so long ago, you were saved. Miraculously healed by a woman with violet eyes and long gold hair. Baby, she was a bitch and I should have known.
I should have known better than to let her into the apartment but you were so sick. It would be maybe two days at best before God sent Death to take you home. I couldn't let you go. Not without a fight and she said she could help you. Like a fairy godmother, but Rae she was no fairy or godmother. I should have known better...She was an angel. An actual angel, and she stole everything from you. Cursing your veins with the foulness of her fallen blood."
"If I haven't told you this yet then that means we have done good. She was supposed to come for you last year. So "Haha Bitch! " (Sorry, lack of sleep plus seeing that happen has fried my brain for today.)
Anyways, I think you deserve to know who I am before I was your mom. ( I don't care if that makes sense to you or not, I understood what I was saying). Have a wonderful birthday baby girl.
Love you Angel ( Hey I kind of like that as a nickname... A subtle reminder of my mistake - wow I need sleep)
Happy birthday Rachel.
Love Audrey aka Mom"
A melancholy smile grew on my face, which of course was followed by shining eyes. As I turned to put the letter back in the envelope I noticed another piece of folded paper tucked neatly into the crease of the yellowing envelope. Removing the folded paper, I smiled hopefully at a second letter. That, however, soon faded as I read the addressed recipient.
"To Rachel, on your seventeenth- if you are a Hunter"
Trembling fingers lifted the fragile fold.
"Rachel,
I'm sorry. This never should happened. If I am the reason that you hunt, as in, I raised you in the life, I am so sorry. Seventeen year old me never wanted that/this for you. Maybe I did it so that you could be safe. Know how to protect yourself... Baby I'm so sorry. Sometimes I think I should have let you go but I can't imagine my world with out you. Especially not seventeen years down the line.
But since you're reading this let me give you some advice.
Baby girl, the miles will wear you down like an old pair of sneakers and I know (as ridiculous as it might seem) you'll love it. Every single second of it. You have your father's wanderlust. Even now I can see the fire in your eyes.
Angel, you will fight hard and long and be brought to your knees. Over and over again you will be broken... I know you won't be safe, it's just not in the job description. The monsters and that angelic bitch will search for you over and over. Never stopping. Hunting you down.
Don't be afraid to fight Angel, but don't be afraid to run. Sometimes the best heroes the ones who are not heroes at all. A light is still a light even if it's dim. You are a light baby, and I hope you know that.
Don't frown so much and learn to laugh. I mean really laugh, till your sides hurt and you can't breathe, and do it with people who love you. Love isn't just romantic baby.
You will love many people, for many reasons. Maybe someday you will love someone the way I love you. I hope you can love someone like that, away from the life. And I'm sure I'll love them for loving you. Love is love baby, no matter what ANYONE tells you. Love wins, always. Angel you will love the fire starters, the fire fighters, and the burned. Don't stop yourself, but don't let the flames dim your glow.
The first time you can't save someone will be the hardest. Not that I'm saying it gets easier but simply that you become numb. I hope I am there to comfort you when this happens. "
I inhaled sharply.
"Baby, that blood is not on your hands. Do you understand me? IT IS NOT YOUR FAULT."
I branded those five words into my mind. It was not my fault.
"You tried (I'm sure) to save them with everything you had to give and sometimes it is just up to God to determine when we have to go. Don't let the current crisis divert your eyes from the overall plan. I always have your back on this.
Rae, read and read. Any book you can get your hands on, let your mind soak up the knowledge and never ever stop learning. Just because we live in the road doesn't mean we can't stop to smell the roses.
Above all baby don't be afraid to leave. Don't be afraid to stop. I will never judge you for your choices. (Unless you do drugs or date a vampire. I'll beat your ass.)
I hope you get to meet your dad. You'd like him I bet. Dean was a good man. I bet you look like him."
There was a doodle of wings on the lines below.
"You're crying in the other room, probably hungry... I love you Rachel Caroline Cardarelli. I love you with all of my heart and soul. I can wait to see you.
Soon.
Love Mom"
My eyes hurt from the dim lighting. My throat burned from the need to cry. Pressing my palms against my face, covering my eyes with my fingers, I breathed slow and steady. This was it. The last message I had from my mom...I stayed like that for a long time... An unfamiliar shifting noise echoed above my head, sending my already strained senses on end. Clambering to my feet, I took in my surrounding to pin point the disturbance. Smiling, I realized where the noise was coming from, and as if to confirm my conclusion a familiar voice called out from the air vent.
"Rae?" Cassidy paused, "Rae are you in there?" The other kids sat silent in curiosity as I climbed on top of the lab table.
"Cass!" I whispered excitedly. "Someone get me a screwdriver." Castiel was the only one to move. She climbed up beside me to remove the vent cover. "How do you even fit in there?"
"Magic." She replied. I shot her a look. "Too soon?"
"Too soon." I confirmed, "Is Sam okay?"
"Yeah, she is with her class still, making make shift weapons." Of course. "Oh, hey let me see your screwdriver for a sec." I handed the tool over, she jumped down from the table, heading for the front of the room. Grabbing the stool from the instructors table she stood up and began disassembling the intercom. "We are supposed to cut the connection to the main system so that the queen of bitchville doesn't listen in on the plan." I smiled.
"Awesome!" Leave it to those two to figure out something to get us out of here. "Have you heard anything from Dean?"
"Not yet," Cass replied shaking her head, "Sam was trying to get a hold of him when I left." Frowning, I nodded. It wasn't that Dean was incapable of protecting himself, but he was still my dad, meaning worry was constant.
"He'll be okay."
"I know."
"This plan? What is it?" Castiel inquired, redirecting the conversation.
"Right, the plan!" Cass smiled, "Sam is using the computer lab, which we were conveniently in, to over ride the security system, giving us access to the schools camera system."
"But isn't the power cut?" A girl with light blonde hair and amber eyes asked from behind us.
"Just the lights." Cass answered, "Otherwise the intercom system wouldn't work."
"Could we reroute one of the intercom systems to broadcast out to the police?" the boy next to her asked.
"That could work, we just installed the new internet radio broadcasting system last year." the girl replied.
The two of them stood up and approached us. The boy turned to Cassidy, "There is access to it on all school computers, if this Sam guy can hack our cameras, the radio system would be a piece of cake."
"It would open a private line of communication between us and the cops." I acknowledged. "What's your names?"
"Christopher Rice," the boy said extending his hand.
"Elisabeth Solmen," the girl did the same. I shook both hands.
"Nice to meet you both, I'm Rachel, this is Cassidy, and that's Castiel." The Cas' both nodded.
"How do you know so much about the radio system?" Cassidy asked.
"I'm the producer," answered Christoper, "And Elisa is the sound engineer behind our programs."
"If we can get them to Sam, they can contact the police force and inform them of the situation." Castiel stated.
"What exactly do they say when they make contact?" I ask.
"Isn't it simple?" Elisa asked, "Armed students have taken the school and are holding up in the office?"
"Not quite..." Cass said.
"Oh?"
"When you make contact, tell the officers that they are also armed with chemical explosives and pyro technique weapons. We don't know how many people are with Ava and Monroe. It could be just them or it could be an entire group."
"Oh."
"Better question," Christoper began, "How do we get out of here?"
Cassidy smiled, "Glad you asked. There is a janitors closet about five feet from here. We have access to it through the air vents."
"Okay?" he asked.
"It means that if we can get you through the vents and to the closet, we can escort you to the lab, " I explained. The two kids nodded in understanding. My stomach turned, "But you both need to know, this will not be safe. And we will do everything in our power to make sure we get you guys to Sam. " Cassidy and Castiel looked at me sideways. I knew why they were concerned, the term "power" had become sensitive among our circle.
"You don't happen to have a gun on you, do you Cass?" I asked. She shook her head, and I already knew that Cas was unarmed.
"Cas, you should stay here and guard these kids, you're the only one who can defend them is shit hits the fan." Cassidy stated. The angel nodded.
"We will be back as soon as we can." I confirmed.
"Be careful." Cas said, "She will not go easy on you."
"I know." Giving the angel a grateful hug, the four of us climbed up on the the table.
"Move quietly and try to keep your weight even." Cassidy instructed as we one by one were assisted into the vent. Every single movement seemed to echo loudly down the surprisingly large ventilation system. That is definitely a bonus of being in old buildings. Cass came to a halt and kick at the vent cover. Wiggling out the small exit, she landed with ease.
"Okay guys, come on down." Elisa was the first to go, then Christoper and then me. It was a tight over crowded space but it would do. It smelled like dirty mop water and Clorox wipes. Searching the room, my eyes landed on a wall of screw drivers. Beside those was a mop, which appeared to have a removable handle. I slid in between the other three people in the closet and began removing items off of the wall. Handing Cassidy two screwdrivers, Christoper a monkey wrench and a pair of cables, and Elisa the hammers, I took the handle off of the mop.
"Goal: don't kill anyone, only use these in self defense. If they have a gun, hide or surrender. We need to be on guard at all times." The two civilians looked weary but determined. "Our job is to get the other kids out of this building without anyone else dying. Hostage or gunman, okay?" They nodded. Holding the makeshift staff, I peered out into the desolate hallway. Slipping out of the door, we began the one of the most intense missions of my life.
The darkness of the hallway was unnerving. There were now three lives under my protection, and it wasn't the threat of Ava that scared me, but the possibilities of a glitch of my powers that had me most on edge. It was becoming clear to me that, the more emotional turmoil there was, the more like it was that I would have a reaction. Which we were totally off to a great start.
"Okay Cass, you know where we are going, lead the way...from behind me." I could feel the eye roll from my sister.
"Turn to your right." The directions went on for quite some time. No one was out. You could have heard a pin drop.
"It's too quiet..."Christoper commented.
"Tell me about it," Elisa replied. The sound of footsteps echoed down the hall ahead of us. Motioning to everyone to move, we wedged our bodies into the door well of a classroom. Only one pair of steps, they were heading in our direction. I braced the staff in my hands evenly, preparing to swing. Peering around the corner as little as possible, I waited. Five more steps. Four more steps. Three more. Two... The crack of the wooden pole against the torso of the person was muffled by the "Oomph" of the impact. The sound of something dropping accompanied the hit. I took a step but had my legs taken out from under me. The breath was knocked from my lungs as I hit the floor, my elbows taking the brute force of the fall.
The figure was male, and as I was preparing to kick him in the face, another loud smack came. The boy flopped down, unconscious. Cassidy stood with Christoper's wrench over the boy. Hate in her dark eyes.
"Are you okay?" She asked seriously.
"Yeah, I'm okay." I said, taking Elisa's outstretched hand.
"What did he drop?" Christoper asked.
"Good question." Scanning the darkness, I looked for the fallen item. Off to our left, it was slid against a locker. I picked it up and check the clip, which was full, thankfully. It looked like a Glock pistol but I wasn't sure.
"Christoper, help me put this guy in here. " Elisa said, dragging the boy to a storage closet on the other side of the hall. They secured the door with one of the cables.
"Okay so now we can assume there are more than just Ava and Monroe behind this." I state.
Elisa shook her head, "I just don't understand it. Ava has everything! What will she gain from this..."
"The ultimate title?" Cass asked.
"What ever it is, she probably has a whole gang behind her. She owns this place, practically everyone worshiped her...which I don't even get, she's as fake as it gets."
"People crave the recognition." I said coldly. "It is easy to get lost in the glory of a name. Trust me, I've seen it more than once." We were silent.
"Come on, the lab is just down the next hallway on the left." Cassidy redirected us. It was quiet once again.
"Nice hit, kid." I told her quietly.
"Not really. Besides, I owed you." I smiled, at her reply. We proceeded down the hallway on the left and stopped at the 3rd door on the right hand side. She knocked softly.
"Sam? It's me. I have Rae." There was no reply. "Sam?" The door barely opened, and then swung open. My uncle was standing there holding what looked like a metal shank. He gave us a relieved smile.
"What did you find out?" He asked straight away, ushering us into the room, before locking it again.
"We found Cas-"
"Did you disable the intercom?" She nodded.
"And we also know that Ava is working with another girl named Monroe as well as other people." Sam frowned.
"Cass took out a guy on the way here." I commented. I saw pride slip across Sam's face. Cassidy must have seen it too because she smiled, just the slightest.
"What have you hacked so far?" Elisa asked, stepping towards the instructors computer that was obviously being used. Sam's attention was now on the two people with us. He raised an eyebrow and shot us a glance.
"They're with us. Elisa is the sound engineer for the school's internet radio station and Christoper is the producer. They can help us get in contact with the cops outside." He nodded.
"I've secured the camera feed, but-" another knock came at the door. Unease rippled through the room. For the first time, I noticed Sam's students hiding in various areas through out the room. The gun was still in my clammy hand.
The door handle was turned and force was applied but the door held. The sound of muffled cursing came from the other side. A distinct "Son of a Bitch" could be heard from the hallway. I looked at Sam. Just to be clear, seeing him as a woman was still one of the weirdest things on the planet. At least with Cas, I knew that angels do not really fall under binary gender obligations when it comes to a vessel.
"Really?" The woman's voice on the other side of the door as aggravated. The sound of her shoes clicked softly as she paced back and forth. "Come on Sammy, pick up." Again Sam and I exchanged a look of mutual curiosity. Speaking in what I call "Winchester silent communication" mode, we both nodded in understanding. Motioning with my hand, I instructed Cass, Christopher, and Elisa to take cover. With her in front of me with the shank and me behind preparing to fire the gun if needed, we prepared to open the door.
As it swung open, the blonde figure on the other side stared at us annoyed.
"Seriously? Where is your phone, man?" Dean demanded, coming into the room. Nearly twisting her ankle with a wrong step, she paused, cursed out the shoes, then took them off. Tossing them away from her.
"Dean, it was confiscated. When the school went into lock down."
"Nice move Sammy." My uncle rolled his eyes. "What have you found?"
We ran back through the new information and the plan, Dean nodding her head accordingly.
"But get this," Sam said, turning to the computer closest to her, "The cameras in the office have been disabled, but not the ones just outside of it. I've counted around 6 people, including Ava and Monroe."
"But it could be more or less, right?"
"Right, that's why it has been hard to get the exact number."
"Any fatalities?"
"So far only one." I replied. Everyone but Elisa and Christoper looked at me. "It doesn't matter now, we need to focus. Christoper and Elisa are going to stay here with you , Sam, and alter the frequency of the station."
"I can break through the police car radios from their database.They are simple VHF and UHF waves, these computers should get me basic access." We all looked at her in surprise. "What? I used to do it all the time. I'd try and see if they'd bust me out."
"Out of wh-" Elisa began but I cut her off.
"That also doesn't matter at the moment. Sam is there any way you can find a blue print of the school online? Old buildings like this had bomb shelters and underground escape routes built into them during the cold war...well at least my high school did."
"I'll see what I can find."
"Thanks."
"And what are you going to do?" Dean asked as the plan went into action.
"I've got a witch to throat punch." She gave me a look. "Hey where is Crowlina anyways?"
"I'm pretty sure Ava has Crowley."
"Great..." I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "I guess I should have seen that coming..."
"Yeah." Cassidy said, as she moved over to Elisa, examining the computer from her left side.
"Thanks Cass."
"Welcome." Rolling my eyes, I turned to Dean. "Well, it's now or never. We don't have time to lose." She nodded. Turning to Sam, they exchanged silent words. Each nodding in return.
"Come on, Rachel." We turned to the door and just before it closed behind us, I nodded to Cass. We will come back from this. I promise.
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Hey my bad ass readers!
I love you guys so freaking much that I updated! What? Crazy right?
I know, I'm sorry it took so long....and that I have to split it into two parts but...seriously, this chapter couldn't handle all of what's about to come. Not in one take.
What did you think? (Like always let me know. Also if you spot any mistakes, please point them out to me. Much appreciation!)
Anyways, season 11 is starting soon! I'm psyched! They just hired on a new writer for the show, hopefully she will do a good job. I wish it was me but sadly it's not. Anyways, I'm hoping to get the hell scared out of me next season. That's all I'll say on the matter, please be considerate and no spoilers for fans who aren't caught up just yet. If you need to vent, message me. Thanks to everyone who has voted, commented, read and followed me thus far! I'm honored to have you in my life as an author.
1,828 followers! Thank you all so much! You are all so epic and it brings tears to my eye to have you read my stories! Seriously, y'all rock!
Well, I suppose I'll go...and start writing the next part... ;)
Have a good day/night!
Write again soon!
~Rachel J. Winchester