As men fought their wars against one another, the Angels, unknown of by man, were fighting in their own war above them, in the vast sky the Angels refer to as Heaven. The Angels fought with weapons unknown to man, as they had to be powerful enough to kill an angel of Heaven. The Angels who fought for freedom, known as The Brotherhood of Angel Steel, fought against those who wanted control in Heaven, known as The Overseers. The Overseers wanted to take control of Heaven ever since God had left, while the Brotherhood wanted to keep the order of Heaven as God had left it. The Overseers were very powerful, but The Brotherhood had ways of getting around them. For centuries, the Angels fought against one another, for as long as the Overseers lived, Heaven would not be safe. Then one fateful day a new angel was born. This newborn, named Cassander, would turn out to be the most important angel in Heaven.
“Cass! What have I told you about watching the warring angels?” Yelled Belle, Cassander’s mother.
“But Mother, I want to see how the Overseers operate.” Replied the 13 year old Cass.
“That’s none of your concern Cassander, you should not be thinking of war at your age!” Belle replied in a serious tone.
“But Mother, I want to be a soldier to help end this long war!” said Cass.
“Cassander, your father has been fighting in that war years now, I do not want you to go into that bloodshed at your age.” said Belle, suppressing a tear.
“Alright mother, I guess I’ll wait.” replied Cass. They got away from the window from which Cass was watching the Overseers. Little did Cass know that his father was on the other side of that war, he was in The Brotherhood.
Years later, 19 year old Cass received horrible news. His father had been killed ...
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...d the fort-like structure of The Overseers' Headquarters, their squadron of Angels circled around to enter through the back of the building. There were four guards patrolling the entrance. Cassander and Achilles decided to take care of them quietly. They snuck up behind two of the guards and suffocated them, while the other two guards went on their rounds. Through teamwork they defeated the guards without raising an alarm. After the guards were taken care of and their bodies hidden away, Cass and Achilles entered the fortress. They moved stealthily, staying in the shadows as they stalked through the tall, long hallways. As they approached the rendezvous point, two of the Overseer guards charged them. Cassander was the first to notice, and quickly grabbed Achilles and pulled him into a roll in order to avoid the oncoming attack from the, now fully visible, enemy.
From the beginning of the plot Mama allows us a front row seat to the workings of her conscious thoughts by reflecting on the way she views herself as well as her two daughters, Maggie and Dee. From these descriptions, we get a glimpse of the schizophrenic nature that resides within Mama. She describes Maggie as this half shell of a person “standing hopelessly in corners, homely and ashamed...
“Grandma- Stay the way you are, Bella, because you don’t know vot such feelings would do to you.
She tells Papa Daddy that Sister ridiculed his beard and Uncle Rondo that Sister laughed at him for wearing her pink kimono. Uncle Rondo then punishes Sister by throwing firecrackers into her bedroom the next morning. Sister often appeals to the reader to witness what she actually said. Throughout the story, the family supports Stella Rondo, reminding Sister that at least Stella left home and managed to find a man. Sister reminds them that as China Grove's postmistress of Mississippi's second smallest post office she has her own form of independence and has control of the family's communication with the outside world. Sister casts aspersions about Shirley T.'s state of mind because she has not spoken a word since her arrival. She reminds Mama of how Mr. Whitaker used to drink. Mama approaches Shirley T. who starts to sing Popeye the Sailor Man, proving Sister wrong. An argument builds concerning the parentage of Shirley T. and the whereabouts of Mr. Whitaker. Sister insists that Stella Rondo has been deserted by Mr. Whitaker. The family refuses to contemplate this possibility. By the end of the story, Sister has become so infuriated by the apparent favoritism shown towards Stella Rondo
“But before they do it I want you to try and remember what it was like to have been very young.”
“You thought putting our lives in danger would be fun?! Are you mad!” She shouts at me, looking as though she were now the mad one. She does look quite angry
Camillia commented, “I was a child, so there was nothing I could do, but I wish I was fighter then because I would have fought back during the times I was abused.”
The complex natures of love and family are so intricate that not many authors come close in truly unraveling their mysteries. Eudora Welty, the author of The Optimist’s Daughter, writes about the theme of how family can nurture through love, but they can also cause so much pain through unbeknownst cruelty and betrayal. We can clearly see this theme in Welty’s novel when she writes “Her trouble was that very desperation. And no one had the power to cause that except the one she desperately loved, who refused to consider that she was desperate. It was betrayal on betrayal.” This quote truly captures the overlying them of the novel; we can see how love nurtures, how love betrays, and how love changes us.
Dad was still clutching my arm. “And now you want him to go ahead and die so I’ll be back here chained to this place, letting you take care of me like I always used to, But I don’t need it,Mom. I don’t need you like I used to. You’re the one who needs to get a life.”
She let out a groan, “What?” There was no reply. So she trudged upstairs and found her parents standing by the back door with their bags packed. “What’s this?” Larisa asked with aggression.
“Katherine!” Silas shouted “Katherine!” he yelled again. Katherine lifted her head and smiled at him. She told him her decision about going to this camp.
“I’m sorry, my love, but this is not for young eyes,” Gretchen said. “You may be the King but I’m more of a mother to you than anyone. Now go.”
“No Mark I have better things to do” yelled mother furiously. Mother was still angry that Father and Tim were at war. Everything left her mind.
“You are in shock,” Castiel said, an edge in his voice that did not leave any room for argument. “Soon, you will start to have a lot of emotions. When you do, they would not be good feelings and you will be scared of me, as you should be. When that happens, just tell me, and I will find a place to leave you.”
“What? I didn 't hear anything,” another said and raised his shoulders in a shrug. The tallest boy, who appeared to be about 17, smirked. This was their ringleader, Grendel realized, as he watched them all turn towards him to listen to his voice.
Swallowing back her panic for a moment, Cassie smiled to herself and forced a laugh. She almost believed it herself. For a moment, she indulged in the idea of actually answering her mother’s questions; how different her life would be if she could just let someone in. It was only fleeting.