Authoress Notes: Blue Bloods is an amazing series. Seriously, go read it. Nao. I finished The Van Alen Legacy today. :D Now I'm waiting for Misguided Angel to come out in October. Sooo gunna buy it. ^_^ I got the title for this from the Breaking Benjamin song after it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Blue Bloods. Sadly.

Claim: I do, however, own the idea of adding the seven virtues and seven sins. I also own Adelle, Lae, and anyone else that isn't from Blue Bloods series.

Anthem of Angels

It was dark. Shadows whispered against her skin like silk chiffon, soft and light as feathers. But her hands felt heavy. They were warm and wet, sticky like they were covered in syrup. But it didn't smell like syrup. Not rich and sugary. No.

This smelled bitter at first, with the tang of copper. But her throat was burning, aching for a taste of what was on her fingers. Slowly, she brought her hands closer, her fingers quivering like fronds in a gentle spring breeze. The scent was sweeter up close, like rose water.

And then, slowly, her tongue poked out and rasped over the tips of her fingers. Blood. And then, she grinned.

Her eyes snapped open, two pinprick shocks of electric blue swiveling around in a haphazard scan of the room as her mind came back from the depths of her dream, tingling pleasantly. But the images that stained her brain like wine on a berber carpet were anything but pleasant.

Dark images of carnage and a burning desire to feed. But this wasn't her own emotion. No. These horrific nightmares were not hers. They were someone else's. Someone she felt she knew, someone she walked in the dreams of. Seeing through the eyes of someone known, but unknown. Familiar, but unfamiliar. Found, but lost.

The power behind the nightmares frightened her. It made her feel like she wasn't worthy of her own, unworthy of her abilities given to her as a birthright.

"Addie?" The call of her nickname --- short for Adelle --- jolted the 16 year-old brunette from her thoughts as the redwood door of her room opened, revealing her mother standing there, a concerned look on her face that made the subtle wrinkles at the corners of those pretty cornflower blue eyes look deeper.

"Mom..." It felt strange, calling this woman her mother. Yes, Mariel Summers was her mother --- in this cycle, anyway. It was strange to adress someone younger than her as mother. Sapphire searched almost violet eyes, probing.

"Sweetie, you were screaming." Mariel crossed the room in swift steps, bare feet drifting along the wood floorboards like she was walking on air. Seating herself on the bed next to Adelle, the black haired woman drew her daughter closer, smoothing the locks of chocolate tinted hair down from their frazzled state around smooth, olive skin. "Did you have a nightmare?"

"I..." Adelle hesitated, chewing her bottom lip as her fangs scraped against the skin. Her mother knew who she was, but would it be safe to explain everything her? A flash of blood soaked hands skittered across her eyes, and she swallowed. No. She knew what the Committee would say if her mother mentioned it. It was all part of the transition.

The transition was something all Blue Bloods went through when their powers began to awaken, memories long supressed began to re-emerge, filling in gaps and holes left. The explanation to strength. Speed. Intelligence.

They would tell her that these macabre images were her memories. But what kind of sick, twisted memories were they? She knew who she was. Of course she did. Adelle Madison Summers. In this cycle. But beyond that she was Chastity, one of the seven virtues. The pure virtue.

"It was just a nightmare, mom." she managed to choke out, feeling horrible for lying to her like this. But it wasn't something Mariel needed to concern herself with. Adelle would deal with this on her own, especially if it was just her memories returning. Mariel's hand retreated from her head, and the bronzed woman straightened, smoothing out her silk nightgown that whispered around her ankles.

"Alright. But I want you to get ready for school, alright?" A quick glance towards the curtained window provided weak streams of golden sunlight beginning to spread out and warm the world after a night of reprieval. Nodding, Adelle watched her mother go, tracing the blue veins that spread through out, underneath almost translucent skin.

She wondered who her mother had been, in another cycle. Someone famous, someone powerful, someone of royalty. It could all be traced through her blood. Blood that, if she were cut, would literally be blue.

Sighing and running a hand through tangled strands, Adelle tugged ruthlessly on a knot in her hair before rising, heading for the lavish bathroom. Light skittered upon marble floors --- the real kind, not linoleum --- and momentarily blinded the young woman before her eyes adjusted and she began to undress, body bare and hidden away from anyone but herself.

Pulling on her denim, dark-wash jeans --- top of the line, not cheap --- and pulling on a Bohemian Chic shirt on that reached her mid-thigh, Adelle turned and exited, her hair tossed into a bun at the nape of her neck. Adelle took modest pride in the way she looked. She liked clothes, yes, and she liked having nice things. But she wasn't ga-ga over her appearance.

A necklace of small, mother-of-pearl beads looped around her neck twice, smooth and cold against her skin. Glancing briefly at her reflection in the full body mirror, she shrugged her shoulders and headed down the steps.

"Is that really what you're going to wear?" Disgust colored Jacelen Marie Summers' voice, tinting it and Adelle grimaced as she turned to face her sister. Jacelen's emerald eyes flashed like fire, and she stood, striding over and plucking at the shirt distastefully. "Really, this is soo last summer."

Adelle's eyes narrowed, and she slapped her sister's hand away. "Nobody asked you," she hissed. Nobody said that she was Patience. In fact, in that aspect, she'd be a better candidate for Wrath. Jacelen scowled, and Adelle stuck her tongue out. Jacelen was such a brat! "Mimi wannabe."

"Loser."

"Enough, girls!" The barking baritone of their father made both girls jump, and Jacelen peered at their father guiltily. Adelle rolled her eyes at her sister who was trying to look innocent. As if the two-tone haired girl could pull that off. There were a thousand things that Adelle could say about the blonde-brunette tones of her sister's hair --- the blonde had been added this last winter ---- but she kept her mouth shut. "I won't have you fighting in this house. Addie, Jacie, you'll be late for school."

Jacelen cringed at her nickname, and Adelle rolled her crystal-blue eyes again. Turning on her heel, she moved towards the door, opening it to find the family car waiting for her and Jacelen. Jacelen shoved past her, nearly knocking Adelle to the ground. Flipping the snotty brat the bird, Adelle plastered on a Barbie-doll fake smile when Jacelen turned, scanning her face suspiciously.

Sinking into the plush comforts of the leather seat, the olive-skinned girl closed her eyes, leaning her head on her hand. The fight with Jacelen had been successful in taking her mind away from that nightmare until now, and the images were coming back with a vengance. Inhaling, she leaned forward and swiped a small, travel-sized bottle of wine from the tin bucket of ice, wiping the condensation off with her sleeve.

Popping it open, she downed half of it, thankful that her kind couldn't get drunk. Finishing it off, even the world's supply of alcohol wouldn't be able to make Adelle feel happy as the car pulled up to the school. Duchesne wasn't a place she would call Heaven. It wasn't a place she'd call sanctuary.

Getting out, she watched as Jacelen made her way towards her friends, spotting the head of blonde hair that identified Mimi Force as one of them. Disgusted, she turned away. Why her sister wanted to be friends with the resident bitch of the school was beyond her. A flash of dark hair caught Adelle's eye, and she turned towards the source.

Schuyler Van Alen was making her way towards her friend Oliver Hazard-Perry. The pretty little thing was dressed like a ragamuffin again, though it accented her Dresden-doll like features and striking blue eyes. But despite her beauty, Adelle knew what Schuyler was. Dimidium Cognatus. Half-blood.

Daughter of Allegra Van Alen, Gabrielle the uncorrupted. Gabrielle, who slept in a coma. Granddaughter to Cordelia Van Alen, who had passed on, waiting for her next cycle. Adelle had heard that Schuyler and Oliver had recently come back from Venice.

Why on Earth would they want to go there? Was Adelle's only thought as she shook her head, whisps of hair tickling her neck as she moved into the school building and towards her first class. Which, coincidentally, she had with Schuyler and her friends.

Friends. That word was unfamiliar to Adelle. Sure, she had a few people she knew pretty well --- mostly through Jacelen --- and she knew Bliss, a former Mimi follower, now friends with Schuyler. But she had nobody to giggle and share secrets with, nobody to have slumber parties with.

She, Chastity of the virtues, was alone. But it was only in this cycle. Her last cycle as Adrianne Snow had been a well fufilled one, one full of parties and friends. But no romance. As Chastity, she had to be careful.

Seating herself into her chair, Adelle stared out the window until the door opened, admitting entrance to one last person. Adelle turned with the rest of the class to see who had come in late.

Dark hair, black as obsidian, hung in front of chilling, haunting viridian eyes, smokey tendrils of gray looping inside them. Pale skin glowed, thanks to illuminata, something that made blue bloods glow. Sex-appeal oozed from every pore of this boy's skin. Tall, lanky with muscles that were clearly visible, even through the baggy black fabric of his shirt.

Adelle knew who he was. She knew who he was the second he arrived. She'd known him before she knew herself. She knew who he was, what he was.

He was Lust, one of the seven deadly sins.

Her counterpart.