The Angriest Angel

Chapter 31

Chase waited patiently for his turn in the bathroom.  Avery had been in there for the better part of an hour, though the shower was now off, making her return imminent.  He quickly put her purse back where he found it, shamefully regretting going through its contents.  He couldn't resist.  He got little information elsewhere, and was more baffled now than ever.  But sadly, her purse had no weapons or passports, no spy paraphernalia.  Near as he could tell it was an ordinary woman's purse with ordinary contents.  Even her phone was ordinary, though locked.

The dinner with Avery's fiancé and sister left Chase with more questions than answers, and the car ride back to the hotel was no different.  Early on, the discussion at the restaurant had led him to believe Avery's organization was behind some sort of technological experiment endorsed by the government.  It explained the high connections, the polished mannerisms, the money, and even what McClouth may have seen.  But it didn’t explain the odd language that Nathan used.

Chase had seen this happen time and time again.  It was never the conspiracy that got people in trouble, it was the cover-up.  After Nathan's heated exchange with Avery, they had both looked at him, unknowingly telegraphing the mistake on their part.  

The realization did little to help.  Derailing his earlier theories only brought him back to square one.  If their odd ethnicity were authentic, which it seemed to be, then how could they be working with the government?

Regardless, the fact that Nathan and Avery had a fight was significant.  Clearly Chase had something to do with the argument.  He didn’t care about that, of course.  Their refusal to include him in their secrets forfeited away any such guilt.  And Avery's declaration in her garden washed away all of his responsibility on the matter—she that said she would never explain her business.

But the fight was significant for another reason.  It showed that these people were real, and had real vulnerabilities.  At times, he thought that Avery seemed too perfect.  Her beautiful garden and amazing house, the way she looked and carried herself, the way she treated people.  It almost seemed as if she were not a real person.  Gorgeous, sweet, caring, and rich; all too good to be true.  Nathan and her sister, similarly so.  Arrogant maybe, but their perfectly groomed appearance seemed almost unnatural.

The couple's argument changed all of that.  Whatever was happening was very real.  And knowing that Avery was not pretending—that she was the genuine article—gave him some comfort. 

The bathroom door suddenly opened and Avery emerged, carrying her old clothes and wearing flannel pajamas with her hair wrapped in a towel.  She shyly motioned that she was done, unable to speak due to the toothbrush in her mouth.

Chase ducked in and closed the door.  The room was warm and steamy from her long shower, and he noticed something sketched onto the fogged mirror.  It looked like she had drawn a flower in the center, and there was a word next to it which he couldn't read.  In the corner of the mirror was the sun.

He shook his head and smiled, mumbling, "Such a goody-goody."

He found Avery's manner both refreshing and funny.  He had never known anyone with such innocence—at least in his own age group.  She was so different.  It was impossible not to like her, though he fought that feeling constantly.

He ripped off the bandages scattered over his body and stepped into the shower, scrubbing himself clean.  His stitched leg throbbed in pain but looked stable.  Watery pink ooze came from around the stitching, but Chase had seen enough stitched wounds to know it was probably normal. 

When finished, he applied a new bandage on his leg but left the other cuts and scratches out to breathe.  He threw on a plain t-shirt and gray shorts and walked out.