The Fallen Angel

Chapter 29: Find Him

If I don't, I won't know who to trust and believe.

And just like Cupid and Angelo have been doing, more people will come to deceive me about the past knowing I recall nothing of it.

I have to know what happened in order to make a sound judgement.

I no longer wanted to have nothing to do with this because it seems I have everything to do with what happened as much as Angelo did.

I would hold on to the small hope that Genie really was the only one looking out for me and have her help me.

Even if that meant sneaking around behind Angelo's back.

"How do you feel? Sick? Nauseous? Cold?" His actions matched his panicked voice as he pressed the base of his hand to my forehead to test my temperature.

He looked at me with a small frown. "Are you hot? I can't tell if it's because of me or if that's what you really feel like. I've been producing excessive heat for a while now."

He'd been keeping me warm all night.

I tried not to be moved by the thought of him being out of his comfy zone to make sure I was alright because technically I would have frozen to death otherwise.

It was the least he could do after all his lies.

"I'm just a little hot but it's bearable."

He looked reluctant but said, "I'll try to stay away from you until I get back to my regular temperature."

"Yeah, that would be appreciated. I felt like I was being suffocated." In more ways than one.

He gave a weak smile and mumbled "sorry" before moving to the other side of the room to get a glass of water.

I took it as firmly as I could, feeling like anything could slip through my hands.

Thankfully, it didn't.

"I'll go make you something to eat,"

"It's fine. I'm not hungry."

He looked at me, concerned. "Isabelle, you have to eat. You don't know what you've just survived."

"Again with the 'I don't know'. Instead of always saying that, why don't you tell me? Or is there are a reason why you don't want to?"

I knew I shouldn't have said that or given him any hints of my knowledge of things but I was the type to just spit out my grudges.

I could almost punch myself silly.

"I was only saying. It has no meaning other than the fact that you went through a lot physically—you were being frozen by the magic of the mirrors and had hypothermia. I had to raise my body temperature in order to save you. I'm only pointing out the fact that you need to eat because your body desperately needs some nutrients to break down to give you strength."

"You sound like my doctor, and not the cool kind like my therapist."

"I'm happy. At least you know I'm looking out for your health. Now, can I make you something to eat or not?"

I hated his puppy dog eyes and the way I wanted to claw them out like a cat in return.

Instead, I swallowed down my words like bitter gall and cleverly requested, "Can Genie do it instead? I'm kind of craving her cooking."

He looked pleasantly surprised by that but didn't seem to question it.

He was getting what he wanted anyway: me eating.

Because of that, he appeared pleased regardless of whether he was doing it or not.

"Okay, I'll go get her."

***

"We need to find him."

Angelo was finally out of range. That meant I could tell Genie what I had been thinking this entire time.

It hadn't been safe for me to do more than smile weakly at her while he was in the same space as us.

He had stayed by my side practically the entire day. There was no chance to ask him about where he and Cupid went nor what they had done. Not when he was so focused on ensuring that I was at a regular body temperature and well fed.

It had taken him an hour after Genie made me a bowl of soup for him to excuse himself to use the bathroom.

He didn't even bother to walk like he would normally do to not freak me out.

He simply opted for the quicker option and teleported to his destination.

I watched the spot where he was while whispering to her, conscious of the fact that he had the ability to pop up at any second.

I had to make this quick.

Genie looked at me like a child who was given an advanced math equation to solve.

She had absolutely no idea what was going on.

Or how to even approach the situation I was presenting to her.

"In that room, I saw her." I said, my body no longer feeling as tired as it did before upon recalling what had happened.

Genie was more attentive now.

"Who did you see?"

"Elisabetta."

Her face dropped in horror. "That's impossible—"

"I know, but I'm telling you I did!" I whisper-yelled. "And she told me things. Things that I don't know if I can trust—which—majorly sucks because I have no choice but to entertain the idea of them."

She looked at me like I was a mad woman.

It wasn't too far off with how I was speed-speaking in fear of an unwanted person hearing.

"I need your help with that if you still consider yourself my best friend." I looked at her straight in the eyes.

I knew how my words sounded. How the guilt-tripping and manipulation were clear in my speech.

I never considered myself a saint and it wasn't going to start now.

Not when I was more desperate than ever.

"You know that I do," she sighed despairingly.

Her eyes pleaded with me despite her being disappointment in having me say that.

Regardless, she wanted me to believe her and that was all I needed at the moment.

I couldn't have myself feeling empathetic towards her because I needed her loyalty more than ever now. It didn't miss me how demanding that was for her, but I needed someone to trust. I was riding off one ray of hope hoping she would take me to the end of the rainbow.

"Then help me find him," I asked of her, much more humble.

My words came out as more of a request than a demand.

One that she could not refute with the earnest look in my eyes.

"Help me find Mikael."