Beyond the Broken Angel

CHAPTER NINE

— the truth —

July, 25th 2017

ODDLY ENOUGH, NOTHING seemed different when Giselle woke up back in her correct time period. Except for the angel statue. The poor thing had lost her right wing once again.

As soon as she got to her feet, Giselle picked up her bag of evidence and darted towards Hester's house, relieved to see that it was actually where it should be this time.

She barreled into the house through the back door, panting from exertion.

Her father was the first to see her, standing up from his spot at the dining room table to gawk at her, muttering her name over and over again as crossed the room to envelope her in a hug. Her mother appeared next, hands on her hips as she glared at her daughter, rattling on and on about how worried she had made them.

Eventually she softened, shoving her husband aside to hold her daughter as Giselle told her over and over again how sorry she was.

Once they had gotten over the relief of having their daughter back, the questions came. Questions that Giselle was hesitant to answer.

She made them sit down in the living room with Hester, who didn't seem pleased with Giselle's presence.

"Mom, Dad, Hester," Giselle began, fiddling with the suitcase handle clutched in her hand, "I need you all to keep an open mind. What I'm about to tell you will seem completely unbelievable, but I promise it's all true."

She told them everything. About the tree. About 1937. About Selene. They all shared a similar expression—something in between shock, disbelief, and utter confusion.

But Hester looked a bit different from Giselle's parents. She looked horrified, especially when Giselle passed around the evidence Selene had prepared.

When the pictures and the letter Selene wrote got to Hester, her jaw went slack. She looked almost sick.

"Giselle, what you're saying—this isn't—there's no way—" Maxine sputtered, shaking her head. "This has to be a joke."

"No, Maxine," George said, placing a hand off his wife's knee, "I don't think it is. I've told you all this time I saw Giselle disappear. Right before my eyes." He looked up to his daughter. "I believe her."

"So do I," Hester agreed, her eyes on Giselle. "Selene came to me telling me a similar story just before she disappeared. She kept going on and on about the year 1911 and some man from the past. I didn't believe her, but . . ." She looked to the photograph in her hand. "But I think she was telling the truth." She released a haggard breath, looking to George. "Georgie, could you help me to my room?"

George nodded, assisting the woman up and out of her chair and across the living room.

"This is unreal, Giselle," Maxine breathed out from her spot at the couch. "I don't think I can believe any of this until I see you 'disappear' for myself. I couldn't even believe your father when he told me what he saw."

"I get it," Giselle said, going over to collect the pictures. "I could barely believe it either. I still have a hard time believing it." Her eyes caught on the picture of her and Will, her lips pulling upward of their own accord.

He was smirking at her, his eyes narrowed playfully at her as she pursed her lips in annoyance.

"Who's that man?" Maxine asked, motioning to the picture.

"Will Dare," Giselle told her, dropping her smile and tucking the picture underneath the stack she had accumulated. "Selene's nephew."