Worst Cupid Ever

Personal Paparazzi

Ada made it to the gardens at her right and strolled past two gazebos, lines of lush fir trees, and a couple of steampunk-themed amorini statues. Bo had made those. Stopping before an eight feet stretch of graffiti art on the building's wall, Ada gazed at her work. The Helmets had given her the corner to explode artfully as much as she wanted. The same was the case for Bo, who was the only other Rollick in the Division and loved to sculpt unusual versions of Renaissance statues. Rollicks were super rare unlike other cupid houses and, according to Maya, twice harder to manage. Ada thought that was an exaggeration. Other cupids had their issues too; theirs just wasn't as loud or colourful as hers or Bo's. And if Bo, being a Rollick and all, could become a Helmet, that meant there was hope for her as well. Right?

The graffiti she was about to wipe off was quite ordinary. Rollick was painted in dark pink balloon fonts with several emojis bursting around it. The unique things she added were the Helmets and Teddy as emojis. She had worked on the piece for a month. Using all that extra time she hadn't been in the field, she lost herself in the process, human music playing in her headphones as she daydreamed and painted.

As Ada stared at the wall, another graffiti idea came to her, but this time Haruto will be added, and Genevieve too. Raymond? Nah. He was a stick in the mud. Maybe if he changed, she'd add him as she progresses.

From the corner Ada stood, she could only see the top of the tall double doors. No one was about to ruin her focus so she might as well get to it before Teddy showed up. She had just shrugged off her bag to retrieve her spray cans when she sensed it. Someone else and the Helmets were close. She sighted the top of the double doors as they slid open.

"...I still do not see the need to visit in person. You should have made your inquiries about our Grace-Metter through a message." Ada recognised Maya's voice even from the distance.

"Since when is it something terrible to visit another Division? And I had to feed my curiosity."

That voice. There was something familiar about it. From her hiding spot behind a hedge, Ada could only see the fir trees and a spurting fountain that blocked the long walkway. Maybe if they walked further, she would be able to see—

"Feed your curiosity?" It was Bo speaking now. "Look, Luke—"

Luke? Ada craned her neck in an attempt to peep over the hedge without giving away her location. She ducked immediately. What was she doing? What if they could sense her presence? This was bad. Seeing Luke was different from meeting Luke. With the sudden fear of being discovered, Ada began to creep away.

"...no need to pretend," Bo continued, voice tight and impatient. "You came to do a little more investigation on Adarosa, didn't you? Why are you curious about our cupid? Is there something we should know that you aren't telling us?"

Ada froze as she pressed a hand over her mouth. Why did her breathing suddenly sound so loud in her ears? Eyes flying about, she desperately searched for another hiding place. Helmets had ten times more abilities than the average cupid. The possibility of them discovering her presence in the garden was crazy high. And they were talking about her. Triple worse.

"I merely asked about the circumstances of her delivery."

"And we told you," Tasha answered, voice drawn out with exasperation.

Their voices were drawing nearer. Why were they coming closer? Panic ruined Ada's ability to think. If they discovered her in the garden, it would seem as if she was snooping to listen in on their conversation. And Luke was present too; it would sure make him prove his something-is-wrong-with-this-one theory.

"Are you not concerned that one of your cupids is falling short?"

"Since you are more concerned than we are, why not ask for an audience with the One Up High and lay your complaint?" Maya asked in a measured tone. She was the only one who didn't sound aggravated by Luke's presence. "I must confess that I find your fixation on one of our cupids strange. Is there something we should know?"

Every cell in Ada's body throbbed with trepidation. What were the odds of her hearing this conversation? Several weeks ago, she only knew Luke was one of the Helmets of the Northern Division. Now, he seemed to spring up everywhere. When her assignment was given, with Haruto, and now this?

"Well, if you must know..." Luke paused and everything in Ada paused as well.

"Enough with the dramatic pauses. Spit it out already," Bo said.

"One of the Retired brought news to me."

"Which of them?" Maya's tone grew sombre.

"Nathaniel."

"You've got to be kidding me," Bo yelled.

At that precise moment, a hand settled over Ada's shoulder. Yelping, Ada twisted around only to find a confused Teddy staring down at her. Acting on instinct, Ada grabbed his wrist and pulled him down. When he started talking, she held the back of his head and slapped a palm over his mouth. "Shhh."

"Did you hear that?" Luke asked.

Teddy was urgently trying to say something behind her hand, but Ada was too distracted by the fear of being discovered. The Helmets, including Luke, were hurrying around one of the gazebos and heading straight to her location.

As the sound of their voices and footsteps grew louder and louder, Ada mumbled, "Please, don't see me. Please don't find us."

Teddy continued to mumble behind her palm, shaking his head in an attempt to loosen her grip. Whipping around to face him, she raised an eyebrow and mouthed, What?

His eyes were wide as he shook his head. Why did he look so shocked? She let him tug her hand away. "What?" she whisper-yelled.

"Look. Your wings."

It was then Ada noticed. In her panic, her wings had made an appearance and were wrapped around both of them, but that wasn't the odd thing. What made goosebumps race across her skin and turn her head woozy was something else, something super weird. Her wings were transparent. She could see through them—like looking through pink-tinted sunglasses. How?

Just then the Helmets rounded the corner, all four of them glancing about. Ada's jaw unhinged when their eyes swept over where she and Teddy were huddled. 

The Helmets couldn't see them

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Hello dear readers. 
I hope you are forgiving this writer for being lazy about getting new chapters out. Maybe NaNo will help me out. Maybe. *wipes tears and crosses fingers* 

Believe me, WCE is spread out neatly in my head. Finding the time and motivation to get down to writing it eludes me. Maddening, I tell you. They should create a technology where we get to rent motivation. "I'd love to rent motivation for 1 hour. How much would that cost?" Wouldn't that be cool? Think about it for a sec. 

Anyhoo, thanks for reading. 
Votes and comments will be super-duper highly appreciated. Love y'all.