A Devils Heart
IX
Edward Crosse
Angelea was sitting in a chair at the Order's private library grounds, which were open to the public but denied the ability to check out books. Placed at a mahogany desk alone in the corner where it was quiet, several open books lay in front of her with scribbled notes, an old leather book bag slung on the chair behind her in which she sat in. She tried to focus on her work but was distracted by thoughts of weeks that passed. Since Brother Ariel was miraculously brought back to life by some unforeseen force, things have been quite hectic lately. Doctors tried to figure out how it was feasibly possible, analyzing Ariel for days, interviewed, tested; and continued the logical search for the truth by doing the same tests towards Angelea and her mentor Brother David who witnessed it firsthand. The doctors had to cover any possible explanation before concluding a "miracle," after all; they are just following Church procedures when any accusations of "miracles" or "demonic possessions" took place.
A huge weight of guilt lifted from Angelea's shoulders of Ariel's resurrection, yet she felt a little hesitant when interacting with him the few times they met since that terrible event. It was… awkward. She defeated one of the best fighter's in the Society of Miles Alatus, killing her best friend, and then suddenly he came back from the dead? She was still a member of the society, which didn't feel right since that day. The head superiors of the Order always kept asking the same questions on the details in the emergency room when she was with Ariel's body, it was aggravating. She told them the same story every time, in that she prayed and sang to Ariel and when she gave Ariel a kiss good-bye, he somehow came back to life. She didn't expect God would actually answer her prayers. Many seemed puzzled, even fearful. There were those who were hopeful and glad for the blessing that came about; however, there were those who thought there was some evil force at hand, and the one who spoke of it loudly than any other was Brother Trystane at the recent council meeting a couple days ago. The reaction from Ariel's uncle, the General Brother Trystane, seemed disappointed and very upset with the news of Ariel's return from death's clutches. He openly spoke how it was the work of the Devil and that this was not something natural to accept. He would argue that no human could come back from the dead but the Lord himself, who was blessed with divinity. And that Judgment Day wasn't upon us to bring forth a random resurrection of some boy who lacked the sense to defeat a mere girl with no combat experience whatsoever. Others objected but some agreed, it was a headache and she felt insulted as they argued around her, Ariel, and David. She didn't understand why Brother Trystane despised Ariel, why he was so cruel to him, they were blood relatives; something she wished she had, a blood relative, that was something that is a mystery to her. Even though Ariel was a result of his mother's unspeakable account of rape, as she understood it, Ariel is the last memory of his late mother. The only truth she was allowed to know was that his mother was a French nun in a small town up in the mountains known as Lourdes, she was horribly raped which resulted in a pregnancy that she kept secret and was then later killed after Ariel was born to everyone's surprise.
She banged her head on the book in front of her in frustration; she couldn't focus on her studies and preparations for an upcoming mission David assigned her, which were of ill news. Her first Outside-the-Church Mission with the Miles Alatus. The weight of anxiety and the unknown clawed at her heart and crept madly into her mind. She didn't know what to do and with what's happened in the past week, it was overwhelming her. She hasn't slept well, lost an appetite, and constantly felt in the back of her mind something was wrong, but couldn't find an answer as to why. David didn't seem too please with the mission assigned to her, overhearing an argument that "this was all Brother Ariel's fault! That it was his responsibility alone to fix this."—whatever that meant, she didn't bother to question. Everyone around her seemed too afraid to approach her or too upset or preoccupied with the events going on in and outside the Church to bother talking with her, except Ariel. She would visit him in the hospital from time to time despite the awkwardness or silence as she studied, which were at times a blessing to just be in ones company who seemed to actually care about you. He would offer her some tips on combat and answer any questions she may have, after all, Ariel has been in Miles Alatus longer than she. Until recently, she was ordered to be separate from Ariel, the usual orders everyone had to follow because of some personal matter no one was allowed to know or talk about. Rumors were that Ariel suffered a genetic disorder which resulted as "fits" and a "fever of the brain" that could only be described as behavioral problems that made him act not his usual self and was a danger to himself and others. In any case, no one dared go against an order from the "Hand of God", General Trystane. All these events and her thoughts racing were too much, so she repeatedly banged her head in the old book in front of her to get her mind to stop tormenting her with thoughts and worries.
"I suggest you quit beating your head on such an old book. It won't assist you in allowing the function of your brain to improve nor is it good for the book, which from what I can observe, is older than you."
Angelea quickly straighten herself in her seat, unfamiliar with the voice behind her. She turned to peer wide-eyed at the cold green-blue eyes that belonged to the unknown presence before her. He was tall, tan of skin and black of hair. He had sharp features that resembled of a Eastern-euro aristocrat, a classic handsome appearance with his broad arms gently crossed behind him in a gentleman-like demeanor, wearing the typical attire of any normal citizen outside the church, except he dressed impeccably well as if on his way to some business meeting or church service. He only looked down at her quietly as she awkwardly analyzed him trying to recognize his face and couldn't. He cleared his throat, looking away after the silent stare-down passed to an uncomfortable social interaction that would be considered socially unacceptable. Angelea realized her gawking made him uncomfortable and quickly looked away to look at some old books near her on a shelf, apologizing.
"Uhm… may I help you? …Is… is there uh, something you need?" she nervously asked as she stood up.
"Not exactly."
"Oh, then you're a regular here at this library?" she smiled.
"No."
Confused, she asked the man nicely, "Then… what brings you here?"
A silent pause as he slightly looked around as if to remind him where he was. His behavior reminded her of an introvert.
"…I value books and enjoy… their company more than… people." he finished monotonously as he reverted his gaze towards Angelea's mismatched eyes.
Angelea found him odd but it was amusing and continued to engage with the handsome stranger, she smiled sweetly at him, "What's your name?"
Another pause. "Crosse. Edward Crosse."
"Hello Mr. Crosse. My name is Sister Angelea Sanctus." She chimed as she extended her hand for the usual western greeting, Edward only cringed at the word "Mr." when she spoke it and hesitantly took her small hands into his and firmly shook it once, then let go.
More awkward silence. Angelea thought to gather her things and leave; she was beginning to feel uncomfortable until Edward spoke up to her surprise. "What are you reading?"
Angelea turned behind her, a loss of words on what it was she was doing earlier; she could feel her body getting warmer as nervousness returned, except it was a result of being shy around this man for unknown reasons.
"Oh uh…" she was trying to quickly decide how to answer him, knowing that most of what it was she was studying was classified from "Outsiders" (other people who are not part of the Church, especially those not part of the Miles Alatus Order as she was sternly told and the oath she took during her ceremonial initiation a week ago). "It's uhm… just some research I'm doing… about demons and monster… and stuff. You know… wait, maybe you don't know cause you're a normal person—I mean not in "normal" as an insult or that your uh… boring or anything, like "normal" person who isn't knowledgeable or into stuff like that—not trying to say your dumb!" Someone nearby shhh'd. Angelea remembering where she was, finished in a whisper, "Sorry, I'm sounding stupid. I'm not a crazy religious nut or something!" she panicked, feeling foolish in front of the man as he stared at her lacking emotion on his face, she knew he was thinking, but afraid to know what it was he thought about her. Some people near by stared at her with annoyed expressions on their face as she winced at oncoming glares.
"Actually, I'm quite knowledgeable about daemons and monsters." He said a matter of fact.
She paused in her thoughts and looked at him questionably, "…You do?"
"Yes. You could say… it is a bittersweet interest of mine." As he peered over Angelea to take a closer look at the open book, skimming over her notes, journals and other books she had stacked on the large desk.
Angelea, surprised at Edwards unanticipated nosiness, made a quick attempt to cover her notes and closed her journals as she laughed uncomfortably, worried what he might have read. But it was enough for him to piece some things together about her and what she was possibly up to.
"Sorry but, this is private."
"My apologies, I'm just curious as to what you are doing here. It seemed important the way you were beating your head on the book."
Angelea felt embarrassed once again, her cheeks turning slightly red, "Oh… yeah, I'm just… having a difficult couple of weeks. I can't seem to think properly and it's frustrating. It's making it difficult to do my work effectively."
"I see. Perhaps I can be of some help, if you wish." He suggested as he picked up one of the closed books to read it, it was about lycanthrope lore, something he knew quite well.
She thought maybe he could be useful if he is truly knowledgeable of demons and monsters as he says he is. It wouldn't be too difficult to know if he was lying by having a simple conversation about demons and monsters that people usually don't know much scholarly details about. She did score the highest on said topic in the Miles Alatus Exams on record. She was quite proud of herself for such a feat. Realizing they were just standing around her desk as he was quietly reading she decided they leave the library to get a hot beverage and continue this conversation in a more suitable place, aware that the Church library follows strict "quiet in the library halls" rules.
"Would you like to continue this conversation somewhere else?" as she began to gather her belongings, quickly putting her journals and some books she brought with her in her book bag.
The other books she wanted to take with her had to be checked out at the desk and she had no bag with her big enough to carry all of the old books to her dismay, some quite large and heavy in size. Annoyed at herself for forgetting to bring an extra bag to carry her books, acknowledging that her mind was not functioning normally as of late. She slung the book bag over her shoulders, stacked the books she was going to carry to the desk as Edward quietly stood from aside watching her gather her belongings. Aneglea put both hands under the books and tried to lift with all her strength, knowing the stack would be quiet heavy, and realizing they are heavier than she anticipated to her disappointment. She was trying to not look ridiculous in front of Edward, a man she just met and had an air of sophistication while she felt childish next to him, which she typically felt when around someone she felt shy and nervous with.
"I can't believe you're weak," stated Edward in amazement.
"What's that suppose to mean? You only just met me!" she answered annoyed as she was able to lift the stack of books awkwardly, trying to balance them in her slender arms that appeared to lack muscle to an outside onlooker.
"…I can assist—"
"No thanks, I'm fine." She stubbornly intervened, determination in her eyes as she tried to quickly maneuver around some desks and the tall bookshelves into the wide hallways of the library to face more obstacles of people, desks, and books on rolling carts.
Edward quietly followed behind, seeming amused at the girl before him. Angelea realized how far away the check out desk seemed as she was beginning to feel the fatigue of the weight of the books in her arms and chest. Anegela quickly set them down at a near by table where someone sat quietly reading and jumped to her intrusion of their space. She was huffing, catching her breath and strength as she rested her aching arms and back, apologized for her rudeness and the loud slam of the books when she dropped it on the mahogany table barely making the it. Feeling confident that she could do it again, she lifted the stack of books and began the journey to the check out desk, which once again seemed so far away.
"You're going to drop the books."
"No I won't." Angelea replied stubbornly, optimistic she could do it.
Edward was annoyed with her stubbornness, which led to taking longer than it needed to carry the books to the destination she wanted to take them when he could easily carry the load. Her pace was going quickly as she was desperately trying to get to the end of the hall without bumping into people, and to his anticipation, she tripped in a squeak and loudly dropped the books onto the marbled floor. Angelea felt so embarrassed feeling all of the eyes in the library glaring at her. She quickly tried to pick up the books; annoyed with herself and upset how bad everything seemed to go. Edward came forward and quickly picked up the rest of the books from the floor, taking the ones she was stacking near her and stood up as he peered down at her with an emotionless face. Angelea was flustered with the situation as she looked up at him shyly then quickly looked away, she couldn't stare into his eyes very long as before, it felt like he was peering into her soul with his intense gaze. He offered his long, wide hand to help her up, as he balanced the stack of books in his right with such ease to her amazement. She took his hand hesitantly as he brought her up then quickly let go and began to walk, forward in an elegant stride towards the check out desk without difficulty. She just stood silently to gawk behind his back and then quickly caught up to his side at his walking pace with some difficulty because of his long legs.
"Wow… you're really strong." She said to her astonishment.
Edward just glanced at her, a single brow stood up in slight annoyance to her comment and returned his gaze forward, nearing the desk and gently setting the books down for the old nun as she smiled in greeting and said "Good afternoon." Angelea looked away sheepishly, feeling stupid. There was a pause as Angelea was lost in thought; Edward cleared his throat to catch Angelea's attention at hand. Angelea realized they were waiting for her to provide her special card of identity and to sign her name on the clipboard provided before her. She quickly pulled out her card and signed her name. The nun just smiled and said "God Bless" but before they left the nun to her work, Angelea asked if she could borrow a bag that was big and strong enough to hold the books she was taking. The nun just smiled and said "Of course, dear" as she rummaged behind the desk to find a couple bags to hold the books that were suitable. The item was plain with the design of the Church's crest on the side of the canvas bag. Angelea thanked her as she helped the woman put the books in them; Edward grabbed the other one that the nun handed to him. He didn't care to carry a heavy bag filled with books, but he was in no position to complain, for he was trying to be on Angelea's good graces. They left the library and into the bustling city of noise and crowds of people in a rush to be somewhere. The sun was bright, the sky was clear, Angelea and Edward with the books of ancient knowledge in hand, as she led him to her favorite café known as the "Love Café", a popular place among the locals. She hoped the day would turn out better and she loved the opportunity to make friends and of course, learn from this mysterious man who claimed to know daemons and monsters, how intriguing she thought.
Author's Note: It has been over a year since I last updated and I apologize deeply to my fans. A lot has happened during the time passed, personal obligations and issues, projects, research, mountains of academic papers, and finishing my degree took priority. I am happily graduated and living in another country working as an international educator. Hopefully things go smoothly than it did back in the states. I hope this chapter was promising and answered some questions, maybe created some more? Either way, I will be working on this fanfic on and off depending on my situation abroad and having a stable internet connection. For a while it was very unstable and unreliable, made all forms of work difficult. Please continue to follow if you are patient with a lost soul just making a life for them self on this little blue planet. Continue to leave me reviews, it helps with the writing and gives me the added boost of confidence to continue. It gives me insight as to what people think of my writing and story thus far, as well as how much I may have improved in my writing skills.
Hope everyone is well and delighted with the chapter that was way overdue. I had to think carefully on this one and how the story will unfold. All of you may have realized that I like to tease at your brain and keep secrets with the direction of the characters and not giving out too much information. To answer your question Innocence and Instinct, I haven't completely made up my mind as to the direction of the romance, I have an idea, but I don't want to spoil it for others. That would be giving up too much, sorry darling. ;3 Thank you for your kind review, I hope this chapter will satisfy as for many others. Happy New Year~! Adie~
10
