Chapter 13: Angel Runs Away

It's been twelve months since Angel's mother Harper came to visit her daughter on Mother's Day. Angel had been constantly thinking about her. As much as she loved her father, Angel couldn't help but wish to spend time with Harper. She got her wish one day when she got out of school early

"Angel, you leaving early…" Ms. Willow called for her. She was in the middle of doing arts and crafts with her friends

"Is your dad picking you up?" Farren asked her. Angel shrugged her shoulders, grabbed her things, and left for the office. When she got there, a familiar harpy waited for her

"MOMMY!" Angel called, rushing into her arms. Harper gave her a bunch of kisses on her cheek.

"Ready to have fun today…" Harper asked her.

Angel nodded her head. "Let us go onward...Mother…" She didn't notice that her friends watched from the door

"That's her mom?" Isley asked.

"She's beautiful…" Farren commented.

Angel stepped into the car and found something for her. It was a large pink box. She looked at her mother and she opened the box to reveal a new outfit; a black shirt with large red stripes, a red skirt, and white sneakers. Finally, her mother presented her with a brush. She did her daughter's hair and it was curly and parted to the left…"

"I love it, Mommy…" Angel said in awe. Harper just smiled at her.

Then the girls went around town, ate ice cream, played in the park, and then to end the day off, they went to the mall to get Angel more gifts. Then Angel was dropped off at the Lightfoot household. She knocked on the door and Laurel answered it.

"There you are, Angel...We were all worried sick about you…" Laurel told her

"It's okay Ms. Lightfoot, I picked her up...You can call Barley and tell him-"

"Princess…" Barley rushed over to his daughter and attacked her cheek with kisses. "I'm so sorry I didn't pick you up- What are you wearing?"

"Mommy gave it to me…" Angel pointed to Harper.

"Oh...Okay...Well...Please let me know where you are okay…" Barley lectured his daughter. Angel went into Guinevere the 2nd while Barley and Harper talked

Angel tried to listen but she couldn't hear anything. Then Barley stepped into the van and he drove off. It was a silent ride between the 2 of them. Angel had figured that she had done something wrong.

"Daddy...I didn't know Mommy was going to pick me up….Honest…"

It was even more silent when they got home. Barley didn't play with Angel as he would usually do, He just went into his room and shut the door behind him. All Angel could feel now was guilt.

The next morning, Barley told his daughter that he's allowing her to see her mother and that Laurel talked him into letting her see Harper because she deserved to be in her life.

This happened for the next month or so. Angel's mom would pick her up at the end of the day and they would do fun activities and then Harper would leave. Angel wished that the fun didn't end. But then the visits stopped.

When Angel was picked up from school, She partially expected her mother to pick her up, but it turns out it was just her uncle Ian picking her up. She got into his red car and drove her to the house.

"Hey, kiddo...How was school?" Ian asked her, seeing her a little blue

"It was good…" She sighed.

"Doesn't sound like it…"

"Well...I thought Mommy was going to pick me up like she did for the past month…" Angel looked out of the window.

Ian took no offense to this as he knew what it was like having a missing part of him. "Listen...Maybe you should ask your dad if she's going to visit you again...Maybe you can convince him…"

Angel smiled. She was thankful to have an understanding uncle.

Back at the apartment, Angel and Barley ate dinner. It was a simple frozen pasta dish. Angel barely ate a bite of her meal and just looked at her father

"You know if you don't eat up...You young lady are not getting dessert." Barley muffled. Angel then reluctantly ate up her food.

"When am I going to see Mommy again?" Angel quickly asked. Barley stopped eating and glanced at his daughter.

"When am I going to see Mommy again?" She repeated.

"Soon sweetheart…"

"Promise…."

"I promise...Okay…" Angel was a little pacified when he said soon.

Then a few months later, Harper still didn't come. Barley, Ian, or Laurel or even Colt would pick up Angel. She still thought about her mother. She brought up the question again to Barley and He gave her the same answer.

She brought this up to her friends at school during lunch. Farren just finished her cheese pizza.

"He's a piece of trash…" Farren said.

"WHAT?!" Angel was surprised her friend would say that

"Your mother hasn't shown her face in weeks and your dad isn't doing anything about it….I guarantee you He's trying to keep your mother away from you

"Now hold on a second…" Leo started.

"Yeah, they were so close Farren…" Eddie scolded Farren

"Yeah until Her mother showed up...He's probably jealous that you want to spend with your mom instead of him…" Farren argued

"But Daddy doesn't get jealous…" Angel spoke meekly

"Yeah, but not when it comes to his child...you…"

"Why don't you just ask him again…." Isley suggested

"She did that Isley…" Ness told him.

"No no no no….Ask him again tonight...If he gives you that stupid answer…"SOON"...Confront him about it...You deserve a real answer…" Farren told Angel firmly.

She decided to asked him again tonight. They were at the lightfoot's house for dinner. They were all enjoying Laurel's famous meatloaf. Angel didn't eat a bite of food.

"Angel, what's wrong…" Laurel asked. Everyone turned to her, but she eyed Barley.

"Daddy...When can I see mommy again…" Angel asked.

"Soon sweetie pie…" Barley said, stuffing his mouth with meatloaf.

Then Angel followed through with Farren's advice. "When When…"

"What dop you mean?" her father asked

"You said soon, five months ago the first time...You said soon 4 weeks ago the second time I asked you...You now say soon at the end of the month the third time…"

"Are you counting days now...Like a prisoner…" Barley stopped eating at this point.

"When is soon?"

"Soon is coming up…"

"When: on the next month…or maybe even a year…."

"ANGEL!" Barley spoke firmly

"I deserve an answer…" Angel combatted back.

"I don't have an answer for you right now…"

"Then why have you been avoiding me...I want to see Mommy again" Angel said.

Having enough of Angel's attitude, Barley slammed his fist on the table, scaring Ian and Colt.

"BARLEY…" Laurel yelled at her son. To make matters worse, Angel threw some of the meatloaf at Barley, making the table messy

"ANGEL…" Laurel yelled at her granddaughter.

"YOU DON"T LIE…" Angel spoke angrily at her dad. She stomped away from them and walked outside and slammed the door. Now angry himself, Barley went the other direction and slammed the door to his old room.

"That didn't go well…" Ian spoke.

On the way home, neither of them spoke to each other. They were still angry at one another. It wasn't normal to them because Barley had never seen Angel act like this before and Angel has never seen Barley lie to her face like that. When they got home, they both stomped away to their rooms.

Angel had to figure out a way to see her mother again. She decided to take matters in her own hands tomorrow.

When Barley dropped her off at school. She went inside the building. She waited for him to drive away. She exited the building and walked off. Farren went after her

"What are you doing…" Farren asked her

"I'm going to find my mom…" Angel used her wings to push Farren off of her and she took flight.

Angel went around the city to try and find her mother, even going to certain places that they already went to when they were bonding but alas she never turned up.

She luckily brought a picture of her and her mother and showed it to everyone she ran into, and the same question came up, "Have you seen my mommy?" but most of them haven't seen her and most of them asked her; "Shouldn't you be in school?" "What about your dad…"

She ducked away from police cars, thinking her grandpa Colt was going to see her. At last when she went to a small bar, she gulped and began to speak up.

"Have any of you seen my mommy, her name is Harper…" Angel asked meekly, seeing that she's in front of a group of scary grown-ups.

"Harper…" a voice said. Angel turned to see a harpy wiping down a glass. Angel rushed over to it

"YEAH YEAH YEAH...Do you know her...She's my mommy…"

The harpy laughed at the girl's enthusiasm. "Well, I knew her from college…She was such a mysterious girl that Harper…"

"Do you know where she lives… Tell me tell me…"

"Slow down...I'll give you the address…." the harpy wrote down the address for Angel, who thanked her enthusiastically and ran off. She didn't know that Specter and Gore were at the same bar

"Ready to call Officer Bronco?" Gore asked her partner and Specter nodded.

Angel reached the neighborhood the harpy told her to go to. She kept looking down at the paper and kept going. She found a house and down at the paper which said 4987 Pollentern Ave. She knew she was in the right place. She kept hidden and she looked at the window and didn't see anybody. She searched all around the house and found nothing.

"What are you doing here?" this scared Angel. She turned to see a middle-aged cyclops with her hands on her hips.

"I'm here to see Harper...Do-Do you know where she is…" Angel stuttered.

"Harper...She's at work...She's not home, now go home…" the woman said

"Pretty please mam, I need to see her…" Angel then spread out her wings for the lady to see. This surprised the lady and she let her inside.

"So you played hooky, just to see your mama?" the lady now named Francine asked.

Angel nodded her head. Francine just smiled at her. That's brave...No little kid I know of would go this far just to see their parent...You got a dad?" Angel nodded.

"I don't know if he wants me to see my mommy…" Angel sighed. She told the lady everything that happened.

"Well Let's step into her room, Have you ever had pigtails before. Angel shook her head.

In Harper's pink room, there was the king-sized bed, and a piano, and a box in the corner and the girls were right in front of the vanity in the room. Francione was braiding Angel's short hair.

"Has your father ever done your hair before…" Francine asked.

"A few times...He wasn't good at it...I just brush my hair and place a beanie on it." Angel said. Ironically she held her black beanie in her podgy hands as they made conversation.

"You know...You and your father seem to have a strong bond…Why do you want to see her…"

"She went to see me on Mother's day and I want to spend as much time with her as possible...Daddy doesn't want that for me…" Angel sighed. Tears came in her eyes and she cried in her reflection.

Francine rubbed her back. Then Francine left Angel for a second and returned with a photo. It was of Harper and another man, a man Angel doesn't recognize.

"Who's that?" Angel asked. Francine sighed sadly. "I'm afraid this is Harper's new love…" then on cue a baby's cry heard a few doors down. Francine went to the room with Angel following her.

They arrived at a peach-colored nursery and Angel gently flew to the crib. Francine was gently shushing the baby and brought it to Angel.

"This is your half brother…" Francine whispered. Angel glanced at him and he gave her a squeal. Then Angel ran off.

"Angel…" Francine said.

Angel slammed the door to the bathroom and broke down. Choked cries came out and she covered her mouth. Her beanie was on her head. A waterfall of tears streamed down her face. She had a mixture of feelings racing in her mind; Sadness, anger, betrayal and most of all hurt. After all of that time she's been with Harper, She replaced her and her father.

Time passed since she was in the bathroom. Francine knocked on the door and told her some people were there for her. Turns out, Colt got the call that Angel was not in school and went into a bar. He along with Gore and Specter marched up to the bathroom where Angel was and knocked on the door

"Angel...you are in trouble big time…." Colt told her through the door. Angel just glanced at the door

"Your not getting out of this young lady…" then Angel stormed out of the bathroom and went past Colt and he grabbed her by her chunky arm.

"What has gotten into you-" Colt stopped when Angel still had an angry look on her face and she was crying and she didn't look at the 3 police officers.

Specter knew that something was wrong. "Sweetheart...Is everything okay…."

Angel just stared at the ground and sniffled. Then she ran off. Francine explained everything to the police and they all felt sorry for Angel

Angel was in the police car being taken back to the school. When she got there, the police talked to Ms. Willow, and of course, she called her father. Angel didn't care at this point.

"What are you going to do?" Isley asked Angel. Angel didn't looked at them.

When her father came to the school along with Ian and Laurel and Colt and the other two officers, neither of them were happy to see each other. Ian cringed, knowing that this was going to be bad.

"I don't lie...Wasn't that our pact…" Barley scolded. Angel tried to walk past him but he forcefully grabbed her arm

"Hey hey….Don't walk away from me young lady" they looked at each other with glares

"Where did you go huh….Angel answer me when I'm talking to you…" Angel just glared at him

"You went to see your mother didn't you?" Barley asked.

"She wasn't there…" Angel finally spoke.

"Well who else besides that Francine lady see you huh...Who else…"

"No one else...Saw me okay…" Angel hit him with sass.

"You know your not supposed to see her right...even while your at school…"

"YOU PROMISED ME I'D SEE HER….AND I NEVER DO…" Angel screamed stomping her foot. "NOTHING YOU PROMISED CAME…"

"Nothing happens and you are PROTECTED" Barley slammed the lockers, making Angel jump. Neither of them cared to see that they were arguing in front of the whole school. Everyone including Angel's friends heard the whole conversation.

"YOU LIED TO ME!" Angel screamed again.

"I never lied. I protect you, feed you and teach you and I told you you'd see her soon and you know what….YOU CAN'T EVEN WAIT FOR THAT?!"

"I'M SICK OF WAITING AND I'M SICK OF EXCUSES…" then Barley walked away from her. Angel kicked at a locker with her black sneaker.

"Your grounded Angel...Know what that means...NO dessert...and no magic for a week…" Barley had angel's small staff in his hand. She flew and grabbed it from him.

"Very funny angel let go…" Angel just glared at him

"Two weeks" He tried to grab it back from her and Angel pulled back

"A month…"

"NO!"

"Well, now you just went to no magic at all…" Barley grabbed Angel's staff and broke it into two.

"NO!" Angel ran to her broken. "No…No no no…."

"You need to understand the consequences of your actions"

"YOUR ARE A MONSTER...I'd rather be with MOMMY INSTEAD OF YOU…"

"Really...That woman instead of your own father…"

"I HATE YOU…" then Barley lost it.

"I hate you too you little brat...That's right your a brat...YOU TOOK MY LIFE AWAY FROM ME AND I JUST WANT IT BACK... I WISH YOU WERE NEVER HERE…" This shocked everyone around the two of them.

"BARLEY!" Laurel yelled. This especially hit Angel like venom. Then she began to walk away. Then Barley realized what he had just said.

"Angel, I'm sorry…" Barley tried to grab for her but she pushed him away.

"Angel sweetie pie, your dad doesn't mean it" Laurel tried to diffuse the anger.

"YOU GO AWAY AND LEAVE ME ALONE….." Angel screamed. She had tears running down her face. And then she took flight away from the school.

"Angel..." Farren called. Her friends were running after her but they couldn't catch up

"Angel…" Ian called. But their calls were ignored by the elf-harpy hybrid.

Angel arrived back at the apartment. She used the door key under the matt and ran into her room. She packed everything including her teddy bear Mr. Fluffy. She looked up and saw that it was cloudy but she didn't care. She locked the door back and dropped the key back under the matt and flew away, not looking back. She didn't know where she was going to go but she knew she had to get far.

A few hours later, Barley arrived at the apartment and knocked on Angel's bedroom door.

"Angel...princess...I know you're in there...Ba ba da da ba…" Barley tried the special knock but it didn't work and he heard nothing. He when into her room and it was empty.

"Angel…" Barley called. He ran around the apartment trying to find her. Then he ran outside and he yelled his daughter's name. He quickly got on the phone with his family and told him Angel's missing.

Minutes later in the pouring rain, everyone was in search of the poor girl. Angel's friends searched around the park and Angel's favorite places to try and find her while the police along with Laurel search around certain neighborhoods. Then Barley realized something

"Angel can't fly in rain…" Then Barley got inside Guinervere the 2nd.

"Barley, where are you going?" Ian asked.

"Angel can't fly in rain, She has to be on foot somewhere…" Ian then followed after him and the brothers took off in the van.

Meanwhile, Angel walked slowly among the streets. Her wings were lowered from trying to fly in the rain, her clothes were soaking wet and she started to sneeze, catching a cold. She felt her little nose and fingers getting cold. She finally found a bus stop with a cover. She ran to it and sat on the bench.

She felt herself getting hungry and she dug into her backpack and took out some of her grandmothers chocolate chip cookies and a bag of cheese puffs and ate them. She waited 10 minutes and she left the bus stop and she tried to flap her wings but because of the rain, it prevented her from trying to fly

"Come on...Come on you stupid wings…" Angel whispered to herself. After several fail attempts, Angel just gave some and ran ever further away from the stop.

She found a hotel nearby and decided to dry off there. A staff member heard her sneezing.

"Sweetie, do you want a blanket…" a lady asked her. Angel nodded her head and sneezed once more and the lady touched her forehead

"You're catching a cold…" the staff hurried to get her a blanket and wrapped Angel in it. After a while, Angel's eyes slowly began to close.

"Get the police now…"

Ian and Barley drove around for a while. Ian glanced at Barley and a few tears went down his face.

"This is my fault...I shouldn't have said those things to her or keep her from her mother...What kind of a father am I…." Barley breathed. Ian gently rubbed his back.

"We'll find her soon and you guys can make this right…" Ian told him.

"What if she doesn't forgive me…"

"She will...She just needed some time…" then Ian's phone rang

"Hello…We'll be there" Ian turned to Barley. "Colt called me, they said she went into a hotel to dry off from the rain…"

Then Barley stepped on it.

A few minutes later, The brothers arrived at hotel and saw a few cops gathering around the couch. They approached it and Barley was wide-eyed when he saw Angel with her eyes closed. More tears appeared in his eyes. Laurel appeared by her eldest son's side.

"She's okay, She's just a little exhausted and she caught a cold." laurel told him

Colt clopped over to the boys. "There's something you both need to know," Colt told Barley and Ian everything that Francine told him at the house. Barley now felt even more guilty for not explaining.

He scooped up his daughter. He felt her squirmed in his arms. She coughed and looked up to see her worried and guilt-stricken father.

"Daddy…" Angel whispered.

"My precious little baby…" Barley wrapped his muscular arms around Angel.

"I'm so sorry about what I said…" Barley gently shushed her.

"No...I'm the one that's sorry, I didn't let you explain...Colt told me...I didn't know Harper was with another man and had another child…"

"I didn't know either...I feel so stupid…" Angel cried and Barley gently swayed her.

"I feel like a...a screw-up…" Barley told her.

"I screwed up too…" Angel sniffled. Then she sneezed.

"Am I still grounded…." Barley thought about it.

"Only for a few days...I'll have Ian fix your staff," Barley told her.

The girl smiled at her father and she sneezed and coughed once more

"Now let's get home...and get you feeling better, I'll tell your friends I found you…"

"Okay…"

Then Barley carried Angel out of the hotel along with her things and into Guinevere the 2nd.