That was how Cole found her, lying on the floor of the forest, with tears streaking down her face, whimpering. He'd gotten off work slightly earlier to check on Danielle for Ian, who was due to close the shop today. Danielle had gone into the forest to the borders to look for flowers for her mama and had not returned the hour. Worried for her safety, Cole headed to the forest in hurried steps. When he heard Danielle's anguished cry, he ran, following the direction of her voice until he found her.
He scooped her up in his arms, willing her to open her eyes while he searched her body for any signs of injury that might have caused her to cry out in anguish. But he found none. Desperate to find out what happened to her, Cole shook Danielle until she opened her eyes.
"Danielle! It's me, Cole!" he shouted, relieved that she'd opened her eyes at last. But he was worried to see the bewildered look in her eyes, as if something horrible had happened to her. "What happened, Danielle?"
"Oh, Cole!" Danielle said, launching herself into his chest and sobbing her eyes out. She was in no shape to tell Cole what she'd just seen or experienced. She didn't even know how she was going to tell him about the two people who started it all! "It was horrible, horrible."
"What was, honey," Cole cooed, stroking her hair in an attempt to calm her down. "What was horrible honey?"
"The man…with the axe….he killed you…right before my eyes…and he..he..tried to kill me as well," Danielle stuttered, clutching on to Cole's shirt.
"What man?" Cole asked, looking around to make sure that there wasn't any man waiting to kill the both of them. "What did he look like?"
"He wasn't a man….at least he didn't look like one," Danielle explained. She had lifted her head and was looking at him now. "He had horns, just like the devil's. And he was carrying this axe that I've never seen before. He was charging towards us, and you came in between, shielding me." Danielle's hand touched the middle of his chest, her gaze shifted momentarily before she looked at him again. "He cut you here, and you were bleeding so badly. And then you died. And he tried to kill me too."
Cole looked at her, listening to her relaying what had happened to her. He couldn't understand a word she was saying now. How could he be dead? Unless she was foretelling the future, she wasn't making any sense. However, Cole knew better than to tell her that she wasn't making any sense. She was hysterical as such and to tell her that would just make things worse.
He spent that night at Danielle's house. He'd carried her home from the forest and she'd fallen asleep in his arms. Her mama had almost fainted when she saw Danielle limp in his arms, assuming that she was hurt badly. After his assurance, she calmed down and helped him put Danielle to bed. He'd told her everything, right down to what Danielle had told him. He took Cynthia that he'd chalk it up to hallucination until they could figure out what really happened to Danielle in the forest.
He was lying on the bed in the spare room, unable to sleep even though he was exhausted. He kept thinking back to the way Danielle looked when he found her lying on the forest floor. He was so afraid that he would lose her. Even now, he wasn't sure if she was safe or if something bad had befallen on her again. Cole got out of bed, and dressed, before he made his way towards her room. The door was slightly open when he got there. He pushed it open, expecting to see Danielle lying safely in her bed. Instead, he saw the covers were thrown aside and Danielle was not in bed. Though he heart beat quickened, his instinct told him to look outside. He opened the door and was relieved to find her sitting on the steps with her lantern beside her.
"How are you feeling?" Cole asked, as he sat down next to her. She was sitting with her arms round her legs and her chin resting on her knees.
"Do you think I'm mad, Cole?" she asked instead, her voice barely a whisper loud.
"No, Dani," Cole said, calling her by her childhood nickname. "I just want to know what happened to you back there. I care for you, Dani, I do."
Danielle turned and faced Cole. "I know you do. I care for you too." She turned away, staring ahead into the dark. They sat there in silence for a moment, before Danielle spoke.
"There were these two people there. They told me that it was time for me to fulfill my duty. I didn't even hear them approaching me. They said they were going to restore my powers, my aura and my memories to me, memories of you dying and me facing death."
"I don't get what you're trying to say," Cole voiced. "Danielle?"
Danielle turned and faced him, looking at him in the eyes. "They told me I was a half-angel, Cole."
School today was just like any day. She had more than two classes with that rude delivery guy turned stand in teacher and she was glad that he did not intentionally try to single her out just like he did the day before. Surprisingly, he was rather serious and solemn today. He had cuts on his face as well as a busted lip that was still swollen and Danielle found herself wondering if he was all right. She'd mentally berated herself, chalking her concern up to mere curiosity on her part. She'd left right after the bell rang and made her way towards the entrance of the school, her mind focused on getting to the preschool, where little Natalie Westland was. She was just about to leave the school compound when Aidan called out to her.
"Danielle! Wait up!"
Danielle turned around to see Aidan jogging towards her. Her lips curved into a smile and she found herself walking towards him, meeting him halfway.
"Hey."
"Hey," Aidan said, catching his breath. "Where are you heading today? Want to head out for lunch?"
Danielle was about to agree when she remembered about Natalie Westland. "Can't. I have something on in the afternoon. In fact I was about to head over there when you stopped me."
"Oh."
Danielle thought Aidan looked crestfallen. So did she. She really wanted to spend time with him, especially since she had a great time with him yesterday. Darn! This was one of the days she was cursing her duty as a half angel. Suddenly, she had an idea.
"But we could have dinner later instead?" Danielle bit her lower lip while she waited for Aidan's reply. She doesn't remember ever feeling like she wanted to go out with anyone in decades!
"Sure!" Aidan replied enthusiastically, spurred on by the excitement of being able to see her later. "Now why didn't I think of that?"
Danielle giggled. Strange, but she never giggled, not much anyway. "Alright. Dinner it is. I'll meet you at the mall?"
"At seven. Is that alright with you?"
"Seven it is," Danielle replied. She took a look at her watch. She was running late. She called the preschool earlier to inform them of her visit. "Look, I really have to run now. I'll see you tonight then."
I'll be looking forward to seeing you," Aidan said, flashing her a rare smile of his.
Danielle smiled in return at his words. She would be looking forward to seeing him too, but instead of voicing her thoughts out, she gave him a quick nod of her head and hurried off towards the preschool.
"Mr Westland, that lip of yours look really bad," Mr Conrad commented. He leaned against the coffee counter right next to Noah. "What happened?"
"I slipped and fell. Hit myself on the edge of the table and busted my lip," Noah answered non-commitedly.
Though he had only been here for two days, he'd learnt the office politics of the staff room. Teachers here were always ready for a piece of gossip, regardless whether it's about a teacher or a student. He'd also learnt that they would stop at absolutely nothing to ensure or to fight for a promotion or a pay rise. And a suspicious looking swollen lip of a stand-in teacher would raise the principal's concerns and Noah would risk losing his job. And as bad as he didn't want to admit it, he needed this job as long as he could hold on to it, because they paid him good and he needed the cash for Natalie.
"Really? Sure looks like you were in a brawl last night," Mr. Conrad said over the tip of his coffee cup, taking a sip after his comment.
Noah turned around, with his own coffee cup in his hand. He had his dark glasses on still, hiding the gash above his eyebrow. A swollen lip and a cut across his cheek raised enough suspicions and concerns; there was no need to report another gash above his eyebrow. "How would you know, Mr. Conrad, unless you've been in one before and had gotten a swollen lip afterwards?"
Mr. Conrad opened his mouth, as if to throw out a retort. But he shut his mouth when Noah raised his eyebrow in challenge. Realizing that he could not beat him, Mr. Conrad turned beet-red and walked away from the coffee counter back to his table, indignance obvious in his strides. Noah proceeded to sip his coffee. When the dark liquid came into contact with the gash on his lip, it stung. But Noah showed no signs of a wince. He was accustomed to pain ever since he could remember. It was a part of him that he'd never told anyone, or let anyone know. Noah remembered, as he took another sip of his coffee, he'd vowed when his mother was pregnant with Natalie, that he would never let her get accustomed to pain like him. He'd kept his promise so far, but now that his father was back again…The sound of the bell jarred him from his thoughts, reminding him that he had a class to attend to.