Chapter 26: Welcome to Aegina

"Did you not hear what I just said?" Cupid sputtered. "I said I'm going to—"

"I heard you perfectly clear, and I said take me with you." I chirped, manipulating him with a faux act of good vibes and casualness. "I've been meaning to see the places you've all talked about. Think of it as acceptance therapy. The more I see, the more I'll be able to believe."

"Sometimes seeing isn't always believing, Isabelle."

I was more focused on his unwillingness to take me along than him calling me by my right name for once.

And respectfully at that.

"Well in this particular case it is. I won't be a burden so just show me around a bit. I don't have anything I'm doing right now, so it's the perfect opportunity."

"What do you mean by that? Aren't you a human? Don't you have a job or something to attend to? With how crippling debt is in your land, I'd be surprised if you didn't."

"Okay, one: that was harsh. And two: I do have a shit ton of college debt but what does that have to do with me tagging along?"

"I meant you should go to work or find something else to do than wanting to come with me to holy grounds thinking it's a school trip!"

My jaw tightened and I gazed at him in defiance.

"I'm coming."

"I'll literally die if that happens. Your hu—" He shook his head and clamped his lips like he almost made a grave mistake.

Then, he released a sigh, staring at me seriously. "Angelo will notice your disappearance and hunt us down."

"He won't. He hasn't made any efforts to see me in days. He's been avoiding me." Rightfully so after the terrible stunt he pulled and flooded an entire room in the process.

It had taken me a whole day to get over my initial shock of what he had done, then another one to actually get past my trauma and go take a shower.

I got scared by the mere thought of water with the way he had drenched us like a tsunami passed through the damn room!

Crazy angel and his endless abilities.

"Actually, now that I think about it, he's probably gotten sick of me and abandoned me." I casually aired my deepest, darkest fears.

I didn't know why but the thought of Angelo wanting nothing to do with me ate me up inside.

It was an odd sensation that I never experienced before...something scarily similar to loss.

It left an empty, sickening hole within me.

Cupid shook his head, unconvinced and unimpressed. "I don't know what happened for you to have that ridiculous thought but don't think for a second that even though you don't see him, he's not near you. He'll always be within your radius now. And I know for a fact that he won't think bringing you with me would be a good idea."

"I don't care what Angelo thinks is good or bad."

"You really should since he's the chief commander of the heavens."

I folded my arms. "Take me with you. Let me see more of your world—understand it. I won't be able to remember anything if you guys don't allow me to see things that can potentially jog my memory."

Cupid paused for a second as if he was actually considering my words. Then, his eyes grew more serious as he took a step towards me.

"Angelo can do a better job of restoring your memory. And the manner in which he'll do it is much more satisfying than my trifling methods such as having you as my tail."

"What is wrong with you people? I already made it clear that I won't sleep with him!"

"Then too bad." He teased, sticking his tongue out childishly and successfully breaking the tense atmosphere that had formed.

I snatched my hand out and grabbed it.

He looked at me, wide eyed.

"Did you really just grab my tongue?!" He exclaimed in a mumbling mess as I still held onto the small organ.

I spared him narrowed eyes before squeezing down onto it.

He started hopping around like an oversized bunny.

"You cwazy fwitxh!" He yelled.

"Isabelle—" Genie tried to interject but Cupid's screams got louder as I continued to pinch him with my fingers.

"Take me with you!" I demanded as I dished out punishment for not wanting me to come along with him.

Between all the torture, he still managed a strong-willed, "No!"

Much to my surprise, my intention to drag this out and have him bend to my will did not last long.

Before I could inflict anymore pain, an arm reached out and grabbed my offensive hand.

I opened my mouth in protest thinking it was Genie but a pair of solid grey eyes stared back at me.

With a tempestuous face like that, Angelo didn't need to ask any questions to get answers.

"She was trying to get me to agree to take her to Aegina."

I glared at Cupid for being a little snitch while the man before me froze.

His hand slowly released mine without much thought, focusing on me intently. "Why do you want to go to Aegina? Do you...do you remember there?"

I stilled.

Oh.

I watched the sign of hope in Angelo's eyes and my guilt came knocking at the front door.

I pretended I wasn't home.

Cupid also noticed and gave his friend a pitiful glance.

Shaking my head, I said, "No, I don't," I saw his shoulders sag relatively lower. "But I wanted to see if I could."

His brows furrowed in confusion.

"Remember, that is."

It struck him then and a soft expression painted his features. "Do you want to?"

I hesitated for a moment as everyone in the room looked at me.

"I don't know..."

I could have sworn I heard an orchestra of disappointed sighs.

"However, I do know that it's better than sitting here being vainly imaginative. Maybe seeing something will jog my memory of the past. If you've lit the flames on my mind already to start the process, maybe all it needs is some gasoline."

It took him a moment of just staring at me; those eyes being a beautiful and mysterious mixture.

"Okay."

My lips parted at the one worded reply.

"What?!"

"I said okay. If you want to see Aegina, then so be it."

Cupid looked at his friend as if he was losing his mind. "You can't be serious. If she goes there, it's going to start rumors. She looks relatively the same as she did when—"

His warning stopped midway with the dark look Angelo gave him.

"This is going to be a fucking disaster," he mumbled to himself.

It was the only rebellious act he could muster up against his friend's seriousness.

When Angelo turned to look back at me I understood what was going on. I also saw why he was ignoring the risk it seemed he was taking by bringing me there.

Because within that gentle look of his, there was undeniable hope.

Angelo was hopeful of my efforts to understand his world and all that was going on within it.

He recognized my self-made intentions of stepping away from the comfort zone of my mundane world.

Wanting to see Aegina was an equivalent of wanting to see another aspect of him.

It made him happy.

But most of all, it made him have some form of silver lining between the grey clouds that we had encountered.

***

The cold snap of the wind went across my face mercilessly as I held onto Angelo. My hands that were wrapped around his neck were freezing as he carried me bridal style; traveling through the passage of time while I kept my eyes screwed shut.

At first I was determined to see it all—the methods both him and Cupid would use to get to this heavenly land (or the outskirts of it rather). However, my efforts were pretty much futile with how nauseous the blur of the one-way path we took into what seemed like nothingness was.

"Close your eyes," he'd whispered softly to me once he felt my body begin to tremble and the rate of my heart beat quicken.

I wanted to rebel and open them wide but it was only making me want to pass out so I did as I was told.

My eyes closed themselves defeatedly.

I felt like a total loser trying to overestimate my limits; especially in a world I knew nothing about.

Probably keen to the sigh I released, Angelo's hold on me tightened as we continued to travel to the unknown.

It wasn't until around fifteen minutes later that I felt the world at a standstill once again.

I never thought that I'd be grateful for something as trivial as that.

Before I was even told, my eyes opened.

It was the sun that first caught my gaze.

The huge ball of heat shined brightly as it danced among a sky of clouds. My skin prickled at the change in weather which was drastically warmer.

My feet touched the ground. I felt a pair of familiar hands help to steady me.

Before I could see anything else as my eyes adjusted to what was in front of me, my nose picked up on a honey-like smell with a mix of lavender.

I pushed the hood back of the sweater I was instructed to wear because of the traveling conditions.

Shaking my hair out of my face, I was completely starstruck.

Holy mother of God...

This place was beautiful.

I stood still while Cupid shuffled with something from the small pouch he carried. He took out an oddly designed key and twisted it with just the right amount of pressure in mid-air before us. I was confused because there didn't seem to be any barriers—or doors—between us. 

There was obviously more than what met the eye because the sound of a huge door opening and a fierce rush of wind came.

I shivered a little.

Angelo brought his shoulders closer to mine with a tentative brush; his skin was warm, the temperature matching this environment.

I was shocked that was the case with how much of a whiplash my body was getting from the fluctuations in degrees.

A door that was not before us on arrival intrinsically formed itself and sprung open.

Genie, who had argued her way into coming along on this little mission, tensed from beside us.

I gave her a sideway glance, wondering if she wasn't allowed to be here.

Technically this wasn't heaven though, was it?

So she wouldn't be breaking the rules of her banishment, would she?

As if he was reading the thoughts on my face, Angelo muttered, "She'll be fine."

The warmth of his breath against my neck had me shiver once again; only this time it wasn't because I was cold.

Cupid tucked the key safely back into its holder and turned to us with a sarcastic smile. "Welcome to Aegina."

The false elation only lasted a few seconds before he walked away after grumbling, "Let's just get this over with."

We didn't need to be told twice as the man disappeared through the giant gates that appeared to go on for miles above; as if they could touch the sky.

Genie followed behind him with a gulp and her hands clasped.

Angelo didn't make a move for it and I looked to him because I was waiting for him to so I could.

He was already staring at me.

A pool of warm liquid silver reaching out to me.

"Are you alright?"

I felt myself relax at the tone of his voice.

If it weren't for that moment, I wouldn't have noticed that I had been painfully tense.

"I'm fine." I managed out steadily.

His eyes flickered all over my face.

I caught his hands twitching by his sides but he made no move to touch me.

"Are you certain? Not too hot? Not too cold?"

"Honestly, at this point I don't know which to choose. I've been completely at the mercy of what feels like a faulty thermostatic bubble."

"Sorry about that," he apologized grimly. "From now on, it'll be at this temperature for the rest of the journey. We're not too far away from the main town. You'll be able to freshen up at the lodge and get some rest then."

His gaze was so tender I wanted to succumb to the urge and just run into his arms.

The heat he radiated was tempting enough and yet he was pushing my buttons by looking so much like home.

He tilted his head in a beckoning motion for me to follow him.

I shook my head to clear it of the butterflies that had taken up residence there against my permission.

And here I was thinking they were only limited to my stomach...

It seemed Angelo had the ability to make every part of me flutter in anticipation.