Inside a grocery store about five minutes away from a small motel they had checked into shortly after the rescue, Angel shopped for dinner. Fluorescent lights buzzed overhead as he picked up some ready-made salads, bread, and water. Scanning the vitamin aisle, he also purchased a few supplements to help his body adjust to the sudden dietary change and mitigate any potential adverse side effects from going cold turkey.
Standing in the only available checkout lane, waiting behind an elderly woman who was slowly counting out exact change, he scanned the items on the small racks designed specifically to catch a waiting person's eye. The gum, Tic-Tacs of various colors, phone chargers, Bic lighters, and even a few cool-looking Hot Wheels cars sat on shelves and pegs, ready to be added to the cart at the last minute. Among them, he spotted the one thing Amanda had always enjoyed: chocolate bars. Grabbing three of them, he hoped the sweet treat might lift Charlotte's spirits.
She had remained silent and withdrawn throughout the drive to the motel, pressing her face against the passenger window while gazing into the darkness with a melancholic expression. The radio's soft music their only companion.
Only when they had entered the room did she finally speak, her voice cracking under the weight of her sorrow, "I'm going to go get cleaned up first, if that's okay?"
"Of course," he agreed, adding, "I'll leave you some fresh clothes again and go grab some supplies and food for us. I'll be back in about an hour."
Forcing a small smile, probably for his sake, she disappeared behind the bathroom door without a response, the lock clicking loudly in the silence.
Taking some time to shop would also give him a chance to work through his own complicated feelings. Usually, he felt energetic and in a good mood after successfully finding a missing child, but her sadness was contagious.
Having missed the rescue and the overwhelming fear on her face as she struggled to save the boy in the water, he'd only witnessed the aftermath on the riverbank. Still, the anguish in her voice as he took the boy from her arms had pierced his heart like an ice pick.
Despite her insistence on helping him save the girls from the Pry brothers, he questioned whether he was doing the right thing by her. She wasn't trained for this kind of work, yet the unique advantage she brought was, for lack of a better term, intoxicating. However, relying on her made him feel deeply selfish.
The truth was that every mission from that first night onward would, in some way, exploit her abilities at the expense of her emotions. Knowing the risks of succumbing to the pressure to perform, he realized that if he ever saw her start to crack, he would have to put an end to this.
The situation became more complicated because of his promise to help her remember her past and, importantly, to protect her from being discovered. If anyone discovered her true identity, she would be targeted by both the government and sinister individuals, and he fully understood the potential consequences. This irony weighed heavily on him: ensuring her safety meant accepting her as his partner and allowing her to take part in the rescues, which would ultimately expose her to even greater risk.
There was much they needed to discuss and resolve, but that could wait for now. Tonight, she would enjoy a vegetarian dinner and try some chocolate bars, while he would find a fun movie to watch, hoping that a full stomach and some laughter would help put her at ease and lift her spirits.
Minutes later, after finally paying for his supplies, he loaded the van and settled into the driver's seat. Starting the engine, he checked the fuel gauge, which rested just above the E, and decided to refuel before heading back to the room.
Finding a station, he filled the tank and took a couple of extra minutes to clean out the trash that had been accumulating over the past few days. Tidying up the back, he moved the few black trash bags of clothing aside and dumped the stale water from the cooler. He would refill it with ice from the motel machine before going to bed to save on buying a bag at the station. Once finished, he took out his phone and called Cassie to give her an update.
"Hey, Kevin." Her warm voice felt like a soothing balm. "Thanks for checking in so quickly last night. I see my sisterly scolding worked."
Chuckling as he leaned back in the captain's chair, he replied, "As usual, it did, yes."
"I listened in on the Frequencies. The boy's recovering in the hospital with no serious injuries. Good job, lil brother."
"Thanks. It was close. He'd gotten swept up in the fast currents of the river. It was sheer luck that I'd found him when I did." Wincing internally as he spoke, he wanted to give Charlotte the credit she deserved, but more importantly, he felt a sour taste in his mouth from lying to his sister.
"The reports indicated he was rescued in the river a few miles northwest of the active search zones. What prompted you to search for him there? It's not exactly a 4D Chess kind of strategy."
"Something that the officer in charge said bothered me," he explained, mixing truth with deception. "The K-9 units had been following the boy's scent northeast of the campsite until they lost the trail near the river. It was a gut instinct, sis, and I didn't want to take anyone away from their search grids in case I was wrong. I ran to the river and raced along the bank downriver from the camp's location until I found him clinging to a fallen tree in the rapids."
She whistled in appreciation. "You never cease to amaze me, lil brother. Sometimes I wish you'd accept your penance and be free of the past. Come home and find a good job, a nice girl, and settle down. But then you go out and save another life, and I can't help but thank the Goddesses for their guidance, that you are on the right path."
In the past, he would often tease her for suggesting 'divine guidance,' but a flash of Charlotte's demonic form in his mind cut the quip off.
She was quick to catch on to it. "No teasing?"
Sighing, he clicked his tongue and reluctantly admitted, "Cassie, I don't know what to believe anymore, but right now I'll accept that something helped me tonight." Of course, he was referring to Charlotte, and for a moment, the urge to tell his sister everything was strong.
"That's quite an admission, Kevin, and I won't tease you about it. I understand how heavily everything has weighed on you these past few years, and your faith has been shaken to its core. But trust your instincts, regardless of whether or not you're receiving help from something divine. Either way, you know I'll always support you in whatever you choose to do."
No matter how deeply buried he felt on some days, he knew how fortunate he was to have his sister and her unwavering support. "I haven't given you nearly enough credit, sis, but it means a lot to me that you stayed by my side, both with leaving the service with me and with what we're doing now."
She hummed softly. "This work is important to me, too. I just hope you'll accept redemption—sooner rather than later—before anything bad happens to you. You don't have to do this forever to make up for the past. You know that, right?"
"Maybe someday I'll believe that," he said grimly, "and I swear you'll be the first to know when I do."
"I like that you said 'when,' not 'if.'" She whispered hopefully.
Hearing the emotion in her voice, he realized what he had just said. Charlotte had been adamant that they would find the boy, correcting his "if" to "when," and it seemed her determination was rubbing off on him.
Glancing at his watch, realizing he had been gone long enough for her to get dressed after her shower, he murmured into the phone, giving his sister a glimmer of hope. "I like it, too." He barely managed to get that out before a yawn overtook him. "I need to catch some sleep, sis. Call me if a case comes in, but I could use about a week's worth of rest otherwise."
"You deserve it," she acknowledged with a soft laugh. "Get some rest. I'll call you in a few days unless something happens before then. Love ya, lil brother."
"Love you, too, sis. Talk soon." Tapping the red icon to close the call, he tucked the phone away.
Perhaps it was time to end his self-imposed exile and think about a future where he could begin living again. Perhaps the souls of the dead would finally allow him to be free from his suffering. He might even allow himself to believe in God again. After all, he was putting all his faith in a demon, wasn't he?