Angel & Hero

6. Strategy

Emée's Point of View

Léni left shortly after I gave him his ornament back, without forgetting to thank me numerous times. Our encounter had confused me, how was I supposed to listen to him when we didn't know each other? For all I knew, he could be just as Alexandre, trying to take advantage of my gift.

I was also scared of what he had said about Alexandre's connections in the Alderia. Was it even safe to talk to Vani anymore? Maybe her counselors were spies for him! That would explain why so many people in the Alderia knew of my gift when I had healed just a handful of them...

Also, I had never been so intimidated in front of a man before. The way he stared at me made my cheeks as red as ever, even though he didn't seem to notice it. His indifference puzzled me. I didn't know if I had gotten a real smile out of him that wasn't out of pity. That fact even made me a bit sad, it was stupid, I didn't know the guy, why did I want to please him? Why did I want to see him again so soon? And why wasn't I more preoccupied about the demon after me than his smile?

It was all very confusing... Maybe he was already married to a hero? I wasn't very confident in myself and I could easily imagine that a girl like me wasn't even worth looking at compared to a hero.

I was also afraid, even if my guts were telling me to trust Léni, my brain was saying that it was a bad idea, that my heart didn't know what it wanted and the situation I was in was dangerous. I just didn't know who to believe anymore.

Maybe it was his plan since the beginning? Save me in order to be seen as the brave and fair hero, then come back to me and ask me to stay home so that he could do whatever he wanted with me in private. I blushed at the thought, that's NOT attractive, Emée!

But still... What if, more seriously, he had a similar plan? What if Alexandre was just an actor in all this and Léni had made up a crazy story to cover up his real intentions? I couldn't stay home in that case! He knew where I lived and he knew that I was gently waiting for him like the naive angel I was!

I thought about it. If I leave, Léni and Alexandre won't know where I am so both the sources of my trouble would be far. Once they stop looking for me, I would search for Vani and tell her the whole story. I needed to step back from the territories and blend in with the forest. The only place I knew was my old cabin in the woods.

If I ever wanted to make it there on time, I would have to start packing now and I couldn't take many things or I wouldn't make it very far. The essentials were clothes and food as there wasn't a lot around the cabin and I couldn't risk going out too much.

I took a huge bag and started to quickly stuff it with white dresses, towels, bed sheets, soap and the things I absolutely needed. I suddenly stopped. Was I being paranoid? And what's with all the questioning I've been doing! It seems like I can't take a decision without fearing the consequences. I felt so sad about leaving, what about the life I knew? I was scared to jump into the unknown without even really knowing if it was the right thing to do or not.

Something even bigger made my heart clench painfully: who will miss me? I had no friends to warn, no lover to talk to, no one to tell my worries to. The closest I had even been to someone was Vani but she was the Mother of all Angels, I was nowhere near unique to her eyes.

I looked at my house, it screamed loneliness. If Léni had actually been interested in me the slightest I was sure that my home would have made him flee for good. I had no decorations, very few personal items and since Angels weren't material people, it looked as empty as ever. What if they think I joined the stars and make another Angel settle in?

I shook my head. I couldn't let myself think like that, fear shouldn't take over my emotions and make me forget about my rationality. I was neither brave nor smart but I could at least try to take good decisions.

I needed to go to the market to buy some food, what I had wouldn't be sufficient for the trip, I didn't even know how long it was going to last.

I put on a slim cream colored jacket and headed outside to the marketplace which fortunately was close to my house. I took me a few minutes to get there, I kept my head low because I didn't want to be asked questions, not that people cared about me anyways.

For once, I didn't head for Paul's stall. The man was sweet but I knew how many questions he would ask and since I couldn't lie to save my life, I would eventually end up telling him the truth which would blow up my cover. I couldn't even buy from him, I had to privilege dry food as I couldn't transport too many things.

From afar I saw a woman selling seeds and cereals. She looked like she was an Angel with her white tee shirt and skirt and was serving two heroes I knew too well: Basile and Vico. Despite their presence, I approached the stand. The two men turned around to leave and I saw their faces lighten up as they recognized me. Basile and Vico weren't mean people, they just liked to tease me a little too much sometimes, especially since they knew about my gift they were always claiming to be in need of a kiss because they had burned their tongue.

"Emée, sweetest of the sweet!" Vico exclaimed.
"Emée, the most beautiful creature of the Alderia!" Completed Basile.

I was kind of in a rush so I decided not to be too long and dismissed them, plus the fact that I had done it numerous times didn't make me feel as bad as I used to. They had changed over the years, Basile was once a blonde chubby man and had become more built, especially compared to Vico who was much more lean and whose facial traits were thinner.

"Hello gentlemen." I answered simply.
I could already feel the stares of the female population of the marketplace, many dark glares were sent at me because I attracted attention, even if it was nothing to be proud of, especially when it came to those two.

"How have you been doing, splendid angel? That dress looks fantastic on you!" Vico asked.

Their compliments never failed to amaze me and their creativity was without limits.

"I have been good, thank you. I'm really sorry but I'm a bit in a rush right know, I shall see you later."

"Goodbye for now, bella!"

I headed for the store, it was very late and it was about to close. I asked the lady everything I would need and thanked her once I was done with my purchases. As always, the little circus of the two heroes had cost me to be glared at for the whole time on my way back home. It wasn't well see to be flirty with the ones who decided of the balance in the Alderia.

As I arrived in my house, the wave of sadness came back. This was my last evening here. I finished packing all my stuff and when directly to bed after such a long day. So many things had happened today and the worse had yet to come.

One thing still bothered me. I couldn't resolve myself to leave without telling Léni, even if I didn't fully trust him. Something in my guts told me to but I still had to leave. However, I couldn't leave without saying a word and just in case he was a good guy I wanted him to know that I had left for a good reason and that I protected myself just like he asked me to.

So I wrote him a letter, asking him to stay away from me.