“But why can’t I remember? Why was I not given my memory?”
Michael looked off into the distance for a moment before replying, “I don’t know.”
“Was I bad? Is that why my memory was taken?”
Michael frowned. “I don’t ever recall hearing you were bad. Until recently, I didn’t even know you were sent here.”
I knew Michael wasn’t going to tell me everything, but I still had to know. I still had to have something. “When did you discover I was the daughter of an Archangel?”
Michael sighed, looking away briefly. “It was something Mark Richards said when I arrested him.”
“What?” I gripped his hand tighter in mine, willing him to elaborate.
“He quoted a poem to me. He said, ‘We wear the mask that grins and lies. It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes’.”
I could feel myself blinking rapidly, trying to decipher it in my head. “O…kay… What did he mean by that?”
“I thought it had something to do with the tattoos on his face. However, I began thinking about what he meant. I looked into his background and found a history of abuse.”
I felt a sudden sadness for Mark Richards. I didn’t know where it came from, considering he had deliberately ran into a little boy.
“That sounds terrible.”
“I know.”
“But what has that got to do with me?”
Michael clasped his other hand on mine and smiled. “For the first time in a long time, I sat there and thought about you and what kind of mask you’re wearing…metaphorically. I believed you were wearing one without you even realising it.
“I thought about the dreams you were having about Charisma, and I thought about how I wanted to be around you all the time. I already told you an angel has never fallen in love with a mortal before—well, there was a reason I fell for you. It was then that I realised who you must be. It all seemed to just click into place.”
I thought about what he had said for a moment. “Knowing this, how do you feel about me now?”
Michael’s face looked pained. I could tell he was conflicted and he was having a hard time trying to find the words. I knew we had to talk, but I thought it best to save him from his pain for now.
“Look, you don’t have to say anything. Maybe this isn’t the place anyway. What’s been happening since the shooting?”
Michael exhaled and patted my hand. I knew I had saved him from an awkward situation.
“Before I go on, there’s something I should tell you.”
“Okay.”
“The other angels have been gathering. I just spoke to Luana. She was protecting a girl in America. Unfortunately, that girl is now dead.”
For some reason, I felt a huge loss. I also wondered why I had survived and others had perished. It didn’t seem fair.
“I’m so sorry to hear that. I feel so bad.”
“Why? None of this is your fault. You were born this way. You certainly didn’t bring it on yourself.”
“How do you know that, though?”
“What do you mean?”
“How do you know I didn’t volunteer for this?” The minute I said it, I knew that’s exactly what I had done. I still didn’t know who I was, but something inside me told me it was true.
“I don’t know.”
“I do know. Charisma told me I offered to help,” I said.
“Oh.” Michael’s face crinkled a little.
“Bits are coming back to me. Stephen has earned his seat back now. He sacrificed his own life to save mine.” I could see by the look on his face that Michael already knew this.
“Yes, and I’m really happy for him. Did she say anything else?”
I tried to think back to our encounter. Things were still a little fuzzy. Something was telling me I needed to tell Michael something, but I couldn’t remember what.
Sensing my frustration, Michael squeezed my hand a little. “Don’t worry about it now. It will come back to you.”
“Thank you for being here for me.”
He smiled, stroking my hair. “Don’t mention it. As long as it takes.”
I was beyond confused. “But you only have three weeks.” The words seemed to fly out of my mouth before I could stop them.
“What?”
“You have three weeks to make a decision. I remember now. I knew there was something important I had to say. You can go sooner, but you only have twenty-one days.”
Michael looked off into space. “It will only be eighteen days now.”
I was shocked. “I’ve been out for three days?!”
“Yes. The doctor couldn’t understand why you were unconscious for so long.”