Chapter 36 R R E S E T E T
“Thank you, officer,”
Maeve was sure she was going to freeze to death in the cell they had left her in after she got arrested. They had tried interrogating her but naturally, she said nothing. Claire did all the talking and then they dragged her to the police station and threw her in a cell.
They had asked her numerous times if she had someone she wanted to call but she knew no one would come. And she already knew Albert was done with her.
She cried but her eyes got too swollen for her to cry more. She dug her nails as deep as she possibly could so her shirt was stained with blood now. She shook and her chest hurt like every breath was going to break her ribs to the point she tried to stop herself from breathing.
But now, the gate of the cell was opening and her immediate younger brother was standing at the entrance with a cigarette in his mouth as he said to her, “Come out. Let’s take a walk.”
Alexander used to be his name but now, he went by X. He didn’t tell her this though. She found out on her own from stalking his socials so she could find out his address to send him birthday gifts.
He said nothing as they walked out of the police station. The cold was worse, nipping at her body but she didn’t dare complain. Instead, she walked as quietly as she could behind him but after a while, her mouth moved almost like it was doing so on its own as she asked him, “Are you alright?”
He stopped, and so did she.
They were both at a bridge now, with no one else and when he turned, she realized for some reason, she couldn’t see his face but she could tell that he was smiling as he said, “Do you really still have no self respect?”
Maeve didn’t know what to do. She could say ‘thank you’ and walk away with the last shred of dignity she had. She knew for certain that she had lost her job, and her landlady had packed her things out. She could stay in a motel for a night but what else after that? What could she do…
Except stay in the present. “I haven’t seen you in fifteen years,”
“Well,” He blew out wisps of smoke. “I wasn’t going to stay holed up in that place forever, was I? Especially not with those stinky bastards,”
“X—”
“Don’t bloody defend them.” His voice was sharp. Final. He let out a sigh, “I couldn’t stand it then too, you know? I watched… I watched you work your ass off. Working. Stealing. Just to feed them after mom and dad died. And they kept complaining. And complaining. Like… vipers. And whenever I complained about it, you’d just give me that… dumb smile of yours and tell me you could do it,”
“I had to protect them.”
“You were a child too!” He sounded exhausted. Disappointed. She heard him sigh again, “Besides, we both know the reason why you put so much effort into making them happy. Into slowing down your own progress just so they could be satisfied,”
Maeve swallowed.
He didn’t say it. He didn’t need to.
She already knew what the answer was.
Her parents had her siblings when she was seven, a year gap between each one. And then they got very busy. So she had to take care of each and everyone of them. She didn’t have time to make friends. She didn’t have time to know how to make them. They became her purpose. Her life. Her love.
And she gave them all she could.
But… but after her parents died, she worried they’d be taken into the system and suffer so she tried to care for them all on her own as she always did. But… but everybody made mistakes… and one day, she just… forgot that Jeremy couldn’t swim…
The memory hit her like a brick and she gasped, her hand reaching for her chest as the pain twisted in her chest, gnawing at her. Scratching at her heart. Her siblings all blamed her. They all… hated her for it, saying they would have been better if they were adopted.
X tried to protect her a few times but after a while, he got tired and he left. “You…you didn’t even come for Jeremy’s funeral,”
“He was dead and gone. And I had zero plans on staying behind and watching you wither away too,”
Maeve raised her head to stare at him. “X—”
“I only came here just so I could pay you back for the stuff you’ve done for me,” He was walking to her now, and ever so gently, he took off his jacket and placed it over her shoulders as he said, “There are three five hundred dollar bills in one of the pockets. I don’t want you looking for me anymore,”
Her heart was shattering. “Wait. Please—”
“I need to make something out of my life, and I can’t have the ghost of you burdening me everytime. Whenever I see the cards you send me, I feel like a terrible person leaving you behind, but I don't want to anymore. I just want to move on and forget everything that happened. Can you give me the grace of that?”
No.
That was what Maeve wanted to say. She had given so many graces, she had given all she could give till she dried out.
Her hand clenched hard around his jacket, her body shaking.
She nodded.
X didn’t say thank you. He knew she wouldn’t want it. Before he left, he patted her head, saying instead, “Happy birthday, Maeve,”
Birthday.
It was her birthday.
A sob almost escaped her lips but she swallowed it down. It was only after he walked away that she let it out, her hand instantly reaching out to grab the railings as she shuddered. The world around blurred out, her eyes scanning around looking for someone. Anyone.
Because Maeve’s greatest fear… was being alone.
When she realized no one was coming, Maeve laughed weakly, the sound breaking apart as soon as it left her mouth. “You really did it. You finally did it.”
Then as if something had given her a large dose of adrenaline, she rose from the ground, her hand gripping the railing, and with strength she didn’t know she had, she climbed on top of it.
The wind rushed past her the moment she was standing on it, like a welcoming party. Cool. And soft.
It was the only nice thing she had been given that day.
She spread her arms, closing her eyes as she whispered softly, “Happy birthday—”
“You really aren’t thinking of jumping, are you?”
Maeve’s head snapped to the side, and right there… right next to her on the floor was a… strange beautiful looking man. Strange because he had dark hair that seemed to billow in the wind, his red eyes sparkling as he looked at her with a smile that Maeve was sure did not mean well.
It was why her next question was very reasonable. “Who… who are you?”
He bowed. “Azrael. But many know me better as the angel of death. Now, your time hasn’t been scheduled for the evening so if you could just step down, that would be vastly appreciated,”
… what?