Celestial Fragments

Angelique Conah

Breathe in, breathe out! Nothing is coming to get you, nothing is going to chase you, nothing is hunting you. You are safe.

Angelique's heart was racing madly, pounding in her chest as her legs carried her to the East wing of the facility, passing by unknown faces and unfamiliar places. She would have lied to say she was anxious in this moment. She felt something beyond anxiety. It made her stomach twist and heart skip a beat at every new voice she heard around her. Eventually, she came to a stop in front of a limited access door. The door was opaque and unlike most of access doors, it was not guarded. No sentinels were sitting there, with futuristic looking guns to block anyone from advancing. All there was, was a small screen that required the access pass she was given. Hesitantly, she approached the pass, and after a few moments, the door opened, sliding to the right with ease. With her heart up in her throat, the woman passed by the door and continued to walk on the hallway, searching for any hint of where she should be.

Everything seemed a little too silent. The few guards she passed by where sitting motionlessly without any reaction when she passed by, making her wonder if the security system was actually fully functioning in this part of the facility. Of course it is! Maybe they just don't need too much of it, since here are the best of us. As she continued her path, with her eyes scanning her surroundings with curiosity, someone finally decided to stop her from advancing any further.

"Name." Angelique was cut short, a voice coming from behind her close by.

She turned around to face the one that spoke, only to come face to face with someone she had never expected to ever meet in this life of hers. Standing tall, at around 6'6, the man in front of her was stern, looking like a boulder, not easy to move out from anyone's path. Angelique swallowed the lump in her throat, as her eyes scanned the face of the man.

"Angelique Conah."

The eyes of the man seemed to narrow slightly as he pondered on whether the woman in front of him was telling the truth or not, but the look washed away, leaving behind a calm and serene look, easing her as well.

"We were expecting you, Angelique. Did you get lost?" a hand motioned for her to follow as he started walking slow, so she could keep up with him. "Pardon my manners, my name is Grimes." the man introduced himself with a gentle bow of his head.

Angelique returned the gesture, the corner of her lip twitching lightly as she tried her best to hold herself together, when the man approached her. He was immense. There was no word that crossed her mind, to describe how little and powerless she felt around this man. She had heard countless stories about him, how this gentle giant could lift cars singlehandedly, how he could rip in half anyone who dared stay in his way. NO matter how gentle, serene and peaceful his smile was, Angelique could not calm her pounding heart.

"I'm quite surprised Blanche did not offer you a map, or someone to guide you here. We rarely get visitors, so everyone here assumes you know your way when you come."

"Quite a maze you have here." her voice was a mere whisper, as she finally lowered her gaze, after realizing she was staring for a while now.

"A maze indeed. But you will get the hang of it quite fast. I promise. Nothing is as complicated as it seems." came the reassurance

Angelique nodded her head and pressed her lips together into a thin line.

"Come, let me show you your room-"

"I get a new room? Blanche did not tell me about anything of such sorts!"

If there was anything she hated, was change. She had just gotten comfortable in her bedroom, and now the environment was changing, all of a sudden. Grimes noticed the tremor in her voice and took in a deep breath, trying to find the best way to help her deal with all the changes that were happening. He had received her file long ago and he knew her rather well, from the report sheets at least. There was a clear statement about her and her dislike for anything new. The word they used to describe her was autistic, but the man was sure this word was not suiting her in any way. A person with a childhood like hers, had troubles adjusting, and it was normal. But it was also something they could work with and eventually overcome.

"Well, You are part of our team now, and we would like to all live like a family, get to know each other, and as well limit the possibility of a security breach from our wing. But I am more that sure you will like your new room. It's bigger, brighter, so much more space for your vinyl collection."

The small detail slipped him with ease, hoping to distract her from the change and focus her attention on her passion. The woman still seemed to battle interior thoughts, as she followed a little behind him.

"Alright..." an awkward pause set between the two. "I guess it is for the best."

Pleased with her reaction, Grimes continued their way down the hallways, coming to a stop in front of a metal door. On the right side of the door, on the right, there was a simple access screen.

"The door will open just with your pass. Try not to lose it, until you get the small chip set on your equipment. you will be the only one able to open the room, from inside and outside."

With calm gesture, he offered her to open the door as he stepped aside. Angelique touched the card on the access screen, the door opening almost immediately. With hesitation, she stepped inside, followed by Grimes, who stopped in the door frame, giving her space to admire her new room.

Angelique decided he was right. The bedroom was so much larger. There was a round canopy king sized bed, with a black colored drape, for privacy. The windows, if you could name them like that, took up a whole wall, giving her an outside view of the now rising moon. One of the other walls was completely occupied with a wooden library, with empty shelves, so that she could fill them up with anything she desired. Two night stands were sitting on each side of the bed, with two lamps with dim light turned on.

"And there is your wardrobe." Grimes gestured for her to go behind the bed.

A little skeptical, she did so, her heels clicking on the dark wood floors. She found that the wall was actually separating the room from a dressing, made just for her, with enough room for clothes, shoes, coats, bags, anything she desired. Part of it was filled with items, some were her new uniforms and some where gift boxes, with different tags on them.

"We thought you might use something new in your wardrobe. Truth is part of them are not clothes, but items to put in your library. But you will decide what you wish to keep or not." Grimes voice was heard suddenly from behind her, making Angelique jump slightly and turn around in a sharp motion. "Did not mean to scare you, I'm sorry." the man apologised with an embarrassed smile.

As her lungs filled with air when she draw a deep breath she whispered a silent acceptance before looking once more around the dressing.

"How do you like it?"

"I am speechless. I knew Blanche documents everything about everyone, but I did not expect anyone to care." There was joy in her voice that made Grimes smile as if he achieved something.

But beside all this joy, she felt guilty. When will I ever be good enough to deserve such things?

"I'm glad you like it. Shall we go meet the others? I'm sure they will be quite happy to know you're finally here."

"Finally?"

"Well, of course. We have been asking for back up here for months already, and from everyone, we really wished to have you by our side." Grimes explained as they made their way out, Angelique looking around the room once more.

"Why? What made you guys require anyone? You never accept any outside help..."

The door closed behind them, leaving a weird feeling behind. Without too much time spent inside, the room had already turned into her safe space, and leaving it was a little uncomfortable.

"It's quite a lot to talk about. We will update you today. Well. Most likely in the morning."

"Morning?!"

Her voice was pitched, making her sound like a child.

"We don't have your sleeping schedule. We use the night to rest and recover. We are up at night only when it's necessary. Right now, everyone is getting ready to get some rest."

Another deep breath was needed for her to keep her scream for herself, as she lowered her eyes, and pinned them on the ground, watching the tip of her shoes as she walked.

"I know this is a lot, but I am sure you will make it through. You have all our help and support.." Grimes came to a stop, stopping her as well, and turning to look at her as he spoke.

Angelique did not dare to look him in the eye. Everything was overwhelming right now. Silence fell over the two again. The sound of an opening door dragged her out of her chaotic mind, forcing her attention to the sound. When she turned her head, she noticed they had arrived in front of a door, that now opened, to reveal a living room with a handful of people inside, chatting, drinking, and playing.

"I trust you." Grimes whispered, setting a heavy hand on her back before pulling away and stepping inside first.

With a racing heart and too many thoughts swirling in her mind, Angelique followed behind the man, focusing her attention on her breath. She vaguely paid attention to the short salute Grimes offered his colleagues, her attention fully drawn by a low voice.

"And who might just be that?"

When she rose her head and dared to look around the room, she could notice five pairs of eyes, five new faces that were looking at her, five people that had stopped anything they were doing, just to meet her. A crooked smile crossed her lips, as she stepped further into the room.

"Don't be foolish Kai!" a cheerful tune was heard. " She's our wingless Angel!" a chuckle followed, as one of the women from the room approached Angelique with an extended hand. " Welcome to our team! I'm Ioelena."

Angelique hesitated to welcome the woman with as much cheerfulness or any sort of body contact. Ioelena paused for a second before laughing and slapping her forehead. "Silly me. I'm sorry! I forgot you are not a fan of such things."

"Thank you Io-Ioelena." Angelique stuttered.

"We still struggle with her name at times too. Don't worry." Grimes intervened.

Angelique parted her lips to speak, but she was stopped by a loud alarm that filled the room and hallways, the lights from the room turning red. It was an emergency alarm. Angelique could recognise it as well. It was loud, so loud you could feel it resonate in your whole body, meant to pull your from any sort of activity you were doing, to respond to it as fast as possible. Her pupils contracted as a response, her heart beat steadying immediately. If there was something she was used to, was the feeling of danger. That could have been one of the things she loved about this place, for it had its ways to pull her out of her mind.