I was still leaning against Finny, half asleep, when the door to our room opened and Dad and Maria entered. I sat up quickly and tucked in my wings. Finny didn't move.

Maria approached us and checked me for injury, but found nothing but bruises. She was smiling down at me, and I wasn't sure if it was because I was okay or there was something else.

I glance over to my father, who wasn't smiling, but his mood had lifted. This couldn't have just been about me. I gave both of them curious glances, and they looked to each other for a moment before speaking.

"We may have a lead," Maria told us, almost squealing in excitement.

I felt my own face light up. "Really?" I asked, hope filling me. A lead? Were we really going to finally find Mom?

Maria nodded. "I ran into an old friend while I was on my way back here. He's a scientist and well known for his discoveries of different species and mutations. I told him I had heard rumors of someone in town finding an angel and preserving the body. He told me the rumors were true, and that he knows who has it. Your father and I are going to meet him tonight and try to get the rest of the information from him." She then sighed happily. "Oh, Selena. Can you believe it? We're so close!"

I wanted to jump up and down on the bed and pull Finny into my happy dance, but I was able to keep myself under control. There was one thought that had me worried, though. "You're sure this man knows what he's talking about? He could just be trying to have an excuse to talk to you. Or what if he's the one who killed Mom?"

Maria waved off my fears. "We've known each other for years. If he'd had an angel in his closet, I would've known about it. And he definitely isn't the type to lie just to make conversation. He knows something, and he's going to tell us tonight." She was smiling from ear to ear, but I knew she wouldn't have thought anything of it ten years ago. She would have been interested long enough to realize that angels are real, then she would have went about her day. Unless, of course, my hunch is correct, and she isn't as human as she claims to be.

Either way, I smiled back at Maria. She was happy, and I had to have faith that she was right. This scientist knew something, and we were going to find out what. We were going to save Mom! She then jumped up and ran to the bathroom to prep herself, since it was already getting late.

"Dad?" I asked, a new, random thought hitting me suddenly. "We've been gone for a while now. You and Finny aren't going to get in too much trouble when you get back, are you?"

"Young Master Ciel has Mey-Rin, Bard, and Tanaka to help him," Finny pointed out.

"Yeah, but Dad is the head butler. I was just wondering what would happen when you both returned."

"Selena, it will be fine," Dad reassured me. "He's still just a child. He's not physically capable of doing much harm."

I smiled a little. "I just didn't want you both to get in trouble because of me..."

Finny smiled. "Even if we did, it would be worth it."

My smile grew as Finny's words reassured me. Dad gave his signature smile before leaving us so he could also prepare for the upcoming evening.

Finny and I were going to be alone for an entire evening, and that thought alone made me nervous. I needed to be alone with him to ask what that kiss had meant, but I was afraid to know the answer. What if it meant nothing? What is he had done it to shut me up? That was a thing that happened, right?

The creak of the bathroom door slowly opening saved me from my thoughts. Maria walked out wearing a pale blue dress that complimented her light blonde hair. She had a small matching hat in her hands. It was almost scary how pretty she looked.

"Wow, Maria! You look amazing!"

She turned her attention to me and smiled. "Thank you. I wanted to look nice this evening. It's been a long while since I've had the opportunity to dress up like this."

I nodded. She was a scientist. Her daily wardrobe probably consisted solely of lab coats.

"Selena, I'm leaving for a moment. I'll be right back."

I nodded to her as she left, closing the door behind her.

Finny smiled sheepishly, and I laughed. I'd never thought that I could have fun in a time of distress, but I was. My father and Maria were going out to find my mother's location, while Finny and I were going to stay in the room and out of sight.

"So what are we supposed to do while they have fun?" I asked Finny.

He shrugged. "There isn't much to do here. We could play twenty questions, but that isn't much fun unless we have more than two people."

"Go," I said.

"Huh?"

"I'm thinking of something. Try to guess what it is."

Finny smiled. "Is it an animal?"

I shook my head no.

He thought for a moment. "Is it a person?"

I nodded.

"Do they have black hair?"

"Nope."

"Male or female?"

"Yes or no questions only, Finny! But the answer is unknown."

"So it's that weird red person who is in love with Sebastian?"

I nodded. "See? We don't need more people to have fun. Your turn."

Just as Finny opened his mouth to tell me he was ready, the door burst open, and there stood a strange man wearing a lab coat and black boots.

I pressed my wings into my back so hard it hurt.

Finny seemed to sense my unease, because he stood and asked, "Can I help you with something?"

The man seemed disappointed. He looked at me intensely, and I stared straight back, fear in my eyes.

Slowly, the man backed away. "Sorry, I must have the wrong room," he said in his foreign accent. Then it occurred to me that we were the foreigners here, not him. "I'll just be going." He pulled the door closed, and I didn't even breathe until his footsteps had faded down the hall, no longer audible.

Finally, I took a breath and tried to calm myself. Something makes me highly doubt that man was the one meeting Maria in a little while at a diner. I looked to Finny, who was staring at me worriedly.

"He was looking for me," I told him. "I guess I don't look like myself much anymore, do I?"

"I don't see a difference."

"You're around me every day, so you don't notice." I sighed. "I think I'll go take a bath."

"Alright."

I stood and walked to the bathroom, barely making it before feeling the pain in my wings return. I rinsed out the tub, ran some warm water, undressed, then soaked in the warm water, feeling safe with Finny right outside, guarding me with his life.