***

- YERATHEL - The Angel of Confidence.

***

- Who are you?

A little girl with long, dark brown hair and dark eyes stands before me. I've never seen her before. She's quite small, probably around one meter thirty. She's rather cute, but a long, old scar runs across her face, from her left eye down to the edge of her mouth. She isn't dressed up, just wearing red silk pajamas with a sleep mask pushed up onto her head.

— You're Marie, aren't you?

— Yes... I hesitate to answer.

A noise near the front door breaks the silence—voices, laughter—probably angels returning from the ball.

Hearing the sounds in the hallway, she pushes me inside the bathroom and quickly shuts the door, freezing in place with both hands against it, as if she expects someone to break in at any moment.

— But... what are you doing? I ask.

— Shh, don't make a sound, she whispers.

I say nothing more, utterly confused about what's happening. When the noises fade, she finally relaxes and turns to face me.

I nod at her, silently asking what she wants from me.

— I feel like something bad is going to happen, she blurts out.

— Why are you telling me this? We don't even know each other.

— That's true. My name is Olivia, she introduces herself, holding out her small hand.

I glance at her hand before reaching out to take it.

— I'm...

— Yes, I know. Marie.

She pulls her hand away and suddenly grows anxious again, shifting her weight and biting her nails.

— How do you know my...

She cuts me off once more.

— There's no time for questions, this is urgent!

What a strong character for such a small being with long hair.

Her urgency starts to affect me, and I feel my blood pumping faster through my veins.

— Why? What do you want?

— It's Hailey...

She stops mid-sentence.

— You're starting to worry me. Tell me everything, please.

My eyebrows furrow, my concern for Hailey suddenly turning into anger on my face, but I keep my voice calm so as not to scare her.

— I think something happened to her. She hasn't come back, she continues.

— How do you know her?

— I know Hailey through my sister.

— Are they friends?

— Friends? What's that? I'm talking about my sister.

Angels, you really have a problem with happiness and positive emotions. I need to be careful not to push her too hard; I don't know how she'd react.

— Who is your sister? I ask, exasperated but keeping my voice steady.

— ... Her name was Leïla.

Hearing that name, currently a taboo subject, sends a chill down my spine and makes my heart clench.

— Go on.

— She went to the ceremony party with some girls, but later, she came back to my room with her face soaked—actual drops of water were falling from her eyes, and I didn't know what to do.

She was crying. She must have gone to see her after storming off following the revelations she made to Hayden a few hours ago.

— Did she tell you why she was like that?

— She wouldn't say.

Probably to protect her—after all, it was her big sister.

— She stayed with me for a while, then she calmed down. She told me she had to retrieve something very important.

An object?

— Did she tell you where she was going?

— No, but she did say that if she wasn't back before sunrise, I should warn Marie, the girl who lives with her—the one with blue eyes.

As she says this, she leans in, standing on tiptoe to get a better look, trying to confirm my eye color.

— How do I know you're telling me the truth? I ask.

— Your name is Marie, you have brothers you don't like to talk about, and you're the same age as her.

Everyone knows my name and my age. But the detail about my brothers—I only ever told Hailey.

She's telling the truth.

— The sun hasn't risen yet, I point out.

She looks at me as if my words change everything.

— Yes, that's true, but I feel this weight in my chest when I think about her.

She places a hand over her heart to show me where it hurts. The more I observe her, the more I realize how young this angel is.

— Why are you looking at me like that? she asks.

I hadn't even noticed how intently I was trying to guess her age.

— I'm trying to figure out how old you are, I reply calmly, still studying her.

— I'm ten. I just had my birthday recently, she beams, holding up her ten fingers proudly.

She's really young—much younger than I thought.

Does Hayden know Olivia exists? Hailey, what have you really done to make yourself feel so guilty, hiding her existence and staying close to her all this time?

— Can we leave the bathroom now, Olivia?

— No, not yet, she says, pressing her back against the door and stretching out her arms to block my way, fear returning to her small face.

— I need to check if the sun is still down. You can see there are no windows in this room, I point out, motioning to the walls around us.

She looks around, realizing I'm right. She slowly moves away from the door.

I suddenly wonder—who or what is she so afraid of?

— Can I ask who you're hiding from?

— I... I...

She stutters, which means she is definitely hiding from someone. Maybe several people.

— I don't want the evil creatures to hear me. Otherwise, they'll eat me.

Poor child. I wonder if all angels in this world grew up with this fear.

— Evil creatures? In the academy? I try to guess.

— Yes.

— You mean demons?

Her eyes widen, answering the question for her.

— No demon could survive inside the academy. The combat angels would have killed them immediately if there were any, I reassure her.

I try to calm her by gently placing my hands on her shoulders.

She's incredibly tense. Something is truly scaring her. But what?

— Don't worry. If I run into one, I won't let it come near you. Okay, Olivia?

She lifts her head and meets my gaze, then nods.

— Usually, Hailey is the one who says things like that and always protects me. She promised she'd come back soon, she sobs.

I pull her into a hug.

Even though there are still many unanswered questions about her, she is, after all, just a child.

As she pulls away from my arms, she gives me a small smile, which I take as a victory, and wipes her tears away with the back of her hand.

— Can we leave the bathroom now? I suggest.

She nods once again to say yes and moves away from the entrance to let me pass. She grabs my hand before we step out; I let her do it if it brings her comfort.

As we step out, the sun's rays flood the entire room.
We exchange wide-eyed looks, understanding one thing: Hailey hasn't returned.

A tear rolls down her cheek, and she tightens her grip on my hand. I now feel the same weight in my chest as she does.

What if she's just late? No, if the little one is this worried and tells me it's the first time, then I believe her. Especially considering Hailey's state when she flew off yesterday after what happened—this doesn't bode well.

I should have followed her instead of letting Hayden influence me. Now, where can I find her?

— Olivia, I believe you.

— You mustn't tell anyone, okay, Marie? It's a secret.

— I still have to warn her brothers, you understand that, right?

Her eyes widen.

— No, not him! she cries out, panicked, then quickly regains her composure, glancing at the entrance door.

After making sure no one heard her scream, she continues.

— I don't want you to tell him. He's dangerous, she insists.

Him? Is she talking about Hayden or Hadrien?

Her eyes glisten again as she looks at me sadly. She's really that scared of one of them.

— Okay, okay, I won't say anything for you, but I still have to tell them about Hailey. She's their little sister; they'll worry too.

She thinks for a moment and then slowly nods in agreement.

— You, go back to your room, go back to sleep, I order. And don't worry, I'll find her.

She starts to leave, but I stop her before she steps out the door because a question is bothering me.

— By the way, Olivia, are there other young angels like you at the academy?

She looks at me and shakes her head no.

— I'm the only one my age, she replies before stepping out the door.

She must feel lonely. Now I understand why Hailey kept in touch with her.

***

I'm standing in front of Hadrien's room. I want to see him first to find out if he knows the child and if he's the dangerous person who terrifies her. I'm sure that if I talk to Hayden about this, bad memories will resurface, and I don't want to hurt him more than he already is.

I knock on his door, but no one answers. The combatants' building is empty, the hallways lifeless, and an overwhelming silence reigns here.

I knock again, but still no response.

What if he isn't here? I wonder.

Just as I'm about to turn back, I finally hear the click of the door handle. When the door opens, I see him—his hair disheveled, shirtless, and wearing only black shorts. He blinks a few times to moisten his eyes after keeping them closed all night in sleep.

— What do you want? he starts, grumpily.

— Great welcome, I say, pushing the door open wider to step inside.

— Sure, go ahead, make yourself at home, he continues, full of sarcasm.

He softly shuts the door behind him. Stretching his arms, he watches me as I sit on the edge of his bed, tired from standing outside his door for so long before he finally opened it.

He looks at me, puzzled, as he fully realizes I'm in his room alone with him.

— Are you awake now? I ask.

He crosses his arms before saying:

— What do you want?

— I thought you liked me; what's with the poor welcome?

I joke—his grumpy attitude is far better than when he flirts with me non-stop.

— When I wake up, I'm not in the mood for chit-chat, angel girl.

— We need to talk, I say suddenly.

— Aren't we already having a conversation?

He's really not a morning person.

— It's about your sister.

Suddenly, his eyes widen, and his ears seem to tune in to me, as if not to miss a single word I'm about to say.

— She's missing, I finally say.

His eyebrows furrow, and he uncrosses his arms, letting them drop to his sides as his fists clench. This movement causes his pectoral muscles and arm veins to tense, drawing my gaze involuntarily.

— Tell me everything, he orders in a voice so deep that my skin prickles.

He's changed into someone else. What if, since we met, he's just been playing a role? What if the person standing before me is his true self?

At this moment, he looks more like his older brother—mature and strong.

I realize my thoughts are drifting in a direction I don't want them to go.

— A girl she knows came to warn me this morning. She told me that Hailey visited her and said that if she didn't return before sunrise, she had to let me know.

— What girl? he asks, starting to lose patience.

I can't tell him—I promised. But I need to know if he knows her and if he's the danger Olivia spoke of.

— A little girl.

Remembering that Olivia is the only little girl at the academy, if Hadrien is the one she fears, he'll know who I'm talking about.

Suddenly, his fists loosen, and his face relaxes.

— A little girl? he repeats, confused.

— Yes, a little girl with long brown hair and a scar on her left cheek. Do you know who she is?

I don't want to rely only on his expression, so I describe Olivia carefully, observing his every movement to see if his muscles react.

He thinks. Now I'm more certain—he doesn't know who I'm talking about.

If Olivia is afraid of one of them and it's not Hadrien, then...