𝐂𝐑𝐈𝐌𝐒𝐎𝐍 𝐋𝐀𝐂𝐄 [ 𝐭.𝐫 ]

26: DEPARTURE

"You came."

She sighed through her nose and rested her head against the sliding door. "You called."

Tom looked satisfied enough with her answer and clamped his hands behind his back. He took a step closer to her as she watched him.

"Yes?" she asked. "What's the matter, Riddle?"

Tom didn't look at her when he said, "You ought to keep care. Stay mindful of potential threats and in case of anything out of the regular you contact me immediately."

Angelina snorted, "I can handle it on my own, Tom. What are a few muggles to me."

"For Merlin's same, Angelina, I am not talking about muggles."

Angelina blinked. Then again. And as if realization hit her, she sat down on a seat.

Without looking up at him, she said, "Why are you trying to separate my family?"

Her voice was quiet, like a whisper.

"I am not trying to separate anyone, Angelina." Tom coaxed as if he was talking to a child but right now it may be so Angelina was a child who had been lost in the rush of London's flea markets.

"You know, I loved my parents very much," she started. "I never stopped - it's just I thought they died, you know."
Angelina was gesturing at nothing but she was talking and fast.

"I just can not understand you, Riddle."

Tom let out a chuckle at that. 

"Not many do."

Angelina stomped her way into the cabin. "I do not enjoy being on the outside of your mind."

Tom shook his head. "You aren't. You are what consumes my thoughts, all good and bad, dusk till dawn."

"That's not what I meant." She sighed and sat down. "You're sending me back to the orphanage on purpose. I know you too well to not know that you're scheming."

Tom sat opposite to her.

"Tell me, Angelina. Whatever in the world do you think I am up to?"

"You want me away so you can split your soul in peace."

Tom's gaze hardened. "Don't be ridiculous."

It seemed his gaze softened. "Angelina, you need to understand what we are going to do, will change the wizarding world."

Tom leaned forward, his dark eyes fixed on hers like a spell being cast. The gentle hum of the train blurred behind them.

"I need you to promise me something," he said, voice low, a murmur that somehow demanded obedience.

Angelina met his gaze, tension coiling in her stomach. That voice never asked. It warned.

"The moment anything feels wrong," Tom continued, "you write to me. I don't care if it's a flicker of unease or a whisper in the corridor. You write."

Her mouth opened to protest, but he cut her off with a look—sharp, unyielding. Something in her stomach fluttered.

"I will come for you," he said simply. "The second I return from Romania."

She blinked. "Romania?"

Tom's eyes flicked away for just a heartbeat, like he regretted mentioning it. "There are... things that need to be unearthed."

Something in his tone made the hairs on her arms stand. She didn't ask what. She knew better.

"Alright," she said finally. "But don't vanish for long, Riddle."