Even Angels get hurt

Chapter 18: Mutti, was hast du gemacht?

Her father had then gone back to his symposium. What else could he do? Nothing. In front of Claire von Hassagten, his brilliant mind was left powerless.

Irene got up. She went back to her room, the key in her hand. There, she decided she needed

more proves. More proves to make Claire fall.

And where could she found proves?

She knew where she had to go. To Claire's office. To force her to confess. Claire had always underestimate her. Playing the defenseless and mindless girl would be quite easy. And Irene knew that if she did so, Claire would fall in her trick and confess everything just to make her suffer. She just had to not fall in Claire's trick before she did.

When Irene arrived in Claire's office, her throat straightened. She hated those walls were she used to feel trapped, she hated this couch where she used to have to lay...

A little blond ponytail protruding from the back of a chair stroke her.

-Lydia?

The girl got up, surprised.

-Hey Ira! I was waiting for you actually.

Why was she justifying herself?

Irene interrupted Lydia by a hand movement. Her sensitive hears had perceived her phone alarm. And this peculiar high note indicated a new message from Pi. Irene briefly looked at her phone, and chuckled. Yeah, Pi must have had teased her about grades or something, guessed Lydia.

Irene smiled at her friend, even though her smiled looked off.

-Hey. Come on. Seat with me, she muttered.

Irene sat on the couch, Lydia next to her... She took the marble chessboard from the table in front of the couch and handled the black queen... before throwing it at Lydia's face.

Irene got up, her face closed. Lydia was still lying on the couch, a hand on her bleeding forehead. Looking up at Irene, she met her furious eyes. The anger in her glace frightened Lydia. She knew what Irene was able of when she was furious and sad.

-Irene, I guess you're mad at me but...

-You don't have to pretend anymore. I know what you did. All of it.

Irene's tone was calm... too calm, once more. Her eyes were blurry, but she wasn't gonna cry. But Lydia began to laugh in bitterness. She might be on the verge to be beaten up by Irene, but at least, she wasn't gonna look scared. She wouldn't please Irene by that.

-Oh, really? All of it? What do you know? Ira, what do you freaking know? Nothing!!

Here, her voice broke.

-You don't know how... How much I loved you, how much it was hard for me to...

-To shut my brother? In the back?

The irony in Irene's mocking and calm voice hurt Lydia. Did Irene really think she had done that of cold blood?

-I needed to protect you!! To protect Sharleen...

-Protect us. And you think you did that?

-At least you're not hurt!

-Sure. I'm perfectly fine.

-Oh, quit this tone!!

-Why?

Lydia looked at her, desperate.

-Why?!?!

Irene had shouted those words. All of her anger and sadness was escaping her mind and her mind within these few letters.