Curiosity's Price

Chapter Ten

RECAP:

"... Kids can be born without wings?" Alice said.

'Should I tell her...?' Sera pondered. 'Ah, to hell with it. It can't hurt anything.'

"You were."

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"I... I was?" Alice breathed, the scleras of her eyes shining in the gentle glow of the lamp set up on her bedside table.

"Yeah, you were. Children who are born without wings, they're taken down to Earth as an orphan and put up for adoption. There are special adoption centers secretly operated by the wingless Angels." Sera flashed her a reassuring smile. "But you're totally fine, I promise. And you're my little sister."

The shocked surprise on Alice's face clearly displayed all her emotions. "You're serious? We're... We're related?"

Suddenly a look of worry passed over Sera's face. "You already knew you were adopted, right?"

Alice nodded. "Y-Yeah, I did. Papa told me..."

"See, that's why I was your "guardian angel": I was trying to find you because you're my sister," Sera explained. "But I can't leave "up there" because it's forbidden to interact with humans."

"Then why do it, even if I am your-- your sister?" Alice asked, her voice catching on the unfamiliar concept of a blood relation.

"Because... I just had to know you were alive. I cared about you even before you were born," Sera admitted without shyness. "I was so excited to have a sibling, but then... then you were born without wings, and you were taken down to Earth almost immediately. I had no chance to ever be your sister."

A sort of sadness fell across both of their faces for a moment before Alice realized that cold air was blowing in from the open window. "Hey, do you wanna come in? It's cold out, y'know."

Sera shook her head. "That's not a good idea. I can't be caught inside without a means of quick escape."

The old-ish style of speaking was still throwing Alice for a loop, but she let it slide. "Okay, if you're sure..."

Then she smiled at Sera. "I'm really glad I got to meet you, Sera. And that I got to know you're my sister. That's so cool, and so weird at the same time! I could've had wings..." Her hand snuck into the back of her shirt to feel her shoulder blades, where the hardly noticeable indentations were. She had always wondered why those existed while it never seemed to exist on anyone else.

Sera smiled back at her. "I am glad, too. You won't forget me again, will you?"

Alice shook her head quickly. "No, no! Of course not! I mean, I was little when I first met you, so it's no wonder I forgot... But I still remembered, didn't I?" She giggled mirthfully. "Maybe you can still come down and visit me?"

Sera's frown came back as she contemplated the notion. "... With some Luck, maybe."

~~

Yet when she returned that night, she was met with a stern-looking father and a worried-to-the-point-of-tears mother. They were sitting in her bedroom when Sera opened the window and clambered inside with as much grace as she could muster.

"Sera, care to explain where you have been this frigid night?" her father demanded in that way that was demanding without using the words that would be considered forceful. His emphasis on the word 'frigid' made it clear he wasn't going to accept a "midnight stroll" as an excuse.

 She fidgeted, trying to come up with an excuse that would work. Nothing came to mind.

The next day~