Black Wing [Watty Awards 2012]

Chapter 22

I did end up buying the black dress for prom, Katie practically threatened me to, but that wasn’t what my mind was on. I knew Gabriel was coming over tonight, and I had to figure out how to make the conversation I was dreading.

In a way it hurt that, if everything’s true, he didn’t trust me enough to confide in me, because I would do anything for him, and he knew that. Right now, I was putting my prom dress away; knowing what was coming, but wishing I could put it off for a few days. The one thing I didn’t understand was what Isaac had said ‘this is crucial for the both of you’

How is it? How will finding out everything Gabriel has kept from me going to make everything better? He was still leaving me, and I still won’t know if he’ll make it back.

It was a couple of hours later when Gabriel knocked on my bedroom window. I unlocked the window and opened it, then went back over to sit on my bed, as Gabriel entered my room.

“Hey baby” Gabriel smiled at me, and I swear, my whole body melted.

“Hey” I whispered, as he came over to give me a kiss. As soon as his lips touched mine, everything that Isaac said came to the front of my mind, and I quickly pulled away from Gabriel. I could see Gabriel’s eyebrows pull together and the hurt look in his eyes

“Amelia? Is there something wrong?” He asked, looking me right in the eyes.

“Ok Gabriel, I’m just going to come out with it. Why did you tell me you committed suicide because you couldn’t live without me?” I asked, I could see the shock cover his face for a millisecond, and then it went blank. And that scared me. I don’t think his face has been blank ever since I first seen him when I returned to Harlan.

“Amelia, I already told you the story, please don’t make me tell it again” he said, sitting down on the edge of the bed, with his head in his hands, and I never really captured the amount of pain in his voice before, but now I knew why it was there, and right then, I knew Isaac was telling me the truth.

“Yes, you told me a story Gabriel” I said, getting on my knees on the bed beside him “But the one you told me wasn’t true, was it?”

At this, he turned and looked at me, and I knew what he would see. I had tears dripping down my cheeks, but I wasn’t crying for me, I was crying because I now knew what was true.

“Amelia, how do you know this?” Gabriel asked, suspicion now replacing the hurt.

I was taken aback, I didn’t expect this question. I expected him to just open up to me “Gabriel, that doesn’t matter. All I want to know is why you lied to me instead of telling me the truth, you know I would never have judged you”

“That’s not the point Amelia! The point is I was my Fathers punching bag whenever he got upset! That I couldn’t even tell you because I was ashamed!” Gabriel stood up, his fists clenched by his sides, screaming at me “I wanted to tell you the truth, I really did, but I couldn’t cope with the look that would be on your face!” He stood there, his chest moving rapidly up and down as he took fast breaths.

I stood and walked over to him, standing right infront of him “Gabriel” I whispered “You don’t need to be ashamed, I love you. I love you for you, not for what has happened in the past. And its because I love you that I will tell you that it was Isaac who told me that you were hiding something for me” I immediately seen Gabriels eyes fire up with the mention of Isaacs name “Hey! Calm down! He told me something else too. He’s my guardian angel”

“WHAT?!”

“Gabriel, just listen, he isn’t all bad. He told me that you have hidden things from me, and you have to tell me them because it would be crucial to us, or something like that” I said, “But Gabriel, I think we should listen to him”

“Ok Amelia, lets say we listened to him, and we uncovered everything we haven’t told eachother, and nothing happens. Then what would be the point of it?”

“The point would be that we have parted ways knowing that we know everything there could possibly be about eachother and that there were no secrets” I said.

Gabriel seemed to think about it, going to sit on my bed again, his back against the headboard.

“My Father started hitting me when my mother died, he never hit me where anyone would see, and he always came across as the perfect father, no-one could fault him” Gabriel said, his eyes had taken a far away look in them that I really didn’t like “There was once I was going to tell you, but I couldn’t get the courage to actually get the words out”

“Gabriel, its ok, no matter what has happened or what will happen in the future, I will always love you, you’ve got to believe that” I said, as I kneeled by him on the bed.

“I do Amelia, I do believe it and I always will” he whispered, whilst grabbing hold of my hand and holding on to me for dear life.

“Gabriel, there’s something else. I want to know what happened in the meadow with Casey, Isaac said you had left something out” I said, whilst playing with his fingers.

“Amelia, I have been trying to tell you, but I just couldn’t not after everything we’ve been through” Gabriel said.

“Just tell me, it’ll be ok”

“If the Gods choose to keep me up there instead of letting me come back down here, with you, then Casey can find a way back. Don’t ask how, because I really don’t know, but she can come back, and she will want her revenge on you”

“Its ok Gabriel, because you are coming back, you promised you were coming back to me” I said, the tears coming back to my eyes.

“I know Amelia, I just don’t know whether I’ll be able to keep that promise” he whispered into my hair.

And that was the conversation over, we didn’t talk anymore, but I had a feeling Gabriel had told me everything I wanted to know. But I knew there was one more thing I had to tell him, and I'm sure he wouldn't like it.