The Demon's Angel

Chapter 20

Author's note: (Edit) We're back folks! I'm making some small edits to a couple chapters to get rid of a story beat that I've never liked, but now that I'm reading this story again for the first time since I wrote it, is just downright uncomfortable. I tried to write around an uncomfortable relationship between Amanda and Kurt in one of the prequel comics to the X2 movie (it also just exists in X-men lore in general), but honestly, I don't think I had the writing skills in 7th-8th grade to handle that (so it was just bad lol). I hope this version is more enjoyable!

Kurt
We left Florence a week after mine and Elizabeth's talk. I was extremely relieved to leave that place behind. I just wanted to forget what had happened totally, despite the souvenirs I'd be taking with me.

    After the attack, the cat girl that we met, Sophie, started to hang out a lot more with Elizabeth and I. She wanted a new adventure, and with her ringmaster's and Margali's permission, she was allowed to travel with us while we toured Europe. Her energy and mischief was especially welcome during a time when I barely had the energy to smile. After a bit, I noticed something; her presence seemed to have a strange effect on me.

My heart always sped up at the thought of meeting up with girls. I didn't understand it. The feelings began to appear on the day of mine and Elizabeth's talk. Since then, they'd grown and grown until my heart ached whenever I wasn't with them. Honestly, when I think back, it could've been either of them, but I couldn't seem to think that it was Lizzie, my best friend. After all, we had been friends for years. Wouldn't I have noticed before then if I had feelings for her? Instead, my mind started to connect those feelings with Sophie.

     Before I'd gotten hurt, we didn't really spend a ton of time together. After, though, we were with each other all the time. Playing cards, talking, or just reading together. I just wanted to be near her, trying to get used to these new feelings. It didn't feel strange, but it did at the same time. After all, I barely knew her. We had only been friends for a short time, and when we were alone together, I didn't really want to do more than hug her. I shrugged it off, assuming that I was just too embarrassed or shy to imagine anything like kissing. Besides, it was unlikely she liked me back. I was blue and fuzzy, not even including my demonic features. How could anyone see that as attractive?

     A few weeks later, my arm was finally healed enough to start using it again. I couldn't quite start performing yet, but I could start working towards that goal. Lifting light weights and just doing everyday activities slowly made my arm stronger and stronger. Elizabeth practiced as well, saying she didn't want to lose her "flair" while the circus gave me a chance to recover.

      No one commented on my scars, but I'm pretty sure that's because Margali told them not to. I never told her about the ones on my legs, and if she noticed them, she didn't comment. I could feel everybody's stares when my back was turned. I noticed the pity in their eyes. I hated seeing it. However, I acted as if the marks weren't there, that I looked as I always had. It slowly became easier as the scars faded to pale lines swirling across my skin. Soon, they just became another part of my already strange appearance.

    We started to perform "Quand les anges et les démons tombent amoureux" about five months after the incident. Most of the performers were afraid that the show wouldn't be as popular, since it hadn't been performed in months, but if anything, it was even more popular. We sold out for about a full month after it started up again. I was glad for the concentration that the show took. It kept my mind from wandering too much. By the time the show's tour ended, I had managed to push Florence, along with my own dark thoughts, into the very back of my head. Life was finally going back to normal, until one day, about a year later.