Beauty and the Beasts

Chapter Seven

Angel never said a word to me as she led us to the infirmary. I didn't know if she believed me or not because she still seemed completely in shock. I just hoped she had the courage to open her eyes to the light, unlike Jellal who chose to keep himself shrouded in darkness because he just felt safer that way.

Meredy was talking to a corpse with a ribbon around its head with a bow on either side. Ultear I recalled. I also remembered that Jellal had ordered Angel to keep me in my room, hopefully they didn't know that.

"Hi." I said softly stopping their animated debate over the sudden strange phenomena around the castle. They looked at me and I tried my best not to stare at the piece of cartilage sticking out of the who large holes that would be Ultear's nostrils as she turned to me. She looked too shocked, even as a corpse to be as completely terrifying as she should have been, what with her ears half melted off and her gums having been decayed showing the more skeletal view of her teeth, and even her eyelids had disappeared, making me wonder morbidly how her protruding eyes managed to remain in their sockets.

"Is something wrong?" Ultear asked me when no one else said a word. Obviously, something was wrong, what it was, was the mystery.

"I don't know. Is Lucy alright? All the mirrors and windows in my bedroom shattered." I said and Ultear's teeth chattered together as she looked toward the room with the beds.

"I used my magic to fix the glass as it broke, she is uninjured and she should be asleep. Have you spoken with Angel? We have been calling her for almost ten minutes now and she isn't responding to us." She said and I nodded.

"Yes, I'm sorry. I asked her to lead me here, that's probably why she couldn't answer you." Even as I spoke, Ultear and Meredy shook their heads.

"No, Angel is everywhere all the time, she should have heard us and answered us. Ul, do you think she is worried about the others?" Meredy asked and I felt guilty seeing them worry so much.

"They already left? I thought Jellal was taking everyone." I said dumbly and Ultear nodded.

"They all left, but he left me here to make sure nothing back happens to you or your friend if they are followed back here." She said and I wanted to ask why he left her here if he trusted Brain so much, but I hesitated and decided against it. Perhaps he didn't trust Brain as much as he led me to believe. That or I had made him doubt Brain.

"Ul, I'm worried about Angel, do you think- "Meredy began and I groaned with regret.

"Its my fault this happened, I'm sorry." I admitted and they both looked at me in shock, at least I assumed Meredy was just as shocked as Ultear.

"No, don't be silly! I'm sure its not your fault! Don't blame yourself like that." Meredy said comfortingly and came to rub my back. I winced as if I had been struck and she quickly pulled her hand back and apologised for touching me.

"No, its not that Meredy. I know you are you no matter what you look like, it's just that it is my fault, I said something to Angel to make her really upset. I didn't want to hurt her feelings but I needed someone else to know. I needed to know this wasn't all fabricated in my mind..." I said as I took a few steps into the room with beds to make sure Lucy was asleep. She was. How could she not be having to live in our neighbourhood.

"I don't mean to be rude, but would you care to elaborate? Something like this," She gestured around to the destruction. "Doesn't just happen by saying 'Angel your wallpaper is chipped.', or 'Angel your lamps are too dim.'."

I grimaced and sat down on a chair.

"I really don't want to say this a third time. Especially because I don't know what your reaction would be. Jellal hit me, and Angel...self-destructed, I guess. You deserve to know I suppose, but I don't think I can tell this story again by myself." I said sadly and clasped my hands together in my lap nervously.