Page 30 of Found In Destruction

When I faded into the hallway, I saw both of my fathers, Angie, Oisín, and Nonna. I had no clue she returned to thecompound, and I didn’t want her here. It wasn’t safe, especially after the compound’s location was compromised.

“Don’t worry,Bellissima, I’m only here for a short visit before Lucifer takes me back. It’s good to see you,” she assured me, as if she read my mind. Her hug could have been infinite, and it wouldn’t be enough. While I was away, I missed her something awful.

Azazel faded into the hallway, running his hands through his hair before his eyes met mine shyly. “I’m sorry I’m late, I was checking on a few things.”

“Okay, now that we’re all present, we can get going. Diana, we’re going to see your mother.”

My heart caught in my throat. I was fairly confident my father would keep his word, but I didn’t think it would be this soon. Equal parts dread and hope filled me–I may actually see my mother after all these years. She would exist in a suspended state, but she’d be real, not on a mantle in our family room. I took a deep breath and joined hands with everyone.

You’re going to be okay,Azazel linked me as he squeezed my hand.

I wasn’t sure of that. My heart beat so hard I thought it would break through my chest. Every breath I took felt tight, making me lightheaded. Once we formed a circle, Lucifer faded us to a small wooden cabin in a forest. The copper redwood trees were just like the ones I saw in travel guides. They clustered around the home, casting it in shadow under their leafy canopy despite the high sun.

Lucifer walked to the door, placing his hand in the center. “Come here, Diana.” He placed my hand next to his, and a steady magic coursed from my palm through my fingers. “Now you can come and visit whenever you want.”

He did the same for Angie. The house was minimally decorated, resembling something out of a furniture catalog. Thepictures on the wall featured my mother with various people, including me, Nonna, and Angie. There was even one of her and my Pop-Pop. I wasn’t sure how Lucifer had them, but was glad they were here. She deserved to be surrounded by the people who loved her, even if they were only in photographs.

One of her and my fathers gave me pause. I had never seen the two men look so…happy. Their eyes were bright, faces carefree. Michael was laughing, holding my mom’s hand. Lucifer was standing behind them, staring at the two of them with adoration in his eyes. I wondered…if my mother and Lucifer weren’t attacked, would the three of them have found their way back to each other eventually?

Could we have been a family if my fathers had made different decisions?

It wasn’t worth thinking about what-ifs–they only upset you. I took a deep breath, blinking away the tears that welled in my eyes.

A strong hand gripped my shoulder. “You and Angie look just like her. The three of you are beautiful,” Oisín said.

“I wish she could have met you, O. She would have adored you and your dark sense of humor,” Angie said to him, giving him a side hug. It made me so happy that they bonded. They were my family, my brother and the closest thing I’ve ever had to a sister.

“Is everyone ready?” Lucifer asked the room at large, despite his eyes being on me.

He showed us a framed photo of my mother and me when I was a toddler, removing it to reveal a metal square underneath it. He placed his hand on it, then the entire wall disappeared, revealing a bedroom. The decor consisted of warm creams and browns, from the bedspread to the carpet and decorative pillows. My mother laid in the center of the bed under a fur blanket that came to her chest. She looked like she waspeacefully sleeping, but not the way a body would at a viewing. Her cheeks were rosy pink, and she didn’t look waxy or…fake.

As I gazed at the woman sitting in the bed, I realized how much I forgot about her since the years she passed. Even though Angie and I visited her in the past, there were details I missed in my memories, like her nose stud. It was small and dainty, adding a little sparkle to her face. I forgot about how her bottom lip was fuller than the top one. When I was little, I prayed to be as pretty as my mom and Angie. They seemed so confident and fabulously confident in themselves. My own self confidence was something I battled with for years, only finding it long after my mom had passed.

Her curly hair was fanned around the pillow, and it was just as chaotic as my own. I saw a book on the nightstand, the tassel of a bookmark sticking out.

Sometimes I come here and read to her, so she can hear my voice,Lucifer admitted.

She can’t hear you.I didn’t have the heart to break it to him. When I was suspended, I didn’t hear or sense anything. It was as if I missed a whole chunk of my life. Hopefully it wasn’t the same for everyone.

Angie and Nonna held each other, crying together. My fathers stood next to each other, both of them stoically silent. I thought I would be a bawling mess at my mother’s bedside, not quiet and tearful. The fire of the sadness and anger I felt after finding out she wasn’t truly dead took months to dim to a smolder. For some strange reason, seeing her gave me some peace. And a small, dangerous amount of hope.

Azazel took my hand again, giving me his silent support. My anger at him died out too, leaving only confusion behind. I understood his actions, but I found it difficult to get past them, as odd as it sounded. “Does anyone mind if I use my magic toglean something from her? A vision may help.” He rubbed the back of my hand with his thumb, and no one objected.

He stood at her bedside, his hands a few inches above her as he moved them slowly up and down her body. After a few minutes, his eyes glazed white, a telltale sign he was seeing something. His body was rigidly still and his hands stopped moving. It felt as if he traveled somewhere far away in his mind, despite his body being here.

After a few minutes, he blinked, then shook his body out. His eyes were still white, but they always took a while to go back to normal. “I’m not sure if what I saw was in the past or present. Unfortunately, clarity isn’t something I can have with every vision. She was smiling, sitting outside somewhere while she talked to someone. Not sure who, but whatever they talked about had her in a good mood.”

“When we get home, can you show Ares, so he can replay it for Angie and I?”

“Of course, Angel. Anything for you.” He wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me into his side. I rested my head on his chest, slipping into deep thought about how I could fix my mother.

When we went back outside to leave, I hugged and kissed my Nonna goodbye. Lucifer returned her to her own hideaway, while Oisín took us back to the compound.

Azazel walked me to our barrack, and I promptly went to my room, closing myself in so I could decompress. Now that I saw my mother, I knew that I had to do everything I could to bring her back.

13

BASH

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