Page 16 of The Fallen

?“I said that, to say this. I sometimes wanted a normal life too, but the reality is, we are not normal. Never have been, never will be,” he leaned forward as well. “You have been cut off from all that has happened and you don't know the consequences of Marie staying shielded.”

?“And you do?”

?Brenton rubbed sweat from his hands on his pants and shook his head.

?“Yes. I came to find Marie because we're all in trouble, you included. The war that was just a story before is happening now and we need to be prepared. The angels that attacked us last night is just a tip of the iceberg.”

?She eased back into her seat. It was true that she cut herself and her family off from anything that had to do with angels. She didn't want to be apart of it, let alone think about it.

?She knew nothing of that world anymore. She stopped associating with anything or anyone that could potentially bring back memories.

?Helena told her when she shielded Marie that there was a chance it wouldn't last because something was to come and Marie was involved.

?Marie used to have dreams and visions about angel, even though she didn't know what it meant at the time. There were too many instances were Marie could have pushed past the block on her own. Renea didn't want to accept the fact that this was something she couldn't control. She honestly believed, at the time, she could prevent it.

?What was she doing to her daughter now though? Dictating her every move, her decisions. She hated her mother for doing that to her. She despised the constant supervision and lack of trust in their relationship. She didn't want that for her and Marie.

?She felt Brenton prying again. Her eyes shot up to his and he shied away.

?“I'm sorry, it's a bad habit,” he said quickly. Renea shook her head. “But, what do you think is going to happen once she has the block removed? She already knows everything.”

?She had thought about that already. She hadn't quite figured it out yet, though. The more she thought about it, the more she knew it was Marie's decision to make and not hers. Their life was going to be a constant struggle, regardless of how she lived it. At least this way, she would be prepared.

?“You know Marie better than I do. Do you think she will sit idly by and forget about all this?” he asked.

?Renea's mind was thawing little by little. If she didn't let Marie live her own life, she could run away. There was no way she could keep her asleep forever. If she did that, what were the odds of her ever seeing Marie again?

?Maybe she deserved this chance to prove herself. Although Renea was still hopeful that Marie would still change her mind, she needed to let her go.

?She glared at Brenton. He was still hiding something, but she knew he didn't have bad intentions, none she could feel. She had to trust her daughter could handle herself.

?“Okay. I'll let her go,” she raised an eyebrow. “On one condition.”

?Brenton sat up straight, eyes wide. “Anything.”

?“You bring her back safely or I hunt you down and make you wish you hadn't found her,” she said with fire in her eyes.

?“Yes ma'am,” he said in a shaky voice.

?“And another thing. The feelings you think you have for Marie are not real. It's just the new connection,” she said looking down. “Sometimes you think it's something more, but it isn't. Remember the rules.”

?Brenton eyed her suspiciously, “I know the rules. I won't put us in any danger.”

?“Marie needs to know, too. Don't try to rationalize it or figure out how to make it work, because it just won't. Do you understand me?”

?“Yes ma'am.”

?She stood up and put a hand on his shoulder. Now she would have to deal with really letting Marie leave. She knew she had no choice.

?She walked upstairs and into Marie's room. Marie looked so peaceful and Renea's heart began to hurt. It took everything in her not to walk away from the room and decide to deal with the consequences later. In the end, she knew she had to let go and let her be the person she was meant to be.

?She pushed all her anxiety aside and focused her energy once more. She waved a hand over Marie's face and her eyes slowly opened.

?Marie looked confused. “Mom, what happened?”

?Renea sat down on the bed next to her. “You needed some more rest before your trip.”

?Marie sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She yawned and stretched before completely getting out of bed.

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