46 Invisible

Recap

"Ahem," I coughed, trying to get Felix's attention, "they can't find me as long as I have this bracelet on, right?"

***

Being invisible to a bunch of angels, what could possibly go wrong, right?

Nothing wrong with relying on a bracelet to keep you safe.

This is totally normal and of course I meant that in the most sarcastic way possible.

Felix and Gabriel were obviously on the same side. He was our inside guy? Um I'm not so clued up on what's happening here but that's what I got from my conversation with Felix and if I'm invisible to angels as Felix said then that means none of them can see me which includes Gabriel? I'm assuming that's what is going on right now.

~After Alice's disappearance~

Gabriel raised an eyebrow as Lucifer and Azrael looked at the empty space of where Alice and Felix once stood.

"Felix!" Lucifer yelled but there was no cat boy to hear him in his angry rage, Felix and Alice were both gone. Azrael held a look of disappointment on his face and Gabriel's eyebrow was still raised as if he too did not know what happened but of course he did, he was in on this the whole time.

"How could you let this happen?" Lucifer said to Gabriel. "I know it was you."

"Me? Why would you blame me for this? I can't help it if your plans just don't work out. First wanting to rule the heavens and now this. Don't blame me for your misfortune."

"How could you let this happen?" Azrael mocked. "You one to talk brother." He raised his voice. "Why couldn't you just leave the girl out of it. The fight was supposed to be between us. We had a score to settle."

"I have my reasons." Lucifer said, his voice going slightly soft as he kept what he knew to himself.

~Lucifer's memories~

....

...

..

"Brother are you alright you seem sick?"

"I'm fine, Lucifer don't worry."

"It's just that you haven't been eating lately and I know I haven't visited you much since I started at the academy but this isn't like you Azrael. Are you training too hard with the Creator that you're forgetting about your well being?"

"No I... it's complicated."

"How is skipping out on meals complicated? Or not showing your face until the sun goes down. I hardly see you lately. What are you even doing in that time? When I studied as an-"

"When you studied as an apprentice you never stayed out as late as me yeah, yeah, yeah, we've had this conversation before."

"Then what were you doing?"

"I was with Eden, okay. Geez, you know my childhood friend, the one that's two years younger than you? The only person here that's actually my age. I was with her. Why can't I just hang out with people my own age? Is that too much to ask."

"I never said you couldn't I'm just worried about you. You're just so distant."

"Maybe if you weren't such a workaholic you'd see me more often, brother." Azrael's voice went softer as he spoke.

"I... you know what, you're right I'm sorry but you know I'm just-"

"Trying to do what's best for us? I know you are but..."

"But what?"

"I think I'm in love with Eden."

Eden?

My brother is in love?

I'll be alone.

I have no one.

I can't let this happen.

Everyone will leave me.

Time skip»»

...

"I see my brother and his little classmate have taken a liking to each other."

"Yes, indeed they have but she's always been with him even before he started his training with me. Have you not been in your brother's life for so long that you don't know who he's most close to? She used to visit your residence a lot you'd think you would know."

"I'm not so worried about that Great One but I am curious as to why my younger brother thinks he is in love and I'm supposedly destined to be alone, why is that?"

"All in due time my friend. Have patience. I know you see this as unfair but you're not alone trust me."

"Well then where is she?"

"Who?"

"I'm meant to be alone, aren't I?"

"Lucifer, there's-"

No one.

Time skip»»

...

If I have to suffer then everyone should suffer.

Why should I just sit back and let this happen.

No I'll put destiny in my own hands.

Time skip»»

...

If I get rid of Eden my brother won't leave me.

No he will leave you. Said a voice, Lucifer's conscience. He won't forgive you. You know that.

But I won't be the only one who is alone anymore if Eden disappears.

Time skip»»

...

*Knock* *Knock*

"Azrael can you get the door?"

Ugh he overslept again, didn't he?

"I'll get it." Lucifer mumbled to himself.

The door creaks open.

"How can I help-"

"Hi!" Says a girl.

"Um..." Who is she?

"Uh? I'm here to see Azrael. The Creator is waiting for him. Just tell him the lesson starts in 15 minutes."

Eden?

Time skip»»

...

~When Azrael left for training~

*Knock* *Knock*

Lucifer opens the door.

"Let me guess you're looking for Azrael?"

"Yes I-"

"He left earlier this morning to pick up some things. If you want you can wait inside for him?"

Do I really want to get rid of this girl?

"Yeah, sure I'll wait."

But there's just something about her.

"Come in, make yourself at home."

Time skip»»

...

*Knock* *Knock*

Lucifer opens the door.

"Have you forgotten that Azrael left for training with the Creator, again?"

"No... I... um... just hear me out." Said Eden. "I brought you food from home cause well you alone and Azrael isn't here. I figured you could use something nice to eat plus a little company doesn't hurt, right?"

"You're bored, aren't you?"

"Yes, extremely."

"What do you and my brother do anyway?"

"We mostly hang out, go for walks, talk. He's sweet."

"You like him?"

"I um..."

"Don't answer that. I didn't mean to pry."

"Well um... he's my best friend. My only friend."

This girl has been coming to visit a lot lately, I hope I'm not getting attached to her.

Time skip»»

...

"What have you done, you killed her. Lucifer!"

What have I done?

But I couldn't bring myself to end her life, could I?

I've taken a liking to her?

~Lucifer's conscience~

You didn't have the guts to kill her, did you?

You and your brother are both wrong, deep down you know this and yet the more you lie about what you actually did the more you make him hate you. What brotherly love you have for one another.

....

...

..

"You have your reasons? What a cheap excuse." Azrael's voice echoed throughout the room.

You wouldn't be in this mess if you just rewind this story back to what actually happened instead of just covering it in more lies. You, yourself don't even know where the girl is. Eden didn't die. You know this. Lucifer's conscience says. You can't correct a mistake if there is no mistake to correct. Everything is an illusion. None of you even remember what truly happened that day.

»Flashback«

Precious Lucifer was jealous of his younger brother and wanted to make Eden disappear but he couldn't bring himself to do that, could he? She was too nice and sweet, so he locked her away where no one would ever find her, not even himself.

~End of Flashback~

"I can't explain this to you now. You won't understand." Lucifer spoke as he broke out of his thoughts.

"Understand what? That you, my own brother betrayed me? Made me lose a girl I liked not once but twice. You're so selfish."

Tell him the truth. Tell him what you know. Said Lucifer's conscience.

"Well, as much as I'd like to see this play out..." Said Gabriel who seemed to be quiet the entire time. "I got to fly."

"No one said you could-" Lucifer raised his voice but before he could finish his sentence Gabriel was already gone. "Damn trouble maker." He grit out before looking back at Azrael.

Tell him the truth.

"Azrael... I..."

***

Back to Alice...

"Where have you been? It's been two days?"

"Technically it's only been one day since Alice was off sick but god you make it sound like she was missing for a year." Sam laughed at how dramatic Eva was acting.

I was actually gone for three days in whatever realm Azrael had me trapped in but it seems like three days in wherever I was is equivalent to one day on earth even though ironically the realm is on earth. Mmmm who knew?

"You have no idea what school is like when your best friend isn't there." Eva said dramatically as I wiped down one of the tables at the diner.

"But it was only a day. I had the flu..." I covered up, "and I did go to school today."

"Yeah, but yesterday was awful, I felt like a lost lamb without you, I had literally no one to talk to."

"Really?" I said sarcastically.

"Well to sum it up I got so bored during lunch cause there was no Alice..." she emphasized my name, "I ended up going to the school library to drowned myself in a book."

"And how did that go?" I laughed as Sam went to go take the orders of the people who were in the diner.

"Terrible, there was no nice books. Seriously, I looked everywhere and there was nothing."

"Sounds like you had fun." I giggled.

"Meh I couldn't even drowned myself in a book, ugh."

"Hey!" James nodded to Sam and I as he walked over to Eva and kissed her on the forehead. "I'll take over from here." He said to Eva as he cupped both her cheeks and looked at the rest of the tables that needed cleaning.

I felt someone tugging my arm as I watched James help Eva with her section of the diner. Looking over my shoulder I saw that it was Felix.

"Hey you ready?" He asked me.

I gave him a suspicious look. "Ready for what?"

"I'm here to pick you up." Felix mumbled as if he wanted to tell me in secret.

"Felix!" Eva exclaimed. "Are you trying to steal my friend? I just got her back." Eva teased with a giggle. "Why you here anyway?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Ahem..." Felix coughed, "exactly what you said, to steal your friend." He gave her an evil but playful grin.

"Awe, I was just joking about the stealing thing... Alice do you really have to leave now and since when does he pick you up?"

"Since we started dating." Felix cut in.

Dating?

Um? Wait a minute.

I'm dating my cat?

What?

Felix!

No don't put words in my mouth I mean sure we kissed but wait why did I let him?

Felix isn't actually a cat, you know that right? Said my conscience. He is a guy who can change into one and he kind of used it to get you to bring him into your house. Just a little FYI.

Didn't stop him from eating all the tuner though.

"Why does my conscience know more than I do?"

"Anyway..." Felix said brushing off Eva's whines and giving an unfazed look, "you ready?" He repeated clearly unbothered.

Breaking out of my thoughts I looked at him confused. Clearly he was trying to tell me something but obviously he couldn't say it in front of Eva. He raised an eyebrow as I gave him a blank stare trying to figure out what he was trying to tell me in this hidden message.

"Ugh, just go." Eva surprisingly cut in. "You got a date I get it. Go have fun." She said pushing me towards the door. "I'll cover for you, just promise me that you'll come to school tomorrow."

I didn't even get a chance to reply before I was pushed out of the glass doors of the diner.

Well that escalated quickly. Talk about a turn of events. From complaining about me leaving to kicking me out. Eva sure confuses me sometimes.

The pink neon light of the diner dimly reflected off the pavement as I looked at Felix who was making his way to the Jeep.

"Yes, the guy who can turn into a cat has a Jeep."

"Where are we going?" I asked as Felix closed the car door behind me and then got into the drivers seat.

"To your apartment." He said nonchalantly as he turned the key in the ignition. "Just a heads up, Gabriel is there." He spoke sternly.

I furrowed my eyebrows, pulling a face. "Don't you have your own place?"

"Actually," he said keeping his hands firmly attached to the steering wheel, he looked over to me before he kept his eyes glued to the road, "I don't."

How does he have a Jeep but no place?

He's been living in his car?

He really is a stray cat.

"So you telling me you're homeless?"

"Pretty much." He said unbothered.

"Even with powers?"

"Rent is expensive and I wouldn't have turned into a cat if I wasn't. It doesn't exactly end well when you're a human going up to random people and asking if you can stay by them mind you, rent free. Trust me I've tried and it never ends well so I chose the friendly feline way."

"How did you get the Jeep then?"

"I summoned it?" He looked over at me raising an eyebrow and then back to the road.

"Can't you just summon a place to stay in or money?"

"If I could I would but sadly my magic doesn't work that way, at least not anymore. I was using my other powers to do that before they were taken away from me."

"You know, I didn't even say you could live with me plus my parents would kill me if they found out you were a guy."

"That's why I'm not a guy well, now I am but I'm your stray cat. Don't worry it's not like I'll just magically transform in front of them."

"Um... if I recall correctly you did that in front of me when I thought there was an intruder in my apartment but no, it was just you demolishing my bathroom."

"Okay, that sounds a little nasty when you put it like that. You make it sound like I had some nasty form of diarrhea. I just broke a couple of things don't worry I'll fix it in no time."

"You better otherwise you'll have to pay for it. I hope my parents don't decide to pop in. The place is a mess and they definitely going to question how on earth every tile in the guest bathroom is broken."

"Oops," Felix said, "I'll fix it, I promise."

I watched the raindrops hit the windshield of the Jeep. Turning my head to the side I looked out the passenger window, witnessing the raindrops splatter on it as Felix went back to being quiet and focusing on the road. Before I knew it we were at my apartment and I walked into a Gabriel sitting on my couch.

"Is Alice safe?" He questioned literally looking at me.

So he can't see me?

"Yeah," Felix said, walking up from behind me,"she's safe."

"Where is she?"

"Here, but invisible to you."

"You charmed her?"

"Yep..."

"You know they'll figure out what you did eventually. You better be on your guard." Gabriel warned sternly.

"Don't worry, I will." Felix stated rather confidently.

There's confident and then there's cocky. He's clearly the latter.

"A word of advice. Don't count all of your chickens just yet. Lucifer always has a trick up his sleeve. So be careful. You can listen to my warning or take it lightly. It's on you but I'm off for now. Give me a ring if you run into difficulty again." Gabriel said, and with that he vanished.

~Meanwhile~

"Azrael... I... you didn't kill Eden but neither did I."

"Lies. I know what I saw."

"What you saw was an illusion. A lie."

"How can I believe you, the same person who betrayed me?"

"You don't have to but I swear on my life what you saw wasn't what happened. At first I wanted her gone but I couldn't bring myself to do it."

"If all is as you say, where is she?"

"I don't know but I found this." Lucifer said showing Azrael a page. The same page he showed Alice before she escaped about objects that absorb ones life force before incarcerating them inside it. "She's not dead she's trapped."

"Stop giving me hope. I saw her perish in my arms. You tormented me, making me believe my powers were responsible for taking most of her life force when you made her weak and all it took was me touching her for her to lose her life."

"I lied, it wasn't your fault. I'm trying to fix this."

"Why did you do this in the first place to me of all people, your own blood, your brother. You just couldn't stand me being happy, could you?"

"I didn't want to be alone."

"God, you're selfish." Enraged, Azrael left before Lucifer could explain everything.

I loved her too.

Despicable! I'm your conscience. Liking your brothers girl? You have no shame. You know? You weren't meant to be alone. Why do you make it like you're all alone in the world. The Creator was trying to tell you something the day you cut him off and left. Let's recall that moment, shall we?

»Flashback«

"All in due time my friend. Have patience. I know you see this as unfair but you're not alone trust me."

~End of Flashback~

See he never said you were meant to be alone. He said you must have patience which you clearly don't have.

And then have a look here.

....

...

..

»Flashback«

"Well then where is she?"

"Who?"

"I'm meant to be alone, aren't I?"

"Lucifer, there's-"

No one.

~End of flashback~

You didn't even have the patience to let him finish before you left with that sour attitude of yours. He was trying to tell you something but you're so hard headed you blew him off and look where it got you. *Sighs*

Just something to think about. Stop hiding from your truth. His conscience went silent.

It has a point.

***

The next day...

Back to Alice...

I made it to school as I promised Eva even though I didn't promise her because she kicked me out of the diner before I could say anything.

I head towards my locker as per usual blah, blah, blah, blah and kept an eye out for Azrael since he attends this place too. I'm literally invisible now... well to him but by the looks of things I don't think he's here today although, his cronies are. Henchmen? Whatever you want to call them. They do as they're told and act like cavemen by following and not thinking of the consequences so I guess, henchmen it is.

I was about to open my locker when my necklace decided to do that glowing, floating thing it does, again! I ended up running to the bathroom and shoving myself in one of the stalls when I heard someone crying? Wait? What? Why are they crying?

I couldn't exactly leave the stall cause of the blue floating pendant that seemed to be hovering so very near to my face. I heard sniffling. I guess Felix was right about girls coming to the bathroom to cry that day when he thought he hurt me.

I leaned against the stall door, not wanting to sit on the seat as I waited for my necklace to stop glowing.

"Alice." The necklace hummed my name softly. "Alice." It hummed again glowing brightly as I grabbed the pendant hovering close to my nose with both my hands. Clenching both my hands tightly around it to block the bright light from glowing even more brighter. I thought I could conceal it but it ended up getting too hot in my hands. So hot that I ended up letting it go, out of the fear of burning myself, as I heard the girl in the other stall still sniffling. Oh no they're still here?

The sniffling stopped as the voice of my necklace got louder. "Alice." It hummed my name louder but this time the person in the stall next to me heard.

"Who's there?" The person sniffling said. Wait a minute. I know that voice. "Alice?" The person questioned clearly hearing the voice from my pendant.

Lexie?

Oh my chicken nuggets!

Yeah, I know I was trying to find her to apologise to her that day when Felix stood up for me.

Should I do a flashback? Nah, I think you should know what I'm talking about.

She kind of did have it coming though but I did feel sorry for her. Her friends just turning their back on her was painful to watch but I kind of predicted that would happen. What can I say, they were fake friends, frenemies whatever you want to call them but they definitely weren't real friends. Real friends don't just desert you, they stick it out. Clearly, they don't know the definition of what is meant by friend.

"Alice?" I heard Lexie question. "Are you here?" Her voice echoed from the stall next to the one I was in.

"Um?" I mumbled softly. "Yeah..." I said awkwardly. Keeping my fingers crossed and hoping that the necklace would stop glowing. I don't know how I'm gonna explain my way out of this one if she witnesses a floating, glowing necklace that murmurs my name. Uh? I got it off Wish? Nope, she definitely wouldn't believe that.

"I'm sorry about how terrible I treated you." Lexie said softly from the other side of the stall as she sniffled to herself. Wow, that was the first time I've ever heard her apologise. Did she have an epiphany, or something?

Shut up conscience. Now is not the time to be rude. That was actually a sincere apology.

I just kept quiet before I said the words you wouldn't expect the person who was being picked on to tell their bully... "I forgive you."

Why are you forgiving her?

Cause I'm mature enough to move on. Am I seriously having a fight with myself about this? We have bigger problems to deal with, right now. Like not letting her notice the necklace hovering above my head.

What about all the nights you spent plotting your revenge on her?

She's crying? Her own friends turned on her just the other day, she's even been enlightened to the extent that she admitted she was terrible towards me. Don't you think that she's been through enough?

You have a point but I still...

But still what?

I still don't like her.

My edgy side?

"You do?" I heard Lexie speak once again. "You forgive me?" She questioned in a sad murmur.

"Uh?" My necklace suddenly flew up. What the heck is wrong with this thing? "Yeah..." I stretched out as I tried to stop the necklace from pulling me, my face so close to hitting the bathroom stall wall. "I..." I continue trying not to sound suspicious. (Don't be suspicious, don't be suspicious, don't be suspicious, don't be suspicious.) "I forgive you, woah!?" I didn't expect to say the last part but the necklace was just flinging everywhere at this point.

"Are you okay?" I heard genuine panic in her voice after my... "woah?!" Am I hallucinating?

Wait, shouldn't I be asking her that? She was crying earlier.

"Um, yeah," I covered up with a fake cough, "it's, just cramps."

"Oh?" I heard her voice fade into silence.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"No..." she sighed, "I got to go I'll talk to you later." And with that I heard her leave the bathroom stall. The sound of water running from the bathroom sink as she washed her hands and then the sound of the door shutting. That was close.

She'll talk to me later?

What is going on?

To be continued...