[M] The Vengeful Angel 1x1 (Ashen and Sparkz)

[Sparkz]

Rated M for possible language, violence, romance etc

Mary Rose Alden was born and raised in a strict Catholic family. She had five brothers and sisters and she was the middle child and mostly ignored expect for being lectured on modesty and Church teachings. She grew up with curfews, regulated clothing, and suffered through homeschooling all the way through high school. Being seen as one of those 'weird homeschool kids', she didn't have many friends. As such, she turned to art. When she wasn't forced to read through Scripture, she would doodle in a notebook that she hid from her parents.

Mary decided to change her life and the way she lived once she got to college. She lived through her first year still following her parents rules, dressing extremely modest, going to daily mass, confessing her sins regularly. By the end of her first year, she realized just how miserable she was living under her parents' strict rules. As such, during the summer between her freshman and sophomore year of college, she died her hair and got her first tattoo and body piercing. Disgusted, her parents kicked her out of the house, which was fine by Mary. Feeling liberated for the first time, she dropped out of college and pursued her own path.

Now living by her own rules, the first thing she did was got rid of the mentality that she had a curfew. Next, she busied herself with partying and soon quit going to Mass and Confession regularly as her scheduled filled up with learning how to be a tattoo artist and partying. Then, Mary got a wardrobe change. She traded out all of her prudish clothing and obtain a bit more flirtatious outfits. Though, she still maintained a shred of modesty making sure that all of her assets were covered decently enough. She still had her self respect, even if she was rebelling against her parents' tyrannical rule.

In one final act of rebellion, Mary moved far from her home town of Memphis and moved to Indianapolis, Indiana. Her family had disowned her and she was perfectly fine with that. A year had past since she established her own life in Indianapolis and she couldn't be happier. Mary was 21 now and her own personal style (https://40.media.tumblr.com/9bbb21168b3598049a9cbe2b24608c95/tumblr_o2gkmux9P31v4208zo1_250.jpg) had finally been achieved. She had added a few more tattoos and piercings to her body, loving the fact that her body was actually a canvas for art and personal expression. Most recently, her favorite tattoo (https://www.freetattoodesigns.org/images/tattoo-gallery/cross-angel-wings.jpg)on her body had been added, placed between her shoulder blades. Her style consisted on bright colored tank tops with dark pants and a jacket, depending on the weather. She liked to show off her tattoos as much as possible, though the cold winters made it hard to do that year round. Anyone who had known Mary in her youth would say that she had changed drastically but is a lot happier now. It helped that she had finally achieved her dream of becoming a tattoo artist.

Mary still attended mass on Sunday every few weeks or so out of obligation to the Big Man Upstairs. Though, if she forgot to go, she didn't really care. Even if she was not as devout of a Catholic as she once was, her faith was still important to her. She believed in God and all the Bible stories and even agreed with many if not all the Church teachings, even if she didn't follow all of them. Angels and demons were all very much real to her, even if they didn't exist in this plane of existence,

This particular Saturday in June, Mary was enjoying a girls night out with some of her female friends and coworkers at the hottest club in Indy. She was wearing a flirtatious black dress (https://i.imgur.com/1xXxUkG.jpg) with fishnets and combat boots accessorized with a long chained cross necklace. Her dress had spaghetti straps so as to show off her tattoos. A couple of her friends were looking to get laid, Mary only wanted to get drunk, dance and have fun. Though tonight seemed like an average girls night out, Mary Rose Alden's life would change forever.

[Ashen]

Darkness. The perpetually-lit Instittute was, for once, bathed in blackness. There was an endless amount of eerie things in this hell, but none were as terrifying as this unknown. The sounds were all haunting, constant beeps and buzzes from more machines than could be counted. They seemed so much louder in the dark, so much more offensive, so much more dangerous. Small lights could be seen in varrying shades of red, barely visible now that the overhead light was busted. They were containers of blood, of all that remained of the hundreds of animals murdered in this very lab.

And then there was light. The offensive white beams came all at once, pouring in from the ceiling and cloaking the room in a too-bright glow. The room came into view, perhaps for the last time. The too-white walls, the too-white floors, the stainless countertops and machines that filled the room to its limit; never again would they be so pristine. Blood, after all, was the hardest stain to remove.

Tired brown eyes opened with a start, blinking this new world into focus. A young man sat up, holding his aching head. All around him was... grass? A sky? And in the distance, was that a city? He looked around confusedly. His hands, they were covered with blood. The rest of him was too, splatters staining all of his tanned body. Suddenly his memories returned. The Institute. He had broken out, and he'd left a bloody trail in his wake. But how had he gotten here, and where was here? He looked to the sky, at the distant, shining orb. What was that? Why did it hurt to look at? And why was it so hot? What was going on?

The man tried to get up, but his legs felt too weak and he fell over. His second attempt got him standing. He looked behind him, at two sweeping white wings. They ran the length of his body, and when expanded, their wingspan easily achieved eight feet. He flexed his wings and found them stiff. These wings, they had caused him so much trouble for him. Him... Who was he? It took him a moment to remember. He was Matteo Agnusdei, the Archangel.

It took a few tries to get him walking. When he did, he started for the distant city. A naked man covered in blood, with wings taller than he was; he didn't realize how he might seem to anyone else. But Matteo had a goal, and though he didn't know how to achieve it just yet, he knew he would accomplish it if it was the last thing he did.

[Sparkz]

Mary and her friends enjoyed their evening of drinking, dancing, and basic merriment. Mary took full advantage of the drink specials and all the drinks that random guys bought for her. By the end of the night, she was wasted. Now Mary was a lovey-dovey drunk. She went around to all of her friends and told each one of them how much she appreciated them in her slurred speech. Eventually, it was time to head home. That night's designated driver made sure that Mary got into a cab and on her way home safely.

Mary's apartment complex was towards the edge of the city. It was in a convenient place since the tattoo parlor where she was employed was not too far. On days with nice weather, she could ride her bike to it. The whole drive, she talked to the driver and told him how nice he looked and that he was a great guy because he was taking her home. After 30 minutes of driving through Indianapolis traffic, The taxi pulled up to her apartment complex. She paid the driver and staggered her way to her door.

She tripped over her own feet and fell the to ground. She sat there giggling her head off for a few minutes before mustering the strength to stand up. Once she stood up, she saw a man in the distance, walking towards her. The drunk girl squinted her eyes. "Hello!" she called out cheerfully and waved. As the man came even closer, she noticed that he had no clothes on. She blushed considerably. "Oh my.... sir? You aware that your clothes.... you clothes are missin?" She slurred as she took a couple of steps towards him. As he walked under a streetlamp, one of the few that actually worked in this area, she saw his wings and the blood that covered his body.

"A..A bloody angel..." she murmured before giggling to herself. "He must be British! Bloody angel... bloody angel..." she chanted happily under her breath. "Did God forget to give you real clothes angel?" she asked with a wide happy smile. Under normal circumstances, a sober Mary would have run in the opposite direction of a blood covered individual. But drunk Mary was a little bit more trusting and happier when it came to these things. "When I was naked, you clothed me...' she whispered to herself, remembering a Gospel passage from her youth. "Did Jesus send you? Am I supposed to take care of you?" she asked the man with a giddy smile.

[Ashen]

There was a figure off in the distance. It was very hard to see through so far, and aggravated, Matteo rubbed at his eyes. Was he seeing things? A woman was waving at him, and calling to him. Maybe she would be able to help him. Maybe she would know what to do in this situation. So he walked over to her, still trying to get used to being on his own legs. When was the last time he'd been allowed to walk like this? The woman spoke again, and Matteo had a hard time placing her accent. Her words were slurred, and he had a hard time making out just what she was saying. His... His clothes were missing? He looked down, at his exposed form, and he cocked his head. Was he... supposed to have clothes?

She continued talking, but Matteo didn't know if she were talking to him or to herself. At the mention of an angel he lifted his eyes and nodded weakly. She went on, allowing him to get close enough to see her. She was a woman, a young woman, who looked like she'd had a rough night. She smelled of something foul, and Matteo found himself stumbling back. When she finished speaking, Matteo stood for a moment, trying to understand what had just transpired. "Eh? Cosa stai dicendo?*" It was normal talk to him, and an innocent question, but it suddenly occurred to the angel that he was not using the language she had been. He scratched awkwardly at the back of his head, trying to remember English.

"I am an angel, yes." His voice was very rough, as if it hadn't been used in years. He spoke with a slight accent, and his voice was quiet, almost afraid. "I am not British. God... God gave me nothing... He... Jesus, he didn't..." He paused then. Would this woman help him if she believed Jesus had sent him? But he was an awful liar; would she believe him? But then, in her current state, the woman looked about ready to believe anything. So Matteo nodded again. "I need... help. I need you to... to clothe me. Nutrire me, e dammi riparo**." His hands went to his head again. He could feel his headache getting worse. His legs were turning to jelly. "Quickly, please, I need... I need help." He looked behind her, at the building she had been moving towards. Did she live here? Would it be right for him to take advantage of her home? His blood had dried, so at least he wouldn't leave a mess... But what choice did he have? Besides, if she had offered, it wasn't on him.

He looked back to her with a gentle smile. Remembering all the Bible stories he had read, he nodded again, much more calmly. "It is God's will."

* Cosa stai dicendo? - Italian for "What are you saying?"
** Nutrire me, e dammi riparo - broken Italian for "Feed me, and give me shelter"

[Sparkz]

Mary listened to the angel as he spoke. She gave him a confused look as he spoke in a language other than English. She only knew English and Latin, thanks to her homeschool education. She realized that he must have saw her confused expression as he switched to English. She grinned at him when he confirmed that he was an angel. MAry couldn't believe it! A real life angel! Man, this was exciting!

As the angel continued to state that he needed help, she was all too happy to help. It was an angel asking her after all. It would have been a major sin to turn him away. She looked at him concerned as he grabbed his head. She could tell that he was getting desperate for aid. "OF course I can help!" she grabbed his bloodied arm and pulled him towards her apartment. Mary giggled as she struggled to get her key into the lock. After a few minutes of drunken giggling and struggling, she finally managed to unlock her door and ushered the angel into her apartment.

Her apartment wasn't anything special. It was perfect for one person. It had a living room, a small kitchen, a bathroom and one bedroom. She kicked off her boots before staggering to the closet by the bathroom. She pulled out a bin filled with blanket. It fell to the ground and Mary stood there, looking at it as she giggled. "Bin go boom..." she giggled again. "What a nice bin...." she had momentarily forgot her guest as she sat on the ground and pat the bin, giving it compliments. After a few more minutes of this, she looked up at her naked guest and grabbed a blanket before standing up.

The girl handed the blanket to the angel. "Here... to cover yourself, angel. See? I clothed you! We better clean you up!" she said excitedly as she went to her bathroom. She got distracted as she passed her bedroom and entered her room. She collapsed on the bed and fell fast asleep, leaving her guest to his own devices.

[Ashen]

Was this woman mental? Matteo watched her with a bewildered expression as she slurred and stumbled. He couldn't quite remember alcohol effects, nor did he recognize the smell coming from her as the source of her loopiness, so he was left confused. He flinched when she grabbed him, too afraid of aggressive grabs, and he struggled to keep up with her. This woman, she could hardly fit her key into the door. He hesitated before trying to take her key and open the door himself, but she seemed to finally figure it out, and soon they were in her home.

It was the most beautiful home he had ever seen. It was true that only three lingered in his memory: his childhood home, which was more like a gigantic dollhouse than a space to be lived in; the Institute, which was no home at all; and this apartment. His eyes widened as he looked over the room they were in. It looked so lived-in, and it had a charm he did not know how to describe. He hardly noticed the tenant stumbling about, but the loud crash from the bin startled him, and suddenly his wings extended, as if to flee. In extending his wings, he knocked over some statue of a lady in blue. Panicked, he watched as the statue fell to the ground, and the woman's head cracked right off. He looked up to the real woman, but so lost in her stupor, she didn't even seem to notice. Just what was he getting himself into...?

Matteo tucked in his wings again and placed the broken statue onto a table. When he turned around, the woman was handing a blanket out to him. He took it and followed her, but she seemed to grow distracted, and soon she was passed out on the comfiest-looking bed he had seen in years. Suddenly he was alone in a strange and possibly mentally sick woman's house, and he had no idea what to do.

As Matteo stood in her bedroom trying to decide whether he should stay or bolt, he caught sight of a man in a pane of glass. The glass was over her dresser, and it was reflective. The man in it... Was that him? Matteo stood there, mouth agape, and stared at his own reflection. His wavy brown hair was down to his chin now, and was he... Was he growing facial hair? His tanned skin of an Italian was blotchy and stained with shades of red and brown. He could just faintly see his scars under the blood, the scars of a lifetime of suffering. Had it been a lifetime? What year was it? When had he become... a man?

So caught up in his grown-up features, he had forgotten to even notice his wings. They were the white, fluffy wings of a swam, and it still haunted him, knowing what he'd gone through to grow them. After checking his surroundings, he extended his wings. They, too, were speckled red, and the feathers were untidy, ruffled. Matteo couldn't remember ever seeing his wings like this, but then, he had never truly seen his wings at all. He'd seen drawings, perhaps, and he'd overheard what they were supposed to look like, but these... How strange these were. He wondered if this woman had anything that could remove them.

After a while, Matteo wandered back into the bathroom. He could remember certain fixtures: the toilet was where one got rid of bodily wastes, and the sink was where one summoned water, typically to wash hands. The soap was used to clean hands and other body parts, and he could faintly remember shampoo having something to do with hair. But the contraption near the toilet, the tub-shaped thing with a sink-like faucet; he had no idea what that was. He toyed with the knobs and soon, water came out of the lower faucet. The rush had surprised him, and Matteo stood over the tub clutching at his chest. He was far too jumpy, but how could he not be, living through his last six years?

He stepped into the tub and left the curtain open. After pressing and turning more knobs, he managed to get the water to come out of the top spout. Rain washed over his skin, scalding him. He backed himself away from the burning water, causing him to crash into the back wall and knock over some bottles beside the tub. He winced as his headache grew stronger and his body burned. When he couldn't figure out how to make the water colder, he gave up and started washing in the sink instead. It took a very long time to get the blood from his hands, arms, chest, and face, and he turned everything lower could wait until tomorrow.

The blanket draped over his shoulders, Matteo took to exploring the rest of the apartment. There were so many strange things, things he had no names for. Should he stay here? Would the nutcase of a woman try anything on him when she woke? Matteo laughed at that. It certainly hadn't been his blood on him, and the two he'd fought were probably still struggling. No matter how strong that woman might have been, he was an angel. He didn't have to worry about a thing.

Matteo walked to the door he'd come in through, and he was surprised to find the outside world just as black as his earlier dream. In the distance, lights illuminated the sky, and very faint silhouettes of what he assumed to be buildings. There was a luminescent ball in the sky, too, and he wondered if it was the same ball as before. At least this one wasn't so hard to look at. As he looked up at the sky, the angel could only sigh. He no longer belonged to this world, and he wondered just how he would manage to live in it.

He turned back to the woman's bedroom, and he shifted awkwardly. Would she even remember him if he left now? She had offered, hadn't she? And even if she was far from mentally sound, she was willing. He had a feeling no other would be. So Matteo closed the front door, and he collapsed onto a couch. He hadn't realized how exhausted he was, so he was soon out cold, but the nightmares that haunted him made him wish he were more dead than asleep.

[Sparkz]

The next morning at around 10, Mary woke up with a massive hangover. She quickly thanked God that she didn't have work that day before reaching over to her bedside table. Before she went to the club yesterday, she had placed a giant glass of water on her nightstand as she always does before a night of partying. She sat up and drank the water slowly as she considered her next move. Mary looked down and realized that she was still in her outfit from the night before. She must have passed out after she let that angel in.

She paused for a second. Angel? Did she actually let an angel into her home last night or was that part of a dream. Her head felt like it was about to explode. There was no way she could have actually let a stranger into her house. It must have been a dream. She stood up and just stayed still for a moment, gathering her strength before making her way to her dresser to grab a fresh change of clothes. She desperately needed a shower to one: get rid of the smell of booze on her body and two: to wake herself up. Mary slowly trudged to the bathroom and shut the door, though it didn't shut all the way and she didn't mind since she was alone in her apartment.

Mary looked at the shower to see that it was already running steaming hot water. It had been on the whole night. Had she tried to shower last night but gave up? It was a possibility, but not likely. Mary shook her head. It didn't matter... her headache was getting worse and she wanted to shower. She stripped and turned on the cold water to cool the water temperature down to a more manageable temperature before stepping in. She showered for about 20 minutes, which was how long it took to wake up and wash her hair and body with her head pounding the way it was. Once she was done, she dried off and got dressed in black sweats and a white tank top. She stood in front of the sink and looked at her reflection for a little bit before putting her hair in a bun, not bothering to comb or dry it. She wasn't feeling up to it right now.

Mary finally stepped out of the bathroom after spending 40 minutes in there. She looked over her apartment to see the effects of her drunken stupor. Her blanket bin was on the floor... okay.... She looked over at the table to see her St. Mary statue beheaded. She gasped. She absolutely loved that statue! It was one of her favorites since her maternal grandmother gave it to her for her First Communion. Mary couldn't believe that she would break her patron saint's statue.

Finally her eyes fell on the man in the couch. It was a half naked man... on her couch. Mary stepped backwards in shock and screamed. There was a MAN on her couch! He didn't belong there! Not at all! As the man shifted in his sleep, one of his wings came into her line of sight. She muttered a soft prayer in Latin. This was the angel she had dreamed about! But how? That angel was in her dreams... but he was sleeping on her couch. That meant that her dream wasn't really a dream! What could she do? It was a real live angel in her home! And she was flat out wasted on their first meeting! Mary was going to hell. She was certain of it.

[Ashen]

Matteo was awoken by a scream, but he could hardly distinguish it from those in the nightmare he was having. After a minute his eyes fluttered open and he looked around. He was in... that woman's home. Right. Had he never caught her name? He forced himself into a sitting position and went to turn towards her bedroom when the sight of her startled him. When had she approached him? She looked panicked. Had the scream come from her? As Matteo listened, he realized she was praying. It was a prayer he knew, in a language he knew. Did this woman have any sanity left?

Matteo sat up straighter. His blanket was draped over half a thigh, but most of him was still left exposed. As he sat, his wings were positioned awkwardly against the back of the couch. He didn't seem to mind, or perhaps he was just too used to cramming his wings. He turned up to the woman and gave a polite smile. "I am hopeful you do not mind my staying here, yes? I used your... your bathroom, and I tried to clean myself, but your... your rain instrument, I did not know how to work it." He scratched at his head awkwardly. "I did not wish to wake you. I hope... I hope... Avete dormito bene?*"

His words seemed rough, his gaps long, as if he were just remembering how to speak at all. Even his Italian fell from his lips in messy syllables and a forgotten accent. He looked up at her, studying her. She seemed more normal today. Maybe she had been sick yesterday. The foul smell wasn't following her any longer. It had been replaced with something sweet, something Matteo had smelt in the bathroom yesterday. That is, if it even was morning.

He got up from the couch, and the blanket fell away. "I do not mean to trouble you more," he said. "But I am looking for two people. One is called Margaret Agnusdei, and the other... The other..." His voice trailed. One of two humans he had seen in the past years, and he couldn't even remember his name? Had he ever known his name? "He is a scientist," Matteo said, hoping that was something to go on. "I must meet with them, if they are not yet deceased."

* Avete dormito bene? - Italian, Did you sleep well?

[Sparkz]

Mary stepped back again as the angel sat him. She looked at the blanket that was oh so close to leaving him uncovered and recognized it as hers. She must have given it to him last night. That explained the bin on the floor. As he continued to move, the blanket came so close to falling away that she brought her hand to her face in order to be prepared to shield her eyes. She looked at him, focusing on his face as he smiled at her and began to speak. This was awkward to say the least but she got herself into this mess and let a naked man into her home.

She listened as he spoke. It seemed to her that he hadn't spoken in a long time by the way he paused and the roughness of his voice. Which was said to say the least. When he mentioned her 'rain machine', she realized that he had tried to use her shower and that must be the reason why the water was running this morning. She rubbed her temple. This person really didn't know how to function. She sighed. "You didn't wake me... I woke myself up. I'm the one who should apologize for waking you up..." she repeated the Italian words in her head. She only knew Latin but since Italian derived from Latin she was able to make a good guess as to what he had asked. "Did I sleep good?" She asked back to make sure she had the correct translation. "I suppose I did. What about you, Mr. Angel?"

Her pounding headache was slowly going away, that is until the man stood up, leaving himself exposed again. Mary quickly looked away and covered her eyes. As awkward as it was before, it just got a million times worse. "Margaret Agnusdei? Her last name is literally 'Lamb of God'. But I never heard of her and you have to give me a little bit more information than 'he is a scientist'." She shook her head. "First things first. Sit back down and cover yourself! We need to get you some pants."

Mary walked over to him and placed her hand on his shoulder. Now that she was up close to him, she realized that this angel was a whole head taller than her. Regardless of the height difference, she forced him to sit down. "Please stay there and don't move until I get back. I'm going to get you some clothes." She turned and went to grab her purse. "I can't have a conversation with a guy dress in only a blanket." She walked towards the door and slid her feet into her flip flops. She wasn't planning on leaving her apartment, but honestly, she needed some space between her and the streaker. "Don't move, angel. I'll be back ASAP." she walked out and locked the door behind her

[Ashen]

This woman seemed so panicky now, and her eyes kept moving to his thigh. Matteo looked down at it, at the whole lower half of his body. There was still blood there. He assumed she was wary of that, so Matteo awkwardly crossed his legs in an effort to hide his bloodied skin. Doing so, however, just gave her a clearer view of all she did not want to see, but the oblivious angel was none the wiser.

He didn't like being called Mr. Angel, but perhaps that was the truth of matters now. Regardless of how he'd been born, he'd spent six years being reborn as a gift from God. His wings twitched at the thought. He was about to tell her to call him by a different name, but suddenly he forgot how. ​My calling? No, that isn't the word. You may refine... Refurbish... Refer. You may refer to me as... But by the time he'd figured out what names to use she was already moving on, and Matteo didn't dare interrupt her.

It was appearing as though she would be little help. Maybe stories of his mother and her scientist hadn't made the papers after all. Well, there was no surprise. If it had been common knowledge, their entire operation would have been shut down. He turned away, trying hard to remember the name of the scientist. Didn't he wear a name tag? Yes, it was a rectangle, and it was blue, with golden letters on it, but for the life of him Matteo could not remember what it had said. He was growing aggravated, but that aggravation soon became surprise as the woman shouted at him. He needed pants? What were pants?

She looked up to him, and up close he could see the determination in her eyes. What did she see in his own? Bewilderment? Innocence? Pure rage? He nodded weakly, not sure what to say. At least now he knew what pants were. They must have been clothes, and if shirts went on top the pants must have been what covered legs and everything between them. He didn't understand what was wrong with his current state, though. She was acting as if it weren't socially acceptable to walk around naked. But Matteo just shrugged. He didn't know what ASAP meant, but he would definitely ask her as soon as she returned.

So he was left alone again. He walked around the apartment, trying to learn more about this woman he found himself living with. She had religious things around, and a lot he didn't recognize. The blue lady statue was moved. Had she noticed he'd broken it? An idea came to mind, and suddenly, Matteo started searching the apartment. When he found what he was looking for, he sat back down on her couch, and he placed the Mary statue firmly between his legs. He got right to work reattaching the pieces with glue and pressing on them until it stayed. There were many pieces since one piece of the statue was shattered, but the angel was patient, and he eventually got to each one.

When the woman returned, she'd be able to see a too-religious statue too close to a man's exposed body. She'd also be able to see the precision with which he'd fitted each piece together. As soon as the glue dried, that statue would be good as new. And slightly cracked.

[Sparkz]

Mary went to the nearest Goodwill and bought a pair of sweatpants for the angel. She held the pants up to herself as a sort of guide to the proper size. She hoped that these would be okay. Next, she searched for some boxers. Once again, she guessed the size. She walked over to the shirt section but thought better of it. With his wings, the angel wouldn't really be able to wear a shirt comfortably. But she could deal with a shirtless man since she does tattoos for shirtless men all the time. It's the pants that he really needed.

Once satisfied with her purchase, Mary headed home. She briefly wondered if the angel would really stay or if he would just wander off into the sunset, so to speak. She made it back home and unlocked the door. "Alright, buddy. I got some pants and underwear for you. I need you to go into the bathroom and put them on." She paused for a moment as she turned around to shut and lock the door. "I really shouldn't have to say this... but... you got to put the shorts on before you put on the pants. Understand?"

Mary turned around and dropped the bag with the clothes in it out of shock. "Okay, pal! Get my Mary away from your dick!" she stormed up to him and snatched the statue from between his legs. She inspected it and saw that he had fixed it with some glue. Within the hour she had been gone, the glue had mostly dried. She looked over the cracks and realized that now some paint would cover the cracks and fully restore the statue. "....Amazing..." she murmured before carefully setting it down on the table where it originally rested. She looked at it for a moments before remembering that she had a naked man behind her.

Mary then quickly grabbed the bag of clothes and shoved it into the angel's arms. "Alright, angel! March to the bathroom and get dressed so we can have a real conversation about why you are naked in my home!" She turned him around and pushed him towards the bathroom. She prayed that this mess would clear up soon.

[Ashen]

He was finally pulled from his work as he heard the door open. The woman was back, and this time, she had a bag in her hands. As she showed him its contents, Matteo cocked his head. He remembered how clothes worked, but he couldn't exactly recall why they were so necessary. He was perfectly capable as he was. But if it would stop her from freaking out, maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Besides, she had gone out of her way to get him something nice. He had to find a way to return the fa--

He jumped when she yelled and suddenly he looked down at the statue between his legs. She grabbed it so hastily. Mary...? It was Mary, wasn't it? How had he forgotten the mother of God? She was standing upon the world, and on a serpent; it was the replica of a statue he had grown up around. The woman's rage seemed to subside soon, especially as she admired his handiwork. "S-sorry," he mumbled. "I... I did not mean offense, I just... I wanted to fix it." Perhaps this was why he had never been allowed freedoms at the Institute. Even when he was trying to help, he still managed to screw something up.

He was once again startled as she shoved clothes into his hand. He looked down at them as she was pushing him towards the bathroom. "You... You invited me here..." he said quietly. Once in the bathroom, he looked down blankly at the shorts and... pants, right? He put on the boxers first, just as the woman had instructed. They were loose and perhaps a little worn out, but he didn't care. Next came the pants, which he slipped over the shorts. There was a zipper there, and a button, but the zipper was not budging. Matteo fussed with it for a few minutes before finally he was able to cover it. He then exited the bathroom looking much more presentable.

His eyes fell over the woman again. "I do apologize to you for the trouble," he said. "Last night, I was lost, and you came to me. I thought, well, I thought you could help me. I have not... I have not been here in years. In many years, I think. I look so different, I hardly recognized. Erm. I do not know where here is. I do not recall ever being here." He was struggling to remember, but that only gave him a headache. "But you offered to clothe me, and so you invited me here, and I stayed. You remember this, sì? Oh, I never did... intro... in..." He paused. "I never introduced myself," he said, then offered his left hand. "My name is Matteo Agnusdei. I, um... Pray, what year is it?"

[Sparkz]

Mary waited for the angel to come out of the bathroom. The poor guy seemed lost and she realized that she wasn't really being the nicest host. But now that he was going to wearing pants, she could focus a bit more on the person rather than avoiding seeing anything she would prefer not to see. Her sighed. She supposed that she should apologize to him for her behavior. But she didn't really remember inviting him in so she couldn't really be blamed for her behavior right?

She turned around as the angel exited the bathroom. She sighed in relief when she saw that he had gotten himself dressed properly. As the angel spoke, she felt worse and worse about her behavior towards him. As he introduced himself, she thought about his last name for a moment. It seemed familiar.... then she remembered, it was the same last name of the woman he was looking for. She looked at his left hand and awkwardly extended her left hand to shake his. "My name is Mary Alden. And the year is 2015. You're in Indianapolis, Indiana."

Mary took in a deep breath as she prepared herself to apologize. "Honestly, I don't really remember inviting you in. I was so drunk last night, I barely remember anything. So I apologize for my behavior this morning. But seeing a naked angel in my living room was not something I was prepared for. It's obvious that you have been lost for some time so I'm sorry that your first human contact was with a drunk woman." She offered him a smile. "But, I'm glad that the pants I got you fit."

"Matteo? I do have a few questions for you, though." She started as sat down. She motioned for him to sit as well. "Your last name and the last name of the woman you are looking for are the same. Is she your wife or mother or something like that? And secondly, what happened to you? How did you come to be in Indianapolis? And thirdly, are you really an angel?"

[Ashen]

The year is 2015.

This woman's words, they were a joke, weren't they? Frantically, Matteo scanned her face to detect the lie, but she looked clean. If it really was 2015, that would explain the facial hair, but... He had lived there for six years? Six years? He had missed out on all but one of his teenage years. In fact, if what she was saying was true, he was a twenty-year-old man. What? He was so appalled by this revelation he hardly heard her apologize. When he did look up, she was saying something about his pants. He looked down at them blankly. He was six years in the future, and she cared about his pants?

This woman--Mary Alden, she'd said--gave him little time to think things over. He raised an eyebrow when she said she had questions. Despite all his circumstances, he laughed out loud at her first. Matteo shook his head and muttered an Italian apology, then let her finish before tackling her questions. "Margaret is not my wife," he said grinning. "She was... the woman who gave birth to me. She is the one who sent me off to the Institute, and the one who gave me..." He flexed his wings, a disgusted look on his face. "To answer your second question... My mother believed I was a gift from God. That is what Matteo means, I think. All my mortal life she believed I was an angel, and finally she sent me to the Institute to regain my wings. As you can see, it was successful, in a sense. But only after hundreds, perhaps thousands of surgeries. Millions of animals have been sacrificed for this. I cannot tell you how many times they have failed, but each one hurt a little more. One failure led to permanent brain damage. They are... They were sick people. And they have created a monster who has no place in this world."

He turned away from her with a sigh. There was a sad look on his face. He was trying to figure everything out. Had no one noticed him missing in that time? What of his friends from before? Did he have any? He shook his head and turned back to her. "I know not how I came to Indi... dianap... Here. I don't know. I am from a small town in Ohio." He couldn't even remember how far Ohio was from Indiana. "And your third question... I have stopped giving it thought, long ago. I suppose some would say I am the first man-made angel, but there is no place for me in Heaven nor Hell."

Matteo wandered over to a window and looked at the world outside. So this was Indianapolis, 2015. He wondered how much a world could change in six years. How had he gotten here? And where was the Institute? Had he really blown it up? Then maybe his mother and the scientist really were dead... He turned back to Mary. The poor girl hadn't signed on for this. He could only imagine what was going through her mind. A grown man, with his own wings, the mentality of a child, and the most basic understanding of the way things worked. He couldn't do this to her. "If it would be simpler, Mary, signorina, I can leave. I do not wish to trouble you."

[Sparkz]

When Mary told him what year it was, she noticed that he seemed to be in distress. But she was taken aback when he laughed when she asked if she could ask him questions. Fortunately he let her finish asking her questions before he answered. She was a bit embarrassed when he said that Margaret was is mother, not his wife. Though, looking at him, he did look around her age and possibly a bit too young to be getting married.

As Matteo explained what his mother thought and did to him, she gasped. "That's terrible!" She was more than appalled to hear the price of his mother's madness. Thinking that her son was an angel and then made her own son be tortured in order to give him back his wings. It wasn't right. And here Mary thought that her own mother was crazy, but her mom was nothing compared this Matteo's mother.

When he turned away from her, she caught the sad look on his face. "Ohio isn't too far from here..." she said softly as if to reassure him. "If you know the name of the town you're from, we can just look it up and get you there. That is... if you really want to go back there. Angel or not, everybody deserves a home." She said to him earnestly. She offered him a smile as he tried to say that he would be leaving.

Mary touched his arm. "Hey, listen Matteo. You can hang around here for a little bit longer. I have an inflatable mattress and some extra pillows and bedsheets. You can sleep on that as we try to find where you're from. Maybe your batshit crazy mother is still alive. As for that... Institute as you keep calling it? We need to find a way to report that to the police or FBI or somebody. What they did to you and all those animals and people isn't right at all." She smiled at him. "I promise that you won't be a burden. Just... try not to break anything with those wings of yours okay?"

[Ashen]

There was little he could do about her gasp, or the anger that seemed to follow it. What was done was done, and now Matteo had these wings growing from his shoulder blades, and a history of abuse to boot. There was nothing they could do to change that now. Even if Matteo would give the world to avoid it, it was all permanent.

He cocked his head at Mary again. If Ohio wasn't far, he could go home easily. He just needed to know the name of the town... Did he know the name of his town? That gave Matteo pause, and he soon grew aggravated at his faulty memory. Did he even want to return? What was waiting for him there? Would his friends remember him, even though he did not remember them? He considered that for a long while. If not in Ohio, and not in Indianapolis, where did he belong?

The angel was shocked to hear Mary offer her home to him. He turned up to her and gave her a gracious bow. He tried to remember what FBI stood for. They were... an advanced police force, weren't they? When she mentioned his wings, his cheeks reddened a bit and his eyes went straight for the Blessed Mary statue. "Sorry," he mumbled. He turned up to her again and shook his head. "You don't have to worry about reporting the Institute. I destroyed it. I destroyed the entire building. Perhaps both people in it. The blood on my body last night, it came from there. They spent years torturing me, so I ruined their research, and I left. Their science experiment learned how to fight back, even if it did take... six years..."

He was getting angry. His hands were balling to fists and his wings were extending. His voice was quiet, level, but it was laced with rage. He may have destroyed their work, but he wasn't done destroying them. Suddenly his wings started flapping, and he was lifted into the air for just a moment before hitting his head on the ceiling and falling back to the ground. "Ohi!" he cried, clutching his head. He looked around, as if he had forgotten where he was. "I got... how do you say? Pulled away?"

Matteo took a deep breath, and as he let it out he released his pent-up anger. When he was calm again, he looked back to Mary. "I do apologize. This is very unusual, eh? To be greeted by such... such a freak, and one with such bloodied hands. I assure you, Mary, I will not hurt you. I cannot hurt someone who has shown me such kindness. Though, my words must mean little to you." His eyes suddenly lit up as an idea came to mind. "I can work for you! I, uh, I know not how many things work, but I am a quick learner, and I would be repaying you for your kindness, yes?"

[Sparkz]

Mary grinned as Matteo bowed to show his gratitude. She was happy to help. It was her Christian duty to help a person in need and Matteo was certainly in need of some major help. He's gone through more things than she thought humanly possible. Though her grin faded once he began to explain that the Institute that had tortured him was destroyed by his own hand. So she was harboring a criminal now. Great.

But was he really a criminal? Could he really be blamed for his actions? Six years he was tortured and his integrity stripped so inhumanely. The poor thing didn't even realize that clothes were a thing that was necessary! She watched as he extended his wings and started flapping. She stepped backwards in awe and a hint of fear. The anger in his body language and voice were crystal clear. Anybody were harbor ill feelings if they were tortured. But to go as far as to kill? Mary knew that she didn't have it in her but then again, she never had to go through anything like what Matteo did.

Mary snapped out of her thoughts as Matteo hit his head on the ceiling. "Pulled away?" she asked. "I think you mean 'carried away'." She inspected his face for any sign of lasting pain. "Are you okay?" she asked but realized that he probably had gone through worse so she let it drop. She waited until he calmed down again to touch his arm. Once he finished speaking, she begin to talk.

She smiled a little as she spoke. "Yes, this is a bit unusual... but we are not exactly usual people. You have wings... well... me? I have tons of tats and piercings and yet and I am very much religious... in my own way. The only thing I want in return for everything I'm doing for you is to keep my house clean, okay? Try not to make too much of a mess. I'll acclimate you back to society and catch you up with everything that has happened. Alright? Do we have a deal, Matteo Agnusdei?"

[Ashen]

Carried away. Matteo awkwardly scratched at his head again. English should not have been so hard to grasp. He nodded and thanked Mary for asking about his well-being. Really, he wasn't feeling so hot. He had quite the headache, and his wings were hurting. He had too many thoughts rushing through his head and it was hard to keep up with them all. But the angel was trying to keep calm. He didn't need to worry Mary any more, and besides, he'd been through pains that were far worse than this.

He didn't know what tats were, but he knew the piercings were referring to the metal objects and rings sticking out of her body. Perhaps the tats were the paintings on her skin? "I think they are pretty," he admitted. "They are better than the scars I have." He looked around her room nodding. "I can keep it tidy. The Institute was pristine. I will only have to mimic that." As if to prove as much, he walked over to her table and brushed some dust from its surface with his wings. "They're useful after all," he muttered to himself. She said his full name and he looked up, smiled. "Aye, I think so."

He walked back to her and hesitated. "Society," he repeated. "I... I know nothing of today's society. I had no idea six years were passed while I was there. I was just... I was just a boy last time I was here. I don't know when that changed..." He rubbed his eyes, hard. "I... I do not know the name of the leader of our country. I do not know a single celebrity. I do not know... anything. And my mind, my head, the..." His words faded. He looked towards her bathroom. "Might you know how to remove blood from wings? I do not know how to work much of what is in this house. It is all so... so new. So different. As if I am living in the future."

[Sparkz]

Mary grins at him when he complimented her tattoos. "Why thank you! I think they're pretty as well!" She looks over his skin and inspected his scars. They certainly were numerous and vicious looking and told of his many years of torture. "Well... I can help cover them if you like. Either with ink to disguise it or even with some makeup to cover it up. If you want to, that is. I'm not pressuring you or anything." She smiled at him to show that she was indeed sincere about her offer.

She watched as he dusted her table off with his wing. They truly were amazing. But she couldn't let him use his wonderful wings as dusters all the time. "Alright. Cool! I can show you how to use some cleaning supplies and stuff. To help make the cleaning faster. Alright? Then we can truly devote some time to catch you up on history." She smiled at him though she found it truly tragic as he explained the state of his memory and knowledge of current events. "Hey... It's not a big deal. That's why we have the internet. To catch you up on things. And I will be right here to help you, okay? And besides... it's not everyone you can travel to the future."

She listened when he asked if she knew how to clean blood off of wings. She grinned. "I'm a girl, silly. Of course I know how to clean up blood." She grabbed a stool from her kitchenette and carried it to the living room. "Sit down. I'll help you clean yourself. Then I'll show you have everything in here works." She grabbed a bowl and filled it with cold soapy water. She grabbed a washcloth and walked back over to Matteo and set the bowl on the table. "Alright... do you mind if I touch your wings? I'm going to need to in order to wash off the blood."

[Ashen]

Matteo looked over his scars again, a new fascination in his eyes. To cover his scars... He hadn't even considered such a thing. After all, he was never around people. But now that he was free, what would happen? Would he be mingling with crowds? Would they be grossed out at his scars? What about his wings? He looked back to Mary. Even if she could cover all his scars with her art, she'd have a hard time covering his wings from view, too.

He was glad to hear Mary would be willing to teach him better ways to clean. She was being patient with him now, and he admitted that he quite liked this treatment. He would have to make it up to her, somehow... Matteo looked up and tilted his head at the mention of internet. "That is," he murmured, trying to remember. "The internet, it can be used to research, or go on social media, such as... such as... Facebook. I do not know that I remember how to... use it. We need... a computer, no?" The angel looked around the room for one. "Or we could venture to a library. Though..." His wings drooped and he shook his head. "Never mind."

He didn't understand her comment about blood. What did being a girl have to do--Oh. Matteo's eyes trailed down to her groin, and he shifted uncomfortably. Color rushed to his cheeks and he looked away. Dumb question. He listened to her walk off, and when she reappeared he looked up. "Huh? Oh." He untucked his wings and let them sweep the floor. "I do not mind you touching them. They do not hurt, not anymore. The scientist made sure of that." He reached back to touch one. It was the softest thing he'd ever touched, at least, that he remembered. The red spots stained the otherwise pure white of the fluffy appendages. Matteo knelt on the floor, as if to pray. He even crossed his hands, a force of habit. "Thank you," he mumbled. "I, ah, I am sorry for troubling you so."

[Sparkz]

Mary grins as Matteo explained what the internet was. "That's right, Matteo. You can look up almost everything you would ever have to know on the internet. And you do need a computer or nowadays you can access the internet on your phone. Or you can go to the library. But I don't need to do that. I have a computer." She pointed to the dining room table where her laptop was sitting. "I'll show you my laptop later."

As Matteo glanced at her groin area, she blushed slightly but let it pass. So he did remember some basic human anatomy. Good. So she wasn't going to have to start at ground zero with her crash course of recent events. As she returned she stood behind him and watched as her extended his wings slightly. They were still amazing even if she could now see the blood specks better. Matteo certainly looked the part of an angel, even if he technically wasn't one of God's divine angels.

After he gave her permission to touch his wings, Mary did just that as she gently began to wash off the blood using the cool soapy water and the wash cloth. His wings were so soft, it was like touching a baby animal of some sort. She started with this right wing where it connected to his back and worked her way down to the tips. "No need to thank me, Matteo. It's my pleasure. It's not like you can really reach some of these spots by yourself. It's no trouble at all." She smiled even though she realized that he couldn't see her smiling.

"Alright, Matteo. While I'm doing this, we might as well start catching you up on history. So You were gone for about six years, right? Alright... so 2009 was the last year you remember. You just ask some questions and I'll do my best to answer them, okay?"

[Ashen]

Her words were confusing him still. A phone? But cell phones, they were slow, weren't they? Was it not better to just use a computer? He decided against asking any more questions for now. The way she touched his wings, it felt like a gentle massage. Matteo closed his eyes and leaned into her touch. When was the last time he had been touched like this? When was the last time anyone had touched him gently, instead of the rough touches he'd grown used to? This he could most definitely grow used to.

He opened his eyes again at her question. 2009, it seemed like just yesterday. He wondered exactly how much he had missed. He thought on it, trying to come up with questions. "It's so hard to remember," he said. So many thoughts whizzing by, where was he to start? "Ah, you said it was 2015? So the world did not end in 2012? Is Single Ladies still so annoyingly popular? Did the Yankees continue their winning streak? Ah, was there a new president elected in... in 2012? That was when a new one was coming, yes? Are the same people still popular? Like... what was his name? The man who sang, and danced, and... No, he died, he died just recently, though I suppose it isn't recently anymore, what was his name...?"

It was clear Matteo was getting aggravated at all he could not remember. His wings were twitching ever so slightly. He decided to give it up and thought to other subjects. "I was... I was a freshman in high school, that's correct... My father pushed for me to go to public school, but she wouldn't let him enroll me. I was... I was three weeks... three weeks in? I... I missed out on high school. I am... I am a man now. My god." His hands went to his face, where he felt the stubble struggling to grow in. "I have missed so much. I... There is no place for me. There is no place for a man with the knowledge of a child. Maybe... Maybe I should just seek them and... and give up. I don't... belong here."

He seemed to remember he was in Mary's presence. Matteo scratched the back of his head. "Sorry." He turned to face her. "I should not trouble you with all this. I simply need to find them. They... They must pay. But in the meantime... I will find a way to repay you for your... ospitalità*, eh?"

* ospitalità - Italian for hospitality

[Sparkz]

Mary smiled as he leaned into her touch. It meant that he was relaxing and relaxing meant that touching and cleaning his wings wasn't hurting him which was the last thing she wanted to do. His feathers were so soft and white, Mary wanted to clean the blood off of them so she could see them in all there pure white glory. They were amazing though it was horrible that he was forced to gain these wings. He had suffered so much for these things and yet, it would appear that he didn't want to have them removed. Matteo truly was brave.

Mary chuckled as Matteo started to ask his questions. She was about halfway done cleaning the first wing and she was going to change the dirty water before starting on the second wing. She listened to his questions with a grin. "One at a time, Matteo. One at a time!" She said with a laugh. "Alright, so yes, the world didn't end in 2012. Though the movies and songs that were made because of it were great. Single Ladies is still popular but other songs have taken its place at the top of the annoying popular list. But we can get into that later. I don't know much about baseball so I couldn't tell you about the Yankees. But Obama is still the president. He's done a pretty good job. He's not the worst president America has ever had. The Same celebrities are popular. Though new stars are up and coming. Taylor Swift and Beyonce are some of the most popular artists." She thought hard to remember the name of a performer who died in 2009. "Oh! The man you're thinking of? Is it Michael Jackson? Sadly, he isn't the only celebrity that had died in the past 6 years. Lots of celebrities have died. But we can get into that later."

She smiled as she finished cleaning cleaning the first wing. She looked over her handiwork momentarily before standing up and changing the water. When she came back, she started cleaning his other wing. As she cleaned, his wing twitched as his body ever so slightly tensed up. She stopped cleaning to listen to him speak. She listened to his words sadly before resuming her care for his wing but she stopped again as he spoke of not belonging anywhere. She wanted to touch his shoulder but from behind it would have been awkward due to his wings so she settled on the spot between his wings. She laid her hand there. "Hey... it's going to be alright." she said softly.

Mary looked at him as he apologized. "Hey... no need to be sorry. None of this is your fault. I'm happy to help you so there's no need to return the favor." She offered him a smile as she gently rubbed his back. "Matteo. I don't think the people you're looking for are around anymore. This blood isn't yours. You don't have any fresh cuts. You said so yourself that you killed them. They've already paid with their lives. Now their souls are in God's hands. It won't be easy, but you need to move on. You can be angry because your anger is just. But you must not let it control you." she resumed cleaning his wing once again. "Matteo.... You can belong here with me until you figure out what you need to do next. Okay? My home is your home."

[Ashen]

As Mary went to replace the water, Matteo had a lot to think on. Michael Jackson, that had been the one, the king of pop. As for Obama, the name didn't ring familiar, but he supposed that was the president that was in power when he was admitted to the Institute. But music and movies and sports and politics, they were all things he'd been denied for years. Even beginning to catch up was going to be too hard a task. Suddenly his headache worsened to a near-unbearable level, and he began clutching his head.

He could put no faith in the woman's words. It's going to be alright. Had his mother not said the very same before he started his six-year sentence? To say it wasn't his fault, what did Mary know? He must have done something to deserve this. But then... What had Jesus done? Had he not suffered and died after committing no real crime? Matteo turned away. He would not be comparing himself to any god now. Where had they been? Where was the Trinity when he had been suffering? Angel of God... Perhaps he'd have better luck down below.

He turned his body to face her at his next words. "They cannot be dead," he said. There was a cold determination in his eyes. "This is the blood of them, of the lab animals, of the other experiments. And yes, perhaps, it is the blood of them. But they... They cannot be dead. I destroyed their lab, I made certain of that, but I discovered no bodies. I will not rest until I make of their bodies what they made of the animals tested in my name." Anger was coursing through him now, and it wasn't making his migraine any better. He winced suddenly, then sat back down. "I will find them," he said to her. "I will, or I will die in pursuit. I vow this to you."

Belonging here... It was an interesting thought, but... "You must have a life, no? I hardly know how your friends or family would react to an angel living with you. Especially one as clueless as I... I would be like your, your child, and you never asked for that. It would be cruel, but uh, I... I... I would...." Matteo babbled on for a moment, then suddenly stopped and winced again. He grabbed for his head. There were drums inside now, pounding as if to crack his skull and break free. He couldn't take it anymore.

Matteo hastily got up, knocking over the bowl of water. He ran from the room to the kitchen and tried to feel around for something, anything to stop the pain. His migraine was blinding, and though it was not the worst he'd ever experienced, it was a definite second. He was mumbling to himself, something in a rushed Italian, a prayer to a god he no longer trusted. After another minute of frustrated feeling and knocking things over, he was suddenly out cold.

[Sparkz]

Mary watched Matteo as he grabbed his head. He seemed to be having an inner struggle at the moment so she stayed quiet, hoping that he would be able to solve it by himself. Though what she has seem from him so far is that he wouldn't be able to. As he had said, he has the mind of a child and a body of an adult. He had missed out on valuable life experiences such as being a teenager. Those awkward years were literal torture for him. Maybe she should take him to a priest with some psychology training.

When Matteo finally faced her and began speaking, she looked into his cold determined eyes. Once again, she felt a hint of fear as he spoke like that. As soon as he spoke of his vow, she grabbed his arm. "Matteo... this isn't right. You shouldn't be out seeking revenge. Do not sink to their level. You have to strive to be better. Tell the police what you know and they can launch an investigation. They'll go to jail for their crimes or even get the death penalty. Senseless slaughter is what they did to the animals and... and the other experiments. Please, Matteo... You said that you are basically a child. No child should have these types of thoughts. Just let it go, okay? Let go of your anger. It is not going to make the pain and your suffering go away. It will only make it worse." She looked at him, begging him to see reason with her eyes. "Please..."

Mary smiled at him. "You can stay here with me. I can teach you everything that you missed out on. Don't worry about what my friends and family think. You just leave that to me. If you are to be like a child, then I will be your tutor or foster parent. I can take care of you if you will just let me." She squeezed his arm again gently. "I am your friend. I will do what I can to help." MAry watched him as he pulled his arm out of her grasp and grabbed his own head. "Matteo?" she asked softly. "Is everything alright?"

She watched as he stood up and staggered his way to the kitchen. Some of the water splashed on her but she ignored it for the time belong. Matteo looked to be in severe pain. "Matteo!" She called out as she stood and followed him quickly. She watched in horror as he made a mess of her kitchen. He seemed to be looking for something when he suddenly collapsed. "MATTEO!' She quickly supported his upper back to prevent anymore serious injury to his wings or head. He was much too heavy to drag him back to the couch so she laid him on the kitchen floor.

Mary quickly fetched a pillow and laid his head on it as she felt his forehead. It seemed as if he was burning up! Her mind whirled as she thought of what to do next. She soon came to a decision and made a cold compress and laid the cold washcloth on his forehead in an attempt to cool him down. Once that was done, she went back to the living room and laid a couple of towels on the spot where the water spilled to try and dry it up. She then got her portable fan and directed the flow of air to that spot. She checked up on Matteo only to see him still passed out.

Maybe he was hungry? It was almost one and she was getting hungry too. She looked at her kitchen. With Matteo on the floor, there wasn't much she could really do in the way of cleaning or cooking. So she decided to order a pizza for the two of them and hoped that he liked pizza. Once she finished ordering, she sat on the floor next to Matteo, keeping a close eye on him.

[Ashen]

But the man looked lifeless. If not for the steady rise and fall of his chest, he'd appear to be dead. He seemed agitated somehow, and every so often his body would twitch. He was dreaming about a day long ago. It was the cause of most of his migraines, the cause of his amnesia. His very first flight, it seemed like ages ago. The first time his wings had ever lifted him. The first time his wings had ever deteriorated mid-flight. The first time he fell, hard, to the rocks below.

He woke with a start to find Mary beside him. It took him a few minutes to gather his bearings. What had happened? Had he passed out? He held his head in his hand. The ache had faded, but it still drummed on every so often. What had they been talking about? His anger? Staying here? Mary becoming his... his foster mom? He looked back to her and tried to study her. She couldn't have been much older than him. To take on such a responsibility... She had insisted. So maybe he would have to accept after all. Just, he told himself, until he could manage on his own.

But her warnings against his revenge, he would not heed to those. Matteo decided to not argue it. Instead, he took in his surroundings. The kitchen hadn't been this messy before, had it? Was that his doing? And Mary, she was wet; was that his fault, too? "Mary?" he said softly. "I, ah, sorry for worrying you. I did not mean to... to just... svenire*, how do you say...? My head, it was as if an orchestra was playing at full volume. I couldn't take it..." There was a shame in his sad eyes. He brought himself to look at her and forced a smile to his lips. "Do forgive me. I am better now. I can do more."

Matteo tried to get up but stumbled. He tried again, using a counter to help him, and managed to get back on his feet. "We were... talking about pop culture? I think so." He rubbed at his eyes and took another look around. There was a menu on the table and a word in Italian across the top. "So you do know it?" he asked, approaching the menu and looking it over. Disappointment crossed his eyes when he saw the words were in English, instead. "This language, italiano, yes? Sometimes it combines with the English. I have never met another who speaks it, save for... for Margaret." He set the menu back down. "Everything here is so confusing. But I... I can handle this. With your help. My... friend." It was a foreign word to the boy, and a foreign concept. He hadn't had friends in years, and couldn't remember any from before, either. Perhaps he could find a friend in Mary. But for the moment, he didn't know where things would go.

[Sparkz]

Mary watched him carefully as he slept. It was scary how still he was except for his breathing and the slight twitching of his body. She wished that there was something she could do to relieve whatever pain he seemed to be having in his dream but nothing really seemed to work. She watched the time on the clock. The pizza should arrive within the half hour. This local place does a good job with their delivery service.

As soon as Matteo woke up, Mary snapped to attention as she studied him carefully, looking for any signs of pain or discomfort. The way he touched his head displayed signs of a headache or that being the reason he passed out. "Matteo? Are you okay now? Has the pain stopped?" she asked softly before he spoke to her. "Hey, don't apologize to me. As long as your alright now. Don't try to move so much." She watched as he described the pain he had felt. So it was a migraine. She wondered briefly if this was normal but soon forgot her question when he smiled, even if it was forced. "Hey.. You're okay. You didn't do any harm. Just try and relax."

Though her suggestion seemed to fall on deaf ears as he tried to stand. She sighed and helped him stay standing. "Yes... we were talking about pop culture." She smiled as she followed her gaze to the menu she had used to order. "That's the menu from an Italian place. I'm sorry... but I don't speak Italian. The closest thing I know is Latin so I can kinda guess what you're saying half the time when you speak in Italian. Sorry. My friend speaks Italian, though. Her family is from Italy." She Helped him to a chair so he could rest a bit more.

When Matteo referred to her as a friend, Mary grinned. "That's right. I will help you because I am your friend. Sure today's world is a bit confusing but once you know it, you'll catch on fast. I"m sure you are a fast learner. I hope you don't mind, but I ordered us some food for lunch. You must be hungry right now." She smiled and got the menu again and showed him the picture of the pizza they would be getting. "I ordered this pizza for us along with some breadsticks. I hope that is alright with you."

[Ashen]

The pain hadn't stopped, but he didn't want to worry her. Memories flooded his mind, of painful needles and empty promises to alleviate the pain. Even if Mary was nothing like the scientist, he was not about to trust her to his pain. He wanted to take her advice, but he had to move. Mary hardly seemed like the type to be able to carry him around. So he continued on, hoping she wouldn't be too mad at him.

He looked up suddenly at the mention of Latin. "I... think I know that one too," he said, trying to remember. "That one is the old one, the Church's language. Ah, yes. It was my third language. After English and Italian. They are... similar." He looked away and seemed to consider something. "Your friend. I think I would like to meet her, if that is not odd. My family, too, is from Italy. Rome. My mother promised to take me, some day. She never did." Then, more quietly, he added, "She never will."

His gaze fell back to the menu. "Pizza?" he repeated. "I've... I've never had pizza. Well, I have had it homemade, but never like this. And breadsticks, I've only ever had my mother's. This will be... new." His gaze fell to his own torso, and his fingers danced over his stomach. "I know not what I can handle. Most of my meals have been intra... intro... Erm. Through needles. It will be nice, I think, eating solid food again. It's been too long."

Matteo could feel his own eyes drooping. He was getting tired, even if he had only just woken up. All the day's events were tolling, and whatever he'd experienced before arriving at Mary had exhausted him. He needed a long sleep, on a comfy bed, but then... Matteo glanced towards Mary's bedroom. There was only one of those in there, a bed, so where did that leave him? There was enough room for two people, but his wings might get in the way. He looked back to her. "Do you live alone? What is it you do?"

[Sparkz]

Mary nodded as Matteo described the language of the Church. "You're right. I think that its impressive that you learned three languages. Amazing, really. especially when you're so young. I was home schooled so my mom taught me Latin but since no one actually speaks it fluently, I'm a bit out of practice, you know?" She studied him as he seemed to be contemplating something. Her face brightened when he expressed his interest in meeting her friend. "Oh! That's not odd at all! I'm sure she would be thrilled to meet you. Though I'm not too sure how she will react to your wings. She might be cool woth them after a bit of freaking out... hmmmm" She was lost in thought for a few moments before waving her hand, as if to fan away the thought. "We'll figure that out later." She said with a smile.

She watched him carefully. She noted the sadness in his voice when he mentioned his mother. So far, his mother sounded bat-shit crazy but obviously he still loved her. BUt she is his mother so could she really be that surprised? "Hey... You don't know whether or not she's dead. She could still be alive in your home town. A quick internet search is all we need to find her." She gently patted his shoulder. "Don't be sad, okay?" She smiled. "We will find her."

MAry smiled as he described his experience with pizza. "Well, this stuff is the best. My friend that speak Italian? Her family runs this place and it is the best pizza around. Guaranteed. They make it fresh and I love their bread sticks." Her excitement faded as he touched his stomach and told her how he had been getting his nourishment. Suddenly pizza didn't seem like the right thing to get him. Something lighter probably would have been better but he wanted to eat real food again so she didn't want to be the one to tell him no. "I also have soup if you think that the pizza will be too much for you too handle right now." She said gently so as to provide an alternative if he so desired.

Mary nodded when he asked if she lived alone. "Yeah, I live alone. I work at a tattoo parlor a few blocks from here. Where I work, we do tattoos, piercings, and other types of body art." She smiled and showed him her right arm which was a sleeve of different types of flowers. "One of my coworkers did this for me along with a few other tats that I have. Most of my piercings were done there too." She smiled at him before noticing his drooping eyes. "I can set up the air mattress now if you'd like. so that after we eat, you can take a nap."

[Ashen]

Matteo had never considered his languages impressive. Of all the things that defined him, something that he'd done before his admittance seemed... irrelevant. Regardless, he nodded his head in appreciation. "English and Italian I learned together. Latin I learned through the Church, and my catechism classes. I, too, was homeschooled... I think..." He turned away to try and remember, but soon shook it off. "Ah, if it is too much trouble, she does not have to meet with me. Or, I can hide my wings..." He tucked them closer to his back, but even then the fluffy white tips still brushed the floor.

He looked up at Mary's optimism about his mother. "She would not be in my hometown" he told her. "She was with me. At the Institute. She... yes. We will find her. I have to."

Matteo shook his head at her offer of soup. "I am certain I will be fine," he assured her. "I look forward to eating real food. It will be an exciting experience. And if you are certain they are the best of their kind, I know I will be in for a treat. So nice it will be, to sample cooking other than my mother's..." He did wonder at his stomach, though. Just how much had it shrunken by now? But the angel didn't care. He was going to have his food, and he was going to enjoy it.

He approached her when she showed off her sleeve of tattoos, and delicately ran his fingers over her skin. "They are very beautiful," he said. "Your, ah, coworker is very talented. I imagine you are, too. And your... piercings. Do they not hurt?" He reached out to touch her earrings but hesitated, then pulled away. Matteo nodded softly and turned away. "Ah, yes, we can set up the air mattress. I... If you show me, I can do it myself." He had no idea what an air mattress was, exactly, but he was willing to learn.

[Sparkz]

Mary grinned. "Hey! I think we found some common ground! I was home schooled as well!" She looked at him up and down with a playful smile. "Though you do kinda reinforce the stereotype that homeschoolers are weird. But then again.... so do I!" she punched him playfully in the arm before focusing on how to get Matteo to meet her friend. She saw the way his wings brushed against the ground. She was positive that her friend would freak if she saw his wings. But they weren't visible from the front if he wore a jacket or something. "Maybe we can just Skype her. That might work. That way you can still talk to her without seeing her in person."

Mary's face fell when Matteo told her that his mother was at the Institute with him. That made his story all the more tragic because his mother probably knew about all the pain he went through and she still allowed it. Mary and her own mother may not see eye to eye and a lot of things but at least she would never allow anything like that to happen to her daughter. "Oh... well... we can still try, alright?"

Mary nodded as Matteo reassured her that he could eat the food she had ordered. "Okay... only if you're sure. But all the same, if you start to feel queasy, I won't be offended if you stop eating. Alright? And try to eat slowly. We don't want to upset your stomach anymore than it needs to be." When the food arrived, Mary made a mental vow to watch him carefully. She didn't want him to get sick as he ate the first solid food in years.

"Thank you, Matteo. I would like to think that my coworkers and I are talented." She smiled as he touched her skin though his touch seemed a bit cold. She made sure she stayed perfectly still as he reached for her piercings. But he pulled back his hand, she smiled. "No. They don't hurt. You can touch them if you want. I don't mind. Just make sure that you don't pull on them too much." She smiled as he offered to set up the air mattress. "Okay. How about I show you today and next time, you can do it." She walked over to the linen closet and pulled out a box with the air pump and the mattress in it. She moved the coffee table against the wall so there was more room for Matteo to spread out. She then laid out the air mattress before turning on the pump to pump it full of air.

[Ashen]

He looked up at her with a confused, almost hurt expression. "Weird?" he repeated, a whisper. Was he really so strange? His wings twitched the smallest bit and he let out a sigh. Of course he was. How many others had frown their own wings? He was as weird as they came, and Mary had nothing on him. The smile ran away from his face. It would take a while before he got used to that. He was no longer of this world, and he never would be again.

Matteo raised an eyebrow at Mary. "Skype?" He had no idea what that was, though the name sounded familiar. "Ah, yes, I suppose that is... fine..." He wasn't sure what he was agreeing to, but he was sure things couldn't get much worse, anyway.

Even with her permission, he didn't want to touch her piercings. He shouldn't have touched her to begin with. Mary seemed so carefree about it though. It was like she was a completely different person than the one he had met this morning. She had opened up to him so quickly. Was it because he was an angel? Because he was hopeless? Matteo couldn't tell, but he wondered how different things would be if he were normal. He wondered how much she was babying him just because he was so clueless.

The angel was eager to learn how to set up this mattress. He watched her prepare everything, but as she turned on the loud noise Matteo visibly flinched. It sounded like something out of his old Institute, all those haunting sounds and oppressive shrieks. Just what was she doing? He backed away a few steps and watched as the mattress became bigger, firmer. "What are you doing?" he asked, his voice too filled with panic. He soon calmed down as she finished with the mattress. "Must it make such a noise? You were putting what into it, air? Why does air make such a noise?" He was spooked by the noise, but he soon calmed down and looked away. "My ears, they hear things better than yours, I would think. That was... very loud." He jumped again at another sound, something shrill. He turned towards the door with another scared expression. "What was that?"

[Sparkz]

Mary looked at him as he repeated the word "weird". It dawned on her that he may not have caught her joke. "Oh. Matteo, honey. It's a joke. People are always saying that home schoolers are weird. It's just a joke. No one actually means it. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." And she really meant it. She was only trying to lighten the mood. But it was obvious that Matteo would be a bit uncomfortable about his wings. He truly didn't belong anywhere, but Mary was going to try and help him as best she could.

Mary smiled as Matteo agreed to Skype with her friend, though she could tell that he was slightly confused as to what he was agreeing to. "Um... how can I explain it? Skype is like... calling someone on the telephone. But you can see their face and they can see you. It's a...type of video chat. Got it?"

When Matteo declined her offer to touch her piercings, she simply smiled and thought nothing of it. She wasn't shy about her body whatsoever. Once she was out of her mother's care and discovering her own self, she found confidence in her body and the things she decorated her body with. Some people think that tattoos desecrate the Temple of the Holy Spirit that is your body, but Mary believed that she was simply decorating it. She hoped to bring that same self confidence to Matteo one way or another.

As Mary turned on the pump, she noticed that her guest didn't particularly like the noise. "I'm pumping air into the mattress. The sound is coming from the motor that is forcing the air into the mattress without it leaking." She said once she was finished. "I don't particularly like how loud it is but it's like that for most air pumps so I can't complain too much." She studied him carefully as he all but said that he had enhanced hearing. "That's... that's interesting. Dude, you're basically a superhero. That's awesome." She turned her head at the sound of the doorbell.

"Food's here!" She said with a grin. She pushed Matteo into her bedroom to keep him hidden. She didn't want the delivery man to see him and freak out. She then motioned for Matteo to stay put as she grabbed her wallet. She answered the door and paid for the food before tipping the delivery boy and shutting the door. "Alright, Matteo. Time to eat." She said as she put the pizza and breadstick boxes on the table. She got two plates and two cups, setting them on the table. She filled Matteo's and her own cup with water before serving one slice of pizza to Matteo and also one breadstick. She didn't want him to over eat. She also served herself the same amount to be fair.

[Ashen]

So, it had been a joke. Maybe he had overreacted. Matteo turned away, embarrassed. She had meant no harm, and yet, the truth of her words weighed heavy on his shoulders. He was weird, but it certainly wasn't because he'd been homeschooled. Turning back to Mary, he shook his head, letting her know that it was alright. He didn't want her to feel bad, especially when he was just too dumb to understand her humor.

A video chat was a strange concept. Now it was coming back to him: Skype was a form of social media, one used primarily for video chatting. Matteo had never had one, and he couldn't remember it being too popular, but then, what did he know? He nodded with more conviction, now that he knew what it was. "A video call might be... fun," he said. "If you think that will be best, ah, yes, we can try that."

Mary called him a superhero. At that he had to look right at her, a smile crossing his lips. "What?" he muttered, beginning to laugh. "I am far from a superhero. I have no powers, besides flight, I suppose, and heightened senses. Powers I would love to give up." A superhero... Matteo even considered it. "Me, saving people," he chuckled quietly. "After none saved me. What reason would I have to do such a thing? And besides. I have nothing that could be useful for anyone else."

Suddenly, Matteo was being pushed into a bedroom. "What?" he asked quietly, but Mary seemed determined to get him away from the front door. He complied, and stood in her room awkwardly, looking around. When Mary called him again, he walked back to her and looked down at the pizza. "That smell... it is divine," he commented, taking a large sniff. "I'm excited, really. Let us eat." He let her prepare his pizza and breadstick, then sat down and wondered which to eat first. He decided on the pizza, and was going to ask Mary for the location of the forks, but she was eating with her hands. It was a strange concept to the kid, but he followed suit, and soon he was downing his own slice.

His bites were small, almost pecks. Matteo was a slow eater, and halfway through the slice he decided to try the breadstick. This he loved even more than the pizza, and he ate the whole thing in just a few bites. The pizza, too, was eventually gone, and Matteo downed the rest of the contents in his glass to help everything go down. "That was... quite lovely. Really. My mother did not cook like this, and it was very wonderful. My compliments head to the chef. May I... May I have more?"

[Sparkz]

Mary smiled as Matteo, now equipped with the full knowledge of what exactly Skype was, agreed. "Good. That way, we can hide only the part of your wings that she will be seeing. It will be easy. I promise! But we don't have to make the call today or even tomorrow. Just whenever you feel comfortable and ready for it, okay? You just let me know. I will try to not rush you." She patted his arm. She knew that he had a lot to catch up on. Chatting with her Italian friend may be one way to give him something that is familiar.

Mary just had to smile as he laughed. Even if his laughter was sort of mocking her suggest. He had an excellent laugh even if it hadn't been used in a while. "Hey, you never know, Matteo. You just might find yourself helping people one day and liking so much, that you will make a career out of it!" She chuckled. "Remind me to show you some superhero movies later. Okay? But don't get so down. I think in your case, no one knew about it. I guarantee that if the public knew about what had happened to you, you would have been saved as soon as they found out. People may be selfish, but they know injustice when they see it."

Once they started eating, she smiled at the way Matteo ate. Maybe his stomach could handle the food. Especially since he was eating it in such small bites. He ate eagerly and he was obviously enjoying the pizza as much as she did. She had already finished her first piece and breadstick and was eating her second one as Matteo asked to have more. "Of course you can!" She said with a grin. She set another piece on his plate. "There you go. Do you want more water?"

[Ashen]

Career. The word took Matteo by surprise. Carriera, it was a word he'd never considered for himself. Back then, before it all happened, had he had any ambitions? Just a loner freshman, with little knowledge of the outside world; what had the child Matteo wanted to be? It certainly hadn't been a thought as he spent his days being injected and tested. But now that he was free, was such a thing even an option? A career... What would he even be able to do? He offered a small smile to Mary, but in his head he was already shutting her down. There was no way he'd be able to do anything beneficial for this society.

He ate his second slice with more vigorousness, and nodded in response to her question. When he was finished, he looked up at the pizza again, as if to ask for another slice, but a dull pain in his stomach stopped him. He turned away, just as a small noise escaped him. Matteo seemed shocked at his own burp, and he covered his mouth awkwardly, face already reddening. "Scusami*, I... I didn't..." To the Italian-raised man, a burp was a crime, one he was now guilty of. Apologetic eyes looked to Mary, frantically searching her face for some kind of compassion. He was blowing the ordeal out of proportion, but he didn't know any better. To eat solid food for the first time in years, only to utter such a vulgar sound in response--it was horribly inappropriate.

But his belch was not all that was coming up. The angel grabbed his stomach and winced. He started feeling dizzy, and he looked towards the bathroom. "Something is not right," he murmured. Headache, stomachache, and some awful feeling in his throat; it was all hitting him at once. Matteo pushed away from the table, mumbling something in Italian, and started running for the hall. His feet were hardly touching the ground, for his wings had extended and were now trying to move him at a faster pace further down the hall. They were too big for the hallway, though, and he clumsily made his way towards the bathroom, surprisingly not knocking anything over. Inside, however, was another story.

The sound of soap and shampoo bottles hitting the floor could be heard from the bathroom, as well as the sound of a man gagging. Matteo stomach couldn't handle all the food at once, apparently, and he was expelling it all into the toilet. By the time he finished he was struggling to breathe. He wiped at his mouth with the back of his hand and closed his eyes. He should have been used to that by now. Dismissing it, he got up and flushed the toilet, then tried to wipe his hands in the sink. His first meal, and he was really not making a first impression.

Matteo looked up at Mary, his cheeks now burning. "I am really, really sorry," he said. "I just, I... I thought I would be able to hold it down. I was foolish, I should have known, I..." He turned towards the bathroom again. "I did say the food was delicious, but not delicious enough to eat it twice..." It was a joke, a dull attempt at humor, though he doubted it would help the situation. Matteo was mortified, and he felt terrible that he was putting Mary through so much, at least in his eyes.

* Scusami - Italian, ​excuse me

[Sparkz]

MAry watched him as he had his second piece. She was glad that he was enjoying his food and so far, it seemed as if his stomach could handle it. Which was another good thing. THough, the sound of Matteo burping basically proved that he truly was enjoying himself. She chuckled and grinned at him before letting out a soft burp herself. Her laughter immediately stopped when she realized how embarrassed he was. "Oh honey. No need to be embarrassed. It was just a little burp. It happens to the best of us." She only looked at him with kind eyes. Her laughter before was not one of mocking, but rather of merriment.

She touched his arm as he muttered that something wasn't right. "Matteo? What is it?" Before she could get an answer, her guest had raced for the bathroom and Mary realized what was going to happen. The food was too much for his stomach to handle. She heard the various crashes and gagging coming from the bathroom and she simply turned away.It must be embarrassing for Matteo so she gave him a little privacy as his food vacated his stomach.

As he was throwing up, Mary put the leftover food away in the fridge. She wasn't going to let him eat that. But she did have some crackers that should be okay for his stomach. Once she heard the toilet flush, she turned back to the bathroom over to see Matteo's red face staring back at her. She walked over to him and rubbed his arms, trying to calm him down. It was a technique that she has seen others use to some success. "It's okay, Matteo. I should have insisted that you eat something a bit lighter. No need to be embarrassed. Okay?" She showed him how to use the soap and helped him wash his hands before leading him to the air mattress.

"Matteo. No need to worry. Okay? You didn't offend me or anything. I do have some crackers and you can have some if you would like. You can also have some water. Whatever you need, I will get for you. If you need to take a nap, just say the words and I will get you a pillow and a blanket." She sat down on the air mattress. "You're going to be alright. I promise."

[Ashen]

Mary was being so very nice now. Matteo still felt bad about all he'd done, but he felt a lot better knowing how open Mary was about it all. He tried to relax. The idea of crackers in that moment set him off, and he shifted uncomfortable. He didn't want to put anything in his mouth until his stomach calmed down. It was another reason for him to hate that scientist. It had been his fault, after all, that his stomach had grown so weak. He balled his fists on either side, but soon he relaxed them. Mary didn't deserve an angry angel storming about her house, too. Thinking on her previous words, Matteo took a breath and let his anger go.

He made his way to the air mattress and took a seat. He held his head in his hands for a few minutes, trying to think. The episode in the bathroom had woken him up, so he wasn't very tired anymore. But now what was there to do? He watched Mary, wondering just how much he was changing her life. How would he ever be able to repay her? An idea struck, and suddenly his wings twitched. "Mary?" he said softly. "Have you ever been flying?" He looked up at her with a smile. "They can carry me, and I bet they could carry another. The scientist tested on their capabilities. So if you ever wanted to fly, I bet I could do that."

His gaze fell to a window, at the distant sun. Would such a thing be safe? What would everyone else think? Would it be safer to wait until nighttime? Matteo walked towards the door of Mary's home and lingered there. How easy it would be to take flight and just leave. How simply he could keep going and going and never look back. But he had to find them. He could not leave them out there, surviving, happy. He needed to quash them.

Matteo turned around again and shrugged. "The offer is there, yes? But perhaps it is a silly idea. I ought be thinking of more... useful things." Like what, exactly, he would do now.

[Sparkz]

MAry watched him carefully as he forced himself to calm down. She wanted to assure him that everything would be alright. But she soon realized that there was nothing she could say would make him feel any better. She just wanted to help Matteo since there wasn't anywhere else he could go. She was pretty much the only person who could help but it seemed as if she was the least qualified.

As Matteo laid his head in his hands, she rubbed his shoulder, trying to comfort him but she wasn't sure if she was really doing anything to comfort him. It seemed to her that Matteo was actually doing worse. She was pulled from her thoughts when he spoke. Flying? She never thought to ask him whether or not he could carry people as he flew. "I've only been on an airplane..." She said softly but she smiled all the same. "That sounds nice, Matteo. Once you've regained your strength, maybe we can go flying then." She offered him a kind smile. She could tell that he was trying to repay her the only way he knew how.

She watched as her stood up and walked to her door. She wanted to know what he was thinking, but she didn't want to pry. All the same, she was worried about her new friend. He came from a dark place and that darkness still had a hold on him. That wasn't something she wanted any of her friends to experience. She nodded as he spoke to her again. "Yes. The offer is there. And I think that I will accept your offer. It is something that only you can give. It would be rude of me to not accept it." She smiled at him.

"Well... now that lunch is over, is there anything you want to learn more about? How about the internet? I can show you how to use my computer so when I'm at work, you can learn some things on your own.'

[Ashen]

She hadn't said no. Matteo nodded meekly. Waiting until he had regained his strength was a much smarter idea. The angel hadn't even considered that he might have been in a weakened state. Just what was he like at full strength? Matteo thought to the Institute, to the last time he had seen the building standing. He had been at full strength then, and he had destroyed everything that prison stood for. So just how far could he go now, while he was liberated? He would have to wait and find out.

He turned his attention to Mary when she spoke again. "The Internet?" he repeated, then nodded. "Ah, yes, that. I remember, vaguely, how it works. If you would truly trust me to your computer. Er, not that I would do anything to harm it, I promise." He shifted awkwardly. The kid wasn't very good at this. "Oh, ah, when you work... You will be leaving me here, yes? Um. When do you next work?"

What was he to do while she was gone? His wings moved slightly as an idea crossed his mind. Maybe he could get an aerial view of this Indianapolis. What were the chances he would find either of them in this city? Just how far would he be able to go before making it back to Mary's home before she returned? He shook his head. That was then. He still had time before that.

Clearing his throat, he spoke again. "I think I would like to learn... maths. I hardly remember the basics. Or science. I never completed any grade beyond... eighth, you see. I have a low IQ compared to the masses. Would it be possible to... fix that?"

[Sparkz]

MAry smiles. "I'll show you have to use my computer and how to get on the internet. It'll be easiest to teach you using internet resources." She looked at Matteo. "It's easy. I promise. But I work tomorrow morning until mid afternoon. You'll be on your own for like 7 hours. Do you think you can handle it? I can make you a lunch and leave it on the counter for when you get hungry. I'll also teach you how to use the TV so you won't get bored. Okay?"

She listened to him as he explained his situation with his education. "Yeah... there's a way to fix that. I was decent enough at school. I can probably help you learn basic algebra and geometry. I'll get you one of those math workbooks and we can work through it together to help you learn. As for the sciences... well, there's the internet again. I can also get you books from the library if that interests you."

As she spoke, she realized just how much Matteo didn't know. By taking him in, she was accepting a very large responsibility that she wasn't sure she was ready for. But it was too late now. She had committed to helping the poor angel for better or for worse. BEsides, this is what Jesus would do. She looked at the crucifix on the wall and sighed. If God was trying to send her a sign to learn how to grow up, she received it loud and clear.

[Ashen]

It was silly of her to ask if he could be on his own for seven hours. Did Mary not know where he'd come from? He'd been ignored for days, not hours. This would be child's play. He nodded at her, then thought on TV. That stood for televisione, or television, something like that. It was the black box that showed different motion pictures. He remembered that, and remembered the giant simulation screens from the Institute that had been quite like it, though he could not remember much about any shows. Had he liked TV, once upon a time? What had he liked to watch? For the life of him, he could not remember.

"You would be my... tutor." Mary was offering so much. The angel grew uncomfortable thinking of the debt he was taking on. He closed his eyes and tried to remember his teachers from high school, or the few days he had spent in high school. Prior to that, it had been his mother teaching him everything. A new teacher might be overwhelming, but Matteo was willing to try. He had to get on board with the rest of the kids--men--his age now. He'd learn as much as he could, and he'd try as hard as possible. Maybe he'd impress Mary. And maybe he'd be able to show just how thankful he really was for all of this.

From the corner of his eye, Matteo saw Mary glance up at a figure on the wall. It took him a moment to recognize Him, the head of the religion that had been shoved down his throat. Matteo looked back to Mary. "You truly believe in Him? God, I mean?" He faced the crucifix and shifted. "For me, I do not know. When someone goes through what I did in His name, it tends to taint one's opinions. It's not His fault, though. It's hers. It's..." His voice wavered, until he shook his head. "Never mind that. I do look forward to learning much, Mary. Perhaps we can... go over the Internet now? And then..." He looked to the window, wondering how late it was. "Perhaps then we shall rest up a bit?"

[Sparkz]

Mary watched him carefully. He was a strange man. Or really, a boy in a man's body. He missed out on so much and now she's taken on the responsibility to take care of him and catch him up to speed. He seemed alright enough to stay out of trouble for now. But she has to be careful. Once he's more comfortable with the new world he found himself in, he might go looking for the people who wronged him. She didn't want that to happen.

"Yeah...." she said once he said that she would be his tutor. "I guess I would be. But I don't mind. You need to be taught so I will teach you." MAry flashed him a great big smile. THough she was thinking on ways that she could teach him high school level stuff. He needed to learn the basics and she could do that. Get few science books from the library. Find things that interest him to really get him wanting to learn even more.

Mary looked at Matteo when he asked if she believed. "Yeah. I do believe in God, angels, Jesus... all of that. Listen, Matteo. I am beyond positive that he didn't like what was done in His name. But I'm sure that he has a plan for you. Maybe we were suppose to meet or something. Who knows?" She looked at him. "But honestly, there's a reason in his plan as to why you had to suffer. You just have to figure it out." She smiled at him but Matteo changed the subject.

"Yeah, sure. Come here." She walked him over to the table and sat him down. She pulled out her laptop and turned it on from going over to Chrome. She showed him Google and all the different things that he could search and answered every one of his questions as best she can.

[Ashen]

A plan. Did any god really have a plan for him? It was... an interesting though. What sadistic being would just watch as all those experiments unfolded? Or perhaps there was something better along the horizon. Matteo studied Mary's expression as she spoke. He didn't want to believe in God, or any gods, but he wanted to believe in Mary. Maybe she was right. His suffering was over now, and he was a better person because of it.

He was silent as he watched her explain the things on her computer. Some of it was coming back to him--he had used Google before, and remembered how to search for things--but other things, like the keyboard, seemed all too foreign. It would take a long time before he could memorize the position of the keys. Even spelling was a skill rusted over, and he realized Mary was taking on quite the task by agreeing to teach him.

When Mary was done teaching him about her computer, Matteo turned away and rubbed at his head. It was so much to take in, and all the information was getting lost in his head. "Thank you," he said. "I... I think I need to rest on it all, yes? It's all... so much." He chuckled awkwardly. "Is there anything I can do for you, Mary? Please let me know if something comes to mind. I think now... I am ready for rest. Is that... okay?"

[Sparkz]

Mary realized that Matteo was struggling a bit with all the terms she was using. She was so used to using internet slang and stuff that she din't even think to break it down even more for Matteo. She started to break down her knowledge even more hoping that he will eventually catch on. But it was a lot to absorbed so she cut him a little slack.

Mary listened as he tried to once again offer his assistance. She shook her head. "Matteo. You don't need to repay me for what I'm doing. But if I think of something, I will let you know, okay?" She grabbed his hands and squeezed them gently. "Just don't worry about it. When the time comes to repay me, I'll come up with a proper form of payment. Until then. You don't need to worry about it."

She nodded when he asked if he was wallowed to rest. "Yeah. Go ahead and sleep on it. Maybe some of the things you remember about computers from your childhood will come back and help you absorb all this information. She patted his arm. "And the mattress is all inflated. I'll get you a pillow and a blanket if you'd like." She went and grabbed those things and made the bed. "Alright. Have a good nap, MAtteo. Goodnight."

[Ashen]

Matteo was grateful when Mary brought him a blanket and pillow. He nodded towards her, then took up the pillow and stared at it. A real pillow, on a mattress; such a lovely place to sleep. "We will learn more when I wake," Matteo said, and he lay down on the mattress. It was seconds before his breathing was slowed and he was fast asleep.

He dreamt of that damn place, and all the things he did not want to revisit. Every so often his body would quake in his sleep, until he finally managed to drift into REM. When that happened, however, he was motionless and forced to remember it all. The sick smile on his mother's face, the prideful gaze of the scientist, the shimmering scarlet cadavers that littered the Institute on a given day... It was all so much. He had destroyed that place, blown it up from the inside, and yet it was still intact, in his mind, haunting him.

Matteo woke with a start. He had a headache, and he could not shake the feeling that he was being watched. It took him a minute to remember where he was, where he wasn't. He looked around. "Mary?" he called. It was dark, perhaps late night, and he didn't want to wake her. He got up and started walking around her home, trying to be quiet. His wings didn't agree with him, and in trying to stay quiet he knocked over a frame in the hall. He winced at the noise, but soon picked it up and set it right again. If Mary hadn't been up before, she certainly was now. He walked into her room, lingering in the door frame. "Mary?" he called again, squinting into the dark. "Ah, sorry, are you awake?"

[Sparkz]

Mary smiled at Matteo as he settled down for sleep. "Of course Matteo. I'll show you more things in the morning before I go to work." She patted his arm before he laid down. It didn't take him long to fall asleep. She watched him for a little bit. The troubled soul, looked so peaceful as he slept. It was adorable. After a few minutes, she got up and got back on her computer as she did some research on online schooling programs or at least learning games. Though her search did come up with a few option, most of them you had to pay for and she wasn't willing to pay that price. Not with her salary.

Eventually, she ate a light supper before heading to bed. She fell asleep quickly and mostly had a dreamless sleep. She rested peacefully until she heard her name being called. Thinking that it was only as dream, she simply rolled over and dozed off again. As soon as she heard the crash, she groaned and rubbed her eyes. It was either thieves or Matteo and she had agood idea about who it was. As Matteo spoke once again, it confirmed her thoughts. She rubbed hr eyes and sat up. She glanced at the clock. "Matteo... it's 2 in the morning..." she said groggily.

She looked at his silhouette in the door and sighed. "I'm awake now.... come on in...." She said as she scooted over and made room for him to sit down on the bed. "What's wrong? did you have a nightmare?" she asked as if speaking to a young child. "Come on over and sit down.... maybe we can get you to fall asleep again." She said with a yawn.

[Ashen]

Mary sounded very exhausted, and suddenly Matteo felt bad about entering her room. He wanted to back away, but she was welcoming him in, so it couldn't have been so bad. Quietly, he entered and took a seat next to her, making sure his wings did not touch her. At her question, he shrugged lightly. Was it still a nightmare if it was just a memory? "No, I just cannot sleep," he said. Was it two in the morning? How early had he fallen asleep? "I'm... not tired."

He looked over to her, trying to make her out in the dark. "I woke you," he said. "Ah, sorry. I just..." He got up and walked over to her window. The distant city still had its lights on, and distant stars twinkled far away. He didn't think he would get much more sleep that night, but he didn't want to bother Mary, either. She had work later, and she would need to be well rested. Matteo shook his head. "Please, I can take care of myself. I will be well. You get to sleep, yes? I am going to... to go out."

He walked off towards the front of her apartment, and he fiddled with the front door for a moment. It was locked, though. How did he unlock it? It took him a few minutes, but he eventually got it. The wind that whipped at him made him shudder, so he closed the door and backed away. He looked for a blanket, knowing a jacket would not work well. When he found one, he hesitated. How was he supposed to use it without blocking his wings? The angel threw it over his shoulders, figuring he would figure the rest out later. He then looked to Mary's room. The childish side of him demanded permission to leave the house. "Do you need anything?" he asked instead, a medium.

[Sparkz]

Mary nodded sleepily. "Okay... as long as it wasn't a bad dream, Matteo." she smiled at him as he sat down next to her. She noted as he avoided touching her with his wings. "No need to be so shy about your wings, Matteo. They won't hurt me and I won't break them." She said as she patted his arm. "And that's okay. You feel asleep rather early." She smiled. "But that's okay. We'll get you on a regular sleep schedule soon enough."

She shook her head as he apologized. "It's okay Matteo. Don't worry about me." she watched as he moved to the window and looked out over the distant city. She listened as he spoke. "Okay... if you insist. Will you be alright, by yourself? You won't get lost right?" she looked at Matteo as he still lingered by the window. She yawned again. She wanted to go back to sleep, but her concern for Matteo was more important now.

As he left the room, she laid back down to sleep. Matteo seemed confidant in his ability so Mary let him go. She rolled over and dozed off until Matteo spoke to her again. "Wuh-? Oh... no... I'm fine. I don't need anything." she called out before falling asleep again. Her breathing evened out as she fell fast asleep.

[Ashen]

He shook his head confidently, trying to convince Mary more than himself that he would not get lost. After all, it was just one city, and he could get an aerial view of the place. He would be able to find his way with ease. After he heard Mary's response, he soon heard her soft snoring. He'd need to be silent in leaving the house, so as not to wake her once more.

The blanket did little to shield against the cold, but Matteo was grateful for the pants. His bare feet ran on the grass outside, and he enjoyed feeling the blades between his toes. It had been too long since he'd had a playground like this, a playground not characterized by the presence of science experiments and a couple of sadists. He ran about for a while, taking in this new atmosphere. When he finally did take to the skies, he was as graceful as a swan. His wings supported him with little effort, and he flew about Indianapolis, for once carefree. No one was about to notice him. No one was about to stop him.

It was light out when Matteo finally returned. He had spent the night studying the city, and trying to find his way back to Mary's after getting slightly lost. While out, he had managed to find peach trees, and he had brought several to Mary from the nearby orchard. He didn't know enough to know he had just stolen fruits from a profitable orchard. To him, he was simply bringing a gift. Once back inside, he set the peaches on the table and peered into Mary's room to check on her.

[Sparkz]

Mary slept soundly for the rest of the night. She didn't really dream of anything too spectacular. If she did, she would soon forget it when the morning arrived. She was rudely awaken by her alarm that went off at 7. She yawned and rolled over hitting the snooze button. She dozed off again for another 15 minutes until her alarm beeped at her once more. She yawned once more and stretched before turning it off. "I'm awake... I'm awake..." she muttered as she slowly sat up.

MAry kept her eyes closed and she started to doze off again. She shook her head and rubbed her eyes before getting out of bed and headed to the shower. She took a quick shower to wake herself up. In the midst of her morning routine, she had actually forgotten that Matteo had taken a 'midnight stroll'. She got to her room and got dressed for the day. As Matteo peered inside her room, she was just putting on the last of her accessories. She saw him in the mirror and turned around. "Good morning." she said after she stifled yet another yawn.

"Did you sleep well?" she asked and that was when she remembered that he had gone out. "Oh right... how was your little stroll around town?" she corrected herself. "You didn't get lost, right?" She walked out to the kitchen to prepare them some breakfast when she saw the peaches. "Oh... I see that you picked up some food on the way back." she picked one up and took a bite out of it. "Where did you get this?" She asked, looking at him, knowing full well that he probably stole it by accident. She would have to gently remind him to not do that.

[Ashen]

Mary was still just waking. He saw her groggily sit up, wondering if he should leave her to get more sleep. What time did she have work? He hadn't asked, and figured asking now would seem overbearing. So Matteo kept quiet as she woke, until she talked to him. He smiled politely. "No, I didn't get lost," he said, though that was a lie. He was an awful liar, and he instinctively look away. He did not want to worry her. "I made it back, no? The city is... interesting. Not what I was used to." Though really, did he remember what he was used to?

He walked with her to the kitchen and looked over his gifts. She did bite into it, but it appeared as though she was disappointed in him for some reason. Had he done something wrong? "I harvested them from an orchard. There were many trees with them on their branches. They are... okay, are they not? They look ripe enough, and they were firm. That is what I needed to search for, no? I was thinking we could make something with them, or you could just... eat them like that. It was a gift. No trouble at all." Matteo was oblivious, of course. He'd be horrified when she told him the truth.

But he was distracted now. "Are you prepared for work? At what time do you start? Can I help in any way?" He was eager to aid, though he would probably only get in the way. Matteo didn't know how he would spend his day, either. Maybe he would clean the house again, and try to cook, or use the internet to find out more. Would he be able to go for another flight? Would he grow anywhere closer to finding his mother and the scientist? He supposed only time would tell.

[Sparkz]

Mary looked at him and smiled a bit. "You didn't get lost, huh?" she asked, not believing him but she decided to let it go. No need to make him feel bad. Indy was a big city and it is easy to get lost if you've never been there before. She chuckled slightly. "Yes. You did come back safely and that is the important thing. And next time you decide to fly around, you'll know your way back."

When Matteo informed her that he got them from an orchard, she knew exactly where he got it from. It was a peach orchard that let customers pick as many peaches as they needed and they had to pay by the bushel. She was careful to not let him know that he stole them. Once she finished the peach, she had enough time to figure out what she was going to say. "Yes. We can make them into a pie later. These are excellent peaches. You have a good eye. THank you, Matteo. Next time, we can pick them together, alright?" she said with a smile.

As Matteo began to ask her all sorts of questions, she held up her hands to try and slow him down. "Slow down, Matteo. One question at a time. One. I am prepared for work. Thank you for asking. Two. I start in about an hour so I'll leave in about a half hour. three. You can help me by putting eating some breakfast. I have some Wheaties. Would you like some of that?"

After they both finished eating breakfast, Mary quickly searched through her cookbook to find a peach pie recipe. After she found it, she took a picture of the ingredients and did a quick search through her kitchen to see what all she needed to buy at the store for the pie. Once she was satisfied, it was time for her to go to work. "Alright, Matteo. I have to go now. You can use my computer and the TV while I'm gone. I made sandwiches for you. They are on the counter if you get hungry. I will be stopping at the store to get some supplies for our pie and we can make it when I get home, alright?" With a wave, she left her apartment and locked the door behind her and headed to work.

[Ashen]

Matteo watched Mary with an arched brow. She was doing something with a book, and it had a picture of a pie in it. She seemed to take a picture of it, but why? He decided not to question, however, since, as soon as she finished she had to head to work. He nodded occasionally along with her. "Avere una buona giornata," he said with a cheery smile. It had been the send-off he had always used growing up, the Italian equivalent to Have a good day. With Mary gone, he had to wonder what kind of day he would have.

Mary left, and so Matteo tried to think of what he could do. He'd been granted permission to use her computer, but how much did he remember from yesterday? He walked to her computer and toyed with it. The same questions arose from yesterday--Matteo did not know what the symbols on the screen meant. All the weird markings on the keys didn't make sense to him. He could vaguely remember one of the bottom keys, the starting letter of his name. But the others, what did they mean? When had he forgotten how to read? He navigated to Google, but he could only fill the search bar with meaningless strings of symbols. Deciding to wait on that, he went back to the kitchen, to the open recipe book and the peaches.

The book was Greek to him. He ran his fingers over the letters and numbers, wishing he could remember what they all meant. He tried sounding them out, but hardly got anywhere. Before he could get frustrated, he decided to turn away from the book and instead concentrate on the peaches. Shouldn't they be put in the fridge? He opened it, and noticed all its contents scattered about. He mumbled to himself before taking everything out of the refrigerator. He spent the next several minutes reorganizing the entire fridge, then taking everything out and organizing it again. When he was finally satisfied, he decided to move onto the next task.

He'd organized the house thoroughly, and was left with nothing to do. Matteo wondered what time Mary would be home. Did he have enough time for another flight? Deciding he would be fine, Matteo set off once more, in broad daylight, throwing caution to the wind.

As he flew, a woman down below caught sight of him. She squinted into the clouds, trying to make out the exact silhouette of what could only be an angel. A smile crept over her face, and she started laughing aloud. She pulled herself to her feet, wiped the scarlet from her olive skin, and started running. He hadn't flown so far, after all.

[Sparkz]

Mary walked to work as she usually did. Normally her thoughts are directed towards her job and all she would have to do. But not today. Today her mind wondered to Matteo. Was he going to be alright on his own? She hoped that he would be. Maybe she could get off a little early so she could do her shopping and get home as quickly as she could.

Mary went about her day. She kept busy at work either cleaning or giving someone a tattoo. It was basically a typical day except that it was a bit slow towards the end of her shift. She approached her manager and asked of she could leave early. After telling her to do one final cleaning of the equipment, she let her go. Mary immediately ran to the store to pick up the ingredients for the pie.

As she opened her phone, she quickly scrolled through her twitter and saw a couple of fuzzy pictures of a large bird flying through the sky. Mary immediately knew that it was Matteo. It had to be! She sighed as she pushed open the store's door and grabbed a basket. Of course he would go flying. he probably ran out of things to do in her apartment. She never should have left him alone.

Mary quickly grabbed the rest of the ingredients and checked out. As soon as she was outside, she took off at a fast trot in order to get back home as quickly as possible. As she ran, she kept glancing up in the sky. She prayed silently that Matteo made it back to her apartment alright. it would be bad if he got lost in the daylight. As she was running, a woman turned the corner and they collided.

Mary dropped her grocery bags all over the sidewalk. She cursed like a sailor as she checked all of her things, making sure that nothing was broken. "You should really watch where you're going!" she cried out as she cussed some more. "Like really! Be a bit more careful and aware of your surroundings!"

[Ashen]

He was flying through the sky without a care in the world. It was a wonderful feeling, the air flowing through his hair and wings. All the people underneath him seemed so small, such tiny insects from up here, and the feeling was liberating. For once, he wasn't the smallest one around. He felt powerful, mighty, and literally on top of the world.

But all good had to come to an end. His wings were tired, so he flew back to Mary's apartment. He did not get lost, and entered the window he had left open. Matteo was completely oblivious as to the two women outside, both of whom he would recognize. If he had noticed, he might have taken off once more. He might have set off and never returned.

Outside, the woman stumbled, and she fell to the ground. She looked up, wiping the blood from the side of her mouth. Mary would be able to see the blood covering her face, the pink scars lining her bronzed skin. Half her dark hair had been burned off her head, leaving a nasty, burned patch of skin in its wake. One of her eyes was narrower than the other, and she seemed to be panting with difficulty. "Sorry," she murmured. Her voice was hoarse. She got up and looked back to the sky, wondering where her target had gone. The woman squinted, then swore under her breath in a foreign language. She had to find him. Proceeding to wipe dripping blood from her face, she set off again.

Inside, Matteo got himself settled into his temporary home. He straightened some of the furniture, fumbled with some of the items in the refrigerator again, and when he heard noises outside, he opened the front door. Mary was there, alone, and seemingly confused. "Welcome!" he chirped. "How was work? Are you... Are you alright?"

[Sparkz]

Mary gathered all of her things and finally looked up at the woman who had ran into her. Her eyes widen when she saw the blood and the scars. This woman had gone through hell and she came out terrifying. Mary screamed out in surprise at the woman's feature. "Holy FUCK! Ma'am! You need to get to a hospital!" she exclaimed as they both stood up.

Before Mary could grab her, the woman looked up at the sky, said something and ran off. She stood there both disgusted and weirded out. She had considered calling the police. The more she thought about it, the more she decided against it. SHould she see the woman again in such a bad state, she would call. Something needed to happen in order to help her out. She shook her head, trying to clear her head as she continued her walk home. Why was the woman looking up at the sky for?

A couple of minutes passed and Mary unlocked the door. She walked in and locked the door behind her, in almost a daze as Matteo greeted her. There was something she was going to talk to him about but the bleeding woman was occupying her thoughts. 'What? Oh... work was fine. I have the supplies we need." she set the grocery bags on the table. "I just... ran into the strangest woman today... she was... burned and very hurt but she just... kept on going as if she wasn't hurt. I think she was drugged up or something." she rubbed her forehead, still a bit confused and looked at Matteo. She saw his wings and remembered what she was going to ask him. "Matteo? Did you go flying today?" she asked, trying hard to hide her disappointment.

[Ashen]

Something was definitely bothering Mary. Matteo cocked his head to the side, trying to figure out what was bothering her. A woman...? A burned and hurt woman? He turned away, considering. "I do hope she is well," he murmured. And just like that, the subject was dropped. He did not even consider the possibility of who the woman might be, or just how badly he was in danger.

Matteo shook his head, trying to shake his thoughts clear. He looked back to Mary. "Mm? Yes, I just came back from a flight, is that... Is that problematic?" Though she was trying to hide it, he could tell there was something wrong with Mary. Something was really bothering her now, and he didn't know how to alleviate that. "I got aggravated at my own... erm... what is it called? Illiterate... Illiteracy. Aye, that. I could figure out little, and I needed to clear my head. It did just that. I will... notify you next time?"

Matteo let her place the groceries down before looking them over. "You went shopping," he pointed. "Foods? I think I should like to prepare these with you. We'll be able to make plenty with all of this." He was still aware of Mary's discomfort, but he thought--hoped--changing the subject would help her to calm down, would help relieve the tension in the room.

[Sparkz]

Mary nodded. "Yeah... I hope she's okay too. She ran off before I could call 911 to get her to a hospital." She shivered at the thought of the woman. "Man, she looked awful! Like she cleaned up from hell itself. It's amazing, she's functional with all the burns and blood and stuff." She shook her head to clear her mind of the woman. She would try and forget about that particularly disturbing meeting.

As Matteo answered her question, she sighed and pulled out her phone before showing him the pictures of him flying. Though the pictures were out of focus, if you knew who Matteo was, it was obvious to see that it was him. "I understand that you can get frustrated by that, but you have to be careful about flying in the daytime. People can and will see you. I just don't want you being kidnapped because you were reckless." She touched his arm. "I don't have a problem wiht you flying, but yes, you do need to tell me and I think you should probably stick to flying at night. Okay, Matteo?"

Despite how disappointed she was in Matteo, she couldn't help but smile as he pointed out the obvious and told her that she had gotten groceries. "I did get groceries. We're going to bake that pie later, remember?" she asked with a smile. "And yes. I did get some things to make for dinner tonight. You can even help me cook." she said with a grin as she started putting the groceries away. "Now, first things first. Now that your stomach as hopefully settled down a little, what would you like to eat?"

[Ashen]

Matteo looked over the image in her hands. He saw himself, or a blurry image of what he probably looked like from below. His wings were easily longer than the rest of him, and he was wearing his same pants. The sun was behind him, giving him a real angelic glow. He looked back up at Mary. If the picture were just a little more focused, it would have been a good one. He couldn't understand her discomfort. What did he care if people saw him? Was he such a monster he needed to remain locked up, again? His gaze fell, and he let out a long sigh.

There was one point of interest in her words, though. "Kidnapped?" he murmured, wondering if the word meant what he remembered it to mean. "Why would anyone want to? I am of no use to anyone. I think I would rather die than be kidnapped, and I swear by God's hand, Mary, I will take with me whomever dare attempts." There was a fierceness in his eyes now, but it soon died away. His expression softened as he turned back to her. "Ah, sorry, I am well, really. I do not mean to frighten you, it is just... I refuse to go back to captivity. I absolutely refuse."

He shook his head before he could get riled up again. Matteo sighed again and moved to fiddle with the groceries. "I think I would enjoy that," he said to preparing food with Mary. "I... I do not mind what we eat, though if you are truly leaving it up to me, I think I would like a.... a sandwich, yes? I think a sandwich would be fitting. And afterwards, we are permitted to bake, with the peaches." He smiled a genuine smile, glad to be away from the subject from before. "It is a little early for supper, no?" Matteo looked to the window, at the sun streaming in. "What shall we do in the meantime?"

[Sparkz]

As Matteo started to ask why he would be kidnapped, she sighed. Could he not see how important he would be to science? then again, he did have the mentality of a child. She took a breath and tried to explain it as best she could. "Alright... Matteo. I know that you don't want to be taken again. But people would take you away if they knew you existed. You're probably the first living example of a human being being merged with an animal. YOu would be very important to the science industry not to mention that our government would probably want to take you apart in order to see who you work. I just... I don't want that to happen to a friend."

Mary looked at him as he seemed to have this extremely intense look in his eyes. She almost wanted to take a step back. He was so determined to not go back to the scientists who had so drastically changed him. He was even willing to kill to prevent that. Though, judging from the state he was in when he first came to her, it was not all that surprising. He's been through a lot and he shouldn't have to suffer anymore. She patted his arm and smiled. "Hey... it's okay. I wouldn't want to go back either if I was in your shoes." Mary replied.

As Matteo slowly expressed his thoughts, she nodded. "Sandwiches it is then. And we shall bake afterwards." Mary said with a grin before nodding. "It is a bit early for dinner. Let's see..." she looked around and then her eyes fell onto her laptop. "Let's get you familiar with the alphabet, okay? This way you will be about to read a bit better and use my computer." She led him to the table and opened up her laptop before finding an online game for preschoolers regarding the alphabet. It played the ABC song before going through each of the letter and what words started with those letters. She showed Matteo how to use the mouse and let him go through the game as she sat by him and helped.

[Ashen]

Mary had a point, didn't she? He was a scientific gold mine. Perhaps the crazy scientist from before wasn't the only one who wanted to write a report of him. But then, did no one care about morals? Would no one ask what he wanted? And Matteo did not want that. He did not want to be this freak of nature. Maybe, next time he was alone, he would save everyone the trouble and just cut his wings off entirely. Then no one would care. Then he'd be normal, for once in his life.

He looked up at her solemnly for a moment before sighing and looking back down. "Animals," he corrected. "Not just one. Hundreds. Thousands, perhaps. Genocides have occurred to make me who I am. So many animals..." His voice fell, and there were tears in his dark eyes, but he would not cry. No amount of tears would bring those birds back. So he cleared his throat, wiped at his eyes, and he stood a little straighter. "Never mind," he breathed. "They are gone now. All that is left is to hope such is never done again."

They moved back to Mary's computer, and Matteo was slightly uncomfortable. He wanted to learn, but he was scared Mary would grow frustrated with him. Still, he looked over the alphabet, trying to memorize all the shapes. They were at it for a while, and Matteo wasn't sure he was retaining all that much. He placed a hand over hers to stop her, and he pointed to a key on the keyboard. "M," he announced. "For Mary and Matteo and man and magic." He pointed to another one. "C. For cat and car and... train... No. No, not train, that's... R. No. N? Ah..." He turned away, tried to remember. "There are too many of them." He was starting to get a headache. The tests at the lab, incidentally, had ruined a lot more than his memory. His ability to retain information also suffered, and when he looked back at the keyboard, he could not recognize a single letter. Aggravated, Matteo got up and walked away. "I think that is enough for now," he said quietly. "We can continue later. It is... time to make sandwiches now?"

[Sparkz]

As Matteo clarified that thousands of animals died in order to make his present condition possible, she looked away. It was rather depressing to think that a group of people would be more than willing to kill animals in order to torture a mere boy. Though... Matteo wasn't actually a boy, he was a man, bt mentally he certainly was a child. Her eyes widen at the impending tears as he quickly reached out to wip them away but Matteo had already took care of them so she simply let her hand drop. She sighed.

"You're right Matteo. Nothing can be done but pray in hopes that the men responsible will be caught and punished. Fortunately, if they are not punished in this life, they certainly will be in the next." she patted his arm gently before they returned to the computer to help him learn the alphabet. Much to her dismay, Matteo was unable to retain the letters and numbers. Every time she thought that he had it, it would simply disappear from his mind and float away. He was getting frustrated with it and honestly, so was she. She watched as he got up and paced for a bit and she simply turned off the computer. She knew that they were done for today.

Mary looked at the time, at his question. It was 5:30 and she nodded. "yes it is. Then we can bake that pie together." she added with a smile. She led him into the kitchen and together they made sandwiches. Mary smiled at Matteo. "Hey... don't get too discouraged. I'm positive that you will get it eventually. We won't let those men eho hurt you affect your life any more. Together, we are going to improve your life, alright? I'm going to teach you the alphabet so you can at least read. Everything is going to be better."

[Ashen]

Making sandwiches was a lot easier. Matteo, as it seemed, was much better with his hands, and he was able to make a couple sandwiches by himself. He was glad to have done something right, at least, but the pressure from before still plagued him. Why could he not remember things anymore? In school, he was sure, he had been no worse at his subjects than any of his peers. He had been an average kid, or perhaps above average. So why, now, did he struggle with something as simple as reading? He used to read every day. He was sure he had even found it fun, once. But now, he could not even spell his name... He sighed a heavy sigh.

Mary's words did little to comfort him. "Being away made me an idiot," he said softly. "I have much catching up to do, somehow. They... They have hurt me, but no longer." He tried to believe that, but it wasn't so easy. What the scientist had done, some of it was permanent. How long until he learned to cope with what had happened? How long until he didn't get migraines, or other neurological issues? He turned towards the window, at the bright sky. Suddenly the blue faded to pink, then scarlet, and Matteo was there again. The scientist, his mother, pleading with him, and he, unflinching... All that blood... How could he be sure they had been dead? How could he be sure they would plague him no longer?

There was no use thinking on it. Matteo shook his head and turned back to the sandwiches. "Sorry," he mumbled. Together, the two of them enjoyed their supper, and moved on to baking. Matteo waited for instruction from Mary, and when she wasn't looking he would glance at the cookbook, trying with various levels of success to read what its pages contained. He was hard at it, and he turned his frustration into strength. He mixed ingredients with too much might, and prepared ingredients sloppily, but he had completed all that had been asked. He handed the pan to Mary, smiling, as if asking, "Did I do well?"

[Sparkz]

Mary watched Matteo make sandwiches. She was grateful that he was a lot better at doing that than learning the alphabet. She was a bit worried though. What if Matteo never learned how to read? Or maybe he did and it was taken away from him. God only knows what the poor guy went through. She frowned slightly when Matteo called himself an idiot. She didn't want him to blame himself. It wasn't his fault.

As Matteo looked out the window, she laid a hand on his arm. "Hey.... You're not an idiot. And it's not your fault. Please don't ever think that any of this is your fault. You are smart. Just maybe not in the typically sense of the word okay? You do good work with your hands. Maybe we can find something for you to do that doesn't require reading, okay?" she smiled a bit as he apologized. "But I will at least teach you how to spell and write your name. You should know that much."

As they ate, Mary tried to keep his spirits up. She sincerely hoped that baking would be easy for him. As they baked together, she noticed that he seemed a bit irritated but she said nothing. Once Matteo handed her the pan, she slid it into the oven and set the timer. "Know what Matteo? You didn't do too bad." she said with a smile. To be honest, she probably would have preferred the fruit to be a bit more substantial than mush but it was okay. "Maybe I cna teach you how to bake? Would you like that?" she asked as she led him to the living room. "I can read the recipe and you can prepare it."

[Ashen]

He was able to smile softly at her, knowing she was trying her best to cheer him up. "Thank you," he said quietly. He looked to his hands, wondering what she might have in mind. "Like... a job?" he asked, doubtful. Matteo flexed his wings, as if to say to her, "Remember these? I can't get a job." He shrugged in response, not wanting to get very invested in such a conversation at the time. He was too mentally drained to, so he just shook his head and turned away.

After they had done a bit of baking, Matteo was feeling better about himself. He accepted Mary's praise with a smile. Maybe she was right. Maybe he was good with his hands. And seeing his creations, being able to taste them, made him happy. "I would like that," he responded. "It would be easier if you read it to me. Then I don't think I would get so... ah... mad? When I can't read it." He followed her to the living room, exercising the idea. "It might even be... fun." Matteo seemed to consider for a minute, then came back with a smile. He nodded. "We will try that. But... perhaps not now."

Matteo got up again and walked down the hall, to Mary's room, before stopping himself. He turned back to her and cocked his head. "Is it alright if I nap? My head feels tired. I can nap on the couch, if that would make you more comfortable." He walked back to the living room, grabbed a pillow from the couch. He took a seat then, and looked at her. His eyes were distant, thinking. "Do I burden you?" he asked quietly. "I must. You don't want to teach a grown man what he should have learned... fifteen years ago. And finding something I can do, it seems too tall an order. I don't... I don't want to get in the way, but I think that's all I've ever done."

[Sparkz]

She nodded as he clarified her suggestion. of course, then he just had to mention his wings. No matter how amazing they were, there will always be someone out there looking for abnormalities. Because of that, there was no way that Matteo could get a real job. She sighed as she turned away. "Alright. Fine. Maybe not a real job but something. We will figure this out together, Promise." She said in an attempt to cheer him up.

As they finished baking, Mary was extremely happy to see that Matteo was proud of the work that they did. As he should be since he did an excellent job of baking. "We can certainly do that, Matteo. I read and you follow the directions. Then we enjoy our wonderful creations. But of course, that will be in the future. We've done enough for today." his smile was a truly beautiful one and MAry wanted to see it more often. Baking was on way, she hoped to find more ways to make him smile. Mary hoped that whoever had ruined his life will pay for what they did to him.

Matteo once again got up and walked away. "Matteo?" she started saying as he walked towards her room. She followed him. "Yeah, you can take a nap. I don't mind. I'll clean up the kitchen. If you need to spread out your wings, you can take a nap in my room on my bed. I don't mind." she smiled at him to reassure him as he grabbed the pillow she had given him. Then he asked his question. She blinked. How does one respond to that? Of course it was a bit of a hassle but it wasn't his fault that people experimented on him and perverted his body in unnatural ways. "Hey... I don't mind you being here. Sure it gets difficult, but baking with you was a lot of fun. And we are only scratching the surface. You have some hidden talents and I am going to pull those out of you. I swear it."

[Ashen]

Mary seemed so confident. Matteo wanted to believe her, wanted to believe they would be able to find out what he was good at together, but what if there was nothing he was good at? What if everything Mary was doing for him was just a giant waste of time? He shifted uncomfortably, the rush of anxiety an unwanted guest. She said they would figure things out, but how could they, when he was such an enigma?

He nodded meekly when she told him they were done for the day. As much as Matteo had enjoyed the baking, and as proud as he was about what he'd made, he was too tired to care to make more. "Maybe I could be a baker," he murmured, but they would require some literacy skills. Matteo would have to keep working on that. For now, though, it was definitely time for rest.

The concept of spreading out his wings seemed all too inviting for the man to turn down a nap on Mary's bed. He nodded again. "I can help clean up when I wake," he told her, not wanting her to do all the wok and wanting to be at least somewhat useful. A big yawn escaped him. "Do not do everything yourself, please."

But then she replied to his questions, and Matteo got uncomfortable again. So he was a burden. Even if Mary did enjoy some time with him, she just had other, better friends. But still, her confidence, it almost made Matteo believe in himself, too. He shrugged his shoulders, and turned back to her bedroom. "Sorry," he said quietly. "I will see you when I wake. Goodbye."

He was out for hours, sprawled across Mary's bed in positions that couldn't have been comfortable. His wings hung over the edges of her mattress, and several times he woke himself up by laying on them wrong. When he finally did wake, it was dark out, and eerily quiet. Matteo sat up and rubbed at his eyes, then tried to flex his wings. He winced at a cramp, but soon shook it off and looked around. He'd been meaning to sleep for a couple hours; how long had he been out? He got up and looked around the house, quietly calling Mary's name. He felt bad for sleeping so much, and he wanted to help her in any way he could.

[Sparkz]

As Matteo nodded and murmured that he could be a baker, she nodded eagerly. "Yes... yes you could. I will be there to help you too." She said with a smile as he made his way into her bedroom. "Sure. I'll try not to do everything myself. You just go take your nap. You deserve it." She simply waved at him and she shut the door behind him to give him some privacy. She did not want to wake him once he found sleep.

Once he was sleeping, Mary started cleaning up. She at least washed the dishes since it would be harder to clean them once everything dried on. A few hours passed and Matteo still hadn't cleaned up so she finished cleaning up the kitchen and wiping down the counters. Matteo sure needed that nap so she did not mind too much cleaning up. As she cleaned, her mind wondered over to her guest. It still surprised her that someone could torture the poor man. Given such unnatural wings, it was a perversion of nature. The fact that he looked very much like an angel, it did not matter. Her newest friend had suffered a lot and she wanted to protect him. She knew that much.

A few more hours passed and the evening had turned into night. She peaked into her bedroom to see how he was doing. Matteo was sprawled out on her bed and she smled. He looked so peaceful despite the uncomfortable looking position he was in. He truly was exhausted. She chuckled softly to herself as she tip toed in and grabbed her pajamas and walked into the bathroom. She changed and brushed her teeth before making up the air mattress and made herself a bed and turned out the lights.

As Matteo woke up, she was sleeping soundly on the air mattress. When he started wondering out into the living room, she stirred a bit and sat up, rubbing her eyes. "Matteo?" she asked with a yawn. "Have a good nap?" she asked.

[Ashen]

Matteo startled at Mary's form sleeping on the mattress he should have been sleeping on. He cocked his head to the side. "Did I wake you?" he asked. "Mary, ah, you should have woken me. I did not mean to sleep so long. Please, please resume your rest on your own bed, I am sorry. And you... you cleaned my parts of the mess. I am so sorry, I... I..."

He bumbled over his words for a few minutes, trying to convey how sorry he was. After a while, he finally gave up and backed away from her. He really was just in the way, and he hated it. He cleared his throat. "Never mind," he said softly. "What is done cannot be retrieved. Ah... You should get some rest. I will... I..." He had nothing to do. Matteo shifted a bit, trying to figure out what he could do until Mary woke. He looked to the window and debated going outside. After thinking it over for a bit, he nodded to himself and sighed.

"While you sleep, I will go out into the night. Be not alarmed; I will not cause trouble to anyone. Is there anything I could pick you up?" It was to make up for falling asleep so long. "I think... I will try to learn about the town some Is this acceptable to you? Can I do something for you, please?"

[Sparkz]

MAry yawned again. "It's okay. Really. You needed your rest so I let you. And I did not mind cleaning up after you. Promise... next time, you can clean up after us. Okay?" she saw that he seemed a bit flustered, especially since he was not able to do what he had promised he would do. It was honestly alright, but Mary saw no point in trying to convince Matteo otherwise. As he said, what was done, can't be undone.

She stood up as he said that he would be going outside. "Are you sure?" Of course, Matteo was sure so she nodded. "Sure, go ahead. I won't stop you. Just be safe and don't cause trouble. If you truly want to get something for me, you can pick a flower for me." There. Hopefully he would be put at ease.

She unlocked her door for him so she could let him out. "There you go. Have a safe night, okay?" she yawned again. "I'll be here when you get back." she walked back to her room and collapsed onto her bed and instantly fell asleep. On the morning, she woke up a bit later than usual. She rolled out of bed and walked into the living room. "Matteo? Are you back?"

[Ashen]

A flower. It was a simple task, and Matteo did not intend to mess this one up. He nodded to Mary, still ashamed he'd woken her and slept so long, but at least now he would be out of her hair. When she returned to her bed, Matteo headed out into the night, wondering what he would find.

He was out for a few hours, walking and flying about, exploring. He'd found many flowers, and picked Mary a bouquet of things that could only be from the local greenhouse. He still hadn't grasped the concept of wrongful theft, so he was carefree as he toted these flowers around. The sun was slowly beginning to rise when he decided to head home.

He had gone farther than he anticipated, and found that he didn't quite know how to get back. He was on foot, cautiously walking around and trying to remember landmarks he had passed. People were starting to wake, and he wondered what they would think of his wings. He needed to get back, and now.

A few minutes later, Matteo noticed someone wandering around looking for something. He walked up to them slowly, wondering if it would be alright to ask for directions. What would he ask for? This stranger wouldn't know where Mary's house was, and he didn't know what was around it. He cleared his throat. "Scusami," he said softly, and was greeted by the smiling face of his mother.

She was a hideous thing by now, with scars and bruises covering all parts of her visible skin. Her hair was falling out in patches, and so much of her body had been burned from the chemicals Matteo had used to destroy. When her eyes fell over Matteo, recognition crossed her face, and she immediately reached for him. She called to him in Italian, and started speaking to him, but Matteo was backing away from her. He cursed her and swatted at her, not wanting to deal with this nightmare so soon. The angel boy looked around in search of something to harm her, to kill her, but there was nothing. He took to the sky, wondering how much it would take to kill her. The woman below was undisturbed, and reached for her son still, desperation in her eyes. I've missed you, she said in Italian. You ran from us. It's okay. Everyone has their rebellious fun. I still love you. Come now, you're not ready. There is more to be done. Matteo, come.

Matteo flew as hard as he could, trying to get away from her. Though he so desperately wanted to end her, he found himself frozen. All the memories of the lab rushed back to him at once, all the pain and suffering he had endured, and the fear of its repetition had him trying to flee. So eager to get away, he didn't notice his mother following him, right to Mary's home.

When he saw the familiar house, Matteo entered and slammed the door shut. He was panting, trying to calm down. A few minutes later Mary walked over. He looked at her, then looked away, ashamed. He'd dropped her flowers. He couldn't even do that right.

The boy slid to the floor. His wings drooped, and fell in puddles beside him. There were tears down his face, but he looked angry. His fists clenched, and for a moment he looked like a different person. But Matteo took a breath, and he spoke in a too-soft voice. "I saw her," he said quietly. "I could not end her. I am useless."

[Sparkz]

Mary slept through the night soundly enough. With very little dreams, she managed to rest peacefully in her own bed. This unfortunately did not last as she was awoken at dawn by the slamming of her front door. She jerked awake and stretched before standing up and yawning. After arousing herself enough to check out the sound, she walked out of her room. "Matteo? What was that?" she asked as she turned the corner into the living room.

She blinked as she saw him panting and leaning against the door. He was obviously distressed as he looked away and sank to the floor. "Matteo, honey, what's wrong?" she asked as she knelt next to him. She examined him as his wings drooped. She saw his tears as she gently wiped them away despite his obviously angry demeanor.

As he finally spoke, she looked at him concerned. "Saw who? End who? Your mother? A scientist? Who Matteo? Who did you see?" she grabbed a box of tissues and continued to wipe away his tears. Her face was written with concern. "Did she follow you here? Are you hurt?" She hugged him when she saw that he was not physically hurt. "Oh Matteo... it's okay. It'll be alright. I'm right here. I'll protect you from whoever you saw." she gently stroked his hair as she hugged him.

[Ashen]

Mary was asking him so many questions, but Matteo's thoughts were too many and too distracting for him to really understand her. He was mumbling something inaudibly, not wanting to admit what he had just been through. He nodded meekly, then turned to face her. Clearing his throat, the angel said in an all too solemn voice, "I saw my mother, and I could not kill her."

He looked away again, to his dirtied hands. He had dug through dirt to get her flowers, and all for what? He had dropped them when he saw her. Now, they were gone, as lost as he had been only moments before. Matteo let out a sigh. "Yes, I saw her. I forgot your flowers, she startled me, I couldn't--er, I wanted--I'm sorry." He couldn't even form sentences correctly. Matteo sighed again. He looked up, to a nearby window, and cocked his head. Had she followed him here? Had he put Mary in danger? He could not have been angrier with himself. In one swift, clumsy motion, Matteo was back on his feet, running towards the window. He could see no one outside, which was a good sign, he hoped.

Relieved at least for that, he turned around and faced Mary again. "She probably pursued me," he said quietly. "She wouldn't give up easily, no. But... How well would she be able to keep up with my wings? I can fly faster than she could hope to run, obviously, but my form, it is not easy to miss, eh?" His eyes fell to the floor. "If I have led her here, what does that mean for you? I do not want to concern you with her. I... Next time, I'll end her, end her like she deserves. And then I'll find the scientist, and I'll be finished. I'll be... finished..." It was what he really wanted, to get his revenge, but then what? After his purpose was fulfilled, what did that leave him? A world he didn't quite fit into? And what if he found himself paralyzed again, unable to carry out with his murderous intentions? Matteo didn't want to think about it. He sighed again, trying to clear his mind, but with no success. "I'm sorry," he mumbled. "I'm ruining everything again."

[Sparkz]

Mary stopped her stream of questions as soon as Matteo admitted that he saw his mother. She blinked, completely stunned. She was completely speechless. From everything she knew about this woman, she seemed completely and utterly insane. The woman had to be in order to think that her son was an angel and forced cruel experiments on him and turned him into... well, what he was now. It was simply horrible.

Mary sat back on her heels as she watched her friend carefully. He inspected his dirty hands and she immediately knew that Matteo had legit dug up flowers for her. Flowers that were no longer with him. She listened patiently as he formed his sentences. She caught his meaning despite their broken up nature. "Hey. Forget about the flowers. It's okay. All I care about is that you are safe." she squeezed his arm before letting him stand up. Mary stood up as well as she watched him. He was nervous. Poor kid. He tried to at least hurt his mother but failed. "There's no need to feel sorry. It's not your fault." she insisted before Matteo continued speaking.

Mary listened to him and then shook her head. "Matteo. You do not need to worry about me. Okay? She doesn't know where you are. If she finds you here, I will call the police and she will be arrested, okay?" she grabbed his hands and squeezed them. "Matteo. I know you want to kill your mother and all those who have hurt you. But killing his wrong. It will only lead to more killing. You will never be done. You kill those two and then you will find more and more people who were the cause of all your pain. You cannot live like that! God has a plan for you. You may not be a true angel, but you serve a purpose. I promise you that! If you go on a murderous rampage, there is no going back. You will be caught and then you will be torn apart as people scramble to figure out what makes you tick."

[Ashen]

Matteo shook his head indignantly. "You do not understand," he said softly, though his tone was wavering. "If she is arrested, she will go to jail, yes? And she will be there for however long they sentence her, and then she will be freed, and she will come after me. In jail, she will not pay for what she has done to me. She will sit there, free to think up ways to catch me again, and she will not pay. She deserves to suffer. She deserves to feel the pain I have felt, tenfold."

By the time he finished speaking Matteo was talking in a low tone, trying not to let his temper get the better of them. He looked up to Mary, an emptiness in his eyes. "I am sorry," he said, "but trust me on this one. God's plan does not involve me. I will do what I need to do, and I will stop with just them. Or, perhaps, a third... I cannot see myself have any more purpose here after I finish. Science will make a toy of me yet, and I will not stand for that." His wings started beating, and suddenly reminded of them, Matteo had to consciously calm them. "I will make it up to you first, yes? I will find a way. I... I shall not concern you with such things. I'm sorry."

Matteo drew in a deep breath, calming himself. He looked around for a few moments. "I will... cook," he said slowly. "For waking you up. You need food. Yes? I will... cook." He walked to the kitchen and looked things over again. He didn't know if it was even time for breakfast, but he felt awful about everything that had transpired, and he knew no other way to make it up to her.

[Sparkz]

Mary grabbed onto Matteo's hands as he spoke of revenge. Though he didn't call it that, that was what it was. "Matteo! This is revenge you're taking about. That is not okay. Pain will only create more pain! You said so yourself, she won't stop. If you hurt her, she will only come back in order to reform her son! Don't you see that?!" she squeezed his hand tightly. "Please... revenge is not the way to go...."

When Matteo finally looked back up at her, her heart nearly broke at the emptiness in her eyes. The way he spoke, he seemed so defeated and yet so determined in his quest for revenge. She sighed and let go of his hands. "Matteo... don't give up and don't give in to the temptation that God has nothing in store for you. He has a plan. I know he does... listen, I'm not the most religious person I know... I look like a punk but trust me when I say that you don't have to get revenge in order to see these scientists get justice. God will punish them and your mother for all she's done. You just have to lay low for a while."

When her friend insisted that he had to make everything up to her, she found it pointless to argue with him on this point. He was stubborn to a fault, that's for sure. "Alright. You can cook. But I think I just want cereal this morning." she said, walking over to the cabinet and got out a box of Cheerios. "If you grab two bowls, two spoons and the milk, then you'll have everything you need for cereal."

[Ashen]

She was still so dead set on keeping him from killing her. Matteo didn't know how to believe her. He didn't know how to believe in her god anymore. Laying low was what he was trying to do, and what had that won him? A run-in with the madwoman, and a whole lot of trouble for the kind soul trying to help him. He opened his mouth to protest, but ultimately decided against it. He wasn't going to convince Mary of any alternative. In this she was determined, and so he would have to go with what she wished or pretend long enough for her to forget.

Deciding to push it all behind him, Matteo concentrated on his new task: breakfast. He nodded at Mary's instruction, then grabbed all the things she'd asked for. As he sat down at the table, Matteo cocked his head to the side. "Cheerios," he mumbled, though it was clear he hadn't read the box. "Shouldn't we... have bananas?" He looked around the kitchen again. "I think... I mean, I am seeing something like this. This is a common breakfast, isn't it? And it should be eaten... with bananas. And orange... juice? Yes, orange juice. I remember having this meal as a child. Though..." He looked towards the fridge, then got up and checked it. "Would you like orange juice?" He grabbed the jug anyway, fetched two cups, and poured the drink. "We... There are no bananas, are there?"

He seemed proud of himself for remembering this much. Any memories from the before were always a surprise to the boy, now man. It was hard to believe such a memory was from years ago. Matteo sat at the table again and looked over his breakfast. "I'm sorry," he said, because he felt that he should have been apologizing for something. "I hope we can sort things out. For now, we will eat, and we will deal with everything at a later time. Mary? I am... glad you're here. Again, I thank you."

[Sparkz]

Mary smiled at Matteo grabbed the things she had told him to grab. He was learning. Slowly but surely. When he looked at the box of cereal, she smiled. "Yeah, that's right. Cheerios." When he mentioned bananas, she smiled. "Yeah. Bananas are typically good with cereal. I just didn't buy any last time I was at the store. Next time, I will though. But you're right. cereal, bananas and orange juice is a common breakfast." She sat down at the table as he looked in the fridge. "Know what? I would like some orange juice."

As they sat together, she prayed a quick prayer before she started eating. When Matteo apologized, she smiled. "Don't worry about it. I'm glad that I could be of some help. I'm glad that you're here too." she gestured for him to start eating. "You need your strength. Okay? We'll get you eating properly again."

Six weeks passed and Matteo and MAry fell into a routine of sorts. In the morning, they would eat breakfast together and Mary would go off to work. She would give Matteo a list of things to do around the apartment to keep him busy and to help him feel useful. When she returned home, she checked over what he did and helped him finish whatever he hadn't finished. Together they would cook dinner but Mary let Matteo do most of it as she gave him instructions. After dinner, they would clean up and Mary would try and teach him basic things that he should know. She gave up on trying to teach him how to read. She was certain that if he wanted to continue learning, he would let her know.

Matteo had discovered an arts and crafts book that had been in a box for a while now. Mary returned home from work only to find Matteo making things for her out of the craft book. She kept everything that he made, even if it looked bad. It was times like this that Mary found herself assuming the role of a mother, not that she minded. Quite the contrary, she enjoyed spending time with Matteo like this. It made her smile and it made her happy to see Matteo enjoying himself.

[Ashen]

It was easy for him to lose track of time. Matteo was used to routines; before he'd been imprisoned, he'd had a home routine, and at the Institute he'd had another to keep him busy. This one, he found, was a lot nicer. Matteo liked helping out around Mary's place, and he especially liked the praise he got whenever she got home. Recently, to keep things interesting, Matteo had been making home crafts for Mary to find. He'd found a book full of things, and he had used the letters on the cover of it to Google more. It had become a game of theirs: when Mary got home, Matteo would ask her to spot what was different. In addition to the tidied house and occasional dinner, she would usually find some small craft he'd tried his hand at. They were simple things--picture frames and figures and pin cushions of sorts--but the more he did, the more complex they became.

The fallen angel was good with his hands. Today, he had made a statue of the Virgin Mary, made entirely of things he had found around the house. Popsicle sticks formed the base of the statue, and old Play Doh formed an outer layer over it. He'd had to soak the stuff to make it mold-able, but he'd done it. Clay, bottle caps, and pebbles had come together very nicely. The statue was recognizable, he'd used a smaller version that Mary had had in her room as reference, and it was quite charming. He was just looking for some material--he was thinking flowers--to make a crown when he stumbled upon a long box in the closet.

It was hardly sealed, and bent in a few places. Matteo had spent the entire day looking for materials for his statue, but he hadn't come across a box like this yet. He didn't want to snoop, but some faded memory told him he knew the shape, and he knew the words on the box. He couldn't read them, could barely sound them out, but he knew them from somewhere. So, he gently opened up the box, and he peered at its contents.

It was... a table? An awkwardly small table, with black and white raised bumps. It reminded him of a piano, though much smaller, and with dials and buttons that he didn't understand. Matteo removed the contraption from the box and saw that it also had a stand, and a plug. He searched for an outlet, and after plugging it in he looked for the power button. It took him a while--it was a switch and not a button--but once he finally had the thing on it did... nothing. Was it too old to work? He ran his fingers over the buttons at the top, but none seemed to make a difference. Finally, he ran his fingers over the white parts, and jumped when a sound bellowed back at him. He recovered and tried again, pressing different keys and listening to the unique sounds they made. It was a piano, a flatter and smaller piano. He set it on the floor of Mary's bedroom, brushed the dust off of it, and paused. "C," he murmured, hovering a finger over middle C. "D. E. F. F sharp." His fingers went down the line, reciting from memory that he didn't know was still intact. "C C D E E F C D..." He spoke the notes as he played them, listening as a very basic Ode to Joy filled the room. "I... I know how to play the piano?"

It puzzled him. Matteo couldn't remember learning to play a piano. He knew he could play some woodwind, what was it called, but piano? When had he learned that? Over the past several weeks he had made little progress in reading, in remembering which letter was which, and yet with music, the names of the notes came so fluidly. He didn't understand. He stayed in that position, hunched over the instrument, playing to his heart's content. His repertoire didn't stop at Beethoven; he played songs from Queen, from Frank Sinatra, from Rent and Wicked and Cats. Matteo didn't remember where most of his songs were from, but he remembered every note, and he couldn't understand why. So caught up in playing Tarantella, he didn't hear the front door open, or Mary come in from work.

[Sparkz]

On her way home from work, she stopped at the grocery store and picked up a few things that they needed. One being bananas. Matteo liked to have them in his cereal when they ate that in the morning so she happily bought him some. The past few weeks with Matteo have been great. Sure, it's a bit of a strain on her income, but she made a few cuts in other places. She dropped her cable so she would have a few extra bucks a month to help support Matteo. All in all though, she's really enjoyed having him around. Watching him discover new things has always been a pleasure.

The picture frame, which was his first project, was probably her favorite craft so far. It currently rests on her bedside table with a picture of the two of them in it. It was so thoughtful and beautifully made. With all the crafts he's been doing, he's really improved in his craftsmanship. His work became more and more intricate and he had even used the internet to come up with new ideas. Sure she was worried about leaving him alone at first but now? She was perfectly okay with leaving him on his own for a whole day. He kept himself occupied and he did good work cleaning the apartment.

As she walked up the steps to her apartment, she wondered what craft Matteo made for her today. It was always a game to find out just what the new addition to their home was. Would it be another doll or frame? This occupied her mind as she unlocked the door and heard the sound of music being played. How Matteo finally figured out her radio?She shut the door behind her and silently walk in, looking around for Matteo. All of his chores were done so he was probably working on his craft. But that music... it didn't sound like it was from a radio.

MAry followed the music into her room and saw Matteo playing on her old keyboard. Man she had forgotten all about that old thing. She stood in the doorway silently until he finished the song. She applauded him. "Wow Matteo! That has to be your best craft yet!" She exclaimed with a smile on her face. He played the piano so well that she couldn't even be mad that he had gone through her closet. "I forgot all about my old keyboard. I bought it myself back in high school. I was a part of a band that did barely anything. But it was still pretty fun."

[Ashen]

Matteo finished with a flourish, adding to a classic his own sound. He didn't notice the woman standing in the threshold, not until she finally spoke. He jumped again, startled by her voice, and looked back at the keyboard. "Ah, sorry!" he said, moving to stand up and face her. "A keyboard... Uh, I didn't mean to search through your things, I was just looking for something to finish your statue, and I must have lost track of time playing..." His gaze fell to the instrument. "I don't remember learning to play, but I remember so many songs. I suppose I got distracted, but I finished cleaning. I meant to cook after I finished the statue, but uh..." His voice faded, and his gaze fell away. "I'm sorry."

He motioned at Mary for her to follow him as he left her bedroom. "I worked really hard on the craft today. It wasn't the piano--ah, keyboard. Look." He temporarily forget where he had placed the Virgin Mary, but when he remembered he led Mary to the dining room. On the floor, surrounded by small household items, was the statue he had made. He picked up a bottle of glue beside it, scratched at some glue that had fallen onto the floor, then looked up at her and smiled. "It is not finished. She needs a crown. But... I thought you would like it, since you have a statue in your room too, and... Well. I tried."

In the weeks since he'd been living here, Matteo had seemed to grow more confident in himself. He was apologizing still when he didn't need to, but he was doing it less. He stood straighter, and took on difficult tasks--like making a Virgin Mary completely out of household items--to challenge himself. He hoped Mary would like his work. He wanted to pay her back for everything. He knew she had been giving things up to support him.

Matteo cleared his throat. "Mary?" he said softly. "I was thinking... Well, I was looking online at things. I noticed some people are selling crafts like mine, and more. Do you think... If I made crafts for other people, do you think I could pay you back for everything? I want to try crochet, is that how it is called?" He was pronouncing it wrong. "With the needles, and the yarn, I could make things that way. And I can draw. I've been drawing, that comes easily to me. Would it be worth a shot?"

[Sparkz]

As Matteo jumped up, she smirked. "Hey, settle down there. It's just me. No need to apologize." She smiled at him kindly. 'You played beautifully. It's actually quite amazing." When he told her that he didn't remember where he learned how to do that, she smiled sadly at him. THat seemed to be a common thing for him. He doesn't remember things but his hands do. Must be muscle memory. She placed a hand on his arm. "You know. Your mind may not remember but your hands do." she smiled at him. "You must have practiced a lot you know."

As he apologized for being distracted, she shook her head. "It's okay that you were searching for supplies and then got distracted. No harm done. You work was done and that's all that matters. No need to apologize. You know how much I like your projects. Let's see what you made today. I would love to see this statue." She followed him to the dining room. She had noticed the 'mess' on the floor and figured that it was from Matteo's craft making so she didn't look to closely at it.

When Matteo showed her the statue, she gladly took it and smiled. It was actually a pretty impressive replica of the statue in her room. She knew immediately what it was. "Wow Matteo... this is AMazing!" she exclaimed. "You've really outdone yourself this time!" she gently kissed it. The Virgin Mary was her namesake and considered her to be her mother as well since her own mother and her didn't quite see eye to eye. She carefully held the statue and grinned at Matteo. He had really grown these past weeks. More confident and sure of himself. Granted, he still apologized needlessly. It was getting better. Mary assumed that it was just a nervous habit. A sign of years of abuse.

When Matteo asked if he could sell some of his items, she considered it. It wouldn't be a bad thing actually. He could help pay for things plus it could be a confident booster too.She would have to find a place to see his things. maybe online. Maybe at her job. She could talk to the manager. She smiled a bit. The church that she attends (sometimes, she's not exactly the best Catholic) hosts a bazaar. Maybe she could sell his things for him there. When he tried to say the word crochet, she smiled. "It's pronoused 'Crow-shay' and sure. I'm not opposed to having you see your creations. I cna help you with that. I won't take credit for your work. We can give you a pseudonym. That way your mother won't be able to find you."

[Ashen]

He beamed when Mary saw his statue. She was obviously pleased, and that made him very happy. Matteo nodded a little. He had worked really hard on the statue. "I was hoping you would like it," he said softly, smiling. "I tried to use materials you would not miss, and tried to get them all to come together as well. It was challenging, but I enjoyed it, and I am happy you have, too."

He listened to her talk about his creations, and selling them. He hesitated. "A pseudonym?" he repeated, cocking his head to the side. "A... fake name? But why?" He turned to the window instinctively, watched the clouds for a few moments. He hadn't seen his mother since that day, which seemed so long ago now. For all he knew, she had died, or been arrested, or something. He had been trying to keep her out of his mind, not liking the negative whirl of emotions that came with just thinking of her. Would it be possible for his mother to find him now?

His gaze fell from the window, and slowly it made its way back to Mary. "I like my name," he insisted. "Matteo Agnusdei. It rings off the tongue like a song." He still said it with the graceful Italian accent that had slowly been fading from his voice as he took on more American pronunciations. "If I use my birth name, perhaps..." His voice faded, and he looked away again. He was thinking that, perhaps, someone would recognize him, someone other than his mother or the scientist. Maybe he would somehow be reunited with a childhood friend. Did he have childhood friends? What good would that do now? It was a dumb idea, and so the angel boy shook it from his head.

Matteo cleared his throat. "I think I will be permitted to use my real name. If my mother does find me, she will be dealt with, and there will be no harm done. I would rather know she's dead than guess." He still hadn't dropped his sentiments about her, but knowing how Mary felt, he quickly dismissed the subject. "Would you like to get started on dinner?"

[Sparkz]

Mary was happy that Matteo took pride in this work. It was a good thing and his crafts were extremely good. Plus it kept him busy and happy. She was even happier when he seemed to show an interest in selling his items. THough she looked at him curiously as he looked out the window. It appeared as if he didn't like her suggestion of using a false name. Whatever he would decide, she would go with that. It was his work after all. He would have to be the one to decide.

She smiled as he said his name. He took pride in it and that was not a bad thing. Also, his Italian accent was something that sounded very musical. She nodded. "Alright. We will use your name." She gave him a curious look after his voice trailed off. THere was another readon from him to use his real name but he wouldn't say it. She would not pry. Matteo had long since earned the right to his own private thoughts. She would not pry unless she believed that she had to.

When he mentioned his mother, she gave him a stern look and Matteo knew well enough than to continue on with that train of thought. "We can get started, yes. SInce it's still a bit early, I was thinking of making a casserole. Does that sound good? That way we can have some leftovers and you'll have some lunches premade for you." she said with a smile. She grabbed her recipe book and flipped to the cassserole section, complete with pictures. She added those so that Matteo could pick out what he wanted since he stiill could not read very well. "Which one do you want today?"

[Ashen]

He was grateful to have his mind distracted now. Mary had made casserole before, and he had liked them. Making them took too long, but he was learning to not check on cooking food every few minutes. Matteo nodded and walked over to the recipe book, wiping his hands of all the glue and dirt from his earlier project. "Do we have chicken?" he asked, running his finger over the page. "I remember, we need to use chicken and that red sauce, right?"

They got started on dinner, and while the casserole was cooking Matteo and Mary could relax. The man went to go toy with the piano more, but his fingers soon began to hurt. He had to put it away, and instead resorted to watching some TV. He'd come to like history shows and cartoons, and was still learning how to get to anything else. He still felt bad that Mary had limited the amount of channels she had to be able to support him. She'd never explicitly stated as much, but he knew. He gave Mary a chance to relax a bit, and the program he was watching could keep him distracted long enough to take his mind off checking their dinner.

They were reunited again when the casserole was finished. Matteo took it out of the over and waved his hand over it. "It smells good!" he announced. "It looks delicious as well. It needs to cool." He prepared the table, getting a glass for each of them and asking Mary what she wanted to drink. After the drinks and places were prepared, he sat down at the table. "Ah, Mary," he murmured. "I really like cooking with you. It is very soothing, and it has been quite the learning experience for me. I do hope, no matter what happens, I can continue spending time with you. However." He looked up at her. "I have been here for some time now. I still worry I am burdening you. What do you hope to happen of your future?"

[Sparkz]

Mary smiled as he looked over the recipes. She nodded when he asked about the chicken and the red sauce. "Yeah, I have both of those. So you want that one?" She looked at the recipe and nodded. She noticed that Matteo seemed to like this one. It must have been one of his favorites. Not that she minded. It was a good casserole. Plus, Matteo enjoyed cooking it with her. He was getting better and better at navigating the kitchen. All in all, she was quite proud of him.

Once it was in the oven, MAry sat on the couch and listened to Matteo play with the keyboard before he joined her on the couch. She let him control the remote. She just closed her eyes for a bit and listened to whatever Matteo had picked. Every once in a while, she double checked the time to make sure that the casserole wouldn't over cook. She smiled at Matteo the longer the food cooked. She had noticed that he didn't get up to check the time. He could get impatient. He was simply eager to see what they had created.

As Matteo set the table, she requested water for her drink. She set the dish onto the table and smiled at him as he sat down. "It certainly does smell good. You're getting better and better at cooking I think." She started dishing out their respective servings as Matteo spoke. "I like cooking with you too. It's fun. You bring a nice energy to the kitchen and my apartment. I hope that we can continue spending time together too." she smiled and tried not to look too concerned as Matteo asked her about her future. "Matteo. You're not burdening me. We've fallen into a great routine now. I don't think of you as a burden. You're a friend. As for my future? I have no idea. I really like my job right now and I enjoy being single. There's no guy who have caught my eye. So for now, I think my future will consist of you, me, and our apartment."

[Ashen]

Matteo shrugged his shoulders at her compliment. He didn't feel that he deserved it, and he made that known in his tone and his body language. "You're the one who really made it." It was true that they had slipped into a routine, one he had gotten used to. But Matteo had to wonder about what had happened before he had come along. Just how much had she had to change? Even if Mary had told him multiple times now that he was not a burden, he couldn't believe it, and didn't think he ever would.

At the mention of a guy, Matteo raised his eyebrows. A guy...? he wondered, though he kept his thoughts to himself. He hadn't considered that Mary might want someone in her life, someone romantically, someone that was not him. Matteo looked away. What would happen when Mary found someone to be romantic with? What would happen to him? Would she not want him around anymore? He shifted. Another emotion came over him, one Matteo could not name. It puzzled him for a while. He stood, perplexed, for a long while, until Mary gently pulled him out of his reverie. He looked up, dazed, wondering what had just overcome him.

It was like an anger, though it was much duller than what he felt when he ran into his mother. He felt a longing, though for what? Whatever future man Mary would someday have, Matteo couldn't help but feel... envious? He couldn't place the emotion. Matteo tried to dismiss it, and he concentrated instead on his casserole. His wings were fluttering ever so slightly, a subtle habit. "My apologies," he murmured. "Ah, Mary, do you think... I mean, romance, is that... Never mind." It was something he'd never get the chance to experience that. it would be too much, what with his wings, his gaps in memory, his destroyed psyche. He cleared his throat. "I was thinking, today, I could try reading again. I don't know how successful I would be, but I am willing to try once more."

[Sparkz]

Mary looked at him a bit confused when his body language clearly said that he didn't think that he deserved her compliment. To Mary, she thought that he deserved all the compliments possible. She sighed when he insisted that she made. "But you gathered the ingredients and put them in the dish. I just told you what to do and helped a little. We both cooked it together." she insisted, trying to find some middle ground here. She just wanted Matteo to be happy and content with his life, wings or no wings.

To tell the truth, she didn't really mind the changes she had to make in order to support MAtteo. If anything, it showed her what unnecessary things she had in her life. Plus, if she had to cut cable or start buying less random and needless things to support her friend, then she would do it all again in a heartbeat. As she talked about her love life, or lack there of, she noticed something change in Matteo again that had shaken her from her thoughts. he raised an eyebrow before looking away. What could that mean?

As Matteo shifted, still lost in his own thoughts, she had had enough. "Matteo? What's wrong?" she asked softly, trying to bring him to the present. She sometimes wished that she could read his mind. "Matteo? What are you thinking about?" she asked. She saw his wings flutter, his habit. She cocked her head. Something was clearly bothering him. He then started to say something about romance but he had cut himself off before he finished that sentence. She gave him a curious look but let it slide this time. "Sure. We can try reading again. I think I still have that Dr. Seuss book around here somewhere." she said. "After we clean up dinner, okay?"

[Ashen]

He could hide nothing from her. Matteo looked up at Mary when she pressed on, but quickly looked away. He finished chewing what was in his mouth, swallowed, and contemplated. "I don't know what is wrong," he said finally. "I am feeling something I do not know the name for. I feel... negatively. What if... What if you find a man to take up most of your time? What if he is better than me and replaces me too easily? What if you dispose of me to further your future?"

He was rambling now, expressing his insecurities. He didn't know the name for it, didn't know how to explain it, but it was jealousy. Matteo didn't want to think of someone else having feelings for Mary. She was his, and maybe it had never meant to be that way, maybe it was just wishful thinking, but he had feelings for her. He didn't know what that meant, and certainly wasn't confident enough in his feelings to express them, so he kept quiet in his confusion. Mary was the only person he had befriended, that he cared about. It was logical he'd start to fall for her, but Matteo didn't understand this logic. He didn't understand anything anymore. It seemed as if he were back at square one.

He cleared his throat. "I'm sorry," he mumbled. "I am being selfish. You are free to do as you please. I need to get my own life figured out." He looked back to his casserole, but suddenly wasn't very hungry. "Dr. Seuss, yes, the one about fish." Matteo easily changed the subject, not knowing how to continue his train of thought. "One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish. Right? I like that one. I will wait for you. Please, don't mind me."

[Sparkz]

Mary waited patiently for Matteo to speak. She had learned this over the past few weeks. It sometimes took him a moment to collect his thoughts before speaking. Once he did speak, she nodded slowly. She almost found it sweet that Matteo was concerned about her future and whatever man came along. She however did not appreciate the fact that Matteo was so insecure about it. She reached out and held his hand.

"Matteo... sweetie. No matter who comes into our lives, you will always be my friend. I will never dispose of you. I will be here to take care of you. I could never give you up. Okay? Never think any different. But I think what you're feeling is jealousy. You have no need to worry about me ditching you. I would feel awful about it if I ever did."

As he cleasred his throat, she nodded. "It's okay. Honest. You're still adjusting." she continued eating as he talked about 'One fish Two fish'. "Okay. Go ahead and wait for me if you're down eating. I will take care of the leftovers." she said with a smile. She finished eating and covered the rest of the casserole and put it in the fridge. She rinsed the dishes before fishing out the book and sat next to Matteo again.

[Ashen]

Mary tried to assure him, but Matteo still didn't feel calmed about the matter. She told him he would always be her friend, but... Matteo turned away. Maybe... Maybe he didn't want to be friends. Maybe he wanted to make it more special than that, so that no other man would ever get a share of Mary. How selfish did that sound? He had to silence himself after that. There was no use in considering something so selfish, something that Mary obviously did not want.

He went to find the book they'd mentioned. Once he did, he looked it over a few times, trying to remember the different letters and the sounds they made. By this point he was starting to memorize some of the children's books Mary had. That was not a good thing; he wanted to read them, not recite them, but it was getting harder to do just that. This one he hadn't quite memorized yet. He knew the title, and so he ran his fingers over the letters that made it up. The F, the funny looking letter, it made the sound that started fish. He could remember that, but when it was used in any other word, he blanked. Even M, his own initial, he had trouble remembering sometimes. Matteo hoped, with this new concentration, he would not be able to think about the frustrating subject from before.

Eventually Mary, too, finished the casserole, and she joined Matteo in his pursuits of reading. He listened intently when she read to him, and tried his best when it was his turn. They passed much of their evening like that, reading two books. Soon it was time for bed, and they both got ready.

Little did they know, outside, a woman was wandering about again in search of her son. She lingered a few blocks away from Mary's house, struggling to remember where he'd flown to so long ago.

[Sparkz]

Mary watched him turn away. There was still more to this that what Matteo was sharing. For now, she would let it drop. Her friend's mental health was important to her and he did deserve to have his own private thoughts. But there was something about her being single or her possibly dating someone that seemed to trigger something in his mind. She would press for more information later.

Once they started reading together, Mary tried to be patient with him. She pointed to the words as she said them, hoping that he was slowly learning. She read the majority of the book, but she would let him try to read. She would sound out the words with him and praised him when he read a word. He was trying, she could not ask for anything more. She was proud of him, regardless.

Mary patted his hand when it was time for bed. "You did really good today, MAtteo. Thank you." she stood up and started to get ready for bed. She helped set up his sleeping area before turning in herself. Thoughts of his mother were far from her mind. Her main concern was trying to figure out what Matteo wanted from their friendship.

[Ashen]

Matteo himself didn't know what he wanted from their relationship, and at the end of the night, as he lay sleepless, he was haunted by thoughts of it. What did he want? He wanted Mary in his life, as a big part of his life. She already was, and until now he had been perfectly content with that. But when Mary had brought up the possibility of someone else in her life, everything had changed. He just couldn't understand why. It was another thing, among the so so many, that frustrated him to no end.

He didn't know when he had managed to get to sleep, but when he did he was plagued by nightmares and disrupted sleeping patterns. He woke up every hours, for a few minutes only, and when he slept he had nightmares about the scientist taking Mary from him and experimenting on her like he had to him. Eventually, he stopped trying to sleep, and stayed awake until Mary finally woke. When she did, she prepared for work, and left Matteo to his usual duties.

Except today, he was too tired to concentrate. Matteo slipped on his pants, pulled over a hoodie that he had cut wing holes into, and he set out. He was careful to avoid the busy streets and avenues. Mary didn't seem to like when other people saw him. He just wanted to go for a walk, try to clear his head, maybe tire himself enough so that he could sleep without waking up so much. It was a cloudy day, and as he was out it began to rain. Matteo didn't mind; he wondered if the dreary weather would help him to feel tired. He navigated through the empty roads, humming quietly to himself, until he heard something behind him that made him jump.

There were footsteps, which he heard before anything else. When he turned, he saw the woman he had been trying to forget for weeks now. She looked different; her burns were healing, her hair was growing back. She looked terribly injured, but far better than she had. The smile on her lips was entirely mirthless. "Matteo," she cooed. "Matteo, mio angelo." She moved to hug him, but Matteo forcefully shoved her away. She seemed hurt for only a second before continuing in Italian, telling him she would bring him back, and that they would finish tests, and she had been keeping up with the scientist, and didn't Matteo look so becoming now.

The angel boy wanted to hear none of it. "I will give you one chance to get away from me." His voice was low, harsher than any tone he ever used with Mary.

"Don't talk to me like that, love," she said softly. "You're confused. You sound so different, so grown. I love you so much."

"I warned you." Suddenly, Mary's warnings meant nothing. The next minute, Matteo was upon his mother, with full intentions to kill her.

Mere minutes later the two of them gone, the only indication they had been there at all the specs of scarlet washing away with the rain.

[Sparkz]

That night, Mary fell into a deep sleep. Normally her dreams had nothing to do with reality but tonight was different. With thoughts of Matteo and his sudden interest in relationships, her mind took that idea and went to town with it. She vividly dreamed of a time in some unknown future with herself and Matteo surrounded by a bunch of winged angel children all of them yelling 'mommy' or 'daddy' at the two of them. Matteo had his arms and wings around her in some form of hug. Once thing Mary knew about the dream was that her dream self seemed happy. She woke up before her alarm greatly confused.

As she went about her morning routine, she tried to forget about the odd dream and certainly didn't mention it to Matteo. She showered and got dressed before preparing breakfast for the two of them. She always enjoyed mornings with Matteo even thought she could sometimes be a bit of a grump. Before she left for work, she gave Matteo a list of things to do before waving goodbye and leaving for work.

Work was the usual. Designing tattoos and inking people. It was enjoyable and when she returned home, she was ready to see what Matteo had prepared for her today. "Matteo! I'm home! Man, am I glad to get out of this rain!" she declared as she shut and locked the door behind her. She looked around and saw that the apartment was dark. "Matteo?" she called out again, looking all over for her winged friend after turning on the light. She saw no sign of him. She turned and looked at where he put his sweatshirt and saw that it was gone. "Oh no..." she muttered before rushing out the door once again. "MATTEO!" she called out and began searching the streets for him.

[Ashen]

When he awoke, Matteo was surrounded by peeling walls and the smell of death. The carpet was stained in varying shades of brown and black, and nearby a dead mouse sat rotting. He was on a couch, or what might have, at one point, been a couch. It now had patches of fabric missing, cigarette stains, and a repulsive smell. He was in an apartment of sorts, or perhaps a house; he couldn't tell from the current room. He picked himself off of the couch and looked around. His head was throbbing, and as he pulled his hand away from it he saw specs of scarlet. Only slightly alarmed, he went to explore.

The room contained a door that opened into the outside. There was a window on either side, though both had wooden planks haphazardly attached to the window frame. The door was locked. The windows were too small for him to slip through. He went the other way, into another room that was littered with different vials and bottles. His eyes fell onto the syringes, dirtied and piled in a corner, and the flashbacks started. Syringe after syringe had gone into him, each seemingly more painful than the last. His body tensed up with the memories. Where was he? He was trapped again. Panic washed over his face, until, in a shaky voice, he called, "Hello?"

He was greeted by silence. Somewhere in the room, a small animal scurried away. He explored the rest of the place, but the smells and sights were making him nauseous. He was ready to start squeezing himself through the window when the door opened. His mother entered, a bag in her hands. "Mio Matteo!" she said excitedly. "I missed you!" Her left eye was swollen shut, and there was a gash on her cheek.

Matteo backed away. "Where are we?" he demanded. "You're not going to get your way. I will finish what I started."

But his mother just smiled. "The scientist says he'll be here soon. You have no reason to worry. We'll continue protecting you. Oh, God has made you into such a beautiful boy."

Matteo was not going back to the scientist. He flew towards his mother, but she was quick enough to close the door and step out of the way. He tried again, only to ram himself into a wall and give himself a worse headache.

His mother shook her head. "So much energy," she breathed. "That will do you good."

"I will kill you," he snarled. "I will, I swear on Jesus's life I--"

"Mary was her name, right?" she interrupted. "Your friend? Perhaps she would like to be here, too. She can see the beautiful process."

Matteo stilled. He wondered what Mary was doing, if she had noticed him missing by now. He shifted uncomfortably.

"I bought some snacks," his mother went on, dropping the bag at his feet. Inside was trail mix and bread. Never in his life had his mother bought bread, always claiming that doing so would be a grave sin against her Italian blood. "You be good," she said, and she left the house, making sure she locked the door behind her.

He was alone again, with a headache and nausea and a concern for a woman he didn't know how to reach. After some searching, he found his mother's cell phone in the bag she'd left. He fumbled with it, found that it was unlocked. He didn't know Mary's number, but he recalled something about yellow pages... A list of phone numbers, he thought. Would hers be on there? But he couldn't read. He looked over the keyboard, frustration and anger bubbling inside him. He didn't know what to do.

[Sparkz]

Mary was out most of the evening and into the night looking fro Matteo. The longer she looked, the more discouraged she felt. She was certain that Matteo would not have just run off without telling her. She did give him the freedom to leave the house during the day. He always came back to her apartment before she returned home. She paused. Maybe was was back home while she was out looking for him!

She turned back and headed home quickly. She rushed inside only to find it dark and everything was where she had left it. She shut the door behind her and prayed silently to God, Jesus, the Blessed Mother. To anyone in heaven who would listen to give her guidance on finding her friend. She started to cry. Matteo was gone. He would have told her if he was leaving permanently! Left a note or something! She searched and found nothing. She sat on the couch and sobbed. She had to find him but where?! How?!

Mary thought about contacting the police. She couldn't do that. He was a grown adult with wings and the mind of a child. She was on her own. Then she remembered something. What if his mother came back? What if his mother had found him and taken him away! Oh that was not good. She looked down at her phone. If only she had given him a phone! He would have been able to call her! She hadn't told him to memorize her phone number simply because it was written down by the house phone. Matteo could be hurt and there was nothing she could do. Matteo was gone.

[Ashen]

Matteo had no way of telling the time. He could tell it was dark outside by the little light that peered through the cracks of the boards in the window. Was Mary worried sick? Did she think he'd just left her? He felt terrible. All this time he'd been staring at the letters on the phone, praying something would come to him. Even if he did suddenly learn to read, what good would that do? What was Mary's surname? He could only remember, vaguely, her saying something like Al, Al... Algen? Alton? He couldn't remember. Oh curse his memory! Matteo threw the cell phone across the room. Frustrated tears poured from his eyes. Everything was going back to how things were.

A voice suddenly broke him from his thoughts. "I'm sorry, I didn't get that." Matteo looked up sharply. He stared at the phone he had thrown, at the dark blue screen. Text was on it. He'd seen this before, somewhere... Voice recognition, wasn't it? Matteo scrambled to reach for the phone again, and he held down the center button. A new screen came up, waiting for him to say something. A trial run, he said the first thing that came to mind: "What's the weather like?" The robotic voice took a moment to respond, but told him the weather in Indianapolis, a comfortable sixty-five degrees. A smile split the man's face. He had a way out.

He remembered Mary's address. With that, he got directions from his current location to her home. He was some forty miles away, and according to the traffic indicator, that would be just less than an hour if he drove. His next action was searching the Yellow Pages, which the computer in his hands did graciously. It pulled up a list of Marys in Indianapolis. Matteo deduced that it would be one that started with A--that was the right letter, wasn't it?--and began calling every one on the list. The phone was at ten percent battery when he finally got it right. He waited anxiously for Mary to answer her phone. As soon as the ringing stopped he started speaking, not even knowing if Mary had answered or her voicemail.

"Mary? It's me, it's Matteo, my mother, she's come to get me, I don't know where I am, but I'm forty miles north of you, north, no, no not north, I think it was east, the one along the right, towards the Atlantic, and I don't know what to do."

[Sparkz]

Mary was in a state of despair. She was racking her mind for any hope or idea that could help her find her friend. She needed a plan. A glimmer of hope or a hint or clue or something! She growled angrily. She was anger at herself. She should have given Matteo a phone or made him memorize her phone number. Something! He can't be dead. She had to maintain that hope.

Then her phone rang. She didn't notice it the first two rings. SHe didn't recognize the number but she prayed silently that it was Matteo. She answered and before she could even say hello, she heard his voice. She sighed out of relief and listened to what he had to say as tears of relief streamed down her face. He was ALIVE! Thank God!

"That's east. You said forty miles?" she clenched her fist. His mother dared kidnap her friend?! "Matteo, sweetie?" she said, trying to keep her voice calm. "Can you look outside?" she asked. "I want you to look for landmarks. Anything that might tell me where you are. Do you have an address of where you're at?" she asked. She grabbed her purse, car keys and jacket. She practically ran out the door and to her car, driving east. He was 40 miles east. But she needed more than that to find him.

"Are there other buildings around? A store or houses? Find something, Matteo. I need to find you so I can take you home with me where you belong. I need you to also copy down my number in case you get away okay? You need to be able to call me." she was driving now. She prayed once more, hoping that Matteo will be safe until she got there.

[Ashen]

Mary was on the line. Matteo couldn't remember the last time he had prayed, but he sent a silent thanks to whatever god was watching him. He then turned his attention back to the task at hand. "The outside, yes. It is blocked by boards, and they are nailed into place. Between the cracks, ah... There are buildings. Houses, I think, but they're big, like stores. No one is around. I... I don't know where... I..."

His voice trailed. He was getting frustrated again. Matteo tried to break off the boards from the windows, but they would not budge. The door would not open either, as if locked from the outside. There were no exits in the entire building, and he told Mary this while still on the phone. "I don't know what to do," he said, and he sounded as if he were on the verge of tears. "I... I hear someone driving by, I think. And beyond them, I think..." He paused to listen. "There's water," he said finally. "Not much. I don't think a normal human would hear it. Maybe a small river or creek. But I don't know if that can help, there are so many, and--oh, I think I hear her, I hear--ah!"

Matteo stumbled while making it away from the boarded windows and out of view. He looked around for some weapon to use but found nothing. "Mary, I think she's coming back, I think I'm going to have to kill her, I don't--huh?" When he looked down, he noticed the phone in his hands had run out of battery. Just how much had she heard? He tossed the phone aside and shifted awkwardly. He could only hope Mary would be able to find him.

[Sparkz]

Mary listened intently as Matteo spoke. She just needed a landmark to show that she was going in the right direction. 40 minutes could be any distance depending on the traffic and such. She nodded as he spoke of the boarded windows and the buildings across the street. That narrowed down the area a little bit. She thought for a moment before heading towards the direction, she prayed that he would be. The damn woman had made it impossible for Matteo to escape. It sounded like she truly was as deranged as Matteo described her.

As Matteo was describing his environment, she did her best to contain her rage. One of them had to be levelheaded but it was hard. EHr friend was kidnapped! Taken away from her! That was no okay! At the sound of his voice on the verge of tears, she shushed him gently. "It'll be alright, Matteo. I'm coming for you, sweetie. Just keep me informed okay? Memorize my number so you can call me."

She listen to him describe what he could hear. Water? Okay, she can definitely work with that. "Water, okay. I'm coming, Matteo! I'm coming. Stay strong!" she heard him freak out as his mother returned. All she hear was "I think I hear her-" then the line went dead. She looked at the screen and it said that the line was disconnected. She frowned. What happened?! She drove a little faster. She was going to be in the area within 30 minutes. The sooner the better.

[Ashen]

The sound of a lock being jostled was the only thing heard throughout the house. Matteo kept firm brown eyes trained on the door as it opened. Before he could even see who entered he picked up the dead phone and threw it, as hard as he could, at where his mother's head would be. He was startled to find that who he'd hit was not his mother at all. Matteo couldn't recognize the man that came in and instantly shielded his face. Blue eyes stared, confused, at Matteo, and instantly caught on his wings. "What?" the new man mouthed, but hardly any sound fell from his lips. Matteo, wary, backed away. So, his mother wasn't alone? Then what did that mean?

Finally, the new man spoke. "Who are you?" His voice was rough. He was of average height and build, with dirty hair brushed out of his face sloppily. He was holding a set of keys and a bag of sorts.

Matteo didn't remove his eyes from him. "Where is Margaret?"

"You know Margaret?" He set the bag on the floor, closed the door behind him. "No, are you Matteo?"

Matteo didn't answer him. "Who are you?"

"I work with your mom--she's your mom?--and my father. I'm studying the aviation of birds right now, but I hope to move onto bigger subjects soon. We've been using this place because, well, it's the only one we can afford since our lab got blown up. It was my dad's lab, really. He's still out there trying to salvage some work, they say, but it's been... Were you the one who... Why are you here?"

"I will not be contained here." Matteo looked around for some kind of weapon with which to defend himself. "I have a friend coming soon, and she will rescue me, and I will be done with you people."

"A friend? Do you need to call her?"

Matteo was taken aback by the kind offer. He watched with wide eyes as the man pulled out a cell phone and handed it to him. He briefly looked at the man's eyes before swiping the phone and staring at the dial pad. He got as far as the area code before he stopped, stumped.

"Didn't memorize her number? That's alright. What's her name?"

He hesitated before telling him. In a few short seconds the man had a page open on Mary. Her number was in blue. "Did you want to call her?"

Matteo swiped the phone, waited for it to start ringing. "Why are you helping me?" he asked.

He shrugged. "Maybe if I'm kind you'll let me study you."

"You won't study me." The phone started ringing, and Matteo pressed it to his ear. "Mary?"

The man went to deposit the contents of his bag elsewhere in the house. "You want her to know where we are?" he asked. "You can share your location, it should be one of those buttons with... here, let me try." He took the phone again and shared its location with Mary's before giving it back to Matteo.

The angel boy, confused but not willing to question, spoke again. "Mary? I, ah, it was not my mother. He is helping me... Do come quickly, I beg of you."

[Sparkz]

Mary was speeding the way. Matteo had been cut off. He could be in danger and she would not get there in time! It was just impossible. She was worried. Matteo was going to be hurt and she was going to be too late! She growled to herself. She was helpless to help him! She wanted to scream out of frustration.

Then her phone rang. She didn't recognize the number. She prayed silently that it was Matteo. She picked it up. "Matteo?" she asked. "Oh Matteo, are you okay?" she asked frantically. She heard another voice and she panicked. "Matteo? Are you hurt?" she then got his location and she sighed in relief. Good. She knew where he was at. "I'm coming sweetie. Stay safe." She hung up and looked up the address.

Mary arrived 25 minutes later. 10 minutes before she should have arrived. She ran out of the car before practically knocking down the front door of the house. "MATTEO?!" She called out. As soon as she saw him, she ran up to him and hugged him tightly. "Oh, you're alright!" she pulled away slightly. "You're coming home with me, now."

[Ashen]

The young man and Matteo both looked up at the sound of Mary's voice. Matteo ran to the door, but the other man opened it for her. He watched the interaction between the two. After they were done with their hug, the man bowed a bit. "Hello. I assume you are Matteo's friend? Please, I am Stephen McDowell." He offered a hand to Mary, though he didn't expect her to take it. "I work with Matteo's mother. I am sorry you had the misfortune of meeting under these circumstances."

Matteo still did not trust this man. "Mary," he said with urgency. "Please, we need to get out of here. I don't know what she is planning, but--"

Stephen interrupted. "She intends to take you back and work with my dad to finish what they started with you. They wish to perfect your wings, your eyesight, and your computational ability. Furthermore, they were going to attempt to restore some of your memories, though the success rates of this are near zero. Since their research was destroyed, Dad had to start from scratch, of course, and so Margaret has been working out of this very establishment, illegally, and I've been with her, letting Dad cool off over in Chicago, until she sends the word that you're back--though I guess you are now, and--"

It was Matteo who now cut in. "I do not understand." He moved towards Mary, searched her face for answers. He then turned back to the other man. "What is Chicago? Is that your father's home? Who is he?"

Stephen chuckled. "Chicago, ah, they did say you were an amnesiac. Still, it's hard to imagine you'd forget the city in which you were born and raised. My dad's the scientist assigned to your case. You remember him, don't you?"

Rage washed over Matteo then. "The scientist," he repeated. "I... I want to... to kill him..." His wings flapped angrily behind him, causing various things on the floor to fly around. "Let me kill him."

Stephen cleared his throat. "I wouldn't advise that."

Matteo's wings calmed down. "I want to go home."

[Sparkz]

Mary looked at the stranger next to Matteo. She wanted to punch him in the face for keeping her friend here against his will. She ignored the offered hand. She wasn't about to play nice with this asshole. "You work with his mother? Than you must be a piece of work too, asshole. Hurting an innocent child!" she stood in between Matteo and Stephan as if to protect her friend.

She agreed with Matteo. They did need to get out of her. She was not at all too happy when Stephan interrupted him. She growled and let the two of them speak. "Well, if you hadn't taken away his memories in the first place, we wouldn't be in this situation! If you hadn't messed with God's holy creation because his own mother is batshit crazy, he would want to kill your father! YOU FUCKED HIM UP! Mentally and physically! You destroyed his ability to learn properly! and no one is going to do anymore experiments on him! Not on my watch! You want him? You got through me!"

She turned to Matteo and grabbed his hand. "Sweetie. We're going home. You're not going to Chicago. You're not going to see these assholes ever again. We're going home and we will cook a nice meal together and we can make some crafts together. You like doing that." she pulled him towards the door. "Most importantly, you'll be safe with me."

[Ashen]

Both men watched Mary's outburst with different expressions. Matteo looked on with pride and gratitude, while Stephen wore a face of confusion. The latter cleared his throat. "Ah, ma'am, I think you misunderstand." Matteo didn't want to hear it. He tugged on Mary's hand, a plea to leave. As he started walking, the young scientist spoke again. "Run now and she'll go looking for you again. She'll know just where to look. I know Margaret, and she is no longer your mother. She is something else, a horribly twisted human being, and I know she will stop at nothing to get to you. I will not harm you. Listen to me. You cannot ignore this issue."

Matteo paused and looked to Mary. He then turned to Stephen. "Anyone who works with her is a horribly twisted human being as well. If you can call yourself a human."

Stephen sighed. "Matteo, how old are you?"

Taken back by the randomness of the question, Matteo only replied, "Pardon?"

"You're twenty, aren't you? I'm nineteen. I'm younger than you. I was thirteen when my dad took up your mom's assignment. I was a kid. Just like you. I didn't know what my dad was working on until you destroyed him. He didn't care about the morals, he only wanted to be successful, and when he finally was, you destroyed his research. I became a scientist because I admire my dad. I have no interest in you. I have interest in my dad regaining his sanity. Trust me when I say I don't want to hurt you." He looked straight to Mary as he said as much. "Now listen to me. Maybe you can end this once and for all. Get my dad back, remove Margaret from the equation, be freed yourselves."

Matteo was conflicted. He wanted his mother ended, but he didn't know if he could trust this son of his abuser. "Mary, my head hurts," he mumbled. "I want to go home."

Stephen shrugged. "Please, do go home. You'll be back here, I'm sure. I'm here to help you. I love my dad, but I am not on your side. I'm sorry for what they did to you. But I still need to save my father. Listen, you should go before she gets back. She'll be back in about ten minutes, so if you rush she won't see you now. You can face this another time."

[Sparkz]

Mary felt Matteo's tug of her hand and she was happy to oblige his plea. She wanted to leave as well. She turned and started to walk out the door when Stephen started to talk. She knew that he was right. Margaret did know the area where they lived. It would be a simple matter of just hunting either one of them down until she found the right place. She looked at Matteo before smirking as he called Stephen a twisted human being. She was inclined to agree with him. Anyone who would willing support what tortures had been done to Matteo had to be twisted.

As Stephen asked MAtteo his age, Mary blinked. Matteo seemed to be just as surprised as she was. She was even more surprised to hear that he was close to their ages. "What your father needs is to be inside of a jail cell! His mother needs to be sent away to the looney bin! You have to be crazy yourself to associate yourself with them or even to let them wander free!"

She looked at Matteo. She was obviously concerned when he mentioned his head. "Of course, Matteo. We'll go home right now." she glared at Stephen. "We better not see you or his mother anytime soon. I'm not sure if I can prevent him from calling the whole lot of you!" she squeezed his hand. "Let's go, sweetie." she pulled Matteo out of the house and towards her car. She completely forgot that Matteo had called her from Stephen's phone. She was too angry right now to care. All she wanted was to go home with her friend.

[Ashen]

Matteo was so glad to be finally leaving that dreaded place. He climbed into Mary's car and pulled his legs to his chest. His head rested on his knees, gently throbbing. He sighed. "I never want to see them again," he said quietly. "I want to go home, and I want... I want..." His voice only faded. Pretty soon his legs fell away. Slumped in the passenger seat, the man snored softly, exhausted from his day.

When Margaret returned, she was upon Stephen in seconds. "Where is my boy?" she demanded, a new fierceness in her eyes. "You let him go? How dare you let him go! I could kill you for this, I could." She was furious, and she intended to get her son back.

Matteo opened his eyes a while later. He was in familiar territory. He looked over to the driver and smiled. "Mary?" he said softly. "Was... was that a dream?" It couldn't have been, and he knew it. They were driving home from that wretched place now. "We're almost home. Thank God, we're almost away. I... I'm sorry." He sat up, rubbed at the cramp in his neck. He turned around, as if expecting his mother to be following them. "I hate her," he said solemnly. "She... She needs to die. I hate her." He shook his head. "Will we be safe? I'm... I'm scared."

[Sparkz]

Mary looked over at him as he curled up in her front seat. She stroked his hair briefly in order to calm him before driving him home. "You'll be home shortly, sweetie. I promise. You'll be safe ... And I'll protect you." She heard him move and she glance over to see him sleep. She smiled to herself. "Get some sleep. You had a long day."

When they were 5 minutes from home, Matteo stirred and she glanced over at him. She smiled as he said her name. "I wish that it was a dream. But you're safe now. That's right. We're almost home, Matteo." She squeezed his hand as he looked behind them. She had been checking behind her the whole trip. "We are safe. Okay? I'll keep you safe. No one needs to die. I'll call the cops and get we arrested. She's sick." She pulled up to her apartment and quickly rushed Matteo inside and shut the door. She then just hugged him tightly. "I'm so glad that you're safe."

[Ashen]

They were able to get back to Mary's house safely. Matteo was glad to be back. The trauma of the day swirled in his mind, and he had to try hard to concentrate on anything else. His mother was now linked to a new man, this Stephen, who was just a child. Matteo didn't think Stephen had anything against him, but he could understand the boy's feelings for his father. Matteo had had a father once, one who had died when he was just fourteen. He imagined he must have been close to him, but he, too, was just a lost memory now. He didn't know what to do with this new information, but he wished he could erase it all.

Matteo took a shower, cleansing himself from whatever might have stuck to him from the house of his mother. After he was in fresh clothes, he crawled onto Mary's bed intending only to nap. He knocked out in seconds, and slept clear through the night. Not once did his mother or the scientist's son ever come by them. Maybe, hopefully, they were gone after all.

Life returned to normal after that. Matteo prompted Mary to call the police, using only the phone numbers now saved on Mary's phone, but there was little the authorities could do. Matteo did not want to tell them about the past six years, and so they had little to go on. Matteo decided the best course of action was to ignore it all and go back to normal.

Mary was coming back from work, and once again she would return to a house cleaned and dinner cooked. Matteo had started making crafts again, and had found a flea market in the paper where he could sell them. The flea market was that weekend, and Matteo was looking forward to selling his work. He'd worked on several different things to sell, hoping to contribute financially in any way. His mother and the scientists were far from his mind; it had been two weeks now since that incident.

Now, Matteo looked around at the house. He'd finished his chores, his hands were sore from his craft-making, and a roast was sitting on the table, waiting. He sighed, satisfied, and turned around at the sound of the door being opened. "Mary?" he called. "I've made dinner for you. You'll love my most recent craft, look!"

[Sparkz]

Mary watched Matteo wander into the bathroom and she soon heard sounds of a shower going. She was worried about her friend. He went through a lot today. More than any normal person should in fact. It seemed as if Matteo where in the bathroom for a long time before he got out and practically collapsed into her bed. She smiled a bit and tucked him in as he fell asleep. She brushed his hair out of his face. "You'll be okay, Matteo. I promise you that..." she murmured before going about her nightly routine.

As life continued, Mary worried about Matteo. They told the police what had happened but Matteo did not want to go into complete and full detail so the police could not do much. It frustrated her but she kept that to herself. Matteo needed to see a happy and friendly face. Their life returned to normal once again as they both ignored the issue.

Mary enjoyed Matteo's excitement concerning his projects. When he heard about the flea market, he was ecstatic. She couldn't help but to smile and helped him prepare his wares. His craft has improved and now that he had planned on selling it, she knew that his guilt regarding himself being a burden would certainly decrease. She was always excited to return home to see what he had accomplished.

That day, she returned to a grinning Matteo with food on the table and the house clean. She smiled at him. "Hey, Matteo. I can smell dinner! You made it all by yourself? I'm so proud of you." she hung up her coat and walked toward him. "Let me see your craft. I bet it's wonderful." she said.

[Ashen]

He beamed at her praise, and motioned to their meal when they walked past it. "You taught me the recipe last week, or was it the week before...? Well, I remembered it, and I don't think I forgot anything because I kept tasting it while I was preparing it, and it tasted great to me. I may have spilled a bit more salt than I wanted, but I don't think it takes away too much! Oh, you'll see."

He continued walking past the kitchen, to Mary's bedroom, where his crafts had gathered. He kept most of them in a box that he was to take to the flea market, filled with all sorts of things he intended to sell. His newest work was on a side table beside the box. "I used the clay that was left over from my figurine the other day. Look." He picked up two small figures. From the hooks in them it was clear they were earrings. They were in the shape of colorful music notes surrounding a treble clef. The two were identical, and the perfect size. "I got the idea from looking through a magazine, there was a woman with these, er, earrings? And she had moons on them, so I decided to make ones with music. How are they? Are they too small?"

He poured them into Mary's hands and walked back to his box. It was overflowing now, filled with statues and mugs and paper weights and flowerpots. He'd even gotten into crocheting lately, and had a small collection of plushes as well. Matteo was doing very well creatively. They had, for the most part, given up on his reading, but he had figured out how to look for videos on different crafting sites, and kept a paper on him at all times with Mary's name, address, and phone number. It was all he needed. With the negative people gone from his life, and with his best friend, he was happy, and he was safe. For now.

[Sparkz]

Mary smiled at the food as they walked past it. It truly did smell and look wonderful. She trusted that Matteo had done his best. She smiled even wider when he explained that she had taught him the recipe. That meant that he had remembered it and was able to recreate it. Matteo had a gift, there was no denying that. She patted his arm. "I'm sure that it is perfect, Matteo. I'm just proud of you. You made this meal all by yourself! You remembered it all! Now that is amazing."

As they walked into her bedroom, she looked around to see what his new craft was. He had been working diligently on his various projects. After showing him youtube, he picked it up immediately and looked up various projects. Granted, he still couldn't read but he at least could match letters. Regardless, she was happy for him and the fact that he found something that he enjoyed.

When he finally held up his project, she gasped. She gently took them into her hands and smiled. "Oh Matteo... they're wonderful..." She took out one of her pairs of earrings and sent them inside of her jewelry box before carefully putting on Matteo's creation. She looked in her mirror and smiled. "They're perfect! Thank you." she walked over to him and hugged him tightly. "I love them." she pulled away and squeezed his hands. "Shall we eat now? We wouldn't want the food to get cold." she was content once again. Matteo was safe. They had taken precautions to make sure that he could reach her should he be separated again. She hugged him again. He was her dearest and closest friend.

[Ashen]

Matteo was glad to see Mary loved his creation so much. He beamed again, his smile really bringing out his faint dimples. He turned away, suddenly bashful. "Thank you," he murmured. "Yes, we should eat. I just took it out, before you came in, so it shouldn't get cold soon, I don't think."

They walked back to the kitchen. Matteo took the roast and cut Mary and himself a portion. He placed the two plates on the table, poured a couple of drinks, and sat down across from her. "How is it?" he pressed, even though she had yet to take a bite. "Not too salty?" He waited for her to try it before biting into it himself. He liked it, liked the added salt, but tasted the lack of other ingredients. The two then continued with their meal, talking about their days and current events and the flea market coming up.

Midway through dinner Matteo paused and turned away, suddenly embarrassed. Something had been on his mind for a little while, though he did not know how to bring it up. "Um," he started, like he usually did when he didn't know how to word something. "I was watching a video, on YouTube. I was watching a lot of videos. It started out with crochet things, then moved onto other things, and next thing I knew I was watching videos about... people. It was in Italian, and I understood it, and maybe it was a commercial, though I don't remember what it was for, or even if they said what it was for, but it was about a man, and a woman, and their lives together--it was short, but it was long enough, I think--and it showed them loving each other and having a wedding and then having children and growing old and doing things together and..." Matteo paused, tried to plan his words. "The voice was talking about, about... vivire il momento, yes? Living in the moment? And I think it was talking about making he most out of everyday things, and... I don't know what I'm saying anymore."

Matteo took a moment to compose himself, then started again. "When I saw the two people, and their kids and their dog--oh, they had a dog--I just thought, well, that it would be nice to have that for myself, and I thought about you, and how I would love to have you, like, as my, my life partner, my... I don't know. I cannot imagine living without you now, but I don't want you to like, spend time with me and not spend time with someone you'd like more, you know? Because I'm... I don't know." He rubbed at his eyes, hard. "I'm crazy," he said with an awkward laugh. "The commercial was about amore, and I think that's how I feel with you."

[Sparkz]

Mary smiled at Matteo as he served both her and himself. She chuckled when he already asked hot it was right before she took a bite. "Sweetie, let me taste it first." she said before finally taking a bite. She nodded, quite satisfied. For his first time cooking something all by himself, it was not bad. It was actually pretty good. It needed a bit more seasoning but that could be remedied. "It's wonderful, Matteo. You did an excellent job. The extra salt is good. Maybe next time, you could start to experiment with different spices and see how it works out." She suggested with a smile.

As they spoke, Mary continued eating, enjoying this time with her friend. She always appreciated moments like this. They never ran out of things to talk about. When they did stop talking, it was a comfortable silence. She was just about to serve herself a second helping of the roast when Matteo started speaking. She glanced up at him before setting her second portion of the roast on her plate. She knew that Matteo was going to have difficulty speaking, so she stopped what she was doing and listened with her full attention.

She didn't exactly expect what he had to say. He rambled on about some ad he saw about a couple. She seemed confused. Did Matteo have feelings for her? Romantic ones? Then he mentioned how he would like for her to be his life partner. She blinked a couple of times stunned. Her features softened when he called himself crazy. "Oh Matteo, you're not crazy. You're special." she knew enough Italian to know what amore meant. She didn't know how to tell him that she didn't feel the same way.

"Honey... you're my friend and that will never change." she said, looking into his eyes. "But I don't feel... amore for you. Not like a husband and a wife should feel for each other." she reached across the table to squeeze his hand. "That being said... I can't imagine living without you either." she offered him a smile, hoping that he would take her rejection well enough.

[Ashen]

Matteo watched Mary attentively, hanging on every word. He didn't even know what he had been hoping for until Mary didn't give it to him. She didn't feel how he did. He turned away, shrugged his shoulders a bit. His wings drooped the slightest bit. "That's okay," he said softly. His voice was light, too friendly to show his negative emotions. "I want you to be happy." He turned down to his food, but suddenly he wasn't very hungry. "I'll be excused now. I have to take care of some things."

He took his plate to the sink and sorted the leftovers away. Once finished, he left the room without another word. Matteo went into the bathroom and started a bath for himself. He needed some time by himself, he thought, and he didn't want to be anywhere Mary might intrude on his personal space.

He didn't understand. It shouldn't have been so impactful, what Mary had said, but it was. He was disappointed that she didn't feel the same--but why? Above all else, Matteo wanted Mary to be happy. Anything else came after that.

His bath turned out to be longer than anticipated. When he got out, Matteo quickly got dressed and left the bathroom. He paused in the doorway, wondering what he could do now. His chores, his crafts; everything was already done, and nothing seemed worth doing. Maybe, he thought, it was time for bed.

Forty minutes away, trouble was brewing once more.

[Sparkz]

Mary watched his reaction and frowned a bit when she saw his wings droop. She nodded as he excused himself and cleaned his dishes. She remained silent as he walked to the bathroom and shut the door. She couldn't help but get the feeling that Matteo truly wasn't happy with her words. She finished eating anyways and took care of the rest of the food. She would MAtteo his space for he seemed like he needed it.

Mary occupied herself with scrolling through facebook and such. She was surprised at the amount of time that her friend had taken up in the bathroom. She wanted to ask what was wrong but the truth of the matter was that it was probably her fault. She just didn't feel any romantic feelings for Matteo. She enjoyed their friendship tremendously. If it wasn't for that, she would not had let Matteo stay with her for so long.

Once he got out of the bathroom, she smiled at him. "Are you tired Matteo?" she asked as she stood up. She walked into her bedroom and grabbed her pjs. "You can go to bed early if you desire." she said. She patted his arm when she walked by him. "Have a good night, friend."

THeir problems seemed to have disappeared. Mary had all but forgotten about the danger that they could still be in.

[Ashen]

He didn't address her when she spoke to him, not to be rude, but because he didn't think to. He heard her words but it didn't occur to him to respond. What else could be said? Matteo plopped down on the couch and stared up at the ceiling. If he was lucky he'd get tired soon, maybe sleep for a decent enough amount of time. For now, all he could do was lay there and reflect.

Matteo was more reserved from that point. It was a subconscious change, one he hardly noticed. He was shorted with Mary, less talkative and more consumed by his craft-making. By the time the flea market rolled around, Matteo had more than enough to sell. He insisted on independence, so he set up the table by himself. Mary had helped with prices, of course, and she'd driven him to the place where the flea market was hosted. Past that, Matteo told her to go look around for something she liked while he got set up.

Alone, Matteo set things up how he wanted. He put the jewelry pieces in the front, displayed his plushes and other crocheted items just behind those, and his sculptures in the back. In a short time he was all set up. A woman walked past and commented on his costume. Matteo could only smile and nod; to these lucky people, his form could only be a costume.

By the time Mary would return Matteo would have already made a few sales. He stored the dollar bills in his back pocket, excited to show Mary. When he spotted her, he waved the dollars in the air. "Look!" he announced. "It's real! I made this!"

Back at home, a Margaret Agnusdei was trying to work her way into Mary's house in search of her son.

[Sparkz]

Mary noticed that he seemed different around her. He ddn't out right avoid her but it was close to it. She left him alone. She figured that he was just processing the fact that she did not feel the same way about him as he did her. Mary had elected to let it run its course and hopefully things would return to normal soon. Frankly, MAry hoped that selling his crafts would raise his spirits.

Once everything was set up, Mary allowed Matteo to convince her to go explore the other booths and let him sell his wares by himself. As she walked around, she saw many impressive things. She was a bit biased towards Matteo, but she believed that Matteo had more raw talent than some of the other craftspeople.

After purchasing a handmade rosary, she returned to Matteo with a grin as he waved his money in the air. She laughed and patted his shoulder. "I'm so proud of you! Look at you go! You have your own business!" She hugged him. "Good job!" Her phone then buzzed. Shortly after the incident, she installed a home security system and installed an app on her phone that would allow her to know when someone was trying to break in. She gasped. "Oh no... someone is trying to get in to our home!" she pulled up the feed from the security camera above the door. She showed it to Matteo. "Do you know who this is?"

[Ashen]

Matteo beamed when Mary came back. He was proud of his sales, and from the look on her face, he could tell Mary was too. As she looked down at her phone, an elderly woman walked up to his wares. "What pretty trinkets!" she exclaimed. "And what a nice-looking young man. You made these? Oh, can I see the deer?" Matteo followed the woman's gaze to one of his sculptures. He handed it to her, talked about how he made it. In only a few moments the woman was walking away with it. It was the most expensive sculpture Matteo had brought, and he looked over the greens in his hands proudly. "Mary!" he sang, moving to show her. "look at that!"

But Mary's face was no longer one of happiness. She was looking down at her phone. She showed it to him, and Matteo stared at the camera carefully. Someone in black was poking around the front windows. "No," came his immediate response, but the more he looked at it, the more he thought. "You don't think it could be..." His voice faded as anger caused his blood to boil. "No," he said again, more conviction in his voice. "She is not here. She is not coming for me. She will die."

Matteo's wings started flapping, as if he was preparing to fly home and personally beat the woman at his door. It seemed the entire flea market was now looking at him. He noticed and calmed himself, offered an apologetic look to a few people. He looked back to Mary. "What do we do?" he asked. "Do we... Do we have to go?" He looked back at his wares. Not even half of his inventory had been sold, but he'd definitely made more than he'd anticipated, even from the deer sculpture alone. He did not want to leave, but he wanted to protect his home.

[Sparkz]

Mary paid no mind to the older woman and Matteo as they spoke. She was too absorbed in her phone and what she was seeing. When Matteo spoke to her, excited about his sale, she looked up at him, obviously distracted. She was certainly not happy at the moment and she just hated to ruin Matteo's moment of happiness but this was important. She watched him as he watched the feed.

When he said that he didn't recognize the person, she sighed in relief. All the better. But then Matteo changed his mind and she realized who it could be based off Matteo's reaction. "Oh no..." she murmured. She tried to lay her hand on his arm to calm him down. "No one has to die... Matteo calm down!" she exclaimed as he started to flap his wings and making a scene. She glanced around at the onlookers. She truly didn't want to go. Matteo was doing so well and he was happy.

"We're not leaving. You have to finish selling your things. You're doing such a good job here." she squeezed his arm. "I'm calling the police. I don't know how they found our home but she will not break in." she called 9-1-1 and spoke with the operator and explained the situation. Or rather, she gave him her address and said that someone was trying break in.

[Ashen]

Matteo was glad to be staying, but his body was seething with anger. He couldn't concentrate anymore. His mother was at their door, and he was away, unable to reach her, to destroy her. What was she seeking him for? What did she want? Why wouldn't she leave him alone? He turned to his crafts, at the pieces he had yet to sell. She wasn't important right now. Mary was calling for help, and the police would hopefully do a better job stopping his mother this time. He needed to think of other things or he'd explode.

Despite his efforts, Matteo could not think of anything but his mother. If Mary had not been there to help him, he would have sold most of his crafts for less than what they were. A walk around the market did little to clear his head, but he tried anyway. They'd heard nothing from the cops yet, and Matteo was getting more and more upset. He could not handle this anymore, and so he finally went to Mary. "We need to go home," he said. He started packing his things away, long before the flea market was over. "I'm sorry."

Back at Mary's, Matteo's mother had fled from the scene when she heard the sirens coming. They must not have been home, she decided. She'd wait. So Margaret started wandering around the area, memorizing the area, wondering where her son could have gone. There were droplets of blood on her fingertips, the blood of her coworker's son. While walking, she pulled out her phone and made a phone call. "I will be bringing him back tonight. Will you be there? We need to finish his procedure."

[Sparkz]

Mary did her best to try and calm Matteo down in order to get him to enjoy the flea market once again. Unfortunately the threat of his mother weighed heavily on their minds. Despite the walk that Matteo took and the success of his wares, it seemed as if her friend could no longer handle the stress as he started to pack up his things. She patted his shoulder. "It's okay Matteo. I'm sorry that this happened." She helped him pack up his stuff and together they left their booth and walked to the car.

Mary had hoped that the police would have gotten to her but no news meant nothing. She sighed and together they drove in silence back home. Once they arrived, the police was waiting for them. Mary motioned for Matteo to wait in the car while she spoke to the officer in charge. After a brief conversation with him and showing him the video from her camera of his mother and her flight from the scene, Mary nodded and thanked the officers for their time and watched them get into their cars and drive away.

She walked back to Matteo and opened the car door for him to get out. "THey found nothing but they will be searching for your mother. I'm sorry that they didn't catch her this time." she took the box of his wares from him and walked inside her home before shutting and locking the door behind them. She doubled checked all of the locks of the doors and windows before nodding, satisfied. "Well, she didn't get in. That's a good thing." she told him as she turned towards him. "Are you okay, Matteo?" she asked softly. "Do you want to do anything to keep your mind off of all this?"

[Ashen]

Of course the police had come up empty-handed. Matteo knew enough by now to not except the cops to ever help him. He knew what Mary was going to say even before she walked back to the car. He could tell from their faces that this investigation was dead.

Back inside, Matteo looked around warily, as if his mother would be lurking at each corner. "A distraction," he said to Mary after some hesitation. "Ah, yes, I think that would be beneficial. Can we... play cards?" He didn't know many games, but the few he and Mary had looked up together were fun, and hopefully enough to keep his mind entertained and off the idea of that wench.

A couple hours passed. Matteo was enjoying his game with Mary, but he was also aware of the unshakable feeling of being watched. He was growing bored of this game, and a new sleepiness was overtaking him. "I think I will go to sleep," he announced. It was getting late anyway, and he wasn't very hungry. "Good night, Mary."

That night, when both Matteo and Mary were asleep, soft footsteps crept their way around the house. Matteo was still on the couch. It was completely silent, until suddenly a large crash startled him out of sleep. Matteo jolted awake. Before he could recognize any of the stimuli around him a cloth was being pressed to his nose and mouth. He tried to scream but his voice was muffled. He swung his arm at his attacker, but she was strong, the strong and delusional woman who'd raised him. Rage filled his being then as he fought her. He was growing drowsy then, but he managed to break from her grasp. He ran from her, from the shattered window, and into the kitchen. There he grabbed the largest knife Mary owned, and he aimed it at his mother. "We are not going to do this again," he snarled. His head was starting to droop. "Leave me alone. I'll kill you here and now."

[Sparkz]

Playing cards was certainly a good distraction for Mary. Matteo was a fast learner and when she taught him a game, he quickly got the hang of it and he beat her almost as often as she beat him. The games were fun and enjoyable but it seemed that Matteo kept looking around even if there was no one around. When he announced that he was going to bed, she simply nodded. "Alright... good night, Matteo." she put away the cards and made herself a sandwich before going to bed herself.

Mary was fast asleep but with the crash of the broken window, she jolted away. She rubbed her eyes and looked around, trying to hear any followup sounds to the crash. When she heard the sounds of a struggle, she lept out of bed and raced into the living room where she saw Matteo holding a very large knife and his delusional mother across from him. "MATTEO! NO!" She yelled and was immediately at his side with her hand on his arm.

She then glared at the woman, standing between her and Matteo. "You dare break into our home and threaten us here?! You crazy bitch! He wants nothing to do with you! Get away from us before I call the police!" She truly hated this woman. After all she forced Matteo through and she still wanted to take even more away from him, it was disgusting.

[Ashen]

Matteo hardly looked up when Mary entered the room. He was too concentrated on his mother, on the sweet image of his knife through her cold heart. He only looked up when Mary's fingers wrapped around his arms. He forcefully shoved away from her. "No," he said, voice too calm. "No, let me do this."

Margaret laughed a bitter laugh. "Call the police, then," she taunted. "You dare to take my son from me, and hold him here? Call them. But mio angelo is coming with me."

Matteo's mother moved towards her son, and Matteo did not dare to step away. He shoved Mary aside, not wanting her to get hurt. "You need to stay out of this," he said under his breath. "She wants me, not you. It is my battle to finish."

Suddenly he jolted towards her, knife raised, ready to strike. Just before the blade made contact, however, Matteo stopped himself. It was as if time stood still, and yet his thoughts roared in a maelstrom of emotions. Mary must have yelled at him to stop, again. He knew she wanted what was best for him, but he also knew he wanted this woman dead. He didn't trust the police to deal with her. He wanted her life to leave her by his hand.

But Mary... Matteo glanced over at her, at the woman he still loved, at his only friend. He did not want to subject her to witnessing a murder, not like this. Everything they talked about whizzed through his mind, taunting. He couldn't do this. He couldn't hurt her like that. He couldn't...

Time seemed to return to normal. Matteo brought his knife down, and he sliced away in a downwards swipe. Specs of blood fell to the floor. Margaret recoiled, a new pain in her eyes. Matteo threw down the knife and looked up at his mother, not clutching where he'd cut her. He'd aimed for the chest, a painful cut surely, but this one not fatal. "Call the police," he muttered to Mary. Then, to his mother, he spat, "You are not worth my time."

[Sparkz]

Mary staggered back as Matteo shoved her. She blinked at him before glaring at his mother. "I'm not holding him here agaisnt his will! He wants to stay with me! If he didn't he would be running back into your arms. But since you're not mother of the year, I suggest that you leave!" She looked at Matteo as Margaret stepped forward. Matteo, as always, moved to protect Mary. "Matteo..." she started to say before suddenly stopping.

Matteo had attacked his mother but had stopped right before making the killing blow. "MATTEO!" she cried out. "PLEASE DON'T!" she almost wanted to cry and stop him but she was in no position to do so. Matteo was correct. This was his battle to fight and win. Her hands went to her mouth as he slashed down. She was relieved to see that it was nothing fatal. She quickly nodded and called the police.

When the police arrived finally, Mary had given Margaret a towel to help stop the flow of blood. This woman need to face justice. Doing from blood loss would not be sufficient punishment for everything that she had done to Matteo. Mary kept Matteo away from his mother. She didn't want any more violence. The police immediately tended to Margaret as Mary explained who she was and what she had done to Matteo. She didn't go into full detail, but she said enough to get her taken away in handcuffs.

Mary told them about the kidnapping and even wrote down the number of the son of the scientist and the address where she had picked up Matteo, saying that it was there where he was taken. The police sent squad cars to the location but found it abandoned. Mary refused to give up hope. With Margaret locked up, maybe, just maybe, the scientist who experimented on Matteo would just give up.

After they had finished speaking with Mary, they had to speak with Matteo since he was the one who injured his own mother. They had to question him to determine if the attack was out of self defense or not. As such, they took him down to the station to question him with Mary by his side.

[Ashen]

Matteo's entire being seethed with rage. He hated the woman in the next room, hated her enough to be willing to die to ensure her suffering, but in the moment he hated himself more. He had had the opportunity to kill her, to shove his knife so far into her chest he would pierce the heart. He had had the opportunity to exact his revenge, and he hadn't. Why? Why did he care so much about the woman who did not love him back? Matteo could not understand the emotions swirling through his mind, and until everything was settled, his thoughts would not rest.

He didn't know what they were doing with his mother in the next room since they'd arrived. Matteo hated not knowing. He sat on Mary's bed contemplating everything, what he would do and what things would mean. Would the cops really be able to do anything? Would his mother and the scientist and his son finally leave him alone? Would Mary be alright?

Finally the police officers finished with his mother. He and Mary went down to the station for questioning. They had Matteo alone, and the police officer across from him was not happy. "Take the damn costume off," he kept saying, and Matteo didn't know how to explain to him that he couldn't without giving the entire story. So he did; he told his life's tale from his father's death at fourteen to his institutionalization, saving the gory details for later and cursing his amnesia for certain blocks of time.

By the time he finished the sky was dark and he was exhausted. He reunited with Mary and shifted uncomfortably. Should he have told the whole story? He didn't know. "I did it," he said to her. "It's up to them, now."

They were free to go home after that, one of the other officers too partial to Matteo's story and their holding cells a little too full that particular night. Matteo wasn't complaining. Back home, his eyes focused on the blood staining the floor, his mother's blood. He was not going to get any sleep tonight. "What's... What's going to happen to me?" he asked Mary. "Will you be okay?"

[Sparkz]

At the station, Mary's mind was only on Matteo when she was being questioned. She told them exactly what happened as well as all of her other encounters with Margaret and the scientist's son. Once she was finished, she sat and waited for Matteo to come out from questioning. His took much longer and that had her worried. What if they take away her friend? They couldn't do that?! The whole point of her keeping him a secret was because she didn't want him hurt!

Mary watched the clock anxiously until Matteo finally returned. She sighed out of relief and hugged him tightly. She pulled back a bit when he told her that he had done it. Done what? then it dawned on her. He had told them his story. All of it... or at least most. She squeezed his hands tightly. "Let us pray that they do the right and just thing, Matteo." she said softly.

Luckily, they were released and were taken back home. Once there, Mary saw the blood stained floor. Being a woman, she knew how to take care of blood. She quickly grabbed a towel and soaked it with cold water before blotting out the blood on the carpet. She knew that it would take a while so she settled on getting soap, scrubbing it into the carpet and placing the wet towel over it, covering the blood completely. Neither one of them wanted to see that.

Mary looked at Matteo. "I don't know, sweetie. I don't know what will happen to you. I hope that you will be able to stay here where you belong. As for me...I will be fine. Hopefully the police will believe your story and find that bastard scientist who did this to you." She hugged him tightly. "You need your sleep... go ahead and sleep in my bed, alright? You shouldn't be alone after this."

[Ashen]

Surprisingly, the world didn't collapse following that day. Contrary to what Matteo feared, the authorities had not come to recapture him. His mother was looking at a long time in prison, far from him. That made the angel boy happy, but the scientist was still out there, and he would not rest until he, too, was brought into custody.

A few days into the investigation of the scientist, Stephen came forward. He had turned his father in, finally realizing that his dad wasn't the man he had looked up to all his life. He did not support the treatment of Matteo, and he knew morally he had needed to turn his father in. Thus, both of Matteo's prosecutors had been thrown in jail. Stephen had neglected to turn himself in for being a bystander, but instead escaped to a faraway land to pursue his own scientific pursuits. He promised Mary and Matteo he'd never communicate with them again, and that his studies would center around something else, something that did not and never would require live test subjects.

It had been months since Matteo's mother had been captured. The trial that followed had been a quiet affair, but now Matteo was able to live peacefully. The government had granted him financial assistance, as if to apologize and compensate for what he had had to deal with. He'd decided to open an online craft shop, and even recorded tutorial videos for other people to follow his footsteps. His small business was doing well, better than he anticipated, and he was happy to help Mary out with rent, groceries, and gas.

He still loved her, though he had grown to accept a different kind of love. Matteo loved her company and friendship, and he was content with that.

Matteo woke up and glanced around the room. He was instantly ready to start the day. He was up earlier than usual today, and so he got started on breakfast for Mary. That was the highlight of his day, watching the response on Mary's face when she woke up to breakfast from him. It was a lazy afternoon today, and he couldn't be happier to be spending more time with her.

[Sparkz]

The world continued on as the investigation into Matteo's tragic past started. It wasn't long before Stephen had decided to do the right thing and turn in his father. Unfortunately, Stephen decided to escape to a far off place. Mary opted to not complain too much since both she and Matteo would never see him again. If she did, she couldn't promise that Stephen would remain unharmed.

As the trial came and went with very little press, thank God. Matteo didn't need to be put out in the spotlight. He had earned his right to privacy a long time ago. Luckily, the verdict worked in their favor and Matteo's abusers would be locked away for a long time. With the money Matteo received, he helped out with rent and the bills. Mary tried to refuse at first but she could not resist those beautiful puppy eyes that he did sometimes. With that, she allowed him to help out. With her help, he started a business. She helped him with the numbers and everything else while he did all the crafting. She let Matteo do as much as he could and she did the rest. SHe had grown fond of him and those feelings of fondness developed and went deeper.

It was with the deepened feelings that Mary had started to notice the little things about Matteo that she particularly enjoyed. The smile on his face once he completed his crafts or the joy he felt when he made a sale. Or even when she came home to a clean house with him grinning at her and greeting her. She grew to love his innocent joy and his love for life itself. She loved how his hair fell that certain way or his wings in the sunlight. Matteo had always been kind and sweet but something about it just started to please her even more. She wasn't sure what about it made her feel that way, but it just happened over time.

She remembered the time when he had asked her about love. It confused her at the time until she realized that he loved her romantically when she mistook it for a platonic love. That night, she had a dream about her and Matteo living the rest of their lives together and that's when it all clicked and the subconscious thought became conscious. She loved Matteo. There. She said it. Now all she had to do was tell him.

Mary had awoken to the smell of breakfast. She smiled for she knew that Matteo was out there cooking it for her. He was sweet like that. Now she knew that this was just one way he could show her his love. She smiled to herself and got out of bed. She walked over to the kitchen and smiled at Matteo. "Good morning." she said cheerfully. She walked over to Matteo. "Matteo... there's something I want to tell you that I should have told you awhile ago." she said. She then wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him to her for a gentle kiss. "Matteo, I love you." she whispered once she broke off the kiss. She blushed as soon as he said it but he had to know. It had taken her a bit but she finally realized it. She loved him.

[Ashen]

Matteo stilled when Mary told him she had something to tell him. He looked around the room, wondering if he'd done something wrong. Was Mary tired of him making breakfast for her? What if she didn't want breakfast? What if she didn't even like his cooking? He shook his head, trying not to jump to conclusions. That had gotten him into trouble before. So Matteo nodded towards her, and he prepared for the worst.

Except, what Mary said was far from the worst. Her words were confusing, at first, but the kiss? Matteo turned away, trying to make sense of it. I love you. Weren't they the words he had used, ages ago? And back then, Mary hadn't reciprocated. It had broken his heart, but he had gotten over it. He had adapted to a different love, a platonic love. But had he just been lying to himself? Had he been holding romantic feelings all this time? Had he just been quieting a burning fire inside, so that she would feel comfortable? And now... now he wouldn't have to.

Matteo paused to think of it all. It seemed like years ago Mary had found him, bloodied and alone, after he had destroyed the scientist's lab and escaped from his prison. And now, they were living together, happy, both supportive of each other. Matteo helped out where he could, especially around the house, and the growing number of crafts and trinkets around the house showed his appreciation for his housemate. Mary had guided him through so much, through his recovering from trauma and arresting his tormentors, through even finding something he could do that wouldn't cause him to be in the spotlight at all times. He owed the world to her, he felt, and he was so glad to have gotten to known her like this.

Now things were different. Now Matteo's life was significantly happier than it had ever been. He'd noticed Mary's smile had been a lot more present lately, too. So maybe this was okay. Maybe it was okay to love like this.

Matteo turned back to Mary. Without second thought, he pulled her into an embrace and gave her a deep kiss on the lips. When he pulled away, he was watching her with glimmering eyes. This was the woman he wanted to be with, who had saved his life and who would continue to make him happy. He smiled a wide smile and reached for her hands. Suddenly, everything was okay.

"Mary, I love you too."