Cressida remained where she was, frozen, as the angel approached her. It would be easy for the child to turn and run into the forest, or jump into the brook and follow it back to the house. Instead, Cressida remained rooted. A hand brushed her neck, pushing her hair off of her shoulder. "Like a cloud," the angel murmured, reaching her other hand up.
Cressida stepped back, something simply felt... off.
Someone else burst into the clearing and Cressida stiffened, not having heard him approach. She flinched when he spoke her name. Almost instinctively, the human took a step away from both parties. The woods- the woods would be the best place to go. She could wait there until the sunset and then return home when it was dark.
There was only one problem with that plan, however: Cressida was afraid of the dark.
"No," Cressida replied to Theron's query, although the blood on her elbows spoke a different story. "I'm alright," her voice was unwavering, emotionless. Her eyes were dull, glassy. Theron was talking to her, but he wasn't looking at her.
He was staring at Ms. Angel, who was also backing away.
No, Cressida couldn't lose her. She had just gained her second secret, but it had already been unearthed. Theron moved closer to Ms. Angel, away from Cressida. Her shoulders sagged in relief. Out of the spotlight, it would be easier to remove herself from the situation.
From somewhere closer to the treeline, a loud bell had begun to toll. Piper's voice was vibrant, loud enough to carry towards the edges of the woods. Dinner meant that most, if not all of the children would be heading back towards their home for the evening meal. It meant that the woods would largely be empty.
Cressida could wait there, she could hide until they went to bed, because her presence would not be missed. He, on the other hand, would be. Charismatic, charming, reliable. Everyone would notice if Theron wasn't present and if he told the others what he had seen, then Cressida's second secret would be revealed to everyone.
Her legs trembled at the thought. Cressida's standing in the home was already not the best, keeping a secret from the angels would only make it worse. Unless... her head snapped up.
She had to think quickly, which was not one of Cressida's strongest abilities. "She is... an angel." Cressida looked at Theron, her breathing constricting anxiously. "I was helping her, right... Ms. Angel?" It wasn't a lie, Cressida had wrapped the angel's wounds to the best of her ability and her even brought the angel her lunch.
"It's dinner now." Cressida's hands balled into fists, her gaze on the ground. She struggled to look at Theron, it was clear she was nervous. "We should... we should go back." Her voice was soft, Cressida wasn't even sure if they had heard her.
It would be so easy to kill this weak, hapless child. Enya stepped closer, Cressida frozen in place. Everyone knew the fight or flight response, but so few were familiar with freeze. It was what predators thrived on; the third, little-known reaction. She reached up, feigning kindness. Enya brushed Cressida's hair off of her shoulder.
It was unexpectedly soft. "Like a cloud," she murmured, raising her other hand in preparation to wrap both around the child's neck and squeeze every last drop of life from her body. It was an action Enya was familiar with, but why did she hesitate?
Snuffing out this small, fragile, life should have been an easy feat.
A rustling in the bushes made her pause, quickly lowering her hands. Someone emerged from the treeline. He was tall, wearing similar white clothes to the little girl. He looked nothing like her, however, with his vibrant red hair. Cursing her ill-fated luck, Enya stepped back. She was in no shape to flee. If she dared to try and leave the sanctuary of this garden, it was the demons who would have her neck. If she remained here much longer, however, it would be the angels that would hand out the punishment.
And Enya was much more afraid of angels than of demons.
He called to the girl, asking if Cressida was alright. Enya mentally cursed herself, had she made a miscaculation? Could the child have been of importance to someone? No, Enya noticed right away. The red haired human didn't give Cressida a second glance. Even with dried blood stuck all down the little girl's arms, the human boy's attention remained on the demon.
He moved forward, Enya remained in place. Immediately, he began to pepper her with questions, his gaze unwavering. "I am an angel, but my mission does not allow me to reveal my identity." Enya dipped into a curtsy, mentally cursing herself, her back leg wobbling a pain shot through her heel.
"I came from outside the wall, I was on a secret quest to help the Creator expand the Garden, but I was hurt. I am merely resting here until I am well enough to leave the walls again." Enya's smile was pleasant. Did these children know about demons? Or was their cozy world void of anything that went bump in the night?
Enya opened her mouth to speak again when the little mouse began to whisper, barely able to be heard over the sound of the brook. Enya's smile grew. That's right, she had already convinced one of them that she was truly an angel.
"Yes, Cressida has been very helpful." The demon spoke quickly, hoping to manipulate the conversation. From somewhere else in the garden, a bell had begun to ring. "You two should return to the house, you wouldn't want to be late? Just make sure you don't tell the others about me, or else we all might get in trouble."
Tomorrow.
She would kill the small one tomorrow while the big one was not here and flee.