Starlet: A Dark Retelling - Cora Kenborn Page 0,127
promise to myself to find him again in another life. This beautiful, bitter boy with long black hair and sad eyes. And when I did, his pain would be mine. His heart would beat for me. I’d set him free.
The first time I kissed an angel, I died.
Leaning over the bed, I brush my lips softly over his cheek as my finger curls around the trigger.
The second time, he did.
Chapter Fifty-One
Alexandra
Tilting my head back, I stare up at the night sky and smile.
It’s Christmas.
After fifteen years, the day finally came for me. I stepped out of the shadows of Christmas Eve and spent Christmas morning with the sun on my face. It was heaven.
Now it’s night again, and it’s almost over. I assume lots of people are looking for me at the moment. I can’t blame them. I’m sure they know what I did by now.
The concrete is cold on my bare feet, so I wiggle my toes, hugging the envelope tighter against my chest.
“You’ve kept me locked away all day.”
I look beside me where Angel leans against the rail, her arms braced behind her and the wind blowing the bottom of her dress around her calves. “I needed to be alone.”
I guess she understands what I mean because she doesn’t ask me to elaborate. Not that I would anyway. We may be the same, but there are still things that are just for me.
She stares out at the moon. I think she’s always liked it as much as me. “Merry Christmas, Alexandra.”
I nod. “Merry Christmas, Angel.” My nails scratch the thick railing behind me. I’m not as good with words as she is, but it’s time I try. “I want to thank you.”
She cocks her chin. “For what?”
“For living while I slept. It was a surprise to wake up like this.” I glance down, scanning my very adult body. “I thought I’d still be a child, but I guess we’re more connected than I thought.”
“Meaning?”
“We aren’t really two different personalities, Angel. Otherwise, I’d still be eight years old up here.” I tap my finger against my temple. “I grew with you.” I let that statement float away into the night before attempting to put more of my thoughts into words. “I suppose instead of two different pennies, we’re just two sides of the same coin. It’s hard to explain.”
“No, I get it,” she says, covering my hand with hers. “I was there when you didn’t want to be, and you were there when I didn’t want to be. I guess that makes us kind of like twins.”
Twins. I like that. I miss my sisters. It’s nice to have another one.
But Angel never had any sisters. She never had a brother, or a Papa who tried to save her. All she ever had was my Angel of Death. I know she misses him. I see it in her sad eyes.
“He was good to us.” I squeeze her hand.
It’s dark, but I think there are tears in her eyes. Seeing them makes tears sting my own. Tears may be tools, but it’s okay if they’re a weakness sometimes.
Our Angel of Death taught us that.
“Yeah, he was,” she says, quietly. “He loved you, you know.”
I shake my head, because I know better. I was there for a few moments. I felt his arms around me. That’s a different kind of love I’ll never know. “Not like he loves you.”
Angel doesn’t argue. Instead, she drags her bare toe along the edge of the concrete. “So, what happens now?”
I look down. I can’t see where the night ends and the water begins. Maybe that’s for the best. “Remember what you always used to say? You can’t drown in the rain…”
“…as long as you run from the storm,” she finishes.
“I don’t need to run anymore, Angel. The storm is over.”
Her foot stops, and she looks up at me. “What are you saying?”
There’s so much I want to say, but there’s no more time. They’ll come for me soon, and I can’t let that happen. Not to me, and not to her.
I give her a sad smile. “I’m saying you were right all along. Some people are just meant to drown.”
Angel opens her mouth to say something, but before she can, the sound of hurried footsteps rush behind us. “Alexandra, no! Stop!”
I turn around to find a familiar man standing there. Even the night can’t hide his perfect silver hair and his Italian suit with the bright silk tie.