Chapter four, I think I want to die XD

[therealkaichan]

Chapter Four
The Mother

It had been two days since they had the strange reunion at the meeting place, and Celine had been thinking a lot about what they could possibly do to convince the Mother to call off the search. She noticed that it was especially difficult when you had no idea at all of which kinds of things would persuade the person you wanted to convince.

Celine realized that she was supposed to go back to class in two days. She wasn't really sure if that meant she had to hurry or if it was fine for her to take her time. Some choices were simply too complicated for her to take in her current mental state.

With all that in mind, it took her a long time to realize her mother was calling her. When she did, she also realized her mother was in the door and that she had the phone in her hand.

“Celine, really!”
“I’m sorry mom! I was thinking of the homework I had to do.”
“Yes, of course.” Her mother chuckled, probably thinking that Celine was thinking about some boy. “You have a call. It’s Saelel.”
“Really?” Celine was completely taken by surprise. It was very rare for a Counselor to actually make a call, so it had to be something important.
“Yes. Here you are.”
Celine took the outstretched phone from her mother’s hands.
“Hello?” She answered.
“Celine.” It was Saelel’s voice all right. “I apologize for calling, but I have some news I would like to share with you as soon as possible.”
“Oh... Is it fine if I go over then?”
“I will be waiting for you at the usual office.”
“All right, I’ll go running.”

As soon as she hanged up, Celine ran to look for a change of clothes. She brushed her hair (which was over her waist and getting a little too long), tied her shoelaces, and grabbed the panic button from her nighttable.

She wondered if pushing it was a good idea, considering that she knew she wouldn’t be getting attacked anytime soon, but she remembered that they were supposed to be subtle regarding that. She pushed it twice.

“I thought you hated me.”
“W-what?” Celine was completely taken by surprise.
“You were all silent and horrible that other night. And then you didn’t call me for two whole days. You're horrible.”
“I didn’t go out, Nanael. And I told you I had a lot of things to think about.”
“But still! I can tell when someone hates me.”
“Well, clearly you don’t.”
“You’re so mean to me, Celine.”
“Maybe I am.”
“So, where are we going?”
“To the Transformation Center. Saelel has something to tell me... Maybe it’s related to the job I asked him to check.”
“Oh you followed my advice?”
“I thought it could be fun.”
“It will be for sure! Maybe you’ll get something in the Central Office. That’s the place where there are the most humans, and they do a lot of different things.”
“It sounds like fun...”
“The Mother is usually hanging around that office. She works super hard, so she always has lots of assistants.”
“The Mother huh...? Have you met her?”
“Duh! All Angels know the Mother, she always assigns duties to us personally, and many of the younger ones were given life and raised by her.”
“I see... And what kind of person is she?” Celine saw the chance and took it, knowing that maybe Nanael could provide some information about her target.
“She’s very serious, you know? Not grumpy serious, but serious. She works a lot.”
“She must be really busy...”
“She is! But I never heard her complain about how much work she does. She truly is a mother, she never cares about doing work if it is for the good of her children.”
“She sounds like a person who would be difficult to convince of things.”
“Well, she is always willing to listen, so anyone with solid arguments stands a chance... Are you planning on asking her for anything?” Nanael’s voice was playful.
“I can’t imagine what I could ask her... But no, I’m just curious.”
“She’s very responsible. We all feel like it’s very important to work hard to help her. She’s very organized too, the kind of person who prefers to do all the work before having others change their order, and who always expects everyone to do their best on their duties.”
“I see... She sounds very strict.”
“She is, but she’s also strict on herself, the kind of person who takes the Golden Rule to a completely ridiculous new level.”
“I’ve only seen her on television, so I wouldn’t know... But I don't doubt it.”
“You’d probably get along with her wonderfully, considering your party pooperness.”
“Who knows, maybe I’ll get lucky.”
“And I’d get unlucky.” Nanael laughed, her tone as playful as ever.
“There is the Center.” Celine pointed out, and Nanael nodded.
“Call me when you are out, as usual. Try not to be as mean to me as you were yesterday.”
“I’ll try.”

Celine walked in, and went trough the horrifying ritual of the automated reception system. She also found herself answering a little more coloquially than she usually did, but she blamed that on her discussion with Nanael. She walked to the usual room, and knocked before going in.
“Hello Saelel.” She greeted after opening the door just a bit. “Sorry for taking so much time.”
“There was no need to hurry.” The Counselor chuckled. “Come in, take a seat.”
“I’m glad I didnt make you wait too much.” Celine went in and, after closing the door, took her usual seat in the office.
“Have you been well? We haven't talked in a few days.”
“I am. I’m ready to go back to classes next week. I’ve worked in all my homework, so I shouldn’t have trouble catching up.”
“Good. I’m glad to hear that.”
“I also talked to several of my classmates, and they passed on the message of me being fine.”
“Several of them must have been quite worried.”
“Yes, but they are fine now.” Celine smiled, remembering her conversations with her friends. “But you called me here to tell me something, right?”
“That is correct.” Saelel smiled. “Do you remember that you had mentioned something about getting a job at one of the offices, right?”
“I do. I thought it would be interesting, and it seems like it still is.”
“I sent a letter to the Mother as we usually do. Usually the humans we take in the Transformation Centers are medically or scientifically trained, since they act as assistants to the workers in the Chambers... However the Central Office has plenty of humans employed to work on the paperwork and other forms, which are closer to your chosen career. If you don’t mind office work, the Mother is more than willing to have you working there.”
“Really?”
“Of course. You have an excellent background, and your scores in tests are always on the top half. You know well that we are always willing to find a way to satisfy the needs of our people.”
“I’ll take it then!”
“I will let the Central Office know, then. They should contact you shortly with the details.”
“Thanks a lot! I never expected it to be so simple...”
“Well, a lot of things are simple if you know what you want and who to ask for help. That’s what Counselors are for, after all.”
“It’s true, it’s true.”

After that, their conversation fell into the usual things. Celine talked a bit about how she was feeling lately, and how much better she felt after some days had passed. She also talked about how she was looking forward to going back to classes, and how much she liked the idea of starting on a part time job. She liked the idea of the fresh air, she always had.

She left after an hour, the ideal time to spend with your Counselor, and made her way to the door before pushing the panic button twice.
“So you are over your hatred?”
“Is it me, or you grow more and more overdramatic the more time we spend together?”
“And now you know why I was never good as a counselor.” Nanael laughed, following half a step behind Celine.
“That does explain a lot.”
“So! Did Saelel give you any good news?”
“He did.” Celine smiled. “Turns out there was a place for me in the Central Office. So they will call me soon to discuss the details.”
“That’s awesome. I sometimes hang around the Central Office too, so we will get to see each other even after the investigation is over. So if you are planning to say ‘good riddance’ once my job is done, I recommend you think about it twice.”
“If I felt like that, then I swear I would say it, even if we were to work together for the rest of my life.”
“So you’re one of those brutally sincere people? They are the worst worst wooorst kind of people, I swear.”
“I think that may be a little too much. But I do try to tell people how I feel about them, in more delicate words.”
“Well, that’s not as terrible.”
“I suppose. I’m not made for ‘brutal honesty’, just ‘honesty’ is much better.”
“I like that. Polite honesty is the best policy.”
“So, we will be seeing a lot of each other?”
“Unless I get stuck with another horrible person like you, then yes. I will be around.”
“That’s nice.” Celine smiled, and Nanael smiled back. “At least I’ll have someone I know around. It helps ease into the new surroundings.”
“Everyone is pretty welcoming at the Central Office, so you won’t be having any trouble with that. I’m probably one of the most horrible coworkers you could get, so it will be fine.”
“Then I’ll let you know as soon as I get news. And I’ll avoid you a lot at work.”
“Wow you've gone back to full mean!”
“That’s my style, you see.”
“I don’t mind that style. I’ll try to get used to it.”


Later that afternoon, Celine got a call from the Central Office. They let her know the rules of her new job, and any details she needed. They let her know of her remuneration, and they asked her schooltimes to make a schedule that wouldn’t interfere. They invited her to have a look around, and to see the offices and her future working spot.

All in all, they offered a wonderful work experience, and told her she could start in a week.


Her life was calm and quiet for the next two weeks. The panic of the search had died down, and people had moved on to talking about other topics, like the weather, their plans for the day, and what clothing the lady of the news was wearing. Of course, the search continued underground, but since there had been no further attacks by any black haired irregular, it simply went nowhere.

In those weeks, Celine’s life became a bit different. She had her classes, and her classmates, and her family. She visited the meeting place from time to time, to talk with Elena and check on her. She spoke a little here and there with the habituals too, and she grew to like a few of them...

And she had her new work, checking forms and sorting paperwork, which would have been a little boring if it weren’t for how often the Central Office itself was entertaining. There were lots of angels, and most of them were pretty talkative, even if they only talked about pretty normal things. The humans were all pretty fun and chatty too, and it didn’t take Celine too long to find that many were as curious about the Angels and their stories as she was.

It was nice, all in all. She felt like she belonged there, even when she had arrived not long ago, and she liked that feeling a lot.

So she worked, and she studied, and she chatted, and between all of that, she planned. She wrecked her brain searching for the answer she needed, searching for a way to convince the Mother that there was no point in searching for Elena. Or at least a way to avoid getting the girl in more trouble than the trouble she already seemed to be in.

Her first and most solid idea, was to tell the Mother that, since an Angel was to blame, Elena was the key to finding that troublemaker. The thing was that even then, this didn’t mean they would actually find the troublemaker. It also meant that Elena could be at risk. And since learning more of the treatments, Celine wasn’t really sure if the Mother was really as nice as everyone said she was.

That thought was the one who made her the most uneasy. Celine couldn’t just sit and tell Saelel that she had started doubting the Mother’s love for humanity, he’d freak out for sure. So she kept those doubts to herself for the time being. As many of them as she had, she also wanted to believe that things weren’t as terrible as her overactive imagination tried to tell her they were. She wanted to believe tat she was just misunderstanding things. After all, if this were all about mind control, why would humans be allowed to quit the treatments? And why would they leave humans like her around?

Oh no. Celine just wasn’t cut to think like an evil mastermind, but then again, nobody was. The bliss treatments also dampened aggression, and on that point Celine could never find an objection.


That day was the start of the third week since she had been attacked. Celine went to class, and then straight to work as she usually did. She greeted the actual live receptionist, and checked in with the automated check in system. She also greeted it, but she chose not to give it too much thought.

She went on to her office, greeted her coworkers (two humans and one angel) and sat in her desk. She liked her coworkers, really. The two humans, Aden and Irvine were as opposite as they could be. Where the first was rash and impulsive, the second was calm and calculating. Aden wore long hair, and comfortable clothing, while Irvine was always dressed neatly and with his hair well cut. Celine always expected them to clash, because of how different they were, but to her surprise they got along quite well, and easily covered each other’s weaknesses.

On the other side, Cassiel the angel, was a bit of a mystery. She was quiet and polite all the time, and she would’ve been easy to ignore if it weren’t for her white clothing that marked her as an angel. Her long hair was always neatly braided, and her brown eyes were the most notorious part of her body, as they were the kind of eyes that made you think she was staring into your soul.

And there Celine was, happily working in her things with her okay coworkers, when Elimiel entered the office. By now she already saw the Angel’s presence as a sign of an incoming change in her routine, but she preferred to not say anything until she knew what he wanted.

“Hello Cassiel. You’re looking as charming as ever.” Elimiel smiled at the other angel with a mischievous smile.
“There is no point for flattery, Investigator. What do you want?” That made Celine look up. She hadn’t ever heard such a tone of voice coming from her.
“Nothing with you, dear. I come to see miss Celine, with an order from the Mother.”
“Hm. Then there was no need to talk to me. Go.” Cassiel turned around and went back to her paperwork without saying anything else, and Elimiel walked up to Celine, the amused smile still in his face.
“Hello, miss Celine. I have important news to tell you.”
“Hello... Please tell me.”
“Not here, they are quite confidential.”
“All right...” Celine stood, looking at Cassiel. “I’m going on a small break.”
“Please do.” The Angel smiled at her, kindly. “If you need anything just call me out.”
“Thanks.” Celine smiled, motioning for Elimiel to walk and walking behind him.

They had taken but a few steps away from the office when Celine’s curiosity got the best of her.
“I know I haven't been here for long, but I didn’t know Cassiel was capable of using that tone of voice.”
“There are lots of things you don’t know about her, Celine. You would be surprised.”
“I’m not sure if I want to know.” Celine conceded. “But I bet it must have been pretty serious.”
“It was.” Elimiel chuckled, leading her to one of the meeting rooms. “Come in.”
“So, is it that big?” The girl frowned as she went into the room. Why would a meeting room be needed?
“A bit.” The Angel closed the door. “I got you an interview with the Mother.”
“You what.” It wasn’t even a question, and Elimiel chuckled.
“I got you an interview with the Mother.” He repeated in the exact same tone as the first time.
“But...”
“It usually takes a long time, she’s far more busy than you would believe, but I moved a few contacts here and there and got you your interview. And I managed to do it before they kill that friend of yours.”
“You seemed to have a much deeper relationship with her.”
“She is a child with a sun name. I know what she has been doing since birth, Celine.”
“Have you been creeping on me too?”
“Of course.”
There was a moment of silence, and Celine sighed.
“I’m surprised that you can still surprise me with your creepiness.”
“It’s simply my job, and you know that. Reviewing resistants is very important to know if the effects of the treatments can be harmful.”
“And how does that include creeping on people? You can do that just by viewing their medical histories.”
“That is incorrect. It’s infinitely more complex.”
“I never know how to feel regarding that.” Celine frowned, but the look of resignation was quick to come back. “At least you never invaded my personal space.”
“That would be pointless. It’s better to study your behavior in a natural environment.”
“Okay, that’s enough creeperness for a day. Thank you very much.”
“Anytime.” Elimiel smiled. “Should I tell the Mother you will see her, Celine?”
“Yes, please. Just tell me when and I’ll go. I admit I don’t know how to convince her, but I’ll just make things up as I go.”
“That is good. She’ll like that, the Mother loves when humans act like humans.”
“I don't want to hear more about that, thanks.”
“I can imagine why. Let me walk you to your office.”

As they walked back, Celine wondered what the hell she had been thinking when she got into this mess. With a little horror, she found she was thinking the same things as now.

That day, as she was on her way with the already familiar company of Nanael, the Angel had a lot of commentary to do on her future appointment.
“Sooooo, I heard you got an interview with the Mother!”
“Wow. News really fly here.”
“You’d be horrified to learn how much. But this time it’s easier, I am good friends with the Mother’s secretary. And since her schedule is not a big secret, it’s normal for my friend to accidentally mention those things.”
“That does explain a lot.”
“He saw the name of the person I was protecting and got super worried about me being in trouble.”
“So he was giving you a chance to escape?”
“Or to beg forgiveness. But I’d rather die fighting anyway.”
“That sounds a lot like you.”
“Of course it does. So, can I know what it is about?”
“No. But you can wonder a lot.”
“Wow, mean.”
“It’s a secret, I can have secrets.”
“True, but I was still curious. You’ve been all frowny since we went out, so you must be thinking a lot about it.”
“I’m thinking yes, but I’d rather think by myself. It’s something I have to do.”
“Got it. Good luck with that, then.”
“I’ll need it.”



Her date with the Mother was set to the friday of that week. The more time passed, the more Celine’s brain went over and over the ideas she had on how to convince her. The more she thought, the more she remembered she had near to no idea of what she could do or say.

Elimiel had promised to go pick her up at her office when the time for her meeting came, and Celine must have been looking at the door a lot, because even Aden had made a comment on it, and he rarely noticed something outside of his paperwork when he was on work hours. Cassiel was frowning, but by now she knew about the interview, and she was really understanding of Celine’s dilemma, even if she didn't know what the dilemma was about.

To avoid any discussions, Celine quickly got up and excused herself as soon as she saw Elimiel in the corridor. Her perfect plan was absolutely perfect, even if her effort would probably go unappreciated by Cassiel.
“So you don't want me to say hi to your supervisor?” Unfortunately it didn't go unnoticed by Elimiel.
“You just annoy her. What is the point on going in?”
“Exactly that. But you don't appreciate the subtleties of the annoyance.”
“I feel like the more I talk to you, the more I find you are pretty horrible.”
“Investigators are greatly disliked by most angels. You get used to dislike everyone back.”
“I... I can’t imagine how that must feel. Everyone is really nice to me.”
“It is a beautiful society the one the Mother has created... And yet, it has a strange, artificial flavor.”
Celine didn’t answer. Somehow Elimiel’s words hit really close home. It was exactly that, the thing that always made her uneasy. That even when everything was good and nice, there was always that unsettling feeling, that strange thing.

Artificial.

“Here we are. Hopefully you've learned your way?” Elimiel smiled as he opened a door to lead her in.
“Not at all.” Celine admitted as she walked in. “I wasn’t really paying attention.”
“Oh. Well. You can ask Imriel on your way out.”
“Who...?” Celine looked around and caught sight of an Angel sitting behind a desk. He was looking at them with his clear blue eyes, and she couldn’t help but feel a little awkward. Celine was pretty sure Nanael had mentioned that the secretary was male, but this one looked positively female.
“Good afternoon, Imriel.” Elimiel smiled, walking close to the desk. “I bring the Mother’s three in the afternoon date.”
“Miss Celine?” The angel got up. The voice cleared all doubts of him not being a male, and Celine nodded.
“It’s me.”
“The Mother will see you now. Can I offer you something to drink?”
“No, it should be fine... Thank you.”
“Well, go.” Elimiel was still all smiles as he decided to sit on top of the secretary’s desk. The secretary just sighed.
“Let me know if you need anything, miss Celine, I will be glad to help.” He said.
“Thank you again.” Celine smiled, making her way to the door in the back. As she put her hand on the doorknob, hundreds of doubts assaulted her, but it was too late now, she could no longer run away.


The Mother managed to look identical and completely different to how she looked in the official announcements in television. The white hair was there, and the white suit, and the pale skin, and the red eyes, but somehow it was different. There was a heavy air in the office, almost as if the woman weren’t just an angel but something completely different.

And yet, at the same time, the heavy air didn't make the Mother look like any kind of superpowered being. Maybe it was because she was drinking some coffee from a cup as she read the newspaper?

“Miss Celine.” She smiled as she left the cup and the paper to get up and greet her. Her voice sounded quite warmer live than it did on television. “Please come in, take a seat.”
“Thank you.” Celine was pretty proud of having found her voice so fast. She quickly took a seat, unsure of what to do next.
“Elimiel has been talking about you quite a lot. He is always very proud of his resistant children, but you seem to have also earned his sympathy.”
“I don’t think I’ve done anything special.”
“Sometimes it’s not being special what makes us dear to others.”
“It sounds a little strange.”
“People are strange, miss Celine.”
“That sounds about right.” She admitted.
“But leaving that aside, would you tell me what brings you here? Elimiel was quite vocal about wanting to get you an appointment as soon as possible.”
“Actually...” Celine sighed. Well, this was it, and she still had no answer or anything that would guarantee she would get the Mother to listen to her, but it was still worth a shot, right? “There is something I need to request of you.”
“A request? Please tell me.”
“There is currently an investigation... Regarding the black haired girl, the one who attacked me, right?”
“Correct.”
“I... I don't want the investigation to go on any longer.” She half waited for the worst to happen, but somehow it didn’t.
“Tell me more. I’d love to hear your reasons.”
“I met her. The black haired girl. We spoke... And I don’t think she is to blame. I think someone else is behind her actions.”
“I see. You do have valid reasons, but in that case we would still need her. We need to know who is behind this, we cannot allow our citizens to be harmed, no matter the reasons.”
“I don’t want her to get hurt either. I tried to get her to tell me who was that ‘angel’ she mentioned, but she didn't want to give them away. I... I know that covering a criminal is the same as being a criminal, but...” Celine trailed off, and the Mother’s smile widened a little.
“You believe she’s innocent because she is being manipulated, am I right?”
“Yes. I believe that... If a child covers for their mother, would you call them a criminal?”
“No, they aren’t. They are but victims of strong feelings. Strong feelings cloud our judgements and make us take foolish decisions.”
“That is why I can’t stand for this... I can’t let that girl be punished because of me.”
“You have a solid argument.”
“Will you listen to my plea...?”
“I will consider it. I will discuss with your Investigator, your Counselor and your Guardian. With that I will make the choice that is less harmful for our citizens. It’s most important for us to maintain Order above all. I hope you will understand that.”
“I do... I thank you for considering it.”
“It is much more than you expected, is it not?” The Mother’s smile got even more wide, almost mischievous, and Celine gave a small jump. “You are full of doubts, miss Celine. They show in your eyes, in how you cross your hands over your lap, and in the slight trembling of your voice.”
“I... I apologize.”
“There is no need for such a thing. I do understand why you would have doubts. If anything, I appreciate that even then you decided to follow the correct procedures and come see me.”
“Rules exist to keep order... I do understand that, and I agree. Not following those rules would go against my beliefs.”
“I’m glad to hear you think that. I've noticed that many resistants tend to be angry at any rules they can think of. Even the ones made for their benefit.”
“They probably feel betrayed after finding that their world wasn’t what they thought.”
“I can understand that, but disapproving of all rules is still foolish. They should know well that without rules, everything would be chaos.” The Mother shook her head with a small smile. “I apologize. I got carried away, miss Celine.”
“No need... I admit I had never met someone so passionate about the rules, however.”
“It’s not rules by themselves what I am passionate about. Rules bring order, and Order is Bliss.”
“I see...”
“Do you have anything else you want to discuss?”
“No, it was just that.”
“It was nice talking to you, miss Celine. As I promised I will consider your points and let you know how we will proceed.”
“Thank you for your time.”


Celine left the room still full of doubts, but at the same time a little calmer. She did believe the Mother's words about her reconsidering and trying to make the best choice.

“Why if it isn’t Celine. And she’s still alive!” Elimiel sounded really amused from his place on top of the copy machine. Celine didn’t even attempt to comment on his weird habit.
“I’m perfectly fine, yes.”
“So, was it fun?” Celine rolled her eyes, ignoring him to turn to the Mother’s assistant.
“Thank you for your help. Have a good day.”
“You as well, miss Celine.” Imriel smiled politely at her, and watched her leave the room. “She’s leaving, Elimiel.”
“They get more and more rude, those children with moon names.”
“It’s probably your fault.” The assistant smiled, turning his eyes to his paperwork as Elimiel left the room behind Celine.
“That was so rude, Celine.” Elimiel’s tone wasn't any less amused than before, and Celine rolled her eyes again.
“You seem to care quite a lot.”
“Of course. So impolite.” He chuckled. “So, did it go well?”
“Hopefully yes. She said she would talk to you soon, and also with Nanael and Saelel. Then she would reconsider.”
“That’s how the Mother works. But you did have a nice chat, didn’t you? At least an enlightening one, I’m certain.”
“That is right. She takes the rules very seriously, more than I thought.”
“She’s like that. Order is her very essence. It’s a complicated story.”
“I see... Is that the reason why so many of you like her so much?”
“Like her? Do you think we like her?”
“Yes. Whenever you talk about her, you do it in a very fond tone. So does Nanael... And Saelel as well. I never met an Angel that had anything but fondness when talking about her.”
“Haven't you thought that maybe we could be just playing along to her monstruous plans?”
“No, not really. I do thing that some of you must disagree with her methods, but that you still stick around because you do like her a lot.”
“Those are really interesting ideas... And why do you think we like her?”
“She is a good person, I think. She seems to be fair, and to care for the people here. I’m... Still a little doubtful. But that’s what it seems to be.”
“She is fair. And she does care. But nothing is as simple as it seems.”

Celine smiled a bit.
She knew that. She knew that quite well.

--------------


NOTES:

Odio todo.

Odio todo en el mundo y no se que carajo sentir.

BUT NOT MICHAEL I LOVE MICHAEL TO BITS.

Bye.