Dark Angel (A 001 prequel story)

Epilogue

"Someone's in pain" she murmured when her headache forced her awake "Too much pain".
"Pain?" Julian repeated, parking in a service station "I have painkillers".
He rummaged into his back, pulling out some medicines and giving her also a bottle of water.
She swallowed them but she didn't feel better.
"It's not me" Rose said confused "I don't understand, but I feel that someone is agonising".
Julian watched her, unsettled "Maybe you're remembering the bad things that happened to you. Don't let those traumatic things come back to haunt you".
She nodded weakly.
"I think it's time for some breakfast. The journey is still long".

He was right. It took a couple of days to reach the destination.
The journey had been tiring and uncomfortable.
Rose felt sicker each mile she was dragged away from where she belonged to.
She thought that Julian was going to take her so far that they could reach the Moon, until one day he announced they were home. Well, just his home.

It was a small house with a nice surrounding.
"Home sweet home" he said emphatically, parking with a big sigh of relief.
"I know it's still very early in the morning and nobody should be already awake. But I'd ask you to put on some make up. I don't want to risk that someone recognize you".
She looked at him hoping he was joking.
"I've never used make up".
He chuckled nervously "Well, neither have I. I think some eyeliner can be enough".
She glared at the items he offered her, but allowed him to draw around her eyes.
The result was very weird, but she could barely recognize herself.
Julian helped her out of the car, her legs complaining for the lack of exercise.
He picked his bags, then guided her to the front door.

"Welcome back, Julian" someone said from the adjacent garden.
He startled and almost dropped his bags.
Rose saw beyond the fence the head of an old woman waving her free hand while the other was watering her garden.
"Good morning, Alice" Julian said with a big smile "It's great to see you again. And very healthy I see".
"You too, boy. It was time for you to have some company" she shot a friendly smile to Rose, who looked at an embarrassed Julian.
"Yeah. I'm looking forward for you to know her. Now we need some rest. It's been a long journey" he said dismissively.
"Understandable. See you around".
The woman waved at them and Rose only raised a lazy hand to greet her, then followed Julian into his house.

"I've been away for some weeks and it looks like nobody lived here for years" he dropped his bags looking around "I'm sorry for this mess".
"It's alright" she said simply.
"I have a room where you can stay" he passed by some doors until he opened one of them "It's not been used for quite some time".
He walked to unfold a guest bed and removed some cobwebs.
"Stop!" she exclaimed, unsure why that view disturbed her "I'll take care of it. I want to feel useful".
Julian blinked at her, then straightened his back and brushed a hand on the back of his head "Alright. Make yourself at home. I'll be in the kitchen to try to cook something. I warn you. I'm a bad cook".
"I'm afraid I can't help with that" she admitted.
"We'll survive. You'll see" he tried to sound encouraging, but he wasn't much convincing.
When he was by the door, she asked bluntly "Is this my new prison?".
"What?" he asked dropping his jaw.
"It seems you helped me escape my jailers" she said sternly "But I guess that I'll have to stay here from now on. That I won't be allowed to go out of this house without risking that someone could recognize me".
His face turned sad "I promised to take care of you and I won't break that promise. I confess that I don't know how to handle this situation. But I won't lock you here. We'll find a way for you to be free, as much as possible, to keep you safe as well".
"Alright" she said with a weak smile.

Although she didn't know him enough, she wanted to try to trust him.
Once alone, she looked at her reflection on a mirror.
The make up wasn't a bad thing if it would help her to get a quite normal life. She barely recognized herself.
She noticed a red mark on her neck, blaming it on the uncomfortable journey.
She stared at her eyes, hoping to find a way to unlock her lost memories, but she kept banging against a wall.
Frustrated, she turned to watch the cobwebs and the small spiders that were weaving their traps. She wasn't fond of insects, but that view calmed her down somehow.