I smiled and looked down at Angel, gently pulling the blanket over her naked form. Real or not, I couldn’t let her wake up to such a mess. While I waited for her to gain consciousness, I cleaned up the vomit and sprayed the stained carpet with every chemical I could get my hands on to remove the smell. The rustling of blankets could be heard as I was returning from dumping the towels in the laundry room. She was starting to awaken. More nervous than ever in my life, I sat down on the bed and wrapped my hands around hers. Her eyelids slowly rose, showing her two beautiful blues.
“Hey,” I said softly with a small smile.
She gave a small hum and a look of peace, as if waking up from a much-needed sleep. “Hi.”
A flutter ran through me at the sound of her voice.
“Do you remember anything?”
She closed her eyes and was silent for several moments and a look of worry crossed her face. “I don’t know.”
After everything I had seen, this did surprise me a little. Ok, so the situation was 99% perfect…
“Are you sure?”
She was silent for a few more moments. “Wait, I remember… my name. My name is Angel, I think.”
I smiled at her realization. She was real.
“Who are you? Where am I?”
“My name is Marcus, and don’t worry, you’re safe. You’re in my home. I found you outside, crying for help.”
What was I supposed to tell her, that she had somehow materialized out of thin air because I dreamt her up?
“Now, how do you feel? You don’t look hurt.”
“I feel fine, just tired. Thank you for saving me. I can tell that you are truly kind just by touching you.”
With a sugary sweet smile on her lips, she clutched my hands tightly. I could feel my face becoming red in embarrassment. Holy shit, she really was an angel.
“Are you hungry?”
She nodded.
“Alright, I’ll get you something to eat.”
As I stood and turned away from her, I could hear her try to get up.
“Did you undress me?”
I turned around and saw her holding the blanket over her chest.
“No, I found you that way. Don’t worry, I didn’t touch you or anything. Your safety was the only thought on my mind.”
“Do you promise?”
“Yes,” I said with my voice raspy.
Several seconds passed where the girl stared into my eyes, and I stared into hers. Finally, she smiled. “I believe you.”
She stood up and I quickly stopped her. “You need to rest.”
“Please don’t leave me.”
I gave a small but warm smile. “Very well, whatever makes you happy.” ‘She’s in completely new surroundings, so she is trying to find something familiar, or at least something that makes her feel safe and happy. I was the first thing she saw when she opened her eyes, and she wants to stay close to whatever seems even remotely familiar, even if we only met a minute ago. She needs something to cling to.’
With the blanket and my arm wrapped around her, we made our way to the kitchen with me holding her up. After her experience, I didn’t want to risk her not being able to support her own weight.
“Is soup ok?”
“Yes please.”
She was starting to feel better; I could see her relaxing with the situation. I filled a pot with one of the large jugs of water my family had saved for the loss of power and put it on the stove. While it did require a match to compensate for the loss of the electric start, I was able to get it going without trouble. With the water heating up, I turned to Angel, sitting on one of the stools at the island table. She had a small smile and it was reflected on me.
“You don’t remember anything… but you know what soup is?”
A look of confusion crossed her face. “I didn’t even notice.”
“Its obvious you have some form of amnesia, but I’m not surprised you remember non-personal stuff. It means that there are some things that your mind still remembers.” ‘Maybe she isn’t retaining those memories, maybe those memories have been put in her mind.’
I looked around the kitchen. “Try to name as many things as you can. The mental stimulation might bring some memories back.”
She began looking around the kitchen and naming everything she saw, but still no memories appeared in her head. With the water in the pot soon bubbling, I poured in the flavor packet and brick of noodles, and stirred, waiting until it could be served. Ah ramen, the perfect comfort food.
“When the power returns, we should probably call an ambulance for you. Plus maybe they can help you regain your memory,” I said as I passed her the steaming bowl.
“Marcus, maybe I shouldn’t remember.”
Having turned off the stove, I looked back, seeing that her smile was replaced with a look of sadness.
“You found me stumbling through the snow and coated in blood. Maybe it would be best if I don’t remember.”
Pained by the loss of her smile, I placed my hand on her cheek. Her skin was so soft and smooth that I wanted to kiss her right then and there.
“Don’t worry. If you feel that you don’t want to remember, we won’t talk about it.”
She held onto my hand, brushing it against her cheek like a cat seeking affection.
‘No two strangers can get along this well in less than ten minutes. She really is Angel.’
The lights came on and a beep rang out from the smoke detectors and ruined the moment. I checked the phone but there was no dial tone. The phone lines must have been more heavily damaged than the power lines.
I turned my attention back to Angel. “Ok, eat your soup and I’ll start a bath for you. I wasn’t able to completely clean you off.”
I sat next to the bathtub, watching as it was filled with hot water while holding my hand beneath the downpour to make sure it was the right temperature. While I waited, Angel walked around the house, exploring her surroundings and simply trying to stimulate her mind. With the two of us separated, I now had a moment to truly think. This girl, she had somehow come out of nowhere, this figment of my imagination becoming a real person. Either some sort of unexplainable miracle had just taken place or my hallucinations had now reached a whole new level of depth… or maybe I really had died and this was heaven.
Either way, it would be hard explaining her to my parents, and no matter what I said or did, the police would probably end up getting involved. Either I would stick to my lie and keep saying that she just appeared naked at the door asking for help, or compromise and say I just woke up with her next to me and had no idea how she got into my house. For all I knew, she could have been a burglar or high on PCP. Whichever path I took, it would be difficult, but as long as I had Angel, it would be worth it.
“Angel, the bath is ready!”
When no reply came, I stood up and strained my ears. Had she fallen back to sleep, had she even passed out? Shaken by that fear, I scoured the house and found in her my room. She was standing over my desk, still wrapped in her blanket with her shoulders trembling and my suicide note in her hand, now dotted with her tears.
“Angel…”
She turned to me with liquid pearls rolling down her cheeks. “Marcus, you were going to kill yourself?”
I slowly reached out and took the suicide note from her, proceeding then to crumple it up and stuff it in my pocket. “I was. Listen, the bath is ready, we’ll talk after you get cleaned up,” I replied, unable to meet her teary gaze.