Klein unbinds Blaine from the column, "Alright Blaine, you are good to go, but if you mention any of this to anyone before we carry out the plan, I will go after you..." He says in a threatening voice, "... Better yet, I will go after Amelia."
Blaine felt a sharp pressure in his chest as he thought of Amelia in danger, "I won't say anything Klein, please leave her out of this." He responds with a scratchy throat. Blaine gets up from the floor and starts walking out of the room. As he gets to the door, he notices Klein and the other angels are not following him out the door. They all seem to be hanging around longer talking about something and double checking the explosives. Blaine ignores it and steps out.
Blaine finds himself in a long hallway with a marble floor, walls made of white and gold tiles, and a ceiling of ornate stained-glass windows. At the end of the hallway is a set of large double doors leading to the main entrance of the temple. This area is brightly lit by large crystal chandeliers and the walls and floor are lined with marble and gold. The main entrance of the temple is a large archway, flanked by two large marble statues, and beyond that is the main chamber of the temple.
As he walks down the long hallway, Blaine hears voices coming from the double doors at the end. The archangels and other angels that work in the temple are still here. They must not be carrying out the plan now, unless they lied to me, he thinks as he remembers that Klein mentioned everyone in the temple would be gone at a prayer gathering down on Earth. Blaine stops walking and moves to the right wall of the hallway and leans with his back against the wall. Putting his hands on his face, he slides down on the wall to the floor. What am I going to do? If I go out there, they will see me and question me. I'm sure they have been looking for me.
Blaine looks around the hallway trying to find another way out of the temple without being seen, there must be another way out, they wouldn't risk being seen either, He thinks.
Suddenly, he sees a door to his right, at the other end of the hallway. He gets up slowly and walks to the door. He looks through the keyhole and notices a small room with a window that leads to the outside. Blaine tries to listen in to make sure there is no one inside. When he hears no noise, Blaine smiles and unlocks the door. He steps into the room and looks out the window. He can see the skies of heaven outside, and he notices a few angels flying around the temple. He takes a deep breath and jumps out the window as soon as the area is clear.
Once outside, he takes flight and starts away from the temple. Around the north corner of the temple, the archangel Raphael sees Blaine flying away, but he is too far now to catch up to him. He immediately grabs the small shell in his coat pocket, it glows as he sends a message to the other archangels stating he has spotted Blaine flying away from the Temple of the Seven.
As Blaine continues to fly away, he thinks about the order to report to headquarters when he was taken. I should report back, but what am I going to say? I missed my last call after all. But if I say anything about what really happened, Amelia will be in trouble. He thinks as he keeps flying to headquarters.
Blaine arrives at headquarters, retracts his wings and walks inside. Hands shaking, chest tightening, thoughts of what might happen running through his head all at the same time. As he walks in, the entire entrance room goes quiet as every angel in the area stops what they are doing to look straight at Blaine. Time seems to have paused for a moment and Blaine can feel the tension between the angels directed at him.
The archangel Michael approaches and says, "Blaine, where have you been? Come with me."
Blaine takes a deep breath and looks around the room, trying to think of a way to explain his absence. He looks back at Michael and says, "I'm sorry for my absence, I don't know what happened, I can't remember anything."
Michaels looks him up and down trying to figure him out. He nods in understanding and speaks again, "Interesting... But you still need to come with me."
Michael leads Blaine upstairs to the third floor and into an office. "Sit down Blaine," he demands.
Blaine takes a seat and looks around the room, it's rather spartan, with a desk, a few chairs and a bookshelf. He looks back at Michael and waits for him to speak.
Michael takes a deep breath and looks at Blaine, "tell me what happened to you. Where were you and why can you not remember anything?"
154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpyv6FCCwgm
"I'm sorry, I really cannot remember what happened. All I can remember is heading to my last job and then everything goes black from there," Blaine responds, thinking that if he tells what really happened, Amelia will be in danger.
Michael turns on the monitor on the desk and turns it towards Blaine. "We have video footage of you talking to someone before you disappeared. Who were you talking to?" He asks, pointing at the blurry figure in front of Blaine in the footage.
"I... I don't remember. All I remember is heading to my last job and then everything goes black from there." Blaine repeats himself.
Michael gets a frustrated look on his face, "But in the footage, you are clearly seen speaking. We need to know who that was and what you were talking about. It could be essential in finding out what happened to you."
Blaine looks down shaking his head, "I understand, but I'm sorry. I just don't remember. I wish I could help, but I can't remember anything from that moment on."
Michael takes a deep breath, trying to remain calm. "Blaine, I understand that you might be scared of whoever it was you were talking to, but you must tell me everything you can remember. We need to know what happened to you, and this is the only lead we have."
Blaine looks down, he knows he can't tell Michael the truth, it could put Amelia in danger. He takes a deep breath and looks up again. "I'm sorry, I wish I could help."
Michael looks at the shell on the desk then looks back at Blaine, "the archangel Raphael spotted you near the temple of the seven. What were you doing there?"
Blaine pauses for a moment, trying to think of a way to answer that without getting himself into any more trouble or putting Amelia in danger. "I'm not sure what I was doing there. I woke up there, but I can't remember why. Everything is a blur before that."
Michael looks at Blaine skeptically, but he is inclined to believe him. He takes a deep breath and nods his head in understanding. "Very well, we will have to look into this further, but for now I think it's best for you to resume your duties. But know that you are going to be watched closely from now on."
Blaine nods his head and stands up. He walks out of the office and heads downstairs, thinking about what he has gotten himself into. He never should have gone with Klein to the library, and now Amelia is in danger if he talks.
154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtiD5OdKnHZ
As he gets to the bulletin board, Amelia and Jonas approach him, "Blaine! You are back, we were so worried about you," Amelia says, giving him a hug.
Blaine smiles and hugs her back, relieved that she is safe. He looks at her and Jonas and says, "I'm sorry for worrying you guys, I just can't remember what happened."
Jonas looks at Blaine with a concerned expression, "We will figure this out, don't worry."
Blaine nods in agreement and looks at the bulletin board, trying to focus on the task at hand. He can't let himself get distracted by what happened. He has a job to do. He picks up the note from the board, it reads: "Matthew, age 12."
The images of Matthew's current situation flow through Blaine's mind, He sees a young boy with blond hair, about 12 years old, walking down a street. He is wearing a blue shirt and jeans, and he looks a bit scared. He is walking away from a group of people that are shouting and throwing rocks at him. The boy looks back at them, his eyes filled with fear. Blaine feels a tug in his heart and he knows that he has to help the boy.
154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyAItlszdQ6
"I'm sorry guys, I have to go," Blaine says and though he would love to continue his embrace with Amelia, he gets her to let go.
Saddened, Amelia steps back and says, "Okay, I'll see you later then, we have something to talk about."
Jonas looks at both of them and smiles but does not say anything or even hint at Blaine that he knows her feelings too. They say their goodbyes and Blaine goes outside taking flight and heading to his call.
154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtQHsu4VI4h
