The Devil's Matchmaker

Dante

The next couple of days I found myself going back to the district accompanied by one of the necromancers and I still couldn't find the angel. The apprehension made me restless.

It was a late Tuesday afternoon and Virgil was my appointed companion. He was very excited and couldn't stop himself from bouncing around while we were walking. The sight of the young boy skipping on the sidewalk brightened my day.

One of Collin's companions saw us while we were making our way towards the park. By now, the kids at the park have sort of warmed up to me.

I spent the past few days talking to Collin and the people who lived at Moonlight District. I asked him whether he'd seen someone besides us who was new to town.

"Why? I thought you wanted to know about the people who lived here." He asked me incredulous.

"It's a part of the research. I want to know the average number of people who move here and for what reasons." I had to rehearse the lie in my head until it was believable.

The afternoon sun brought a strange color to the park. Collin sat on one of the benches where we had our afternoon talks these past few days. As I got to know him and his friends, I realize that we were of the same ilk. They were the ones who's seats were at the back of the classroom, who walk the hallways with their heads down and wear the color of the outcast, black.

"Who's this?" Collin asked me when he saw the boy with the blonde hair and blue eyes.

"I'm Virgil. I'm nine." I had to suppress my laughter. "I'm Dante's cousin."

"Cousin?" Collin thought about it, came to a conclusion then motioned for us to sit.

I sat down, Virgil didn't. His eyes wandered around the park. A couple of kids were skating, some were playing basketball and a few seemed to be playing on their handheld consoles.

A strange feeling of pity came over me. Here was a boy who never got to live his childhood. There was no need for an explanation. His soul may have aged but his heart was still that of a boy.

" Go on." I told him. "Play around the park."

He was startled from his reverie. "I can play?"

"Of course you can." I ruffled his hair for good measure. "Now go on, I'll be here when you get back."

The smile on his face gave me immense satisfaction and I couldn't help smiling back.

"Good kid." Collin told me as we watch Virgil approach a couple of kids skating. "You babysitting him?"

"Kind of, but he can take care of himself." We watched the sunset in silence. After a while I asked him whether he'd seen someone new come to town.

"Funny you should ask." Collin took out a pack of smokes, took out two cigarettes and we began to smoke.

*I'm f.u.c.k.e.d if Caroline finds out about this.*

"Why?"

"Well, it's just that we've seen someone new. Sort of." Collin looked confused.

"What do you mean?" This was a breakthrough.

"There's this guy who stays in the bookstore near my place." He seemed to be racking his brains. "I think he's been here for a long time. The store used to belong to Mr. Burnette. He died a few years ago and the bookstore was put up for sale."

"This guy who bought the bookstore. You know his name?" My heart began to beat rapidly.

"You know what, no one seems to know him." Collin seemed to doubt what he was saying.

I remembered what Mephisto and Asmodeus told me about angels being similar to demons and how an unawakened mind cannot comprehend nor sense their presence.

*I have a strong feeling about this guy.* I knew there was no time to be wasted. I only had two days left. "Can you tell me where this bookstore is?"

"Sure, it's near my place." He said. "I'm going home to grab dinner anyway." He checked his phone. "Speak of the devil. Mom says dinner's ready."

I called out to Virgil who was learning the ropes of skateboarding and I felt guilty.

"I'm sorry but we have to go." I told him. "We'll come back tomorrow if you'd like."

He didn't seem to mind. "It's okay."

The bookstore was located a few blocks down the road from the park. While we were walking towards the store, Collin lent his board to Virgil who looked like a natural skating back and forth around us, it was uncanny to watch.

Burnett's Booksale was the name of the bookstore. After politely declining the offer for dinner, Collin left us in front of the store. The display window showed a foreboding assortment of books. Inferno, Purgatorio and Paradiso.

"What do you think Virgil?" A strange sound seemd to rang through my head. It sounded like a multitude of bells. As if I needed more proof.

"He's here." The change in his voice only reinforced the presence of something not of this world inside the store. "Should we go in, master?"

Something inside me told me not to enter but there was something drawing me in. And the bells brought with it a flood of memories. My mother buying me my first set of comic books, my father carrying me on his back while we were on the beach, my grandfather teaching me how to create paper cranes, my grandmother wiping my tears away.

As if in answer to this, the entrance to the store opened and I walked in, Virgil holding my hand. Whether he felt the same as I did, I couldn't tell.

The inside of the store was cramped. Books were scattered everywhere, paintings of various scenery throughout the city hung and competed for space on the walls.

The sound of the bells grew louder and everything looked more real like all my senses had been amplified. I felt a strange lightness in my c.h.e.s.t, the first time in a very long time and I realized there were tears in my eyes, not of sadness but of joy.