Venus in Real Life

7. On their way

Before Ciel fell asleep, her phone rang loudly. It was a message from Daire. She had news regarding the story of objects coming back to life Hugh mentioned before.

"Mei, are you asleep?" Ciel asked with a hint of excitement in her voice 

"What do you want?" Mei was more asleep than awake and was very irritable at the moment.

"Daire texted me. She says that she found a story similar to the one Hugh mentioned, except that there are some special conditions. An old legend mentions objects that once had a soul, that after a hundred years, they could come back to life, but they have to feel the need and will to come back." 

"So you're telling me that when he asked her to be his "Love," that gave her the will to wake up?" 

"Daire says she'll explain more tomorrow, once she gets to see Venus. That part, though, "Objects that had a soul once," we'll have to put a bigger effort into helping Venus recover her memory." 

"Ok, tomorrow we will," Mei said, fading into sleep. 

That was a long night for Ciel. The text from the elder stuck on her head and made her wonder. How possible was that the legend gave an explanation of what happened? What did it mean? 

But most importantly, if she once had a soul, how did she become a statue in the first place? There was nothing else to do but wait. 

In a few hours, they'd be on their train back to town and moving closer to discover the mystery around them. 

"In other news, the investigations continue in the Museum of Louvre after the famous statue Venus de Milo disappeared last Friday afternoon. The local authorities have not given any declarations in the matter, as they still have no clues on what could have happened." 

It was Sunday morning already, and the night hadn't been long enough to recover from all they did the previous day, but still, they had a train to catch, and a room to vacate soon. 

Ciel always woke up early, even though she hated mornings. It was worst for her to be late than to be cranky and sleepy. 

Venus, on the other hand, was too much of a morning person. She woke up early and sat at the window like the day before. 

When Ciel woke up, they had a brief good morning conversation, and Ciel explained to Venus the plan for the day, proceeding then to give her the remote of the TV, much for Mei's pain. 

The volume had gone very up, then very low, and then up and then in the middle. While the younger twin tried to sleep a little longer, she heard a movie, a car race, a lot of loud music, and finally the news, when Ciel came from her shower.

"Why are you listening to that this early in the morning?" Mei unsuccessfully tried to wrap herself tighter in her pillows, as she had been trying for the last half an hour, during Venus' latest learning experience. 

"It's the only way we have to know if they can get us involved in what happened with Venus, so I'm just trying to make sure we're all safe."

There it was, the cranky morning mood. Ciel was not happy to be up, but she was clean and getting dressed already. 

Venus sat on the couch and listened to the news over the twins' conversation. She knew now that the TV was not a scrying mirror, and after playing with the remote for a while, she started to see why people liked it. 

Venus skipped on many channels while Ciel showered, and kept herself busy on that until the older twin came out and asked her for the remote to put on the news. 

People were now talking about her, and she was a little startled on what Ciel said to her sister "I wanna make sure we're safe," her words now marked on Venus' mind. 

What could happen to them if they were found with her? 

Venus wondered if she meant danger to the people that had been trying to help her and had made her so happy in so little time. Fear started to grow inside her, worry, concern, so much that she preferred to get up and head to the shower. 

A knot started to form in her stomach, and it was very uncomfortable, but the girl didn't want her new friends to be more worried about her. The previous day Ciel told her she shouldn't trouble herself thinking about it, because they would keep her safe, and she trusted her. 

"Five more minutes." That was Mei's favorite morning phrase until her sister let her know she was late, but this morning it was not only her sister pulling her hair. 

Although she loved Venus and was not going to tell her anything in a bad mood, she'd definitely tell her about her sleep habits. Better yet, tell her it was healthier to sleep longer, so maybe she could convince the girl to sleep past 6 am. 

Ciel wandered the room to finish getting ready, picking up her belongings, and packing whatever was left around so she wouldn't leave any of them behind. Venus was in the shower. She now seemed to love to get hot showers. 

Before Venus got into the bathroom, Ciel talked to her, they were leaving early that morning, so if they wanted to get breakfast, Venus needed to shower quickly. She was probably about to come out anyway, besides showers, breakfast and pastries were big on Venus' heart. 

Mei desisted on her idea to continue to sleep and sat in her bed, eyes still closed and frowning. She was not a morning person either but didn't get bad moods like her sister. At least, she thought, she would have some time to sleep on the train. 

Half an hour later, Ciel had managed to push Mei into getting ready and helped Venus choose some clothing among what the twins had packed for the trip. Everyone in the room was almost done when they heard a knock. 

"Good morning to all my favorite magickal people!" Hugh came in with a smile ear to ear and four cups with a Starbucks logo and a bag that smelled like packed glory. 

"Great, another morning person," Mei was grumping everyone around when the smell of her favorite coffee hit her.

"No sarcasm allowed today. I'm in a good mood. So good in fact that I went to get breakfast for us all," Hugh said, still smiling.

"Is that hazelnut coffee with cream and extra sugar?" Mei's mouth watered.

"Your favorite, right?" He took the cup and teased her with it. "You see? I'm a nice person. You should treat me better," he joked. 

"Right now, you're the best, now hand me that cup before I take it with your arm attached to it," she said with her eyes fixed on the prize. 

"Ciel, I've got you a cold Chai frappe with extra cinnamon and extra sugar," he said, handing out her favorite drink while ignoring Mei's words, 

"I'm surprised that you remembered, thank you so much, Hugh," Ciel said, smiling while taking her cup.

"Venus, I have something for you too, an iced matcha latte, sweet. Tell me if you like it." 

"Thank you." She extended her hand and took the cup. As soon as the green liquid reached her mouth, she squealed and jumped. Pure joy drew on her smile and sparkling eyes.

"Last but not least," He finally said to Mei, who was now acting like a five-year-old throwing a tantrum, but still rushed and hugged the cup he was offering to her.

"Finally, I present you with this." He placed a white box on the table and opened it. The smell filled the room, and more than one stomach grumbled. 

They could see pain au chocolat, pain aux raisins, and croissants, still visibly warm. Also in the box, plenty of small cups with butter and jelly, and the very best, as he obviously knew the twins too well, eclairs.

"Please, ladies, get them before they get cold," he invited as the three girls attacked the box devouring its contents and giving small moans as they ate. 

He calmly sipped from his vanilla, hot coffee, that was his own liquid comfort while watching the excited, stuffed faces of the girls in front of him.

"Oh god, this is so good!" Ciel groaned, biting her eclair. It maybe wasn't the healthiest breakfast, but Hugh knew the girls were going to love them. They were looking for some since Friday when they arrived, but with everything that happened, they didn't get to eat them until now.

"This is one of me and my sister's favorite sweets, definitely part of our top five, right Mei?" Ciel was telling Venus while waiting for her sister to confirm what she had said, but Mei's mouth was full, so she just nodded happily.

Ciel took her phone out of her pocket and shot the most funnily embarrassing selfie of her sister. Mei was in the background, and her face was covered in cream and sugar. They all cracked up, laughing. 

"See? this is a selfie worth the effort," Ciel said, showing it to Venus, who was almost crying with laughter.

After the surprise breakfast, they finally took their belongings and joined the rest of the group downstairs in the lobby. 

They were finally ready to go back. 

The bus was waiting for them at the entrance, being filled slowly with sleepy and, most of them hungry, students. At eight o'clock, as their teacher had told them, they departed towards the train station. 

Not so far from them, in the Louvre, the police had been checking Venus' stand closely. Getting and comparing all of the fingerprints was a long process, and they had recovered plenty from the statue stand, and many more from the brochure box. 

Now they were comparing and checking the museum employees' history and making sure the statue's disappearance was not planned by any of them. 

A confirmation for their hypothesis would be difficult. It was harder to think that it wasn't one of the employees. 

The idea of an external person who could plan and execute without anyone noticing was more difficult. 

That would include lifting and taking a statue that weighed almost two thousand pounds without leaving a trace or a witness, and not setting off the alarms placed around her and on her base. 

They were almost sure that the initial plan was to hide the statue inside the museum, taking advantage of the planned electric failure, and then move it at night when there was nobody left to watch them.

However this theory had the inconsistency that not long after the statue disappeared, the police were called in, they checked the whole building, so if the statue was still there, they would have found it. 

Nevertheless, it was the most logical explanation they could get to, and everything was yet to be proven. What worried the most, equally the authorities and the museum director, was some pieces of marble scattered on the floor going from the stand to the curtain set behind it as decoration. 

Besides tracing its movement, they figured the debris could mean that the statue was damaged in the process of whatever happened to it. 

They had plenty of cameras installed around, but they didn't keep recordings of the inside, as their security system worked on intruder alerts, and during the day, the museum was full of security officers, along with movement detectors and alarms set for every piece of art. 

The only recordings they kept were from the museum entrances, and they were already requested for the police. The detective in charge was Matt Horn, a tall, bearded, strong man in his late thirties who was an expert in the art of trace. 

He had been on the force for fifteen years already and had successfully solved many cases, but this one had him going crazy. Every time he thought he had something, he was taken back, finding himself in dead-end after dead-end. 

Working long hours, pacing in front of a pile of pictures, going back and forth from the station to the museum, had not given him any results yet. 

"How many people do you estimate came to the museum that day?" Matt was seating once again in the interrogation room in front of the Museum director, Henri Genet. 

"About fifteen thousand people, it's as many as we usually get at the museum," the director answered him. Deep bags under his eyes showed the breakdown built inside of him that the older gentleman hardly was able to hold in place.

"And you said before, there is a guard that checks the cameras all day long. At least two more for each of the five floors, and the four entrances and exits. You also mentioned that you keep no recordings except for the entrance cameras, correct?" 

Matt was tired. He needed to check fifteen thousand people for criminal records, plus the museum employees, besides his regular procedures for the case. 

"That is correct, detective." 

"Can you share those recordings with us, Mr. Genet?" 

"Yes, I've ordered already for their retrieval and delivery to your office. They told me you'll have them first thing tomorrow morning." 

"Your cooperation is very much appreciated," he stood absently thinking for a few seconds.

"Detective?" The director interrupted his thoughts, "How much longer do you think we should keep the Sully wing at the museum closed?" 

"I think one more day will be enough. The forensics team is almost done on their work, so as soon as they confirm to me, I will gladly let you know." Matt ran his fingers through his three inches long black hair and finally stood up.

"Thank you again for all your help director, we're doing our best to recover her."

"I appreciate the effort, detective Horn." They shook hands, and the director, who looked small in front of Matt, left the premises. 

Meanwhile, Hugh, Ciel, Mei, and Venus were on the train back home. A very excited Venus spent the whole ride with her nose stuck to the window, admiring the changes from big cities to large, green pastures. 

Mei slept almost all the way back, and Hugh was lost on thought. Before Ciel knew, he suspiciously left his seat.

"Venus, can you please keep an eye on her while I go to the toilette? I won't take long."

"Sure, what do I need to do?" Venus said.

"Just see that she doesn't roll out of her seat." 

"Ok, I can do that," she smiled, feeling helpful.

"Thank you," Ciel smiled back to her and got up to follow Hugh, who has been a little extra weird the last day.

"What is all that you're thinking?" Ciel walked behind him on the toilet line. He didn't overthink it, knowing her, she'd probably give him a real, honest piece of her mind, besides she probably knew already.

"Can you honestly tell me, do you think I had anything to do with her waking up?" His look serious and worried made Ciel snooze her sarcastic sense of humor for a while.

"Honestly, huh? Well, if the only thing she remembers before waking up was what you said, then I'd think yes, you were directly involved.

Now, is that a bad thing? I don't think so. Does it have to do with her feeling anything for you, now or in the future? Maybe, but that depends entirely on what happened and happens after she woke up. 

Are you responsible for her? Let's say not entirely, but you will still, most definitely, going to be helping us take care of her while she learns." 

She innocently smiled as he looked at her like she had just read his mind.

"How did you know I was thinking that?" He said, not holding the surprised look.

"I can read it. It's clearly written on your face. Listen, I know you have your perspective and your ideas on relationships, and I know you're not the one to put the effort on a girl. 

Just don't start anything with someone you can break so easily, ok? Let's protect her and take care of her the right way, agreed?" 

He lowered his eyes to his hands and played a little with his fingers, while a slightly sad look showed for a moment on his face. 

"Agreed," he finally said, knowing she was right.

"Good. Now, concerning all your other worries about this situation, if you were involved or not, it doesn't change anything, you know? We're all in this with you, and she'll learn so fast you'll not even remember how it was at the beginning."

She had her way to do things, obsessive and controlling, sometimes, maybe, but she knew what to say and when to say it. He was happy to be able to count on someone like her. 

"How did you know I'd be here?" 

"You can ask Mei. Somehow, I always know that kind of thing." 

"Where to find people in distress is part of your superpowers!?"

"I guess you could say that," she said while laughing.

They went back to their seats and found Venus' hand pressed against Mei's forehead pushed back, so her head didn't move from her seat.

The girl, noticing the two pairs of eyes on her, she got bright red.

"Her head was moving all around, I thought it could be bad for her." 

Mei lazily opened her eyes and found Venus' hand in her head, Ciel and Hugh standing around her.

"What was I doing in my sleep to keep all of you guys' attention?" She said, still surprised at the scene.

"Oh nothing, we left a second, and I asked Venus if she could take care of you, she just had exceeded my expectations," Ciel explained while hardly trying to hold her laugh. 

The train station in their town was not far from the girl's apartment, which was also on the way to Daire's store, so they decided to stop and drop their luggage and then go with the witch. 

When they finally got to the store, the elder was already waiting for them.