Tormented: Day 12

Word Count: 72,012

Summary of Events:

Riel cross-examined Roberto at significant length, until he asked Roberto some questions that Roberto was unwilling to answer. The new Athena arrived and Esperanza decided to go and comfort her, explaining everything to her, and learning that her real name was Ana-Maria; because an Argonaut was listening, though, Esperanza told her little of escape plans. Having been woken by another nightmare, Riel stood out on his balcony in the torrential rain thinking about the court case, what it had become, and how he felt it was actually a hindrance more than a help . . .

Excerpt of the Day:

"Already they'd been at it for three weeks and things were getting worse for him. He wanted Esperanza found, or at least not given up on until it was assuredly ascertain that she would not ever be found, like Estefanía had been.

Really, though, he wanted to find her, and Estefanía. He had no idea how he was going to find them. Estefanía had been gone nearly nine years. Both of them had vanished to the point of bafflement: not a trace, not a sign, as if their entire existence had been a massive hallucination.

Riel gathered his lips, recalling one of the last Masses he'd been to before he hadn't had the time anymore. The priest had been speaking out against the people who believed that Jesus had been a massive hallucination. He wryly wondered if Estefanía or Esperanza had been caught up into the sky like Enoch, Elijah, or Jesus had been. Mother had always called Estefanía her angel.

But he doubted it. He knew for a fact that Estefanía hadn't been the angel Mother had believed her to be. She'd been mischievous and infuriatingly impertinent at times; but as annoying as she'd been, she'd still been his sister, and he'd still loved her.

And from what he'd heard in testimony from the Bello Arechovaletos inside and outside of the courtroom, Esperanza hadn't been saintly either. She'd been a feisty, competitive, resilient creature who fought her way through anything rather than give in — even when giving in was the better option.

They had to still be on earth somewhere, as far as Riel was concerned, and he intended to see them found, even if it came down to him having to do it himself, although he didn't see why the Mar del Plata police department couldn't keep looking until they'd solidly confirmed they absolutely could not find Esperanza — or maybe even succeeded in finding her much to their own surprise.

Riel sighed and looked down. His chest was so wet water was running down it steadily, and his jeans were quite wet too, just from the splashing of the drops, not from them directly hitting him.

Turning away from the balcony rail, Riel walked toward the French doors back into his bedroom, but stopped with his hands on the handles. Hot tears blurred his vision, agony clawed painfully at his breastbone and filled his chest cavity.

He wanted to find them. He needed to find them. Both of them. He couldn't live with himself if he didn't, and he was sure that if he failed he would haunt Buenos Aires until they were found.

Leaning his forehead against the door, he closed his eyes and let the warm tears wind their way through the cool residual rain that wet his face otherwise. His sides trembled as he took shaky breaths.

More than anything he wanted them found. He'd already failed once, he didn't want to fail again. It would surely be a death blow if he did."