4 The Lull

The rain drummed on the window like soldiers breaking down a barricade as a small storm brewed in Lowey. The world had gone mad outside with nature warring against itself. But inside, it was calm. Like a quiet litter of kittens after the uglies of labour, quiet and snug.

In the centre of the room was a big princess bed that Lily had the luxury of sleeping on alone on the days when Brayleigh was not here, but the same bed tormented her with loneliness, and the lonely pillow frightened her with the idea that it may always be lonely with Brayleigh completely gone.

But today, Brayleigh was here and so was her scent, filling the room like a field of poppies. And her laugh, it was everywhere, like tuneful music on the radio waking you up with a fluttering warmth inside. Lily had never been more happy, the best friend she longed for was here. The rug white rug felt fluffier under her feet as she wiggled her toes grinning. She was perched on her study chair, squinting her eyes in joy as she watched Brayleigh 'try to work the human technology.' Her hands came to cover her lips, as she laughed louder, watching Brayleigh try to use her laptop.

Perched on the floor was an angered looking Brayleigh who hated how the weird light box in front of her made her look incompetent. She had used this multiple times but for some reason, she still find it hard to find the keys and ends up spending an entire hour writing ten words. Brayleigh's eyebrows drew tight together as an intense frown settled on her face. "Bloody computer!" She whispered under her brows.

"Let me help." Lily offered to which Brayleigh growled.

Lily looked out the window at the pouring rain and sighed dangling her legs, "I wish to be like you, Brayleigh. Brave." Lily knew it was not easy to make choices like Brayleigh had done or live like Brayleigh does, but Brayleigh's entire life was a series of impossible decisions and here she was doing it. Lily whistled as she absentmindedly stared at the window.

Lily's whistling was cut short by Brayleigh after a long time of deliberation. "Why would you want to? Have you seen me?" Brayleigh was always self-conscious of how she looks, though it is something she pushes to the back of her mind. 'Skin on bones', 'a walking corpse', 'a terrifying existence', 'a monstrosity that breaks mirrors', those are the words the faceless voices in her head whisper. Some situations she has found herself in, some nightmares that she must not remember and a horrifying ghost of a memory that still hunts her dreams keeps her bound to a never-ending contract with the god of torment as her life takes a spiralling turn for the worse each day. How could she be enviable?

"Yes." Lily says eyes still on the window, aloof to Brayleigh's mind. "You are so beautiful." She says unaware of the bewildered look of unbelief coming from Brayleigh as she whipped her head around from the laptop. "You are so strong." She says with a far away look. Staring at the window she licked her lips with a look of resolve as she closes her eyes and whisper. "I wish, I wish, I wish on the seas, I wish on the moon and the eyes of everything clear, that this rain washes away the world and this moment alone would exist forever." She opened her eyes and stared outside hoping the rain gets heavier and exacts her wishes. The stunned Brayleigh turned to see, but all she could see was the same level of rain. Nothing happened. Brayleigh wasn't sure if she was disappointed by this result. She wished Lily was magic and could wash away the world.

Brayleigh's hands came on Lily's with the other holding Lily's jaw to look her in the eye. "We don't always get what we want. But we can always have a duvet party."

This strangely excited the all grown Lily. Taking Brayleigh by the hand and getting up, laptop forgotten, "May I, princess Roseline Nail-polish the first?" She bowed.

"Absolutely, princess Lily-pad Pink-waffles the third. Brayleigh mirrored as they clumsily circled each other in a playful dance.

"My princess, this way to the one and only most exclusive ball." Brayleigh jests altering her accent.

"Of course princess Roseline Nail-polish" Lily laughs dragging her cousin into the big bed, creating a tent with the duvet.

All one could see was the small hands that peeked out pulling at a snack from underneath the bed and at once snaking under the duvet again.

The man from the shadow, sat in the dark, with nothing but his ears peeking a boo, in and out of the shadow. His movements were obscure.

Click.

Click.

Boom!

Warm red light burned from his lighter as he lit a cigarette on his lips. Pupils red and blazing with the fire in his lighter. A sip and sigh left fume filling the room as the spark at the end of his cig, shined brighter.

"So, she is gone." His booming voice came. It wasn't a question, but he still waited for a reply.

"Yes, Alpha." A quivering man shivered at the side.

"No one saw her leave?" His back still turned to the shivering man, unbothered by his distress

"N...no Alpha."

"Bingo! What are you going to do about this?" He finally asks turning his swivel chair. The man in front of him fell to the floor and bowed at once shouting his response.

"We have already started tracking her and we don't believe she has gone far, we..."

"Believe?" The booming voice scream kicking the man with his boots. "So, you know where she is then? Is that what I am to believe?"

The man on the ground whimpered. In the dark room surrounded by noisy machines and no one to help him. He thought this was the moment he would die. "Answer."

"She has been starved, barely fed her and reduced her calcium intake to almost zero. She is a walking corpse. She can't get far."

"Check on all the places she usually visits and send someone else to befriend the rich girl. I can't have anyone fuck me in the ass. When you do find Brayleigh, capture her alive."

Bingo has always been interested in why he was so invested in this rich heir and why he was particular about starving Brayleigh, but the Alpha was not a man you question. So, he never voiced his question.

"Yes, sir." Bingo shouted.

"Now fuck off." He spoke. Turning his swivel chair so he was consumed by the darkness as he watches the rain outside whispering to himself. "She must not get stronger."

***

Lowey was quite a niche village, not much to it, but full of very supportive neighbours, the smiles go round like wine at a ball but not everything you see is as it seems. You see at the village centre is a giant statue of a girl holding back a crouching wolf. A fierce expression on her decapitated head that lays in the fountain beneath the still standing body. A round crown of the moon sun and a fish adorning its independent head as people rushed by in their umbrellas.

Lowey seems like a put together down, but if you really look, the cracks are hot glares that refuse to break eye contact.

Among these rushing people is Natasha. Without cover from the rain she runs towards the woods with a bulge in her pocket. Soon she was alone with only the sound of her boots hitting the wet ground in a splash, she meandered through the fallen trees and forest oaks that all look similar as if following a map in her head. By the time she got to a rock she stopped breathless from her run, looked around her surroundings with caution before snaking through a small crack between the big boulder and the base of a mountain. Mount omai.