Charlotte
Norwegian summers were much less punishing than Phoenix's. I still wore a light, floral sundress, but instead of sticking to my body with sweat, it flowed easily in the cool breeze.
We'd taken a bus to a small village outside of Alta where we believed my mother to be living, and were walking the quaint, quiet streets hand in hand. After the meeting in Nayval, Arsen had found us a temporary place outside of Lycan and used his mafia connections to track her down. It didn't take him long— apparently he was very good at being a professional criminal— and a few weeks later, we were on our way.
The trip through the sinister Norway Pass was the most difficult part, and to explain what it was like inside would take an entire memoir, but the dangers we faced were worth the risk. The scenery was gorgeous beyond words, and I yearned to paint it the moment we arrived. That would have to wait for another day— I wanted to locate my mother before nightfall— but luckily days were hours longer here in the summer months.
It didn't take more than twenty minutes of strolling around town for us to find a local shopkeep who knew who we were looking for, and before I could even register what was about to happen, we were walking down a long, winding lane toward my mother's house.
My heart fluttered in my chest, the nervous excitement in my body making me tremble, and Arsen squeezed my hand. He could sense my emotions as clearly as his own, and I his. I tried to breathe deep and focus on how calm and steady he was beside me, but it barely helped. I was about to see my mother for the first time in sixteen years, and I only hoped that she would remember me.
When we rounded the bend and stepped onto the last stretch of driveway before a small, yellow house, my worry died away. Lining the path on both sides were rows upon rows of golden, glowing sunflowers. My chest squeezed and tears welled up in my eyes as emotion overtook me, the sight calling to a part of me that had been slumbering and starved for oh, so long. Arsen paused with me while I swiped moisture off my cheeks, and then gently prompted me forward.
"Go on, Char," he said as the front door swung open with a welcoming creak. "It's time."
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Skins & Needles (COMPLETE)
FantasyTwo souls, too many secrets. What makes the criminal organizations of Phoenix, Arizona so efficient, and so untraceable? Charlotte Andersen doesn't know, nor does she care to find out. She just wants to tattoo her heart out and stay on the bad guys'...
