My Midnight Love

Chapter Nine

I held onto Lauren as she sobbed onto my shoulder, curled up on the sofa, in Rafes small little house. She seemed much smaller then she had been before, shrunken by grief.

In the moments she was quieter I looked out of the window, at the leaves falling in the blustering wind, it was spring, they shouldn’t have been. Something strange was going on. A storm was raging outside, thunder rattling our bones and lightning light our tired faces.

When she spoke, she shuddered. “It's all be going wrong for so long, our parents were arguing. And I convinced myself I was in love with Joel, that everything was perfect, my sister was my best friend, happy families and a perfect boy friend. That's what he is. And I love him, I’m just not in love with him! And now....now.....” She choked off unable to continue.

I rubbed my hand over her back, the way mothers were supposed to.

She continued crying and making incoherent sounds for another half hour. I sat in quiet contemplation. I had to find out what was happening, the trees shouldn't be shedding still green leaves, Tish shouldn't be dead, Quinlan shouldn't be so afraid. Everything was wrong.

I sighed, and patted Laurens heaving back again. “It'll all work out.”

She looked to me, mouth wide and eyes puffy. “How?”

I didn't know, I honestly didn't. All I had was hope and a belief in Aelfric. He had said earlier in the kitchen that I had made everything right before, now it was his turn.

“Somehow, it always does.” I whispered and turned back to watching out the window. I tired to make myself believe my own words, but it was hard. How could this turn out OK?

“Your the only one I can talk to, Trish's gone, my parents are grieving and Joel wouldn't understand.” She pressed her face into my shoulder, making a darker wet patch in my red check shirt.

“I think you underestimate him.” I murmured. “He's great to talk to, helped me through some hard times.”

“What kind of times?”

I wasn't sure how to phrase it. “A rocky start with me and Aelfric.” I explained. “He left for a long while, Joel was the only one I could talk to.”

She sniffed and looked up at me.“Really?”

I leant forward to pluck a tissue from the Kleenex box on the coffee table.“Put a little more faith in him and he'll come through for you. He really cares about you.”

“How do you know?” She said,though her words were muffled as she wiped her nose.

“You should see the way he's changed. He was different before, angrier. Not so much any more.” I smiled, not looking at anything in particular, just thinking about the way he looked at her,or how he looked when he was around her, or someone mentioned her name. I'd never seen him so blissfully happy.

“They're saying it was murder.” She whispered.

“But what do you think? That's what matters.” I replied.

“I guess I agree, I don't know. It's all so confusing.” She shook her head and used the tissue to wipe her eyes. “I should go see Joel now.” She looked at me as if for conformation.

I nodded and we both stood up, the air which had been so casual if depressed was suddenly awkward. I hugged her lightly and showed her to the door. She was going to catch the bus home, I only hoped she made it that far without bursting into tears again.

Aelfric appeared in the hall behind me and his eyes asked as silent question.

“She's gone.” I answered.

He nodded and offered his hand to lead me through to the Dining room. He sat down in one of the chairs and gestured I sit opposite. I did so, and began tracing the knolls eyes in the wooden tales surface. It had always fascinated me, the curves and colours in wood. At times so rich and others so pale. The circles a shapes had always reminded me of ducks heads with really big eyes.

Aelfric's long pale fingers caught mine and I looked up to meet his gaze reluctantly.

“I want you to be safe, so you and I are going to go live in Aelfweald. But not in the fort, in the forest.”

“Is it really safer there?”I asked doubtfully.

He smiled. “It may seem strange but yes, we would be surrounded by our allies and not far from the fort.”

I paused and traced his bones with my finger tips unsure of how to phrase the next part without peaking his anxiety. “But, I thought they found Trish's body in the forest.”

He exhaled loudly and hung his head. “On the other side of the lake, on the shore, by the forest.”

I decided to go on, to get as many answers as I could while he was talking.“It wasn't murder. Was it?”

“In a manner of sorts it was.”

“But it wasn't a human?”

“No, it wasn't”

“And she isn't the first?” I guessed the last part.

He nodded and my blood ran cold. More then one? I wanted to ask how many, but I was afraid of the answer.

I felt a draw to be closer to him so I rose form my seat and walked round to his. He pulled me onto his lap and buried his face in my hair.

“I'm sorry.” He murmured. “I just want you to be safe. Please don't ask me, or anyone else anything more about this.”

I had to lie to him, because of my promise to Quinlan, so I nodded. Guilt was filling me but I had made a promise.

“Things are changing out there, aren't they?” I said gesturing to the window where a torrent of water was flowing down the panes of glass, the wind throwing leaves against them and pinning them there with fresh gusts.

“I said no more questions.” He grumbled. “But yes.”

“I'm scared.” I admitted.

“Me too,” He whispered. “Me, too.”

Rafe walked through, ducking under the low ceilings. “Things will turn out OK.” He grunted.

“How do you know?” Aelfric and I asked at the same moment.

“They always do.”

They were the exact words I had used with Lauren, I hadn’t believed them then. I still didn't now.

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This is short, i know. I know how much you hate short chapters. I'm sorry. But it's a filler. I needed the bit with Lauren and i needed an explanation for how they end up in Aelfweald again.

OH! New story, fantasy Romace. It's called From Sky to Sky and it's about an Angel. I'll upload the first chapter tonight. It's quite different from my usual stuff. If you get the chance check it out.

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