Nightswan

NaNo - Day 20

- Vasilisa -

Her cuticles were bleeding. Not just one but all of them. Her nails, which were once long and well-kept, were now raw and jagged. She moved from one finger to the other in her frantic attempt to calm her anxiety. The train was too small; Vasi didn't have enough room to move. Mike actually had to restrain her to keep her from walking around and digging a groove in the floor. His hand on her wrist meant she couldn't bite her nails anymore, either. She hadn't done this since she was a child—biting her nails. Vasi kept hearing the gunshots in her head. Over and over and over. If she could've dug her hands into her hair, she would've, but one hand wasn't as effective as both. She also doubted Alessio would want a bald bride.

Implying he were still alive.

"He's alive," Vasi muttered.

Mike moved slightly closer to her.

"He has to be alive!" Vasi's voice became strained, eyes moving to Mike.

"Miss Andino..."

"Milani," she corrected. "My last name is 'Milani.'"

Mike smiled a little. "I'm sure everything is fine, Mrs. Milani."

"But there were gunshots. Not one but several, and what if he's dead? Or what if he's dying somewhere? What if—"

"Worrying so much is not going to help you," Mike counseled, patting her hand. "Alessio's a strong man with myriad resources. He's fine."

"But what if he's not?"

"Hush, child," he cooed. "Be at ease."

"How can I...be at ease when my husband might be dead or dying? Or worse? What if he's been captured, and they're torturing him, or—"

"Miss Vasi!" He squeezed her hand to get her attention. "Hush."

She sniffled and rubbed her eyes, no longer caring about her makeup. Her cheeks were probably black from mascara, and she probably looked like a racoon, but that didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was getting home and praying Alessio would be there when she arrived. He had to be. He promised he'd always return to her. That he'd be fine. That he'd be safe.

Had it all been a lie?

She tried to stand up, but Mike pulled her down again. "We're ten minutes away. Then we'll hop in the car, and I'll take you home. Okay? I'm staying with you until we find your husband."

"But Uncle Thaddeus—"

"Will be fine. He has others who can attend to him. Right now, my assignment is you."

Vasi nodded and started picking at her cuticles again with what was left of her thumbnail. She didn't say anything else, because all he was going to say was "Be calm. Relax. Nothing's the matter."

When, in reality, every single thing on this planet was now wrong.

Wrong, wrong, wrong.

Time didn't pass quickly enough for Vasi. When they finally arrived at her apartment building, only Mike's hand on her arm kept her from running up the stairs to the lobby and taking the elevator up to their floor. Heck, if it took too long, she'd just take the stairs. All the way up. Anything to get her to her apartment as quickly as possible. Mike, though, held her firmly, and she couldn't wrench free. That was also the only way she didn't start walking in circles in the elevator. Instead, Vasi went back to flicking through her fingernails.

The apartment door was closed tightly when they arrived. Vasilisa handed over the key, and Mike opened it. He kept her tightly behind him, protecting her with his own body as he wandered through each room. No one was there, just...silence. And darkness. Vasi felt tears climbing up into her throat, and she had to bury her head into Mike's shoulder to stop the wetness from rolling down her cheeks. No sign of Alessio. No sign that he'd been there. No nothing. Just...cold. Coldness and a stuffiness like the air hadn't been circulating.