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━ " LONG BLACK HAIR, ATTITUDE, YOU'VE GOTTA KNOW EM'. "
Cleo's body jolts suddenly. Awaken by a chilling scream, her head swivels from side to side in alarm. She hoists herself up, eyes scanning the darkness around her. When another scream follows, she tries her best to gather her thoughts.
It takes a few mere seconds to regain full consciousness. Then, she comes to the conclusion that the screams belong to her frantic mother. She doesn't wait for the next one to ring through the house, slipping out of her covers. This wasn't rare in the Caddell house, but Cleo preferred to not be present in these moments.
She rushes through the narrow corridors, her feet knowing every corner by heart. The times she spent dashing through the path were too many to count. She hurries into her brother's room, desperate for some sort of escape.
Cleo ignores the crescendo sound of the shrieks and ruckus origination from the living room, blindly following her heart. She pulls the door open, tears threatening to seep out of her eyes. She breathes in, trying to stomp her weakness out.
"Blake?" she murmurs, tip-toeing towards his bed.
"Come here, Cleo." Her brother answers. He'd been woken up too, and he knew how much his sister needed him in those moments. He makes space for her in the bed, shrugging the covers off him and preparing them for her.
Nora Caddell is an unreliable and hazardous woman, and, she happens to make ephemeral comebacks, and trigger waves of fear throughout their house. Her arrivals are never silent or discreet. On the contrary, they're made to terrorise.
Without hesitating an instant more, Cleo huddles next to Blake. "I'm scared." She admits, shaking slightly.
"Don't be. I'm here, Cleo." Blake tries to reassure, running his fingers through her hair. "I won't let anything bad happen to you. Not again." He tightens his arms around her frame.
It's hard to believe, but Nora used to be the kindest mother in the entire town. Before the accident, that was. Nora turned into her children's worst nightmare. Surrounding herself with nothing but bad news, leaving drugs scattered and hating her kids for her mistakes.
Especially Cleo.
She reminded her too much of her deceased lover. It wasn't only in her smile, but the manner in which she could light up a room. She was the reflection of her father, a recollection of his memories. A very painful one for Nora Caddell. She couldn't stand the fact that Cleo was still here, and not him.
She chose to take it out on the little girl. Whether it was with the puncture of a first or venom-laced words spat her way. No matter how many times Cleo prayed, Nora always came back, with a storm brewing in her mind.
