The Devil's Bride (Book 1)

Chapter 20- Perfect Storms

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"Light touch, heavy hand. She knew the weight of her slim figure was dancing around the sensational thrill almost in a whirlwind of expectation." She spoke, fluttering her eyelids towards the onlooking circle before her. They stared intently as she darted her wide eyes around the room, the small white paper in her hand as she read. "The colossal stream of pressure crushed her aching bones. She only needed to scream, to beg him, but she drifted into the cold reality she led." The crowding group smiled or cheered on the occasion, until she spoke the final line.

Her eyes darted wearily as she opened her thin lips. "Her fingers gripped eloquently to the man's severed limbs. She couldn't break the thought that she had won." The woman sighed, slipping back into her chair as the circle hadn't decided whether to applause or worry. They gave in, clasping their palms together. The doors behind them creaked open as the leader of the group nudged his head to the late arrival.

"Miss Bennigan, thank you for coming." He smiles, as the rest of the circle stare towards her as she collapses into an empty chair. "We were just listening to Thelma's beautiful portrayal of...well, her short story." He laughed, then corrected himself as he looked towards Thelma, who had nestled her head into rereading the story in her head. "Why don't you talk about something?" He gestured to Elise, and she swallowed her breath. She knew she had done wrong, and she knew no one could know. Killing Luke felt perfect in the moment, but now the repercussions are all coming back. She sighed, straightening her posture as their eyes focused in on her.

"Hi, my name is...Elise Bennigan, and, well, for a while, I was an alcoholic, and I...I was a mess, struggling to survive through the drugs and the pain. I know I'm not healthy anymore, it's hard to say I ever was." She murmured, having stood up. The circle surrounding her smiled in support. "I...I've done something wrong. I spent all of my life picking up the pieces of my shattered life all to see it crash and burn last night." She spat, desperately attempting to hold her voice. She cleared her throat and fell back into her chair, biting her lip.

The leader frowned, pressing his hand to his chin. He stared around the room for a moment, before returning to look to Elise. "If you don't mind me asking, Elise, what did you do last night?" She froze, staring around. Before this morning, when the news of his death spread around town, Elise thought she could escape the truth. She was wrong. The wandering eyes had drawn themselves to her, as she slouched in her chair, hiding the fear, hiding her guilt. She rose to her feet, swallowing the bile that rose in her stomach.

"I killed someone."

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The pouring rain drizzled furiously as the storm beckoned the escaping sunlight. Her car muffled under the thundering rainstorm as she stepped on the acceleration, sliding on the slippery bitumen street. The slashing pelting of raindrops charged towards her car as she glanced mistakenly through the foggy windows, searching for his house. Her phone chirped the tone in the cup holder beside her, and she made the foolish mistake of checking it. As she continued driving, foolishly, her life flashed before her eyes.

And she knew she wasn't going anywhere else tonight. The bright torch of her headlights shone iridescently onto the sprawling oak tree in front of her car. She clicked her phone off, gasping in shock.
"Shit." She spat, the air bag comforting the blow. She pressed her palm to her forehead, finding blood. "Shit." The car door swung open, as Marie stepped out into the thundering wind, her hair soaking amidst the rainstorm. She thought about the accident, she thought about how horrible her night had just become, and then she saw him standing there, holding a wide black umbrella in his fingers on the other side of the road. He smiled, crossing towards her with his arm outstretched, and she forgot about how much she loathed the idea of a date with Grant, because all she needed now was shelter. Shelter from this storm.