The Lores of Lyra - Rising Star [Book I]

Chapter 3 - Blake

Christina arrived shortly after with breakfast on a tray. Miriam thanked the maid and let her go. The fresh fruit and yogurt was delicious, and despite the fact that her face hurt whenever she chewed, she devoured as much as she could muster.

Miriam decided to check out the shape of her body. She had gathered from her mother’s expression earlier that it was bad this time. She walked slowly to the hallway, intent on checking herself in the big mirror. A gasp escaped as she saw the blue bruises, and the wide cuts. No wonder she felt awful.

Brushing her hair with her fingers, she tried to organize the bird nest on top of her head. Her right cheek had swollen to the double size, and a large shadow circled her right eye. Her face was paler than usual, and with her bloodshot eyes, she resembled a ghost in ways she’d never thought she would. 

A noise startled her. Snapping around to see where it came from, she noticed Gustavo, who was dusting the paintings in the hallway off.

“Gustavo, can you please tell my mother that I don’t wish to see anyone today? I am going to lie down a bit, and when I wake up I will be in the library,” she asked as soon as her heartbeat returned to normal. He gave her a small nod to signify that he understood and bowed before walking away.

Miriam stood there, consumed in her own line of thoughts. Dr. Johansson had left so abruptly. Was he coming back? Wishing the best for her mother, she took one last glance in the mirror before slowly making her way up to her room. The stairs were agonizing, and she had to stop to catch her breath repeatedly. This was without any doubt the most painful of all attacks, and she had a lot to compare with. 

The first times had involved bruising and scrapes which seemed to come unexpectedly. At first, her mother scolded her because she couldn’t explain them. It hadn’t been until Veronica Hertz had seen it with her own eyes that she decided to take Miriam out of the public school—confined within the Hertz grounds so she always could get immediate help. These attacks were the reason she felt lonely. It was because of the uncertainty of the attacks that it wouldn’t be sensible of them to let her roam in public.

In all honesty, Miriam couldn’t complain. She had a warm bed and even though she lacked social relations, she had everything a girl needed. Her mother used a small fortune on books to Miriam’s library. And she was stern when it came to school and learning. In fact, everyone tried to ignore the attacks as often as they possible could. 

When Miriam reached her room, she went straight to the bathroom. She needed a bath before anything. Attacking her hair with a brush, she looked over her appearances once more. She had grown used to the random bruises, but the pain was something that left her speechless every time. Tying her hair up and unbinding the bandages, she waited for the bathtub to fill with water. She frowned as she looked at the porcelain. The lion’s paws that held the tub, along with the tap, shaped like the head of a lion seemed so untactful to her. Lions were sacred in Astron. Moreover, even though this was meant as an act of respect for the animal—she still found the idea nauseating. 

The delicate fragrance of the bathing salts filled her nostrils, and it didn’t take long for her to jump inside. She managed to relax despite the pain that was evident every time she moved slightly. Leaning back she carefully scrubbed her body, wincing every time her fingers touched a bruised spot. Exhaustion crept over her, and she decided to close her eyes for just a bit. 

Miriam must have dozed off because when she woke again, the water had turned cold. Sighing, she forced her stiff cold frame up and dried her body. Her fingertips looked like raisins at this point. Before closing the bathrobe, she looked at her torso. The big welt across her ribs was the worst of it. 

Solem, if I can survive that, I can survive anything. 

A light tapping on the door shook her out of her thoughts, and she opened the door to reveal Christina who had arrived with some lunch. Together they struggled to get the bandages in place. Once they were done, Miriam could finally breathe normally again. Christina left her to eat in silence, but Miriam just stabbed the bean salad around with her fork.