Stay...Calm

Chapter 9

Timothy started sitting by Anias when she would stare out the window. He'd smile at her for a strangely long amount of time. She'd barely notice until Timothy would say something.

"What're you looking at?" he asked. Her eyes glance up, annoyed.

"Nothing in particular," she answered. He moved his hand a bit closer to her.

"You're eyes get all unfocused."

No response.

"I kinda like it that way." His fingers moved an inch closer to her butt. "It fits you. You like it that way, too?"

Anais stood up and started walking away. "I'll find somewhere quieter to sit."

It was kind of hard to see, but Victorine could see her cheeks blushing and a surprised expression brightened up her face.

Later on in the day, Ms.Kion set out in a black cloak to inspect the remains of the stable. As she dressed in the coats, she urged the rest not to follow, nor worry. For whatever happened there couldn't harm them here. She set out from the back door, under a sky blanketed with gray clouds. Victorine's curiosity couldn't help itself. The moment the woman left out the door, Victorine sneaked upstairs to Pauline's room and stepped onto her small balcony. The cold air hit her directly. But the balcony offered the best view of the smoldering pile of ashes that the cloaked figure ventured to.

It looked like a shell of broken dreams; a black stained skeleton that no one had paid attention to. Little piles of black specks and chunks covered the ground. No one would want to know if among the burned-up stables was something that could have been alive.

Ms.Kion checked among the ashes and charcoal, peeking under slabs that follow apart with the slightest of touch. Her eyes overlooked the site for anything...or anyone, that could be recovered. Her movements were slow and careful like each one was planned out. A fog hovered over the site like it was it's own, isolated, devastating world.

Victorine looked on, almost to the point of staring into space. Her body seemed like it was in a state of shock. However, she felt...nothing.

"You know, I honestly thought I'd be annoyed having to live under someone else's roof again,"Yolanda was heard saying in the hallway as she walked by. "But hey, everything's free here!"

"True," Jacey responded. The talking got bit more muffled as the two walked further. Victorine cocked her head to the side. Reasoning that following them would be better, she sneaked into the hallway and followed far behind them, but just close enough to hear what they were saying.

"Like remember when we were kids and we tried to run away?"Yolanda mentioned. Jacey started laughing.

"You remember that?" she chuckled.

"Yeah! We packed a bunch of cookies and then made it all the way to the top of the block. And then you just burst out crying."

Jacey nudged her playfully. "We were six."

"I mean, I'd probably make it a bit farther."

"Yeah, right."

"I mean, we made it a whole lot farther this time."

"Shut up."

As Victorine gestured to move forward, she heard a sweet voice call her name. She glanced over her shoulder to see Asha walking up the stairs.

"Buckley's about to chug a whole mug of what Horace calls milk," she informed. "Wanna take a peek."

With a cute smile, Victorine followed her new best friend.

That night, at just around midnight, Victorine couldn't bring herself to fall asleep. She was tangled in the blankets, all snug in her bed, as visions of smoldering wreckage danced her head. But as she was lost in the state between conscience and sleep, she heard a faint snicker. It was almost inaudible, though it caught her attention. And then she heard another one, a little bit louder. Having a smidge more energy than she thought, she slid down to the floor and snuck out of the room.

She crawled down the stairs and onto the first floor, where she followed the softest of noise. The house was filled with shadows and a still resistance to silence. At one point, Victorine could've sworn that she saw the shadow move ever so slightly. But with a longer glance, the shade fell still. Past the empty dining room, a light was glowing in the parlor. Moving in closer, it was obvious that the T.V. was on. And on the couch sat Yolanda, Parker, and Jacey.

By the looks of it, Parker (barely) seemed to be the only one awake. Yolanda was slumped over the arm of the sofa with her arm propping up her head. Jacey had her head resting on Parker's lap as she sleeps soundly. On the television screen was what looked like a superhero movie. The action on screen would go fast, then slow down, then go faster, than slow down. Her eyes ached from the light, so all Victorine could make out was red and black flashing across.

Victorine slowly crawled up to the living room, trying not to make the slightest of sound. Indubitably, Parker noticed her. He rubbed his eyes

"Wait, you're still awake?," he whispered, glancing up at the T.V. "Uh, you probably shouldn't be watching this. Meh, this part isn't that bad, I guess."

Victorine crawled onto the arm of the sofa, next to him. He smiled down at the sleeping Jacey. She looked peaceful, with her lips slightly parted and her fingers clinging to the cushion. Her eyelids wrinkled from the bright light coming from the television.

"Man, I didn't think I'd ever see her again," he told Victorine. "When I had to escape first, and I thought I'd said goodbye for the last time. I doubted either of us would survive after we parted ways. But this...was probably the best surprise I've ever had. Especially since we don't have much left since this the war started."

He stroked her raven black hair. "You, know I'd do anything for her. With all that's happening, she's the one thing I wanna stick with. I love her too much for this to be torn apart by her again."

He glanced up at the screen again and said,"This parts kinda...oh....okay!"

Parker covered Victorine's eyes. "You should probably get to bed now."