Heiress in Distress

•Chapter 19: Part 2•

"No" He whispers, shaking his head in apparent disbelief.

"It can't be," He says this more to himself, as he begins pacing, back and forth.

"She..." He snaps, pointing at Clara, "she's not real," He says with a shake of his head.

My brows draw close. What is he talking about ?

"No, no," He repeats, shaking his head and rapidly running his hands up and down his face.

Then, his whole face contorts in a way that suggests he's in pain, before his hands tug at his hair one more time and he turns around muttering a string of incoherency.

He ignores my calling for him as I hear the sound of an engine roaring and tyres squealing before the passing silhouette of Aurick's car passes us by, leaving behind a noisy silence that echoes throughout the neighbourhood.

He left. He left us here.

Being alone heightens the horribleness of the whole situation.
I will myself to push the hurt of Aurick's abandonment to the back of my head, refusing to waste precious brain energy on a lost cause.

I need to do something. I have to do something.

Fuelled by the horror, I hold Élise closer with one arm and support myself with the other, gathering myself and standing up on shaky legs.

Now what ?

My eyes inadvertently travel to my Clara, the sight of her bruised form shakes, before her whole being disappears behind the blur of my vision.
With a resuscitating shake of my head, I grip Élise, if possible, tighter, and head for the park's exit, well aware that screaming for help wouldn't serve me but rather scare Élise out of the peacefulness of her slumber.

For all I know this neighbourhood is relatively unpopulated, if the lasting desolateness that Clara and I pointed out on different occasions was anything to go by.

Once outside, the clenching of my fist flexes my forearm muscles under Élise, and I support her head with my other hand to steady her as I run in the direction of our house.

Having reached the alleyway, I'm surprised to find myself still breathing properly. The after-effects of both the shock and the alarm are still in effect, rendering my corporeal capabilities exhaustive.

One of the two men permanently posted here, runs to my side, holding both his hands out in a show of help on standby.
With a prominent frown, he walks past me, to peer at my house's -closed- door, and when he returns to my side, he makes no effort to hide his bafflement.

He's shocked at my standing before him, puzzling over the absence of a door opening and closing.
And I understand in that second that he doesn't know I have snuck my way out earlier.

"How can we help you, ma'am?" The other man asks in broken English, rounding the rear of the car to join us at its front.

"Clara..." I say, slowly sprawling up the cliff of insanity.

"M-my best friend, Clara.." I don't find the words to say.

My only family is beaten up and is currently sprawled unconscious across the dirt in the park, can you please help her ?

It's what I'm wishing I could say, but the ability to speak handed me its resignation, in the time I need it the most.

The two men exchange a look that's capped by matching frowns, before one of them motions to the other with his head.
One of them moves to my side, and the other runs around the house to check what's wrong, only to come back seconds later empty handed.

"The park.. she's in the park" I say, and the second the words are out, the realisation that help is on the horizon brings back the tears, along with it, an insight into the enormity of the situation.

This time, when my legs give out on me once again, the man by my side is quick to catch me, supporting me with a massive arm -that easily engulfs my whole being- around my shoulder.

At this point, I'm sobbing so hard to the extend that it does what I feared it would -it wakes Élise up.

At first, she only stirs, because I'm being cautious with the amount of sound I'm letting on, but the second she lifts her head off my shoulder and turns to me, her lower lip puckers forward.

Her wide green eyes -a replica of my mother's- shine, and she begins to blink a few times, her pouting mouth letting out introductory whimpers to what I know would be a full-blown cry soon.

"Shh, hey," I whisper, rocking her up and down, but it doesn't help, because she's staring at a tear that rolls down my cheek.

Suddenly, the shrill sound of her cry startles the man who's ushering us into the backseat of the car, and I have to continue rocking her to quieten her.

"Hey, hey, look at me, I'm smiling," I flash her a wide smile that almost brings more tears to my eyes with how much effort I'm putting into it.

She's crying to the point where she's interrupted by her body-jolting hiccups,

"I'm sorry, look," I say, wiping my tears and flashing her another toothy smile, that I hope she buys.

Her cries reduce to whimpers and hiccups at the sight of my smile, and I let out a chuckle for measure, hoping it soothes her. Thankfully, it puts her back to a mere pout.

With a pat to the back of her head, I urge her to lay it back down on my shoulder, but when I spot the man running back with Clara in his hands, I slap my hand against my mouth to stifle the cry.

Her hair swishing around, her hand dangling, and her cheek pressing against her own shoulder, Clara's appearance summons the discomposure, and my shoulders shake with the force of my cries.

Élise joins me shortly after, but this time, I think I'm the one in need of being soothed.

It all happens so fast, the door to the backseat opening, Clara being gently placed in the seat next to me, and the car roaring to life.

The driver waits only until his comrade has embarked the passenger seat before he's driving, with a dangerous speed, onto the main road.

The sound of the car's engine is't enough to drown out my whimpering, Élise's loud cries, and most importantly, my thoughts. My mercilessly calculative thoughts.

Please be okay, Clara. Please.

••••

The door is opened for guesses!
Let me know what you think about this chapter and the surplus of drama

-Asia