Tempest & Temptation

𝔖𝔥𝔢 ℭ𝔬𝔲𝔩𝔡 𝔄𝔩𝔴𝔞𝔶𝔰 𝔖𝔭𝔢𝔞𝔨

Erin and Ezra didn't hear the door creak. Their minds and bodies were too preoccupied with satiating their physical desires. Something which the more they shared hot, ardent, passionate kisses and sizzling warmth, things were going to spiral further out of control until this was more than steam, tongue, and lips. 

He slipped off the shoulder of her dress, hastily making room for a trail kisses down her neck and along her shoulder. 

She bit her lip. The action was exciting, but he was moving too slow. She was throbbing in places she needed him to get to. 

"Ezra," she breathed, ready to lead his hands herself. 

Everything was escalating, and neither seemed to want it to stop. Yet beyond Erin's shoulder, Ezra noticed something moving in the distance.

It didn't take long before that something was a face. "Miria?" He untangled himself from Erin.

Panting and puzzled, Erin whipped her head around to confirm what Ezra had just said.

Sure enough, there was Miria, watching a few feet from the door, watching them.

Quickly, Erin fixed her dress, and Ezra gathered himself.

Erin reached for her walking cane and stood, while Ezra made himself neat and stood as well. They were both questioning the same things; why was she there, and how long had she been standing there?

The apprehension in the room was thick and impenetrable, but someone had to start explaining---or at least attempt to.

Thus, Erin cleared her throat, and made her attempt. "Miria," she called her by name. 

Erin knew this was not the time to pretend as if she didn't know the girl's name.

"You have been a faithful worker of my family for years now," she went on with hesitance. "I...trust that you know, that one of the reasons you are so much valued here is because you have the ability to remain quiet and only communicate what is necessary. Do you understand what I am getting at?"

They waited for her to nod her head or reach for her chalkboard. But she never did. She just remained in place a heavy set frown.

Not dettered, however, Erin maintained her attempt to clean up this mess. "What I am saying is that, what you have just witnessed...this is...."She looked down, her words were failing her. 

It was evident she needed to something better than a fumbling of sentences. 

Erin straighted her back and looked back up with a firm stare. "Miria, what do you want? Obviously, you are not communicating because I've yet to say something you want to hear. So, what is it? Money? Favor? Gift? What?" 

"Nothing from you." A low feminine voice coldy replied.

It was like an earthquake shook the room. Miria had just spoken to them, something they were certain mutes could not do.

With her jaw dangling open, Erin was taken aback. "You...you can speak?"

Miria didn't care to answer her. Instead, she turned her eyes to Ezra. "One of my first memories on the day I came to work here was when I was passing a few words with some friends. Then she came by and said, 'I don't know whose voice it is, but someone makes sounds that make my eardrums sting. So, whoever it is, I'd recommend that if you want long career here, you learn to stop talking.'. That is the type of person she is, Ezra. So, what were you just doing with her?" Her lips started trembling and her hands shaking.

"Miria," he sighed.

"You always were so kind to me and treated me so well that I thought that meeting you again was fate."

"Meeting you again? You know her outside of working here?" Erin looked at him.

He glanced at Erin and then settled his eyes to the increasingly hysterical Miria by the doorway. "Miria, how about you and I talk about this in private?" He paced over to her.

"No." She shook her head the moment he placed a supportive hand on his shoulder. "No, I don't want to talk about this outside."

"I know, but I want to clear some things up with you," he urged, easing her towards the doors.

"Stop it!" She smacked his hands away and stormed over to Erin. "Every day that I came into work I thought about how I wished you were dead! Some days, I wondered what would happen if I just smuggled you with a pillow while you slept. You're an awful person! Even when I had nothing, you still managed to take from me!" She shouted and raged at her.

It was clear to Erin that these feelings had been bottling up, and now that they were out in full display, she pieced together the dots. "You pushed me down the stairs."

"Yes, and I regret that it failed." There was not a hint of remorse in her icy eyes.

"You really want me dead?"

The answer was clear when Miria lunged herself at Erin starting a tussling fight of shoves and pushes.

"Stop it!" Erin flung her arms around to fight her off. "Get off me this instant!"

They crashed into things and knocked into the walls.

Ezra was unsure how their conversation turned into a brawl, but he need he had to do something other watch.

"Miria, let go of her what are you doing?" He tried to interrupt their wrestling by pulling them apart.

But his attempts were only worsening the situation and making the tussle turn even more violent. It was now a group of tangled people struggling for different purposes: Erin was desperate to fight off her attacker, Miria was forcefully trying to push and hit her, and Ezra was stuck between the chaos of it all.

It was bound that someone had to give.

Miria just happened to be first.

She lost her footing and stumbled backwards. There was no wall or anything hard to support her, but instead the wide-open balcony opening. And without support, the momentum kept pushing her back until she went propelling off the balcony's edge.

Her hands and legs were flapping around. Her hair had fallen down from its tight bun, allowing strands to release and dance.

They even saw her face. They thought she might look shock, but rather, she was calm. It was almost as if she was unaware of what was happening.

She was so unaware, that she didn't even scream as she fell.

In fact, she was as a quiet as mute.

THUD.

They heard her fall.

The sound of the impact was powerful, they were sure they heard a bone crack.

There was silence.

Neither Erin or Ezra knew what to say except stare at the balcony.

They both saw her fall, but they had to confirm they weren't imagining.

"Did she just...?" Erin's mouth hung wide, her eyes bulging from her head. "She couldn't have just...." Again, she couldn't finish.

"She did." Ezra swallowed; his mouth dry.

"But I...." Her mouth gurgled sounds.

While she stood in shock, Ezra paced over to the balcony and shut the doors. With his backside facing her, he spoke up. "We are the only two who know about this. Do you understand?"

She looked at him, unsure what to say.

Her wide-eyed nervous panic was not the answer he wanted to receive. "Erina, we are the only people in this room."

In a strange of irony, no sooner did he say it that in walked in Miria with a guest. It was a familiar woman to all of them, and Erin was the first breathlessly utter the name.

"Sabina," she said.