Luna lines

CHAPTER 7

Lucian stretched his arm across the table to grab the mug. I watched his muscles flex. His arms looked so strong, I couldn’t help but wonder how strong his grasp would be around me. Curses Emma, where did your principles go? I forced myself to focus on breakfast. I grabbed my mug and took a sip of the coffee. “I don’t drink coffee”, Lucian said, with a blank face. “What, what do you want then?” I asked, annoyed. “Tea” he said, leaning into the chair, making it to stand on only two legs. I don’t know why I didn’t refuse making him tea. I grabbed the cup of steaming hot tea and walked to the table. I placed it gently on the table to prevent it from spilling over. I then reached out for the mug. It was empty. Why was it empty? “Where, where is the coffee?” I asked, confused. “Why is the mug empty?” “I drank it” he answered, shrugging his shoulder while chewing his toast. “I thought you didn’t drink coffee “ I was already getting irritated. “Well, while you were in the kitchen I changed my mind”, he took the cup and took a sip of tea. I chose to ignore him and focus on what was on my plate. After an awkwardly long moment of masticating, I decided to ask the obvious. “When are we leaving and to where?” “About that” he put the cup down “I carried out, proper research on the symbols on the door_” “What did you find out” I asked, cutting him off? “The ink well could indeed mark you as an owner. The Obsidian Order could never be careless enough to make it known to you that they have found you, that would be them giving you a chance to escape, and they don’t take chances_ if indeed it were to be the Obsidian Order, Lilith Morcant would have ordered your death by now” I flinched at the word death. How cruel could one be? “So what you are saying is?” I asked to be sure he meant what I was thinking. “There is no need for you to run_ yet” Yet, does that mean I’m still not in the clear? They are not coming for me now, but they will sooner or later. “It was just a false alarm,” he added. I was still scared, these people would eventually come after me. But I can not deny the fact that I felt a bit relieved. I do not have to run well now, at least not yet. I had no idea of where to go. Fleeing is not something you do overnight, it has to be properly planned. Everything that has happened so far has been all so absurd and the nightmares were even more frightening. That reminds me of the nightmares. “Then if they are not after me now, what about the nightmares? Didn’t they have something to do with them?” I asked, confused. Lucian was quiet for a while “That could have been you, your mind playing games on you, it happened “ he said plainly. “Then why did it feel so, so real? I mean my legs ached, and I felt so tired, it almost felt like I was really running. “ Lucian looked thoughtful. “That I can’t explain, I really don’t know. “ I was almost home. I was slightly annoyed. The people here were terrible. I should have gotten used to how terribly they treated me by now, but cruelty was something someone could never get used to. I opened the door and went into my house. Everywhere was very dark, but it was bright outside. I closed the door behind me and dropped the bags I was holding and walked quietly. Someone had turned off all the lights and put down all the curtains, making it impossible for the brightness of day to be seen in the house. Other than that, I could not see if there was anything else out of place. This could only be Lucian’s doing, but why would he do that? I wondered where could he even be? I wanted to go look for him, but I could barely see. In my pathetic attempt to find my way to the light switch, so I could turn on the lights, I hit my leg on a very hard structure and I groaned in pain. At this point, I was filled with annoyance towards Lucian because this was his fault. I bent down to feel the object and from the structure I could tell it was my center table. That means the windows were still a little further to the left. After a short while of limping, I grabbed the hem of the curtain and from there I drew it aside and light passed through. I went to the second window beside it and did the same.

I turned around and let out a slight scream of fright. There he was, on the couch looking at me like he had just been watching a comedic performance. Did he find this funny? So he had been watching the whole time. I was getting even more irritated.

“What sort of display of stupidity is this?” I snapped at him.

“Don’t you find it better this way? Everything is prettier in the dark” he said, stretching out his hands.

“Not when I can’t see a thing,” I retorted.

“Oh, I forgot night vision was a nonhuman thing” he said in a tone filled with mockery.

I glared at him without saying a word. He stood up, and before I knew it, he was beside me. I guess speed was a non-human thing too.

“How is your leg?”

He asked, looking down at my feet. It no longer hurts me. I ignored the question and turned to walk away. I had taken the first step but the moment my left leg touched the floor and held up my weight I felt a stinging pain and I screamed. I didn’t know I was falling till Lucian caught me mid-fall.

He carried me to the couch and gently placed me on it and put my affected leg on the arm of the couch. I sat up and leaned in to look at my leg. It had become slightly swollen and faintly red. Lucian crouched down to examine the leg, he placed a finger on my ankle and pressed it.

He looked at me

“How does it feel?”

I shook my head, it was not hurting. He repeated the action multiple times in different spots and it was the same, nothing. He poked my feet again but this time I screamed and drew my leg away from his touch.

“Okay, that is bad” he said, standing.

I was in too much pain to remind him that it was his fault. I didn’t know I was crying till he handed me a piece of cotton linen he pulled out from his pocket. I wiped my eyes but still held on to the linen.

“You need a doctor to check your leg before the swelling increases”

I pointed at a little journal that is always on the center table,

“Dial the number inside”

There was only one number inside, it was the number of the town’s doctor. I guess in this entire village he was the only one that accepted me. Lucian dialed the number on the telephone that was beside the journal and handed it to me.

There was a knock and Lucian went to answer the door.

“Ahh Emma, what could be the _”

His words died off as soon as he looked up and saw it was Lucian at the door.

“Who are you and where is Emma?” Francis demanded.

Mr. Francis was a man in his mid-sixty’s. He had a fine mixture of gray and black strands of hair, but he had a bald spot in the middle of his head. He was of average height. Francis was the only person that treated me like a living being here. He has watched over me ever since I could remember. If I could call anyone my father, it would be him.

Lucien did not say anything to him, only led him to the couch where I was.

Lucien stood beside the arm of the couch where my head rested, while Francis stood in the opposite direction, so he was facing us both. He looked at Lucian with a puzzled expression. I went ahead to introduce Lucian.

“This is my friend Lucian” I lied.

From the look on Francis’ face I could tell he was not buying it, but he didn’t want to push it.

He dropped his medical bag on the center table and looked at me.

“What is the problem here?”

“She hit her leg on the center table”

Lucian said, walking forward before I could reply.

“It’s tender, I think she sprained it.”

Francis looked at him, then at me.

“I’d be the judge of that” he said firmly and bent over to examine my leg. He did the same thing that Lucian did, only that this time he found the tender spot on his first try. He stood up as I screamed. He looked at Lucian.

“It’s sprained alright”

Lucian and I exchanged glances as Francis reached for his medical bag and rummaged through it till he pulled out a little tube. He opened it and applied the contents to my ankle and feet all the while I was flinching in pain.

When he was done, he handed over the tube to Lucian.

“If you would excuse me, I would be going to my car to grab a cast”

A cast!? I admit I hit my leg a little too hard, but should it be this serious ?

He came back holding the cast, he requested I sit up and put my legs on the floor.

He commenced putting the cast on my leg while Lucian watched quietly. Too quietly you would never know he was there. When he was done, he gathered everything he had used and put it in his bag. He locked the bag then straightened up and looked at me.

“The cast should stay on for about a week. That means I'll be here again next week to take it off.”

I nodded. He then turned to Lucian.

“Apply this to her leg every morning after I take off the cast”

Why Lucian, why didn’t he just instruct me to do it myself?

He patted my shoulder.

“Take care of yourself, Emma.”

I would. He turned to the table and picked up his medical bag, then he headed for the door.

Lucian walked him to the door. At the door they had a brief conversation that I could not hear because they were beyond hearing distance. They shook hands, then Francis turned and left.

Lucian closed the door and walked back to where I was.

“Well, you managed to get me crippled” I joked.

“And I haven’t even touched you yet” Lucian replied.

Yet.

With every moment that passed, the word seemed to have a different meaning than before. The atmosphere got tenses. I avoided his gaze, not knowing what to say.

I woke up panting, not this again. It was the same nightmare. I thought I would not have to experience this again.

Then there was another knock on the door. I heard it earlier in my sleep. That was what woke me up. The duvet was beside me on my bed in a mess. Wait, my bed. I don’t recall sleeping in my room. The last place I remember being was in the parlor. I must have fallen asleep there and Lucian carried me here. The knock came again. Where was Lucian and why hasn’t answered the door by now. I looked round, but he wasn’t in my room. I swung my legs down and stood. I fell to the ground, my leg stung. I had completely forgotten about my sprained ankle. The knock came again.

“Curses, who could that be?”

I asked myself as I held onto the bed to stand.

I had to hop on one leg, stopping once in a while.

I was almost at the door when I heard the knock again.

“Coming” I yelled from the passage.

I looked out through the peephole and saw it was my elderly neighbor. What was she doing here? I flung the door open and hopped to the side.

“Hiiii Emma”

She said with a bright smile, the smile faded when she saw the cast on my leg .

“Oh dear. What happened to you?” She asked with genuine concern.

For a moment I was confused, I still wasn't used to her being nice to me.

“Oh, it’s nothing serious, just a sprained ankle.”

She was hesitant for a while, contemplating whether to believe it was serious or not. After a little while, she smiled.

“Oh, I hope so. Here”

She handed me a covered bowl

“I prepared a large meal and brought some for you”

“Oh, thank you” I forced a smile.

I closed the door after she had left and put the bowl on top of the table. If only she could be nice to me in reality. I looked around to find Lucian, but he wasn’t in the parlor either. Hopped to the kitchen, not there. He wasn’t in the house. Panic kicked in. Where was Lucien? I called his name and waited for a response, but none came each time. I was afraid, not for his sake but for mine. I was scared of being alone.

I sat on the floor, my knee on my chest and my back against the

Wall, I felt alone, again. Has he left me? Without saying goodbye?

“Lucian”. I called out his name one more time and bowed my head.