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Sat 24th Dec 2022 04:42

A Close Call

by Maelie Arsenault

She comes into her hideout from the sewers, her dress ruined, mask pulled off, and hair fallen into a mess. She drops her coat on the floor and shivers as she closes the secret entrance behind her before going to collapse in a chair. Burying her face in her hands she runs her hands back into her hair.
 
"Merde. What a mess."
 
She had warned him. No. He had warned her. Warned her to be careful of Fey deals, as if she didn't already know. He had said he'd be careful.
 
Yesterday...but yesterday, she had seen it in his eyes, heard it in his voice. That hint that he wasn't thinking. He had already made a deal with someone, someone who so suspiciously showed up at a convenient moment. The same Eladrin who had kidnapped herself and others had been setting everything up. And now... Dona had no idea just how deep he was in this court intrigue of the Fey.
 
Maelie pulled her hands back and realized they were full of tears, black streaks of her makeup had come off on her fingers, and she shivered and sneezed again. The meds wearing off and she now felt decidedly ill from her nights in the cold Eisen winter.
 
She trudged to the small vanity and pulled her hair back and began removing the makeup. Her movements meticulous and robotic. When she was done, she removed the contacts, restoring her green eyes and she made the mistake of looking in the mirror.
 
This is who they will see if it all comes unmasked. Raven black hair, green eyes, fine elven features. A face that, somewhere out there, her own hunters were searching for. Unmasking was the last thing she could handle.
 
She put her head down onto the vanity and wrapped her arms around herself and sobbed. She had been so happy. So secure. So free. And she had love. Love from three beautiful people, but in how many ways was it threatened?
 
She looked back in the mirror and saw not Maelie, not Fox, but that little girl that lived in a colourless world. Alone and unsure. No Uncle Mika to lighten the mood, no Aunt Kallie to hold her close, neither of them there to explain how you manage to juggle all these lies and identities when the ones you love are endangered and one misstep by any of you could make it all come crashing down.
 
Dragging herself to the small bunk, she pried herself from the dress, grabbed extra blankets, and slept in her hideout. She wasn't okay, she couldn't go back to them yet. She needed to be ready, a step ahead, and mostly... she needed to hide the little girl again.
 
But for now, she just needed to cry and wish this would all go away.

Continue reading...

  1. The Last Rule
    November 27th, 1882, - Novandria
  2. The Den
  3. Am I losing?
  4. A Close Call
  5. Plans
  6. New Toys
  7. Mistakes were made
  8. Too close to home
  9. Not like you.
  10. This City is Mine.
    February 6th, 1883
  11. Aimless?
    March 5, 1883 - Novandria
  12. The Game Begins
    February 13th, 1883
  13. Too much like You
    March 13, 1883
  14. Safer in Shadows
    April 3, 1883
  15. New Beginnings
    April 7th, 1883
  16. Ready to Run
    April 17th, 1883
  17. Home
    April 25, 1883
  18. Can you steal a heart?
    May 8th, 1883
  19. Trouble
    11th of May, 1883
  20. Heartbreak
    14th of May, 1883
  21. Hunter or Prey?
    16th of May, 1883
  22. Guilt
    19th of May, 1883
  23. Untrustworthy
    21st of May, 1883
  24. Why am I like this?
    25th of May, 1883
  25. Worthy
    8th of June, 1883
  26. The One She Left Behind
    13th June, 1883
  27. Annnd it's back...
    July 1st, 1883
  28. Learning to Fly
    July 4th, 1883
  29. Thrill of the Hunt
    July 29th, 1883
  30. From the Embers
    21st of August, 1883 // 1867
  31. Mother Knows Best
    16th of September, 1883
  32. A Snake, a Star, and a Fox
    25th of September, 1883, Novandria
  33. It wasn't him.
    28th of September, 1883, Novandria
  34. The New Blade
    13th of September, 1883
  35. Something Good
    October 31, 1883 - Novandria
  36. The wound that won't close
    18th of December, 1883 - Novandria
  37. Promise
    25th of December, 1883 - Novandria
  38. Fallen through the cracks
    6th of January, 1884 - Novandria
  39. Day to Night
    7th of January, 1884
  40. What's Left to the Shadows
    22nd of January, 1884, Novandria
  41. The World without Colour
    18th of February, 1884, Bellancourt, Montaigne,
  42. Seventeen Roofs
    26th of February, Novandria, Eisen
  43. Crossing the Board
    4th of March, 1884, Novandria, Eisen
  44. New Freedom
    May 4th, 1884
  45. Saved
    5th of May, 1884/16th of July, 1858

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by 3 Armored Kittens · Prodromos v.1.1 - World Anvil 0.9.15.042 © 2017-2024 [en] | Anvil Time: 01:02, Nov 15 2024