Ephemeral Reverie #1 - The Silence Between

Chapter Eleven - Bound In Death

Uncomfortable now that she was once more alone with her thoughts, Charlie tapped her fingers on the edge of her plate. She wanted this to be easy, calm. Tensions were already strained enough without another argument, and she hoped to whatever was out there to hear her prayers that things would finally start to settle, and that she could find her place on this bizarre and winding path.

From upstairs came the scrape of an old doorknob followed by a faint squeal. She looked up to the railing, already knowing just who she'd see, but her breath still caught in her chest as she caught Reiem staring down at her. His hair hung over his shoulders like strands of the palest gold, throwing shade over his features and further deepening the weary darkness around his eyes.

In silence he descended the stairs and moved—his legs shaking a little—into the kitchen. He pulled out a chair and sat down, staring blankly ahead as his hair obscured his profile. Feeling the anxiousness blooming in her chest was more from him than herself, Charlie got up and headed to the master bathroom. She returned with a brush and some hair ties.

Putting on a gentle smile when Reiem glanced to her in confusion, she said, "So, this is going to be a little weird, but my stepmom would brush and braid my hair when I felt really...well, anxious. Not sure how, but I know how you're feeling, Reiem. So, would you mind if...?"

Charlie gestured to the items for emphasis, feeling more than a little awkward. Arching his brows, he sent her a curious look. She remembered feeling her stepmom's fingers raking through her hair, turning and rolling the pieces over in her hands until she tied them off in a long braid had melted away whatever stresses and anxiety ate away at her. And Maliu had only ever asked to do it when Charlie seemed at her worst. Not that Reiem's face betrayed his emotions or anything, but she could feel them.

Reiem caught her meaning and looked away, nodding once before closing his eyes.

"Do as you wish."

Gently, softly, she gathered the silver-blonde hair into her hands, running her fingers through first, then using the brush. Whether she pulled too hard with each pass or not she never knew for Reiem sat in complete silence. Every now and then his head would bob back with the motion, his shoulders slumping down little by little. The initial awkwardness melted away as Charlie found her eyes moving to each of the tattoos she could see poking up over the wide neck of the shirt. Bindrunes. Blocks of words in some runic language she didn't know. Black bands arcing in geometric patterns. Even some that looked like constellations.

Satisfied, she gathered Reiem's hair into her hands, separating and weaving it over until it was finally pulled back from the man's face. She tied it off and slid back into her seat.

"I want to thank you again for saving me," she said.

"Words of praise are an ill-fit for a creature such as I. I was simply doing my duty." Reiem's voice seemed disconnected.

She felt the soul-sucking cold break through her defenses and creep into her bones. A violent shudder raced through her. While the events came only in fragments after the move, she was lucid enough now to put them together. But there were still gaps—ones she wanted filled, and the only one who could tell her what really happened was finally before her.

As if sensing her thoughts, Reiem squeezed his interlocked fingers together.

"Do you remember what happened?"

Charlie shook her head slowly. She met Reiem's eyes. His expression was a little clearer, his eyes a little less dull.

"Not all of it. I remember lessons with dad, the party, the soldiers, and...pain. I was terrified. And then just...cold. This soul-sucking cold. Rushing water and...screaming." Oh, sweet Erde, the screaming... By now her voice had petered to a trembling whisper. "What was screaming?"