Ill Met By Moonlight

Chapter 8: Smile

Lex stared up at the sky, laying flat on her back, chest heaving with every breath she took. Her terrified heart palpitations hammered against her chest so painfully she thought she was having a heart attack. Her heart began to calm down when she saw the stars. They were like fireflies that got stuck in a big bluish black thing in the sky. It was beautiful. Her terror slowly shifted into wonder and amazement. The area around her was clear and the sky was no longer obscured by thick fog. Wait... the sky was clear? Her vision was clear.

Lex brought a trembling hand to her face, she had no blindfold on. Panic flooded every corner of her body as she shot up, frantically searching the ground around her for her blindfold. Finally, she found it, except it was covered in dirt and mud. She could try to wear it, but the mud could get in her eyes and it would just be extremely uncomfortable to wear in general. She gripped onto it and stood up, her legs a bit shaky. She glanced at her arms, there weren't any burns, no blood or cracks forming branches on her skin. No evidence she had ever been attacked.

Did that attack really happen? Or was it just all in her head? It could have been in her head, but the terror and pain she felt was all too real. She stumbled down the dirt path until she reached the Beneviento residence, her mind still thinking about what had happened to her. Her memory was fuzzy and she couldn't remember everything that had happened to her. She remembered someone calling her a ''monster''. To be fair, Lex would admit that it wasn't too far from the truth.

She took a step towards the door and opened it silently. The lights were dim as she stepped inside, removing her boots. Lady Beneviento was most likely asleep judging by how late it was. She silently crept up the stairs to her room, tossing her dirty white blazer on her bed and stepping into the hallway, blindfold in hand, intending to wash it off in the bathroom. As she walked down the hallway, she noticed a door, opened just enough to peek inside. It wasn't the bathroom door, that was further down the hallway. 

Lex's curiosity caused her to peeked inside the room and her eyes went wide. She pushed the door open a small bit and took a step inside the small library. In a comfortable looking chair near a window, sat a sleeping Donna Beneviento with her doll, Angie in her lap and a book in her other hand. There was a lamp next to them which was still on. Lady Beneviento's lips were parted slightly, her eye closed delicately. She wasn't wearing her veil. The white haired woman just stared and marvelled at how beautiful Lady Beneviento was, the light of the lamp only amplifying her beauty.

The woman gulped and took a few steps forwards, she stopped abruptly when the floorboard beneath her let out an ungodly squeak. The woman stared at Lady Beneviento, ready to cover her eyes if she awoke. The sleeping woman let out a small groan and adjusted herself a little but didn't stir from her sleep. Lex blew out a quiet sigh of relief and continued to the woman, taking hold of the book in her hands and setting it down on the small table beside the chair, placing her blindfold beside the book. She turned the lamp off so that the only light in the room was that of the crescent moon outside.

Lady Beneviento wrapped her arms around Angie, bringing her up to her chest. The doll responded by snuggling closer to the ravenette. Lex wouldn't deny it, it was quite the adorable sight. She went to Lady Beneviento's side and placed a hand on her shoulder. The woman still didn't stir. Lex's cheeks began to heat up a little as she carefully wrapped her arm around the woman and tucking her other arm under her legs, carefully picking her up the same way someone would pick up a bride on their wedding day.

Lady Beneviento didn't wake from the action. In fact, she nuzzled into Lex's collarbone, still holding Angie in her arms. Lex's heart began to speed up, an unknown feeling stirring in her belly. Lex carefully stepped into the hallway, holding Lady Beneviento like she was glass that would shatter into a billion pieces if held incorrectly.