The Boundary Line

Chapter 20

I apologise in advance for any mistakes and grammar issues. Xx

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"Lucia."

The sweet soft voice brought a spark of life rushing through me.

That voice... I knew that voice.

The familiar melodic tone played through the air and tickled my ears, teasing, urging me to wake up.

"Lucia, wake up. I miss you."

In a half conscious state, I could feel something sharp and hard poking angrily into my back and a burning ache in my face. I didn't know where I was or what was happening as I slowly cracked my eyes open.

At first, everything was blurry and fuzzy and I couldn't make out what was in front if me. But then everything quickly came back into focus.

I was in the forest. That was for sure. I eyed the green trees and the scruffy bushes that surrounded me. Usually seeing these made me feel calm and at ease, but not today. I briefly noticed that it was early morning. My pulse sped up in worry as I realised I must've stayed in the forest all last night.

"Lucia, darling," the angelic voice was like a pull; pulling, drawing me to them. My heart drummed frantically in my chest.

"Mum," I whispered in a daze, searching for her familiar face.

Suddenly it all clicked.

"Mum!" I called out loudly, my eyes suddenly going wide. Was she here? Was my mother really here?

I moved to stand up but I couldn't. I looked down in horror at the ropes that were tightly banded around my cut and bloodied wrists. My eyes followed the rope and it was then that I realised that I was tied securely to a tree trunk.

I leaned my head back against the tree and looked upwards. A humourless laugh escaped me as I closed my eyes.

My mother wasn't here. She wasn't alive. She was dead. I growled lowly at myself for being so foolish. For a split second in my half conscious daze, I actually thought it was my mother.

I flinched as I realised just who was impersonating my mother.

I tilted my head forward and my eyes narrowed in on the rope that was tied around my wrists sickly tight. I almost vomited as my eyes took in the sight of my purple oxygen-deprived hands.

A noise of discomfit escaped my chapped lips and I dragged my head to the side, sighing as my hair got caught in the jagged bark. I was about to shut my eyes briefly but suddenly a flicker of something shiny caught my eye.

My heart was smashing against my chest as if begging to be let free from its cage and I couldn't contain my nerves as I glanced down at the horrid material strapped to my skin.

Sucking in a gulp of air, I lowered my head to the rope to inspect it. Up close, I could see strips of silver woven through the rope and I recoiled immediately.

"Fuck," I hissed and wriggled my wrists despite the searing burn that nipped at my flesh. I held in a whimper as panic took over me and I tried desperately to free myself.

"Well, isn't this a sight."

I froze as the vile mocking voice chilled me right to the bone. A lump of some sort formed in my throat and I struggled to breath as my gaze landed on three creatures.

Tall, pale, awful, putrid, frightening and hideous are only a few of the things that flashed through my mind as I locked eyes with the middle Crocotta.