BOOK 3 of the ORPHIC Series
CHURLISH
/ˈCHərliSH/
marked by a lack of civility.
~~~~~
Lucille 'Lucy' Opal Baker finds herself in the 21 century sporting the title of Aunt while lugging along h...
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"When you find no solution to the problem, it's probably not a problem to be solved, but rather a truth to be accepted."
Washington D.C, America November, 2016
LUCY STARED AT THE TABLE in front of her, vaguely aware of James rubbing the back of her hand. Matt and Foggy were speaking, jumping back and forth about what should be said, how it should be said, and whether or not they could go off script. They constantly reminded them to be honest, as honest as they could be. But Lucy couldn't really pay attention. She'd healed her bruise and her split lip, but she couldn't heal the inkling feeling of terror in her chest.
It suddenly all made sense–why Henry needed to have so much control, why he seemed to need someone to hurt all the time. He'd been hurt by his family and trusted friends, torn apart and put back together, forced into something nefarious and macabre. But he had never wanted it. Now though, he had control over himself, and she guessed, that wasn't enough.
Lucy resisted the urge to sigh as she grasped James's thumb, stopping him from continuously moving it across her palm. She pulled his hand into her lap, running her fingers along the ridges and lines of the shifting plates.
She wasn't supposed to feel bad for him. She wasn't supposed to understand where he was coming from. Because. . .there had been a tiny part of her that once urged her to control everything James ate, make sure they both had the same portions, made sure they interacted with the same people for the same amount of time. Then she realized how terribly wrong that was, and stopped those feelings.
But. . .Henry never had normalcy–not once in his life.
Lucy wondered if he was destined to be a serial killer.
"–that'll be all." Foggy smiled, hands clasped against the table.
He glanced at Matt, who gave him an affirmative nod. They stood to their feet, and Foggy walked towards the exit of the hotel room. Natasha stood from her seat besides James, letting Alpine hop onto the table and settle on the wood.
She grasped Lucy's shoulder, giving her a comforting squeeze before padding over towards Foggy. Matt didn't move from his spot, gripping his cane, eyes shifting back and forth under his glasses.
"You go ahead without me." Matt said to his partner. "I'd like to speak with them about another case, Foggy."
Foggy opened his mouth, then shut it, giving his partner a trusting nod. He left the room with Natasha, shutting the door behind him with a click. Matt lowered himself back into his seat, collapsing his cane and placing it on the table.
