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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"Ignorance of the unknown is the gravest mistake one can make."
Washington D.C, America November, 2016
THE COURTROOM WAS NEARLY EMPTY, Lucy was aware of it. There was an absence of shuffling, of breathing, of heartbeats that thudded against flesh. But Lucy wasn't interested in any of the audience who'd left, people she didn't know or recognize. Instead she stood idly beside one of the benches, James standing to her side.
She guessed it was kinda stupid, the way she was being polite.
Henry's arms were crossed over his chest, his eyes shut and his breathing rhythmic. Klause was still seated beside him, holding a briefcase on his lap. His expression wasn't relaxed, and he didn't look happy. Henry shifted in his sleep, leaning against the bench with a sigh. For a second, Lucy wondered if she should poke him. Then his eyes snapped open and he tilted his head back to look at her.
His eyes quickly darted back down in front of him.
"Go away." He said.
Lucy blinked.
This time she did poke him, just to see his reaction. It was really stupid, but she couldn't tell if he was mad, upset, or just being an asshole. He didn't look really angry, and he also didn't look like he was going to be in tears. But she could never be sure, and, sometimes, stupidity worked better than logic.
Henry lurched to his feet, towering above her in an instant. Lucy shrunk away, shoulders drawing inwards as she looked up at him.
He clenched his jaw.
Klause suddenly grabbed his arm, tugging Henry back.
"Leave her alone." He said, voice firm.
Henry turned to face him. He stared at him for an agonizing second, before lowering himself down back into his seat. For a split-second, Lucy was surprised that he'd listened to Klause. Then, she realized pretty fast, that he wasn't really listening to Klause at all.
He turned to face him, grabbing the wrist that was clinging to the sleeve of his dress shirt. He drew close to Klause, tilting his head with a coldness that Lucy was used to. The younger man flinched, ducking his head and clenching his hand around the briefcase in his lap.
"I don't need two of you, Klause." He murmured, voice low but somehow tender. "You understand that, don't you?"
