la belle dame sans merci | carlisle cullen

35

Minerva put the pedal to the metal to get to the shop before 10:45 and quite frankly, did not see the appeal Carlisle had for driving like a maniac. Fortunately, the customer was still waiting and Minerva offered a generous 25% off to make up for the inconvenience. She sunk into the chair when they went on their way as she waited for the kettle to boil so she could craft an unfulfilling cup of instant coffee.

Last night, she'd gotten more sleep than she had in weeks, a strong six hours that left her feeling entirely drained. The dream had been unlike all the others she'd been having. This was a direct interaction, something looking straight into her. It left her unnerved and in a dissociative state of disarray for the first half of her day.

Her more regular customers could tell something was wrong but they didn't pry, she was sure the exhaustion was written on her face. Normally, she put her all into the small talk: Asking about kids, explaining the options for the bouquets with more semantics than necessary. Today she couldn't bring herself to say anything more than necessary.

As she waited for the kettle to boil for the third time that day, she rested her head on the counter just for a moment, a glimmer of relief from the fatigue. It was like she blinked and she was somewhere else entirely. Laying flat on the ground, legs entrenched in mud she was still trying to pull herself out of.

Her eyes darted around in panic as she pushed herself up on her knees, managing to free her legs from the sticky muck to stand upright on the rocky plains. The wine coloured sky stretched as far as the eye could see, with a black moon hanging large in the middle. At least, she figured it was the moon.

There was nothing as far as her eyes could see, just flat terrain. There was nothing to do but start walking. The time was immeasurable, the landscape stretched on and on but the distance never changed. She passed the same rock a hundred times but there was nothing to do but go. For all the ground she covered, the more urgency pushed her on. The wandering became walking and the walking turned to running.

Her legs grew tired but it become monomaniacal. No other option was feasible. It was go or die, though she had no idea what the cause could be. There was no imminent threat that she could see but panic brewed in her gut with the growing ache in her legs.

It was coming, the tremble in her limbs was shaking through her whole body. Every step felt like her last but another always came. When she didn't have another pace in her and felt herself beginning to crash, the jagged ground approaching fast.

At the moment she would have struck it, she jolted awake. It took a second for her eyes to focus on her surroundings, the sound of her heart thundering in her ears and the extremely tangible gnawing pain in her legs. "Earth to Minerva?" a pair of fingers snapped in front of her face, making her eyes finally focus and her mind half in its reeling.

Big ochre eyes were close to hers, wide with concern. The colour brought her comfort but it wasn't the Cullen she wished to see in her state of panic, though the best possible second. "You okay?" Alice asked leaning back from where she'd leaned over the counter to settle on her feet.

"Yes." Minerva asked definitively, glancing around the flower shop in disbelief. She'd been here the whole time— it was just a dream. "Just dozed off I guess." She rubbed her eyes before planting a performative smile on her face, "What do I owe the pleasure?"

"I'm in desperate need of an arrangement." Alice said, lacing her fingers together, "I'm in no rush though, find your bearings?"

"I lost my bearings in '86 and haven't been able to find them since." Minerva admitted with a yawn as she stood up. Of course, she wasn't referring to 1986 but what Alice didn't know wouldn't hurt her. The brain fog was almost too thick to see through. She made idle conversation with Alice as best she could but there was no doubt the girl could tell she was off. Trailing off in the middle of sentences and forgetting what her point was; having to stop to regard what she had so far to gauge the next component in the bouquet, when she normally whisked about without a thought; forgetting to listen and tuning in half way through a sentence. Minerva hoped it could go unmentioned but she wouldn't be that lucky.

"Are you feeling alright?" Alice asked gently as Minerva's eyes unfocused while she regarded the wall with absent skepticism.

"Hm? Oh, yes." Minerva responded mustering a smile, "Just a bit tired is all. My cat has been up every night howling for the last week."

Alice seemed to buy it, "do you think it's in heat?"

"He's fixed so he shouldn't be but he might be having like phantom heat or something. I don't know." She rubbed the side of her face before reaching out to pick the final touch, a splash of baby's breath made every bouquet.

"Yeesh. I'd be asleep at my desk too if I were you." Alice commented clasping her hands together as Minerva tied the stems with a ribbon. "Beautiful as always."

As she produced her wallet, Minerva waved her hands in denial. "No customer that has to wake me up for service is gonna pay."

"This one is!" Alice protested following as Minerva made her way to lay the bouquet on a sheet of paper to wrap it up. "No offence but by the look of you, I won't be the last customer to wake you up today— let me!"

"Not a chance." Minerva said with a smile, holding out the bouquet, "I think it's ridiculous to charge money for something that comes from the earth anyway."

Alice stared at her for a moment as she reached out for the bouquet, "You do see the irony in that, right?" To which Minerva could only offer a lopsided grin. As Alice accepted the bouquet, their fingers brushed the smallest amount and the short girl straightened up like a pillar had replaced her spine. Eyes growing far away for a few seconds before she returned. Minerva tried not to make any hint of noticing as Alice accepted the flowers. "Well, when you finally get a tip jar I'll be cramming the cost of several bouquets into it."

"It'll find its way back to you." She retorted with a wink. Alice wasn't long leaving after the flowers were finished which Minerva was glad for. Normally the two of them would gab for at least fifteen minutes before Alice was on her way. She appreciated the swift exit greatly.

From that point, Minerva avoided sitting at all costs. She put the kettle on again and went to work on her to do list— which wasn't very long— until she was left with menial housekeeping tasks. A voice in the back of her mind kept pleading with her to just go home: put a sign on the door and call it a day to endure her sleep deprived delusions in the comfort of her own home. At least if she passed out there, she'd suffer in total solitude, the way she preferred.