Afraid of the Dark

Chapter 20: Just a Drink

Reela has decided. She's finally realized the worst mistake Regan has ever made. He thought he was making the world a better place, and for so long she thought he was right. She thought that everything he was doing was for the greater good, and like an idiot, she supported him.

But now she realizes how stupid she was. How stupid he was.

He should never have taken down the barriers. He should never have 'united' the world.

Because apparently, before the barriers dropped;

No one in Aramora gave a fuck about underage drinking.

Now she's beating her head against the bar counter, ready to climb over and strangle the morally corrupt barkeeping little twit who refuses to serve her drinks. See how he likes playing by the rules as she rips his fucking throat out.

Just like she did to that Hex on the Firefly.

All to save Regan.

She rubs her hands over her face, trying to wipe away the dryness that stings her eyes and the irritated skin of her cheeks from all her dried tears. The lantern light of the tavern blurs into view as she brings her hands down, one over her mouth and the other rested on the countertop, shakily tapping to the beat of her heart drumming in her ears.

'What was he thinking?'

She looks down at the counter – at the note sitting in front of her.

She tries to read it all from the beginning.

"Jules, I don't know how much time I have—"

But she stops to dart her eyes to the bottom of the page. To the last line.

"I should have said goodbye when I still had the—"

She closes her eyes. "...Why am I doing this to myself...?" she whispers into her palm, when she hears a suppressed chuckle from the other end of the counter.

She opens her eyes and lowers her hand from her mouth, and she looks over to see Jules downing a shot of either one of two things. Option one: Water, in which case she's unsure if this is really her aunt and Reela should turn and run from this skin-walking pretender.

Or it's the more-likely option two: Vodka.

Jules sets the shot glass down and looks over at Reela. "Now that is a damn good question," she sighs before sliding over to sit next to the girl, who just goes right back to staring down at the letter in front of her. Jules bites her lip. "At this point I think you're just trying to distract yourself from your desire to cave in a bartender's face," she says and flashes a wink to the barkeep on the other side of the counter, who stops cleaning a glass to point at her.

"Hey, didn't I bar you?" he scoffs and Jules rolls her eyes. "How did you get those drinks?"

Jules snickers with a slight slur as she returns her focus to Reela to pat her on the shoulder. "Let this be a lesson. If someone doesn't give you what you want, simply don't get caught taking it," she sighs with a small voice crack.

Reela glances at her. "Are you already drunk?" she squints her eyes.

"Tipsy," Jules nods to the letter. "When are you going to give yourself a break, kid? You've read it how many times now? You know that it's just a goodbye letter."

Reela stiffly shakes her head and looks down at it again. "It has to be more..." she says weakly. "Regan went through hell and back ten years ago. I know his life's been a little less exciting than going on magical quests for teleporting orbs and taking down corrupt governments, but..." she huffs at the paper. "It just seems so unlike him to just... give up."