In and Out of Time

lost & injured

I make it to her house and venture into the garden, only to find it vacant. I sigh to myself as I sit on the bench and more tears fall. "Could this day get any worse?!" I groan loudly and then I hear thunder, "you have got to be kidding me" I whine. I debate on if I should knock on her door and ask her to let me in as I obviously can't go back home but I don't want to bother her.

She probably thinks I stood her up anyway so there's no way she'd answer the door at this hour. I suppose, even if I'm outside, this is the safest place I could be. He'll never think to look for me here as he doesn't know the redhead and I are a friends. Then again, can I even call her my friend now? I know how hard it is for her to trust people and how her mind jumps to conclusions.

There's a big chance she thinks I just forgot about her and if that's the case, she might not want to see me again. As that haunting thought crosses my mind, I begin to feel raindrops on my exposed arms. I look up and feel them on my face and they only become more frequent with each passing second. "Please... kill me now" I mutter, praying to be struck by lightening.

the next morning

I feel light strokes on my face and I smile, my mother standing over me with a similar expression. "Time to wake up, darling" she says, except it doesn't sound like her voice or at least—not how I remember it. I furrow my eyebrows and stare back at her and see smiles reassuringly. "Come on, that's it" she whispers softly as my nose twitches from her continuous caressing of my cheek.

I recognize the voice instantly this time and my eyes flutter open. Sunlight momentarily floods my vision and I groan as I try to cover my eyes. I sit up and yawn softly, finally having adjusted to the light, I turn my head as I feel a hand on my thigh. "Are you alright, honey?" I smile widely, to be awoken to such a pretty sight feels like heaven to me.

I process her question and look at her confused, forgetting for a moment where we are and—most importantly—what happened that lead me here. It dawns on me and my face falls as does my gaze. My eyes land on a little teacup and plate in her hand which makes me smile. Her fingers hold it so gently and I feel my eyes sting as I crave to be held so delicately.

I feel her hand on my face and she raises my head causing my gaze to meet hers. She sets the teacup in between us and raises her other hand to gently wipe my tears. "You know... I never come out here like this. Something just told me that today would be... different" she whispers and I can't find the strength to reply just yet so I continue to stare at her in silence.

"Come inside. You're soaking wet and I don't want you catching a cold" she utters sweetly and it's then I realize how cold I actually am. I shiver and her bottom lip pokes out in the slightest way as she gently tugs on my arm. "I-I'm fine" I stutter out, crossing my arms over my chest and hugging myself as my body visibly shakes.

"You are not. Now come, it wasn't a question" she states firmly and it leaves no room for protest, so I stand up. She grabs the teacup and plate, gesturing for me to follow her into the house. When we enter I immediately feel warmer, both from the temperature and the fact that I can just feel her essence all throughout the house.

"Mo-" I turn my head as I see two girls come to a halt at what I assume to be the kitchen entrance. The hems of their dresses way with the force of the draft they caused as they came to such a sudden stop. As my gaze returns to their faces, I see both sets of eyes roaming my body and I try to curl myself tighter so as to not be perceived.

"Girls. This is... Marion" she pauses and I narrow my eyes in confusion, not understanding why her demeanor changed all of a sudden. "Hello" they say in unison, confusion evident in their tones. Madonna gently ushers me forward and up the stairs, not saying another word. We reach a bedroom that I presume to be hers and I'm proved correct as I see her open the armoire.

Those are definitely her clothes. Oh my gosh I'm going to be wearing her clothes. I force myself not to smile too big and instead decide to ponder upon who those girls were. "Are those relatives of yours? Nieces?" I ask and I almost repeat myself as she takes a while to answer. "Those are my daughters" she answers and it suddenly comes back to me in a flash; the first time we met.

I heard someone yell to her but I assumed, if anything, they were smaller children. I widen my eyes in surprise as she holds out a dress for me. "What? I know you're a bit smaller than me but it's better than staying in that" she comments and I shake my head. "No it- it isn't that. I just... those are your daughters?" I question and I see her expression harden just a bit.

"Yes... is that a problem?" she asks with a harsh tinge to her tone, "no, no. Of course not! It's just that... w-well you look so young to have daughters that age" I explain and she glances away from me as she chuckles softly. I notice the slight pink hue to her cheeks as she looks back at me and I smile softly.

"You are very good for my ego. Follow me" she states and I don't hesitate as she leads me out the room and further down the hall. We arrive at a bathroom and she fills the tub, checking the water temperature with her hand every now and then. I stand a distance away and watch her. Particularly, her fingers dancing daintily on the edge of the bathtub as she's perched on it.

"Alright, sweetheart. It's all ready for you, take your time" she places a hand on my shoulder and releases me from my thoughts. I look into her eyes and she stares right back at me. Unlike the other times, I don't shy away from her gaze. Instead, she's the one that glances away from me and smiles a bit.

"Thank you" I mumble, "you don't have to thank me. Just hurry and get in, I really don't want you to get sick" she says quickly before leaving and shutting the door quietly behind her. I strip out my clothes and sink into the bathtub, sighing as the hot water instantly warms me up. My muscles seem to release all at once and I have to hold the edges to not slip too far.

I close my eyes and allow the warmth to spread through me, clearing my mind of any thoughts. Before I know it, there's light touches on my face and my eyes begin to flutter open. My gaze lands on Madonna whose face is red as a tomato. "You fell asleep" despite her calm tone, I can tell she's anything but.

I glance to see the bubbles that once covered me have now melted away. There's only a light layer of foam, which doesn't do much but make the surface appear slightly translucent. I feel my face heat up as well and luckily she leaves, relieving me of having to come up with a response. My mind floods with thoughts but I push them aside, not having the ability to deal with that right now.

I step out and dry myself off, getting dressed before looking at the mirror. I look a fright but that's to be expected given my state of mind last night and the fact that I slept in the rain all night. I exit the bathroom and the redhead is waiting for me in the hall. She raises her head and meets my eyes, for the first time looking more nervous than me.

"I made tea and fixed some lunch for you" she states and says nothing more before heading down the stairs, silently prompting me to follow her. As I do so, my thoughts finally break through and my head fills to the brim. She's being so awkward. You made her uncomfortable. Why did you have to fall asleep? You shouldn't have come.

"Marion? Are you coming?" I shake my head and look at her before nodding and following her into the dining room where the food sits. I wait for her to take a seat out of respect and then I take my place. As we begin to eat in silence, my mind drifts away from me and only she has the power to bring it back. "Will you tell me what happened now?" she asks cautiously and I take a deep breath as I prepare myself, having to push down the urge to cry...