Tangled With The Fated Mates

Shattered Reflection

Claudine's sleep was filled with wild dreams, tossing and turning like a ship in a storm.

In one dream, she wandered through a dark forest with Lumos, her loyal companion. It was nearly evening, but the thick trees blocked most of the sunlight. Suddenly, she heard a mysterious giggle.

"Hello?" she called out, but there was only silence, no rustling leaves or chirping birds.

As she walked on, the voice returned. Claudine saw a figure darting quickly to her right. Their eyes met, and the person's face lit up with mischief. She picked up her pace to follow.

Getting closer, she reached out to touch the person, but it was just a tree. Perplexed, she stood in front of it, finger pressed against the rough bark.

Then, a loud noise, like a door being slammed, jolted her awake.

"It was just a dream," she sighed. But the noise continued as if someone was trying to break in.

Claudine sat up, rubbing her tired eyes. She gently massaged her temples, the throbbing slowly fading.

Finally, the door creaked open, revealing her foster sister, Ariella, wearing a mean-spirited expression.

"Ariella," Claudine whispered.

"Hello, little sister," Arielle said a sly grin on her face.

"How's our morning looking?"

Claudine swallowed hard. She did not know what to expect from Arielle anymore.

The girl was impulsive, as she had learned, and would do anything to torture her, like locking her up in this deplorable room.

Ariella strolled into the room, her steps measured, but she looked completely confident. Her face was still puffy with sleep, and there was something about her demeanor that suggested that she had come to the outhouse right after waking up.

"You can't speak?" Ariella said. By now, she was so close to Claudine that Claudine could smell her morning breath, heavy and rank.

Claudine wished she would at least brush her teeth before coming to mess with her that morning. She didn't need the torture of bad breath to be added to whatever Arielle was planning.

"G-good morning," Claudine finally managed to say.

"Ahh, you can talk. That's interesting to know."

Just then, the cat gave a sound, and Arielle's head turned sharply to where it lay. There was horror in her eyes.

"What the fuck is this?" Ariella exclaimed, her voice high-pitched with disgust.

"A fucking cat. Ugh, I'm not too fond of cats. And this isn't just any cat; it's a fucking stray. Ugh."

Claudine watched as Ariella moved closer to her new friend and kicked it. Lumos shrieked in protest and jumped up.

"Don't hurt him," Claudine yelled.

"He's just my friend."

But Ariella would not listen. She kept kicking at the animal, missing every time as Lumos artfully dodged her leg.

When she finally hit the cat with a sharp blow to its flank, the cat hissed in anger and swiped at her with its claws. Arielle recoiled in fear, and Lumos darted out of the room.

"He wasn't hurting anyone," Claudine pleaded.

"He wasn't hurting anyone," Ariella mimicked, her voice whiny.

"Like it needs to hurt someone before it gets kicked out."

Tears streamed down Claudine's cheeks, her sobs gentle but constant. Ariella, seeing the tears, burst into cruel laughter. Ariella then lowered herself to Claudine's level, and she forcefully grabbed her chin, bringing their faces uncomfortably close.