Allura

˗ˏˋ ꒰ 𝟏 ꒱ ˎˊ˗

✧ The draft was cold and empty, thoughts being carried softly along the night whispers.


Allura gently tugged on the thin wool blanket that was wrapped loosely around her, doing what she could to shield herself from the breeze slipping under the shifty wooden door behind her. Anything was better than nothing. Her wavy blonde locks strewn over the pillow beside her, Allura peered ahead at the empty room with a tired gaze.

It was dark and quiet inside the cabin. Only the faint sound of a cool breeze twisting gently through the grass outside, and the soft blow of tattered curtains draped loosely at each small window. The night was still young, and warm. Allura slowly turned over on her shoulders to look at the girl curled up beside her. Letting out a gentle sigh, she brushed the soft brown hair out of the girl's face, pulling the blanket up further over her. She tenderly rubbed her cheek before placing a kiss on her forehead.

"Goodnight, Emma."

Allura scooted herself back to her previous position, her head meeting the pillow below once more. Her eyes fluttered a moment before slowly drifting to a close. Everything seemed to fall away for some time after that, allowing her to slip into a world only her mind could create. A world, where maybe things hadn't happened the way that they did. Somewhere clean, and kind. A place she knew Emma would be forever safe, to ease her worries. It was in that room, in that realm, that she could escape the reality she now faced. Where she could return to what once was, and what could have been. Somewhere ever so beautiful.

It wasn't long before there was a stir. But this was not the gentle stir that either of the sisters had grown to wake to each morning. Not the sweet song of bluebirds greeting them as the new day came. Nor the gentle warmth of the sun as it peered down on them through the small slits in the roof above. This was different. As Allura came to her senses, she slowly sat up, the blanket falling to her lap. She looked around the empty cabin, still almost as dark as the night before, though the shadows around the room fell differently when the sun was up. She could hear something outside, and though she couldn't entirely tell what this something was, she knew it wasn't something ordinary. She knew it couldn't have been something good.

Allura looked down at her sister, who was still sleeping soundly, carefully but firmly moving her back and forth until she woke.

"Mmm... well good morning to you too." Emma groaned, moving her hands to her face, and rubbing her eyes.

"Something is outside."

"There's always something outside. I mean, we're in the middle of nowhere. It's probably just an animal."

"No, I don't think so." Allura brushed the blanket away and moved to her feet, quietly making her way to the door, which had a small square cut out in the center. She pulled back a small piece of cloth, that had obviously been taped over the hole, looking outside and down the gravel road ahead that stretched past the cabin. She couldn't see anyone, or truly, anything. A few birds flew by, sweeping into the trees of the forest across the road. Nothing out of the ordinary.

"I could have sworn there was some-" As she turned to face her sister, Allura's voice was cut off.

The door on the opposite side of the cabin began to shake, as if someone was tugging on it.

"Hey man, I don't think this one's comin' open... did you try the other side yet? Thought I saw another door."

"Yeah, I'll get to it, just gotta finish tying the horses."

The voices of two men, who sounded to be about middle-aged and though muffled, made their way into the cabin. Allura froze. Emma looked up at her sister from the floor where she sat, unsure, her eyes seeking for guidance. Allura pressed a single finger to her lips, to which Emma nodded and slowly began pulling herself from the make-shift bed, and standing up. Allura pointed around at their belongings and then to a pair of small backpacks that rested on the floor near the door closest to them, slowly creeping towards the first bundle of their supplies. As she packed her bag, Emma packed hers, and the two of them listened intently to the strangers outside.