Captive

Chapter Four

Everything was muffled by the snow as they set out the following morning for a walk. Mark and Daniella had asked Juliet if she wanted to go along with them and she thought the fresh air might be nice, even after her misadventure the day before she still found the snow something of a novelty, an excitement. Kane was leaving early that afternoon to head to the wrestling event and he again made her promise she would stay away and was so adamant about it that she found herself agreeing. Mark and Dani were holding hands, lost in one another's company so that she felt a little like a gooseberry as they walked. Wrapping her arms around herself she opted to walk just behind them, enjoying the silence and the crunch of the snow under foot. It was so cold that her face ached from it, her lips feeling frozen together, her nose numb. The cold seemed to seep through her coat, the icy wind catching the curls that escaped from her bobble hat and tickling her cheeks. She had slept well the night before despite the day's events and she felt refreshed, alert; her every sense captured by the cold Canadian air which hummed with the feel of Christmas. The snow drove out noises, the icy air prevented any taste or scent from entering her mouth or her nostrils and she couldn't feel anything but the cloying cold. A shiver went down her spine as they walked and her thoughts drifted to the conversation with Kane the day before.

Bret clearly made her brother feel very uncomfortable and she couldn't work out why. From what she had seen and experienced of him over the years he was kind, friendly, even honourable. Her fingers strayed to her cheek where his lips had rested the day before and a faint smile flickered across her face for a moment. Mark turned to glance at her and smiled, seeing she was still following them.

"You ok there? Not too cold for you?" he asked.

"No I'm fine, thank you."

"I'll be glad to get back to Texas," Dani said, with a shiver. "The snow is very pretty and all but I am not at all sure it is for me."

"Me neither darlin'," Mark replied easily. "But we'll be home tomorrow."

"You're going tomorrow?" Juliet said, surprised and Mark nodded.

"I've got work, Juliet and Dani wants to spend some time with her folks.  Mom knew we were only coming for a week." He sounded a little defensive and she ducked her head but Dani looked back giving her a reassuring smile.

"I'm sure we'll see you again darlin'. Maybe  you'd come across to Texas and stay with us sometime?" Juliet glanced at Mark and he gave her a warm smile.

"Yeah I'd like to show you around. Me and Dani are getting things straight. We've bought a small ranch out there and I'm doing it up slowly. I'm getting a good wage for the wrestling thing, got a good character building."

"Really?" she said and Mark grinned.

"Yeah, I'm a taker of souls, a black magic kind of character and the fans lap it up. Life is good. Even the old man approves as I can bring some literary magic into my promos."

"Oh I'd like to see that some time."

"Well it's televised so you can watch any time," he said, with a shrug. He turned back to Daniella and she went back to her thoughts, thinking how strange it was that both her older brothers had become wrestlers while her father watched on disapproving from behind his beloved books. A great scholar, renowned author who had two sons who had done everything they could to distance themselves from his legacy, plotting out their own course and finding an altogether different career. But she could see that storytelling and drama were still a huge part of what they did

"You didn't want to go watch Kane today?" Dani asked and Juliet looked away.

"He didn't want me too close to Bret," she said, deciding honesty was far better than trying to make up a story.