Autumn's Affairs

5 - A Magical Night

I force her shirt back in the bag and dart into the woods. When I'm hidden by the trees, I collapse on the ground, sobs ripping through my body as I mourn my best friend. My sister. I'm not sure how long I stay here, but when the first hints of dawn appear in the sky, I stumble to my feet and somehow make it home.

I don't go to work. I lie on top of my bed, staring at the ceiling, tears trailing down the side of my face. She's dead. She's dead... she's dead. I begin crying hysterically, curling into a ball and letting myself break into pieces. She's all I've ever had. She was there for me when my parents died, she's been the only constant thing in my life. I loved her more than anything and now she's dead.

I hear a knock on my door, but I ignore it and eventually whoever it is goes away. I spend the day rotting away in my bed, letting the grief consume me, until my thoughts stray to Henry. How will I do it? He's much stronger than me, so I need the element of surprise. I know he spends a lot of time in his shed, woodworking and drinking. Maybe I can corner him there, maybe he'll even be drunk enough that I can get the upper hand. I'll tie him to his chair and use his own saw to cut him to pieces, or maybe his axe.

I feel my eyes widen at my violent thoughts. I've never imagined killing anyone before and it's a little alarming to think about. But I have to do it. I want to do it. For Este. Because she didn't deserve to die. But Henry does. He deserves it for what he did to her.

I feel my resolve harden and I start to make a plan. I'm off tomorrow, so I'll do it then. I'll stay in the woods behind their property and when he goes into his shed, I'll wait until he's had a few drinks and then I'll kill him.

The heavy wind howls outside but I finally feel calm. With my plan in place in my mind, I force myself out of bed and go out to check on Lucy. The wind whips my hair around my face and attempts to blow me back into my house, but I make my way to Lucy's little hut and give her a few pets. My heart drops when I see her empty nest, and I feed her before trudging back inside, my stomach growling hungrily.

I pick at some stale bread, and mope around some more. I'm a complete mess; tear streaks running down my face, my hair frizzy and tangled, and my nightgown haphazardly hanging off one shoulder, so when someone knocks on the door again, I go into a state of panic.

"Ana?" The sound of Felix's voice fills me with emotion and I find myself rushing to the door, swinging it open and falling into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably.

He adjusts the bag he has and lifts me up with one arm, carrying me back into my bedroom. "Shhh, it's ok, Ana. I'm here, I got you, baby." He strokes my hair and lets me cry into his chest until I've worn myself out. Then he lays me back on the bed, pulling me into his arms and trailing the tips of his fingers up and down my back in a soothing motion, and I find myself drifting off to sleep.

***

I wake up to the sun setting outside my window and find I'm alone in my bed. "Felix?" I call out timidly, wondering if him showing up here was just a dream.

He walks in wearing my pink apron and I let out a giggle, "what are you doing?"

He smiles and a hint of blush heats his cheeks, "I know you're having a difficult time right now, and I just wanted to do something nice for you."

He holds out his hand and I take it, enjoying the way his fingers lock around mine, and he leads me into the kitchen. My jaw drops; my small table is covered with a fancy tablecloth and laden with a hearty meal of beef stew, buttered rolls, snowberry juice, and even wine. But what's more impressive are all the floating candles hovering around the room.

I inspect a few of them, moving my hand above and under them and then snapping my head towards Felix when he chuckles.

He waves his fingers and smirks, "it's magic, baby."