Blood Ties and Magic

Secrets in the Dark

Only If for a Night by Florence + The Machine

★

Chapter 1

18th of October 2003

Adhara gasped, trying not to choke on the air she was almost desperate for. She had woken to a comforting hand rubbing her back and a soft voice shushing her. Her whimpers filled her ears, the silence of the night making them sound louder than they were.

"C'est bon, ma cœur. "I'm 'ere." (It's okay, my heart. I'm here)," the accented voice was soothing. Her body automatically relaxed even though her mind was still panicked. "Maman?" She had tried to say but it came out strangled. It was disorienting for Adhara as she willed her eyes to crack open. The dream had been so vivid. The touch, the sound. It frightened her to think that if she opened her eyes, she would see that it was no dream but a reality where she had remained trapped. Fortunately for Addy, all she found was the gentle face of her maman (mom), illuminated by her small bedside lamp, looking over her like a protector ready to fight away anything that would try to steal away her sense of security.

Worry pained Lydia as she tried to comfort her daughter. Sounds of cries had woken her in the dead of night, and fear had paralyzed her momentarily as her thoughts went to the absolute worst scenario. They were somehow found out. Not thinking twice about her safety, she rushed into Addy's room with a wooden baseball bat as her only protection. Wild eyes darted around the room, looking for the threat, but instead of finding an intruder, she had found Addy struggling from what appeared to be a nightmare. Still working off of adrenaline, quick strides brought her to Addy's bed, and there she stayed until she could get her heart to calm once more. "Chut, sois calme, tu es en sécurité (Hush, be calm, you are safe). Eet was only a bad dream," she murmured while brushing Addy's hair from her tear-stained face.

Addy nodded at her maman's words and buried her head deeper into the yellow pillow. She was willing the tears to stop and her heart rate to slow. Just a dream, she repeated the words, but they had no comforting effect. It hadn't felt like any other dream she had, worse than any nightmare her mind could come up with. Pushing aside irrational feelings, she willed herself to be calm enough to ease her maman's worry. Addy knew she hardly slept as it was, frequently waking to the sounds of pacing in her bedroom or shuffling in the kitchen and never settling in one spot long enough to rest. Yet, here she was, keeping her maman from finding sleep with a childish nightmare she could hardly remember now. What she remembered was the pain. It was excruciating; she could still feel the metal meeting her skin. "I-I'm okay. N-n-nightmare," her tongue felt heavy trying to speak, but she forced herself to form the words. She did not know if it appeased her maman or, in a way, soothed herself.

"Veux-tu m'en parler? Peut-être que cela aidera (Do you want to tell me about it? Maybe it will help)," her maman offered softly. Delicate fingers stroked at her hairline. Addy gave a slight shake of her head. How could she tell her maman she felt like she died? Offering a watery smile, she tried again, "Je ne m'en souviens pas. C'était juste effrayant. Je suis désolée (I don't remember it. It just felt scary. I'm sorry)," the apology felt small compared to how remorseful she was. She lowered her eyes to her tiny fingers clutching at her comforter. Her white knuckles were a stark contrast against the dark purple.

"Addy," her maman breathed, "regarde-moi (look at me)." Fingers nudged her just under her chin. Lifting her eyes, she found her maman's soft gaze. "Il n'y a rien à regretter. Je suis ta maman. C'est mon travail de te protéger. Même des mauvais rêves. D'accord (There's nothing to be sorry for. I'm your maman. It's my job to protect you. Even from the bad dreams. Okay)?"