Not A Bend In The Binding

Chapter 1 - Double Life

Even though she was awake, her eyes remained shut as she curled up in a ball on an unfamiliar couch. Frail in her positioning, she carefully unfolded her arms from around her knees and stretched out, letting out a soft yawn. It took her a moment to really inhale though, and notice the strong scent of a decaying animal. Becoming fully alert and awake, she jumped up and looked around at the series of animal skins unevenly pinned across wooden walls. The room was fairly small and half of it consisted of a fireplace, and two shaggy, caramel-colored couches that had been torn at the ends. This wasn’t her home and suddenly fear became her only emotion.

Standing up, she stood frozen for a moment. Her blonde curls had been thrown back in an untidy bun and her bangs were brushed to the side, a hairstyle she hadn’t remembered giving herself. Since when did she have bangs? How long had she been here? Where was her mother? Fighting back the thoughts, she took a step forward and looked around. This was clearly a living room, based on the couches and photo’s hanging up along the walls. Not necessarily roomy or comfy, but homely and welcoming.

Contemplating following the scent of eggs and bacon flowing out of the archway a little ways to the right, she closed her eyes and walked forward, careful of where she was placing her feet and dodging the series of Barbie dolls sprawled across the carpeting, which was also an ugly brown color. Once in the doorway, she looked over and saw a woman standing in front of a stove.

This woman was absolutely beautiful, with straight, chestnut brown hair and a slender body. Her limbs were long and even, and her skin shown with a tint of a tan, which was uncommon to find in an early spring environment. With series of bracelets running up her left arm, Elliot noticed they were all made of string and consisted of a similar Indian pattern. Allowing her hair to fall over one shoulder, Elliot couldn’t determine the exact length, but assumed in was at least down to her waist, which was around the length of hers. At this moment, she was singing to herself and swaying her hips side to side to the beat of the unfamiliar song.

Unsure of whether or not to make her presence known, Elliot coughed a little and looked at the woman innocently. Turning around, the woman froze and dropped the tongs she had been holding. Now that she had turned around, Elliot noticed her bright green eyes that closely resembled her own staring back at her. She had also had freckles on the bridge of her nose and cheeks, that brought out the natural blush she wore. Framing her collarbones, she was also wearing a golden cross that shimmered underneath the over-head lighting.

The crash had brought Elli back into reality.

“Oh my god.” Was all the lady had said, than she screamed out, “Calcifer!! GET DOWN HERE!” Not being able to understand the exact words, Elliot caught on to mumbling coming from the nearby staircase. ’I’m coming, I’m coming…’ Was all she could really make out.

When the man appeared, Elliot took a step back. His expression appeared so intense, she wasn’t sure whether to smile or run. He scared her, in a way… His deep brown eyes tinted red and they narrowed at her. “Kiara. A woman dropped her off at 2 a.m… Said she found her in the woods. She‘s a bit.. Off. But this is our little girl. I told you she would come back.” His lower lip trembled as tears came to his eyes. It was the female, though, who broke down first and ran to Elliot with open arms. Unsure of how to react, Elli hugged her back and closed her eyes. She gave off a strong scent of roses, and the little girl allowed her to lift her up.

“Rain. Let her go. The poor girl‘s been through so much.” Calcifer, so ’Rain’ had called him, said placing a hand on his wife’s shoulder. “Kiara… We are so happy your back. You almost gave your mother a heart attack… You were gone for weeks. Police were checking for you everywhere!” He got down on his knees just as Rain let her down and took a moment to hold her in his arms. “Thank you for coming back to us… I didn’t mean to yell at you. Just please don’t run away, again…”