Umbra

Chapter Five

The first sleep at Quinciple Independent was pleasantly comfortable, the delightful padding underneath her and Rachael Blair contributing to the calmness. The alarm had been set up for nine am in the promise of Lucca coming to meet her for her first weekend.

"Are you up to anything today Lili, because feel free to come with me?" She rubbed her eyes in her permanent dramatic fashion and fluttered her eyelids.

"I think I'm going with Lucca today thanks, some kind of football match going on I think he said." Gracelynn tried to recall.

"Oh... bludgeonball by any chance?" She rolled her eyes and shuddered.

"Yes, that's exactly it!" It came to her, "Why, what does it involve?" She noticed Rachael Blair's reaction and giggled not all to sure what she was going to hear from what she had witnessed of her personality.

"It's basically soccer with these sticks for weapons and punching. Totally barbaric. Just give me a text if you want to escape." Gracelynn raised her eyebrows in shock. Lucca was the last person she thought would be one to partake in violent activities. Then again his bulky physique seemed out of the blue.

Gracelynn proceeded to get changed, brush her teeth, get washed, everything beautifully normal. But by eleven o'clock, no Lucca and no phone call from her mother. The new people in her life were appearing to be more reliable.

Soon enough, it became apparent that she would have to take action herself if she were to meet up with Lucca, and so left Rachael Blair to go to room one-hundred and ninety-six. Along the corridor were uniform doors only differentiated by the golden number plaques nailed in place.

After several minutes of meandering down the corridor the number shone in front of her: Lucca's room. Rachael Blair's words from the previous night boomed in the back of her mind and she cautioned herself as to what she was about to expect. A chap on the door sent a soft noise pulsing through the wood and Gracelynn gnawed at her fingernails which had become small stumps as of late.

"Hey Gracie," Lucca grinned a toothy smile as he gave a warm pat on her shoulder. "Guys, this is Gracie I was telling you about." He turned his back to his cousin and gave a strong point towards her before taking his arm and putting her head through the loop that was created. Lucca had always been confident and powerful, but never quite so cocky and forceful. It took her a minute to remind her that he was a teenage boy.

There were three other boys most likely the same age as Lucca. One had a short hair, with small spikes protruding out, toasted brown eyes and a peachy skin tone. The one in the middle had eyes that pierced through Gracelynn with their small staring pupils. His slender frame and long hair seemed to only emphasise this. The final boy was olive skinned, hair that smoothed down the side of his ears and had undoubtedly Mediterranean features.

"This is Niall, Topher and Florian." He pointed going along in a line, his arm now cocooning round her shoulders. Each one chorused back a greeting in a friendly manner. Gracelynn, however, was still weary after what Rachael Blair had mentioned and so her guard was well and truly put up.

"So we off to go play bludgeonball?" Florian asked in a soft French accent. Burly cheers of agreement burst into the air, causing her to jump in surprise. Surely they were harmless, just... enthusiastic? She considered.

* * *

Lucca lead her and his friends out to the impressive grounds that had been tended by Angus recently. The smell of mown grass was inhaled and the sweet syrupy pollen roamed in the air. If there was one thing Gracelynn had noticed recently, it was the stunning weather. London was now a wasteland, the definition of gray and clouds covered around every diameter. The pungent lavender was the only real colour. Here the land secreted vibrancy and life. They ended up at a playing field marked with white lines darted over it.