LOST SHADOWS - A Broken Lie

Chapter 7

When Elaina started laughing, the room went silent.

It was not the warm friendly laugh Dawn had already gotten so used to hearing. It was a dominating, cold, heartless laugh that filled the entire room. She was hunched over holding her side as if she was told the greatest joke ever. Everyone remained silent till she caught her breath and finally replied. "Oh honey, bless your heart..." Her voice was hollow. Elaina meet the woman's eyes and gave a horrifying and sadistic grin as she leaned closer to the woman. Dawn froze.

This was the Elaina the man from the alley had heard of, and apparently other people have heard of her as well, judging by the guard's reaction. This was not the Elaina he and his sister had spent the whole morning chatting and having coffee with. Not the Elaina that got excited for his sister's fight, who got quiet because of the crowd, and yet seemed so comfortable around Milly. How could a kind and awkward person switch on a dime like that? Was it an act? Who was this girl? What did she want with him and Milly? The questions were swimming in his head, and he took a glance back. They mocked him as they rang out to the front of his mind.

Elaina, on the other hand, seemed as calm as she could be. She tilted her head, almost playfully, and clearly finished the thought of what she was planning in her head. Afraid of what was going to happen, Dawn forced himself to chime in. "Yeah! Well... What's your excuse, sweetheart? You piss off your plastic surgeon?" What am I doing?

Elaina's posture changed from an almost aggressive attack stance, to her normal careless slouch which made her look less taller than she really was. She chuckled to herself, Dawn not quite catching her words. "Ah yes, the little bird speaks..." The older woman scoffed as she was now addressing him. She was practically gawking at him, the creepy hag, causing Elaina to tense up again. "What's a pretty little bird like you doing with..." She didn't dare finish. Elaina was now standing facing her, defensively holding a glare cold enough to freeze beer. She clearly was not a fan of this woman, and if what little fighting Dawn saw of her's meant anything, is that Elaina was ok with fighting dirty.

Dawn was unsure what to do, so he relied on habit. He reached out and held Elaina's hand. It was a simple gesture, one his mom often did when he or his sister was upset, so he figured 'why not?' It was the best he had. Elaina's right hand was oddly soft and soothing to hold. Unsurprisingly, he could feel his face warming up. He could barely feel her heartbeat... it was slower than he expected it to be.

It was like a spell that had suddenly been broken. Elaina's face returned back to its normal warm expression as she looked to him, all violent intentions gone. Just then, a security guard came up and whispered something into Elaina's ear. She muttered a curse then spoke up. "Whelp! Now that we've had a good laugh..." Elaina straitened up, addressing the rest of the room. "The name's Elaina, and it'll be a pleasure watching you all!" As she turned to leave, she handed Dawn a piece of paper. "My number. I have to get back to work, tell your sister I said bye. I'm sorry I couldn't cheer you on during your match. Give 'em hell for me!" She winked and walked off, leaving Dawn dumbfounded.

WHO THE HELL IS SHE?!?

The faint smell of smoke had disappeared.