YOUR DAISY

Chapter 6

               My father was crying.
I found him inside the stable, petting my horse while hushed tears run down his wrinkled cheeks. "Father?" I called. He wiped his big hands against his face, getting rid of the tears before turning to me. His skin was as pale as the horse's coat, his eyes empty and bloodshot.

"Don't come near me, child," he said, his voice as cold as the winter outside. I held my hands in fear, my baby blue tunic brushing against the straw on the ground as I took a step backward.

"Father," I called out. "Why are you crying, Father?"

"You are to blame," he said quietly, his back still facing me. "You are to blame for your Mother's death,"

I gasped loudly, a thunder shattering the silence in half. I couldn't talk nor move. What did he just say? Did I hear correctly? Was my Mother really dead? He turned, his fists hanging loosely by his sides, and stepped closer to me, the only sound being the rain and the straw crunching beneath his boots. "Pestilence took her away from me and it's only your fault," he cried angrily. I tried to protest, but his hand flew and landed on my cheek. It hurt, and I held my face with my hands, tears escaping from my closed eyes.

"I'm sorry, Father," I apologized but he didn't listen.

"You're going to sleep here tonight. I don't want to see you," he stated. Before I could run outside, he pushed me to the ground and left, closing the stable's wooden doors with a large log. I cried out, slamming my body against the doors, trying to open them in vain.

My Father had left me alone.

"Miss Swift?"

The nun's soft voice jolted her awake. She blinked several times, looking up at the sister who was staring at her worriedly, a hand placed against her shoulder; she had fallen asleep against the piano. "I'm sorry, sister," she quietly mumbled, rubbing her fingers against her tired eyes. She hadn't slept the night before, and she blamed the confusing thoughts about a certain green eyed girl for that.

"You seem shaken. Is there something wrong, darling?" sister Catherine said, sitting down beside her on the leather stool. Taylor briefly shook her head, not wanting to talk about her realistic dream. "I suggest you pray for a bit, Taylor. I noticed you've been a little distant in the last few days. God can help you find the light in your path again, if there's some darkness to it."

The blonde internally sighed, but showed the nun an appreciative smile, nodding before standing up and sitting at a pew on the left aisle. Sister Catherine followed her, but did not join her. "If you need any help, you know where to find me," she stated with a gentle grin. Taylor nodded and kneeled, connecting her own hands and intertwining her fingers. She closed her eyes, finding peace in letting her mind wander wherever it wanted to go. The silence was peaceful, and although the position wasn't the most comfortable, she enjoyed being really alone.

She didn't see Karlie yesterday, but they had agreed to have dinner together nevertheless. She was rather excited at the prospect of spending time with the tall young woman, but still, a part of her told her that she was doing something against her faith. Something dangerous, sinful, although she didn't know what it was. Was it her unclear state of mind? Her thoughts about Karlie? She's always said that her lyrics resembled herself whenever she didn't know how she felt, but the song she was currently working on talked about a sinful love.

A love that wasn't supposed to grow, wasn't  supposed to happen nor exist.

⛪

"Have you finished your song yet?"

Taylor looked up from her plate of food, looking at the other pupils before answering quietly, "No, I'm still working on it,"

Karlie hummed. "Those are really beautiful lyrics, though,"

"Thanks," Taylor replied with a blush. "When I was little I would sing whenever I wanted and my Father hated it,"

"You have the voice of an angel, how could someone hate it?" Karlie asked, genuinely confused and surprised. Taylor blushed even more at that, an electric shiver runnind down her spine and reaching the tip of her feet's fingers. She shuddered at the sensation, averting her eyes when Karlie's green ones became unbearable to look at. She swallowed thickly and smiled at her friend, not wanting to alert anyone of her unstable state of mind and hammering heart.

She felt words mark her brain, as Karlie leaned over the table to whisper, "Do you want to do something?" the glint in her eyes was dangerous, but Taylor agreed nonetheless. "Meet me at the storage room when the moon will filter through your window," she stated quietly, only for them to hear.

Taylor didn't have the chance to reply, because then the bell rang and the room was filled with the commotion of every scholar getting up and exiting the dining hall. She went back to her respective room, Karlie's name still echoing throughout her mind, rendering it impossible to at least not overthink. Her gaze shifted to the window, and her stomach clenched uncomfortably.

Midnight couldn't come soon enough.