Obscure Occurrences |C. BAREBONE|

☛ Nineteen ☚

• December, 1925 •

Genevieve pulled her suitcase from under her bed. She focused on how it slid roughly against the carpet and felt oddly light as she pulled it to the sheets. Soon enough, it would be full of her belongings, her clothes,  toiletries, a stick and a diary with a certain leaflet. It was all planned. Perfectly everything would be wedged between brown leather lined with floral fabric.

One by one, Genevieve folded her dresses
-with few trousers and blouses- before placing her toothbrush, diary, stick upon them. Meanwhile, the postcard was staring at Genevieve from the pillow. It knew what it was doing. The small, rectangle photo was crushing and mixing Genevieve's mind with a batter of confusion. And she didn't want that. Genevieve desired to know each moment her Mother lived, find the adventure that her Mother felt. After all, it must've taken some courage to move to New York from England. All alone at that. So Genevieve borrowed some of said courage and inhaled a deep breath of cold air.

"You're actually doin' it?" Mrs. Glover suddenly questioned from the door, giving Genevieve quite a fright.

"Well, I did tell you my plan" Genevieve replied.

"Yes you did, I just didn't expect you to go through with it; let alone sneak through Victor's study",

"It was needed".

"You could've just asked" Mrs. Glover suggested idiotically.

"Then he would've suspected and knew where I went if I ran".

"I thought this was an adventure, I didn't think you were runnin'" Mrs. Glover shrugged as she finally wandered into the room.

"Everybody is running from something Penny" Genevieve retaliated before pulling up her heavy suitcase and wedging it between her bed and bedside table. 

"And what are you runnin' from Genevieve?".

"From that silly arrangement" Genevieve scoffed to see Mrs. Glover shake her head in disagreement.

"I don't think so... I think it's that boy",

"Why would I run from him?" Genevieve asked with the arch of a thin eyebrow.

"I think you went to far-",

"I don't-",

"- and you don't regret it...You liked it and you wanted more. But Victor ruined that-" Genevieve boiled with anger as Mrs. Glover continued I speak, her body shaking as she continued "- now you're back at square one, with no control over your own life; especially now since he's left-".

"Shut up! You don't know anything".

Genevieve once again felt that buzz, that uncontrollable hum that had her vibrating with anger toward the elderly lady. That's probably why she couldn't see the power which forced the woman back against the wall. Mrs. Glover was flying across the air with a strength which shook any man, it was untamed and uncontrollable against the panting breaths of Genevieve. She didn't understand at all.

However, soon Genevieve saw past the fog and noticed the crumpled form laying in the hallway.

"Penny!" She worried as she scrambled over, her hands clawing at the floor until she reached the woman. In moments, Genevieve knew one thing: Mrs. Glover was breathing, just unconscious.

Genevieve released a relieved sigh once she heard the soft exhales of her mother-like figure. Therefore, Genevieve collected a blanket and pillow, resting them upon the woman as she couldn't move her. The young girl obviously wasn't strong enough as she sat beside Penny Glover, right until seven o'clock at night, right until her Father would be home.

Victor Burnett arrived back to a quiet house. He at least expected Mrs. Glover I be going about her but instead, the atmosphere was eerily quiet and pregnant with tension. Especially so as he ran upstairs -two steps a time- to see a figure sprawled across the floor with Genevieve sitting silently beside it. He had never seen his daughter's eyes so bottomless, not since...

"Genevieve?" He called, for the girl to instantly turn her head and skid to her feet to reach him.

"Fa-Father" she cried slightly into his chest as she snaked her hands around his waist. He couldn't comprehend what was going on, he couldn't work out the scene before him.

"What happened princess?" He asked quietly, attempting to calm her down with a softened tone.

"I-I don't know... It-It just happened",

"I need to know exactly, princess" he pushed.

"I really don't know-" she looked up at him with tear glazed eyes, "- I just felt so angry and upset and my body felt warm and it kept getting hotter... That's when Penny was pushed".

"Pushed by what?" He continued to goad from her.

"B-By wind... I-I'm not sure F-Father".

Victor knew then what had happened. He suspected it... It's why he and Hannah fought that night; before the fire. It was why she was gone.