When the Sun Cries

Chapter Two

Tears blurred Grace's vision and caused the small selection of colours around her to fuse together in a big mess of grey and black. She rubbed the tears away with the back of her fists, creating red spots to appear in her vision.
    "She broke the law?" Alsiah gasped.
Emili nodded, her lips were brought together in a straight line as she glanced at the twins. They were mumbling to each other in front of the television,                
     "We don't need to worry the young ones about anything just yet, but this is serious," Alsiah whispered. "What about the house inspections? How aren't they going to notice anything off about Katherine? The bump will be showing by then." "We will figure it out, Alsiah. Grace is also a young child and mustn't be concerning herself with such dark matters. We will handle this."
      The young woman looked to Grace and smiled apologetically, grabbing Grace's hands when she noticed the tears welling in her eyes. "Emili is right, as she always is. We'll get through it and I won't let anything happen to you or Katherine."

Grace tried to smile, but the result was something that resembled a grimace. Connor had looked over curiously, although he didn't seem interested in the least.
       "Katherine is going to be staying at this house for a while, just until the baby is born," Emili looked to Grace before continuing. "And I need you to watch over her as she has done for you over the years."

Grace nodded curtly before placing her book on the bed, straightening out the pages that she had accidently crumpled. "Emili, should we be heading back to town now? We've already been here for too long today." Emili nodded towards the tray Alsiah had carried down, speaking to Grace yet refusing eye contact. "And make sure you eat all of your soup, young lady. Jackson had to go back to town to get all the ingredients, and you know how far that journey is."
        "Yes, ma'am."
The old woman stared at her a moment longer before turning back towards the stairs, "Alsiah."

Alsiah squeezed Grace's hand before heading towards Emili, who had stopped to wait for her. She watched as the women left and waited until she heard the door lock before her shoulders hunched forward and she allowed herself to be engulfed by the warm bed sheets. She closed her eyes and immediately gave in to a deep unconsciousness.

A few hours later she was awaken by a light tap on her shoulder, "Grace?" Connors eyes were wide and he seemed completely awake regardless of the purple and blue rings under his eyes, "I can't sleep."

Grace's hair had started falling out of the braid that Alsiah had given her and a couple of strands were framing her small face.

She smiled kindly and then shuffled over slightly, pushing the blankets closest to Connor away, "Come on, then."

He sighed quietly in relief and he lay down beside her, his back towards her. Within the next couple of minutes he had started snoring lightly and his lips were partially parted, saliva dribbling out of the corners and down his chin.

.

The next morning, Grace immediately noticed a heavy growling in her stomach as she sat up. The soup still sat on the tray untouched, although the boys had eaten theirs. She arched her back and allowed it to pop before shuffling towards the tray on the small dresser. Although the soup was cold, she ate it quickly with the knowledge that the caregivers wouldn't be back until lunch, and the glares that would have been earned by Emili.

She situated herself on the small stool, book in hand. Four pages later she heard a groan as Jace finally woke up. His cheeks were damp, as they always were in the morning. Grace sighed, only being distrubed a couple hours later by Katherine descending the staircase.