Innocent

Chapter Nine

"SHIT!" I let out and hugged the silky pillow closer to my chest. Greed's words didn't leave my head ever since I planted my body on the bed an hour ago. Stress wasn't good for me, I know. It was just that I couldn't help it but to think of our conversation earlier.

I sat up slowly from my pillow and gripped my hair, pulling it's black and tangled strands. It wasn't the first time I experienced insomnia, but this situation of mine was too unpredictable. It was torturing me from the inside not knowing what will I be doing tomorrow as an exchange for this deal.

I groaned out in frustration. The suspense was killing me, tearing out each and every piece of my dignity.

A snoring Liam brought me out of my thoughts as I looked at the little angel sleeping soundly besides me. His hair was disheveled from tossing around a couple of times and his mouth was slightly parted. His palm was tucked under his chin and a bit of his saliva was coming out from the side of his mouth.

The sight of him made me smile. Using my thumb, I gently wiped off the small amount of saliva that dripped just near his parted mouth. "My Liam," I sighed in content.

As I watched my little ball of sunshine sleep, a small spark of light flashed just at the side of my vision. I blinked my eyes a few times before resting it at the location the light was coming from. It didn't take me long to notice that it was coming from behind the redwood door to the walk-in closet.

I must of forgotten to turn off the lights before I went to bed, I mumbled in my head. Lazily, I walked over to the closet and opened it. My palm immediately shielded my eyes from the light.

"Pixie," a feminine voice sighed out in relief. I blinked my eyes repeatedly until the brightness of the light didn't faze my vision anymore.

Standing there in the middle of the walk-in closet was a woman. She wasn't technically old, yet her eyes held much more wisdom in life than I did. Strange.

The woman quickly closed the space between us and embraced me into a tight hug. I stood on my spot frozen, unable to fathom what was going on. No words could explain my bewilderment at what was happening. I just had to let the scene play out. For all I know, this woman could be the one who is trying to kill me.

The woman pulled away shortly, eyeing me in a curious manner as I did as well to her. She had perfectly styled white hair cascading down her shoulders and ended a few inches below the small of her back. Her kind eyes were the color of burgundy which was definitely not normal at all in the Rose Circle.

I stared at her with my eyebrows creased together. "Miss, do I know you?" I questioned her.

The woman only shook her head. "No, but you wouldn't need to anyways-"

"Yes I do," I interfered. The woman was insanely ridiculous if she thinks that hiding in the closet without my permission was not at all odd to anyone. Technically, it appeared almost alarming that a stranger such as her was present somewhere in the room unnoticed.

The woman did not introduce herself. In fact, I didn't think she was ever just as she stated. It made me all the more cautious of her. After all, I was almost killed by someone around this hour just last night.

"Introduce yourself at the most. At least I wouldn't feel like I'm about to be murdered by you." To this, the woman frowned.

"I'm sorry that happened. Just thinking about it now makes me feel glad that you are still alive," she smiled half-heartedly. My eyes widened at her statement. How did she know?

"I'm Lore," she says in a comforting tone, extending her hand out for me to shake and I did. Knowing her name somewhat eased my mind.

Suddenly, Lore's smile faltered and her expression turned grim. Seeing this new look of hers caused warning sirens to go off in my head. Right then, I began to feel uneasy once more.

A cool breeze washed past me from behind, causing goosebumps to form on my arms and the hairs on the back of my neck to rise. A gentle hand rested on my shoulder and I flinched. Turning my head slightly to the side, I was flabbergasted. There stood behind me was Finn dressed in his casual clothing. His gaze was firmly on Lore as well as her's was on him.

When the silence grew almost unbearable, Finn spoke. "Surprised to see you here," he says casually but his face did not match his words.

Lore acknowledged Finn with a slight nod of her head and replied, "I wouldn't say the same about you."

"Of course you wouldn't. You'd know I'd come regardless." Finn leaned back against the closet door, sighing through his nose.

I turned my head between the two and wondered what relationship do they share or shared. "Excuse me miss," I began, "What business do you have here?"

Lore looked at me once again with a grim expression. She pursed her lips and bit them, hesitating. "Your husband is dead," slowly rolled down her tongue. I blinked my eyes a couple of times, letting in what she just said sink into my brain.

"You are eight years too late." Lore shook her head sharply and gripped my shoulder blades into a tight grip. I winced at the pain that triggered my nerves at her sudden action. My eyes widened in shock and fear at how her eyes turned a shade darker than it already was.

The woman in front of me was no longer the Lore I just met only a few minutes ago. This was a darker side of her that I hadn't seen before.

"Listen to me Pixie. Your husband is dead."

Upon hearing my small whimper at Lore's fingers digging into my flesh, Finn clutched her triceps quickly. Forcefully, he tried to pry her arms back to her sides. Once she realized that a pained expression was painted on my face, she let go willingly.

"He's been dead," Finn said to Lore in a hushed whisper that my ears almost couldn't catch it. She shook her head violently and distanced herself away from Finn.

"I know what I saw," she looked at Finn with teary eyes and chanted that same line twice.

"I'm not a liar, Finn. You know that."

"Of course."

"Then why won't you believe me when I say that he is truly dead?" She sobbed out, sliding down to the floor. Seeing her so emotional, I couldn't help but to comfort her in any way possible. Slowly, I sat down on the cool floor and rubbed her back as she hid her tear stained face in her knees.

"I'm here to warn you both. Please be careful and think about what I said," Lore muffled before she disappeared, leaving no trace of her presence. The hand I was using to rub her back in a soothing manner began to only feel the coldness of the air.

I examined my hand and where Lore once was with my eyebrows creased. "You know her?" I asked, not bothering to take a glance at Finn. When he didn't reply, I finally mustered up the strength to look at him.

Finns' adam's apple bobbed up and down a couple of times before it finally rested. He opened his mouth and softly whispered, "I was her lover once."

Published: August 16, 2019
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