Reflections of Light

Cracked Masks

He found her standing on the side of the road by a phone box a short distance away from the gates of the hospital. She was dressed in a stark white nightgown, capped sleeves leaving her arms bare as she crossed them over her front to defend against the cold. Her hair was a tangled mess, curls embroidered together like medusa's snakes; her feet were bare and covered in mud and dirt. A small collection of her personal affects rested on the pavement besides her.

Pulling over, he unlocked the door; quickly, she collected her stuff and scrambled in.

"One week." He chuckled behind the steering wheel. "One week in that place, and you caused absolute carnage."

Sitting in the passenger seat, Nyx held up a hand to object, suppressing a giggle. "Technically, not my fault."

"So you weren't at the centre of orchestrating a mass breakout?"

"I didn't plan it. There just happened to be an opportunity." Nyx said, running her fingers through the knots in her hair. Now she was in the car, he could see small shards of glass glinting amongst her curls, like little stars in the dark night. "Safer out here, anyway. If I wasn't mental before I went in, I might be now."

She was holding her hairpins in her lap, cradled loosely in her hands; one gold, one silver. Exploratively, she was running her thumb up and down the flat edge of one, as if trying to discover something.

"Well, I'm impressed." He said with a smile. "Although you did step on my chance for a daring rescue."

"Should have been faster." Nyx chuckled, teasing him. "I was getting bored."

"You seem to have found plenty to keep you occupied."

"Yeah, well..." Nyx trailed off, pulling her feet up on the edge of the seat to wrap her arms around her knees. "I'll tell you about it later."

"You're shaking." He commented.

Nyx rested her head against the window glass, looking out into the dark night-world outside; she was tired, exhausted stress-tears bubbling in her eyes. She blinked them back stubbornly.

***

"You should stay with me." He said as he let them both in through the front door of his home. "This isn't going to go unnoticed."

"Bet Declan's going to be pissed." Nyx cackled; she was putting on a mirthful face, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. She seemed small; closed in on herself, blinking like a newborn taking in the wide world.

"I'll handle Declan." He promised, smirking to himself as he hung up his jacket.

"Assuming I don't reach him first." Nyx muttered. "I'll break his damn nose."

"I'm sure that can be managed." Smiling, he took her hand gently in his, leading her through to the living room to take a seat on the sofa; situating himself besides her as she seemed to react almost shyly at his closeness.

He was unperturbed; placing a kiss by her ear as he wrapped an arm around her to draw her close, then her jaw, then finally on her lips.

At first she barely reacted, watching him with searching eyes; and then responded greedily, clinging to him like a starving woman. He kissed her, and he held her; feeling her trembling under the thin fabric of her dress, her eyelids twitching exhaustedly with hidden tears. She was good at acting brave, admirably so; but behind the mask, something was broken.

Pulling away, he rubbed her shoulder comfortingly. "Come on, let's find you something better to wear."

"No..." She complained, reaching to pull him back with her eyes still closed, although her face was now wrinkled up in annoyance. "Just... hold me for a bit."

He couldn't deny her that; and so he held her, carefully. Cautiously. She snuggled close to him, seeking comfort from the thoughts that disturbed her; and then annoyed at his passivity she began move against him, tugging at his clothes and demandingly meeting his mouth to hers. It was very tempting to forget something was wrong when she kissed him.

"You can kiss me harder than that, you know." She whispered in his ear.

He kissed her softly instead, caringly; pushing her hands down into her lap as he rocked her against him like he was trying to soothe a discomforted child.

'She said she wanted it harder.'

-What was that?

"Ow!" He didn't know what had happened; but suddenly she had wrenched her hand from his grasp, rubbing her wrist. He realised it had been him; that he'd unknowingly tightened his grip on her to the point of pain.

The realisation pounded like drums against the inside of his skull. "No." He said in a hoarse voice.

Nyx furrowed her brow in confusion and concern. "No? Are you alright?"

Was he alright? He didn't know. What had spooked him before had disappeared unheard now, sinking away into nothingness as if it had just been a figment of his imagination. Perhaps it was so.

He looked back down at her; she looked so small and meek now, and yet, so deliciously tempting; her breath coming in quick pants past her kiss-reddened lips, making her chest rise and fall rhythmically behind her thin nightgown; her wide, innocent eyes watching him.

He sighed, closing his eyes to get a grip on himself as he turned away, getting up from the seat. "I'll get you a blanket."

Leaving the room, he walked up the stairs, heading for the bedroom door first along the landing; his mind racing at a hundred miles a minute.

Closing the door behind him, he turned to the bed...

And time itself stopped.

Sorry its late! I've been working so hard to get back into the rhythm of it with this chapter, as after my brief break I felt it had to be really good! I'm hoping there's not going to be too many more chapters as this book is SUPER long already, but I still have quite a bit to cram in before the next one (oh yes, I have it planned out already).

Also, please do make sure you're reading my spin-off story 'The Birdcage' about Nyx's time in the mental hospital. It's a good storyline in its own right.