Fettered

Dealing with Hardships, Together

Keeping up with her studies got tougher every week. More coursework piled onto her this semester than ever before and she diligently kept up with every last bit of it. In kind, conversations with Lucas were sparser. She tried to call him every day, wanting to hear his voice and laugh with him, but then her calls came every other day, right before bed. Often, she would fall asleep midway through their call and wind up having to apologize the next day via text. Her weekends were cut into by Saturday classes, but she luckily had Sundays free and went to the Bakers every chance she got.

Whenever she came over, she got to see her babies. Hunter and Diane seemed to be doing great. The young puppy would greet her exuberantly, jumping up at her knees and waggling his little tail so fast that it would sting whenever he hit her with it. But she loved it; his strength, his excitement, and his cute little puppy face. He was coming up on three months and looking fairly normal — still small, but not worryingly so.

Lucas often asked, "We're gonna take 'im down t' the river fer spring break, right?", or similar urgings, and Persephone had to agree. To make Hunter stronger and give him an adventure after his rough start in life, they had big plans for the dogs and each other. She couldn't wait to take her babies to New Orleans, let them enjoy the sights and smells of all sorts of people and other dogs. Their vacation was going to be amazing, they would both see to that. After all, she and Lucas deserved a good break and some quality time together.

She woke up to her alarm one morning, instantly aware that her finals were coming up, and fast. What day was it? Wednesday? Thursday? Either way, she had class in a couple of hours. Her hand smacked the nightstand, searching for her charging phone. She turned her alarm off and checked the phone; 100% battery and Lucas had texted her, like always. She eagerly read the message, expecting a 'good morning, beautiful' or something similar. But the two words she read instead dropped an acidic pit in her stomach.

'come over'

It made her feel sick. Persephone didn't eat breakfast. The moment she'd finished dressing and brushing her teeth, she took the car and drove to his house. During the whole drive, she pondered the meaning of his text. It was sudden, strange, and, considering the finals were a week away, inappropriate. Did he want to skip school for some reason? No, it couldn't be something so innocent. When she checked the text at a red light (no replies to her simple 'be right there'), she felt an urgency in his two, simple words. If it was as innocuous as skipping school, he would've elaborated. A pressure tore at her heart as she pulled up to the estate — maybe she was paranoid, but a darkness surrounded it. It was as bright as ever for the Louisiana springtime, yet a voice inside her head told her that she wouldn't find anything pleasant in his home.

The gates were locked, as always. She parked just out front and climbed over, rather than call and wait for someone to come out. The more she thought about the text, the more she couldn't wait. After hurrying up the porch, she tried the doorknob first thing; locked, as normal. Persephone's fist frantically hammered the door. Waiting for the door to open, she paced, her foot tapping against the porch each time she stopped to breathe easier; waiting and waiting and waiting — it was killing her.

Then, the door slowly creaked open, like the weight of the world rested upon its hinges. Marguerite's frowning, darkened face greeted her.

"Lucas is out back," she said in a chilling near-whisper.

Persephone squeezed past as quickly (and politely) as she could, jogged through the open main hall, and out the back door. She noticed Lucas off to the side, slumped down, face in his hands. She collapsed to her knees beside him, putting her hand on his back, her mind swirling with questions that her shocked tongue couldn't articulate.