Beyond The Know

Hourglass

"Never in my entire life," Alexa's mother began, giving her two children furiously judgemental looks in turn, "have I ever felt so ashamed of you."
"Mother, please-" Parker protested, but she interrupted him.
"You have humiliated this family," she was shouting now, "you've blackened our name. But seeing as I am the only sane one of the Hunters, I will take appropriate action." She walked steadily towards Clara, who was still in the Garrison's hold. Four more stood by Lottie, and two of them were armed. Alexa didn't understand the need for weapons.
"Lance," Alexa's mother addressed the Garrison guard, "release the girl." Her voice was bitter and sharp.
"Of course, Diana." Lance threw Clara in front of her, so that she fell onto her knees in front Diana. Lance had dark brown hair and brown eyes, with a lean build, he was rather young, about eighteen, and he was pretty fast too.
"Get up." Alexa's mother snapped. Clara did as she was told, her knees trembling, her hands clutching her white dress, her head bowed. There was a large bruise forming on her arm where Lance had held onto her.
Diana approached Clara slowly, like a predator hunting prey. She suddenly darted, pulling off Clara's hat and throwing it to the floor. Red hair tumbled down Clara's back, the thick salmon coloured streak shining in the dim lighting. Diana's elegant features twisted in contempt. She had a deceiving face; it was regal, and beautiful. But on the inside she was a ruthless and cold woman.
Alexa's mother grabbed a chunk of Clara's hair in her fist, tugging it painfully. Clara yelled in protest. Alexa gasped and her hand flew to her mouth. Parker took an angry step, not towards his mother and Clara, but towards Lottie and the guards. He pointed at Lottie with a shaking hand, his anger getting the better of him. Diana turned to face him, a look of warning on her face.
"You...y-you-" He was stammering in fury. His eyes were stormy and dark, and she became a cowering bird in his presence, backing into the corner of the room. She was tearing up and her face had turned a splendid colour of scarlet. The Garrison guards stood still; they didn't deal with matters beyond their prescribed task.
"I was only doing you a favour-" She managed to whisper. But she was cut down as quickly as she'd began. Alexa frowned at the lie, and her eyes darted to Clara, who was shaking in fear.
"You call this a favour?" He laughed incredulously, "and what kind of favour is this? Cycling all the way down to the Town Hall, searching for my parents amongst the crowd, and telling my mother that my friend was at our house...That doesn't sound like a favour to me. It sounds like the most pathetic, immature act of-"
"You call her," Diana maneuvered into the conversation swiftly, "your friend?" She spluttered the word "friend" as though it was a poison in her mouth. Parker was about to retaliate when his mother tugged at Clara's hair, who bit her lip to hold it in. Clara was forced to face Diana, whose sage coloured eyes were on fire.
"How dare you enter the gates and walk into my home?" Diana spat. Clara stayed silent, biting her lip to the point where it began to bleed. Diana released her hair and threw her to the floor. Clara's knees were scraped and bloody, she was on all fours and her dress was slightly torn.
Alexa couldn't stand it anymore. As her mother walked again towards the beat up girl to continue her persistent assault, Alexa ran and placed herself between Clara and her mother. She received shocked looks from everyone in the room- even the half-attentive Garrison guards by the door. She gave her mother the most defiant expression she could muster.
"You can't do this to our friend, Mother."
What she didn't realise was that her face was caked with artificial beauty. Which her mother absolutely loathed. Diana gave her a disgusted frown; she couldn't believe how much damage this Artisan girl had done.
"What is that, on your face?"
Alexa's confidence shattered. She looked down in shame, but attempted to regain her dignity. She did what her brother did whenever he got into trouble at school. She stuck her nose into the air, folded her arms across her chest and said,
"What has it got to do with you?"
Her mother's face contorted in rage, and she raised her hand. Before Alexa could contemplate moving, her mother struck her right cheek hard. There was a burning sensation where her hand had made contact, and Alexa blinked tears of shock, her mouth agape. She was confused, angry, humiliated, and above all, disappointed. In her mother and herself; she couldn't even delay Clara's punishment by a minute. Alexa's subconscious noted that Lottie had snuck off and left to her house.
"Parker, take your sister away."
"But-" He panicked, he couldn't leave Clara alone with his mother.
"Lance." Diana snapped. Lance immediately strode towards Alexa, who began to back away, muttering at him to stop. She turned around to run but he was too fast, and he caught her. He wrapped a strong arm around Alexa's waist, pinning her arms to her sides and lifting her from the ground. She began kicking and screaming, but he placed his hand over her mouth. Parker made his decision and ran after the guard who was so wrongly handling his sister. Alexa's was still kicking, and she bit his hand, hard. He grunted and dropped her, and she attempted to flee. She was crawling and getting up when Lance grabbed her ankles and pulled her towards him. Parker was being restrained by another armed Garrison, and he couldn't retaliate.
"Let go of me!" Alexa kicked and screamed.
"I didn't want to have to do this..." Lance said. He produced a wet cloth from his pocket and held it over Alexa's mouth and nose. The stench was overpowering, and she couldn't stop herself from blacking out. The last thing she saw before her vision became black was her brother shouting angrily at Lance:
"I'll get you for this!"