Locked Away.
"Sophir!" The woman came to a stop at the top most step of the front stairs just as the little girl rushed before them to greet her. The woman smiled at the gesture, her anger for gotten as the little girl's arms came around to hug her short and of a stocky build.
"Where have you been?" She chided smiling sweetly as she pulled the little girl up into her exposed arms, the skin of which was a dark caramel only a few shades darker than that of Havillah and a stark contrast to the olive tones of Sophir's own skin. The woman did not appear that old but her black hair held in a tight chignon that was resting at the base of her neck had streaks of grey hair that perfectly blended with the grey irises of her bright eyes which, even from that distance Havillah could see that they were squinted with worry.
"I was out at the Orchard and look who I found. She's an angel isn't she?" The girl said pointing at Havillah who up to that point had not been discovered by the older woman.
"What angel?" The woman laughed even as she turned to look at Havillah hidden behind Jharey's tall frame. For some reason she felt shy and did not know how to react under the scrutiny of yet another woman who also in so many ways resembled her own mother.
"She can fly? I saw it."Sophir insisted even as her Mima carried her inside with not much of a word to a Havillah save for a cautious glance and a nod at Jharey.
What was it with her that most women did not like? Havillah pondered the question. What had she done to them or to anyone to deserve such treatment? She thought thinking back to Neema and how the woman had treated her. Then there was Calla and Selene whom she ended up flinging across the room and finally grandma Kezzia the only woman in this world to really accept her. Was it her or what she represented? Maybe it was all because they saw her as an unknown, a stranger and just like in her own world where she had to hide her crystals Havillah assumed that things probably worked the same way here. People were afraid of what they did not know. Did not recognise and where the men seemed more welcoming, the women were more cautious probably because they felt that with families and children to take care of, they somehow felt more vulnerable and even had more to lose.
"Come on. It's going to be dark soon. We need to catch some rest before then."Jharey said pulling her out of her thoughts and into her present reality. "And don't forget what I told you. If you do anything to put my family in any harm, it will be with your own life that you will pay with." He added striding up the stairs with long leaps that Havillah found hard to follow. "Hurry up." He hissed. Holding open the door to allow her to enter.
"Threaten my life then act like a gentleman." Havillah rolled her eyes making sure to keep the look hidden. He must have seen it though for he pulled her back gripping her arm tight as she passed through the threshold to whisper into her ear.
"I don't know what you did to charm my sister, bit rest assured I will be watching you." He let go just as Havillah tagged her arm away from his grip.
"I did nothing to her. She found me and since she happened to be alone, I decided to walk her home." She replied calmly surprised that her robes had not zapped him.
"You expect me to believe that?" He chuckled lightly but she could hear that there was no humour in his laugh. For his blue eyes glinted dangerously, predatory even as he gazed down at her own brown eyes. " How convenient for you to appear here and now? And where did you come from?"
Havillah hesitated before deciding to come out with the truth for trust's sake.
"Bethesda."
"Bethesda?" He seemed to be pondering her statement.
"A seaport town a few miles east of here."
"I know where Bethesda is and it is not east but north east and definately not a few miles. Are you a spy? What does someone coming from a well furnished military town want with a borough like ours?" Havillah shook her head in confusion. None of what he was saying was making sense, not to her at least. A military town,a borough? What were the differences? And why would he think that she was a spy? Was that why he had allowed her to follow them? So that he could interrogate her? She did not know about the politics of this world infact she had not thought much about it and now she was seeing that her complacency was going to cost her.
Seeing that she was not going to answer him,the man pushed her forward into a dark called that seemed to be going on forever. There were no windows just doors most of which were locked and those that were opened presented a dark interior that she could not make out due to the dark curtains blocking out the sun's light. At first, Havillah protested, but her curiousity and the awkwardness of her situation eventually silenced her even as she took in everything with studious eyes shoving it away for later use. Eventually they came to a stop before another door and Jharey pulled it open to shove Havillah into its interior before locking the door with a bolt and padlock, the glint of which Havillah noticed only when they came to the said door.