Alixies just tossed and turned on her bed, foreboding with the earlier incident at school – flashing back in her subconscious mind. She didn't understand the sudden feeling of empathy and concern she had instinctively felt for Ben when she witnessed the mother, son encounter– She suddenly saw him in a different light altogether and felt there was more to Ben than she had thought.
Behind his rude, egoistic and deadly façade, she was convinced, lurked all sorts of uncared wounds and hurt feelings which howled in the wilderness for love yet not found– She felt emotionally attached but the alarm bells in her head kept sounding:
"Stay away from Ben, he'll cause you trouble and lots of pain"
Just when the thought of his action towards her after she had offered a help, crippled in and she instantly appeared exhausted and emotionally drained in frustration.
Alixies spontaneously repositioned the pillow to a more comfortable place and buried her face in its softness. After some time, she raised her head to inhale deeply. That simple gesture appeared to have straightened her up emotionally with no trace of sleep at all. She instinctively crept deeper into bed and pulled the sheets up her chest as the doubts, suspicions and fears chased each other through her mind in a chaotic manner.
Just then, a gentle rasp from the door perpetrated the silence which had so far, engulfed the dark room. As she stared with no interest at all, at the door, the unwelcome guest tapped gently on the door and turned the handle open to which she directly turned– facing the other end of the room and pulled the cover over her head; pretending to be asleep.
" Alixies? " a feminine voice called after a cold silence had ushered her in. Alixies just remained silent, instinctively closing her eyes as the steady steps of her mother chanced over.
Lena finally settled at the edge of her daughter's bed as she quietly pulled down the cover off her head, bringing bare her fast asleep face.
"Why would she be sleeping, covered up like this?" She protested, not satisfied with her unwarranted style of keeping warm– But then, a faint smile lingered on her face on noticing how peacefully she was asleep with a tender face which glowed like a fairy.
Although the room was dark, the faint light from the glass window served as source of visibility– making it possible to see her face.
"Thought to share a bed time story with you before going to bed since it's being awhile we shared quality time together but guess I came too late" She feigned a sigh of disappointment which was spontaneously replaced with a smile.
"I bet you had a long day at school today" She chunked and kissed her forehead as she jerked to her full length. "Goodnight, my love– I promise to make it up to you."
She exuded and quietly crept out of the room, gently closing the door behind in attempt not to wake her. Sure she was gone, Alixies fluttered her eyes open and her gaze instinctively went to the door– To which she sighed, lying face up with her darted eyes fixed on the ceiling and her back flat on the bed.
Her earlier sense of foreboding increased with each passing thick of the clock and her thoughts continued to torment her. She had earlier felt an unexplained feeling when she , for once stood before the rude, egoistic Ben – a feeling she had never experienced before and this got her even more worked out and drained.
Happily, the troubling thoughts were soon eclipsed by the long awaited sleep which erased all her doubts and fears–causing her to snore softly and the night slowly travelled on in silence with the moonlight emitting its excellence.
*********
The morning sun was streaming across the hall with the kids; Nelly, Nina and Nelson already seated by the dinning table. Their faces etched with gloom as they occasionally glanced at the door expectantly with every passing minute. They were already in their uniforms as they awaited their breakfast but their worry and frustration automatically took away their appetite, leaving them in anxiety.
"Will mum be okay?– I saw her soaked in so much blood last night, Nelson " Nina grumbled, looking sad. "I'm so worried" She faintly added on an impulse and he instinctively rubbed her hand with a knowing look.
"I know, Ni... I'm sure she's fine by now" He swiftly consoled.
"But why ain't they coming? – It's been ages now" Nelly sarcastically mumbled; verbalising her frustration. Just then, Aunty Melissa snapped in from the kitchen with their food.
" Calm down guys– I believe your parents will be back before the close of the day. Stay strong and hung in there. They'll not be happy seeing you like this and ignoring your meals. Huh?"
She placed down the food and gently dragged back an empty chair beside Nelson, settling in.
"Here– Go ahead and eat. I'll drive you to school afterwards. "
"But Aunty..." Nelson sighed. " Don't you think it's best to rather go to the hospital than school, today. I don't think this nagging feeling of uneasiness and frustration will go hand in hand to bring the needed concentration. "
He pressed on in a soft voice but Melissa spontaneously knocked off the idea, drumming home her concern.
"No, young man– I don't think your dad will be happy to see you there; not to talk of the idea of you boycotting school. I'll definitely be a dead meat with the sound of that" She joked and they managed a smile as they struggled with their unsettled feelings.
"Go on, eat now else you'll be late."
She insisted and they bobbed their head in hesitation. Just when they dived into their meal as if undecided about taking it, a swift rack of the door caught their attention. Their gazes instinctively travelled to the door and Drake popped in, looking all dejected and pale.
"Daddy!" Nina was the first to call as she raced off to hug him. He swiftly masked up with a smile on seeing the kids while he spontaneously flung his arms wide open, ready for a hug. Nelson and Nelly automatically tailed after Nina and they all swung into a hug which nearly set him off guard to the floor.
"Hey.....easy" He chuckled and they laughed. After redrawing from the hug, their gazes instinctively travelled over his shoulders while they shared expectant– knowing looks.
"Where is mum?" Nelson finally asked, off loading their nagging query. Drake was instinctively torn between smiling and frowning; his gaze swiftly turned to Melissa who was by now a step away from him. A moment of silence swept through, which in the next breath was broken by a sharp chuckle from Melissa.