Laura's nerves had gone numb and with Arkanta's movements towards her, she didn't know what else to feel. Her feet trembled in his sight. Arkanta stood still to listen again but could hear nothing so he decided to sniff. He had not stayed with her for long so he was not familiar with her scent but he still had to smell the presence of any human if any or wolf around him.
Laura's fear was getting to her when suddenly a hand cropped behind her and covered her nose and mouth. The person made a magic wall around them. She was shocked and didn't know how to react but seeing what the person was doing, she considered her a friend rather than an enemy.
Whatever he did stopped Arkanta from sniffing around and he thought maybe he heardwrong. He knew he didn't but seeing there was nothing. He decided to go back to where Sarya was.
The hand retreated but the wall was still there. Laura turned around to see a man who was maybe in his 20s in the human form. She opened her mouth to speak but the man put a finger on her mouth to signal her to keep quiet.
After a while, the man took down the wall and got out the bush stretching his hand so Laura could hold on to him as they fled. When he saw that she could not keep up with him. He carried her on his back using the wrapping she had and they headed to the boarder.
***
Laura woke up on a big bed with a cotton blanket. She looked around the room and she could see the exquisite nature of the room. There were open drawers with vase of different colours. The wall had pictures of people she didn't pay attention to maybe because she didn't think she'll know them anyway.
She decided to go back to sleep but was woken by a sound that startled her. She looked at the table beside the bed and saw the alarm clock. It was 9pm already so she turned it off. She was frustrated and anger was now weighing her heart down.
The alarm seemed to have triggered the memories of last night and she cried again.She held to her blanket tightly. Her parents would have been with her by the bed waking her up with their usual jokes. She remembered a moment when her mother threatened to pour water on her if she didn't wake up which made her wake up instantly. Maybe she would've gone to wake them up so they could make her, her favorite breakfast. The cruelty that had gulped her uncle made her heart race faster with anger. He had killed her parents with no mercy at all.
"Mother, father, your daughter will take revenge for you! I will not rest until he begs for his pathetic life," Laura swore her eyes boring holes on the innocent space of the air she took in.
There was a knock on the door. "Come in!" She uttered for lack of words to say. This was not her home so who would dare knock. She figured maybe they were too well-mannered to go right in.
A middle -aged woman walked right in smiling. Laura could not understand what she was smiling about. The morning wasn't good and so was the night so how could she smile. She resisted her urge to project her anger towards her.
"It's time for you to have a warm bath so you can take your medicine little girl. Come on, lets let's wash you up," she said her smile never fading. She tried to help her get out of bed but she would not move an inch.
"Leave me alone! I want to be alone!" She reminded her of her mother. The smile that never left her face and the joy that she never failed to infect others with. She wanted her mother.
"Okay! I'll come back later for you," she said smiling while she headed for the door. She did not close it completely but just left a space as if in a hurry to go somewhere.
Laura wept her blanket already wet from all the tears that were now draining her body. She had sworn to revenge but she had no strength to. She was too young to fight Arkanta. The mere thought of it made her stamp the bed with her hands several times.
"Are you sure you don't want to sleep," a young voice spoke and when she looked up, she saw a young boy looking at her while he leaned at the bed his one hand on his chin.
She quickly looked the other side. She was not sure if she was embarrassed or angrier now.
"Let's go play outside," the boy answered so she could engage her in a conversation but she only clutched tighter to her blanket. He began tickling her but that only made her angrier. She pushed her down as he hit the floor with a thud.
He started crying as he rubbed his head and that's when she came to her senses. She was startled and afraid. Afraid she had hurt someone. She quickly cane down from bed to where he was.
"I'm sorry. Are you okay?" She was worried so she helped him stand and took him to sit in the bed. She helped rub the place she was hurt. The boy stared at him and laughed.
"I'm okay. It just a little scratch, I'll be okay. It's nothing compared to the training," he said trying not to make her feel guilty.
"What training?" She asked surprised that a small boy like her would be going for training.
"It's a training..." They were interrupted with a man and a woman who came rushing in as if chaos had awoken.
"Craig, are you okay? What happened? Why do you have a lump on your head?" The woman asked continuously. Her face looked terrified more than worried. She looked at the Laura's and her eyes blazed with anger until the man touched her hand. She calmed down after.
"Come on, let's go," she held his hand and walked him out of the room.
Laura looked at the man and she noticed he was the man from last night. He sat beside her on the bed and held her tiny hands in his.
"How are you doing?" He asked concern in his voice. She did not answer. She didn't know how to answer. How could she be okay? If only this was his father but he was gone. He stared at her chest, the only memory she was left with by her parents. It was his mother's but she considered it the same because though he saw Arkanta with the other piece, she had to live with this. She took one hand and clutched the pendant on her chest.
"Consider this your family. We will be here for you anytime, okay?" She just nodded.
"Now come on, let the nanny give you a bath. Nanny Paula! Come on in," The woman who came earlier in the room came in and went to the bathroom. She came out with a white towel and sandals on his hand.
"Sir, I'll take it from here," the man understood so he went out of the room. "Come on!" Nanny Paula held her hand as she came down the bed and they both went to the bathroom.
There was a bathtub with water bubbles. She took off her clothes, got in and started playing with the bubbles in the water. She slapped her hands withe water as she held the bubbles and started blowing them off. Nanny Paula looked at how she was playing and decided to let her be. She pitied the child. She had lost her parents in one night and she knew no amount of happiness can bring them back but she was happy. Happy that the little things made her happy.
Laura suddenly stopped sensing that she was being looked at. She fidgeted with her fingers looking down at the water.
"Let's clean you up before you catch a cold," Nanny Paula said bending down to clean her up.
"Are you my nanny," she asked biting her lip.
"Not really," Paula said which made her face sullen. How could she think of owning anything now? "But..." Paula continued and Laura was keen to listen but she did not dare to smile. "I'm yours and Craig's nanny," she said with her usual smile.
"Who is Craig?" she asked.
"You don't know his name? The young boy you were here with earlier," Paula looked at her face to see any reaction from her.
"Oh, he is called Craig huh," she asked smiling but suddenly changed her expression. "Do you think he is badly hurt?" She had hurt him maybe that's why the woman who took her was mad. She guessed maybe she was her mother and it reminded her of her own. She would get furious whenever even a scratch got his skin.
She was done with the shower and Paula took her out and placed her on a mat as she wiped her with the towel. "Don't worry about him. That was nothing," she said going to the wardrobe.
She came back with a peach flyer dress and some white shoes. She applied oil on her and dressed her up.
"Are you sure?" She asked wondering how she was so calm. Not like the other woman
"Of course, the training is much worse," she said absent mindedly.
"What training?" she asked and Paula suddenly regretted saying that out loud.