"...and they lived happily ever after, now you close your eyes and get some rest. I'll make you some soup so you'll have something warm when you wake up," Jess said before she kissed Syri's fore head and tucked her in.
The usual lone-wolf had actually taken to the young one quite well. She found that the days spent with Syri had been some of her happiest. It was so good to see someone smile - especially someone so young and innocent like Syri.
They did tea parties, and watched old crystals with memories and movies on them, they colored, and painted. She even made Syri some new clothes, and even bought a new bed for her to sleep on. The pair had even picked out the sheet colors of red and gold to make it feel like home away from home.
She was absolutely crushed of the stories Syri told her of. A home life filled with instability, and a father who had seemed indifferent to her after they moved to the castle. Jess had to hide her anger at Silas and a little at Syrana for letting their kid hear and watch them fight and argue - but she managed to do so easily when the pretty young lady smiled up at her with wide, glossy eyes.
It had actually been fun for the first two days. Now it was challenging because of Silas' orders to sweep the entire compound for Syri's whereabouts. It felt odd to Jessie that he'd be so cold to his child, but then want her back. He must have wanted to use Syri as leverage against Syrana.
Well, Jessie wasn't having any of that under her nose. She was careful, crafty, and had lots of support from her parents and friends to keep Syri hidden and safe. They had even dyed her hair to look like a deep black instead of it's lovely burgundy, and they gave her a new haircut that shaped her face differently.
They couldn't go out as much into the tunnels, and going outside was complete impossible now that Silas had blocked anyone from leaving until he could find Syri. It made for a very delicate balancing act of keeping Syri joyful, and no lying to her about the situation they were in. How does one tell a child that their father is a psychopath who wanted to hurt her?
You don't - that's how.
Instead, Jess made up stories of her mother having wild adventures - like hunting giant rabbits and dancing with foxes. Her focus became keeping Syri in some sort of stable condition for the first time in her life. She just wanted to see the young one have a childhood that so far had been denied from her.
Part of her didn't want Syrana to come back, because she had truly grown attached to Syri. However, when she thought about never seeing her own mother again, it destroyed her heart like crumpling cheap tinfoil, and she knew that she couldn't live with herself if she put Syri in that kind of agony.
Still, Jessie was rather perturbed that Syrana hadn't left Silas earlier when it was clear he was a bully and a fiend.
Just as her ears were starting to get got with anger, her focus was shattered by the door opening, and her mother coming in with a woven basked filled with minimal groceries.
"Ah, that damn Silas. He's given all of us down here a set amount of things we can buy. I tried to get you some potatoes, but they ran out. I bet they aren't having a problem with food up at the top," her mother complained with a gruff voice of annoyance.
"Probably not, mama. I appreciate you bringing us food to eat, though. When Syri wakes up, I'm hoping to surprise her with a good soup. She's not feeling well. I think she's caught a case of the chills from being down here so long. It gets really cold down here. I've done my best to keep her warm, but since we're so far up, it made it hard to keep heat in. I feel terrible about it," Jess replied and took the basket from her mother whose age was catching up to her faster than she'd like.
"Didn't your brother join a revolution or something to stop all of this? Where is he, anyway?" her mother asked with agitation.
"I don't know. I didn't ask. If we ever do get caught, I don't want give up anything with a truth serum or something else. I know he's alive, though. I can feel it in our connection. Something has gone wrong, but he's still hanging in there," Jess informed with her usual cool, monotone voice that still seemed to have some kindness in it despite its lack of inflections.
"That's my girl. Always thinking one step ahead of those corrupt fiends - I am lucky you two are so smart. I suppose I saved my best litter for last," the weathered mother said with a proud smile.
"Mother, you only had one litter."
"I know - and it was the best one. I haven't said a lie," she answered with a soft chuckle that filled the entire room with a glowing warmth only parents could provide.
Jess smiled and shook her head softly.
"Ah, one more thing. There are whispers that the false alpha is going to send out another sweep this week. Don't forget to move her to our apartment before they arrive. They've already searched us, and I still have a lot of that earthen clay to help mask her scent. Plus, your father may be old - but he'd never let something happen to me, or that little pup. She's quite a little twinkle, isn't she?"
"I adore her -- and thank you for the reminder. I'll make sure to have a bag packed for quick escape if needed. Whatever we do, we can't forget her lion. She'd be crushed without it - and it's all she has left. I always make sure she has it," Jess answered and looked at her mother with eyes that mimicked her mom's.
"I'm proud of you for taking on such a daunting task for a child you've never met. It suits you well, and I'm glad to see you smile so much," her mother swooned lightly.
"Well - she's a pretty special kid. Not all little pups are like Syri. It will be hard to let go of her when this is over....and if it never ends in my lifetime, then I'll take the best care of her as I can. She deserves no less," Jess said with a few tears in her eyes as conviction grew in her words.
The twin stopped taking out the veggies and small pack of meat to look out into the hallway and smile as she thought of Syri sleeping warmly in her bed - away from the fighting, away from the arguments, and far away from the danger and chaos that was bubbling above them like a violent boil.
No matter how 'hot' it was going to get, Jess was ready to get scorched to protect Syri from having to deal with anymore hardship. Someone had to.