Vialla cackled in the arms of Slash while her traumatized mother lay on bed, having a nap. She didn't sleep through the remaining part of the night, and so is Slash.
Sitting by the side of the bed with the baby in his hands, engrossed in their play, Slash loses all sense of time as the fatigue builds up in his sore cognizance.
He yawns and doze off unconsciously. The baby chortles as though mocking the dozing man.
She will someday come to see him as a friend and fatherly figure. Perhaps, the closest man in her life with the exception of the one she knows in her dreams.
Ruby looked at the haggard dozing man sitting by the bed and felt pity for him. Perhaps, kingship.
She likes slash. What would she have done without the man?
She sat up and took Vialla from his arms, and he stared sleeplessly, but didn't wake up. Involuntrary, he rested his head on Ruby's shoulder and she smiled. He is her friend, she reminds herself.
With one hand she pushed him gentle on to the bed, and he started to snore like a lousy drunk. Ruby giggled, and the sound resonate with the knock on the door.
"Come in Roy."
A girl wheeled in breakfast instead. Breast feeding Vialla, Ruby had a wiry, surprise look on her face. The lady glanced at the man lying on the bed with his shoe on, and subdued a smile brightly. Ruby liked her instantly.
"Who are you? where is Roy?"
"My name is Lyza ma'am, your new attendant."
"Ruby couldn't tell whether the lady was a woman or a girl when she spook."
"You are from Siana?"
"How do you know, ma'am? Lyza asked meekly.
"That". Lyza looked about her to see what the pretty breast feeding mother is referring to but find none.
"Sorry ma, but I don't know what you are referring to."
"The voice and the way you mention ma'am. You know the man on the bed?"
Lyza nodded with a smile and started serving breakfast.
"He is my brother."
Ruby was surprised at this remark. She knew they came from the same area but she didn't know they could so close.
" Then you must know Spooky" Ruby stated.
"We grew up together, and Spooky was like an older brother. He and Ziggy were the batty boys in the neighborhood. This one here was just a toddler" Lyza said and cocking a brow at the sleeping man on the bed.
Ruby laughed, trying to imagine the snoring man beside the toddler. You sound like a big Sister"
"I wore him diapers," Lyza said and Slash cocked one eye open his eyes in a daze, "I must be dreaming. What tha… lyza!" Slash sat up on the bed and found himself on a different planet.
"I am sorry ma..". "Don't worry Slash"
"What on earth are you doing here lyza?"
" You looking good bra .... good to see you too."
"How did you get here?". "Ree contracted me to for this job. She brought me here. Life been tuff, Slash."
Slash swallowed subconsciously as though about to puke. Ruby felt his distress and suggested amiably, " why not go have a nap, then come back later…"
"Thank you ma'am" he nodded moodly before walking to the door with nother glance at his sister.
Beautiful and smart, Lyza observed about Ruby inwardly. She like the young mistress she was going to be serving.
She had never been a maid before and didn't know what to expect from her new boss. If this is all she is, she will be glad working for her. She wanted this job so bad.
She needs money to take care of her kid back at Siana. Since Ziggy's death, life had not been groovy.
Spooky had gave her a lot of cash to put her kid in school, and get out of the ghetto, but Siana is all she knew, walking out had been a tuff decision.
She did ended up staying, till she blew all the money in a shop that never made any money because friends bought on credit. The business did collapse before it ever started.
"How much do you know about Spooky?" Ruby asked enviously knowing her man had grew up with this beautiful woman.
"Boy was one of the toughest as I can remember. Save me a couple of times from gang malice. He used to have respect like that. Few dare mess with him. Not after…"
The lady hold herself before divulging a secret about spooky she never shared with anyone.
"After what?" Ruby asked eagerly
"Sorry ma'am, but I can't tell."
"You folks from Siana, are very discreet people, I see. I am spookys woman…"
Lyza turned from serving the breasfast to looking at Ruby. She glanced down at the baby and back at Ruby, raising her hands to her mouth as though to scream.
"Yes Lyza. This is our child…" Ruby clogged in her throat as the emotions start to twizzle on her grieving face, when she saw the genuine emotions in Lyza's eyes.
Lyza drew closer to the bedside in tears, extending her hands for the baby, "what is her name?".
"Vialla." Ruby couldn't hold herself any longer, she has promised herself never to cry, or show emotions at the loss of Spooky, but she couldn't.
He is all she thinks about whenever she set eyes on the baby. For the first time since the man's death she allows her pain to flow down like a waterfall and Lyza joined in.
The two women created their first bond from that moment on.
*****†****†*****
Outside in the balcony garden on the top floor, Ruby could see the ocean roaring to the shore down below. Her father had great taste, she thought
There was security detail were in slick black long sleeves shirts, tag in black slacks, walking around in the yard like tycoons having a party. But they are more than that... they are panther, and their listening spread abroad more than a hundred mile radius.
But Ruby knows she has to do it. With the help of Slash she can do it. Beyond the walls of the fortress, the jungle spreads out to meet the sea to the north east.
From the maps, it deosn't matter which way she turns, it all water.... She can only escape with a boat. It looks almost impossible, but she did learn never to consider anything as such. I will fly to the damn moon and back with the baby strapped to my back, Ruby beamed mischievously.
"Are you alright, ma'am?" slash queried, placing the hot steak before her. "I didn't know its always this cold outside."
"it is, Lyza is coming with the herbal tea, it will warm you up."
Ruby took a slap of steak from the bowl and munched into it, moaning, "oh, this taste different, spicy and better. Roy is upgrading, I think."
"Sorry I did it specially for you. Roy is not around." Ruby lifted up her head, pausing in her second bite. "You did this?". Slash nodded, beaming in a self-conscious grin, locking eyes with Ruby and not looking away like he always did.
This time it was Ruby who blushed and glanced away, faking shyness. She has to stop playing the innocent young man this way.
"Thank you for staying with me throughout the night." This statement broke the spell he did wanted to build up.
"You are welcome."
"You know we can't be, umm…". "I know ma'am. I am a fool, I know."
"No slash… I mean…" Ruby was short of the right words to use. She didn't want to say anything out of place.
"You want me to help you escape." He whispered across the table, and Ruby gestured to him to sit.
"Are my plans for you so obvious?"
"It's only natural ma'am. I will do the same in your place. But you must know that wouldn't help the little one. That's why I won't help you," he offered bluntly, and added "the little one is probably awake, let me go check her out, excuse me ma'am..."
Lyza came out with a tray of herbal tea. Her mind suddenly switched to events of last night, the pain and blood flow from her nostrils her eyes and nostrils. Same thing did happened to the child, except she didn't show any signs of pain, and didn't cry.
She only cried to be fed afterwards. In her panic, Ruby did connect with her and found she was in a different world with someone.
A devil of sorts with a dangerous aura. A panther male, an hybrid Alpha. The mere thought of him having a connection with the baby cause her temples to throb in agony.
He didn't poss a threat to the baby Until he sense a different presence in the link. The baby, sensing the antagonism between the two oppossing forces had broke the connection automatically as though aware of what she was doing.
Now, Ruby couldn't help but wonder. "What was that? And why Vialla? She is just a babe..." She sighed in a shaky voice, as real fear grib her heart.