LYRA POV
My hands started shivering slightly as I reach my finger to open the chat. It seemed like the world had frozen. Nothing moved around me. As I opened the texts, my breath relaxed a bit. It took a whole 5 minutes for me to settle down. After those excruciating 5 minutes, my mind started working again. It stopped chanting about the things that could go wrong. I can breathe properlynow. I frowned in anger and sighed.
"I'm Eline ..we met in the morning in the library remember??I'm sorry if I scared you. I didn't mean to do it. The network is so weak here. I'm really sorry "
My frown got deeper in annoyance when I texted her back " Yeah Eline. That didn't sacred me. That almost gave me a fucking heart attack. Guess not saying your name at the beginning of a conversation is your habit. You should consider not giving me this type of surprises the next time. What do you want?"
" Ummm...The other librarian gave me your number. He told me to contact you if I have any doubts". She responded with a smiling emoji at the end. " You could have asked me tomorrow. I'm busy now " I replied in frustration.
" Uhhh....I can see you're mad at me now. So...I'll be at the library at 8 Am tomorrow. This is my number.. remember to save my contact" she retorted with a smiling emoji at the end. Saving her contact as 'Dumbass' I wiped my sweaty hands on my pants , fishing out my handkerchief from the pocket I rubbed off the sweat from my forehead that formed as a result of the panic attack I had a moment ago.
I started the bike making the silent night echo the loud growl of it's engine resonating the dark clouds roaring above me. The loud thunder, sounds like the sky is in deep turmoil is illuminating the empty streets with faint light every now and then , showing the amount of darkness I am engulfed in when it fades away.
I drove through the streets and into the highway that is leading to the city on a full throttle , roaring through the empty roads. I reached the house in 25 minutes, entering through the back door and directed towards my room exhausted. I saw Leo sleeping on my bed once I entered my room after changing. I tip-toed my way towards the bathroom to shower when he moved in his sleep. I looked at him assuming that I disturbed his sleep. Nah...he was just talking in his sleep.
It's half an hour past midnight. So I assumed that he would have shifted here because he couldn't sleep in his room. These damn nightmares always keeps us awake most of the times. But those nightmares are what keeps us together making our bond stronger. Leo has been there with me in every hardship I had since I met him. I love him so much now that I don't even hesitate to kill anyone that tries to hurt him. Including me. He had been through a lot.
His parents died when he was only 5 years old. He used to live with his father's brother, Peter Melvinne and his wife, Sarah Melvinne. She tortured him for almost 6 years and the reason is still unknown. She used to whip him for a good 5 hours just because she got bored. He have all these small burn marks on his hand and sole of his feet which are finally fading a bit. He was finally able to say all of these after I pestured him for a long time. She gave him spoilt food to feed on and didn't even spare a glance at him when he was sick but instead ,she used to laugh at his misery.
He was just a child then, just a child who dreamt of spending his birthday at beach with his parents. Who dreamt of having lots of candy. Who dreamt of going on a bike with his dad. Who dreamt of helping his mom in cooking. A kid who slept thinking about all the fun things he could do with his mom and dad, only to wake up to the news of their death. His aunt is a violent and cruel woman. He was kept in a basement , where even sunlight has no way to enter, for a month. Sleeping with his miseries and the rodents, feeding on the spoilt food that had developed little fungi. All of this can cause a well grown man to have bad dreams for years. All the while, his uncle ,who is equal to his father didn't even cared to ask about his wellbeing. Leo just endured so much pain when he was still a child.
I wondered how he went through all that and still survived. He finally decided to open up after 3 long years living with me. His life has always been a tragedy, he ended up having a childhood trauma. He gets a panic attack every time he sees a whip. And when his aunt had enough torturing him she just sold him off for the human trafficklers who force the people into the world of drugs and sex. I just had the mission to catch those smugglers and traffickers oneday, 9 years ago when we got information about abducting and selling the children off to other countries.
We informed all the parents of children inside the ship after catching the smugglers. There was one boy who couldn't even utter a word. He looked pale and weak. My chief just advised to drop him off at the police station. But I saw some unknown emotion in his eyes. When I asked him if he had anyone to contact , he just shook his head a little. Small tear drops rolling from his eyes. He was trying not to cry. He was trying to stay strong. His vulnerability made him so weak that he couldn't help but fall on the ground curling into a ball.
I couldn't send him off to the police station, instead I took him to my home in Scottdale City, Mosvil. where I used to live before shifting to Sendui street in Mosvil. I took him to my house, wouldn't call that a house,rather, it was a shabby building which is just suitable for living in. It became a home only after I found Leo. He became my happiness,my reason to live. He is only one I have in my life.
He faced so my struggles when he was just a little kid. He used to cry every night remembering all the nights that he was tormented. He didn't sleep until 2 years. It was only after I took next step in making him open up he started sleeping peacefully again. Not everyday,but he surely slept when he isn't triggered. If someone asks me about the strongest person I know..I'm gonna say Leo's name.
He said that he was afraid of the dark because his aunt used to lock him up in the storage and mock him saying that there's a snake inside that eats children alive and goes invisible in dark. Too much of mocking for a 7 year old. He didn't even tried to open his eyes in dark until he was 15. He overcame his fear of dark finally but he couldn't get over the fact that he was sold to the traffickers by his own aunt. He is much of a bubbly boy than a depressed young brat. He always lights up my mood no matter how negatively affected I am.
I get into the shower when Leo slips into his sleep again. Wearing the bathrobe over my shoulders after shower,I look into the mirror installed at the sink. My face pale, eyes lifeless and lips almost a light shade of pink. I wanted to heal myself with Leo's help by the end of this year. But I am becoming more of a dead body..day by day. My body turned a little more pale because of the cold shower. If anyone see me in this state.. they're gonna faint assuming me as a ghost of some kind. Yeah.. that's what I look like now, a ghost , who have been waiting to fulfill its desires that was left incomplete.
'In fact I do have some incomplete work. I have to find Sarah and kill her.....but that's a different topic so...I guess I just go and let the demons inside my mind drag me to hell with them' I change into the pyjamas sighing and laid beside Leo.
He snuggled closer into my arms once he felt me beside him. "You're back " he says in inaudible voice. I am able to hear what he said only because I am close to him. "Hmm.....Did you have a bad dream?"
"Yeah...My aunt found us and came to take me away from you" He said as a tear rolled down his face. "Shhhhh... It's okay. I'm here now. Nothing's gonna happen to us okay? she has to step over me to get you. And I wouldn't even let her lay a finger on you. I'm sorry that I am not here when you came" My fingers rubbing the tears on his cheeks. Gliding so softly on his soft young skin.
Shivering lightly when my cold fingers came into contact with his warm face, he cried "I was so afraid Vivi....that she would take you away from me. She almost killed you in my dream. And I was running behind her to help you but I couldn't. I was so terrified that I twisted in the bed and fell down on the floor. It hurts Vivi ...not because of the fall. It hurts inside my chest even thinking about you leaving me. Don't leave me Vivi. I can't live without you. I don't know where to go or whom to approach if anything happens to you ". His voice is so low unlike his usual tone. His voice held a lot of pain and fear. He looks vulnerable. So much that breaks my heart seeing him in pain.
"I am not gonna leave you Bubs. I am going to kill everyone who dares to hurt you. Don't be afraid of that evil witch. I am gonna find her before she finds us and show her the hell that she just wishes to die. She's gonna regret hurting you. Nobody's ever going to take us apart. I'm here now. Nothing's gonna happen to us. I will protect you " I caress his hair kissing his forehead.
" Nooo!You should not protect me! What I'm saying is you should be careful while doing your job Vivi. I am getting weird feeling inside my stomach. I don't know why. I want you to be careful. I guess my intuition is telling me that something is going to happen to us. I don't want to lose you. I will die if you're not with me. So please..if you want me to be alive..you have to be more careful" His voice cracking a bit now. Uhh...i guess it's serious this time. He definitely had a bad nightmare.
" I got it. So sleep now. I will be more careful from now. There's nothing to worry about. So stop crying now and sleep. It's already past midnight. Do you want something to eat?" He shook his head sniffing. " I feel like throwing up ". Okay.. that's weird. Leo rejecting food!?This is really serious. I place my hand on his forehead noticing that his temperature is a bit high I pulled a thermometer from the bedside table and checked for his temperature. It is infact a bit high.
Getting down the bed, I search through the medicine kit to find pills for fever. Making him gulp the tablet along with some water, I pat on his back slowly to help him sleep. He slid into deep sleep after almost half an hour holding my hand in a tight grip. I just stayed awake watching him all night with my mind filled with all the thoughts. ' I'm sorry Bubs..I just couldn't be with you when you needed me just because of my busy schedule. I'm gonna change things for our better future. I will stand with you even if the whole world tries to seperate us. You are my life just as I am to you. I am with you and you're with me. We need nothing apart from that. You and me, we will fight with whoever tries to hurt us , no matter how strong or powerful they are, we will slaughter them, together'.
AUTHOR POV
Lyra stayed awake alerted , checking Leo's temperature every now and then. She dozed off when she felt his temperature falling to usual readings at 4AM. She woke up after sleeping for five hours as yesterday's events tired her to another level. Finding the other side of her bed empty she looked at the wallclock that read '9:47 Am'. Getting up from the bed , her hands tried reach to her mobile on the bedside table. As soon as she took her phone into her hands,it vibrated through the silent room notifying that she had a message. Unlocking the phone,she rubbed her eyes and yawned. Her mouth hung open and eyes went wide when she saw the 56 texts and 19 missed calls from the contact 'Dumbass'.
Almost half of the texts summarises to asking her why she's late and remaining half summarised 10 messages commonly.
'Mam. I am at the library. '
'Are you getting ready to come here?'
'I'm so excited to meet my new boss on my first day of work. '
'Is something wrong mam?why are you not responding to my messages?'
'Mam..it's almost 7:30 now. Are you coming late?'
Are you sick?Did something happened last night?'
'Oh my god!please don't tell me you're dead'
'If you don't respond within 5 minutes...I'm gonna call an ambulance '
'Its 8 Am mam!...What happened to you?'
'Are you hurt anywhere?'
'Did someone kidnap you!!!?'
'Maam....Say something!'
Lyra hit her forehead with her palm looking at the texts. At this point, she is afraid that dumbass might have created chaos at the library. She typed on the message box replying her "I'm not dead idiot. I was just sleeping. Stop spamming my chat with your dumb questions. I'm heading over to the library now. And No one kidnapped me please don't tell me you created a mess at the library" She sighed and got ready wearing a simple outfit. She descended the stairs to look for something to eat for breakfast. Her eyes caught a new note sticked to the fridge with a dolphin magnet and reached it with her hand. It's a note Leo left her before going to his college.
'Vivi.. I microwaved some bread for you. I ate already and drank some milk. So finish your food before going to library. I have to submit my project today. So I'm going to college a bit early. Don't worry the fever has subsided thanks to you. See you in the evening. Love ya'
She smiled internally but her face remained in poker expression. Completing her breakfast with roasted bread and peanut butter, she drove off to the library in her SUV hoping this day would end in peace. But the new worker just had other plans. She saw a black car following her since she got on the mainroad leaving the Sendui street. She hit the accelerator and tried to confuse the follower by driving between the remaining cars on the road. She drove to Scottdale in full speed wishing this dumbfucker would lose her. She almost lost the tail behind her when some other car barged before her in same speed as her. She couldn't understand what's happening but she is sure that something is wrong.
As she drove through the streets of Scottdale,she can see something going on at the library. She looked through the rear view mirror and noticed that the tails were gone. She breathed a sigh of relief and neared the library. Parking the car in the parking lot, she got down only to witness a big mess. 'What the-...' Lyra's eyes went wide seeing the scene infront of the library.