"Sorry, I don't usually admonish..." Doctor Sue leaned against the doorway, his posture relaxed yet if you observed more closely, you'd be able to see that.
He had a furrowed brow, with a slight crease between the eyebrows, his eyes are narrowed slightly and his gaze piercingly locked at the small figure of Liz. Liz flinched at his gaze.Oh boy...
Here it comes....
Here's the revised version:
Her heart was a runaway drumbeat, pounding hard with uncontrollable dread.
"This is it," she thought, her mind racing with the consequences of her actions.
Her eyes were fixed on the floor, but her mind's eye saw only the devastation that was to come. The sting of the past flashed in her eyes, each one a fresh wound that refused to heal.
She felt like a tiny, insignificant thing, a leaf torn from its branch and helpless to resist the hurricane that was bearing down on her. Her breath came in short, sharp gasps, each one a tiny, terrified cry.
Her guilt was a crushing weight, pressing down on her shoulders and making it hard to breathe. She felt like she was drowning in a sea of fear, unable to escape the consequences of her own actions.
She was a woman for God's sake!
Why can't she act like one!? Which young notable noble young lady, wanders around at the crack of dawn and goes back so late!!!
'It would be safe to say that I'll be visiting the nunnery... or at the very least, I'll be meeting Madame de Maintenon !' Liz thought witha sinking sense of resignation in her heart.
Her eyes had a wild, frantic look, and her face was deathly pale. The tension in her body was palpable, and her clenched fists seemed to be the only thing holding her together. She was on the verge of collapse, her entire being trembling with fear, anxiety, and overwhelming distress.
Doctor Sue couldn't finish what he had to say instead, he was forced to stop. Yes, he was angry but not to the point that he'd hit a child. She was shaking like a leaf.
These didn't slip past him at all. But, he chose not to utter a word about it.
Behind Doctor Sue a was also Rosalind, standing at the entrance of the manor's door. Thanks to Doctor Sue blocking her view, she still hadn't realized that Lizette had already came back. She had already spiralled her imagination out of control. What if she was abducted? Some questionable men walking around the streets and a pretty young lady that would fetch a hefty price!
What if they had already killed her!? Buried her alive! Or, even worse! What if they had ra*ed her..or...or...or!!
Rosalind paced back and forth in the hallways for almost 7 hours since the sun had disappeared in the horizon. She wanted to ask for assistance from her husband. But, even she knew better than to disturb him when he is clearly so busy that he didn't even go back home to sleep. Her teeth clattered in trepidation and she feared for the worst.
"Relax", Doctor Sue simply said. He turned aside to face Rosalind, making it seem he told that to Rosalind instead. Which isn't entirely untrue since she looks like she's about to faint.
The plan was that Rosalind stayed here incase Lizette came back.
Meanwhile, they ( Mariel and him) scoured the streets to search the streets again. Mariel was part of the search team but she hadn't returned yet from the second time and this was already Doctor Sue's 3rd time scouring the streets. He had just returned from his break and was just getting ready to search again. When he saw Liz, When he opened the door.
Doctor Sue exhaled wearily, his eyes drifting shut as he massaged the furrowed center of his brows. The weight of exhaustion bore down on him, a crushing fatigue he hadn't felt in years. This ordeal had taken a devastating toll, siphoning the last vestiges of his energy. His breath escaped in a slow, defeated sigh, a testament to the emotional and physical this had been to him.
With his other hand, he nudged Liz inside as he stepped aside for her to enter. Without Doctor Sue blocking her way, Rosalind finally realized that Lizette was already here. She broke into tears immediately, her arms opened as she squeezed Lizette into her arms, her excitement was quite overwhelming.
Lizette had to awkwardly pat her in the back while she felt her bones and flesh almost turn to mush under her crushing weight. She smiled wryly, trying her best comfort Rosalind but she still felt a little dazed.
While watching the shrinking figure of Doctor Sue turn and dissappear through the next corridor. Liz was too stunned to be shocked.
Truthfully, she was ready to be atleast reprimanded. After all, it was already midnight and she was just 12 yrs-old.
She knows that she was wrong this time.
She was ready to apologize, it's just that the scene earlier reminded her too much of something else. Still, she went home too late and, she knew better than anyone what beast in humans' skin could be.
Lizette's eyes was still a little dazed when a warm hand cupped her cheeks and forced her eyes to gaze at another pair of eyes. Eyes tinged with worry, carefully assessing every inch of her body. There was no words spoken, just her eyes that convey the unconditional love it had for her.
The warmth was too surreal. Lizette grasped that other pair of hands, afraid it would leave her. Yet, instead of dissappearing, it continued cupping her and her skin felt seared from the intense heat, as if the heat had branded her very soul.
The sensation was both exhilarating and terrifying, like standing at the edge of a precipice, staring into the unknown.
For, just seconds ago she felt like she was dancing at the edge of a steep cliff.
Lizette's heart pounded in her chest, her senses reeling from the sheer force of the warmth. And as she stood there, suspended between fear and longing, she buried herself deeper in Rosalind's arms, whispering a truth she dare not speak: she was home.
She broke into tears.