Blood

Places To Be (32)

Only one or two chapters left after this and the epilogue (which will be posted with the prologue)! As with all the chapters, this hasn't been read through or edited before publishing. Bare that in mind if you please.

Thanks for your patience!

Enjoy!

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A warm drop landed on my bottom lip and my tongue automatically passed over it, flooding an unpleasant taste in my mouth, that of blood.

I dragged my hand over my mouth and realised that my nose was bleeding, the slick red liquid gliding down onto my lips and making me choke slightly. Coughing, I wiped at the blood and my tears.

“Monique? Please, tell me, what happened?” I whispered.

The donkey butted my waist, braying loudly.

I ignored him, dragging my bloody hand through my knotted hair, and waited anxiously for Monique’s account.

A breeze lifted up strands of my hair and leaves rustled lightly before falling completely into silence.

 “Monique?” I prompted quietly.

You left, she stated simply, her tone void of emotion.

“I know but h-“

“Monique!” A voice bellowed, shattering the silence fully.

I whipped my head around to see Elise trudging towards me, arms wrapped tightly around her figure as the gravel chattered nosily under her feet. Her brown hair was messy and fell loosely about her shoulders, her cheeks were rosy and her eyes were alight with a mixture of excitement and irritancy.

“Monique!” She yelled again, making the donkey cock its head in her direction and bray loudly.

Blinking rapidly, I turned around, my legs and arms aching at the action, and pulled the donkey towards her, my body feeling weak and drained.

“What took you so long?” She huffed impatiently, resting her hands on her hips.

I just shook my head at her, my legs wobbling as I began to walk again.

Tapping her foot, Elise demanded, “Well?”

“Not now Elise, I need to talk to your parents and you need to go to bed.”

“But-“

“No buts! Take the donkey and put him in the barn then go to bed!”

I thrust the lead-rope into her hands and slid my arm around her shoulders, pulling her back in the direction she came.

Elise scowled at me, her eyes sparkling, and turned on her heel, stomping back to the farmhouse with the donkey ambling after her.

***

They were fighting. Their loud voices could be heard from upstairs even though they were in the living room.

Elise and I had been met by Tomas when we arrived at the barn, and I had overseen the care of the donkey, ignoring the glare that was plastered on the boy’s brow and the scowl stuck on Elise’s young face.

The raised voices could be heard as soon as I opened the door, and I had ushered Elise and Tomas upstairs immediately, not paying their protests any attention whatsoever. I didn’t want them to hear the discussion or their parents fighting in fact, and once I had them in bed, I had found myself sitting on the staircase, resting my chin in my hands.