OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST - LONG LISTED
Safety was never an option.
She has nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide. Nowhere safe to reside. No matter how far she runs or how quiet she hides, they always find her. She will never be free of her hunters. Theresa k...
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There has been a frown on his face for days. Nothing she does makes him smile. She knows one wrong move, one wrong step. He'll make her pay. She has to make sure this works.
"Do not lose faith, my-my love," she says, swallowing the lump in her throat.
His gaze drifts to her, anger still weighing down his brow. He grunts.
"My fawn will come through," she says, knotting her fingers together and approaching the table. "I've given her all the abilities she needs to pull through. She'll complete what needs to be done."
He sighs. "You have disappointed me many times before, Creo. Do not speak trash to me."
"I-I have a back-up plan if this doesn't work, my love. P-Please." She reaches across to touch his arm. He pulls it away with aggression, snarling at her.
"You have too many 'back-up's. When will something you do work?" He stands, his chair crashing to the ground. With a swish of his hand over the table, the clouds of earth swirl back around, darkening with his distaste. She flinches as thunder cracks.
"M-My love—"
He holds up a hand, not even bothering to look at her. "Leave me, Creo. I've had enough now."
She watches as he walks away, down the open hallway, the light washing against his body. Creo sighs, placing her face in her hands, holding back her tears. She peeks through her fingers, staring down at the world that spins slowly on the table. A dangerous thought enters her mind.
"Creo?" A soft whisper calls from the darkness.
She quickly turns away from the table, knees crashing to the ground as she falls into the darker part of the room. "My darling, you cannot be here," she stresses, searching for his face.
"I had to see you," he says. He's so much younger, kinder. Her only love.
She bites her lip. "You know what he'll do if he finds out if you're here."
"Key word: if," he whispers before tumbling out of the dark. He kisses her with the intensity that makes her heart flutter. She can't help but melt into him. It'll be okay, just for a moment, right? He pulls away.
"Cratus..." she mutters, holding his face in her hands. "You must leave."
He sighs, nodding as he searches her eyes. He frowns. "You're upset."
"Cratus—"
"What has he done now—"
"Cratus!" she hisses, squeezing his hands. "Please," she pleads.
He purses his lips, tracing a finger down her chin. "Okay," he whispers. "Just promise me, one day, we will spend eternity together?"
She nods. "We will have what we desire. I promise."
Cratus smiles, lips and eyes soft. This is what it looks like; when someone truly loves you. He sinks back into the darkness, back to where he was banished by him, by God.
She gets back to her feet, coming over to the table, staring down at the world. "I'm sorry, my fawn," she whispers before her fingertips glow gold. Creo touches the world, light sparking, hidden by the lightning. "It's time to wake up, my pup."
