𝐒𝐎𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐄 || j. daniel atlas

𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑

"Are you yawning?"

Alena fought to clench her jaw together. "No, of course not!"

It was 5:30 am, and Alena was curled up on the sofa, wrapped in a blanket, a steaming mug of coffee in one hand and her phone in the other. In the two weeks since her mother had first called, they had managed to organise a time each week when it was safe for them to speak. On Thursdays, when Alena's father and uncle were in their council meetings, her mother was able to sneak up to her bedroom, pull up the loose floorboard underneath the bedside table, take the phone out of her bag of secret things, and talk to her daughter for an hour.

Alena shivered at the idea of her father and uncle becoming members of the sect's elders. Though the new responsibilities would keep them busy, it would also bring with it more stress; stress to be taken out on the women of her old household. Alena's mother insisted that they were coping, but Alena knew that hollowness of defeat in her voice, even over the phone, all too well.

"You haven't told Auntie Joanna, have you?" Alena asked.

"No, I haven't. And I won't, in case you're worried."

"That's probably for the best." The other women didn't have the same backbone as her mother. If they knew about this correspondence, there was no telling how easily it could slip out. "You could tell Grandmama, though. I'd like to speak to her if I can."

There was a long pause, and before Alena's mother said the words, she knew what was coming. "Grandmama's dead."

Yet, they crept up like a hand around her throat. "Oh," was all she managed to say. A cold rush of sorrow flushed through her bones, and she clutched her coffee close to her chest. "Was it painless?"

"She passed in her sleep," said her mother. "That's when things got bad again."

Alena shook off her sadness and straightened in the chair. "Right. I've been thinking about ways that I can get you out. You were right when you said that I can't come back and risk them not letting me go, but you can still leave. I can meet you in the village and we can go to the police toge-"

"Alena, stop this."

"No, I can't. It's the only thing I can think about."

"Please, Alena." She could hear her mother's tears now, and they tugged at her own. "I can't listen to this. I won't let you put yourself in danger."

"I'm not scared of him."

"You should be!" Every air particle in the living room seemed to stand to attention. Alena dared not move whilst she waited for her mother's next words. "He's not the same man you knew when you were a child. And since his mother died, since his position on the elder council has bolstered his ego, he's become a monster."

"He was a monster back then, Mama." No reply. "That's why I have to get you out."

"That's why you have to stay. Stay exactly where you are. And live. Knowing that you're happy, it's the greatest blessing I could ever receive. That's what going to get me through."

"Don't say that. Don't you dare say that," Alena croaked, no louder than a whisper. "You won't die there. I won't allow it."

"I can see him. Through the window. He's coming down the lane."

"I'm going to get you out of there, I swear it."

"His meeting was short today."