𝐓𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐔𝐒 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐈𝐒 ᶜᵐ

04 ┃ 𝐭𝐮 𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐨

[A/N: 𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐨! 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞, 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐭, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐢𝐧 2𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐎𝐕, 𝐚𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 12 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐩. 𝐄𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲!]

━ ⭒─⭑━

"Please! Please, take me to my children!" A wail screeched into your ears.

Following the sound, you found yourself standing behind a veiled, black-haired, woman kneeling next to the riverbed, the white dress on her body flayed out around her form.

You took a step forward, worry etched into your face as you watched her continue to cry, "Are you okay? Do you need help?" Your words seemingly never reached her ears because the closer you got, the louder they grew.

"My children! Where are my children!?"

You were close enough that you were able to see that the woman was drenched in water; the droplets clinging tightly to her noiret locks, making them seem stringy as the white dress stuck onto her frame like a second skin. Before your hand could touch her shoulder, she swiveled around, her mouth falling open at an unnatural angle, with blood flowing from her eyes.

Taking a step back and turning around, you prepared yourself to run away, fear coursing through your veins, but in a blink of an eye, the veiled woman stood before you, head bowed.

"My children?" her voice was hoarse, body swaying side to side. "Do you have my children?" With that, she lunged towards you, hands grasping your neckᅳ

You woke up in a cold sweat, your hands snapping up towards your neck.

A dream, you thought. It was just a dream.

Dropping your hand, you let out a tired sigh, your mind unable to get rid of the sound of the wailing woman from your dream.

Looking over at the clock sitting on your bedside table, your eyes stare indifferently at the time: 6 in the morning. Knowing that you wouldn't be able to get back to sleep, you decided to get up and officially start your day, even if it was a bit earlier than usual.

After going through your morning rituals of cleaning up your sleeping area, getting dressed, and saying your prayers, you were ready to go. Tying your cloak around your neck, hood drawn, you made your way towards the Casa Madrigal.

There were only a few people scattered around by the time you arrived in town, most already beginning their work for the day. Just as you were about to cross the path, a familiar build was seen in your peripheral vision.

"Luisa!" You called, watching as the buff girl carried several donkeys on her shoulders as if they weighed nothing. Turning at the sound of her name, Luisa sent you a smile as she dropped the animals into their pen.

"Good morning, Y/N," the brunette smiled, dusting off her hands as she shut the gate before any of the donkeys could escape. "I haven't seen you in a while. Where've you been?"

A sheepish chuckle left you at her truthful statement: you haven't been to see the Madrigals in nearly two weeks. "Sorry about that. I didn't mean to go off the grid. I've just been so overwhelmed with work."

Luisa nodded her head in understanding. "I get it, no need to explain yourself," she told you, giving you a pat on the shoulder. "Just don't work yourself too hard; take time to relax once in a while, alright?"