WHEN HER APARTMENT WAS left barren by Ronan's absence, Gwenn collapsed onto her bed, fighting back a silly smile. The deafening, sharp ping of her phone jolted her out of her rising good mood. One look at her screen and her earlier discomfort slithered back into her system. She craved Ronan's arms to come back and hold her, to help her stay grounded throughout all the turbulence threatening her strong footing. Unfortunately, that was only wishful thinking.
Her feet carried her out into the town. Her vision blurred through all the lights shining bright in the middle of the night. Slow, white puffs escaped her lips as she tightened her chunky cardigan across her torso. The knitted piece was the only thing bringing her comfort in the chill loneliness sweeping around her.
She passed by closed businesses and apartment complexes. The occasional car drove past her, but she kept her head down to keep from having others see her. So late in the night, she knew she would not find barely any souls, but she still clutched at herself, hoping she would be strong enough to deal with anyone that might test their chances getting in her way.
Before long, Lockfell Park came into view. The sign stood tall, welcoming people into the public property. Shadows lingered around, lampposts shining down to create an eerie path down to the center of the park.
Gwenn had never been there alone at night. Leaves rustled in the trees as she walked in. Her sneakers crunched over small pebbles crumbling over her weight. Owl hoots rang in the stillness, bringing some semblance of life to the otherwise dead place.
If she closed her eyes, she could imagine how it looked like in the middle of the day. College students from Lockfell U and LCC frequented the spot either to have dates or find a corner to get ahead in their work. Mothers tended to bring their children to play around the fields. Dogs would run across the grass, fetching tennis balls and frisbees as their owners laughed at their often silly antics.
Before the museum showcase, Ronan had brought her there. He had swung an arm around her shoulders and led her to a willow tree, facing the Marshall Lockfell statue by the old entrance. He had sat beside her, thighs pressed to hers as he typed away at his laptop, trying to find Ruth Elizabeth Woods's current address. She remembered watching him, enthralled by the way he narrowed his eyes at his screen whenever he scanned through and how he stopped to run his fingers over his hair when he didn't find what he wanted. Though she was trying to get ahead in her work, having him so close distracted her.
The afternoon was burned into her brain, painted golden.
But when she stopped at the infamous Marshall Lockfell statue, the scene before her wasn't glittering like the last time she had stepped foot there. The statue stood high, oxidized by the long years withstanding the throes of weather. Moonlight allowed its dullness to reflect slightly onto the jagged cobblestones surrounding it. Founder Lockfell held his head high, almost like a dare for anyone to question him, his frozen hand gripping the neck of a long shotgun like it were a cane. Even though the statue was done over a hundred years ago, she could feel who Marshall Lockfell was-controlling, powerful, and cunning.
And right below him, a figure leaned against the stand, hidden in the dark shadows. Their arms appeared to be crossed over their chest, one leg propped up against Lockfell's nameplate.
"I was beginning to wonder if you would come." That biting voice sent fierce shivers down her spine. She gulped down the rising fear. "I had started rehearsing what I would say to destroy your mother's career."
Her heart squeezed hard, almost like it wanted to escape her rib cage and fall down to her feet. Wolf walked out of the shadows, the dim moonlight catching on the blond of his hair. It remained messy like how she had seen him earlier at The Cream Accent, like someone had spent most of the day running their fingers through it and pulling at it until it couldn't sit normally. Blazing warm eyes found hers, and she noted the obvious flash striking through them.
YOU ARE READING
Forever Luminescent
General Fiction"Just shine like you always do." Gwenn Davidson has always known she was adopted, but after clearing up her stuff for her first move out of her parent's house, she finds an old blanket gifted to her by her birth mother that triggers an avalanche of...
