Golden Hour | Cole Stewart AU

In The Stars

ELORA

A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO

The night light flickered in the dark, a dreamy white glow that was going in and out of focus, casting shadows over the wall behind. It was rather annoying and if it were up to me I'd turn it off, but tonight I was grateful for it. I focused on the light to stop myself from drifting into sleep. My arm had been rubbed raw from pinching, sharp nails digging into my skin as my lips moved, doing another countdown from three thousand six hundred to zero.

The numbers had stopped making sense to me, losing all meaning. They were merely alphabets strung together in a sequence to form a sound that was strange.

I quietly moved the fleece blanket off me and pushed it down until cool air met my skin. I lay there for a few seconds, drawing in silent breaths and running my plan over my head for the fifth time that night. So many things could go wrong but I knew a thing or two about sneaking out.

I could do this. It was now or never and I would rather it not be never.

The sound of snores hovered in the air. Goosebumps ran down my spine and I shuddered, fingers slightly shaking as I sat up. I grabbed my pillow and placed it on my sleeping bag, throwing the fleece blanket over it. It wouldn’t help much but as long as it gave me some time to get a head start that would be enough.

As slowly as humanly possible, I stood up. I could see the outline of boxes, and my eyes traveled a bit further, Frost was barely visible in the darkness, but he hadn’t shifted in hours. He slept like the dead.

But again, he wasn’t the one I was worried about.

I started tiptoeing towards the door, feet as light as possible. When I reached the door, my heart felt like it was going to pop out of my chest. I reached for the handle of the door, twisted it slowly, and glanced backward, my eyes seeking out Orion in the darkness.

The lamp overhead caught the curve of his nose and his forehead. He was sleeping on his back, his mouth pressed in a tight line, the remnants of a bad dream so obvious on his face.

From the hiss of the door to the beat of my heart, every sound and movement seemed way too loud. My palms were clammy with sweat as I edged the gap even further, sticking my foot between the door and the frame to stop it from closing. The door released a croak.

I quickly glanced over my shoulder, eyes landing on Orion who shifted in his sleeping bag until he was facing me. Orion’s face was twisted in a grimace, knuckles tight around his blanket. 

I pushed the door open by a bit more until I could squeeze my body halfway in and very slowly, I shimmied out through the space until I was on the other side. Slowly, I released the door and it closed again.

My feet stayed rooted to the ground and I stared at the door, half expecting Frost to come and stop me. 

But he doesn’t.

********

I'd considered every possible thing that could go wrong, being seen even before I made it to the door, getting caught while I was finding the car, or being spotted by someone, a Psi soldier perhaps, while I was on the road.

But the one thing that hadn’t even crossed my mind, had happened.

The pain began as a slight ache and slowly built up until my stomach exploded. By the time I'd found the nearest store, the cramps made it hard for me to even sit straight.

I kept a track of my period. It wasn't due for a week which was another reason I'd picked today of all days. By the time it arrived, I'd probably be safely tucked in my own bed, making my way through my third cup of tea, a movie playing in the background. All would be okay.