The Drawing of a Lifetime

Chapter 6

Quinn tried not to cross many streets for Victoria's sake, and used walkways when they were provided. It was a naturally lovely day; the sun warming the air, life growing all around them, especially in the little pockets of land between buildings. Victoria smiled at the little birds twittering around them, taking their first flights with their worrisome mothers. She took notice of the way the flowers crept up slowly on the sides of abandoned establishments. She believed all structures would look better with some type of plant twisting around its sides. Victoria gazed so intensely at each of the edifices that Quinn stopped her.

"S-sorry. I just want to look at everything..."

"That's fine. You know, I see it too. The nature." He smiled. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" She nodded wholeheartedly. Quinn turned his attention back to where he was going.

"Watch out, the carriages are bustling by." Promptly, Victoria clung to his hand as he chuckled, easily passing through the traffic. After the 'horrific experience', or so described by Victoria, they glanced outside shops, some of clothing, some of toys.

"Can we go look inside? We don't have to buy anything." She paused outside a particular boutique, looking in awe at the stylish mannequins.

"Alright." Victoria opened the door, with Quinn not far behind. She didn't get five steps into the store when a saleswoman rushed over to her, smiling a bit too widely.

"Looking for anything, dear?"

"Oh, no. Just browsing around." Victoria answered with a newfound confidence, much to Quinn's surprise. The lady's smile tightened around the edges.

"Well, have...fun, dear." Her eyebrows furrowed as the woman attended to the other customers, but she began to look around the store. She saw many lavishing dresses, scarves, necklaces, bracelets, and something else.

"Quinn?" Her voice was wavering in question. "What is that?" She was pointing to a few items covered intricately in lace, barely covering a feminine mannequin. His cheeks flooded with red as he took her hand and started to take her away.

"Wait! But what is it?"

"Uh, never mind all that. Let's go look at something else, shall we?" His cheeks were still a bright red as they looked around stores. Thankfully to Quinn, the rest of the day was not as eventful, but still enjoyable all the same. They walked around, hand-in-hand, discovering nearly all the hidden parts of London. They talked, shared jokes, and had a great time, until night fell. The congested roads had died down as they walked together in the lamplight. As they reached the tall, stone house, Quinn gently creaked open the door. Victoria slipped inside as he closed the door behind them. As they crept up the stairs, Quinn made sure there was no noise. After they both had entered the room, he shut the door and locked it. Then, Quinn proceeded in readying his makeshift bed on the floor. Victoria crawled in covers and waited for sleep to come. Waited and waited and waited. She left her eyes closed, then opened, then closed again. She tried to clear her mind. That seemed to help as Victoria slowly fell asleep.

She couldn't move. She was frozen as the looming figure of Quinn's father towered over her. He hit her, showing no mercy to her pleas. Every blow was worst than the last. She couldn't even fall to the ground as he knocked the side of her head. . .

Victoria awoke with wet cheeks. She sniffed as quietly as possible, wiping them with the sleeve of her dress. She shuddered; the room suddenly seemed chilling. Victoria yanked the sheets closer to her, and faced the wall. Closing her eyes, she tried to will herself to go back to sleep. Patiently, she waited for an hour, then two.

Victoria sat up, hugging her knees, and resting her head upon them. Without meaning her meaning to, tears began to fall. They were streaming down her cheeks uncontrollably as she blinked, trying to regain clear vision. Then she laid back down, facing the wall again. She opened her mouth to exhale, but instead a tiny sob burst out. Victoria clasped her hands over her mouth. She pulled the covers over her head and stared at the plain white of the sheet.

Then, it slowly pulled down, revealing Victoria's head. She did not turn around, and there was no rejection. Instead, the mattress creaked quietly when extra weight was put onto it. She felt the being lay down next to her and put a hand on her shoulder. She sat up suddenly, still facing the wall. The hand dropped, and she felt chilled again. Then, strong but gentle arms wrapped around her as she cried and drew in sharp, uneven breaths. A whispering voice murmured to her.

It gave Victoria a sense of peace, and she eventually quieted down. The arms did not move, and she didn't want them to. She laid back down on the bed, only this time looking back at her comforter. He was still speaking to her, softly, saying things no one could understand. She shut her eyes, her heart rate slowing. He covered her icy hand into his warm ones. After her breathing was deep and steady, he touched her cheek, wiping away a stray tear.

On a whim, he leaned closer and ever so slightly brushed his lips on her cheek. Murmuring a final phrase, he slid back down from the bed. Sitting on the floor, he tucked his knees up to his chin. In the pale moonlight, her calm face glowed a shining silver, as he watched her carefully for a long, long time.