Lullaby

3• Doctoring the Broken

(A/n: Sooooo.... whatcha think so far?)

Things are blurry in the in between. In my mind's eye I see a blur of pastel watercolors trying to reform into shapes. Garbled voices murmur around me.

I'd been having the best dream. I was playing in the night sky where the clouds sparkled and the roads were made of purple light. I played with nine black wolves with pink ram horns. But then we had to run away from the knomepyres - nasty little things - and I began to wake up.

I grunted and rubbed at my eyes as the world began to clarify around me. Arms tightened around my body and I was rocked from side to side a little. I felt so safe and warm - something I haven't felt since I was a very small child.

"There she is.", a gruff voice sang.

Who is that? Where am I? What's going on? Who is this 'she'?

I tried to stay calm as I truly woke up and took in my surroundings. My knees were pressed into a squishy surface, my legs stretched out as they straddled something. The front of my body was pressed into something firm yet soft and warm. My cheek was squished against another surface that was padded with firm comfy stuff, but kinda pointy too.

My eyes finally cracked open, the world blurring and titling slightly before showing a tan walled living room with chocolate brown sofas and armchairs. A smiling Sean was looking right at me from the recliner by the window. Owen stood in front of him with crossed arms and looked at me with a perfectly stoic expression yet his sterling eyes glimmered with soft emotion.

I sat up with a sway and placed my hands on the surface I'd been laying on. I blinked like a sleepy owl as I looked

up,

up,

up,

right into cerulean blue orbs.

I froze, blinked twice, and fell backwards with a squeak. I squeezed my eyes shut as I fell to a probably painful landing, but was quickly saved. Arms thinner than Nathan's caught me behind the knees and back.
"Got you!", a voice said happily.
With my fists clenched just under my chin I opened one eye to see a grinning Luke looking down at me.
"Alright there suga'?", he asked in a very southern voice. I nod with wide terrified eyes.

These are the boys from the woods. They're nice. Not mean like mother and Marie. They won't rape me or play the sex organ with me or murder me.

I think.

He chuckled and nuzzled his nose into my hair," Must of been some dream. You were giggling and squirming the entire time you were out."
"Absolutely adorable.", Sean cooed.

I look up to see Nathan staring at me cautiously, too scared to move. Feeling really bad about reacting the way I did I eased out of Luke's arms and crawled into Nathan's lap. He smiled at me but kept his hands to the side in the air, letting me make the first moves.

Not liking how cautious he was with me now I huff and puff out my cheeks before leaning in and licking up the side of his face. With a joyful smile I sit back and announce," Honey!"

The room is entirely still, no one even breathing while Nathan blinks at me like an owl. Slowly he begins to grin before busting out in loud laughter. The room soon joins in. Even I begin to giggle. He wraps his hands around my waist, the fingers in the back overlapping, and raises me until I'm dangling above him and my nose is almost touching his. I have to hold onto his forearms so I don't fall forward. I grin as the blood rushes to my head making me dizzy and my long lavender strands fall around him on one side.