Abyss

Part 1: The Tea Parlor

Head crouched low, she rose like a viper, ready to attack. Ace was still looking around, his eyes darting across the densely packed forest. Seven kept her feet light as air as she slowly rose from her hiding spot, gliding towards him.

He inhaled sharply as the wooden blade pressed into his back.

A chuckle escaped his lips, "You're good, better than I would've expected."

Seven withdrew her wooden knife, allowing him to turn around. A grin was spread across her pale lips.

"Looks like I can still kick your ass," she said, scrunching up her nose.

Ace scoffed, "I'd hardly call that kicking my ass." Seven raised her eyebrows, a silent warning.

"Would you like to find out?"

He held up his hands in surrender, "perhaps not."

Her smile touched both cheeks.

Seven awoke from her own screams, her golden brown plastered to her face with sweat. Her breath was ragged in her throat, raw from screaming. She'd seen it again, his body, mangled and broken before her eyes. She'd been frozen in fear, again. Unable to do anything for her brother. From that moment she had vowed she'd never let them touch anyone else she loved.

Seven threw the sheets from her sticky skin, touching her feet to the cold stone floor. She could still feel her heart beating at what felt like a hundred miles a minute. The curtains above her dresser flapped lazily in the early morning wind. With one smooth rotation she cracked her sore neck back into place, wincing at the loud popping sound. In a matter of minutes she was changed from her flimsy nightgown into thick pants and a long sleeved workout shirt, strapping a pair of knives to her belt, just above the buttons of her pants. In the mirror her reflection gazed back at her. She looked pale, contrary to her recently tanned brown skin, she still looked pale in the early morning light. Dark circles ringed her eyes, displaying the many sleepless nights, the dreams that haunted her when the sun dipped below the horizon.

The wind looked out onto her small hometown, cypress trees swaying lazily beside her window. Seven breathed in the sweet smell of lemons and bark, carried on the back of the wind. Citrus orchards were just a few miles south from her room. When the southern winds blew, they brought the fresh scents along with them.

A sigh loosened from the back of Seven's throat, floating out the window, out with the breeze. She could feel a headache already pounding at the back of her skull. The sun pulled up above the horizon, turning the dark branches of the cypress trees to a deep golden hue, pinched with light green.

Seven thundered down the stairs, most likely waking up everyone else in the house. A muffled grumble sounded from the downstairs bedroom. Erasmus. He was going to be pissed that she woke him up with her load boots. Seven plucked a piece of toast from the counter, lathering it in thick butter, a luxury. A luxury, she used way too much of. He would also not be pleased about that. But, she reminded herself, he did throw a party last night. So he had it coming, and he hadn't invited her, so he certainly deserved to be woken up with his hangover.

A couple breadcrumbs fell down her shirt. Seven cursed under her breath, shaking her shirt out. She could pull out one of her corsets, it'd be expected, but she really didn't want to. Meeting her mother for tea would be bad enough without the restraint of air. Then again, her mother would be much less pleasant if she wasn't dressed as a lady. Seven released a grumble, to no one in particular, and ran back up the stairs, making more noise.

By the time she had dressed in something appropriate for tea with her mother, a yellow summer dress with short sleeves and a tight bodice, Erasmus had made it out of his room. She dashed past him, not ready for his lecture.