It's quiet. Too quiet. The sound of wings goes away and the carriage is flooded with light once more. The men. My men. Dead; their mouths full of blood red rose petals.
Estelle. Oh Estelle. My girl, my wonderful girl. I'm so sorry...
I wake up, my body covered in a sheen of sweat. It's been a week since the "fairies" left with the chosen one, yet those dreams still haunt me. I sigh. This is why I don't sleep. I dress quickly in a t-shirt and trousers and head up to the main room of the hub. All seems quiet but there's a soft whimpering, like someone crying, echoing off the walls. I head down the stairs and notice Gwen sitting on the sofa, crying softly.
"Gwen? What are you doing here, it's 2 o'clock in the morning... are you ok?" I ask her in a more gentle tone. She shakes her head, her wide eyes full of tears. I join her on the sofa and gently pull her into a hug.
"What's up?" I whisper gently against her hair. She sniffs and takes a long and ragged breath in an attempt to calm herself.
"Rhys and I... we had an argument. He kept moaning about me working long hours and being evasive about what I do... and then he accused me of cheating on him and when I denied it, he asked me the reason for the all the secrets and... I couldn't tell him! So now he's got it in his head that I'm cheating on him and he said that until I sort it out and make my decision, he's not gonna live in our apartment" Gwen says hysterically before bursting into tears once more. I sigh.
"I'm sorry Gwen" I murmur and she giggle sobs.
"Don't be, it's not your fault. I just don't know what I'm gonna say to him" she sighs and I frown. I've always had a soft spot for Gwen; she's brought a bit of humanity back into our lives. The others gave up questioning me a long time ago but not her. She reminds me that not all is lost. And I love her for that.
"Why don't you give Rhys a call? See if he's cooled off a bit? I'll be in my office if you need me"
She smiles at me and pulls her phone out of her pocket. I smile back and make a hasty retreat.
10 minutes later, I hear a crash come from downstairs and Gwen yelling in frustration. I rush downstairs only to find her sobbing into her hands, her mobile in two pieces on the floor. I sigh. Maybe the phone call wasn't such a good idea. I gently take her hands in mine and she looks up at me, her eyes red and puffy from the tears.
"What happened?" I ask gently.
"He... he kept asking me the same questions and... I couldn't answer them so... he s-said it was over!" Gwen blurts out before letting her tears take over. I wrap my arms around her and hold her protectively against me, anger at Rhys flaring up inside me.
"Come on, I know what might make you feel better" I whisper and I lead her down to the shooting range. She looks at me warily.
"I find it helps with anger" I say by means of explanation. She gives me a tight smile and slowly puts on goggles and ear protectors. She takes aim at one of the targets and I gently stand behind her.
"You're gripping it too tight. Here, like this" I say and gently take her hand in mine again. She pulls the trigger, again and again, and 15 minutes later, she's smiling again and the weevil target is riddled with bullet holes.
Just as we're about to go back to the main room of the hub, she turns to face me.
"Thank you Jack, I needed that" She says with a smile and in that moment, our eyes lock and I feel a charge between us, like the room has suddenly got too hot, and it's pulling me to her. I lean forward and gently but firmly press my lips against hers. When I pull away, her eyes are shining and there's a small smile and her lips.
"You're welcome" I reply and as I kiss her again, I know, deep down, that I've truly fallen for her.