A/N: Hello, all. This chapter is considerably smaller then the last, but will wrap up past events. While typing it, I listened to "This Will Destroy You", by Quite, and "November", by Max Richter. I would recommend them both to get a feel for the tale.
Gloria sat up slowly in her bed, her eyes adjusting to the darkness of the room and taking in everything around her. Char was rumbling at the foot of Jacob's bed, and as Gloria uncovered herself and set her feet on the wooden floor, she followed his gaze to see that it was firmly locked on the front door of the house. Any other person would suspect that there was surely another animal roaming about outside, stealing away the wolf's attention and awakening his need to protect and feed, but the girl knew better. Char had grown out of that stage long ago, when he was only a puppy in fact. If there was anything in the world that provoked his growling, it was something that threatened his family. Gloria placed her hand on his back, checking to see if Jacob was stirring as she did so, and calmed the wolf quietly. His growling ceased but his attention was still unwavering.
Gloria moved across the landing and over to the latter that led to the bottom floor, taking her cloak up from her bed and swinging it over her shoulders, and a sound coming from her mother's bedroom as she did so. The woman was opening her door, holding a lit candle and her robe tight at her chest. Gloria had reason to guess that she had seen something from her bedroom window, that or she had somehow managed to hear Char's growling even from the other room. Alice's eyes met her daughters once she hit the ground level, and she motioned her to stay a distance away, by the ladder, before she moved to the front door and took up the bit of wood that was suspended across the doorway. Placing it aside and giving her daughter one last look, she opened the door softly and peered out. A few seconds passed and Gloria nearly dared to speak in order to ask her if she saw anything, but before she could the woman spoke up herself.
"Keep the door closed. Do not come out for any reason," this order came firm, an edge creeping about her voice but at the same time a hint of worry. Gloria was prepared to ask why before her mother slipped outside, taking the candle with her and closing the door behind her. Gloria waited for what seemed like an eternity, restraining herself as best as she could from darting outside and after her. Instead she stepped carefully towards the door, placing her hands and ear against the wood before simply listening. She wouldn't risk peering out the kitchen window in case someone saw her, whoever that someone was, so the thick inch or so of wood would have to do. She heard nothing at first save for her own breathing, but then she picked up the hum of speech. It was almost impossible to understand, but there was some urgency behind it. What was going on? Who was there? Gloria glanced towards the door handle, her fingers curling and his palms itching, but her mother's order stayed clear in her mind.
Just as soon as it did, she heard a shouting, and her eyes widened in surprise. Mother? Gloria removed her ear immediately, and the sound grew louder. Another voice joined with it, and she heard a shuffling of feet near the door. Her eyes landed on the wooden beam nearby and she took it up with both hands, slamming it down on its iron restraints nailed to each side of the doorway and effectively barring anyone from entry. As soon as she did so the door dared to move, but couldn't open and she stepped back towards the ladder as the door began to shake even more. There came more yelling fear shot through her spine.
Who were these people? What did they want?
"Glo...?"
Jacob!
Gloria's eyes darted up the ladder and she saw her brother standing there, rubbing his eyes and looking confused, "What's going on?"
Her mind froze up for a moment, looking for answers where there were none, "I don't know. Come here!" Jacob dropped his arm and furrowed his brow. His eyes flew open as the door shook once more, and fear spread across his face.
"Glo!" He cried out, obviously scared.
"Come down!" The boy immediately complied, and he hurried down the ladder, his sister's arms finding him before he could reach the arm, and she scooped him up. Gloria heard a freighting sound, the sound of wood cracking, and her brother yelped against her shoulder, holding her tighter than ever. Gloria moved around the ladder and under the landing of their room, only one goal in mind: her brother's safety.
"Let go, Jacob," she commanded, and he let go, shaking like a leaf as she placed him on the ground before a small bookcase. Gloria moved the furniture aside and there behind it was the welcoming sight of a small door set in the wooden wall. Dropping to her knees, she managed to get it open with a curse and a pull, dust coming out as she held the door and peered inside for a few precious seconds. It was dark, it was small, but it was the best thing they had. Gloria looked up to her brother and motioned him inside, pulling at his shoulder. His small hands found her red cloak, and he drew his fingers into little fists.
"No! No, Glo! What about Mummy?" He sobbed, tears finding their way down his face. Gloria ran a hand through his short brown hair and looked into his eyes, trying to look strong when she knew that it was pointless, when her heart screamed in her chest and the banging grew ever louder.
"She'll be okay, we'll all be okay. But you have to hide; you can't let them find you, no matter what!"
"Glo!" He held her sister close and she wound her arms around him, feeling his heart flutter against her chest, and then she let go, pushing him into the hole in the wall and into the darkness. He watched her, moving aside and expecting her to fit her way inside. Yet anyone could see that it was made for someone much smaller then herself, and there was no way that she could hide herself at that point. They had to be expecting someone to be beyond the door, someone that had taken the time to keep them from coming in.
"I love you," Gloria whispered, and closed the door shut, effectively cutting off her brother's sudden cries. The girl jumped to her feet and began to move the little book case in front of the door, hiding it from view and making her brother silent still. As she did so the last of the wood gave away, and she moved from the bookcase as the door slammed inwards, revealing a hulking figure in the shadows. This man's angry eyes landed on her and she froze, like a deer looking down the barrel of a hunter's gun, and stopped breathing. His long legs made it across the floor in less than a second and his rough hands clamped down on her arm, jerking her towards him. Gloria yelped at the pain, "Stop!" She cried out, but it fell on deaf ears, and he pulled her towards the door and called outside.
"There's a girl!" Gloria heard the sound of other people, several other people, and she was pulled outside mercilessly. She attempted to pull off her captor's hold, knowing it was useless, and it tightened in response, causing something under her skin to cry out in agony. She screamed, fearing that her arm was breaking beneath his hold.
"Shut up!" Spittle flew from the man's mouth and she looked up. His face was contorted into rage, a face that she had never seen in her entire life and she would never want to see again afterwards. Her cries subsided into whimpers, and she was tossed to the side, landing on the ground and bruising her tail bone in the process. She caught herself with her other arm and drew her hurt one close to her chest, looking about for her mother.
There were five other strangers there, large men thick with muscle holding torches, looking serious and unforgiving. Gloria's mouth opened, ready to ask aloud for her mother when she noticed the form on the ground, nearby herself. Quickly she sat up in a crouch and hurried over towards it, not caring that one of the men had noticed her and were coming close. Her focus was set on her mother, whose face was turned away as she lay on her side. Gloria reached for her and saw something in the firelight, a glimpse of crimson on the grass. She laid her hand on her mother's shoulder, ignoring the screams of protest that came from her other arm as she moved her over.
"Mother...?" Gloria whispered, looking into her face. Another sort of misery tore its way through her as she saw the dullness there in her mother's once warm gaze, and a cry sounded from her lips. Her mother-hermotherwas-!
"Shut it!" A hand wrapped around her shoulder and she was torn from her mother's body ruthlessly. She cried out, grabbing the air and pleading for him to let her go. The man ignored her, throwing her to the ground a good distance away from where she had been. Her head hit the ground hard and she saw stars, a pain lancing through her skull and effectively cutting off her voice. Her vision blurred and she fought to get a hold of herself for a few desperate seconds, yelling at herself silently to not fall asleep. An image of her brother looking frightened and alone came to mind and that was all it took for her to shake away the haze and lift herself up. There was a cry and she saw a familiar gray streak come running out of the house, barking furiously. A few of the men had disappeared inside, and one of them came out holding a bleeding arm and cursing at the air. Char ran up towards Gloria, his snarling intensifying as he dared the man and his cohorts to come any closer towards her. She felt grateful for his presence and whispered her thanks to him, although her heart still thundered in her chest and her eyes pooled with tears. The man watched the wolf closely but was smart enough to stay near the house. Things were thrown from the house and onto the ground from inside, and she could hear the inside being torn asunder as they looked around for who knows what. She wished fearfully that they wouldn't find her little brother's hiding spot, as the very last thing she wanted to see burned into her mind was the sight of his small form lying broken on the ground...
Her head shook as she attempted to be rid of the image altogether, but this didn't stop her stomach from rolling in nausea.
"No one's here!" A voice called out from within. Relief filled her at the first good thing that she had heard since awakening, and a smile automatically appeared on her face. The men came walking out from inside, and the same one that had broken her arm headed towards her. Char barked at his approached and he stopped, but spoke aloud.
"Where is he? Where is your damned father?" He questioned, and she trembled at the anger in his voice. Her eyebrows flew up and confusion filled her as she finally processed what he was saying, what he was demanding.
"G-gone. Three years." The voice that came from her was unrecognizable, sounding weak and so very afraid. She didn't know what else to say, as there were no excuses she could possibly make for his absence.
The man spat at the ground and turned, his head jerking towards her little home. The men began to step back towards her home, their torches raised high, and realization dawned on her then: they were going to burn her home. They were going to burn her brother!
"No! NO!" Gloria screamed. The girl tried to rise to her feet, she tried to push her way past her wolf and towards the man, pressing against the canine's body and reaching out. The man looked back towards her and raised his arm, which had been hanging by his side and held something that she had failed to take note of before.
A shot rang out into the night.
An eternity passed, and then another. Warmth spread across her rib cage, and Gloria's beloved wolf collapsed beside her.
Gloria crumpled to the ground, the side of her face hitting the earth and a silent cry gracing her lips. She couldn't breathe, and she couldn't speak. She could only feel the pain in her chest and look onward towards the cottage, unmoving and helpless.
Her home was burning, fire licking the night sky and smoke billowing from the windows and the door.
The light in her brown eyes began to fade, and she watched on silently as everything she held dear turned to ash.
The last thing Gloria felt was the suffocating warmth of the fire pressing against her skin as everything began to dim, until darkness a fell on her mind.
A/N: Thus ends this chapter. By reading the lyrics for "Going Home", by Radical Face, you will find why it felt so much like the overall theme for these first two chapters. Jack will more then likely appear in the next chapter, so please return!
