~*~A Brisk Morning~*~
~The First Light~
As the young woman slept upstairs Marie busied herself in the kitchen. She was making hot chocolate as her god son walked in. He grimaced as he stretched out his right arm, hurt long ago in an unfortunate accident.
ÒAre you all right?Ó Marie asked, concerned about his should pains.
ÒYeah, yeah - IÕm fine.Ó He replied distantly.
Marie gave him a suspicious look. Glancing back once more out the window at the cold October rain she turned to sit at the kitchen table with Van. Plopping a cup of cocoa in front of him, and taking a sip of her own. Silence.
She remembered the day when he had first come to stay with her. She had only been 25 then. Van had been through years of foster care, but even so he was a cold child. His mother had been her best friend, and Marie had know Van since he was born, 17 years ago. He was born when his mother was in her second year of college. She married VanÕs father that year. Although Marie had visited regularly she had always know things were bad. VanÕs father became a drunk and -
ÒMarie?Ó Van looked at her, worry softening his frozen eyes.
ÒOh - Yeah? Sorry, I was just thinking about... stuff.Ó
He just stared at her intently. They could both hear the storm intensifying outside.
ÒWho is she?Ó He asked abruptly.
ÒSheÕs my niece, Hitomi,Ó Marie replied.
ÒHave I ever met her?Ó
ÒOf course, just not recently. Why?Ó Marie was slightly confused now.
ÒBecause she seems so familiar, like IÕve know her forever. But I canÕt remember HER, just her smile,Ó His voice was distant again, as if remembering a dream.
ÒHmm... You used to play together, when you were little, but then her family moved north. I havenÕt seen her or her parents for years -Ó
A flash of lightning outside made her jump.
A sudden shrill scream followed.
~The First Light~
As the young woman slept upstairs Marie busied herself in the kitchen. She was making hot chocolate as her god son walked in. He grimaced as he stretched out his right arm, hurt long ago in an unfortunate accident.
ÒAre you all right?Ó Marie asked, concerned about his should pains.
ÒYeah, yeah - IÕm fine.Ó He replied distantly.
Marie gave him a suspicious look. Glancing back once more out the window at the cold October rain she turned to sit at the kitchen table with Van. Plopping a cup of cocoa in front of him, and taking a sip of her own. Silence.
She remembered the day when he had first come to stay with her. She had only been 25 then. Van had been through years of foster care, but even so he was a cold child. His mother had been her best friend, and Marie had know Van since he was born, 17 years ago. He was born when his mother was in her second year of college. She married VanÕs father that year. Although Marie had visited regularly she had always know things were bad. VanÕs father became a drunk and -
ÒMarie?Ó Van looked at her, worry softening his frozen eyes.
ÒOh - Yeah? Sorry, I was just thinking about... stuff.Ó
He just stared at her intently. They could both hear the storm intensifying outside.
ÒWho is she?Ó He asked abruptly.
ÒSheÕs my niece, Hitomi,Ó Marie replied.
ÒHave I ever met her?Ó
ÒOf course, just not recently. Why?Ó Marie was slightly confused now.
ÒBecause she seems so familiar, like IÕve know her forever. But I canÕt remember HER, just her smile,Ó His voice was distant again, as if remembering a dream.
ÒHmm... You used to play together, when you were little, but then her family moved north. I havenÕt seen her or her parents for years -Ó
A flash of lightning outside made her jump.
A sudden shrill scream followed.