TEMPEST OF MEMORIES

While the rest of the family was out, Lemy attempted to again make contact with Lyra. Of course he had a new game plan than just barging in like an idiot or spamming her cell phone non-stop, instead he would be more gentle and approachable to her, as much as she would allow it. He needed her to know that he could be trusted and that whatever issues were viciously grabbing ahold of her he was her to set her free. It's been almost a week, progress needed to be made between the two. It could not, would not and will not end like this for them.

Looking out the window he could see the sky clouding up fast, a storm was fast approaching.

Standing outside her room, Lemy was building up the courage to knock on the door. His breaths slow and rough as his heart pounded wildly against the chest. Why was he so nervous? It's just Lyra, they love each other, have shared their love for one another, why is he feeling so frightened all of a sudden? Given the past couple of days have not been the pleasant ones he had envisioned for them, he understood well enough the jitters his body was producing just standing in front of that door.

"Just knock already!" Someone whispered across from him.

Lacy was standing by the staircase watching her brother standing around and not taking initiative. With a wave of his hand, Lemy shoo'd her away. Rolling her eyes, Lacy headed down the stairs and left him alone again.

Again he focused on the door and after another minute of contemplation finally found the nerve to knock. No answer at first, as expected, so he knocked again a bit louder. If she heard she would know.

"Lyra? It's me." Lemy spoke softly, as he inched his face closer in hopes of hearing her move around at the very least.

No response came back to him, "It's been rough...for all of us. I'm sorry if I've been acting out of line lately. I'm very sorry for not fully understanding your predicament, I'll give you all the space you need, but I do want...I really want to be part of your recovery. Please let me help you. I'm here to listen. I'm here to help you."

A few minutes of silence went by. Lemy was about to speak again, but was cut off by Lyra's voice that finally spoke up.

"I can't fix this. You can't fix this."

Lemy double backs his head at the door at the sound of her voice speaking to him. Not having expected her to actually talk back to him all. After a torturous week of solidarity and from each other it was the progress he was searching for. She felt lost and truthfully so was he but he was after all one stubborn person.

"Maybe not at the moment, but eventually you can overcome this fear of yours. We can get rid of it together. We made that promise after all, remember?" Lemy said. Leaning against the door hoping that she would open it, "We're in this together. You and I against the whole world. I'll always be by your side, Lyra. I love you."

Best way to end this conversation he pulled back and after some seconds of wishfully staring at the closed door headed down the stairs where Lacy and Lupa were currently hanging about in the living room. Both girls were slouched on the couch watching television with the utmost uninteresting faces. Truthfully, they were hoping to speak to Lemy and learn if he had made a breakthrough with their older sister, now watching him descend the stairs with a pensive look was enough to get their minds working to a common conclusion.

"Did she say anything?" Lacy spoke first.

"She ah…" Lemy trailed off, still bothered about everything between them.

"We can talk to her for you. Get her to open up, girl talk you know?" Lacy smiled hopefully to her brother, anything to lighten up the sour mood in the room and get him to feel better about the entire troublesome ordeal.

"We can knock some sense into her stubborn ass skull." Lupa added.

"... I'm going for a walk." Lemy replied back and headed out the door ignoring their worried looks.

"It's going to rain soon. Where exactly are you going?" Lacy called out, but he had already exited the house.

"Okay this is bullshit!" Lupa angrily raised her arms up in the air.

"Yeah, pretty much." Lacy agreed.

At Lincoln's Job…

The patriarch of the Loud family sat in his office, overseeing the latest project for which he had been handpicked to personally illustrate. It was a great honor to be handed such trust to him by the editor, working his dues for a few years now was worth the build up to this moment. If it came out perfectly he could be promoted to a higher position and higher pay grade; that was the American Dream baby.

Unfortunately, Lincoln was far more preoccupied with more personal matters that kept him from focusing on the blank drawing board in his desk. Family emergencies would always be his number one priority above anything else, even the chance of moving up the corporate ladder and making it big in the long run.

Sitting down on his chair and looking away from his work, Lincoln was on the phone speaking with his wife Luna. The conversation in regard being about Lyra herself, "They're still not speaking? I had hoped she would at least approach him with trust, she doesn't have to necessarily talk about it with him you know?"

"She's ashamed, Linc. What happened to her is not so easy to open up about, it's a miracle she chose to tell us both about it." Luna spoke through the phone.

"Two years…" Lincoln angrily stated, gripping his phone with all his strength, "Two fucking years of her suffering through that fucking mess. I swear if I had known much sooner I would have flown to that damn university and gotten her out of there. Beat that asshole up along the way."

"You and I both. But she's here now and what she needs is for us to never lose her trust and let her understand that we don't hate her nor blame her for all that...that...fucking crap she had to suffer through." Luna said.

"Lyra doesn't have to worry any more. I spoke with an attorney and she will now be safe forever from that fucking piece of shit." Lincoln reassured Luna.

"I'm so happy to hear that. I just hope Lyra can naturally be herself again. Lemy has been taking it really hard, it's four years ago all over again." Luna said back.

"I have faith that things will get back to normal soon. I believe it wholeheartedly." Lincoln sighed, turning back towards his desk and leaning his arms on the wooden furniture. The past was said and gone, he now wants to focus on the future. Focus on his children's future, one both bright and hopeful.

Back Home…

A couple of hours had passed since Lemy left the house and the storm was starting to materialize. The clouds had darkened and the wind had been summoned, soon enough the raindrops would also start falling. The house's sole inhabitants are alone and isolated from each other. Lacy and Lupa remained in the living room watching television with absolute boredom, nothing exciting to see or to keep them occupied at the very least. Both girls couldn't concentrate even if they chose to, all they had on their minds was their two other siblings. Lupa was munching on a bag of chips, but kept an annoyed face the entire time. Lacy sat cross-legged on her spot, arms crossed and pouting, she was just as miffed as her younger sister across from her.

Lyra was upstairs and hadn't once come out for anything and if she did exit the sanctum of her room she avoided everybody like the plague and would not heed their concerned voices.

To be quite honest both of them were reaching their boiling point with Lyra's childish attitude and wanted things to return back to normal. Wanted her to turn back to normal and resume her relationship with Lemy and long forget this ugly episode in their lives.

"Let's just go up there and try again." Lupa suggested.

"She won't unlock the door." Lacy pointed out their failed attempt not too long ago.

"Well shit let's go do it again then!" Lupa retorted.

Lupa hopped off the couch and headed up the stairs with Lacy following close behind. Thai would be their second try for the day to get their older sister to speak up and say something meaningful that would open up the mystery surrounding her sudden breakdown. Halfway up the stairs the two sisters had their work cut out for them for at that same moment Lyra appeared on top of the staircase before them. She finally came out, but what caught their eyes was the suitcase she held in hand. Caught in the act, Lyra froze up and her face morphed to one of extreme fear as she eyed both her younger sisters looking back at her with surprised, questionable stares.

"What are you-?" Lacy failed to finish the sentence as Lyra turned around and headed back to her room.

"Hey! What the fuck?" Lupa shouted as she pushed past Lacy and raced up the stairs.

Lyra reached her room, but this time forgot to lock the door as she was in panic mode. Seconds later, Lupa barges in, Lacy right behind her and both see Lyra attempting to exit the house through the window. She was one leg over the window panel when Lupa jumped across the room and grabbed her other leg and started yanking her back inside.

"Let go of me!"

"Fuck that!"

"Lyra what are you doing?"

"Leave me alone!"

"Fuck no!"

A tug-of-war had commenced between the three of them. Lyra holding on to the window and exterior walls, pushing herself out while Lupa and Lacy both holding on to her leg and dragging her back inside the room. The struggle continued as neither gained any ground. Despite holding on tight, Lyra's leg was starting to hurt, yet she refused to budge to their demands. Eventually the tension from her hand gripping the panel reached its peak and the raised window panel snapped and broke. Shards of glass flew out as Lyra with a chunk of wood still in hand flew back inside the room, tumbling on top of her sisters. All three of them piled on top of each other on the floor tired and gasping for air after much strength was used by all three of them.

Lyra got to her feet and made a run for the door. "No you fucking don't!" Lupa tackled her to the ground and used all her strength to keep her in the ground.

"Lace grab her arms!" All three put up an impressive struggle and it managed to spill out back into the corridor.

"Why are you running? What the fuck is wrong with you? You damn bitch, you want to break his heart again?" Lupa shouted at Lyra, anger overwhelming her mind.

"I need to go. It's better this way." Lyra crawled towards the stairs as the other two both grabbed a leg and held her in place.

"Lyra, please stop this already! Just talk to us, just tell us what's happening. Why are you doing all of this?" Lacy begged to deaf ears.

Lyra kicked back and nailed Lupa right in the mouth. With one leg free she took a step on the steps of the stairs and used her leg muscles to push her forward despite Lacy still latching on to her other leg. The momentum worked, but it did send both girls tumbling down the stairs. Lucky for them, they only suffered mild bruises across their bodies as they reached the bottom of the stairs and laid there dazed from the fall.

Lyra was the first to come back to her senses, but instead of reaching for the front door and finally escaping, she chose to focus on her little sister who was massaging the side of her head.

"Oh my God, Lacy, are you okay?" Her maternal instincts kicked in as she kneeled next to Lacy and held her lightly.

"I...I-I didn't mean to...I…" Lyra babbled on as she felt guilty for hurting Lacy, but her apology was cut short by an angry albino rushing down the stairs.

"Argh!" Lupa who now sported a bloody busted lower lip took a mighty swing at Lyra and connected perfectly to the older girl's jaw.

Not holding back Lupa punched her again. Dropping to the floor Lyra winced in pain, tasting the metallic sour taste of her own blood inside her mouth. Lupa climbed on top of her using her bodyweight to pin her down. With both hands she grabbed Lyra by the shoulders and added more strength to keep her grounded. Lacy recovered from her fall and crawled to the other two sitting on the side next to said two. Their shouting, grunting and nonsensical arguments merging up in the air and creating nothing but loud noise throughout the household.

"Please, let me go." Lyra begged and begged as she attempted and failed to push Lupa off of her.

"I've had enough with you!" Lupa snarled back at her, "You are not going anywhere, you are not hiding anywhere, you sure as fuck are not ignoring any of us anymore!"

"I...I…" Lyra was at a loss for words, unable to keep up with their demands and pressure they had over her.

"Where were you planning to go? Lyra?" Lacy asked.

"E-east." Lyra answered back, "Boston... Manhattan...I don't fucking know!"

This was news to them, Aunts Lori and Lisa lived in those cities respectively. Lyra was planning to flee that far away? That was a massive change that neither saw coming. For her to run away and stay with their aunts was a testament to how serious this entire situation had developed. Both girls understood that this was not the way, just dipping behind their backs without any explanation and never to be heard from again. This was four years ago all over again.

"What? Why?" Lacy asked.

"What are you running away from? Stop struggling." Lupa kept her grounded, not allowing Lyra to overpower her.

"My fucking ex! I don't want him to find me!" Lyra screamed at them, finally revealing the truth.

The revelation shocked them. Not the answer they had expected, but not something they had not ruled out. Lupa and Lacy stared at Lyra, looked at each other and back at Lyra. The older girl couldn't keep it together anymore and bursted out in tears. All her pent up emotions pouring out as she no longer has the strength to hide them anymore from the world.

Getting off of her, Lupa sat next to Lacy and both silently stared at Lyra crying ugly in front of them.

"Your...ex?" Lacy softly spoke.

The athletic teen looked at her older sister with awe, not believing the words coming from her own mouth. Lupa was fixated on Lyra's pitiful display, feeling uneasy at such a broken image of a woman who has always carried herself with purpose, dignity and confidence. She felt horrible seeing her like this, something she never thought she would experience from the only sister she had the least connection too.

"Lyra..?" Lupa found her voice as Lyra herself had stopped crying and wiped away the tears.

On her knees, all three sisters remained silent on the floor. Outside the wind had picked up and rain had begun to fall from the skies. The low rumbling of the storm picking up and covering the town whole.

"His name is Caleb." Lyra said, keeping her head down in shame.

Neither replied back. They kept quiet and allowed their sister to finally say her peace and let out the memories she had been holding on too. Memories that have been haunting her ever since.

...

Lyra rushed with her books in arms, trying to reach her next class on time. The hallway was packed at this time of day, too many students colliding with one another, all attempting to reach their designated classrooms. An unintentionally push dropped her books and paperwork to the ground spreading them wide.

"Oh come on." She groaned.

Someone squatted next to her and held her book in hand, handing it over to her. Looking up she saw this young handsome man smiling back at her. He sported brown eyes, short black hair and a perfect set of pearly whites.

"Dropped this?" He smiled.

"Thank you." Lyra replied not paying him much attention.

"First semester here?" He asked.

"Third actually." Lyra answered back, gathering her work and eyeing him.

"See you around then." He nodded before walking away.

Lyra watched him disappear into the sea of students. An odd encounter, but at least he was kind enough to help her out she thought. Maybe there were kind people in South California after all she further thought as she headed down the corridor to class

.…

"Fancy seeing you here."

Lyra turned around to see the same guy from a few days ago. Both were at an espresso cafe outside of campus. Lyra's favorite spot to focus on school work.

"Oh, it's you." She kept her eyes on him.

"How's class going?" He took a seat on her table.

"I'm sorry, but what is happening right now?" Lyra pointed her fingers back and forth at them both, a shrewd look on her face.

"Just making small-talk, I can leave. I didn't mean to suddenly intrude." He stood up from his seat.

"At least give me a name first. That's a start." Lyra looked at him with mild interest.

"Caleb. Caleb Flag." He extended his hand.

"Nice to meet you Mr. Flag." She shook his hand and smiled back with an assertive look, "Lyra Loud and let me just say it right now; I'm not interested."

...

"I'm telling you she doesn't like me! That no good old hag thinks she knows better because she's older? My work is impeccable and she has the nerve to say that I lack inspiration?!"Lyra ranted about her music instructor to Caleb who walked by her side.

Both took a stroll around campus after their classes had ended. Caleb chuckled at her fuming face. Lyra elbowed him and pouted, facing away from him.

"Glad to know my tirades are entertaining you." She muttered.

"I'm sorry. She's wrong, your work is perfect. You have a real talent for playing multiple instruments with acute finesse." He playfully told her.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." She smiled back at him.

"I speak truthfully. If you ever need anything, I'm your one and only, never too far away." He shrugged.

"Yeah."

She kept her smile, looking up at him, "I really like that about you."

…

Lyra was on the balcony of a two story bar and grill. A popular spot for university students to stop by and either eat, drink or socialize.

She hadn't come alone as Caleb walked in and leaned on the railing next to her.

"How's the view?"

"Enjoyable." She looked over at him.

Both talked for the longest, allowing the night to come and the city lights to brighten the horizon. Both laughed and enjoyed each other's presence. Much closer than before both young adults smiled at one another. Before even realizing it they lovingly inched closer and closer until their lips made contact. After a few seconds of kissing, Lyra pulled back and gleefully smiled at him.

"Now I'm interested." She pointed out.

...

"Do you really have to wear that?" Caleb lowered his glasses as Lyra walked down the steps of her dorm.

Wearing shorts with a tank top, she looked stunning, but to him it may be too much for show.

"It's hot. I'm not wearing anything heavy today." Lyra replied.

"Last thing I want is other guys drooling over you." Caleb scoffed, a hint of displeasure in his tone.

"Somebody is jealous." Lyra smiled.

Caleb said nothing back and opened the passenger door of his car for her. His distaste in her choice of clothes was not hard to hide, but to Lyra it was nothing too important to analyze.

…

Lyra spoke on the phone walking around the courtyard. She sounded enthusiastic with whomever she was speaking to.

Just then her boyfriend showed up and appeared irked as he walked up on her.

"Who is that? Who is this?" Caleb snatched her phone away and checked the caller Id.

"Hey what the hell?" Lyra felt aggravated by his actions.

"Who were you speaking to?"

"What? It was just the program director, Mrs. Warren. What is up with you?" Lyra snatched her phone back.

"I... I'm sorry, okay." He rolled his eyes and raised his hands in surrender.

"We'll see about that. " Lyra looked at him warily.

…

It's a dark rainy night and both Lyra and Caleb sat inside his car, parked outside the local theater. Both had been making out, but when Caleb reached underneath her shirt, Lyra called it quits. Now both were arguing at the moment.

"Oh come on, Lyra. We've been dating for five months now, stop being shy about this." Caleb groaned.

"I'm just...not ready for that. Sorry." Lyra crossed her arms against her chest, trying not to feel vulnerable at the moment.

"For Christ's sake we're both grown ups, let's just get it over with. Foreplay is fun, but the real thing is needed." Caleb was clearly frustrated.

"Again, I'm sorry but I'm not ready for that yet." Lyra raised her voice.

"Any other guy probably would have convinced you right away for sure." He muttered.

"What did you just say?" Lyra gasped back, not amused at this display of behavior at all.

"Do you even love me?""

Don't you dare put me in that corner, Caleb!" Lyra was pissed now.

...

Lyra entered a small elegant restaurant wearing her most modest clothes for the occasion. A month had passed since their huge fight and she had completely ghosted him as punishment. She had considered ending the relationship then and there, but Caleb called and requested for a sit down.

She obliged.

"I hope you understand this won't win you any points." Lyra told him.

"Listen, I got way out of line. I allowed my sexual frustration to get the better of me. I'm sorry for that, I'm a man, what else can I say?" Caleb sat on the opposite end of the table.

"I never expected this out of you. I understand the needs of the body, but you need to learn to control yourself and the words that fly from that mouth." Lyra scolded him and took a sip from her drink.

"Sure." Caleb stared at her. No emotions registering on his face, no signs of guilt in his tone.

After ten to fifteen minutes later, Lyra began to feel dazed. Her vision was bouncing all over the place and all motor functions ceased to obey her. Attempting to get up she almost fell down, but Caleb grabbed her and helped her out of the restaurant.

"You'll feel better in the morning. Trust me on that one."

...

Lyra was scared and confused. She was naked and her entire body aching. Waking up in a room that wasn't hers she was freaking out. She felt great pain in her lower region and with quaking hands, lifted the bedsheets to see bloodstains underneath her. Putting two and two together, she held her mouth shut to block out the screams. Crying she got out of bed and began to put on her clothes which were scattered on the bedroom floor.

Caleb, fully clothed, entered the room."Damn I'm surprised to see you standing straight." He smugly said.

"What the fuck did you do to me?!" Lyra screamed at him, fully crying at this point.

"I gave you the fuck of a lifetime that's what I did." He said it so nonchalantly.

Lyra collapsed on the floor crying her heart out as Caleb closed the door behind them. He hummed and sat on the bed as Lyra continued to sob.

"Gotta admit you took the longest to get it on with. But shit, I do love a challenge. Most chicks just open their legs for me, you I really had to work my way up and even then you refused to put out. Well fuck it I always have a last resort." He proudly explained his master plan to the traumatized girl.

Lyra sprang from the ground and ran for the door but was immediately pulled from the hair and pinned to the bed.

"Don't touch me!"

"Last night I did." He grinned.

"Why? Why? Why?" Lyra sobbed.

Caleb rolled his eyes and placed a hand in her throat, slightly choking her while also putting his weight on her and preventing Lyra from escaping.

"I wanted to fuck you what more do you need to know?" Caleb responded, before a cruel smile spread on his face, "That's all I wanted, but fuck, I mean, look at you. I think I may have actually fallen for you after all."

Lyra tried to pry his hand off her neck, but he grabbed one of her wrists and held her down, "You know what? I want to keep you... forever."

"Fuck you!" She cursed him.

"What are you going to do? Run back home? Call the cops on me? If you did that the whole campus will know you are spoiled goods, no other guy will approach you, all the other girls will designate you the campus slut. Do you want that for yourself? Is that the reputation that you want following you forever Lyra?" Caleb boasted the implications to her.

Lyra was now beyond scared. What would people think of her? What would her family truly think of her? Lemy's image appeared before her and the very thought of him learning about her rape and be absolutely disgusted by her for it, brought about an unimaginable fear into her very soul. The one boy she deeply loved, she didn't want to lose.

Closing her eyes she allowed this new hell to take her.

...

"Hey Lyra, what did I say about using the phone!" The young woman flinched at his angry voice.

"I have to ask you for permission." She meekly answered.

"Then why the fuck is their a call received and answered recorded on the log?" Caleb grabbed her by the wrist, hurting her.

"Nobody was around I just-" He shoved her against the wall and gripped her lower jaw painfully.

"Let it go to fucking voicemail next time." He threatened her.

She didn't speak, but nodded. He swiped away a single tear trailing down her cheek and kissed her. Lyra returned the kiss, knowing better than to disobey or refuse his advances. He let go of her, to which she regained all the air her lungs had been holding on to.

"I'll be back before four, damn project needs more insight on my behalf. I swear I'm the only capable architect in the damn group." Caleb put on his coat and grabbed his keys.

"Don't feel too lonely. I'm gonna keep you up all night long."

...

"Who the fuck is Lemy?" He shouted at her, holding a piece of paper that had the boy's name with a heart around it.

"T-That's my brother!" She fearfully explained.

He slapped her across the face, dropping her to the ground. Stinging pain latched to her cheek as her eyes watered in response. She felt her hair get violently yanked up. Yelping, she stood up as Caleb held her hair in a tight balled up fist, furiously showing her the paper she had written the name in.

"Bull-fucking-shit! If that was the case why have you never mentioned him before?" He crumbled up the paper and threw it against the wall.

"You are fucking mine. No one is taking you from me." He spun her around and shoved her face down on the bed.

"Wait, stop!" She pleaded as he removed her pants and tore up her panties.

"Gotta remind you who owns this fine piece of ass."

Lyra could only cry in silence as he violated her yet again. Every night the same punishment, every day the same hell. Only the memories of Lemy keeping her sane through all this immense pain.

...

She stared at the piece of plastic in pure horror. Two pink stripes.

She felt sick, ashamed and devastated. Alone in the bathroom she cried. No idea what to do next with her life.

...

"Seriously, my supervisor is a dumbass. Thinks he knows better than me? Motherfucker, I'm taking his job soon enough." Caleb grumbled at himself in the mirror as he adjusted his tie.

Lyra sat behind him, quiet and obedient."What's up with you? You're more quiet than usual?""I'm tired."

"My bad I suppose." He chuckled to himself, "I'll let you rest for the weekend. Got my hands full with all this stupid paperwork anyway. Dumbass Harry, thinks he's an actual genius."

Both walked together towards the stairs, Lyra practically a shell of her former self always right behind him ready to serve his every needs. Reaching the bottom of the staircase she bid him goodbye. Once alone she locked herself in her bedroom and felt empty while touching her stomach. Trying to feel the life growing in her womb.

"Fucking shit my head hurts!" Caleb arrived drunk, a common occurrence.

Lyra said nothing, knowing better than to provoke him. He stumbled towards her and began to forcefully strip her naked right then and there. Knowing her condition she made the fatal mistake of resisting his advances.

"The fucks matter with you?" He slapped her and violently shoved her to the floor.

"Wait!" Lyra implored, having not yet told him of her five week pregnancy.

Too drunk and pissed off he ignored her and kicked her as hard as possible directly on her stomach. Lyra gasped for air and curled up in a ball as he kicked her furthermore. Too tired he went to the living room and passed out on the couch. Lyra laid on the floor clutching to her stomach, immense pain erupting from her womb.

Fearfully for her unborn child, she cried in silence

.…

The phone rang but Lyra didn't answer. She was more depressed than ever before. Just sitting in the living room in pure silence. Her hair was shorter now, having cut it off long ago. Thinking about her life before this nightmare, thinking out everything and everyone she missed. Only his memories kept her alive, only the old sentiments she still felt for him kept her strong enough to get by.

The phone went to voicemail and whoever the person calling was, their voice was heard on speaker.

"Um hello? Yes the man who owns this cell phone dropped it as he was being escorted away from police. I just wanted to call-"

"Who is this?" Lyra picked up the phone. Her eyes wide with surprise, a glint of excitement on them.

"Hello again, I'm the bartender of Lucky's Pub. I'm just calling to inform you that the owner of this phone just got arrested for stabbing another man with a broken bottle. He was extremely drunk and left his phone on the bar counter. Just a heads up is all. You can come by and pick up the phone." The bartender explained the situation to Lyra who quickly became emotional at the news.

"Thank you so much for telling me this." Lyra hung up and immediately started crying, tears of joy with genuine laughter soon following after.

Grabbing all her belongings in a single suitcase she stole all the emergency cash that Caleb had in the nightstand and called a taxi. At the same time she checked the commercial flights leaving from LAX airport as well any current bus schedules at the local terminal.

She was coming back home. Back to him.

...

Once her story was finished, Lyra refused to look her sisters in the eyes, too much shame to bear. Lacy and Lupa had not said a single word since she started narrating her past to them. The absolute horror story they had just heard from Lyra's mouth rendered them both mute. The storm was loud and heavy at that point, producing the only sounds in the house as all three sisters said nothing to each other.

"I hate myself." Lyra confessed, "I don't want...I don't want any of this."

Refusing to look up, she failed to see the anguish look that both Lupa and Lacy were giving her. Both openly shedding tears for her, feeling heartbroken at her misery. Lupa, unable to hold back any longer, launched herself towards Lyra and to the older girl's surprise hugged her like never before. Lacy followed suit and hugged Lyra too. The younger girls began to cry for her. Cry for her pain, for her loss, for her misery and for her newfound salvation.

Lyra didn't hold back and hugged her little sisters back and joined them in their beloved emotional embrace. All three refused to let go of each other. A sisterhood that had long been abandoned, but now fully restored.

Don't forget to check up on any updates at my profile portfolio whatever its called thingy.