i
The wreath of flowers rests heavily in her hands and Lorena tries her best to keep her eyes from spilling tears. "I thought I told you never to come here again," she whispers harshly. The petals are crushed under the weight of her fingers, some falling to the floor. The dismay is clear on her face. "I don't ever want to see you around. I'll call the police if necessary." It's not anything but a promise.
"And they'll do what?" The man smirks menacingly. "I've had enough of this foolish game daughter. It is time you came back home." He takes a few steps towards the young woman only to be halted by her outraged cries.
"I will never go back," she hissed without a hint of remorse. "And don't call me daughter! I'm not your child. My father died along with my mother and any foolish notions that I could be proud of my life."
The slap her father delivers is loud. He hardly puts any power behind it, after all his daughter is still that. And she is indeed too small to suffer the whole power of one of his hits. "Your possessions have been taken back home," he says without taking his eyes off of her livid face. "Do not make this difficult."
Realising she has little chance to argue and win, Lorena wipes away her tears. She doesn't say anything else but follows subdued after her father. The woman can't help but remember happier times when her mother had still been alive. Before she knew anything about the true nature of her father.
As a child Lorena had been the only child of Brenna and Lucius Ormsten. She'd been a happy child; never lacked a thing. Anything she wanted she got. Her parents were devoted to her and to each other. Still her father had a mistress on the side. No, it wasn't that he shared a relationship with another woman. Quite unbelievably, his mistress was more of an it than a her. It was, of course, his work, hidden away from the eyes of his daughter.
But Lorena was bound to find out at one point or another. And so she did. Barely a month after finishing high school, she and her mother were detained by armed men. With that Lorena found out about her father's dealings within inappropriate and highly illegal actions. More simply her parents were part of the mafia.
Brenna had been shot right in front of her daughter when her father failed to comply to someone's wishes. And she herself would have followed had it not been for a stroke of luck. Lorena simply refused to acknowledge her father's part in saving her. From that point on she refused to speak to her only living parent. In a short while she even moved out of the house and got into university.
At first Lucius had left her alone, thinking that she needed time. But now it is the right moment for her to come back. She is no longer a child who does not understand her position. She is a mature woman. "You are twenty-four, my daughter. Not a little girl anymore. You even have a job." At the strange look in her eyes he pats her hand which she sharply draws back. "You may continue it if you so wish, but mind that you don't really need it."
Keeping her eyes cast downward, Lorena ignores his words. She has no wish to talk to him and neither to listen. All that she wants if for this to be a bad dream and for herself to wake up and hear Gabriella in the kitchen making pancakes. Gaby is her roommate, which means they split the apartment rent and any other costs between the two of them. And that's when it enters her mind.
"Have you done something to Gabriella?" Usually her roommate is home before her. It seems only natural to expect her to be.
Lucius shakes his head. "Despite your belief I am not bent of bring suffering to others. Your friend is fine. You will be happy to hear that I will be paying your half of the rent until she finds a new partner."
She is hardly happy, Lorena decides a moment later. "You don't have to. I can pay for it myself," she points out. After all, she works.
No reply comes from her father, but they are already home. "Let me help you out," Lucius says and takes her hand. It's almost like old times.
And then Lorena is back in her old rooms. With a start she realises it's untouched. Every picture frame and book is in the place where she left it. Melancholically she sits at her old desk, her fingers tracing the keyboard of her computer. It's the same. And it bothers her. Why would her father keep it all like this? Lorena knows the answer, but she can't really accept it. As his child she can feel that he cares about her; just like he always has. But she doesn't want to be the daughter of such a man.
Sock clad feet rest on the fluffy carpet and from her position Lorena spies an old mirror. She stares at her reflection with apprehension. Her cheek is still faintly red. Hopefully by morning things would look better. For the moment she resigns herself with sleeping with her face attached to a cold compression.
Having calmed down a little, Lorena starts to really think about her situation. She could run away again. But what good would come out of it? Lucius would find her and drag her back. And for all her negativity and distress over living with her father, she knows she hasn't really broken links with him before. Even when she stayed with Gaby, she knew he was always watching. In a way it had been comforting if rather unsettling. Despite everything, she can't do anything to be forever away from him short of killing herself. And Lorena rather likes being alive.
Besides he does not treat her abominably. She has seen him do far worse than offer a weak slap. One of her legs jumps up and down rapidly, a sure sign of the indecision keeping her on edge. In the end she chooses the only way she can really abide, which is to stay. Lucius is not a perfect father, and certainly not a good man; but he is her father. In spite of all his faults, he is her parent.
"You're back!" Lorena hears a familiar voice drifting to her ears. "I've been waiting forever for you to come back."
Turning around, she comes face to face with her cousin, Bilbo. "Hey shrimp," she greets him with a simple smile. He hates being called shrimp even though for a full grown man he is rather short. In fact he's only a head taller than her and she sports a five foot frame.
"Don't start," Bilbo warns her playfully.
ii
"Children, children, settle down," Lorena demands, albeit softly of her class. They are good kids, and have very much energy too. It usually makes for a challenge. "Have you brought your assignments?"
One of the more daring boys sits up and Lorena can't help smiling at him. "I did, Miss Lorena," he calls out. On small legs he runs to the front of the class and hands it to her. His cheeks blush a vivid shade of red and he's caught somewhere between shyness and pleasure.
Smiling encouragingly at the boy, Lorena outstretches her hand. She takes the card and glances at it. "Oh, this is so very nice. Thank you Fili."
In his wake all the other children hurry to her desk and deposit all sorts of brightly coloured drawings. Lorena takes care to look at all of them and compliment the little artists. Happy with the attention lavished upon them and their skills the children return to their places and continue with the scheduled activity.
Satisfied with the results, Lorena stands up and ambles towards the desks. She peers into the many notebooks and nods her head in approval. "Very good," she notes in a cheerful voice.
Since moving in with her father, Lorena has acquired a pattern of sorts. She avoids her parent as much as possible, and instead opts to keep company with Bilbo or attend her work as a teacher. There are indeed many things to be done and almost never enough time. She takes a step back and that's when the bell rings. Abandoning their work the children jump up, stuffing papers, crayons, pens and notebooks into bags. Lorena watches them all hurry out the door and is about to prepare for her own departure when she notices that not all the children have left.
Fili's still here. He stands in front of the lockers with a frown on his face. His small hands clutch a piece of paper, and the fingers tremble slightly. He seems unable to decide what to do, so Lorena feels that she must engage him. "What's the matter Fili?" He does not respond, only bites his lip. "You can tell me."
Instead of telling her, the boy shuffles closer and pushes the paper into her hands. Lorena raises her eyebrow in silent winder. Unfolding it, she hurriedly throws her eyes over its contents. It's a note from Fili's mother. Apparently she's unable to pick her sons up today but she mentions that their uncle would be about to pick them up. However he would only be able to come half an hour after class has ended. There is a plea to keep the kids company if she can spare the time.
"Would you like to wait with me for your uncle?" Lorena asks, carefully adding a smile. The smile widens at his nod and flush. "Great because I'm planning to remain here anyway. Where is your brother?"
There is not much Lorena knows about Fili's family. They are private people. Of course, she does know about the younger brother, Kili. But not much besides the fact that he is indeed the younger brother of Fili.
"Second garde," Fili informs her, finally looking into her face. He smiled tentatively. "He's probably waiting for me already."
Lorena must confess that it is strange. During classes this boy is so lively. One can scarcely recognise him as he is now. "Alright. Then let's not keep him waiting."
Impulsively the young woman takes Fili's hand. However she does not lead. Lorena lets Fili take her about, walking lightly behind him. Reaching the younger brother's class, Lorena finds another subdued child. He is darker in looks than Fili, whose hair might as well have been made out of gold.
Standing in the doorway, she watches the interaction between the brothers. They seem almost cautious. For some reasons Lorena feels suddenly sick. Why are they acting so unnatural? Could it be that something is indeed wrong?
"Hello, Kili," she greets the boy, waving slightly. "Have you been waiting long?" The child shakes his head and Lorena in once again perplexed. Before she can say anything else, a bolt of lightning flashes, accompanied by thunder. Both boys jump at the sound. Then it all makes sense. They are afraid of storms. Dimly Lorena remembers hearing Fili complain about storms, stating that he disliked then greatly.
Walking behind them, Lorena encircles the boys within her arms. She smiled down reassuringly and both of them relax against her. It's almost amusing, she thinks. "Boys," she murmurs. "They would rather tremble away than admit to being scared."
"Am not scared," the younger of the two assures her with a trembling voice. Fili echoes him. They sound the same.
The response she has picked dies on Lorena's lips. He head slightly turned towards the room registers that there is someone else there too. The brothers break free from her hold and run across the classroom to the man they call uncle. Straightening Lorena nods at the man, pasting a smile on her face. He is clearly related to them through their mother. The resemblance is easy to observe. Amusement spark within Lorena at the sight of the boys clutching him tightly.
"Sorry I'm late," the man spoke in a deep, pleasant voice. "Got stuck in the traffic." His explanation doesn't really matter to the young ones. He looks up and meets Lorena's eyes. "Thank you for looking after them miss," he lets it trail off, clearly expecting her to introduce herself.
"Miss Lorena," Fili supplies helpfully before his teacher can say anything. "She my teacher." He seems proud of that.
Snapping out of her shock, Lorena gives Fili a look. "I am Lorena Ormsten," she finally submits, her hand rising.
"Thorin Oakenshield," he states simply, taking her hand and shaking it. "Nice to finally meet you. Fili talk only about you all day."
"I don't!" young Fili protests, making the adults laugh. He seems put out but doesn't say anything more, just makes a face at Kili.
A/N: Well, I hope this grabbed your interest. Anyway feel free to tell me what you think. :)