Chapter 15

The rays of a new dawn casted upon the hills of Baruch. The blankets of snow from days past were up lifted and bloomed into a fine dust caused from the breath that was exhaled from the clearer sky. The sun's gaze over the hills crept along the undisturbed sheets of compacted snowflakes and along the icy dirt road that lead to the ancient city just at its end. It seemed though, one stray ray of light managed to detach from its whole and redirect itself in the pane of my window. The ray hit the lines of my eyes, on pinpoint. I moaned from the rude awakening, turning away from the window's gaze.

I kept my eyes open slightly glancing at the door of my bedroom, knowing there would be no way for me to fall back to sleep... Unfortunately. The past few weeks were nothing more than a nightmare for me, with the constant late night feedings and diaper changes I wasn't able to get much sleep, it made me want to cry as much as the infant in the crib across from my bed.

For a large portion of the morning I just laid in bed, barely making any sudden movement in fear that Chloe might wake up. How any woman could deal with such a loud little being and still keep their sanity was beyond me, I could barely hold my own.

Sometime later, I gave the alarm clock a glance.

11:36 A.M.

That was when the phone rang and Chloe began to erupt into a screaming fit. I sighed pulling myself to sit at the edge of the bed. Slouching on the edge of the mattress, I couldn't decide whether to answer the phone first or tend to the baby...

"...Alright Chloe, I'm coming." I stood up and walked over to the crib. I looked down at the small child for a moment in a daze before pulling her up from the crib and resting her head on my shoulder. "Don't cry sweetheart, mommy's here." I gave the child little kisses on her cheek while walking over to the phone in the living room.

Once the baby's crying had stopped, I answered the phone.

"Hello?"

The person on the other line didn't answer back or barely made a sound.

"Hello, who is this?" I asked once more but there was still no answer. After my sentence came to a close the person hung up the phone.

"That's strange," I placed the phone back on the receiver then looked at Chloe. "It's probably a wrong number." Her small chubby face pressed against my shoulder, looking back at me with tired eyes. I began walking to the kitchen, keeping the small infant in my arms safe within my grasp as I approached the table that stood on the other end of the room next to the large window that was caked with snow from its exterior. On the table was a small baby seat... I think it was called a baby bouncer, if I remembered correctly.

I placed Chloe in the little infant seat and kissed her lightly on her nearly hairless head before proceeding to the sink. I looked in the drum of the sink to see the coffee pot filled halfway with cold soapy water from the night before when I made myself coffee for the first time in over eight months. I pulled the pot from the sink and emptied it of the soapy water and rinsed it before filling it with warm water for the coffee brewer. I took a glance over at Chloe who sat silently over on the table staring back at me with her beautiful blue eyes.

After the coffee had started to brew, I went into the cabinets and took out a baby bottle and the can of powdered baby formula and fixed the baby her breakfast. Walking over to the table while shaking the contents in the bottle, I noticed Chloe mesmerized by the little movements her hand made, making a little fist then unraveling it, she didn't even notice me standing in front of her with the bottle that always stops her from crying at night.

I looked down at her and smiled. "What's that?" I asked in a voice that mimicked Serah and Hope's childish voices towards the baby. Chloe stopped and looked up at me with wide eyes as if I had caught her doing something sneaky. "A hand? Do you have a hand?" Her little lips formed to make out a little smile... It was such a pretty little smile, I couldn't help myself but smile back at the little infant.

I sat at the table just staring and smiling with her, lightly nabbing her little toes that curled up when I touched them and gently brushing my fingers against her soft, pudgy cheeks which made her grab onto my fingers when I dared to do so.

Not long later, the door bell rang. "Who'd be out in this weather?" I thought to myself as the bell continued to ring. I looked to Chloe who looked panicked at the sound of the bell. "I'll be right back..." I gave a small peck on her forehead before going to the door. "I'm coming!" I shouted to the person who seemed impatient with waiting a few more seconds before I opened the front door.

For a moment, my mind had begun to think of the person who stood on the opposite side of the door. Could it have been Serah, here to check up on me? My neighbor, who I had just begun to know? Pulling the door open, I paused my thoughts as I stared at a man's torso before looking up to see his face... My happy mood didn't seem to stay after seeing who it was who came to pay me a visit.

"Ballad..." I said coldly.

"Farron..." The tall man replied back.

It was Caius... I glared up at into those lilac eyes he had used against me many times over the years. I wasn't going to be seduced by them, not this time. "What do you want?" I asked in a manner most peeved.

Caius looked over my shoulder to notice the whining child sitting at the kitchen table. He pulled his scarf down to his chin so his words weren't muffled by it. "I wish to see my child, if that is acceptable?" His words turned to frost in the air.

I bit my tongue. I wanted to throw it in his face that the child wasn't his, that to call Chloe his own was irrelevant...Although in a way he was right, but I was going to keep my word, after what he had done... Leaving me alone with the responsibility of a child then return with the intent to kill me. If Caius wanted to see Chloe for himself, he would have to throw me into the unseen realm first.

"No it is not," I finally replied. "Now could you please leave?" I began to close the door.

Caius stopped the closing door with his foot and pushed it open lightly. "I would like to see it, may I please come in?"

"I don't want you in my home!" I tried to close the door again, only for it to be stopped by his foot once more. "Dammit, Caius!" I shouted. Behind me I began to hear Chloe cry which only made me want to get rid of Caius faster but his foot was still stuck in the doorway.

"Lightning, I just want to see it!" He yelled back.

By now my anger had reached its boiling point, I swung open the door and kicked his leg out back into the cold. "You won't ever see her! Now leave me alone!" That's when I slammed the door shut and stood there trying to collect my cool.

My head turned back to the table to see Chloe crying her little eyes out... I walked back over to her and gently caressed her belly. "...Don't cry Chloe." I wiped the tears from her rosy cheeks as she gradually ceased her crying. Chloe looked up at me with sad eyes that would make the whole world as sad as she was, but I smiled at her and it seemed almost instantly that her big tears and loud screams were something that never existed.

"Are you hungry?" I asked her. "Does your belly make grumbles?" The baby didn't respond back verbally of course, she only kicked her feet softly and stared down my hand as it reached for her bottle next to the little seat she lied in. I popped off the cap and placed the bottle on her tiny lips, urging her to drink from it. She complied and began to drain the bottle of its content while looking up at me with her big blue eyes. I sat down and continued the hold the bottle for her, she continued to stare at me as I did to her... But something caught my eye at the window. I looked up and standing on the dirt road cloaked in ice was a man who gazed at me from afar. Small fumes of frost escaped the warmth of his scarf, his arms crossed tightly like a knot on a rope and his lilac eyes just gazing back... Almost in a trance. I glared back, hoping he would turn head and continue on where ever he was heading off to, but he didn't shift his gaze; that's when I stood up and picked Chloe up from the small baby seat before I went over to the window and closed the blinds.

"Idiot." I muttered turning towards the living room. I glanced down at Chloe who whined for the return of her bottle. I retrieved her bottle from the side of the baby seat and began to walk to the living room.

As I walked, a cold feeling came to my feet. I looked down and noticed the floor by the door was all wet from the snow after my little feud with Caius. "Damn it..." The bottom of my socks were soaked, they seemed worthless to me at that moment. I walked into the living room and placed Chloe in the middle of the couch sitting upward.

"Don't worry, I'll be right back." I assured her before rushing to the bathroom to retrieve towels.

Quickly, I snatched a few used towels from the bathroom floor and went to the puddle by the door which by now was starting to seep into the carpet of the living room. I placed the towels over the puddle and pressed them using my foot. "I really need to get a doormat."

Not far behind me, I heard little gurgles and squeals over by the couch. I turned to see Chloe, who was lying on her side upon the couch cushions. I walked over, picked the baby bottle from the coffee table and picked Chloe up in my arms before sitting down. I cross my legs and settled Chloe onto my lap, realizing my socks were still cold and wet from the melted snow. My hands reached for my dampened socks and removed them from my feet which were instantly chilled by the cooler air outside their now ruined cover. Then, once more, I held the bottle to Chloe and she continued to suckle the contents away. My, how I loved her; every little thing she did made my love for her grow, all she had to do was glance over at me and a smile would instantly appear on my face. Oh, my Chloe, I can't imagine my life without you… I realized such a pain sooner than I expected, an agony like no other.

It was early in the evening, I had just finished up dinner; exhausted as I was from twenty-four hour baby care, I decided to rest on the couch for a while before Chloe's next feeding. Little did I realize the threat that awaited me… My exhaustion took me like seduction, soon I had the slumber I yearned for. The hours flew by without a care in my mind; not a single sound could've stirred me from this sleep, how blissful it was. I awoke some time later in the evening from an icy chill that trickled up my spine, it took me a few minutes before leisurely standing to my feet to locate the source of the cold. Standing in the bedroom doorway I noticed the window half open, sluggishly my feet brought me to the window and thus, closed it. I had realized Chloe's profound silence and checked on her, but she wasn't there. A wave of panic rushed over me, I immediately began screaming and look all over for her. That's when it began to click, the open window, Chloe missing, Caius' visit… I ran to the closet and threw my jacket over my shoulders and stormed out of the house with bare feet to search for the scum who took my baby.

I was screaming out their names for hours, tears running down my cheeks… I just wanted her back, I didn't care about Caius after so long, all I wanted Chloe back in my arms. Neighbors' porch lights going on as my calls progressed, they must've thought I was crazy screaming like I did so late at night, I couldn't care much for their opinions. Making a third round back to the house I noticed the window was open to the bedroom again, I ran over as fast as I could only to see Caius in my room holding Chloe in his arms.

"You…" I growled. "You scum!" The tall man jerked his head towards me and widened his eyes at my presence.

I crawled in through the window and snatched Chloe away from Caius, that's when I began smacking him and punching him, calling him vulgar names just overall making him pay for his actions. It was a while before he had enough and left the house in scratches and bruises. I stood there heaving heavily in fury, it quickly subsided and I was focused on Chloe, who was crying from my yelling. I sat on the couch calming her, checking her to make sure Caius had not done harm to her, luckily he didn't. Sitting there with the crying child I had begun to think, this will happen again. My mind full of possibilities of his next move, was I even safe anymore? He could claim my life if he so desired, what stops him now? I was no longer secure with my mind, let alone my safety… I was moving in with Serah after this.