06-19-2011, 05:54 PM
Still shaking and sobbing, Winter breathed heavily and quick, on the verge of a panic attack, barely noticing she had actually been pulled through. Looking at her dress now stained with blood, she viciously wiped her bloody hands on the ground, whimpering as she did so. She felt vile liquid acid rise in her throat but she fought down the verge to throw up her lunch. Swallowing, she stared at her hands. They were still tinted red from her brother's body, and she swayed as she tried to keep her composure and not pass out.
Feeling Scarlett's comforting hand, she calmed a bit, hiccuping as her panic attack resided. For a moment, she had been unable to breathe or think, terror and shock having taken a cruel hold of her senses. Slowly standing, her legs wobbling as if made of jelly, she steadied herself on a nearby tree, her hands feeling its cool bark. Pressing her forehead to it, she bit her bottom lip and tried to catch her breath.
Once again another hand patted her shoulder, this one belonging to the guard. She glanced up and saw Nikolai running to them. "Yes we know him," she said, the first audible thing she'd been able to say. Her voice was shaking, but when she blinked, her eyes were hard and bland, her walls closing back up around her.
Walking ahead of Alex and Scarlett, she began to follow the path to the house the guard had told them about. She still hadn't caught his name. Her bare feet stumbled over roots and branches, but she made no noises or complaints, seemingly shutting herself down to everything around her.
Alex watched as Declan and Scarlett pulled her arms through, and he pushed her as she was dragged under, letting the fence fall down once she made it through. He watched her begin to flip out, knowing a panic attack was coming. She hadn't had one since they were younger, when her mother was bitten. He bent down beside her and gently rubbed her back, even though he knew she was too numb and in shock to feel him.
Standing back up, he squeezed Scarlett's hand as she laced it through his. "I'm guessing the Convent knows of this too," he accused in a rumbling, angry tone. He grabbed the key, still angry, and gripped it in his hand. Keeping a close eye on Winter, he watched as she regained herself by the tree. She was strong, that was for sure, but he knew what was coming. It had happened when her mother was bitten and turned. She had shut down, and it had taken Alex ages, maybe even a year, to get her to open up again.
Yanking away as the guard pushed them to get them started, he glared daggers at him. He let Winter lead, knowing it was best to not argue her. Gently stroking the top of Scarlett's hand with his thumb, he tried to give her comfort. Though he wouldn't admit it, it comforted him as well.
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