Settling in
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Anemone opened the door, she'd been washing the dishes in the kitchen. She peered at Nalira, her face falling into one of concern.
"Nala!? You poor thing! Come in!" She paused looking over the poor tale.
"Of course you can stay here for awhile," she nodded as she ushered the girl in, shutting the door behind her. She sighed trying to think on her feet. She had to get the tale out of those clothes, that was for sure.
"Nalira, we need to get you out of those clothes," she said. She gently began to lead Nalira to the closet bathroom, which happened to be near Chailyn's room. The tale was inside reading a book, or trying to when she saw Nalira and her mother. Before she could jump up to hug her friend, her mother cut in.
"Chailyn, can you go see if Aislinn has some clothes Nala can borrow?"Chailyn nodded a little unsure what to say. She smiled waving a Nala before rushing off to find some clothes for the tale.
Nalira blinked, looking down at Chailyn, stumbling back. She was
gorgeous. She watched as the younger Tale rushed off to find some clothes, looking over to Ane, wringing her hands together gingerly.
"Chailyn is beautiful." She murmered, looking up at Ane thankfully.
"You really don't have to do this." Nalira whispered to Ane, waving her hand through the air lamely. As she waved, her sleeve slid down her arm to reveal a trail of purple tell-tale marks. Nalira blinked, unable to close her mouth. Oh god, they were hideous. She ripped her sleeve down, her mouth becoming suddenly very dry. She squeezed her eyes shut, her stomach turning over at the mere thought of what she was doing to herself.
"You're right, I don't. I want to, Nalira. And Chailyn is beautiful, just like you," Anemone brushed some of the tale's wet hair from her face. She frowned seeing the marks on Nalira's arm. This wasn't going to be easy, not at all.
"Once we get you cleaned up, we'll get you set up in Chai's room and you can get something to drink to warm you up," she gave a smile trying to ease the tension that m ight build up. The last thing she wanted was for Nalira to run.
"I don't think Nala would like pink, Linn. Don't you have anything else?" Chailyn said digging through the drawers. She'd found some jeans, pajama pants, some shorts, and even a skirt should Nala want to wear it. A pajama tank top and sweater were easy enough but all of the cherub's shirts were pink, or had pink on them. She sighed settling on a white t-shirt with a pink star, it was an extra large so the pink wasn't too noticable.
"Thank you Linn!" the tale said with a smile, toddling out of the room. She headed down the stairs and passed her room noticing that Kali, who was about her age, was already hard at work rearranging the room. Sometimes it helped to have magical siblings.
"I hope you like these, Nala!" Chailyn chirped setting them down on the counter by the sink.
Nalira smiled, going slightly red at the compliment. She wasn't use being complimented. She was used to being called things, having been lived on the street, but beautiful was not one of them. Nalira turned, smiling at Chailyn, mumbling a thanks under her breath. She looked over to Anemone once more, shifting her weight from one foot to the other.
"Should I .. have a shower, or something?" She asked gingerly, wringing her hands together. She shifted her attention to her feet, shuffling them awkwardly.
"A shower would probably be best. I can put your clothes into the wash to get them clean," Anemone said giving a smile. She ran her fingers through Nala's hair and moved to the cabinet taking out some shampoo and conditioner.
"I'll brush your hair when you get done! Aislinn taught me how to braid hair!" Chailyn spoke up having been watching her mother intently.
"We'll let you shower. We'll be right down the hall in Chailyn's room," she said before shutting the door so Nalira could shower in private.
Nalira sighed, sliding down the closed door, drawing her knees up to her chest. She slowly reached into her pocket, sighing heavily, her heart almost stopping. There it was. Nalira's mouth went dry as she stared at the needle pressed against her arm, feeling it slowly sink into the tender skin. She didn't
need to do this, she
wanted to. It wasn't an addiction, she could stop if she wanted to. She threw her head back, her breath becoming slow and gentle, her eyes closed in what seemed like pure extacy.
She wasn't addicted. Nalira smiled weakly as all the pain seemed to fade away. She leant her head back agaisnt the door, losting grip of the needle in her fingers.
"I'm not addicted." She whispered. These were the lies she told herself everytime.
Chailyn settled in her room, looking over the changes that had been made by Kali. The little elf gave a small smile, proud of her work and yet hating it. It was rather bright and cheery for her tastes being that the wall was painted a soft purple. Chailyn's bed was pushed into the right corner, while Nalira's bed had been pushed into the left. Both beds were big with the main difference being the colors on each. Chai's bed was covered in deep red and purple blankets, a few stuffed animals resting on her bed. Nala's bed was covered in by deep green and gray blankets, the rest of Chai's plushies on it to keep her company.
In the middle of the wall, right in front of the window, was a big dog type basket for Laban and Taini to sleep in. They were nestled in it, sleeping while Chailyn waited for her friend. Her stomach was in knots as she looked up at her mother, their eyes echoing the worry of the other.
"Is Nala ok, Mommy?""I hope so, Chai. I really hope so..." she murmured. She ruffled Chailyn's hair leaning down and giving her a hug before deciding to check on Nala. She was probably just being silly but she was dead worried. She walked down the hall tapping on the door with her knuckles.
"Nala? Are you ok?" she asked. She didn't hear the shower running, she didn't hear anything. She twisted the knob, the door wasn't locked. Trying to edge it open, she peered in but the door didn't much move. It didn't have to. The syringe rolled out under the crack.
Anemone looked at it, her mouth dropping as she bent down and picked it up. She didn't know what had happened to Nala, why she was doing this, why she wasn't with Lemon, what had happened to Lemon, or anything. Worry reigned over confusion, pushing the questions away. She
had to call the shop now, and maybe a doctor.
Nalira blinked, feeling her back slide back slowly as the door opened the slightest. She frowned, looking over to see Anemone standing there. She smiled, tilting her head, giving her a small wave.
"Sorry, didn't I lock the door?" She said airly, rocking on the balls of her feet. She was far too gone to notice the needle in Anemone's hand. She pulled the door shut, sighing at the comforting click, indicating the door was locked. She turned, slipping out of her soiled clothes. She stepped into the shower, turning the two different knobs, letting out a groan as the warm water trickled down her back. She hadn't had a shower in so long. Sure, she'd cleaned herself with water, but not like this. She reached forward and grabbed the shampoo, massaging it through her hair happily.
"No..." she breathed out unable to form anything else at the moment. As the door shut, she clenched her jaw looking down at the floor. She didn't know Nala but a part of her crumbled just at the idea of
trying to tell Chailyn about this. She didn't want to lie to the tale but she couldn't say she thought Nala was injecting herself with a drug or maybe more. She flinched hearing the click of the lock, before slipping down the hall and into the living room.
"Linn? Can you go play with Chai for a bit? I need to go out...or I might need to go out," she said shaking her head as the cherub opened her mouth to ask a question.
With a nod, Aislinn rushed off as Dulcea stood up her ears perking as did Cillian's.
"I'm going to make a call. If I need to go out, I need you and Cillian to watch the kids. I want someone with Chailyn and Nala at all times. Especially Nala," she added not ready to explain anything. She looked at them as they both headed off, her eyes going to the phone. Dialing the shop, she listened to the ringtone.
"Someone answer."Nalira turned the shower taps of slowly, sighing as the last bead of warm water slid down her back. She leant her head against the shower tiles heavily, smiling. She moved from the shower, stepping out and grasping the towel and pulling it around her body. She dried herself off quickly, reaching for the clothes that were laid out neatly for her. She smiled, not minding that they had traces of pink.
She moved from the bathroom, slipping through the door easily, a slight spring in her step as she walked. She flicked her wet hair from her shoulders, wrapping the towel logically around her head, keeping the water from making her clothes wet, yet again. She hummed happily to herself, fiddling with her fingers boredly.
Chailyn slipped off her bed, peering out the door with a smile. Her friend seemed in a good mood now.
"Nala all better now?" she asked assuming the tale had probably just been sad because she'd been living on the street. Or at least she thought so. They still had no idea where Lemon was or if she was ok. Chai wasn't sure what to think about the guardian's absence not that she was thinking about it much.
Laban and Taini poked their heads up. They relunctantly decided to come Nala. The feline purred, the canine simply wagging his tail as they offered to be friends.
"Laban and Taini are my pets, they'll be your friends, too!" Chailyn added with a laugh.
A Few Hours Later...Chailyn yawned as she snuggled under the blankets. She smiled up at her mother as Anemone covered her up and kissed on the forehead. Her eyes looked over to Nalira shining brightly.
"Good night Mommy. Good night Nala." she said quietly. She was pretty sure her friend was already asleep though. She would've said it louder but knew the tale had probably had a long day and needed sleep.
"Mommy, I'm glad Nala's going to stay with us for now," she whispered sitting up. Her joy with Nalira being here made her forget about her nightmares and sleep didn't seem so bad not that she wanted to go to sleep. She'd gotten her second wind and would've preferred playing with her friend.
"Mm-hmm, but it's bedtime. You should lay down so you can fall asleep. Then you can play with Nala tomorrow." Anemone smiled, giving a soft laugh as Chailyn pouted. It was a good thing the tale was argumentative and half asleep already. Watching her daughter plop back down, she stood up picking up the white feline who had been pawing at her ankle.
"You sleep with Nala tonight, Princess. I need you to watch over her," she whispered to the cat. A soft mew came from the cat before she walked over to Nalira's bed and put the cat down. The cat padded up to Nala and nestled next to her gently.
With a light sigh, she moved to the door and turned off the lights. She desperately hoped someone would get her message at the shop. She was worried about Nala....she was worried about Lemon. And if Chailyn found out about her suspicions? She wasn't sure she could deal with that. She shook her head gently pulling the door shut a little ways.
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