Bruises Don’t Scar
3 6
“We will go tomorrow. Speak with Uriel then and sort all of this out.” Jordan assures her.
Kora walks beside him. Her nerves are vibrating with angst as they stroll a few strides behind Valarie. She’s somehow reading her book while skilfully dodging people on the side of the street at the same time.
It’s bitterly cold out. The sun is nowhere to be seen. Heavy dark clouds hang over them as droplets of rain drip down lazily. People are scurrying around them to avoid being caught in a downpour. Snow is beginning to drift down to earth, which delights Kora more than anything. Winter is her favourite time of the year.
London seems quieter than usual today. Perhaps it’s the cold season keeping everyone indoors in front of a warm fire and boiling hot tea.
“You’ll come with me?” Kora looks to Jordan for an answer.
“I will if you want me to.”
Dropping her chin, she nods in silence. She’s not afraid of speaking with an Archangel. She’s more worried about what he will share with her. If she wants to truly know what he’ll tell her.
Sensing her apprehension from their closeness, Jordan’s finger finds hers, entwining them together like two vines twisting around each other. It’s so simple, and a tiny part of their bodies touching, but it’s enough to settle her racing nerves and thumping pulse. Such a small movement, but to Kora, it means so much more than that. He’s silently comforting her.
“I do.” She finally says.
“All right. I’ll make sure to bring weapons with me then.”
She frowns up at him. “Archangels won’t hurt us.”
“It’s not that I’m worried about. If you’re calling to an Archangel, I can only imagine that will send a signal for Infernals to interfere.”
Her throat works as Kora realises what he’s thinking.
“Alice?” Valarie’s surprised tone draws her attention away from him.
They look up to see a blubbering Alice standing outside of the Blackwell house.
Jordan and Kora decided to accompany Valarie into town, not wanting her to be alone. She insisted on taking Alice for a hot drink, but none of them expected to see her standing outside in the drizzle, sobbing like this.
Alice sees them and an expression of relief mixed with trepidation overcomes her as she rushes up to them. Tears streak down her face as her entire body trembles.
“Alice, what’s happened?” Kora grabs the younger girl into her arms like an older sister would. She shakes under her embrace while crying.
“Matthew.” She coughs out. “He’ll kill him.”
Kora’s blood turns to ice as Jordan runs into the house a second later, yanking the door open and disappearing inside. She looks at Valarie, who is also looking frightened. “Stay with Alice. Stay here and don’t move . Either of you.” And Kora follows after Jordan.
Her body almost collides with Jordan’s bigger frame, who seems frozen in the doorway between the parlour and the kitchen. The house is grimy, stale, and decaying. Mountains of papers cover everything. Rotted food sits on tabletops. The stench of fluids and smoke stains the air. She almost wants to be sick .
Lawrence has Matthew pinned on the floor. Shards of glass and liquor pool around him as his father holds a broken bottle to his neck. Lawrence is swearing down at his son, who, for the first time in his life, looks terrified.
“Lawrence Blackwell.” Kora gets out in a raspy tone.
His deep forest eyes lazily meet hers. Glassed over and red-stained. Alcohol defiantly slackening his reactions.
Lawrence grunts towards the two of them. His brown hair is beyond matted. Blood drips slowly from his temple and nostril, and he’s bruising around one eye.
“Get. Off. Him.” She grits out, moving in front of Jordan.
“Don’t tell me what to do, pretty girl.” He drawls, wobbling a little at his knees. “This little imbecile couldn’t get me any more medicine! I can’t live without it. He told me to go die!” Lawrence shouts at Matthew.
Kora swallows, looking at her friend pinned underneath his intoxicated father. His eyes are shut, not wanting her to see him like this.
“Lawrence, please. You’ve scared Alice. Just let him go.”
“No!” The man shouts angrily. “Everything was taken from me. My love. My job. My friends. All I have now are these two whiny things I have to feed.”
“Don’t act like a father. You haven’t been one for thirteen years!” Matthew spits at him.
Lawrence’s burning gaze returns to his son. It’s bitterly cold and deathly. The bottle drops from his grip, breaking on the floor as his fist lands on Matthew’s cheekbone. Matthew’s head moves with the punch, and he lets out a soft groan.
Jordan jumps on the man, pinning his arms back as Lawrence continues to flail around, swearing so loud it echoes through every room of the house.
“You are a disappointment!” Lawrence seethes out. “Ungrateful little brat! ”
“You are as good as dead! You can’t even go an hour without downing a drink. And alcohol is not medicine !” Matthew barks back at his father.
Kora helps Matthew off the sticky floor as Jordan shoves Lawrence backwards. Losing his balance, Lawrence falls on his behind, landing in glass and spirits that crack under his weight. “Get out. Get out and don’t come back!” he howls at them before breaking down into tears and drunkard cries.
Matthew’s grip on her wrist tightens as he leads Kora out of the house. Her pounding heart shatters when Matthew stops her in the middle of the path and throws his arms around her neck, crying so heavily she can feel his muscles moving under her hands.
“I’m so sorry.” She whispers to him. “I had no idea he was this bad.”
Alice is there in an instant. Her skinny arms wrapping around his waist as she holds her sobbing brother. They stay locked like this for a while before Matthew has the control to move away. Red tints his eyes as he wipes his cheeks and nose clean.
“Matthew.” Alice says in her shy voice, unsure of what happened in there.
His hand cups her brunette hair as he sobs some more, tears freely flowing from his lashes. “We won’t be living here anymore.” He gets out through breaths.
“You can stay with us,” Kora offers immediately. “We have two rooms. Clarence won’t mind, I’m sure of it.”
Matthew shakes his head. “No. The Ascendancy has residence. We will go there.”
“Matthew, I don’t want you two to stay there alone. Please.”
His tearful face picks up a tiny amount as he thanks her.
“What about father?” Alice’s voice is so small.
Matthew shakes his head at her. “We can’t stay here with him. I don’t trust him with you. ”
His sister’s little fingers reach up, touching the red mark on his cheek. Matthew recoils away. “I’m fine, Alice. As long as he didn’t hurt you.”
She shakes her head at him. “We don’t have any of our things.”
“You can have some of my clothes, Alice.” Valarie speaks up.
“And I have some things I can give to you,” Jordan offers.
Matthew nods his shaggy brown hair as he wipes under his eyes once more. “We should go. Leave him here. We don’t need to deal with him anymore.”