A Mystery Rolled Up in an Enigma

Petra, of the Malakhim Causing trouble and breaking hearts

[petraofthemalakhim]

Mark of the Beast | Circa Crete 400 | Petra & Lucifer

[cadmusthefieryone]

Though the night was only moderately chilly, Lucifer began to shake uncontrollably. He was dressed in ony his ceremonial loin wrap and his various wounds did not help. After his punishment, the Elders had ordered that he be cast out without delay or further ado. Apollion had volunteered to escort him to the surface of the island.

"Look at you now," he’d purred. The hooded acolytes that had joined them minded their own business and kept their faces hidden under their hoods.

The mark that had been tattooed and branded into Lucifer’s chest was so painful that he could barely keep from losing consciousness. He’d said nothing to his supposed friend.

Apollion had laughed, dismissed the acolytes and then sneered into the other’s ear. “I will make myself their favorite now.” Then he’d proceeded to beat Lucifer with relish before tossing him onto the ground close to the nearby city.

Lucifer had managed to crawl through a hole in the city wall and collapse in an alleyway where he hoped he’d be left alone. He knew that he couldn’t actually die, but at that moment he wanted nothing more than to sleep and never wake. His vision started to go black despite the cold and he welcomed it. Before he could pass out though, he was startled awake by the sound of footsteps. He tried to turn over and wave the person away.

"No," he mumbled through a swollen jaw. "Please leave me be."

[petraofthemalakhim]

Despite the man's protests, Petra knelt down beside him. She took the hand he was using to try and wave her away and gave it a squeeze.

"Lucifer," she whispered. "It's me; your friend Petra from the Malakhim." She wasn't sure if he recognized her, but he turned over to face her. Her breath caught in her throat and she had to stop herself from backing away in horror. When she could breath again, she leaned forward to get a better look at his chest. She let her fingers hover over the burn that looked like it was quickly becoming infected.

"What have they done to you?" she breathed. Her eyes finally moved from his chest to the bruises that covered the rest of his body and face. She knew that, if he'd been mortal, he probably wouldn't be alive. 

He was twice her size and she doubted he could walk very far, if at all. So she took a deep breath and touched her hand to his wound. Instead of healing the burn though, she only felt the power of the magical fire herself. She screamed and pulled her burning fingers away.

[petraofthemalakhim]

Mark of the Beast | Circa Crete 400 | Petra & Lucifer

[cadmusthefieryone]

Though the night was only moderately chilly, Lucifer began to shake uncontrollably. He was dressed in ony his ceremonial loin wrap and his various wounds did not help. After his punishment, the Elders had ordered that he be cast out without delay or further ado. Apollion had volunteered to escort him to the surface of the island.

"Look at you now," he’d purred. The hooded acolytes that had joined them minded their own business and kept their faces hidden under their hoods.

The mark that had been tattooed and branded into Lucifer’s chest was so painful that he could barely keep from losing consciousness. He’d said nothing to his supposed friend.

Apollion had laughed, dismissed the acolytes and then sneered into the other’s ear. “I will make myself their favorite now.” Then he’d proceeded to beat Lucifer with relish before tossing him onto the ground close to the nearby city.

Lucifer had managed to crawl through a hole in the city wall and collapse in an alleyway where he hoped he’d be left alone. He knew that he couldn’t actually die, but at that moment he wanted nothing more than to sleep and never wake. His vision started to go black despite the cold and he welcomed it. Before he could pass out though, he was startled awake by the sound of footsteps. He tried to turn over and wave the person away.

"No," he mumbled through a swollen jaw. "Please leave me be."

[petraofthemalakhim]

Despite the man's protests, Petra knelt down beside him. She took the hand he was using to try and wave her away and gave it a squeeze.

"Lucifer," she whispered. "It's me; your friend Petra from the Malakhim." She wasn't sure if he recognized her, but he turned over to face her. Her breath caught in her throat and she had to stop herself from backing away in horror. When she could breath again, she leaned forward to get a better look at his chest. She let her fingers hover over the burn that looked like it was quickly becoming infected.

"What have they done to you?" she breathed. Her eyes finally moved from his chest to the bruises that covered the rest of his body and face. She knew that, if he'd been mortal, he probably wouldn't be alive. 

He was twice her size and she doubted he could walk very far, if at all. So she took a deep breath and touched her hand to his wound. Instead of healing the burn though, she only felt the power of the magical fire herself. She screamed and pulled her burning fingers away.

[petraofthemalakhim]

Mark of the Beast | Circa Crete 400 | Petra & Lucifer

Petra rushed down the darkened cobblestone streets, her hood pulled up over her head. The way was dimly lit, but she'd been wary of carrying any light with her. She would have to make deal with the oil lamps that were lit here and there. She wasn't even sure where she was going. The rumors that had circulated up from the Order were vague and probably embellished. She could tell enough truth from them though to know that something devastating had happened.

The night was cool, winter just touching the Mediterranean. The city was walled and she had already covered most of it. There was hardly a soul out at this hour and those that were paid her little mind. The back-alleys were full of refuse from both people and animals, but she checked them anyway.

As she made it to the outer reaches of the city, there was less light and the neighborhoods were poorer. More people roamed the streets as well. Some lived on them and some worked them. Fires burned for people to try and keep warm. As she passed one at the head of an alleyway, something caught her eye. Firelight flickered off what looked like a large human body. It was dirty and clad only in a white loin wrap.

[thetwilightofoblivion]

The End of the Beginning | Dorian & Petra

Vague shapes blur in the darkness. The room is cold, a bitter iciness that creeps into the bones. Somewhere water drips; a steady, mind numbing sound. Dorian’s breath comes out in small, white puffs. A quilt hangs on the back of his chair, but he doesn’t bother to cover himself. He doesn’t notice the cold; only hears the steady drip, only sees the images flowing through his mind. They replay on a constant loop; images of men doing unspeakable things to the child body of his sister.

With these images come ones of himself swearing that he would find her, that he would protect her. With that comes the knowledge that he did neither. He closes his eyes, but it only makes the new memories clearer. He still has none of his own, but it doesn’t matter. Either way, he now has the truth he’d always wondered about.

He doesn’t remember the last time he ate. Vaguely, he recalls Petra bringing him something and he glances around to see plates of now ruined food. In the momentary lift in his reverie he notes that it seems too bright for night. He stands up stiffly, his body not wanting to move, and stumbles over to the window. He pushes open the curtains; the light from a very dreary day trying in vain to push its way passed the threshold of the window pane. Though it’s dim, he squints nonetheless.

There is little movement in the city and the gray sky is so cold that it can’t release its snow. He has no idea what time it is or even what day it is. He hears movement and wonders who else is home. Then he remembers that August and Cadmus are gone. It must be Petra so he turns to face her.

[petraofthemalakhim]

Petra stares at her lover. His face is drawn and gaunt; shadows on his cheeks and under his eyes. His clothes hang off of him and look like they haven't been changed in days. She glances around at all the food he hasn't eaten and then her head drops. She stares at the floor, grappling with that she knows she must do.

Slowly, she looks up at Dorian, fighting back tears, and whispers, "I can't do this." She knows that he isn't really registering her words so she steps a little closer and talks a little louder. "I'm sorry, but I don't know what to do anymore. I'm not what you need. I'm not helping." She pauses as he sputters at her, confused. "No, Dorian. I'm just a crutch for you. As long as I'm here you don't have to face this. But you have to." She can no longer hold back her tears.

"This is something you're going to have to figure out on your own. I can't see you waste away. I just can't. I can't do this anymore." Her voice dries up and she stares at him, hoping he can see her eyes, pleading with him to understand. She stares at him a while longer and then turns toward the doorway where she has a packed suitcase waiting. If Dorian says anything, she doesn't hear it. She can only hear the sound of the sobs she can't hold back.

[thetwilightofoblivion]

Folie a Deux | Dorian, Petra, Victoria & Janick

[victoriathorne-blog-blog]

Oh, Victoria thinks sarcastically he didn’t mean to, well that makes it all al right then. She wishes that she could show him all that he forgot and all that happened after that. Then an idea blows through her mind and she gives Janick a look, hoping he can guess what she needs.

He does and in her head she hears his voice asking “what is it my dear?” magical telepathy takes some getting use to as you speak without making a sound, she had discovered this ability of his when they got into a bit of trouble with a less then kind gang. “can you use your magic to show Dorian my memories?” she asks. She sees that he thinks about it for a bit but then hears the answer “I can do it but I will see the memories myself” she thinks about it for no more then a second and decides that its a price she is willing to pay. “okay” she says “what do I have to do?”

[janickthegentlekiller-blog]

Janick has doubted for a moment weather he should do this, Victoria never spoke of her past and to say he wasn’t curious would be a lie but this felt like violating her even though she had agreed to it. he also considered Dorian for a moment, the poor fellow would have no idea what hit him, on the other hand he might be glad to know what he forgot.

now that he has decided he makes contact with Victoria again and gives her the instruction “just close your eyes and think of what you want to share, I do the rest” it doesn’t take long for images to start flowing in, he watches her childhood come by and is surprised at the detail of the memory. he sends everything he is getting directly through but Dorian isn’t the only one that is pained by what he sees, Janick finds it hard to watch the pains that he knows he can’t cure or change for the women he loves.

[thetwilightofoblivion]

At first, Dorian has no idea what’s happening. He can sense that some kind of exchange is going on between Victoria and Janick. He is rarely surprised by any new powers he learns about at this point and figures that some kind of inner telepathy is going on. If Janick is Seraphim, there’s no telling what he might be able to do. But, suddenly, he feels a presence in his mind, a heaviness that he knows he isn’t controlling. At first, there are only painful bursts that his mind resists, but then he sees a little girl that is clearly Victoria.

A mixture of excitement and terror flows through him, but his mind no longer resists. He has been much too curious, much too lost without these memories. He soaks in the images; the two of them happy and playing when his sister was very little, quickly replaced by their sick and dying mother, the blows of their drunk and abusive father. He frowns, but it isn’t anything he hadn’t really figured on.

He begins to recognize himself, being around the age of his own earliest memories. But the scenes are not those of him sick, at least not yet. Instead he sees the two of them, Victoria no more than eight or nine, slaving away at work all day and then even worse, begging on the streets for tuppence. This must have been when I got sick, he thinks, tears starting to form in his eyes, but the memories of that never come. Instead, he sees men; vile, dirty men, laughing and carrying his sister away.

His mind reels. No! it screams. This isn’t how he remembers their seperation at all. He was sick, kicked out of their home. Or was he? The two memories begin to meld; Victoria screaming his name and reaching for him and he realizes that this had been an earlier memory all along. By the time the cholera hit him and their father kicked him out, she was already gone. His mind begs and pleads to be released; to not be forced to watch what has to be coming next and he drops to his knees, weeping.

[victoriathorne-blog-blog]

Victoria hesitates for a moment now she had come to the end of their childhood together. what followed would be even more painful for all of them and she hears her brother sobbing already. but then decides that he should know what happened to her, so she continues but is more careful about choosing the images and enlighten them with commentary. “after dad sold me, I was taken to a house in the city centre” and in her mind grows an image of the abandoned looking place where she lived for years. “I kept hoping that you would find me Dorian, that you would save me like you promised” she can’t keep the anger out of her voice when she sees herself as a young girl crying with the sound of her brothers voice echoing from earlier memories. “I was kept as a sex-slave, did anything to survive” a random stream of images run through her mind of man grasping her, hitting her and worse, she soon turns to janick and tells him to stop. after taking a few breaths she adds “only to find out that I would have survived no matter what”

[petraofthemalakhim]

Petra watches carefully, knowing that something strange is going on. But as fear and recognition begin to show on Dorian's face, she knows that he is seeing the memories he'd lost long ago. Her face turns to Janick. He is unlike any Seraphim she's ever met; his powers much stronger and much more varied. She feels a ripple of fear go through her as well, though he has seemed nothing, but kind so far. 

Her breast grows heavy, watching the man she loves suffer. Finally, as he sinks to his knees and Victoria begins to explain her fate to him, Petra looks her and Janick over in horror.

She quickly kneels down beside Dorian, trying to take him in her arms, but he bats her away, inconsolable. "Stop this!" she yells at Victoria, standing back up to face her. "It's not his fault, what happened to you. There was nothing he could do! He couldn't save you," she pleads desperately, her voice growing weak and small. "He couldn't remember. Don't you think that's haunted him his whole life?"

[thetwilightofoblivion]

Folie a Deux | Dorian, Petra, Victoria & Janick

[janickthegentlekiller-blog]

Janick keeps standing in the doorway, unsure if he should enter the room. when Victoria sent the message asking for his help he did what he always did when she called, he dropped everything to meet her but now here he hesitates. Victoria jumps up from the only chair in the room, runs to him like an enthusiastic child en greats him with a kiss. Janick pushes her off him, he won’t go down that road again. “I came to help, but that is all Victoria” he said calmly. she looks disappointed and even slightly confused by his reaction but nods after a short pause. 

[victoriathorne-blog-blog]

Victoria, steps back from her former lover, she understands his reaction but had sort of hoped that the past would be forgotten en they where still the same. “my brother is in town but he brought a date and I hate to be the third wheel here” she said with a unconvincing smile. “so, you want me to escorted you to meet your long lost brother?” he replied earnestly. she knew Janick well enough to know that he wouldn’t refuse her this small favour and also knows the he knew her well enough to know the real reason behind this request. she just was frightened to see Dorian again and of all the memories that meeting would stir up but she couldn’t tell him that and he knows that too. he seemed to sense what Victoria needed at this moment and puts his arms around her and simply answers yes. she trembles slightly by the idea of that this really would happen soon, trembling from fear, anger and pain alike.

[thetwilightofoblivion]

Dorian chuckles mirthlessly. “Sometimes I feel like I’m going insane,” he admits. “I’ve never had anything to worry about but myself.” He pauses and then adds, “Maybe I designed it that way on purpose. Maybe it was because I left her. Somewhere deep inside I knew that I left her so I didn’t ever want to be beholden to anyone again. I didn’t want to risk it.”

Normally Petra would be telling him he’s wrong or that it’s all alright, but this time she isn’t, and he’s grateful for that. He needs to work things out in his head. Her suggestion sounds nice to him, very nice right. He’s been fighting the impulse to just run for weeks now. But he doesn’t want to go, not really. Yes, he’s afraid; afraid of finding Victoria and afraid of not finding her. He’s never put everything he had into something before and he’s also afraid of what that could mean.

Finally he shakes his head and says, “No, Petra, I have to stay. I have to see this through. I have to stop running away eventually. I have to face what happened and what I can’t remember.” He starts to say more, but suddenly hears someone else on the dock behind them. He’s learned that Copenhagen can be a very funny place, with territorial disputes and bandits as bad as the ones in the Wastelands. He spins around to see who’s sneaking up on them, but the shadowy figures don’t strike him as bandits.

[victoriathorne-blog-blog]

Victoria steps a few passes forward with Janick in her shadow, now she is sure that he can see who she is as Dorian gasps. she had seen him before but being seen was a whole different matter but she made sure that non of what she felt was shown. Her brother whispered “Victoria” that seemed all the man was capable of saying at the time. he looked so small and fragile, not like the brother she knew. not like the man who had sheltered her from the blows that her father had handed out on a regular basis. the silence between the four grows uncomfortable but Victoria is afraid to break it as she isn’t sure that she can speak without crying. she stands on the point to turn around and forget about the whole thing when Petra, who stands with her arm locked in Dorians, begins to talk. 

[petraofthemalakhim]

At first, Petra isn't sure who she's seeing. Victoria's hair is different than it had been in the photo and there's someone with her. But after a few moments it becomes obviosu that Dorian recognizes her. She can also see that he is barely holding himself together. She steps forward protectively and suddenly feels the presence of a Seraph. She looks up into the man's face, but doesn't remember meeting him which is strange to her.

"Victorian Thorne," she says as if they are old friends who haven't seen each other in a long time. "We've been looking for you for a couple of months. We thought that, maybe, our information was wrong. But then again," she adds, looking at the man again, "it seems like everyone's coming to Copenhagen. Who's your angel friend?"

[thetwilightofoblivion]

Folie a Deux | Dorian, Petra & Victoria

Dorian stands at the edge of the pier, letting the cold salt spray dampen his face. He’d thought this would be easy, thought it would be quick. From what he can tell, his sister had been stalking him, maybe for years, even decades; watching him, plotting to make his life miserable. And yet, when he’d set out to look for her, to give her the chance to face him directly, she’d gone into hiding.

He doesn’t know what to feel anymore. He’d been filled with a desperate need to find her, no matter what the consequences, but as the weeks had passed, a nagging guilt had crept into his mind. He’s tried more and more to remember his childhood; anything from before the cholera outbreak. There’s still very little of it there, though. He thought that seeing his sisters face in the photo had helped, but he isn’t sure if it’s memories or his imagination. He hadn’t known her as an adult so he wouldn’t remember her that way.

He knows now that his psychiatrist had been right; there was nothing he could do about abandoning her. He wasn’t given a choice. His real guilt stems from not remembering her, of feeling like it was all so painful that he just had to forget. What had she had to live with? Was she taken care of when he was gone? He doesn’t remember clearly, but he still believes that the two of them had not really been taken care of as children. He feels more and more than it was him that she’d relied on. And then he was gone.

He runs a hand through his blond curls, in distress, and then sees Petra walking up the pier. He wonders how much she senses of the pain he’s trying to keep at bay. It seems like she’s always able to sense everything, but to her credit, she hasn’t said anything about it. He’s afraid that he will end up just pushing her away like he does everyone else, especially considering the stress he’s under. He gives her a weak smile and nods.

[victoriathorne-blog-blog]

meanwhile Victoria is well aware that her brother is in town, as she had been the one that lead him to it. But to her surprise he hadn’t come alone, she knew that the women at his side was Petra but beyond her name she knew nothing about her. she blessed her decision to choose Copenhagen, as the many fairly intact buildings made it nearly impossible to find someone, especially one that doesn’t want to be found. Victoria had aware that there was some kind of history between Dorian and the mystery women, that’s why she had let her, though some others, know who she was and what she had done to her brother but had foolishly assumed the women would deliver the message and stay out of the way, that her instinct for self-preservation was stronger then whatever she felt for Dorian, a mistake she wouldn’t make again. aimlessly she stares through the broken window, thinking about the first time she had come really close to her brother in more then 200 years, in de café she had seen with her own eyes what she had been told, there had been no sign of recognition in Dorians eyes, he truly had forgotten her. the door opened with a crack and Vicoria’s thoughts where abruptly broken, her eyes shoot over to whomever is coming in and smiles slightly when her eyes meet Janick’s.

[petraofthemalakhim]

Petra gives Dorian his space. She knows that Copenhagen has been hard on him. He'd been expecting to find his sister right away and also hoping that the experience would help him remember more about his past. So far, neither has panned out. The tips have dropped off. It seems no one knows where Victoria is anymore. Even Cadmus has found other, more pressing matters that required his attention.

She smiles back at him as she stops beside him. She puts an arm around his shoulder, knowing better by now than to ask him how he is. Instead, she just rests her head against him, wondering if he's trying to remember again. She feels bad that she got him into this and also wonders if there wasn't some ulterior plan behind how it happened.

"I'm sorry we haven't found her," she whispers. She is quiet again for a moment, thinking how to best broach what she wants to say. Then she hesitantly continues, "You know, we don't have to stay here, Dorian. Not if you don't want to. I don't think she wants to be found anyway, sweetie."

[magicandinsanity]

The Blind Leading the Blind | August & Cadmus, with a touch of Petra

[magicandinsanity]

When Cadmus pulls back, August’s first thought is that, perhaps, he’s done something wrong. But he opens his eyes as the man takes off his hat. He’d always been self-conscious about his appearance. Now that he has the power of Nicolae’s magic, he’s been able to create a persona that fits how he feels inside. He knows that some people find the costume and the haircut strange, but he hopes that Cadmus isn’t one of them. In a moment of hope, he even lets the Seraph see the burn scars he picked up in the Wasteland explosion.

As he looks up, he sees that Cadmus is smiling so he grins back with a blush. Then he suddenly blurts out, “Have you ever had a boyfriend or a girlfriend?” He waits and after a moment, the other man slowly shakes his head. “Me either,” he admits. He’s quiet, drifting in his own thoughts. He knows that the prospect is a tad insane, but he trails a hand through the long hair running down the middle of his head. Then he softly asks, “Would you like one?”

[cadmusthefieryone]

No, Cadmus had never had a real relationship. He was Seraphim, the highest of the order of so-called angels. When life had been good, he’d stayed with his brothers, celebrating the Order and gently guiding the future of humanity. There was little time for anything else and most of them had been too pious to think about such things. There had been experimentation; he was no virgin, but mostly, he’d spent his thousands of years celibate.

He doesn’t know how to explain all of this to August so he simply says, “My people do not, generally, have relationships. I have done…a bit more than kissing, but that was eons ago. With people usually unable to bring themselves to be around me very long…well, I have not had the opportunity.” He thinks about August’s offer and he knows that it’s folly. And he can see in the other’s eyes that he knows what he’s thinking.

The younger man begins to sputter apologies and gets up to go. “August, wait,” he pleads and tries reaching for his arm, but the other man is too quick. “It is not that I do not want to,” he assures him, “I just…I just can’t.” The other disappears through the bedroom door with a small nod, leaving Cadmus sputtering after him. “I don’t know how,” he mutters after him.

[petraofthemalakhim]

Petra had watched a nervous and curious looking August sneak into Cadmus' room. Then she'd watched him leave a little while later looking very upset. She'd tried to let it go, to mind her own business and she'd managed for a few hours. Now that the first rays of light are starting to pierce the darkness and she hasn't been able to sleep anyway, she sneaks into Cadmus' room herself.

In the dim light, she can see her old friend sleeping, but fitfully. She isn't sure waking him is such a good idea, but as if on cue, his eyes open and focus on her. She sees a touch of annoyance and flashes him a smile as she sits down beside the bed. "You know, I think he likes you," she teases. The look on his face lets her know that she's right and that she's hit a nerve.

"Look, I don't know August well," she admits, "but I know he's...sensitive and brave. He seems to be a really good guy." She can see that Cadmus is about to protest so she cuts him off before he can say anything. "You aren't with the Seraphim anymore. I know what life has been like for you. You deserve some happiness. Both of you do. If August can make you happy, why not let him?"

[magicandinsanity]

A Light in the Darkness | Circa Nottinghamshire 1901 | Shipton & Petra

[magicandinsanity]

Shipton had been minding his own business, keeping a low profile and hoping that the other boys would leave him alone. But one evening as he was heading for the stairs after dinner, he saw that the boys had turned their aggression to someone else. He hustled away, feeling relieved that it wasn’t him, but then something stopped him.

He turned, a hot anger and shame growing inside him. Slowly, he stepped back to the stairwell, where the boys were taunting a small, crying boy. “Leave them along,” Shipton threatened, surprising even himself.

A moment later, he saw Petra coming down the stairs and gave her a small smile. Then he stepped through the throng of surprised boys and picked up the small one on the floor. He helped him to the stairs, delivering him to a proud looking Petra. “Will you keep him safe?” he asked.

[petraofthemalakhim]

Petra looked up at the young man, smiling, but with tears in her eyes. "Of course I will." She brushed Shipton's cheek and whispered, "I'm so proud of you." Then she bent down and looked at the frightened little boy between them. "And what's your name, sweetie?"

The little boy hiccupped and choked out, "Timothy."

"Well, Timothy, everything's going to be alright now." She put her arm around him and started to lead him up the stairs. "Why don't you two come up to the infirmary? You'll be safer with me."

Timothy nodded vigorously and then tried to discreetly look back at the bullies to make sure they weren't going to follow.

After a moment, Petra realized that Shipton wasn't following them. She looked at him, confused and then shook her head. "You aren't coming are you?" She looked down at the waiting bullies, some of them still in shock, some walking away, their bubbles burst, but there were still a few looking angry and vengeful. "Shipton," she pleaded, but knew that this was something he had to do. "Be careful. I'll be back to check on you," she whispered and then climbed the stairs with Timothy.

[magicandinsanity]

A Light in the Darkness | Circa Nottinghamshire 1901 | Shipton & Petra

[magicandinsanity]

Shipton watched in awe, his eyes the only thing peeking over the sheet, as the boys turned and left disappointed. He waited a few moments to make sure they were really gone, and then he sits up with goofy smile. When Petra returns it and sits beside his bed he says, “Wow, that was amazing.”

He stared at the now closed door and added, “I think Mister Carlton likes them to be mean to me though. They’ll probably go complaining to him.” He knew that Petra was trying to help and he appreciated it, but he was starting to worry that she’d lose her job or something worse. She was his only friend at the orphanage and he didn’t want to see anything happen to her. And he didn’t want to see her have to leave. He gave her a pleading look, not sure how to put all of this into words.

"I’m not very smart," he said quietly. "I don’t know how to do things the other boys can do. I don’t like the same things they like. Even the younger boys are brighter than me. I think Mister Carlton thinks that they can toughen me up and make me more like them. Maybe he’s right."

[petraofthemalakhim]

"Oh no, sweetie," Petra said, sitting down next to the young man and pulling him into her arms. "There's nothing wrong with you," she reassured him as tears welled up in his eyes and he finally sobbed. She held him there, gently stroking his hair. "You're a wonderful person, Shipton. You don't want to be like those other boys."

She spent the next few days doing things like showing the young man how to write his name and trying to bolster his confidence. She knew she was on borrowed time, though, and eventually Mr. Carlton insisted that Shipton be put with the other boys. She didn't like it, knowing that they would immediately begin bullying him again. But she had little choice. 

The infirmary felt empty without the sound of the young man's deep soft voice. Petra tried to devise a way to keep tabs on him. After a few days, though, she'd heard little and feared the worst. On her way back to the infirmary, after a meeting with Mr. Carlton, she heard a commotion and stopped in her tracks.

She rushed back down the stairs to see a small boy crying in the corner of the stairwell with older boys standing around him. To her surprise, she also saw Shipton, pulling them away and telling them to leave the boy alone.

[petraofthemalakhim]

Petra, circa 1901

[magicandinsanity]

A Light in the Darkness | Circa Nottinghamshire 1901 | Shipton & Petra

[magicandinsanity]

The next few days passed as a blur to Shipton. He vaguely remembered the pain in his feet and then it feeling a little better, and he vaguely remembered Petra saying something to Mr. Carlton about pneumonia. What he remembered most was feeling just plain horrible. He could barely breath and was either too hot or too cold. He was unconscious half the time and couldn’t make himself stay awake no matter how bad he wanted to.

When his fever finally broke and his coughing finally lessened up, he woke up, his head feeling clear for the first time in days. He was soaked in sweat and tried to sit up, with minimal success. His vision was a bit blurred, but he saw Petra rushing over to help him and he gave her a weak smile. She helped him stand and get cleaned up and then found some clean clothes to dress him in.

That evening he was feeling almost himself again and he and Petra sat at her desk playing a game of cards. Suddenly they heard footsteps from out in the hall and the young man peaked behind the blinds to see who it was.

His face fell and he looked back to Petra. “It’s them,” he mouthed. He froze in terror as the boys who’d locked him in the cupboard began pounding on the infirmary door and demanded to be let in.

[petraofthemalakhim]

Petra put a finger to her lips and insisted that everything was going to be alright. "Come on," she said, ushering him away from the desk. "Get back in bed and let me do the talking." She could tell from the look on his face that he hadn't had any intention of discussing anything with the boys. "Just...stay in bed," she added, trying to sound reassuring.

The pounding was now accompanied by insistant calls of, "Nurse Petra, we know you're in there."

She huffed and went to the door, throwing it open with no signs of fear. "What do you boys think you're doing? This is the infirmary. There are sick people here, not to be disturbed."

"You mean Shit-ton?" one of the boys sneered with a laugh.

She fixed him with a cold stare. "Shipton is sick and needs his rest."

The oldest and biggest of the boys said, "Mister Carlton said we could come and fetch him when he's well."

"He is not well! And when he is, Mister Carlton can fetch him himself. I will not be releasing him to you. Furthermore, if I find out that it was you boys who forced him into the cupboard adn cut his feet, I will see to it that you are severely punished."

[magicandinsanity]

A Light in the Darkness | Circa Nottinghamshire 1901 | Shipton & Petra

[magicandinsanity]

Shipton let out a breath, he didn’t know he was holding, when Mr. Carlton walked away. He let himself be manhandled again, Petra’s hug feeling strange to him. He didn’t have much to compare it to; didn’t remember what it was like to be shown affection. But it was nice and he gave her a brave smile as they started up the stairs. 

He didn’t know how long it took. All he knew is that they were racing the rising sun. The sky was getting lighter but the minute and as soon as day broke there would be the call to breakfast. He knew the bullies would be angry when they saw he wasn’t in the cellar, but it was better than meeting them on the staircase.

He didn’t realize his feet had been so sore, but then again, the boys had carried him to the cellar with very little walking on his part. When they made it to the infirmary, Petra helped him sit down on a bed and closed the door behind them.

He looked up at her gratefully and whispered, “Thank you. I can’t believe you stood up to Mister Carlton like that. I thought I was going to be in more trouble,” he said in muted awe as his sleepy eyelids began to close.

[petraofthemalakhim]

Petra smiled softly as she watched the young man fall asleep. She turned up the radiator, trying to make the room as warm and comfortable as she could. The infirmary was small, considering how many children it was supposed to service. It had a cold, dreary feel which she'd immediately gone about trying to change when she arrived. She knew that Mr. Carlton didn't really approve, but so far he'd made no direct demands that she stop.

She pulled a ragged quilt over Shipton, wanting him to get his rest, but knowing that he needed medical attention. So she prepared a syringe with a sedative and injected it into his arm. He stirred a bit at the needle pinch, but then fell back asleep. She watched him for a moment and then lifted the quilt off of his wounded feet.

She shook her head, finally seeing them clearly for the first time. It was obvious that he'd been forced to stand in something; perhaps broken glass or pottery shards. And he'd been walking on the cuts which had made them worse. Some of the sores showed early signs of infection and she started treatment right away. She cleaned his feet, debriding the wounds that had begun to ooze. In the end, she was glad she'd decided to sedate him. He never would have been able to sleep through the pain.

[magicandinsanity]

A Light in the Darkness | Circa Nottinghamshire 1901 | Shipton & Petra

[magicandinsanity]

As the cellar door opened, Shipton’s eyes widened and he crouched low. As the man on the other side of the door stepped closer and beckoned them out, he let go of Petra’s hand and ducked out of the way. He quickly found the corner between the hallway and the staircase leading to the upper floors and squeezed into it.

The man was Mr. Carlton and he ran Greenwood Orphanage; generally with an iron hand. He slowly looked Petra and Shipton over, his face a mask of unreadable passivity. “Nurse, may I ask why you and this young man just came up from the cellar?”

The teenager watched the exchange between Petra and Mr. Carlton, but kept quiet. A small whimper escaped his lips when the older man looked his way, but it was doubtful he could answer with anything more coherent.

Carlton was about the same height as Shipton, but much heavier, with a stern brow and grizzled hair. And more than that, he had a rather obvious contempt for the young man.

[petraofthemalakhim]

She gave Mr. Carlton a hard look, pursing her lips in seriousness. "I was in the cellar because some of the boys had locked Shipton in the cupboard." She knew the man wouldn't care about that, figuring it was good character building for all the boys concerned, but she didn't let him speak. She quickly added, "I need to take him up to the infirmary. He's been going around without shoes and has developed sores. If they become infected, he may become very sick." While Carlton may not care, she knew the man would want to avoid the complications that might cause.

The man looked her over again, as if he wasn't quite sure whether to take her seriously. Then he glanced at Shipton's bare, bloody feet. "Fine," he finally agreed. "But I don't want him receiving special treatment from you. He's soft enough as it is. He needs to learn to stand up for himself in this life. When he leaves here in a few months, there won't be anyone on the outside world to do it for him."

Petra nodded and then watched the man hesitantly stroll away. When he'd returned to his own room, she went to the teenager and helped him back to his feet.

"Come on," she whispered. "Let's get you cleaned up and in a warm bed." She craned her head at the stairs and sighed. It was going to be a long walk to the third floor, but she hoisted the boy up and stepped forward. With any luck, they could quietly make it up the stairs and Shipton wouldn't pass out on her.

[magicandinsanity]

A Light in the Darkness | Circa Nottinghamshire 1901 | Shipton & Petra

[the-misfit-fleet]

Shipton squeezed his eyes shut, curling into a ball again when they fell into a heap on the cellar floor. He hadn’t paid any heed to the person doing the pulling, but it surprised him that they let him go. Nevertheless, it didn’t occur to him to try and run. There was nowhere to go.

He began to rock back and forth as he heard the person moving closer. Slowly he became aware that it was a female voice he was hearing. There were no girls as the orphanage, known somewhat uncreatively as Greenwood. Greenwood because it was nestled in a forest. There was only one woman there as well; Petra.

Shipton opened his eyes and slowly looked up as she touched him. Then a small, bashful smile crossed his face.

For a moment, he only looked at her, feeling happy and grateful. It seemed her very presence made the light from the single candle brighter. But then his face fell and a crushing fear made his pulse quicken. “You shouldn’t have come,” he whispered. “They won’t like it that you’ve come.”

[petraofthemalakhim]

Petra returned the young man's smile and shook her head. "I'm not afraid of those other boys," she insisted.

She knew it would do no good to tell him that he didn't have to be either; that he could stand up to them. Shipton just didn't have it in him to fight back. She rubbed her hand along his arm, trying to let him know that, somehow, it would be OK. She would find a way to take care of him. She knew that they couldn't stay in the cellar though. She didn't fear the boys, in theory, but she didn't want to get caught down there with them.

She looked over the skinny, shivering boy. His feet were bare and what she had originally took for gunk in the low light, on closer inspection looked more like blood and sores. "Did someone steal your shoes?" she asked with indignant fury. When he nodded, a bit startled, in reply, she softened her tone and added, "It looks like you've been going barefoot a lot." And forced to walk over something you shouldn't, she finished to herself. "Come on," she said. "Let me help you up. I'll take you to the infirmary."

Once again, she was reminded of just how large the boy was, no matter how skinny he looked. And the cellar door looked a very long way from the bottom. Nevertheless, she let Shipton lean on her and they slowly ascended the stairs. A part of her began to fear that the sun would come up before they could make it to the infirmary, but they managed to make it to the door in time and seemed to be home free. Until she opened the cellar door.

[magicandinsanity]

A Light in the Darkness | Circa Nottinghamshire 1901 | Shipton & Petra

The room was cold and dark, with a dank, musty odor that assaulted the senses. It was the smell of mold and rot and, perhaps, even death. The boy hugged his knees even tighter, like if he could somehow make himself small enough, he could disappear from this place altogether. A quiet whimper escaped his lips as he felt something scurry across his bare feet.

It wasn’t as if Shipton hadn’t heen here before, but that never served to take the edge off his fears. The meaner boys loved to torment him by forcing him into the cellar cupboard. He was older than most of them; almost old enough to be kicked out of the streets, and taller too, but none of that mattered. He was weaker and they knew it. On top of that, the cupboard was used for punishment and he got into plenty of trouble even if it was accidentally.

If he just waited all night, he knew they’d let him out in the morning. They’d have punishment of their own if he didn’t make it to breakfast. Because of the slope the orphanage was built on, he could see a sliver of sun through a crack and the wall. He knew things would be alright when he could see the light. It was actually worse if the cellar door was opened before sunrise, because he knew that, then, they had something worse planned for him. So, when the door to the cupboard opened unexpectedly, Shipton began to scream.

[petraofthemalakhim]

"No, no, no. It's OK," she tried to soothe the screaming teenager, but it did no good. He wasn't listening and when she tried to pull him from the cupboard, he added kicking to his screaming. Technically, he was still a child and while he was gangly, he was four inches taller than her and stronger than he looked. The two of them fell out of the cupboard and Petra moved back, nursing her bruises.

She'd come to this hell hole because she'd heard the rumors of hos the children were being treated. Not that most orphanages weren't similar, but being hidden away in the countryside, this one received little scrutiny. She'd been determined to help however she could. And she'd immediately found what she could only describe as a mad house. The children were barely fed, worked to the bone, severely punished and allowed to treat each other however they wanted. She'd also noticed that there was something different about the one they called Shipton. He was quiet and kept to himself and sometimes seemed younger than his seventeen years. She'd only been at the orphanage for a few days, but had already felt drawn to try and help him. She'd attempted to befriend him, but had only gotten so far.

She carefully scooted a little closer, tentatively reaching for the young man. "Shipton? It's alright. It's me. It's Petra." Then she lightly touched his arm.

[petraofthemalakhim]

Disclaimer

I do not own any of the pictures or gifs on this blog, only the stories. Petra's face claim is Alex Kingston and this site is in no way affiliated with her. Petra is a side blog of inkstainsandmightypens.