Caius' Story: Alabaster Creek
Caius Masterlist
Note- the flashback scenes are in italics!
The silver rays of the early morning greeted Y/N through the guest room window. She turned over in bed, pulling the blanket over her eyes to block out the intruding light. Memories of last night’s events surfaced to the front of her mind.
Caius opened the paneled, white door to the white, brick house. It was two stories tall and looked like it belonged in an upper-middle class suburb somewhere. It was definitely out of Y/N’s price range at any rate.
“Please, come in.” Caius stepped to the side.
Y/N entered the house. While fairly minimalist, it still felt lived-in. In the foyer, a golden, engraved crest sat propped up on a tea table. White candles sat on either side of it. The living room held shelves and shelves of books, mostly on Candida Aurum, but also classic literature, along with biographies of important religious and historical figures. The kitchen, which was where they stopped, had marble countertops and grey backsplash. A mug tree sat on one of the counters with neat little espresso cups hanging from it.
Caius pulled out a padded dinner chair and gestured to it. Y/N felt her legs tremble as she sat down. Before she knew it, a blanket had been draped around her shoulders.
“Easy, it’s going to be all right,” Caius said, “you’re in shock.”
The world felt slightly hazy, as though time and space were occurring in a dream.
“I am?” Y/N mumbled.
“Let me call the doctor,” he continued, “I want to make sure you’re all right.”
…
Y/N was still staring off into space when the doctor arrived. After some poking and prodding, along with a few questions she didn’t really retain, the doctor offered a capsule to Caius from his medical bag.
“She needs to sleep this off, High Reverend,” he said, “but she should be fully recovered by the morning, at least physically.”
“Thank you, doctor,” Caius said, “my blessing goes with you.”
Caius left to show the doctor out, then returned to Y/N’s side. He set a glass of water down in front of her and offered her the capsule.
“It’s only a mild sedative,” Caius said, “it should help things.”
“I… I don’t think I want it,” Y/N said slowly.
“I understand your reservations,” Caius said, “but I do truly think you need to sleep this off. I can take you to a guest room. There’s a lock on the door, no one will bother you.”
Caius brought Y/N to a room with white walls and grey carpet. The same crest from before hung in a frame over the doorway. There was a small bathroom connected to the guest room, which included a standing shower.
“I’m afraid I don’t have much sleepwear to offer you,” Caius said, “there are some clothes at the temple we keep for the impoverished, but in the meantime, I have these.”
He offered her a grey t-shirt and long exercise shorts.
“Thank you.” Y/N’s voice barely carried out of her throat.
“We can talk about everything in the morning.” Caius smiled, “good night, Y/N. I will pray that Levaura watches over you.”
Y/N almost fell asleep again whilst mulling over last night’s events. A knock came at her door.
“Y/N? May I come in?”
Y/N unlocked the door and opened it to the sight of Caius in the doorway, dressed in the strange white and silver robes from last night.
“I’ve taken the liberty of washing your clothes for you,” he said, handing the laundry to her, “and there is breakfast in the kitchen should you want it. I think it would be a good idea.”
“Thank you,” Y/N said.
Her mind was still reeling from last night’s events, and even a full night’s sleep hadn’t slowed its racing.
She followed the priest into the kitchen all the same.
On the table sat a glass of apple juice and a bowl of cinnamon-dusted oatmeal. She realized now that she hadn’t eaten since before her flight. She proceeded to pick up her spoon and slowly tackle the meal.
Well, slowly was the intended speed. She hadn’t eaten for some time and her body was well aware of that. She finished everything in a matter of minutes.
“Can I fix you another one?” Caius asked, setting the empty bowl in the dishwasher.
“Oh, um, no thank you.”
Caius sat down next to her.
“Y/N, forgive me, but, perhaps you could tell me what happened to you,” he said, “I want to help you, and I need the full picture.”
Y/N swallowed.
“Okay.”
It was difficult, but she managed to get through her recollection of the flight, the hijacking, and the abduction. She only cried a couple of times, though she did have to pause a lot to prevent full sobbing. When she finished, Caius put a gentle hand on her shoulder.
“I am so sorry that happened to you,” he said, “you are undeserving of such suffering. Please stay here as long as you need to.”
“Honestly I just wanna go home,” she said, “but I don’t think I wanna fly anywhere ever again. Can’t I just teleport there?”
Caius laughed with a tinge of sadness.
“If only such things were possible,” he said, “I’ll make it a personal mission to get you home. What I can do first is get you in touch with the authorities.”
Y/N nodded.
“When you’re ready, we’ll make a trip to the police station. There is a small city not far from here. We’ll take the community van.”
…
When she was ready, Y/N let Caius lead her through the gated town, which was currently bustling with people. All of them were wearing crests like Caius’ pendant, only instead of silver, each person wore one of bronze. Some children passed Caius and Y/N, not at all aware of their surroundings. Their pendants bounced against their chests as they chased each other. They weren’t very fast.
“I’m sorry High Reverend Caius,” a woman in a veil said, “I have been meaning to get mine to pay closer attention. I fear she may be becoming a bad influence on her friend.”
“Influences can be changed with effort,” Caius smiled, “not to worry, their innocence outweighs their harm.”
She thanked him, and Caius led Y/N across the street.
“I apologize for the walking distance,” he said, “many newcomers are not accustomed to it.”
“No different than a college campus.” Y/N smiled a little.
After some time, they made it to a side gate, on the other side of which was a gravel parking lot that led to a broad road stretching into the trees beyond. Under a carport sat a long, white van.
“On occasion we have missionary outings,” Caius explained.
He opened the passenger door for her, and Y/N got inside. An air freshener tag hung from the rearview mirror, giving the inside of the vehicle a clean, fresh scent.
Caius pressed the ignition button, the van was a newer model, and they started off. The gravel beneath the tires jostled them a little. Y/N watched the trees go by outside the window. She was sure that, in a few days at least, she’d be back at home in her tiny apartment and making an appointment with a therapist about this whole thing.
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