Chapter 5 Chapter 5

She hadn't used a lantern in forever. 

But with the flashlights off, Lucina's phone at zero bar and hers replicating the same fate, this lantern was the ultimate saviour. 

"Careful with the naked wires." 

She rolled her eyes.

"Geez, thank you for your very important contribution Lucian, seeing that I am a dumb-belle who doesn't know how to avoid naked wir—Ow."

Elowen yelped as a small spark from the wire kissed her fingertip. The finger after her thumb, she shook it and hissed at the sharp pain. A small drop of blood gathered at the top of her finger. 

The wire had loose ends. 

He took the lantern from her and lifted it to the circuit panel, or "fuse box" since this was a slightly older house. 

"Yeah... it's fried. An electrician will have to work on this." 

Ugh. This storm was the absolute worst. 

"So we'll have to stay like this? In darkness? The whole night?" 

He nodded, stepping away from the panel and handing the lantern back to her. 

"Are you... bothered by the dark?" 

"Pssh, bothered? Me? I'm not some toddler. And I've handled far—"

A loud crack of thunder tore through the sky again and her words died in her throat. His lips stretched into a soft smile and his dimples deepened. He tucked his hands in his pocket and leaned forward. 

"Legends say that this is how it began." 

Her face twisted in confusion.

"How... What began?" 

"The Boogeyman." 

"Don't be stupid. For your own sake, please don't." 

"I have no phobia for the dark. I'm completely fine." 

She didn't know what he did to the lantern but the flame went out. She shook it as if it would revive it.

"Lucian!" 

But he wasn't in front of her anymore. 

"Lucian?"

She couldn't even hear his footsteps. 

"Lucian?"

No response.

"This isn't funny. Where are you?" 

“I can hear you breathing,” He chuckled, like a literal maniac. “Elowen… do you know what they say about the dark?”

Her stomach twisted. “Lucian… stop it.”

“Legends say…” he continued, “the Boogeyman walks when the lights die and he doesn’t just take your toys… he takes your flesh. Slowly, every inch, every tendon, and every heartbeat ripped apart…”

She reached forward blindly, her fingers trembling as she tried to focus on staying calm. 

“Stop it!” she shouted.

Staying calm wasn't working when he was this good at being spooky.

“Or… maybe you want to see him? To watch the red drip across the floorboards as he carves his way through the unlucky…”

Elowen’s fingers shot out and for a moment, they found his arm. 

“Shh…” he murmured before pulling away from her shaky fingers. “It’s just us. The Boogeyman is only a story."

He replicated a villainous laugh.

"Or... is he?”

She had enough.

Elowen spread her hands on the side table a few inches away from where they stood, the moment her hands found something hard? She gripped it. 

"I'll ask where you are, and I'll only ask once. If you don't answer me, I swear on my parent's grave that I will hurl this wooden box at you so hard you'll transition directly to the afterlife without delay." 

And Lucian knew she meant every word. 

Her breaths came out in heavy pants as her eyes tried to make out his silhouette.

Within half a minute she heard footsteps behind her. Strong arms wrapped themselves around her torso and his chin dug into her neck. She wanted to snap, to bite his ear, gouge his eyes out, to flip him over and set him on fire. 

And he knew that. 

But he didn't lean off. 

"You're shaking." He murmured. "I didn't know you would be that affected." 

"Let go of me." Her tone was bitter and angry, withholding tears she hadn't expected to gather tonight.

He didn’t mean to spook her that much.

Lucian could feel the tremors running through her. 

“Elowen…” he whispered. “Hey, it’s me.....it’s just me.”

The lantern's flame rekindled on its own and flickered faintly from the floor, catching the sheen of moisture on her cheeks. 

“Damn it,” he murmured under his breath. “I didn’t mean to.”

The storm outside was relentless as if mirroring her mood. But Elowen's eyes had gone completely dead. 

"Elowen?."

She didn't respond. 

"Elowen??"

Her body was still trembling violently. Lucian knew that he had to do something.

"Don't stab me, but I'm going to try something...." He opened the buttons of his shirt, the first step to calming a spooked person was body warmth, warmth to stabilize them, and the body to assure them that they were still rooted in reality and not stuck in the horrors that had spooked them. 

Elowen's eyes drifted lazily to his figure, she attempted to walk away, nearly drifting into little space. 

Lucian held her wrist and lifted her by her waist, pressing her against his naked chest and positioning her legs around his waist.

"Imagine you're putting me in a hip lock."  

Her brain registered violence so her legs immediately tightened around him painfully. He groaned softly at the pressure but didn't care, he slung an arm protectively over her back the same way his mother used to anytime his brother would spook him. 

Lucian felt... awkward doing this because if anyone walked in and saw them like this? They would easily misunderstand. But this was the right thing to do. Rehab had taught him that much. 

"It's okay now, you can put me down." 

She finally spoke. 

Phew. 

"Are you sure? I want to make sure you're completely fine." 

"Your nipples are poking me, mine are poking you. This is an uncomfortable position Langford." 

Oh...

She swung her leg and came down, almost on cue, the electricity came back on. 

Great.

"I'm heading to my room, remember, I don't want to see you here when the sun comes up."

"But... We'll still meet at school to start our training? Yes?" 

She nodded. 

"Will you be attending early lectures?"

His smart watch buzzed. 

"Holding off on classes for now." 

Elowen gave him one last nod and disappeared up the stairs without another glance.

Lucian exhaled putting his shirt back on. 

His smartwatch vibrated showing an incoming call and he tapped on it after making sure that she was out of hearing reach. 

“Lucian.”

“Dorian.”

“I trust you are where you need to be?”

“Yes.”

“Good.” There was the faint rustle of paper on the other end.

“Remember the plan. Get the journal and get out of there.”

"I slid something into her drink. I'm waiting for her to fall asleep." 

Dorian chuckled on the other end.

"You're a good actor, Lucian. I almost pity her. Almost."