IP: 73.239.138.120
Posted on April 10, 2020 at 09:30:36 PM by POPPY & BOHDI
Pt II (side part) is at the Forum (reply to Brock)
Pt IV is in Other Worlds
Pt V is at the Castle
Poppy paced back and forth in her room, trying and failing to clamp down on the anxiety fluttering around in the pit of her belly. It was getting late, wasn't it? Had they really been at the carnival all day? Work had been... strange, and all she really wanted to do was go to bed, but she couldn't go to bed without Zel home. She stopped pacing to stare at the clock on the wall, gnawing at her bottom lip. First thing she was doing in the morning was getting Bohdi one of those damn magic mirrors; she'd been meaning to anyways, but in moments like this...
Poppy heard heavy footsteps on the stairs outside her room and she hurried over, yanking the door open. An elderly gentleman gasped in surprise, forcing Poppy to grab hold of his arm before he went tumbling backwards. "I'm so sorry," she blurted hurriedly. "Not a worry, dearie, just caught me off-guard. Not quite a stable as I used-" Poppy wasn't listening anymore, her gaze was focused behind him on the stairs. Bohdi widened her eyes at Poppy, making a shooing motion with her metal arm - she'd clearly been behind the old man for awhile, her already low patience clearly at its breaking point. Her good arm was behind her, holding up a snoozing Zel who was clinging to her back like a monkey. Poppy mumbled another apology and scooted the man down the hall before yanking Bohdi into the room. "You're late!" Poppy hissed in a low, angry whisper as she moved around Bohdi, gently plucking Zel off her back. The little girl mumbled in her sleep, too exhausted for her usual hyper-vigilance to force her into wakefulness. Bohdi said nothing, just looked at her, and Poppy felt herself deflate. She wasn't really angry, but she hated the blooming anxiety in her belly - she hated the way it made her lash out even more. The silence stretched as Poppy bustled Zel over to her bed, tucking her in and checking that all three nightlights - one on either side of the bed and a third at the other side of the room - were on HIGH. It made it almost as bright as daylight in their room at night, but it was worth it to keep the worst of Zel's night terrors at bay. Finally, with nothing more to fret about, Poppy turned back to Bohdi. "Aren't you going to say anything?" she snapped, wincing at her own tone - she knew she was spoiling for a fight, for something to go sideways, for some excuse to vent her anger, but she couldn't seem to stop herself. Bohdi strode across the room, gently wrapping her arms around Poppy as if she were fragile. Poppy wiggled against the embrace before giving in. Bohdi gently pressed Poppy's head to her shoulder, stroking her hand over her wild copper hair in a soothing motion. "I'm mad at you!" Poppy muttered against Bohdi's shoulder, her voice breaking. "I know," Bohdi answered, still petting her hair. Poppy sucked in a shaky breath, tentatively wrapping her arms around Bohdi. And then she woke up. Poppy sat up in bed, gasping as if she'd just surfaced from beneath cold water. Her heart thundered in her chest, her mouth dry. Something... something was wrong. She was on her feet in a moment, rushing across the short steps between her bed and Zel's. Her heartbeat kicked up, her breathing ragged. The bed was empty. Zel was gone. No, wait. She pulled back the quilt a little more brusquely than she normally would have, revealing Zel's tiny body curled in the middle of the bed. Poppy's shaky legs gave out on her and she fell to her knees, reaching out a hand to gently touch the girl's hair. Real. She was real, and she was there, and she was safe. "Mommy?" Eselda mumbled, more than half asleep as she studied Poppy through cracked lids. "It's alright, honey, everything's alright. Go back to sleep," Poppy tucked the girl back in, and then got to her feet. A low dread was pooling in her belly now, a dread that surely should have eased by now, except... "Bohdi?" Poppy called in a whisper. "Bo?" She'd been there last night, hadn't she? When had she left? Poppy quietly hurried to the bathroom, but it was vacant. Then she burst into the hall. Olive, passing by, was unceremoniously shoved into the room to sit with Zel before Poppy thundered down the steps. Fully aware that it was six in the morning, Poppy raced to the suite of rooms shared by Bohdi's family and hammered on the door. She paused a second, then resumed. A baby's wail replied, making Poppy wince, but she didn't care at that moment. She just needed... Blue pulled the door open, drowsy-eyed and gently patting the back of the infant he held. "Poppy?" He came awake in a sudden rush, recognizing the look of panicked confusion on her face. "Are you okay? Is it Zel?" Poppy shoved past him into the room, unable to speak. She burst into Bohdi's room, tore towards the bed. She yanked back the covers, but the bed was empty. She touched the sheets, the pillow, but they were cold. "Where's Bohdi?" she barked. Isla was sitting up in her bed, staring at Poppy in confusion and fear. Poppy tried to clamp down on her rushing emotions, but something... something was seriously wrong. "I don't... She didn't come back last night, I just assumed she was with you?" "She didn't come back at all? Not even for a minute?" "No... I don't think..." Blue looked towards Isla, who was shaking her head. "No, she didn't. Poppy. Poppy, breathe!" "Where... is... she..." "It's okay, Pops, she does this. Remember? This is my mom you're talking about." Poppy was sinking, sliding down against the wall. She was shaking, and she couldn't seem to stop her racing thoughts. "She wouldn't just leave. Not like that. I've... lost time... A few minutes ago we were in my room and it was night and she'd just got home and I was mad and now it's morning and she's not here. Where is she? She'd have told me!" Blue and Isla shared a look. Isla scooted to the edge of the bed, pulling herself into her chair with practiced ease. "I'll go wake the Dragon," she said, wheeling out of the room. |
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