wildflower girl

darkness is natural. it is a part of the world, as inextricable as gravity or weather. and yet, staring down the steps to the basement, bonnie felt that the pitch below was something born instead of a terrible fiction. or another punishment, came the little voice at the back of her mind, and she clasped the ring in her pocket until it dug painfully into the skin of her palm. the light of the candle was just enough to light her own face and a few feet around her: an isolating illumination.

she had nearly gathered the courage to pick her way down the steps and look for something, anything, that might be helpful in these circumstances: a flashlight, a storm lantern, anything more concrete than just a flickering candle, when she heard footsteps down the hall. reflexively she flinched before the familiar face of verónica entered the small world of light around her. ‘boy, am i glad to see you,’ bonnie said, the words coming out with a slightly shaky laugh. ‘i keep thinking the silliest things, like there something stupid like ghosts or-’ she cut herself off, waving the words away with her free hand as if that would erase them from existence. ‘are you heading downstairs? i'm a bit nervous about getting stuck down there on my own.’

chapter :   book  i,  chapter  i     location :   the  bar  &  lounge      tagging :   @bonniewhit·

if  he  remembers  from  the  last  time   (   was  that  yesterday  or  a  few  weeks  back   ?    ),   the  bar  doesn’t  exactly  seem  like  the  place  bonnie  would  pick  for  herself,  but  that’s  just  a  hunch  on  his  part.  however,  getting  people  to  enjoy  themselves  at  bars  was,  quite  literally,  tommy’s  job  description.  even  if  it  wasn’t,  he  had  decided  a  few  times  back,  and  he  wouldn’t  even  try  to  decided  when  that  was,  that  he’d  look  out  for  her.  tommy  knew  he  didn’t  have  too  much  advice  on  a  lot  of  topics,  but  he  did  know  how  to  survive  and  she  seemed  perhaps  a  bit  out  of  her  element  here.  perhaps  a  bit  overeager,  he  plops  himself  across  from  her,  smile  wide  enough  you  might  not  even  need  the  flickering  candlelight  to  see  it.

‘   hey  bonnie,   ’   he  greets  her,  voice  carrying  a  slight  melodic  quality  as  he  does  so.   ‘   not  too  bugged  out  about  this,  are  ya’   ?   you  don’t  seem  like  that  kinda  lady.   ’   it’s  a  hopeful  sentiment  more  than  something  he  knew  for  certain  to  be  true,  but  maybe  he  could  convince  her  it  was.   ‘   i  think  the  old  guy’s  messing  with  us  or  something.  what  about  you   ?   ’

the lobby’s flickering lights had begun to feel like eyes in the darkness, as if she were out with the chickens at night and a coyote stood just within view. it was a feeling of being hunted inside the house, being followed and chase through a labyrinth of domesticity. the bar was a little better: more people passed through and the darkness seemed to encroach and suffocate a little less. at the sound of tommy’s voice she looked up from the napkin she’d been ripping absentmindedly into shreds.

‘i’m really-’ she stopped before saying anything else, seizing onto the world tommy set up for her. don’t be afraid. he doesn’t want you to be afraid. ‘-fine. thank you for asking, mr barnett.’ tommy reminded her a bit of the dogs that herded the livestock back at home: alert and happy, always flinging themselves down where the most people were. despite her nerves his presence wrung a smile out of her. ‘why would he do that, though?’ she asked, lowering her voice just a touch.

___

June couldn’t remember how long the lights went out. It could have been minutes, or it could have days, and it wouldn’t make a difference. Any time spent asleep was incalculable, and any internal clock that ticked while awake was unreliable. Even attempts at marking the hours on a candle proved fruitless.

At least June could use the candles for light.

She was hardly the first the come up with this idea. Another woman, who looked quite lost herself, managed with a few candles herself. No, she didn’t just look lost. She looked startled.

All because June unwittingly stepped on something crunchy. 

“Not yet,” June said simply. June only knew that it was a power outage, and that nothing has been achieved yet. “Why? Did you find anything? I’m still trying to find flashlights. Maybe they’re in the basement, but I’m not going down there without some light.”

xit was strange how quickly she had become used to electricity. it wasn’t as if she’d never heard of it before, trips to larger towns had frequently come along with special visits to go listen to the radio: music, stories, politicians who made her father either very angry or very excited. but the first twenty-three years of her life had gone perfectly well without any electric lights in her own home. but now, suddenly without the ability to flick a switch and have light, it was worrying.

‘no, i’ve just found these candles. i’m not sure who lit them, they were already here when i came downstairs.’ she stood, picking one of the candles up and balancing it to be sure that it would not blow out or drip wax on her hand. ‘do you think it’s safe to go in the basement even with the candle?’ either way, she’d follow in this woman’s footsteps. the idea of being left behind again was far too much to bear.

the sound of relief in her voice was comforting, seeing bonnie afraid was not something he enjoyed seeing. ‘ it was a brilliant idea, and thanks to said brilliant idea i was lucky enough to find you. ‘ a soft chuckle escaped his lips as the young man leaned back into his seat yet again. he had a horrible habit of speaking with his hands, and so the words he spoke often followed with wild hand gestures. this very moment was no excuse to that rule. 

‘ i was thinking we might explore the rooftop? ‘ pausing momentarily the young man raised his brows slightly– a gleaming smile ever so present on his features. ‘ i think some fresh air, and a starry sky might be the best solution to whatever this is. ‘ he could tell that the current situation, the power outage, brought the young woman discomfort– and he wasn’t about to let that be the case for the rest of the night. he hoped, that maybe, being able to somewhat leave the raven house would ease her mind. 

x

at the compliment she laughed a little, the corners of her eyes crinkling with a soft pleased expression. ‘i’d say i’m the lucky one, i don’t know how much longer i would have had to just sit there if you hadn’t shown up.’ she stood, keeping the candle steady as the dim glow bounced around the room, illuminating her surrounding and casting a shadow across her face.

as the light cut faintly through the darkness her eyes landed on a pile of paper on the desk. no, not paper. envelopes: heavy, fancy, glowing slightly as the light reflected off their surface. one on the top bore her name, bonnie whitaker, in an elegant hand. her fingers reached out, brushing against the paper and feeling the rasp on her skin before grabbing it and tucking it into her pocket. too much strangeness for the moment. she needed to think or to not think at all, and she turned her attention back to luc.

‘that sounds nice.’ it really did. the rooftop was perhaps her favorite place in the hotel, where she could close her eyes and pretend for a moment that she was simply outside back at home rather than feeling as if she were inside a glass case to be examined by some great unseen eye. ‘do you see any matches? or maybe bring an extra candle so that we aren’t trapped if this one blows out.’

.

She followed the sound of the voice, glad there was some sign of life in the hotel. Once she entered the lobby, thanks to the light of the candles, she saw a young woman sitting down. The girl was familiar to her, Ela had probably seen her around before, but she didn’t believe that they had ever spoken. Not wanting to startle her she cleared her throat and gave a light, “Hey.” As a warning before she approached, eventually stepping into the light herself. 

“I’m not sure what happened. Hopefully the empty lobby means people are off trying to find the electrical box.” If not she would venture off in search of it herself, but for the moment she was content just sitting and waiting it out for a bit. That is, if her presence was welcome. Maybe the young woman wanted some space. “Do you mind if I join you?” 

x

the shadows pooled around the woman’s form as she stepped into the light and bonnie once again had the disconcerting feeling that there was something just out of sight that she was missing. something important. so the offer of companionship came as a great relief and she gestured to the chair across from her, perhaps a little too quick to nod. ‘yes, of course. i mean, i don’t mind.’

the woman looked familiar in the way that all inhabitants of the raven house eventually did, a way that was far too distant for the amount of time they spent in such close proximity. it was strange to live day in and day out with other people and not even know all their names. ‘i’m bonnie. what does the electrical box do exactly?’

his vision was of no use, for the flickering of a candle in the distance did not do much to help the situation. instead, luc found he had to rely on his sense of touch. an arm extended, fingers trailing against the wall he slowly wandered forward into the darkness. this entire ordeal, was possibly the only normal thing about the raven house. its usual functionality disturbed by something so ordinary as a power outage, and something about that brought his mind to ease. not before long, the young man had wandered into an open space, he could make out the silhouette of a young woman– nothing more. and then she spoke, and within an instant he placed the voice to none other than bonnie. 

bonnie whitaker. kindness seemed to radiate off her, wherever she went. it was cute. a soft smile slipped across his lips as the young man moved out of the shadows, lingering by her side for a moment before taking comfort in the seat opposite her. ‘ ma chère… ‘ he paused, shifting his weight in his seat ever so slightly, his upper body leaning forward, arms resting comfortably upon his knees, ‘ surely, it nothing, the lights will return soon i’m certain. ‘ sky blue hues averted to meet her own, ‘ but for now… will you join me on an expedition into the unknown?  ‘ 

x

the initial jolt of seeing a man step out of the darkness faded quickly as she recognized his face and she smiled in relief. ‘oh thank goodness, i was starting to worry everyone had vanished!” she exclaimed, twisting her fingers in the fabric of her skirt. the smooth texture was calming, it didn’t grate on her nerves like some of her old dresses had, tangling and hanging too heavy or too light. it had been the first gift she’d allowed herself in the hotel, a tentative question to the closet one night.

as luc sat down across from her she was grateful for the warmth of the candles. a better reason for the heat she could feel coming over her, ears burning in what was surely just nerves from the darkness. she wasn’t sure what the words he said meant, but the gentle tone sent her reaching into her pocket and gripping the cold metal band sewn inside. for comfort, for surety, she wasn’t quite sure. ‘i- i thought it would be smart to stay somewhere where others might come along, but- well, you’re the only one to show up so far and i’d rather not sit here alone any longer.’ reaching out, she lifted one of the candles by its holder gently, careful not to let it blow out. ‘where to?’

timestamp:   ——  ,  NULL .   ·   location:   where  else?   the  raven  house  ,  MADNESS  TAKES  IT’S  TOLL .   ·   tagging:   open  for  everyone !

when  the  power  flickered  the  first  time,  macie  thought  maybe  she  was  seeing  things.  maybe  the  exhaustion  or  the  stress  or  something  had  finally  caused  her  to  snap.  but  then  it  happened  again,  and  again,  until  finally  the  power  disappeared  completely,  leaving  the  room  with  a  gentle  hum.   “ shit, ”   the  word  is  blown  out  on  a  soft  breath.  fingers  instantaneously  slide  down  her  thigh  to  reaffirm  that  the  bowie  knife,  her  safety  net,   was   still  within  reach  as  if  it  ever  left.  it  lessens  the  tightening  in  her  chest.  she  fumbles  around  in  the  dark  for  the  candle  that  is  kept  on  the  desk  in  her  room.  she’d  only  thought  it  was  decorative.  when  her  fingers  finally  find  purchase  on  it,  she  realizes  there’s  no  point.  she  doesn’t  have  a  light.

stepping  into  the  hall  does  nothing  to  help  the  uneasiness  that  has  settled  into  her  stomach.   no  emergency  lights.   what  kind  of  fucking  nightmare  was  this?  there’s  something,  maybe  it’s  anxiety  or  knowing  she’s  been  caught  in  situations  like  this  before,  that  makes  her  grip  the  bowie.  using  her  other  hand,  she  feels  down  the  wall  as  she  walks  for  the  dip  that  will  lead  to  the  stairs.  it’s  only  when  she  hits  the  bottom  that  she  runs  clear  into  another  body.   “ fuck! ”   c’mon  sullivan,  you’re  better  than  that  —  but  hey,  at  least  you  didn’t  stab  them. 

x

she hadn’t seen the letter at first in the dull glow of the candles, would have missed it entirely if it weren’t for the light that burned out and forced her to move closer to the center of the room. it was nice paper, solid and heavy and neat, and the way her name was written would have been beautiful if she hadn’t been so frightened of the shadows pushing in around her. there had been the sound of footsteps moving fast and she had startled, slipping the letter into the pocket of her long skirt without really thinking about it.

the light seemed to twist a little, and she was reminded of nights when the cold seeped in even through the walls of their farmhouse, when the wind whipped up and they would all gather around a fireplace under every blanket and sweater owned. perhaps it was because of this memory that she didn’t hear the sound of steps until it was too late. an impact broke her from her reverie, sending her nearly to the ground before catching her balance on the very person who threw her from it. ‘i’m so sorry, i didn’t see- well, obviously i didn’t see, no one can, that was silly to say-’ she cut herself off, fingers still clutching at the arm in the darkness as if letting go would send her spinning off into the pitch yet again. ‘are you alright?’

you needed a community to survive. bonnie had learned that before she was even weaned, before she began to speak. if your livestock die one year, if your harvest is plagued by insects and vermin, you don’t make it if your neighbors don’t step up to help. it was maybe the hardest thing about the hotel, being wrenched from her family, not knowing who here was telling the truth, what other people might have done to deserve this. bonnie had lived her life on stable soil and now far too often she felt as if she was tumbling through the air.

still clutching the items she’d been holding when the lights went off she finally made it safely down the stairway. maybe there would be more people down here, maybe even someone who knew what had happened with the lights. the candles glowing provided some relief and she hurried over to sit in their light. the room was silent for a while and she began to regret being in the light. so close to them, she couldn’t see out into the shadows, and it was as if she were all alone in the world. at last she heard footsteps and her heart leapt. ‘hello?’ she called out into the black. ‘are they- has anyone found out what’s going on?’