Umbra

In a stylish apartment in a remote part of town a woman sits at her kitchen table, in her hands is a cigarette she has no intention of smoking but for now she just wants to smell it.. even unlit the smell reminds her of him. That filthy, awful habit she hated so much.. what she would give for him to walk into the room now.. with his wild.. impossibly happy smile at the sight of his family.. greet everyone and go out onto the deck with a cigarette. She always knew it was more than the cigarette of course, he went out to the deck to retire Umbra for the night and let Viktor take over.. some nights that took longer than either of them would like.

Quietly the woman walks over to check on the small sleeping boy.. he had stopped crying again. For every other child this would be a source of celebration but for Nikolai.. it meant he was suffering, it meant he was feeling so many things he didnt have the words for yet… someone who was in no way short of words was sat in the next room.. furiously destroying some random creatures on her computer game. Her uncle has dropped the gaming console off, hoping it would be something to distract her. It had worked to be fair.. but almost too well as Nadja would lose hours at a time to the game.

The glare of the screen did nothing to hide the red rims of her eyes or the steady stream of tears on her cheeks. Truth be told Suzie had tears of her own she wanted to shed but she wanted to wait until they were asleep.. alseep before letting out the wounded, crying creature that sat in her soul.. that just wanted to let out long suffering wails because tears felt so woefully insufficient

For the 10th time that night she picked up her phone to call Charlie but stopped herself.. how could she intrude on her grief.. she was in this hell with her.. no , no instead she fired a quick message

“We are all going to bed soon, thank you so much. It means alot . But please make sure you eat something? I left you lunch”

The message sent and a phone across the street, in a one bed apartment that overlooked Suzies apartment, buzzed. Charles looked at the message and sent a short message back. Taking a bite of the sandwich he maintained his vigil, he would do so until they felt safe enough to sleep without a guardian

Back inside the house suzie began ushering Nadja to bed, fighting off her protests and misplaced rage. Angry shadows swirled and snared around her, some starting to form markings on her skin.. all of them little references to her father. Suzie almost broke then.. almost lost the war with the void that wanted to take her.. but she held on

“Come on baby.. lets go”

Nadjas tears took over her complaints, quiet hopeless tears that held more understanding of sadness than any child should know. They two walked over to their couch, its where they both slept these days abd got ready to settle in for the night.

Suddenly Nadja sat up bolt upright

“DADA!”

Suzie cleared her eyes of the new stinging tears and readied herself to calm her daughter.. the words left her as the familiar lattice work of shadows formed a door in the room

“Hello.. my loves”