cecilycar

[cecilycar]

[cecilycar]

Despite her attempts Cecily could hear Willow’s voice loud and clear and let out an aggravated groan into her pillow to express her feelings on what was happening outside the comfort of her sleeping bag. She wasn’t much of a morning person and her mood was still a bit sour from Rhys and Willow barging in wasn’t helping it get any better. “You know if you want to share our tent you might choose to be a bit nicer upon arrival. Just a thought.” She almost started to protest Willow joining their tent just on account of her behavior but Gemma beat her to it with the questions, and even though the girls couldn’t see it Cecily raised a brow at the mention of her name. She didn’t quite get how she was the only one Willow could stand, considering that after nearly seven years of living together they hardly spoken to each other and their most recent interaction left Cecily confused by the girl. She quickly pulled her knees to her chest to avoid getting stepped on as she heard Willow making her way past her, giving her a judging look from under the edge of the sleeping bag, “Keep your stuff neat and together and we’ll be fine.”  Cecily was sure Willow remembered how she kept her space in the dorm neat and organized, and since they would be living so close together now she was hoping Willow would do the same since they were in a much smaller space now.

Close Quarters || Willow, Brenda, Gemma, Cecily

When Willow heard the groan she realized that she had actually run into a person not an object, but she didn’t care, it was their fault for sleeping there. She realized it was the girl from the dungeons and rolled her eyes, no wonder. She heard the attempted sorry before Gemma started yelling at her. Then Cecily barely muttered a response before going back to sleep. “Listen, blondie. I’m moving tents because if I don’t, well let’s just say it won’t be pretty.” She gritted her teeth at the thought of Remy. The Slytherin looked around the tent to survey the space. “You guys have room seem to have room for me, so I don’t see the problem.” She stated matter of factly. “Oh, and by the way, breakfast is ready, so if you want some, you all might want to get your asses out of bed before it’s all gone.” Her icy blue eyes found Gemma’s just for a moment as she smirked. She then proceeded to look for a place to put her things. She didn’t have much just her rucksack with some clothes and blankets and her wand in hand. She didn’t want to be next to the entrance like that other girl, and she certainly didn’t want to be close to the Gryffindor that irked her, so she made her way to the back of the tent on the other side of Cecily. She didn’t mind being against the wall, there was less chance of someone disturbing her sleep.

[cecilycar]

“Blood may be pure but that doesn’t mean our lives are,” she responded quickly. Cecily knew he would be wondering why she would be looking for her brother, assuming he lived at home and was a part of the image of their perfect life. She grew a bit antsy, realizing now that he was going to lend no help at all and she wanted nothing more than to leave the situation, but if she left she’d be back where she started with no ideas and no place to start, but she let her annoyance get the best of her and stood her ground, not ready to turn away just yet. “Glad we’re on the same page for something,” she said under his words. Cecily didn’t trust Rhys either, how was she supposed to when she didn’t know him and he her. But she did have some faith in him, faith in him and in Lane that they knew what they were doing and for a moment she had had some ounce of faith that just maybe Rhys would be willing to help someone who was here in support of the same thing, but all too quickly he crushed that idea. “ So who can I thank for that? You?” She asked in an aggravated tone, not even caring if her accusations were correct or not, “and the Ministry wouldn’t be so stupid as to have one copy, but thanks anyway.” She smiled sweetly at him, making a mental promise to herself that she wouldn't let folks like Rhys stop her. 

Lend a Hand || Cecily & Rhys

[cecilycar]

[cecilycar]

Cecily’s body warmed at the touch of Kate’s lips against hers, party from pure emotion and also the fact that Kate was holding them so closely together. She was glad Kate had responded well you her being called love, Cecily had always wanted that someone whom she could call by that name. She smiled as Kate talked about the moon, liking the thought of having something to connect them while they would be separated, even if only in thought. “Hopefully it wont be,” she said softly, “maybe it could be possible to send owls, just to make sure you’re safe…” She thought for a moment if sending an owl was possible, and if so she knew they’d have to be careful about it. Cecily blushed furiously at Kate’s compliment, looking at her with bashful eyes, “I-I’ll try not to… If we just remember that we’ll be waiting for each other at the end of all of this, we’ll make it through. Just be careful.” Cecily knew that if anything happened to Kate she would grow mad with worry and would do anything to make sure she was safe again. She hugged Kate again, trying to take in everything about her and commit it to memory, they way she felt in her arms, her scent, every detail Cecily could find. She didn’t know when they’d see each other again, so memories would be all they had until then, but she would make sure it would happen. 

Time To Say … || Kaily

Kate accepted the more heated kiss eagerly. It made her whole body hum with excitement and managed to stop her tears. She pulled Cecily closer, pressing their bodies flush together. They wouldn’t see each other for a long time and she wanted to savor every last second and make this one of the memories she would be able to dream of and think of when times became rough. When Cecily called her love she smiled again; they both were hesitant to speak of their true feelings after such a short amount of time together, but it seemed like they were both simply waiting for a more suitable moment. As the kiss continued and picked up even more steam Kate felt her desire for the other girl grow with every second. She wanted to tear their clothes off and feel their skin move against each other. So before things could get too far for now she broke the kiss and leaned her forehead against Cecily’s. It was too soon and just because they would be apart for a while they couldn’t lose control now. “I will miss you so much,” she whispered. “But when I’ll look up at the moon I will know that you are out there somewhere looking at the same moon. And after all we know that we’ll see each other again. So … it’s not that bad, right?” She smiled softly at Cecily, the girl who had managed to steal her heart in such a short amount of time. “You are the most beautiful girl Cecily Carroll. Inside and out, don’t you ever forget that.” Nothing would happen to Cecily, not if Kate had a say in it; and she would use her gift to make sure of that, no matter what that meant for herself.

[cecilycar]

Cecily was still aggravated from her encounter with Rhys, part of her feeling ridiculous for even going to him in the first place. She had kept herself up most of the night replaying the conversation in her head and trying to think of an alternate plan when sleep finally took her just before sunrise. She felt comfortable in the tent, and sharing it with Gemma and Brenda was no problem for her. She had already shared a space with Gemma in the Slytherin dorms and Brenda seemed friendly so Cecily expected no problems between the three. Their set up was fairly comfortable and they seemed to live together quite nicely within these few days, and although she kept to herself for the time being while she tried to figure things out Cecily promised to get to know them a bit better so they could hopefully stay this way. She heard a loud voice come from the entrance and thinking she was still dreaming she tried to ignore it but opened her eyes as Gemma started speaking to see Willow standing in the tent for some odd reason. “What in Merlin’s name is going on?" she asked sleepily, “Willow get out, this isn’t your tent…” She rolled over, pulling the sleeping bag over her head in a pathetic attempt to drown out the sound and go back to sleep.

Closer Quarters || Willow, Brenda, Gemma, Cecily

Willow couldn’t stand not doing anything with her time; she was itching for action and taking it out on those around her. First there was the incident with Centurion and this morning was another round of fun with Remy. She couldn’t believe how stupid the boy was. She was about two seconds away from packing up her stuff and heading home, but that was not an option. It didn’t matter how mad she was, Willow Capricia Gray was not a quitter. So instead she decided to move her things far away from Remy and his utter uselessness to society. The other random students she was staying with didn’t bother her, but being anywhere near that ridiculous Gryffindor was going to make her lose her mind. She knew that Cecily was staying on the other side of camp and although she didn’t really know the girl, she knew that she was smart and that she had status. However, she also knew that Gemma was staying with Cecily and even if the blonde had earned herself some respect, Willow still couldn’t stand her. But, the Slytherin figured it was her only option. By time she reached the girls’ tent she was fuming. She marched right in and almost tripped over a bundle of blankets. “What the hell?! Why would you leave that right at the entrance?” She snapped at no one in particular. The girls like most of the camp, were still asleep, her and Remy had just finished making breakfast after all.

[cecilycar]

Cecily smiled as Kate called her love but quickly shook her head as she denied her thanks. “You gave me peace of mind,” she said softly, letting her hands fall to Kate’s waist as they broke their embrace, “and that means everything to me.” She nodded at Kate’s promise to keep her safe, feeling the same but she was sure those words didn’t need to be spoken after what they had just been through but she did anyway. “I wont let anything happen to you.”

Cecily gave Kate’s hand a light squeeze, followed by a soft smile “Best do it now.” She led the way back down to the common room with Kate close behind, some of the younger students that they saved still crowded around the fire. She quickly approached the man, looking at him and back at the younger student. Originally she would want to move him so the little ones wouldn’t have to witness a death, but because of what was going on just outside the room she mostly didn’t want the dead body lying out in the open so no one, especially the younger ones, had to look at him.

Quickly she undid the ropes Kate had placed around him earlier and as he felt the freedom of his body he tried to jump out of his seat. He quickly sank back down into the chair as Cecily pointed her wand into his chest, a threatening tone in her voice, “Listen to me, or I’ll do it again.” He knew full well what it was and nodded in response, no longer doubting the two girls. “Get up.” She poked her wand into his back, digging his wand out of his pocket and handed it to Kate before she led him up into a hidden closet in the girl’s dormitory stairwell. The closet was fairly empty, mostly littered with books, cauldrons, and other supplies students sometimes forget at the end of the year and it often went unnoticed by students so it was almost the perfect place to end his life and leave him for the time being.

She pushed the man into the wall, still holding her wand in his direction. “Don’t move,” she commanded as she looked back at Kate, placing a quick kiss on the girl’s cheek, shooting a glare at the man after doing so. She didn’t doubt that Kate was strong enough for this and the fact that she wanted to do this herself made her even more attractive, and the kiss was to bring her some comfort and just for the sake of kissing her. “Ready?” Cecily asked before she leaned back against the door, holding her hand out to take his wand if Kate wanted her to hold it while she did this. 

Someone to Save Me || Kaily

Kate was glad that they seemed to be pretty much on the same page regarding their relationship and how to take it further. The blush that tinged Cecily’s cheeks led Kate to believe that they both were open and even eager to explore the physical aspect of their relationship, but they also both knew that his was not the time.

Kate had feared that they would be separated by the coming war, their political stances too different to allow for anything else, but … she had still hoped that somehow, maybe Cecily would side with her parents. But her vision had made it pretty clear that they would indeed be separated. It made the vision bittersweet, because it had also shown her that they would meet again, their feelings for each other strong as ever.

So when Cecily kissed her, relieved that her parents were alive, she kissed her back equally hard. She didn’t want to leave the other girl, the thought send waves of fear through her like nothing she had ever felt before. How was she supposed to protect Cecily when everyone expected them to be enemies?

“Shhh, it’s okay love. I understand. And you don’t need to thank me, it’s not like I saved their lives or anything like that.” She hugged the older girl closer to her, not wanting to ever let her go. “I will do everything in my power to keep you safe,” she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. She would have to tell Cecily about the other vision and soon, there wasn’t much time left, but first they had to deal with the guy they captured.

For Kate there wasn’t really much of a choice. She couldn’t let him live, he knew too much. And even if they altered his memory someone else might dig the truth out of him. No, Kate couldn’t let him live. It was too dangerous to have someone like him know what she could do. She took a deep breath at this reality sank in and looked straight into Cecily’s eyes, hoping she would understand what she had to do.

“I will kill him.”

[cecilycar]

[cecilycar]

[cecilycar]

Cecily nodded as Kate told her not to risk herself for the book, even though she knew she’d still do whatever she could to not let it get destroyed. As she held Kate she could feel something against her shoulder, and when the girl pulled away she could see that she was crying. Cecily was sometimes a sympathy crier, if she saw someone cry then she would cry as well if she knew the reason. She placed a hand over Kate’s, feeling the ache in her throat as she held back her own tears. She didn’t want to cry, she didn’t want this to be a goodbye either, just more of a ‘see you later’. As Kate’s lips touched hers she felt the tears finally begin to fall, pulling away just enough for her to whisper her promise before tending to the girl’s lips again. Cecily smiled when Kate mentioned her birthday, agreeing that in their next meeting they would celebrate it as she wiped her face on her sleeve. “But just in case… Happy Birthday, love.” Cecily slowly leaned in, pulling Kate into a more passion filled kiss, wanting this one to be the last before they met again to leave them both with good memories instead of bad. As they kissed Cecily made a promise to herself, she would do whatever was needed to make sure they could meet again.

Time To Say … || Kaily

Kate just smiled at her. “I know you will, but in the end it’s just a book. So if you need to … leave it behind … I want you to take care of yourself first. I can easily replace the book, but … Don’t take any unnecessary risks for it.” She sank into Cecily’s arms, holding on for dear life. The way Cecily described their situation made it sound so easy, while in reality it would be anything but. She had promised herself not to cry to not make this any harder on them as it already was, but now she just couldn’t hold the tears back anymore. She leaned back a little and took Cecily’s face in her hands, looking at her intently to commit every little detail of her face to her memory. “I can’t lose you. Promise me you’ll be careful,” she whispered knowing full well that this was a promise neither of them could give. “Lie if you have to, but promise me.” She leaned in and slowly brought their lips together for a slow and tender kiss that made her smile despite her tears. Kissing Cecily was still the best thing ever and it made her feel more alive and stronger than anything else. “It’s my birthday in two days,” she whispered after they broke the kiss. “And I wish we could spend it together, but since we can’t we’ll just have to make up for that later. When we meet the next time.”

[cecilycar]

Cecily watched as he held his wand up again, taking a slow step back, “Look, I hardly talk to my mother and when I do it’s letters from her telling me more than the papers allow and asking how I am doing… Plus I doubt she’ll be talking to me much since I’m on your side, not hers.” Cecily didn’t mean to sound as forceful as she did. She just wanted to get her point across, but then maybe force was the only way to get this guy to understand. She let out a small sigh as he lowered his wand and looked up at him, seeing that her request caught a bit of his attention. “The Ministry wasn’t completely destroyed,” she said, mimicking his tone, “I just want to know if you can find out if they’re still there. And if they are then either get them for me or tell me how to do it myself. I just want to find my brother, okay?” Cecily didn’t think he’d go for it, he’d already shown that he didn’t care, he pulled his wand on a defenseless seventeen year old in fear of her family who is no where near them. All he cared about was his cause and she was ready to turn away in defeat. 

Lend a Hand || Cecily & Rhys

[cecilycar]

  Cecily turned the book over in her hands, flipping through the worn out pages as she listened. She never would have thought that this was what Kate came from. Kate seemed so strong that Cecily never would have guessed that was her childhood, and hearing that this book was her escape made it all more special that Kate was willing to give it to her.  Kate’s stumble on word choice didn’t go unnoticed and Cecily was almost glad that she didn’t say it. Sure Cecily felt it and at times she wanted to say it too but still felt that maybe it was too soon for that and now also wasn’t the best time to bring that into the equation. With Kate holding her hand she looked up at her and smiled, “thank you. I’ll take good care of it…” She placed the book down and pulled Kate into her, holding her as if she was afraid to let go. “Don’t worry about finding me, I wont be lost. It’ll be just like it is now, you’re in a tower and I’m in a dungeon. The only thing we'll have to find is a way to meet in the middle.” Cecily would do everything she could to have them see each other as much as possible within this mess that was to come, and while everything else around them may fall apart one day, she'd keep this together. Kate was her everything. 

Time To Say … || Kaily

Covering Cecily’s hands on the book with her own she smiled at the older girl, trying to focus on this moment where they were together and not an what was to inevitably come. “As you probably have guessed, this is my favorite book; since I was little. I used to read in it whenever … things were rough at home. To escape the … screaming and … well to escape. The book was my own Wonderland, and I could imagine going to a magic place where everything was better. And then eventually my letter came and … well, things became better. And now … I want you to have it, so you can … when you have the time, you can read in it and … and know that I’m thinking of you, that I’ll always … no matter where you are and where I am, I’ll always find you. And even when things get rough we just have to believe that things will get better again. And that we’ll make it through. And I want you to know that no matter what. I will always lo- … there’ll never be anyone else. And I want you to have this book so that you will always remember that.” She squeezed Cecily’s hands lightly, smiling and blushing lightly at her words, but she needed to say them. If she didn’t say them now … who knew when she would get a chance again?

[cecilycar]

[cecilycar]

Cecily felt better as the chaos within the castle started to calm down, but the signal to leave Hogwarts perfectly clear and she didn’t know if she was ready for that.  She was ready to leave in the sense that her things were packed and ready to go, but she wasn’t. Leaving meant saying goodbye, to both this home and to Kate. She sat on her bed and waited, they had agreed to meet in her dorm and Cecily was dreading Kate coming through that door. The second she’d enter the room it meant that a goodbye was coming. She jumped at the knock on the door, smiling as she saw Kate enter the room, trying not to focus on the way the girl made her feel knowing it would only make this more difficult. “Hey,” she said as Kate approached her. Cecily went in for an embrace but stopped when Kate held out a small package in front of her. For a moment Cecily felt a bit guilty, she didn’t know Kate was planning on giving her something or she would have gotten a gift for her as well.  When she opened it she looked at it a bit confused, wondering why a muggle fiction novel was being given to her, and a used one at that. She took the book, turning it over in her hands, understanding that this had a more personal meaning and by the look of the spine this was Kate’s favorite book. “What’s this for?”

Time To Say … || Kaily

Things in the castle had calmed down a bit over the last few days, but there were still naga roaming the halls and Hogwarts was partially in ruins. It was just a matter of time now before everyone would have to leave and she needed to see Cecily again one last time for what could be a long while. They had agreed to meet in Cecily’s dorm and now Kate was standing in front of the door. She wanted nothing more than to hold Cecily in her arms again and at the same time she dreaded walking in because it would only bring her closer to their separation. But this was her last chance for a proper good bye and so she finally knocked before entering. Her heart skipped a beat like every time she saw Cecily and she noticed that they were alone for now. “Hi,” she smiled at the older girl quickly closing the distance between them. But before she followed her instinct to take Cecily into her arms she held a small package out to her. She wanted the older girl to have something of hers, something personal and important, and her copy of Alice in Wonderland was her most treasured possession. She didn’t know a better place for it than with Cecily, the most important person in her life.

[cecilycar]

As Rhys turned and drew his wand Cecily let out a gasp as she quickly stepped back, fear written across her face as she began rethinking her decision on going to him for this. The tone of his voice as he said her mother’s name gave her the impression that the Carroll name wouldn’t be welcomed around here and she wondered how’d she’d ever get people to trust her if they got the wrong idea about her being on the opposite side of her parents. “Yes, Gwendoline Carroll is my mother,” she said with some uncertainty, wondering if this was something she should admit to. The last thing Cecily wanted was for her name to hold her back from achieving anything on this side and she couldn't stop herself from fidgeting in her place as she worried about what Rhys would think of her, now that he knew who she was, and the wand pointed at her wasn't helping. “I have no contact with her at all,” she said quickly, trying to separate herself from her mother before he got the wrong idea. “I was wondering if you could possibly get ahold of the birth records from a certain year… or if you know how I could go about getting them myself. I'm looking for someone.” 

Lend a Hand || Cecily & Rhys

[cecilycar]

Lend a Hand || Cecily & Rhys

Cecily stood up from her sleeping bag and stepped out of the stuffy tent and into the fresh air, she had been thinking all day about where to start and finally made a decision. She started walking around the grounds, looking around groups of people and glancing in any open tents hoping to find the scruffy man that was Rhys Warrens. He was the one in charge of this whole ordeal and she was hoping that he could possibly lend a helping hand, or at least point her in the right direction. Cecily didn’t expect much, hearing talk about the man and how he didn’t take a liking to other people, let alone helping them, she still thought it wouldn’t hurt to ask. The worse that could happen was that he’d say no, if that at all. She turned a corner around of group of tents when she spotted the tall figure ahead, quickening her pace a bit to catch up.  “Rhys Warrens,” she called as she stopped just behind him, “I’m Cecily Carroll… can I ask you a question-or favor?” She stared up at the man, hoping that now was an okay time for him to be bothered by some pathetic student.

[cecilycar]

Thoughts of her brother filled Cecily’s head. The only thing she really knew about him was that he was about two years younger than her, everything else about him she was in the dark. He could be anywhere, a different country, a different school, or maybe he was here in all of this mess. That blood in the hallway could have been his. Cecily hoped it wasn’t, hopefully he was far away from Hogwarts, maybe even a squib. She realized she had gotten lost in her thoughts for a moment, hearing the last bit of what Kate was saying. “Uhm… y-yeah,” she stuttered as a bit of blush took her cheeks. She hadn’t taken the statement as suggestive but the idea was now in her head and she couldn’t stop her cheeks from getting darker as the sexual thoughts filled her mind. Although it definitely wasn’t something she was opposed to, now wasn’t the time for this. “It’s alright… and uh- thank you. I will probably need someone to bounce ideas off of,” she said with a smile.

She looked up at Kate as she squeezed her hand, watching her mouth as she licked her lips, wanting to feel them against hers again. Her previous thoughts not leaving anytime soon. She almost felt bad for Kate having thought Cecily had some experience with this, wondering if Kate expected that side of this relationship to be somewhat easy with one of them knowing what to do, but when she was quick to say they’d figure it out together Cecily felt better about it all. Cecily had experience when it came to boys, but with girls she had none what so ever. Up until Kate Cecily’s experience with girls was just hugs between friends at the beginning and end of summer holiday. Kate was going to be her first for everything, and the thought of that made Cecily excited for what was to come. “Together sounds good,” she said, giving the girl’s hand another squeeze as she smiled.

Cecily held onto Kate’s hands, tighter than was comfortable to either of them as she used the girl as an anchor. She felt distant from everything as the idea of both her parents’ possible death sank in even more. She stared into Kate’s eyes as the girl looked back at her, eagerly waiting to know if they were okay but dreading the other outcome. Her gaze seeming vacant as Cecily guessed she was seeing a vision. Cecily stared, hoping to see the answer in Kate’s eyes before she spoke even though she knew it wasn’t possible.

 At Kate’s smile Cecily felt a spark of happiness ignite inside of her, knowing the answer before the girl was even able to speak. When she heard the words come from Kate's mouth she pulled her hands away, pulling Kate into a tight embrace. “Thank you. Thank you,” she repeated excitedly as she held the girl close, more than grateful for what Kate had just done. “Thank you,” she said again as she pressed her lips hard against Kate’s, leading her into a kiss that felt rushed but was definitely needed. She let her lips linger for a moment as she pulled back and smiled, “I’m sorry for freaking out like I did…but... thank you." 

Cecily wanted to stay there with Kate the rest of the night, until all of this ended. They could go up to her dorm and be together until this madness blew over. “That man is still downstairs,” she said, reminding them both of what was going on outside the common room. “What should we do with him? I don’t feel safe by just leaving him there…”  She thought of their options, they could leave him tied up, maybe put him in a closet to keep him away from everyone else, or they could kill him. The second option seemed best, safest, but Cecily waited for Kate’s input before making any decisions. 

Someone to Save Me || Kaily

Kate nodded, understanding the older girl’s need to look for her brother on her own. There were lots of things Kate didn’t know about Cecily and her family, they were only just starting to get to know each other and Kate didn’t want to complicate things further. “I understand,” she said smiling at the red head. “Just know that you can come and talk to me whenever, bounce off ideas or something. Sometimes thinking out loud really helps to sort through everything and you know they say Ravenclaws are pretty smart, so … you can use me whenever you want.” She blushed furiously when she realized what she just said, starting to stutter as she tried to correct her statement. “That’s not … uhm … I mean, that didn’t sound as suggestive in my head. I just meant … ah hell whatever.” She grinned at Cecily sheepishly. Who was she trying to fool? She hadn’t meant it in a sexual way, but she was pretty sure she would be okay with that too.

She was actually totally sure. For a long time Kate had thought that sex or intimacy in general was something she could never have, because how could she have that without being able to touch people. But now that she was able to control her visions a real relationship was suddenly possible and Kate found herself longing for every aspect of it with a vengeance. It was like she had to make up for the years she had lost without any real personal contact, like she was starving for it now.

Cecily’s understanding for her situation put her worries about her inexperience at ease, and it made her love her even more, if that was possible. Her admittance that it was kind of new for her too made her realize that she had not spent a single thought about the fact that Cecily had not been with another girl either. She had just assumed that the older girl already had some experience and now she was feeling kind of bad for taking that for granted. She was still getting used to the whole concept of being in a relationship; she had not needed to take someone else’s needs and wishes into account for a long time.

She squeezed Cecily’s hand back and smiled at her. “We will just have to figure it out together, and I’m sure every step of that way will be exciting and amazing and … hot.” She licked her suddenly dry lips and smiled somewhat coyly, she honestly couldn’t wait to explore this further. But for now there were more serious matters they needed to worry about.

She nodded solemnly and took both of Cecily’s hands in hers. Closing her eyes she took a deep breath and tried to focus, to empty her mind. Cecily’s skin on hers, even if it was just their hands touching, made it harder to concentrate on what she needed to do. Her mind kept drifting to the two of them together and she huffed somewhat annoyed with herself before trying again.

And then her vision started to blur and Cecily’s eyes vanished, being replaced by other images. It was the two of them. They were rushing towards each other as if they had not seen each other in a long time. Their lips met for a passionate kiss that made Kate’s whole body heat up instantly. This was not what she was looking for and she fought hard to push this vision away.

Again she concentrated, harder on Cecily’s mother this time, trying to take herself out of the equation. She looked deep into Cecily’s eyes trying to focus completely on her mother, on the image she had of her when she was visiting a few weeks back, the day everything had started between Cecily and her. Her vision blurred again and this time she saw Cecily and her mother, talking about something. She didn’t know where they were, it could be the Carroll’s home but she couldn’t be sure. And then someone called for Cecily, a male voice, before entering and stepping towards the two women, greeting both of them with a kiss to the cheek. It had to be Cecily’s father. She had seen enough and forced herself out of the vision and back into the present.

She smiled at Cecily reassuringly and squeezed her hands. “Your parents are going to be fine. They might be hurt, but they’re going to be fine.”