The Child

Victor opened his eyes, rising from Morena’s bed with more energy than he had went to sleep with. He stretched his arms, yawning as he touched his feet to the floor. Bleary, he remembered he was still in Morena’s bedroom.

Outside, the night sky was burdened by dark storm clouds, rain pounding against the window pane with a fury. Victor trudged to the threshold, only for Morena’s open closet door to catch his attention.

A black book peeked through the cracked door, and Victor knelt down, his curiosity drawing the book into his lap. Flipping open its crude, tattered exterior, Victor found photographs encased in plastic sleeves.

It's a photo album? Victor thought, touching the first photo.

A youthful, smiling Morena had her arm around a similarly aged man with dark hair and skin. The next four photos depicted them sitting in cafes, kissing, and going on dates. Victor smiled, the carefree, loving mood of the pictures affecting his attitude.

The next page showed Morena in a wedding dress and standing in a church, the man giving her a kiss on the cheek. It was a wedding photoshoot.

Victor was fully engrossed in the photo album as he flipped to the next page, unsure what the next stage of Morena’s story would be. His heart skipped a beat.

There was only one photo on that page, and the rest of the album was blank. Morena and her husband stood in front of a women’s clinic, her hands propped proudly on her stomach. Victor could see a small bump.

Frantic, Victor flipped through the album, searching for any kind of continuation. That couldn't be it.

Victor picked up his chin, standing up to peer closer at an object on the top shelf. It appeared to be an altar, covered in anemone flowers and incense. A blurry ultrasound photo sat in the forefront.

No, Victor thought, his heart dropping into stomach. No.

He remembered the small cross in Morena’s yard.

Victor darted out of the room, throwing open the sliding door and stumbling into the yard. Rain soaked through his clothes and ran down his face as he sank to his knees in front of the grave, staring in blank horror at the wooden cross.

“You know,  don't you?” Morena whispered. Victor gasped, turning his head. She hovered behind him, arms hugging her chest.

Victor nodded solemnly, wide eyes taking in her wounded expression. Morena crouched beside him, touching the grave.

“I was five months along when I lost him. We already had a name picked out,” Morena murmured, “I was so excited to finally meet my baby boy.”

Morena’s fingers trembled as she clutched a wet clump of grass. She gritted her teeth, fat tears slipping down her cheeks.

“All this death magic, and I couldn't even save my baby,” Morena said, hanging her head.

Victor let his head rest against her shoulder, sniffling as he failed to hold back tears. “I'm so sorry.”

Morena cracked a smile, another tear falling down her face. She wrapped her arm around Victor. “Look at you, mourning with me even though this doesn't affect you. You're a pretty tender-hearted kid, huh, Victor? Don’t take that the wrong way.. the world needs more empathetic people like you.”

She took Victor by the hand, lifting him to his feet and wrapping him in a hug. “Let's go inside. You're soaking wet. Jürgen would kill me if you got a cold.”

Author's Note- ahh morena finally gets some needed depth. but where's the guy in the pictures?

this arc is gonna have almost 40-something chapters (too lazy to check lol), so just hang in there! the next chapter is going to be. ...fun :)