Chapter Text
The cold night wrapped around me like a wintery blanket, my lungs pained even more so by the icy air.
I shuffled up the short,
quartz steps and struck the tall, white wooden door with the lion head door knocker,
the vibrations pulsing through the door like waves.
Out emerged a young teen, awkwardly tall and lean,
with a long neck.
“Oh, Meena. What a pleasant surprise!”
She spoke with a thick posh English accent,
with a very flowy speech pattern,
and flicked her hand to enunciate her words.
She held herself confidently, with her shoulders high and pulled back, but always leaned to one side.
Part of her face was obscured by her black wavy hair just covering her eyes, and the bright light shining from the door.
“Is your father her? We can’t speak now, I am just about to leave for an event-”
She shifted so she could see my face.
“ Meena your face- it’s all bashed up!”
the words slipped out of her lips in a concerned tone, it looked like she had on her favorite wine red lipstick of the hundreds she owned.
Her scarred hand came from her side, and instinctively reached for my face. She grabbed me by the chin carefully, and looked at my black eye.
She peered willingly into my deep brown eyes and I stared into her dark eyes back. Her long fingers brushed my white and brown hair behind my ear and her hands hovered for longer than they should have.
Her flowy sheer black sleeve brushed against my face as she pulled away. She gestured for me to come in, so I stumbled across the floors of her gleaming white mansion.
She uttered something about being late to her brother, but I was too exhausted to listen.
She led me up a winding staircase and gently shut her bedroom door behind us.
“So, what happened? Are you okay?”
She asked, wetting a face towel from the side of her desk. I took a deep breath and gripped the fabric of my black dress harder.
‘Telling people about your problems won't fix what's already happened. You just come off as too needy and immature’
She looked at me with concern.
“It’s fine. Someone just tried to grab me again while waiting for my taxi. I’m alright, I got away and the eye isn't that bad. I just need to get home.”
She looked absolutely horrified.
“Are you sure you're okay? I can get you to a hospital if you'd like. Are you seeing stars?”
she proceeded to hold up three fingers way too close in front of my eyes.
“Sheesh, I'm fine. No need for a hospital, I’d have to explain it to dad. Hate being poked and prodded by those doctors.”
She carefully pressed the towel against my eye.
“Can you stay with me though…?”
I flinched and a small droplet of water rolled down my face, not from the wet towel.
She froze, still as a possum playing dead.
“Please, don't tell my father! He’ll be so angry, I wasn't supposed to run away like this, and I'll ruin the photoshoots and all the filming I have to do! I really just wish I could just leave everything. I'm fed up with this life Kiyana! I hate my body, I hate my dad, I hate this world.”
She stared at me deep in the eyes, with too much love my body could carry.
“Meena, Please don't leave me. I could never let go.”
She entwined her lanky fingers with mine.
“See, I could never let go of you.”
She squeezed my hands tighter.
This entire situation sent shivers down my spine, the dimly lit room, how cold it was, and how absolutely warm Kiyana was, like a heat lamp.
Knock knock
“ Hey Kiyana, we need to leave now. We're already really late.”
“Gosh Anubis, I'm coming out right now!”
She grabbed me by my cold hands and we scurried out of her bedroom, down the stairs and out the door. A long black limbo was already waiting for us at the front. She let me step in first, and Kiyana went in right after me.
Anubis sat in the seat behind Kiyana, and I huddled against the wall quietly.
“Hey, you look a little cold, all huddled up like that.”
She scooted over a bit and draped her black fur coat across my body. The fur was soft and warm, so I dozed off pretty fast. The drive home was relatively long, afterall.