06 : When it hurts
1003 Words
A high end car dropped her home. Alyna walked in to find Destiny curled up on the couch with the TV on and an empty bowl of popcorn on the table.
The sky was about to get dark. Alyna was late. She dropped her bag on the floor and shook Destiny awake.
"Wake up. Destiny?" She shook the young girl awake.
Destiny woke up feeling groggy. She fumbled around upon waking. Visible relief washed over her face upon seeing Alyna.
"Did you have dinner?" Alyna whispered.
"I had popcorn." She pointed at the empty bowl.
Alyna crouched next to the couch, lowering her head like a failure. What else was she expecting?
"I am sorry." She sighed and got up, "I was late. Let's go out for dinner."
Destiny shook her head. Strands of black hair swept down, framing her face.
"It's alright. I'm full. You should eat something before going to bed."
Alyna fished out the envelope and waved it to Destiny's face. "I've got an advance. Let's celebrate tonight."
An hour later, Alyna and Destiny were at a nearby multi cuisine restaurant.
"I'm not used to eating out. You should save the money." Destiny started acting like an adult once again.
Alyna skillfully ordered a few things and returned the menu. She could tell that Destiny has never been to a nice restaurant before. She felt awkward.
"Money should be used while we have it." Alyna preached. "I am your Guardian and you are my responsibility. I may slack off from time to time but don't hold it against me. I am trying."
The best Alyna could do was be honest with Destiny. While she didn't want Destiny to be able to understand all this at this age, it was necessary that she did. They were not a normal family after all.
Destiny lowered her eyes and smiled.
Alyna patted her cheek across the table. They enjoyed their first dine out at Ember claw and returned home by bus. That night, Alyna used her time of insomnia prime to get some work done.
When the light of dawn sprinkled over the horizon, she woke up Destiny and got ready for a routine work day. There were not many mirrors in the house.
The one in the bedroom was on the closet door. When passing by, Alyna kept her eyes on the floor. She did it with practiced ease. Alyna knew to avoid a mirror when she saw it.
While making Destiny's bed, the bedsheet slipped out of her fingers and her eyes accidentally fell on the mirror.
A chain reaction followed.
Nausea rising up her throat. Her lungs acted like they were pierced and couldn't contain air.
Breathing heavily, she rushed into the bathroom and heaved. Destiny knocked on the door but it was locked from the inside.
Being disgusted by herself was probably the biggest tragedy of Alyna's life. Imagine falling from so high up that it becomes hard to face yourself in the mirror.
It sounds painful, doesn't it? Alyna was the person who was living that life. The physical reaction was built overtime. Alyna tried not to let it affect her much but sometimes the mind and body wanted to rebel.
"It must have been the food last night." She reassured Destiny. "You should make the bed. I'm going to prepare breakfast."
Avoiding Destiny's frown, Alyna went downstairs. Breakfast was silent and so was the ride to school.
Before parting ways at the school building, Destiny pulled her hood. Alyna looked back, raising an eyebrow.
"I am a fast learner, I will learn to cook. So we don't have to eat out much. All we need is three simple meals and a roof over our head. So don't work too hard if you aren't feeling well. Don't be too hard on yourself."
Destiny let go of the hood, pursed her lips and ran into the building. Alyna kept staring at her back until she was gone.
What was with this heaviness?
A teenager was talking like adults again.
Alyna's lips curled into a smile. The mishap from this morning slid out of her mind, replacing it with the words of care from Destiny.
-----
"Alright, class is over. Move slowly!"
Alyna took her last class of the day, screamed her lungs out to make the kids behave like intelligent creatures and finally left the classroom with half of her sanity still intact.
The rest of that sanity was consumed by the thought of a certain Alpha.
Alyna never worried about her rivals at the battlefield than she was of that Alpha finding out her past identity.
It was a baseless worry that made it hard to breathe for absolutely no reason. There was nothing to achieve even if he knew who Alyna was.
She was no longer a person of significance.
There was nothing to achieve.
The Alpha's residence was a spectacle that was never boring to look at. When Alyna walked in, the butler welcomed her with a professional smile.
Evan was nowhere to be seen. Josh returned from school minutes before her so Alyna was asked to wait in the study for him.
The first floor was as lavish as the ground floor. She followed the maid to the study. Bookshelves with a variety of collections, two desks and a dark rug set a mood for academics in the room.
"Master Evan said you can freely use this study. Please let us know if you need anything."
"Um... Can I have some biscuits please?" Alyna decided to be shameless today.
Having shame never brought her anything good anyway, so why not? The maid left with a nod and soon Alyna had her own box of biscuits in hand. She took a glance at the room, spotting three cameras in corners where a normal person wouldn't be able to spot them.
Biting into the biscuit, she stared at each one of them with a bored expression.
"Creep." She mouthed to herself. She thought her comment was discreet.
- Writer
