Anaphylaxis
1139 Words
Aurora was enveloped by the darkness at the entrance of her penthouse the moment she walked in. She stood before the ceiling-to-the-floor glass to admire the bustling city and the specks of colorful lights that seemed like stars. It was beautiful, but the sky was more beautiful. The moon was full and big, it lightened its path and reflected its light into her living room, and the stars were like dotted marks on a blank board. Not bothering to switch on the light
She slowly shrugged off her coat as she headed for the kitchen. The kitchen was pristine as though it had never been used before, well it had never really been used. Aurora grabbed a glass cup by the glass cabinet to fetch some water from the sink. She took small sips and sluggishly tugged her knitted top out of her pants.
"Why are you here", She turned on the light, but her back was towards the living room.
" Flew into the city a few hours ago, so decided to crash at my friend's who might I add haven't seen in months", A gentle feminine voice spoke behind her. It had a slight British accent. Sometimes she wondered what exactly was this woman's accent, she sometimes used Francais's accent and how she was able to, she no longer cared to know.
"Water", Aurora offered
" Made myself comfortable already.
"Is that American I sense", Aurora turned to look at her friend in weakly concealed puzzlement. Ying Yue's white skin had tanned.
" How long were you there", Aurora rested her back against the pole.
"I adapt accents easily",
She twirled her short raven hair around her index finger as a smirk of self-satisfaction settled on her face. The last time she saw her it was waist-long hair, now she was sporting a short fringe.
" Hmmm", the tan on her body stated otherwise.
"Old habit", She pointed towards her clothes Ying Yue was wearing.
In reply, she shrugged her shoulders. She always said she was traveling light but never carried a thing nor bought anything. Her friend was an enigmatic woman, but she liked mystery.
" I saw the news, double engagement. Mamacita, the men do love you, don't they? Her perfectly shaped brow raised exaggeratedly. Unlike the signature sharp face and flat nose of the Chinese, everything about her face was small the only thing Chinese about her was the big innocent eyes with grey almost black orbs courtesy of her matriarchal side of the family. She was a whole lot of confusion thrown together to create something beautiful, no gorgeous and she knows it. She had seen a lot of people, men and women yet this woman topped the chart.
"It was the Durham before now it's D and L. Orella, you skipped a whole lot of steps, damn. I never liked the pimp anyways, good riddance, he was sleeping with his cousin. What was her name again, Melinda?
She didn't bother to correct her that it was Mellisa and not Linda. Plus, she knew that she wasn't his cousin as he said, and that they had been sleeping together. She tried not to care, but when she did, s**t happened.
"Could hire an STI patient to sleep with him", Ying Yue offered
" Doubt he would sleep with her, claimed to be madly in love", even though, he was a cheating prick, he seemed to really love Mellisa. Well, she had him tailed several times. Didn't want him spoiling her shows.
"A Yue...
" It's Celeste or Celestine" " she cut in, her face contorting in displeasure.
"Had dinner"
"Yeah, used your card", she answered absentmindedly.
" I'll be in having my bath", Aurora looked at her friend to see that distant look on her face. She decided to leave the poor girl to her thoughts.
"Does he know your here? This was one of the rare times she could not help but be nosy.
" No... I mean who",
Aurora offered no response and instead swaggered off
"Who", Ying Yue shouted in defense.
Ying Yue had everything girls could only wish for, it was a thing she craved with every calcium in her bone. Family. The bond that came with it, that unity as one. It was one thing she envied in her friend, Aurora. She could give everything away just to live it for a moment. Forget, if she was poor would she want her family, she could not lose in both ways.
Two years ago, she got married under the influence of alcohol. None of her friends knew, maybe Aurora did but she never asked. She would never forget the look on her father's face. Like she had given him the biggest betrayal as if he hated everything she stood for at that moment. Maybe forever, he might never forgive her.
She had walked into their manor in Beijing the following day with a massive hangover and no memory of the moment before. Butler Mat had looked at her with what would have been a concoction of both pity and disappointment before directing her to her father's office. Her mother had stood mid-descent as she watched her walk toward the office before looking away. That was what always happened, her father had suppressed her mother into submission. Her mother Kim Valley would never disrupt or argue with her father better yet fight for her children.
The moment Butler Mat shout the door after him, Ying Yue jumped in her skin. She hated her father's office, especially the one at home, it was a room for judgment. He would sit on his expensive padded leather chair looked down upon them in scrutiny as though they were a thing underneath his expensive leather shoes. His stern eyes would stare upon them with such perusal to pick and prod at their flaws. Even though she had grown and was standing he had to look up at her, she could not help but relive the childhood horror that was her father. Her hands were clammy and the hungover she felt a moment ago was magically gone.
She looked into his expressionless eyes and held them for a while until she couldn't. It's been 26 years, like a coward she had looked away, but he was still watching, his eyes like strong arms keeping her in a lock-hold strangling her until she could hear her breaths in her ears. Maybe she was going through anaphylaxis, but she never got to find out.
He picked up the newspaper she hadn't noticed was there before he flung it toward the edge of the table closest to her. Her breath stuttered at the impact, she chanced a glance at the front page before taking a quick look at her father. She knew at that moment she was dead.
- Writer
