My tears mixed into the blood, gliding down my cheeks from Evelyn's claws. I continue to run, getting faster and faster as I go. The wind harshly hits my face as I take a sharp turn at a corner before knocking into Diara.
She looked....confused? Shocked? I honestly couldn't tell. As she slowly raised her hand to my cheek, I couldn't help but flinch. Her fingers barely glided across my skin before she brought her hand back to her side.
With a pout, she carefully grabbed my hand as she guided me further into the neighborhood. As we continued walking in silence, I began to recognize where we were going. In a flash, me and Diara were standing in front of her house. I grew nervous as she gently dragged me towards the front door.
The door busted open with an older woman ready to greet us. She immediately pulled Diara away from me, and she took her into her embrace.
"Where have you been?! We've all been worried sick!"
Diara closed her eyes as she relaxed into the woman's arms. She whispered something into the woman's stomach. I couldn't hear what she said, but whatever was said caused the lady to pull back from the hug. In one swift motion, the lady lifted Diara's head with her hands, bending down to her height and placing a sweet kiss on top of her forehead.
My lip twitched slightly as I watched the scene unfold. I miss my mom. A single tear slid down my bloody cheek as I screw my eyes shut while gritting my teeth. I hate this town, I hate Aimiah, I hate Chantel, I hate the Elites, and most of all, I HATE Evelyn.
My hands bawled into a fist as I trembled slightly from the amount of rage building up inside me. Why do we take this abuse of power? The rebellion is right. The Elites are sick. They don't care about protecting women and punishing the bad men in the world. They only care about their next meal and remind us of the power they wield in the palm of their hands. What if I-
"Y/n?"
Diaras' meek voice broke me out of my thoughts. I look at her to show that I'm paying attention. She smiles.
"This is my mom. Mom, this is y/n a- uh- childhood friend of mine."
Mom?
"What happened to Mrs.-"
"This is my mom y/n."
Diara's voice sounds more strained as her smile falters. Her 'mom' senses the tension and breaks it up with a warm smile. She leaves Diara's side and pulls me into her warm embrace before stating that she's a hugger. I stand awkwardly as she pulls away and leads us both inside.
Once we are inside, two small boys run by before stopping as they notice Diara.
"Sis!"
They both yell out at the same time as they jump onto Diara, knocking her small body onto the floor. I stood confused. Diara doesn't have siblings. Confusion continues to overtake me as a man walks into the living room wearing a baby blue apron.
"Boys, get off your sister and go wash up for dinner."
The excited boys awe before running off to do as they were told. The man walks over to Diara's 'mom' before planting a gentle kiss on her lips. Diara stares at them longingly before looking back at me with an unreadable expression gracing her face.
Author Note: I just wanted to let yall know that ROYAL OBESSION has been published and its starting out with 5 chapters. Go and read it.. or don't it's really up to you. Now, onto the story!
"Nice to meet you. I'm Diara's dad."
I noticed that the man was talking to me. I stared at him before speaking.
"You're not Mr. -"
I'm cut off by Diara once again.
"I was wondering if y/n can stay the night with us. She had a long day."
I look at her with furrowed eyebrows. I never agreed to this. I don't want to spend the night with a bunch of strangers. Besides, I don't have any clothes or anything with me.
"But -"
"Of course she can, sweetheart. Both of you girls go wash up for dinner."
Diara's 'mom' spoke. I guess cutting me off is a thing that this 'family' likes to do. Diara smiles before giving both of her 'parents' a hug and grabbing my hand. She drags me to a different part of the house.
We enter a cozy-looking bathroom. Diara closes the door behind us to ensure the two boys don't come in while we wash our hands. We are only washing our hands. Why did she feel the need to do that? I have no clue.
The silence is deafening as she goes to the sink to begin washing up. I stare at her through the mirror.
"Who are these people?"
Diara continues to look down into the sink as she applies soap to her hands. She doesn't answer.
"These people aren't your family, Diara. What happened to your actual family?"
Still no reply.
"What happened to Mr. And Mrs. Montell?"
She continued to wash her hands, but I swear I heard a faint whisper leave her lips.
"What -"
"YOU HAPPENED!"
She swiftly turns around as she yells. The sink is still running as her wet hands drip water onto the floor. She gasps before whispering out a sorry as she looks down ashamed.
"Me?"
Tears fall down her face as she looks back up at me. I want to say she hates me, but her eyes tell a different story.
"When you- the boy- y/n-"
Her voice cracks as she cups her hand over her mouth. She let's out a sob as her eyes screw shut. I quickly walk over to her and hold her small pudgy body close to me. She collapsed in my embrace as she let out muffled sobs.
"They took my parents y/n."
I didn't speak. I held her close as I felt tears threatening to fall from my eyes. She said it was my fault. Was it because I saved him? I felt guilty. Hatred for myself increased tenfold as I squeezed Diara a little tighter. Not enough to hurt her, but enough to silently communicate my apologies.
We stood in silence with nothing but Diara's quiet sniffles and sobs filling the air. Once Diara calms down, I attempt to pull away, but Diara holds onto my shirt tighter. I swear I heard her take a whiff of my shirt, but I chose to ignore it. She's probably still sniffling a little bit.
"Diara, we have to finish washing up. Your...family are probably waiting on us."
With disappointment in her eyes, she finally let's go. We quickly wash and dry our hands before heading to the dining room to eat.
We round the corner only to be greeted by Diara's 'fami-'...Diara's family sitting at the table. Diara leaves my side to greet her family and to complement her father's cooking. They all look so happy and gratefully to have each other... even if it was due to..unhappy circumstances.
I can't help the small bit of envy burning in my chest like acid. I want this. Why did she lose her family and was gifted with a new one while I had to struggle. It isn't fair. I glare at the family, enjoying each other's company before going over to join them.
By the time we had all finished eating, it was around that time to go to bed. Diara's mom kissed Diara's forehead as if she would pass away in her sleep. I stood back and watched until her mom came towards me.
Diara's mom opened her arms and gave me a comforting hug.
"You're doing great."
She whispered those three simple words into my ear before squeezing me a little tighter. My stiff figure began to melt into the hug, and before I knew it, my eyes began to water. I never knew how much I needed this.
I let out a small sniffle before wiping my eyes and backing away from the hug. She gave me a warm, comforting smile before Diara gently grabbed my hand and brought me to her room down the hall.
Once we get to her room, Diara closes the door behind me before giving me an oversized shirt. I go to the bathroom to put it on, and while I'm there, I take the time to wash the dried blood from my cheek and brush my teeth with an extra toothbrush Diara told me about.
I walked back into the room right as Diara finished getting changed.
"You can get the bed. I'll sleep on the floor."
I looked at her, shocked before vigorously shaking my head.
"Like hell, I'm going to make you sleep on the floor in your own room."
"But -"
"No buts. I frankly don't want to sleep on the floor, so how about we both sleep on the bed."
Diara's face turns a crimson red color as she nods her head slowly, shyly agreeing with my answer. With a smile, I hop into her bed. She nervously crawls into bed next to me.
Looking around, I noticed that her room has changed quite a bit since I've last been in here. Then again, the last time I was here was when I was a child. I turn towards her, only to notice that she is already looking at me. When our eyes meet, she lets out a small sqeak before hiding in her oversized shirt and turning away from me.
I give a smile close lipped smile before holding her close. I could feel her shifting in bed before I drifted off to sleep.