Zinnia
Author's Note: This chapter contains sensible content that may be triggering for some, feel free to skip it.
"Are you sure you want to hear this tale? I can skip it if you-"
"I'm sure." Her voice was trembling, and she was doubtful but she still insisted. She knew what it was about, she knew what the person in front of her meant as soon as she mentioned the title of the tale she was going to hear. "I know the ending of this one... I've heard it a thousand times... I just... "
"Ok then... when people mourn they usually wear black, and so were the people present at the funeral of this girl... the truth is here... that we will be seeing in this one... why they ended up mourning for this person..."
---
If you knew Michelle Cherith, there were two sides when it came to how people interacted with her, you either hopelessly adored her or inevitably despised her. While most people knew about her, they didn’t actually know her. She wore a mask that was impenetrable, unbreakable. Almost as if it was an actual part of her face.
She was the type that wanted to be liked by everyone, that kind of person that seemed amiable on the outside, but felt jealousy towards everyone on the inside. And almost rightfully so. Her parents didn’t mind her much so, say… she would try everything to compensate for that lack of attention from them. Her brother, being the eldest by around 6 or 7 years also had a habit of picking on her. That took a toll on her ways of interacting.
She was also the type to speak her mind, not as harshly as certain ginger or certain albino, but, a more masked and subtle way. The fact that some people were unapproachable for her also was something that itched her to the bone. What was she doing wrong that they just didn’t seem to like her or open up? She’s the most likable person! Right?
It was just a bit infuriating.
She had her special way with words, she talked smoothly and persuasively, she knew how to build up a speech in a matter of seconds that could be the most believable thing. She must have inherited that from her parents who were a lawyer and reporter. It was to be expected, that and no less.
And that was Michelle Cherith… the person that everyone liked, but with the irony that she was the person Zayda feared the most.
“What did your mom make for lunch this time?” That’s how it started, Zayda would have usually defended herself back but it somehow was always completely useless, because no matter how hard she tried to stand up for herself, the brunette always convinced whoever was around them that she was the right one and Zayda was the villain. So Zayda just ended up giving in with time.
As the time passed, things went from comments to stealing things, to directly attacking Zayda. And every single time, every time it happened, just for some reason unbeknownst to the black-haired girl, she would look directly into the taller girl’s eyes, with that empty-looking and emotionless face.
It just was like that. At least, that hoe it became. Not like people knew.
---
A loud slap was heard behind one of the classroom buildings. A cough, and another slap. The one receiving such hits was already feeling not only a stinging sensation but a numbing pain on her face.
“Weren’t you supposed to be a fighter? What do you have those scars for then!” Michelle exclaimed as she grabbed the red-eyed girl from the hair and tugged hard. Zayda was panting but kept quiet. It’s not like she wasn’t used to the beatings, it was somehow familiar, but dint dare and try to recall why. The flame-orange empty eyes of Michelle never once broke contact with Zayda’s eyes.
She threw her to the ground. “Why don’t you fight back!” Zayda incorporated herself to the ground and hugged her knees. She let out a loud sigh. Her mind was just not able to think, and her face was left stinging and numb. Michelle huffed and left.
It must have taken probably 10 minutes or less of her resting like that against the tree that was there before a person that just looked like a brown and cream smear reached out and kneeled in front of the 15-year-old handing her a frozen bottle of water. Her ears were ringing from that much impact, so she couldn't make out what the person told her. It felt like being underwater, where while you can hear the noise, you can't make out what is being told. She took the bottle and the person in front of her guided her hand to the side of her face. The blurry person also took her phone and tweaked some things. Seems like she keeps forgetting to lock her phone. Not like she had anything to hide.
One last thing the mysterious person did was take of what seemed to be their jacket and covered her with it. She couldn't tell, and it wasn't either like she cared at the very moment.
---
After she drifted herself to sleep, 10 minutes or so must have passed when an alarm on her phone started ringing. So that’s what it was! She wasn’t seeing blurry anymore and her face didn’t feel like someone tried to beat her out of slaps like in movies. There was no sign of inflammation or her receiving a painfully harsh beating at all. The bottle had melted a bit and it had some cold water inside now so she grabbed it and chugged what was there of the melted ice. She checked the time… the recess was over in a minute. She got up carefully and walked to her class.
It wasn’t actually far, but she didn’t notice how close she was to her building because of how quickly she got intercepted by Michelle. She sighed, somehow she understood or wanted to believe she did understand, why Michelle took those actions against her, and that was linked partially to the reason why she wouldn’t fight back. There was no reason for her to do so under her own reasoning.
“Where were you?” Zayda looked up and saw NuWa. “Are you ok? Your eyes are red and I don’t mean the irises!” Zayda observed how her hair was styled, her father was a mix of American and Chinese whilst her mother was a full-blood Japanese. Her mother wanted her children to preserve something from her husband’s heritage so NuWa and Shui ended up bearing Chinese while being more versed in Japanese. They mixed both Chinese and Japanese honorary terms indistinctively. “You’re wearing an intricate hairstyle again… Another reading?” Nuwa nodded. The ginger girl knew that Zayda would change the topic if she wished not to talk about it. Just giving the long run, ignoring the question, suggestion or remark made. She looked down at the tall girl’s hands. She frowned.
“Oh! Don’t worry, I decided to wear it as a necklace” She said while taking out the chain from her shirt.
NuWa sighed in relief, that ring was the taller one's most precious possession.
---
“Why!? Fight back goddammit!” Rage was displayed clear in her voice. This time she wasn’t just slapped, she was aggressively making the whole body of the black-haired girl numb while she was curled up in a ball, quietly crying. She was, kicking, stepping, punching. The whole thing had escalated to this point after the situation from the past month. She managed to kick her in the area of the stomach, taking out all the breath of the girl on the floor.
Zayda unfolded herself immediately while trying to desperately gasp for air. She got up, supporting herself from the wall and she got back on the floor abruptly with a punch, not getting the chance to properly recover. She got lifted by the hair and met again those orange eyes, instead of empty and emotionless, this time they were broken, glassy, begging. A flash of a memory of the brunette in the infirmary appeared before her, just to rapidly disappear. Zayda choked a gasp and pushed herself away from the aggressor immediately before falling to the ground on her side.
Michelle approached again to land another hit on the girl that laid on the ground and a black flash appeared to shield the girl. “What the hell is wrong with you, Michelle!” Michelle froze in place. NuWa kneeled so she could help Zayda get to her feet, who was not far from fainting. She could barely support herself and was clearly worse than tired. An awful and chaotic sight And meanwhile NuWa made her best to attend her best friend, the hero-to-be shielded them both with open wings.
“Seriously Michelle! What kind of person are you to beat up another student that badly!" Michelle just stuttered unable to get out of the shock she was in… this wasn’t happening, not to her… not right now! Michelle’s body started shivering and she felt her temperature dropping, her body tensing and herself unable to move. Zayda noticed and got out of NuWa’s arms reaching to hug the shivering brunette that dropped to the floor hugging herself.
“Zayda-Jī… what are you-” She got interrupted by the one she referred to. “Panic Attack” she indicated. NuWa's blood boiled from rage, when would this kid learn to fend for herself and not tend to others when she is as bad or in a worse state.
If she was about to get told off by her best friend so be it, she was ready. She was ready to get told off, by not fighting back a thousand times, by helping the one that was beating her just a minute ago, by telling no one, by staying quiet. She was tired of hearing how she should know who to help and not to help, she was tired of hearing that she should stand up and care more for herself. She was tired of worrying others and causing trouble too.
She had seen her brother a thousand times go through the same so... Naturally, it was an instinct of hers. She couldn't help it.
There was nothing that could be done.
---
Zayda spent the next week off school, all the beatings took a toll on her body and she finally collapsed from pain and exhaustion. Seeing how her brother and her adoptive parents took care of her and looked out for her so carefully just made her feel uneasy.
They had constantly worried looks on their faces, her brother asked to take time off from his ASTA course and school to help their parents take care of her. She felt like he was causing trouble, too much trouble.
Michelle got suspended for a week, but the word about the incident didn’t spread at all. The two girls who intervened were threatened by the parents of the girl. So the excuse for the black-haired girl’s absence was that she got sick. The excuse for the brunette’s absence was that her parents were on business travel. And like that, that uncomfortable week passed by.
“Uh… Lydia… I want to get a haircut...” The elder woman in the room turned around to see the teen. Her brother had resumed his studies already, so he wouldn't be coming home early. The woman's eyes lit up. “Oh! Sure, darling! I can cut it for you if you want.” The teenager nodded. The woman left to get everything needed to cut her daughter’s hair. Scissors, a water spray, a cape to cover her from the falling bits of hair.
And Zayda sat down and allowed the woman to play with her hair how she desired, first feeling how the woman braided her hair, to then hear the snips of the scissors fixing her hair, finishing it off, making it look nice. If she was going to bother the eldest, she should at least allow her to do what she wants... Right? “NuWa came the other day, asking about you. She also wanted me to tell you that she wants to go to the mall with you”
Zayda agreed.
The next day NuWa picked her up and they went to the mall. NuWa seemed super attentive to her friend, more than usual. She noticed every detail but didn’t dare to ask fearing she would still be sensible of turn around. The first thing she noticed was her hair, how short it was considering that bellowed the knee before, the next thing she noticed was the missing ring, there was no chain, necklace, bracelet to hold it. It was just not there. She also noticed how she was smiling, she usually didn’t smile, at least not that way, her way of showing happiness was different, it was more subtle, like asking tiny favors without feeling remorse, or humming beautiful songs that you could only recognize as a distant memory, talking about what she liked and being open. Not smiling brightly.
Zayda had offered herself to pay for the shopping, that wasn’t new, that was the way she showed love, that and fixing your hair. Helping was her love language.
She asked how she felt, how was her brother, how did things go with her recovery.
I feel ok. He’s busy with the ASTA course. Normal. Just short answers.
NuWa chose many outfits, they ate food they both enjoyed, and laughed for a bit. Watched a movie. Zayda seemed to be focused on it at first sight, but her eyes proved the complete opposite. It just felt... off.
They walked into a jewelry store. Zayda insisted so NuWa gave in. That little shine appeared in her eyes for a very brief moment, just a tiny brief moment before disappearing again. She pointed. A ring, it looked peculiar. It wasn’t circular, it looked like a small string of something coiling around the finger, it was silver and was colored with a thin but noticeable line of red. “I’ll buy it” NuWa looked at her friend incredulously.
They left the store making it their final stop before going home, passing over the bridge of the Rêve river. Zayda stopped in the middle, making NuWa stop on her tracks too and turn around to her friend. She wasn’t carrying any bags, it just hit her that Zayda bought nothing but food for herself, and all the material things, paid by Zayda, were for NuWa.
“For you” Zayda handed the ring she bought earlier. NuWa let out a soft laugh. “You were the one supposed to be getting pampered, you know?” Zayda nodded with a soft smile and took her best friend’s hand, slipping the ring on her finger.
It fitted just perfectly in NuWa’s index finger.
“I hope you like it” NuWa smiled in silence, and hugged her best friend a See you tomorrow.
As she saw NuWa go off in the distance, she stood up over the rail of the bridge. “Is it… terrifying?” She allowed herself to admire the view. She allowed herself to inhale and smell the fresh air of the place. See the sun go down, hear the waters of the river run below her. Standing up, at the edge of the rail. She closed her eyes. Humming lowly a song caught in her head.
One last breath.
“...ways be… with me”
She let herself go.
She didn’t jump, she allowed the weight of her body take over her, making herself loose balance. Making herself fall, gracefully, feeling the breeze and feeling her body impact on the soft waters of the river below her. It was peaceful somehow, she didnt feel the need to swim, she felt relaxed.
---
A small bouquet, of colorful flowers, all of the same species was left on the tombstone in front of the two people. A black-haired guy with red eyes and a scar on the side of his face, wearing a ring with a red strike going around it. And a ginger girl who bore beautiful Asian features, wearing her hair in three English braids.
They said nothing, they didn’t move an inch. They just stared at the stone win the name of the best friend and sister that held that place. It was painful and both people present weren't allowed to even utter the word goodbye. She would get upset if they did try to do so.
The guy walked over to the grave of the deceased. How could you even say those words anyway... there was no way he would be able to say goodbye. He said something else instead.
“I miss you”