A Tragic Repeat of History

Tonight was the anniversary of Aria's grandparents-in-law, and it would take place this year on a private cruise ship.

Kai was taken away from her shortly after they arrived. Aria tried socializing with her in-laws but was immediately reminded that she was as unwelcomed as ever.

"Why're you still here? Can't read the room or something?"

"If you're just gonna keep quiet there the whole time, you might as well leave."

"It freaks me out that you never talk unless you're spoken to, you know."

"You're aspiring to be a singer, right? Why don't you sing for us?"

"Oh, that's too much. You're crossing the line."

"Indeed. How can she sing when she can't even talk normally?"

With neither Kai nor Vivica around, Aria's enemies were merciless.

One of them spilled a glass of wine and got her dress dirty on purpose. Another humiliated her by tripping her in front of the other guests when she tried to stand up.

Unable to take it anymore, Aria ran away, just like always.

'How easy will it be to jump from here?' she wondered while staring down at the dark ocean water from the ship's rear deck. 'How easy will it be to just let go?'

Aria's head was swimming with dangerous thoughts when she felt a hand at her back. It was so sudden it made her jolt and look up into Vivica's glinting eyes.

"Seasick? I brought some ginger root."

She gave her one of those kind smiles that made her stomach flip in knots. Vivica was so nice to her. But she wondered why she found herself struck with a gut feeling of unease that would rise at times.

Aria would always dismiss it, though, hardly having a real reason to fault Vivica.

"I'm alright. Thank you." Aria hummed to herself a bit while Vivica's hand stayed on her back.

"Taking my shoes off on a boat always helps," she then said, toeing her way out of her heels before leaning back against the stern. "The cool feeling of the wooden boards~"

"My… shoes?"

Her feet did hurt, what with being pinched up in tiny shoes all night and having just high enough of a heel to barely keep her balance. 'Incidentally, it was Mr. Gallahan who gave me this outfit.' She had requested flats, but that had obviously fallen on deaf ears, much like the rest of her opinions.

After contemplating for a moment, Aria kicked her own shoes off and relaxed against the edge of the railing. Vivica continued to rub her hand down her back, fingers digging against the silky lace and fabric buttons that dotted her spine.

"There you go. Party jitters are getting you down is all." Again, that smile. "Just take a deep breath. Close your eyes and relax."

Aria ignored the buzzing of intuition in her ears.

Her thoughts from earlier came back with a sort of breathless laugh. "I don't think such a tight-fitting dress allows for that, Vivica." She allowed her eyes to flutter close regardless.

Aria still didn't feel any better, though.

Of course, suicide wasn't the right answer. In retrospect, it's even needlessly dramatic.

She kept her eyes closed, taking deep breaths, as deep as she could manage at least.

The motion invited the whipping winds of the night to carry the smell of salt to her. She noted that the ocean smelled much different far from the coast - clean and pure. The breeze brushed over her face and took the heavy stench of alcohol away from her.

Aria blinked her eyes open and gave Vivica a grateful smile.

"Well, that sure did help, even if just for a bit. Now, what? We can head back inside if you want to."

"Now?" The hand on Aria's back stiffened. "Now, you drift off."

A crazed look flashed in Vivica's eyes. "Let all of that just snuff itself out, Aria. I'm sure you'll find a way to pay me back later."

Pressure. A lot of pressure. And then gasping for air.

That's what Aria last remembered before falling.

Aria had been pushed off the deck, and now, she was crashing into a cold bed of water. Before her back hit the dark ocean with a loud splash, she heard Vivica scream for help.

But not without arranging her previously discarded shoes into perfect alignment first.

'A... setup?' Her very soul froze. 'She set me up?'

She heard panicked voices back at the ship. Her bare feet kicked in a desperate attempt to do a swimming motion, but the fabric of her dress was dragging her down as the water soaked through the various layers. The ship was already getting farther away at this point.

Quiet. So quiet. The ocean was so quiet beneath the surface.

Aria came back up sputtering and gasping. From a distance, she could hear Kai crying out for her.

"Hold on, Aria!"

The weight of the dress forced her head under again. She came up for the second time, coughing large amounts of seawater. It leaked from the sides of her mouth as she tried to keep her head up.

'I thought I wanted to let go? Why am I still fighting?'

She looked at the lavish ship, which was much smaller now from where she was, and while she realized that she still wanted to live so badly, she no longer wanted to be a part of that posh world.

Becoming a Soleste had turned out to be the same as accepting Georgine's offer.