ARIA“What the fuck are you doing?”My head snapped up so quickly at the angry voice that raised red flags in my mind.I pressed my lips together, forcing myself to regulate my breathing. If he saw me breathing so vastly, he would have some serious doubts.He barged inside, pushing the door so hardly that it made a loud sound when it collided with the wall.I turned myself, leaning my back against the cabinet under the basin, and hid my trembling hands in my lap.He eyed me with suspicious eyes, taking me in as I sat on my knees on the floor. My eyes flicked past him and collided with Lina’s. She looked at me warily before her gaze flicked to the cabinet and back to me. She eyed me like she knew something and every friendly feeling I ever had for her disappeared leaving behind a ball of suspicions inside me.“What’re you doing down there?” Fabiano questioned, halting in front of me. I was at eye-level to his pants but I looked up. He looked so huge and big from down here, like he was
ARIAAfter everything that had happened to me, I was telling myself that this would end but it never did.“Who are you?” I asked the woman who looked like me.“Stop it.” Gideon hissed at me, finally his control snapping as he glared at my hunched over figure.My hands were shaking, my eyes stinging with a new set of tears as I glared at the floor.“Stop using it as an excuse.”My chin trembled as I listened to him. A tear fell down my eye as I kept ignoring it.“You’re not the only girl who went through this.” He snapped harshly, throwing his gloves on the floor.“It j-just happens.” I sniffed back the tears, “I-it’s not e-easy.” I stuttered as a sob lodged in my throat.“No. No. No.” I could see him shaking his head through the corner of my eyes, “I can’t feel the pain you went through. Not really but I know if you keep doing this, you’ll never survive this.”Anger flashed inside me. My insides burned at his words. He didn’t know what I went through. How could he be so insensitive.“
ARIAThat night, I didn’t go to sleep.Or that’s what I had planned but sometime during the night, I drifted to sleep.When I felt the weight of a stare; the prickles on my skin and the feeling of ants crawling over me, I bolted upright on my bed.She was here. Again.I blinked the sleep out of my eyes and turned my head, meeting her eyes more quickly than I had thought I would, making my heart jump.She was sitting at the edge of the bed, her eyes on her lap and legs dangling down from the bed.“How did you come in?” I questioned without any delay.She had done enough with me taking advantage of the fact that I was weak and stuck in my own mind.Not now. Not again.She wanted to mess with me. Fuck her! I would mess wither right back. People often targeted the weak. The only way to get rid of them was to become strong.And that’s what I was going to do.She played with her fingers but raised her head, staring into my eyes and smiling widely;“Men are foolish.”I prepared myself for an
ARIAHer body collided with mine, sending us both to the ground. My back arched at the impact, my mouth opened on a silent cry of pain that exploded inside me.My arm was not completely healed and the fact that I landed on my wounded arm did nothing to soothe my fumbled nerves.I jerked beneath the nameless woman, kicking my legs up in hopes of hitting her but she dodged it efficiently.Getting angry and frustrated at her, I let out a sound akin to growl before slamming my hands into her chest with all my might.The shock on her face told me that she wasn’t expecting me to do something like this.She wasn’t expecting me to fight back.Air whooshed out of her lungs at the impact, she jerked back and at the same time, I bucked my knees and kicked my legs, sending her off of me.She was on the floor, bent awkwardly and in a position that made it seem that she was injured and in need of help.But I didn’t help her.The woman was sick. Manipulative.I already made a mistake by paying atten
ARIA“Secret tunnels.” I thought out loud.A chuckle filled my ears, bringing me out of my trance.“You’re smart.” I looked at her to find to grinning at me.“You’ve been using them.” My tone was accusing.Oh, dear Lord!That’s how she had been going in and out.A flash went before my eyes.When she had told me that my friend was alive, and harmed me, I had seen her disappearing into Fabiano’s closet.It meant…“I have to say.” She pursed her lips, “I wasn’t expecting you. I was expecting a dumb bitch but was shocked to find that Fabiano found someone like you.”Fabiano’s closet led to the secret tunnel. That’s how she had come in his room at night and disappeared without anyone knowing.“You’re smart. But then, that’s why you’re a prisoner.” She leaned forward and my eyes snapped to her neck where the blade was digging in her skin. “Maybe that’s why you’re still alive. If it were some dumbo skank, she would’ve killed herself knowing what Fabiano can do. Why are you alive, Aria?”The
ARIAThe knife I had been holding fell to the floor with a clink.No woman should go through this.Terror choked my windpipe. I couldn’t breathe properly. I fought a rising panic, telling myself to stay calm when my legs shook with fear.No woman should go through this.I understood what she was talking about.The answer circulated in my mind. An image flashed on my mind slate.My hands were clammy as I rubbed my face, breathing heavily as terror rained down on me.Without waiting another second, I fled to the door. Opening it, I rushed outside and raced to the large steel doors that had lion head handles and slammed myself into them.“Open the door.” I screamed, pounding my fists on the heavy steel.“Open it.”No woman should go through it.My eyes watered from fear.Why was no one opening the door?“Please.” I shouted, “Open it. Open the door.” My fists started to get red. I could feel the pain swelling in them but I paid no mind to the pain.My face had gotten wet with tears but I
ARIA“Hello?” A soft sound filled my ears.I fisted the phone and buried I in my chest as the sob echoed around me. I closed my hand over my mouth to stop myself from crying out loud.Gasping behind my hand, I brought the phone back to my ear.“Hello?” The voice filled my ears, “Is someone there?”My knees gave up on me. I fell down on the floor, rocking myself back and forth as I listened to her voice.One year.It had been more than a year.How I had yearned to hear her voice? How my eyes had cried for one glimpse of her?“Hello?” There was a tone of impatience in her voice and it made me smile shakily.I wiped my tears and lifted my hand off my mouth before gathering every ounce of courage.“I am cutting—”I spoke up, my voice shaky;“Hey.”I heard a sharp intake of breath on the other side before silence filled the line.A silent tear rolled down my cheek and I didn’t bother to wipe it away.“A-Aria?” I closed my eyes, relishing the sound of my name coming from her lips.“Is that
ARIA“How’re you, little fairy?”Silence was the only answer I received before I heard a deep intake from the other side.“How am I?” My sister’s voice was a hiss that made me close my eyes in despair. “HOW. AM. I?”My lips trembled apart but not a single word poured out of them.“WHERE ARE YOU?” Alara shouted into the phone, “A year. A FUCKING YEAR.” A grimace twisted my features. My sister didn’t curse but when she did, it was something rare.“Listen…” I rubbed my face, wiping away any signs of wetness left.“No.” I heard her bark, “You listen. Where are you? Do you know how worried I was? I searched for you. My sister. My sister, who had been the responsible one, disappears without a sign. For a year. No call. No message. WHY?”Her last words were a tangled scream.I breathed deeply, understanding her anger.Her reaction was justified.It wasn’t like that your sister vanishing without a word and barging back into your life after a year was normal.I wanted to open my heart to her b