Sample 6

“Linda! Linda! Pack your stuff! We’re leaving tomorrow morning!” Jewel comes stomping through the door, voice shaking and panting heavily. She doesn’t notice anything around her as she pulls out the empty luggage and start tossing her clothes inside haphazardly, her action tensed and disrupted.

“What?” Linda’s taken aback. “I thought we have another week?” She yells in confusion, waving her sister to sit back down as she follows her roommate.

“Change of plan! We’re leaving tomorrow!” Jewel doesn’t turn back, hands continue to swipe basically everything into the bag.

“No!” the taller says firmly, making her friend jolts her head and looks at her incredulously.

“What?” Her lips quiver uncontrollably.

“I said, no!” She repeats, “not until you give me a reason”. Thing seems strange, it’s not normal for Jewel to not follow a schedule. Linda’s brows knit together. Something must have happened, something bad, and she doesn’t like not knowing.

Jewel doesn’t answer, just standing there with her mouth parts and her eyes open wide. She looks terrified and shocked. She’s crumbling.

“Henry knows!” The shorter blurts out. “He knows!”, her tone’s full of panic, “w- i-i can’t stay here anymore!”

Linda steps closer to face her friend, she crosses her arms on her chest, blocking the other’s way out.

“Is he that bad though, as a soulmate?” Linda asks with a wary voice.

“No! No he’s not bad, he’s far from bad!” Jewel cries, shaking her head and pressing her palms on her eyes.

Henry’s a good guy, smart, funny, gentle, and so, so sweet. He would be perfect for Jewel. Yeah, would be. Because the Jewel that’s perfect for him had died years ago. She’s dead! The Jewel standing before him now is just a hollow shell of her, of that innocent and lovely and extra lively girl. Sometimes she even wonders if that girl really existed, or is she just a product of her one touch too powerful imagination. Jewel isn’t sure anymore.

In a perfect world, Henry would be hers and she would be his, like they were meant to be. It’s not the world they are living now. It’s sad, but that’s the truth. They could never be together, and they’ll never be each other’s. She won’t let it happen.

“I-i can’-can’t…” Tears start falling on Jewel’s cheeks. She shrinks her shoulder, dropping her face and hugs herself on wobbly legs.

Linda’s frown deepen, she steps closer to untangles her friend and take her hands instead.

“I saw it, the way he looks at you. He loves you.” She says softly, as if even a harsh word would crash the shorter.

“You think i don’t know? You think i don’t realize his feeling?” Jewel scoffs, her voice trembles in pain. “But every time he looks at me like i’m the center of his universe, it just reminds me that i don’t deserve it! I don’t deserve him! I’m not worthy of such pure love!” She cries, screams, in tears.

“And it hurts! It hurts so much!” Jewel punches her chest continuously. She lets out breathy wheezes and hiccups non stop. “He’s my soulmate. He deserves the world! He deserves more than anything i could ever give him.”

“But it’s not fare for him. You are making all the decisions.” Linda grabs her shoulders tightly, to keep her grounded and stable. Her voice calm and steady.

“What are you talking about?? You are my friend. You were supposed to be on my side!” Jewel shouts, struggling to get out of her friend’s grip to no avail. Her tone’s a mix of anger and desperation, the later is more than the former.

Linda narrows her gaze, she bites down her lip as she swallows hard. “I am! I’m always with you no matter what you do. I just want you, to give him a chance. Give yourself a chance!”

She pulls Jewel into a tight hug. There’s tears in her eyes and sadness in her voice. “You are so sweet, so, so precious. You deserve to be happy too.”

Jewel pushes her out. She looks at the taller with the most vulnerable expression, like a deer in front of the headlights.

“I can’t!” She breaks down in sobs and collapses on the floor. “I can’t!” Jewel curls herself in her knees and cry silently.

Linda sighs, defeated, because she doesn’t know how else to react. “Oh honey, what are we gonna do now?” She closes her eyes tiredly.

 

And just when they think things wouldn’t be any worse, it does.

Linda’s phone vibrates furiously in her pocket. She picks it up and press it to her ear. “What?”, her tone thick and impatient.

“Have you read the file i sent you?” Come the voice of her friend – Mei, hurry and full of worry.

“No, i haven’t got the time.” Linda click her tongue, eyes darting between Suzie in the living room and Jewel on the bedroom floor. “Is it important?”

“It is! Hurry up and read it!” She pushes, sounding nervous and a bit angry.

Linda taps in the link on her phone. The grand heading pops up on her screen immediately.

Breaking news: Young CEO of the Valentine company engaged to the “Diamond Princess”

The girl is startled, can’t believe in her own eyes. She didn’t expect this at all. 

“Where did you get this?” Linda has to clench her jaw to keep her voice level. What in the world is going on?

“So it is him!” Mei shouts, “i thought he was with you this whole time?!”, she’s deeply confused and concern. “I work at the paper, remember? This is going on the news first thing tomorrow morning. It is big.” She pauses with a hiss. “Whatever you do, don’t let them hurt you, okay?”

“Okay”, Linda breathes in deep through her nose, and out slowly through her mouth to steady her breath. “Thanks. I appreciate the help.” She hears the other’s hum before ending the call.

The girl leans back to rest on the wall, or else she wouldn’t be able to stand at all.

Everything around her is a mess!

What do i do? She spends a moment to clear her mind and threads her thought back up. Then she unlocks her phone, and press dial.

“Linda?” Albert’s voice rings through the speaker sleepily. “Why are you calling?”

The girl lets out a long sigh, “are you free? I have something to talk with you?”.

“It’s kinda late. Can’t it wait till tomorrow?” He replies. It’s just passed midnight, not too late, but night is getting old.

“We need to talk now!” Linda says through gritted teeth, she has to verified the truth as soon as possible.

 

They meet at the usual club in a private room, hidden away form prying eyes.

Albert wears his casual clothes, a sweatshirt and jeans, which all are designer of course. He’s too comfortable for his own good, sitting there enjoying expensive red wine. He perks up, smiling normally at the girl, “Linda”.

“Is this true?” Linda tosses her phone on the table. The headline flashes as the phone spins round and round.

The man’s mostly puzzled. He takes the phone and skims through the paper. Then, his face pales visibly, his smile disappears. He opens his mouth to ask.

“How did you-”

“It’s none of your business.” Linda cuts him off immediately. “I just want an answer. Is, this, true?” She growls out each word.

Albert goes silent. He places the phone back on the table, his gaze glued on to the glowing flash.

Linda’s temper drops down the floor. “Why didn’t you tell me?” She clenches her hands into fits to stop herself from shaking. All feelings aside, she just wants her minimum amount of respect.

“My family won’t accept a bride with a past.” Albert says, sounding defeated. Linda doubts he tried fighting at all.

“So, i thought”, he swallows, “i thought i could make an arrangement, with her. She lives her life, and i live mine.”

“And what about me?” The girl asks quietly.

“I-i thought i’ll ask to buy you out. I’ll buy you a house. We can live there together. You don’t even have to work. I can cover it all up!” He replies hurriedly. “I love you. You know it, right?” He adds.

“Won’t it make me your mistress though?” Her voice thinned into a whisper.

“But”, Albert glances up at her, foggy and lost, “aren’t you already…?”, his voice trails off.

Linda thinks her heart just stops and her blood runs cold.

(Sometimes, just sometimes, it was so comfortable that she forgot she was still waiting.)

“…Oh”

Oh. She has indeed forgotten.

That she isn’t just his soulmate but a Flower as well. It doesn’t matter if it’s Linda-the soulmate that happens to be a Flower or Linda-the Flower soulmate. To Albert and his family, she will never be anything more than a Flower, a flower that’s meant to be observed, to be picked, to be played with. Not any amount of love will ever surpass the fact that she is, was, a Flower. Her present and the potential of her bright future can’t change her pass or even cover for it.

A Flower is a mistress. A Flower soulmate is not meant to be a wife, or anything that’s legal.

“Is that really what you think of me?” Linda asks, every word cutting through her chest tastes bitter on her tongue.

Albert doesn’t answer, doesn’t even dare to face her. And he has the audacity to look ashamed.

You didn’t respect me as a soulmate. You didn’t respect me as a Person.

It makes Linda angry. Furious!

“You disgust me!” Linda bites out with poison, and feeling extremely satisfied when the opposite man flinches to her words.

She doesn’t splashes the wine on his face. No. She pours the red wine on the prefect white table cloth, staining it like cheap rags.

She turns on her heels, head up, back straight, and stomps out of the bar in confidence. He doesn’t hold her back. And she wouldn’t be!

 

.

 

They leave early in the morning.

The air’s still cold and damp, the building’s cover by mist, vague and blurry.

The trip to the airport’s quiet. Jewel’s stayed silent since last night, Linda isn’t in the mood to talk, and Suzie is smart enough not to ask anything. They seat there chasing their own thoughts. Some are gloomier than others.

When they’ve past the immigration port, Jewel abruptly turns and hugs the girls in her arms. She rests her head on their shoulders for a moment, tightening her grip.

“…You girls are all i have now.” She sighs in their hair, before letting go and looking up at them with watery eyes.

Linda hugs her back, caressing her head and her silky hair, voice ever so soft. “And you’ll always have us. Always.”

 

.

 

It’s been a month since they’ve arrived in their new place, a small town somewhere in northern Europe.

The girls are settling down with their new life. Suzie with her school work, she’s a little late for the new school year, and Linda and Jewel with the café’s opening. They rent an appartement with two bedrooms near the café. It’s not too big, but it’s much better than the old one. Much, much better, with more sunlight and even parquet flooring.

Linda and Jewel still share a room though. The taller says she’s too used to it, so she doesn’t want any changes. But the fact’s she doesn’t want to let the shorter girl sleep alone.

Jewel’s been having nightmare lately. She wakes up at night drowned in her own tears. She keeps saying she’s sorry, to no one in particular.

It makes Linda worry.

While the event didn’t have much affect on Linda, (it was expected anyway), it had taken a toll on Jewel’s mind and body. Her mental state is concerning. But she brushes it off whenever Linda brings up the subject and avoids her for the rest of the day. The taller couldn’t do more than just keep an eye on her all the time.

Yet, she couldn’t be aware of the worst.

 

“Silly Jewel. Selfish Jewel. Cruel Jewel.”

Jewel jerks awake in the middle of the night with tears over flowing down her pillow, gasping for air like she’s being choked. She quickly gets out of bed into the bathroom, before coughing heavily.

“You’re so mean! Leaving him behind like that. Breaking his heart like that.”

I didn’t mean to… I’m sorry! I tried to stay away. I let him go… I let him go.

“Did you really? You don’t deserve him. Such a lovely guy.”

He’ll be okay. He doesn’t need me as i need him. He can move on!

“Poor man. Poor, poor man.”

“How is he suppose to move on when he’s tied up by you? Cruel Jewel?”

(“I saw the way he looked at you. He loves you.”)

But why? Why did he love me? There’s no reason for him to love me!

“Exactly! It’s because of the string.”

“A man like that wouldn’t look at you twice if it’s not for the string.”

“You’re his chain. You’re his sorrow. If the string doesn’t exist…”

Will he not be in pain? Will he be free? Will he find someone truly worthy of his love?

“Of course.”

If the string doesn’t exist…

<<Snip>>

The sound of the scissors is swallowed by a loud pound at the door. Linda’s standing there looking worry and as much terrified.

Jewel suddenly realizes that’s she’s in the kitchen of their new home, with a scissors in her hand.

Linda shouts, Jewel doesn’t think she’s ever sounded that horrified.

“Jewel! What, did you do?”

The string falls loosely onto the ground. It’s no longer attached to her little finger, its’ colour is fading as it dissolves slowly into nothingness.

 

I let him go…