41

41


AALIYAH 

Days have passed since the incident, yet the emptiness is still there and is eating away at me. In my imagination, the trauma is blooming like new flowers in the summer. Knowing my infant died in my stomach, I am so terrified that I am sitting on the floor with my knees to my chest, arms around them, and head on my knees so that my hair falls out. I'm still very much in the grip of the experience.

Clair sighs, and when I turn to look, there she is, silently standing before me for hell knows how long. Her eyes were sadly fixed on mine. I'm at my wits' end when she finally says, "How the mighty has crumbled."

I leap to my feet, already enraged, and unconcerned about losing anything because, in my opinion, I have already lost everything. What I haven't yet been able to comprehend is how a child I had only recently begun to want has suddenly become the boon of my existence. 

"Clair, please leave so that you can do yourself a favour. Already I'm losing it.

"It's clear,"

"One more word, and then I will..."

"What!" She challenges "You are egotistical and greedy. Too much greed makes us all sick. We were handing around the best cake when you happened to arrive and snatched it all up when while choking you bluntly refused to let go.”

"Let's start by saying that I am the one who made your predator my piece of cake and that you are all just crumbs being passed around and thrown to the side. If you must blub, make sure your facts are correct.”

"I wished you passed away in the caravan. Your baby would also be better off dead, too.”

As sickness overtakes me and causes me to lose my footing, the words hit me like a whirlwind and reverberated in my thoughts. My voice is shaky all of a sudden, "It's dead. Perhaps you might spread the word and leave me alone. He died in the worst conceivable way of death. Go do what you do best!" I turn to go while shooing her away, tears dripping down my cheek as she smiles at my situation. 

"How about you?" She stops, "It's no use being alive. I'll begin my duties with you first.” She waits until I turn to face her and focus on her. "It turns out that you're not as significant as you think. The triple alphas were sent by the Beta to the woods, where they share a border with aliens I guess, to source for a shitty craft. The winner is declared the real alpha, rendering you, my darling, just another crappy piece of cake.”

I have a surge of depression that causes me to fall backward. The crash's impact, my hurt wolf, the bloody bath, Clair's remarks to me... voices inside my head. It is clear that I am hallucinating. 

I collapse to the ground, sitting as I had been seated earlier with my knees to my chest, arms over them, and head resting on my knees. I had a shield-like covering of hair. Clair refuses to back down; she screams nonstop, making my spine tingle with fear. Every skin pore on my body begins to perspire as my teeth clench.

As I sit here suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, Nikki rushes in, knocking Clair to the side and starting a battle on my behalf. I wasn't able to make out much of the altercation, including if Nikki or Clair had been seriously hurt. I wish Clair had a taste of her medicine, but I was too engrossed in my own world to care. 

After that, Nikki acts as my mother as she pulls me up like a child.

She brushes my face's hair away and says, "Oh Liyah, poor thing. I understand that you are experiencing a terrible fate, but you can't harm yourself this way.

“It died." 

"I know, so you need to move on, you're losing your..."

"And I'm just a piece of shitty cake." As if I hadn't been interrupted, I carry on in my beat.

“How? Aaliyah, halt.”

“They left.”

She grips my shoulders and asks, "Who left? Did Clair hurt you so deep?”

"I'm a piece of shitty cake, they left after it died.”

Nikki doesn't object when she sees that I'm immersed in my own world. She ignores what I'm saying as she snatches me up in her arms for a cozy hug.

"You need to take a warm bath." While guiding me to the restroom, she informs me. I scream when she attempts to bring me into the tub after she has filled it with water because I don't want to.

“Are you afraid of the water? What are you, Aaliyah?

"There's blood there,"

"Blood? Absolutely not, I made sure to have it cleaned.”

"I see it, I know it."

"Can't you see?" She scoops some water into her hand in an effort to get me to buy it. She sprinkled it on me just as I was ready to leave and then moved to lock the door. 

"Aaliyah, I understand how hurt you are, but you need to gather yourself. I detest the way you're losing yourself so badly.” She shakes my shoulders. 

Like I’m alternating between worlds, I crash on her, hugging her so right. "What's wrong with me, Nikki?” I can't stop the tears from rolling down my cheeks. 

"Nothing, Aaliyah." She returns my hug. "You simply need some healing time, and then you'll be alright. It's understandable that the situation hasn't been easy on you." She touches my back.

Having lost the strength to argue, I nod.

"Go forward, you won't be allowed to evade my sight, my cute sticker. Okay?” She waits until I smile back, and she continues while also grinning. "More like my infant daughter. You are not allowed to engage in any conflict; leave it to me.” She shakes her body. "But first, get your soft ass into that bathtub, my dear, you need a warm bath and nice rest."

Though it brings back memories, I take off my dress and enter the water. I then sit back and let her take care of me.

She restores my sanity with each soft stroke while speaking kind things to me. She completely dries my body as she combs my hair and helps me out of the tub. I've never been happier to have a buddy like Nikki in my life than I am right now.

She assists me in getting dressed before escorting me to her bed and out of the restroom. She gently pats me to sleep; it's hilarious since I lay awake in her arms and wasn't trying to nod off so she could leave.

"Close those adorable eyes." She chuckles as she speaks. "Or I will bite them.” Although she is threatening, I'm not afraid because it's her.

While blinking, I smile. "You can bite the other, and there is love in sharing." 

She taps my shoulder and says, "Hell no silly! You could have made it a five-way to die shit, but you were being excessively stingy with those beef. Keep it if you wish to share your body right now." She begins making fun of me, and as I laugh, her expression lightens.