Words left unsaid - Masterminds #1, Chapter 17 (part 2)
Was Nya really the only one who noticed that Heila was different? Ever since that day when they captured the Hybrid... Something didn't feel right...
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Even though she was legally allowed to drink where they lived, Nya wasn’t a fan. She was still holding her first glass of red wine when the ones around her finished their meal and started to walk around the rooftop terrace, chatting away.
“Hello? Nya? Hello from planet Earth!”
Nya looked back at Ash who had been sitting next to her. She hadn’t been paying attention to what he had been telling her for the past few minutes.
“Sorry… what was that about Dahlia?”
Ash sighed and shook his head.
“Nevermind. You’ll probably hear about it from Lucy anyway. Are you sure you’re okay? You know you’ve been looking at her this whole time.”
“Wh-what? No, I wasn’t.”
“Yes, you’ve been stealing glances.”
It wasn’t that she wasn’t looking at Heila… but…
“Well, something is different about her today…”
Ash chuckled. “Of course, she’s officially engaged! That would definitely change a person, don’t you think?”
“No, it’s not that…”
How could she explain it?
Indeed, on the surface, Heila looked just like her usual self: cheerful yet composed, outgoing and in control of the party.
But couldn’t Ash feel it? Was it because she had been living at the penthouse for a longer period of time?
To her, it felt like Heila was pretending to be her usual self. As if there was something more she wanted to show… except that she couldn’t. Her usual self felt like a skin, a mask she had just put on for that special night.
It was a weird feeling she had. Maybe it was the wine. Maybe it was the way that the sunset glow shone against Heila’s all-white jumpsuit… which was probably meant to represent a ‘wedding dress’ except for an engagement. Except that instead of looking like a bride, she looked more like…
“She looks majestic.”
Ash almost choked on his beer.
“Majestic? Nya…”
She knew what he was going to say. It’s time to move on. This is the opportunity to start over, especially now that you’re going to university and she’s getting engaged. Time to live your own life… and split your paths…
It was true that she had been eyeing Heila from the corner of her eye. At that moment, Harry was speaking to her, leaning against the railing. They were almost hidden in the shadows as the lights they had turned on couldn’t reach that far.
Then Harry started to walk away.
It was her chance. She wanted to speak to her.
She wanted to know… what was bothering her… what had changed her all of a sudden.
“I know, Ash, I know,” she said as she stood up. “Sorry but…”
She didn’t even finish her sentence as she walked away and towards the railing.
However, Jake was faster than her and hopped right beside Heila before she could make it. It would be too awkward to turn back now so she kept walking and leaned against the railing as well, a few metres away, as if she had planned to be on her own for a while. The nocturnal breeze felt good against her face. She sipped her wine and looked up at the sky.
It always felt good to be in the shadows. The darkness was what she constantly craved.
She knew she shouldn’t do it, but she couldn’t help and try to eavesdrop on their conversation. She couldn’t make out everything but… it was enough.
Somehow, she felt that Jake also sensed that Heila wasn’t being herself that night.
“...I hope Dany doesn’t give you a hard time as a husband,” Jake said.
“Don’t worry. If anything, I’m probably giving him a hard time,” Heila replied.
“Oh, and why is that?”
A pause.
“You’ve always been such a good big brother to me, even if we’re not related by blood.”
“Of course, that’s the least I could do. It must have been hard losing your parents…”
“In that case… would you…”
Behind them, Ray started laughing a bit too loud. Nya didn’t get to hear the rest of her sentence or Jake’s reply.
Another pause.
“You know, it’s never too late. If you ever want to break it off,” Jake said.
“And why would you think I’d ever want to do that?”
“I’m serious.”
Heila laughed.
Again, Nya didn’t hear her reply.
“I don’t know,” Jake said. “Maybe. I just thought… sometimes, I think that this… isn’t who you really are.”
Nya couldn’t figure out whether they were still talking as the ruckus behind them grew louder and she didn’t dare look towards Heila’s direction, for fear that her attempt at eavesdropping would be found out.
But she didn’t have to.
“Are you okay?”
Nya almost jumped. Heila was now standing next to her and Jake was nowhere to be found. They had noticed her after all.
She lifted her glass of wine and decided to lie. “Yes, just had a bit too much, but I’ll be fine.” She paused and looked away. “Congrats, by the way.”
“Thank you.”
Now that she was next to her, Nya didn’t know what to say. She had the feeling that Heila was the one who wanted to tell her something, so she kept silent. However, none of them made a move.
“I can’t believe you’re already a university student.” Heila chuckled. “Time flies by, for sure.”
Nya looked up at her, but her emerald eyes were staring straight at the crescent moon, glowing in the sky. Her hair looked almost grey in the faint light. She had a smile on her face… a sad one.
“But I’m still around.”
“For now.”
Nya decided to gulp her drink in one go. Her heart was now beating twice as fast.
“Nya, careful—”
“It’s fine, I’m fine. It’s just… there wasn’t much left anyway and I’ve been holding on to this glass for too long… Anyway.” She took a deep breath. She could feel the alcohol going to her head straight away. “I’d like to say the same to you. I can’t believe you’re getting married already. It’s been a long time coming. At the same time, Ash and Ray left the house… And with all that happening all at once… Does it mean that we’ll eventually all move on from the penthouse and end up living our lives separately?”
Sometimes, that was exactly what she wanted. Like Ash always told her: to move on and live her life. But at other times, she didn’t want all this to end.
“Well… it’s the ideal outcome, from The Oracles’ point of view. If we’re all able to live independently… if I don’t have to watch over you or Ash or Ray or anyone else anymore… it means that we’re certain that the apocalypse will not happen.”
“The Oracles… yes, but what about you? What is your point of view?”
Of course, this is what Heila would want.
To finally be able to live a peaceful life with Dany, as a young couple ready to take on the world, without the burden of having to take care of strangers…
“I’d probably be devastated.”
Wait, what?
“Devast—..”
“At this point, I just can’t imagine living a life without you… all. You know?”
Nya didn’t know what to say. She didn’t even want her mind to wander where it clearly wanted to wander…
“I hope it’s not the alcohol,” Heila said, “but I just had the weirdest idea.” She turned towards her and pointed her pinky finger upward. “What if we made a pact, right here right now?”
“A pact?”
“Let’s promise each other that we’ll always be on each other’s side, whatever the future may hold. Even if powers higher than ourselves try to put us against each other, we have to stick together, no matter what. So? What do you say?”
What… Where was this going? What was going on with her?
There was clearly something that was bothering Heila. But knowing her, she was not going to talk about it, even if she were completely drunk.
Nya laughed nervously.
“Where is this coming from?”
“After all, if we do end up living our own lives away from each other… anything could happen. And being set against you would be the worst thing that could happen. This is the one thing I wouldn’t be able to live with.”
“Well… it’s not like I can imagine a situation when that could happen. I know I can be a moody teenager sometimes but I’ll always support you in whatever you do. I mean… without you, I would probably still be a lab rat… in a worse prison…”
When the words came out of her mouth, she knew that she meant it with all her heart. Even if it hurt seeing Heila growing old with Dany, she still wanted to support her and be happy for her.
She wanted to be on her side. Always.
“Promise?”
Nya lifted her pinky finger.
“I promise…”
Their fingers interlocked.
“...I’ll always be on your side, no matter what.”
D. K. Waye