Nothing Without You

III: Spring at a Distance

Then | Adelaide

Spring was my favourite season out of the four. At least it was before my parents died. There was something unknown about saying that even after all these years.

One day, we were celebrating my 10th birthday and the next they were dead.
I still don't believe it happened.

Everyone bombarded the hospital. People from all over the world. I still wasn't sure if it was a good thing that my parents were famous people.

Laura Sousan and Roman Mikael. Two of the most famous actors. They sold out movie tickets, premiere shows, and hit box office records, but that's not what they were famous for. They were famous for falling in love. My mother's best friend—Eda told me it was love at first sight, that when my Dad met my Mom, he couldn't stop staring at her. She said my Mom told her when she first met my Dad, a part of her clicked. As if she had found her missing piece.

When they died, chaos ensued. Reporters were taking pictures of ten-year-old Adelaide. They asked me questions I didn't understand. I was only ten, what did they expect from me? There was a bandage on my arm and I was scared.

That fear disappeared when Eda arrived.
She saved me from the noise.

I still remembered her hug and the way she kept me close to her.

I remembered her crying, the way her tears dripped onto my head.

Where was that woman now?

"Are you listening to me?" I blinked out of the haze. Eda narrowed her pretty green eyes at me. "This is the fifth time you've zoned out. I don't have enough time for this, I have to leave in thirty minutes."
Let's just say she was a cold woman.
I didn't know much about her, despite having lived with her. Which should be scary, but it's not. There was a time when she was warm and soft but life did awful things to us both. I became a troublesome human and she became an ice queen. She was CEO of this big company. I didn't know what she did exactly because she spent most of her time there rather than talking to me.

"Don't stay out late and keep the doors locked at all times," I replied with boredom. This was something she did before leaving the country. It was the only time she'd sit and talk to me. Boundaries were her favourite word. "I know the rules."

"Good," she replied. She looked like a business woman sitting across from me with her calculated gaze and assessing posture. "Go straight to Sun-Bin's after school."

"I'm old enough to be alone now, you know? She doesn't have to take care of me anymore."

"You're not 18 yet." Eda stood up, pulling the hem of her dress down. She was tall and beautiful for a 27 year old. But sadly, her beauty didn't pass down to her personality.

***

Author's Note [October 28, 2022]:

This is a very short chapter but it goes a little deeper into Eda and Adelaide's life together at one (specific) phase in their lives together.

What's your favourite characteristic of Adelaide's so far?

Mine's how coordinated she is. The couple of chapters didn't show that, but girlie is super put together when it comes to *work*

xx Izza