Solitaire

Chapter 6

One word is all it takes,

For a tear to drop and a heart to break,

One phrase was all it took,

And it was all broken with one single look.

Words are one of the most powerful things on Earth. Of course there are expressions like, "Actions speak louder than words," but sometimes, you just have to let the words do all the talking.

It's weird to think that letters jumbled on a piece of paper or slipping off someone's tongue can have so much meaning. Our brains can take those words and use chemical messengers to send signals in your brain, telling you how to feel.

But words are sometimes too powerful, in a way where they crawl out of your throat and slip out of your mouth without even noticing. In a way where they are twisted or perverted from their original meaning. In a way where they have no meaning but the same effect.

Words are dangerous.

"What's the point of you being here if you're not going to do anything? You're useless."

"You're not even my real daughter."

"I hate you."

"Leave me alone. I'm trying to sleep." She groaned into the blanket while a bony finger poked into her side. She eventually smacked the finger and it quickly pulled away.

"Wake up. I want to take you somewhere." He started to pull on the blanket. "And besides, it's two in afternoon. You gotta wake up sometime today, missy."

"Nooooo. Don't you have-I don't know, a job?" She sassed as she snatched back the blanket over her head. André let out a deep chuckle and ripped the blanket away from her tired body.

"Bothering you is my job. Now, let's go." After a few long minutes of consideration, Kai begrudgingly got up, gently wiping the sleep from her eyes before following André.

"Where are you even taking me? We've been walking for hours." She trudged behind.

"We've been walking for five minutes, Kai. I promise we're almost there."

And after another five minutes of groaning, they finally arrived in front of a large restaurant. The aroma of fresh food peaked through the doors and immediately made Kaivalya's stomach growl.

She stood in awe at the giant building and found it all too good to be true.

"What? Did you bring me here to rub it in my face?" She snarked.

"Why would I do that?" He questioned with a dejected face. "I was going to take us to get something to eat." His shoulders shrugged as he opened the door. The smell only got stronger, making the offer hard to resist for Kai.

"Really?" Her face lit up and for the first time, André saw a true, genuine smile from the little girl. Now he couldn't wait to get her inside the restaurant and get her something to eat.

Solitaire

"Can I have um... the kid's sized pasta with meatballs please?" She asked the waitress. She wrote down the order and wandered through the swinging door in the back.

"You know you could've got a bigger size?"

"I didn't want to be greedy." She shrugged, taking a sip of her strawberry lemonade. He only chuckled, muttering a few words before getting up and following the waitress behind the door.

The action made her question his authority in this place. Sure, she hasn't been in many restaurants but she at least knew only employees were supposed to go through the infamous swinging doors. Her eyebrows raised at his sudden disappearance but she decided to mind her business.

As much as she hated to say it, she trusted him. She trusted him more than she's ever trusted anyone, almost anyone.

She decided to pass the time by looking around. As she looked, she noticed some pictures on the walls. Most consisted of a wealthy looking family, two adults and three kids.

When she continued to analyze, she could see the years pass. By the time she looked at the last picture, one of the children, who was now an adult, was holding a baby in his hands with a smile that reached his cheeks.

As she got closer to the photo, something stuck out.

Something that made her question everyone.

Something that made her rethink everything.