Let me teach you, Rosa

𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽.* :☆ﾟ. ───

"I have no idea what you said to that poor girl today, Chlo, but I've never seen her so heartbroken," Emilia chuckled slightly, pulling apart her chicken at the main table. Chloe looked over the room, feeling the power encompass her- making it hard to breathe. Students filed in, trays in their hands, smiles on their faces. The noise in the room was immense. Her sister spoke to her, laughing and joking but she didn't hear a word of it. Her eyes flashed over the room, looking for the one girl in particular.
Sitting in the back corner, her shoulders were low and she was eating slowly, pushing the food around her plate. Chloe's eyes locked on her. She watched as she shook her head in response to her friends or let out a little shrug, followed by a sigh. She watched her eyes from across the hall, not looking up from the table. She couldn't help but feel guilty. She was just so angry.
"Hey," her sister's tender voice brought her back. She felt her warm hand on her clenched fist and she ripped her eyes away from Rosa. "You okay?"
"Can we leave?" Chloe blurted out. She was already pushing her chair back and leaving before she got the answer. She abandoned the plates and hurried from the hall. Emilia followed with haste- worry evident in her speed.

Chloe didn't slow down, all the way to her room. She pushed open the door and instantly took a deep breath. However, following the breath came sobs- the worst, most heartbreaking sobs. She collapsed to her knees, feeling the fear and anger turn her body into a sobbing infant, craving nothing but human touch. Emilia crawled onto the floor beside her sister and, just as she did when they were younger, pulled her sister into her arms. Chloe gasped and begged for air and Emilia ran her fingers through her hair, taking out the tight bun.
"You're okay," Emilia's soft voice floated through the room. Chloe's sobs were silent, heart-wrenching. She wanted more. "It's okay."

Emilia began to sing. It was a small, little, soft song the girls made up when they were younger but the melody instantly soaked itself into Chloe, wrapping itself around her like comforting arms, a blanket of calmness. After that, Chloe began to calm down. Her sobs turned to hiccups and her wet face moved from Emilia's thigh. She looked up at her sister, her beautiful sister and took an unsteady breath. Emilia didn't stop singing. They locked eyes and Emilia ran her fingers over Chloe's cheeks, wiping the tears that fell like raindrops down a car window after the storm has passed.
"You're okay," her voice whispered. Chloe closed her eyes, nodding gently. She was okay now.
"I can't do this one," she replied, in a pained tone. Emilia sighed and moved some hair from her sister's face.
"Why not?"
"I can't even say it but- but it's so hard," her voice choked again. She shut her eyes tight as if she was in pain. She felt like she was in pain. Her father wanted her to kill someone- intentionally. "It's so hard because I've done it before," she whispered. "But never so, so meticulously. He wants me to do the impossible."
"You can do it, love. It's hard but you can. You can make him proud." Emilia's voice was hopeful. The hopeful thirteen-year-old she used to be, always wanting to make her daddy proud. Always wanting to do the right thing. Chloe sat up then.
"No, no baby," she whispered. Emilia's face fell. "I don't want to do it. I want to do anything but." Emilia's face grew into a confused one.
"Then why did you agree?"
"He'll -" Chloe paused. She couldn't tell her little sister the truth. Not when her face was breaking her heart but she couldn't stay naive to it forever. "Lilly," she whispered, bringing back the childhood nickname. She cupped her little sister's cheeks and planted the softest kiss on her forehead. "He can take the things I love most away from me."
"Like the school?"
Chloe sighed and shook her head, putting her forehead against Emilia's. "Like you."

After a few minutes sat like that, Emilia wrapped her arms around her sister and sighed, taking in the love.
"He'll take the school too," she whispered.
"He will," Chloe confirmed, sighing. She loved the school.
"And," Emilia hesitated. "He'll take Rosa." Chloe stiffened.
"What do you mean by that?"
Emilia sat up and glared at her sister. "He'll take her if you fail. That's why you don't want to. I know it's me too but it's her. He knows about her."
"There isn't anything to know about her-"
"Chloe, don't be silly." Emilia stood up and walked over to Chloe's bedside table. "You have her timetable, her recent work. You literally have her folder right here!" she chuckled and Chloe rushed over. She took it out of Emilia's hand and blushed.
"It's not like that," she mumbled, shoving it all into a drawer. "It's headteacher stuff."
"Your rule is to keep teacher stuff away from private rooms.." Emilia giggled, she loved winding up her sister.
"Yes, my rules, I can break them. Now, there is nothing going on with Rosa."
"I don't believe you. I think," she jumped onto Chloe's bed and crossed her legs. "You love her." Chloe froze and Emilia instantly began to giggle harder.
"Emilia, she's my student!"
"And?"
"And? If anyone found out, I'd have no school so keep your mouth shut!"
"You're not denying it," Emilia shrugged, feeling all giddy. Chloe rolled her eyes and turned around. She didn't think she loved Rosa. She definitely appreciated her more than her other students but that was just because they got along well.
"You're completely smitten," Emilia mumbled.
"Shut up," Chloe groaned.

Half an hour later and both women went back to their teaching duties. Night time meant wind-down time. Emilia did room checks for her ward and Chloe headed over to the surveillance ward. It was around the corner from hers due to the name of the ward. It was surrounded by teacher rooms, just in case. Chloe did her formal checks on the other students, making sure they'd eaten and were ready for lights out. She checked their report cards. It was only two others, both boys. They were genuinely pretty well behaved but they messed up one, too many times. They knew the schedule though as they were due to leave the surveillance ward in the next few days.
Just as the last boy shut his door, saying goodnight to Chloe, Rosa came rushing around the corner. She instantly cursed. Chloe's raised her eyebrows in disapproval but she couldn't help but feel the butterflies in her stomach yet the stab at her heart also. She silently cursed. It was all Emilia's fault for making her realise her feelings.
"Where have you been?" She forced her voice to be cold and disapproving.
"I just went for a walk, Miss," Rosa stuttered in reply, lowering her eyes.
"I asked you to get here for six, Rosa. It's half seven. By the looks of it, you didn't even get here to drop your things off!" Chloe sighed, motioning to Rosa's bags, dangling from her wrist. She saw the red marks on her wrist from them and picked them up, taking them from Rosa. Rosa looked up shocked. "Look at your wrist," Chloe simply explained, avoiding eye contact and walking into the room. She dropped Rosa's things gently on the bed and looked around the room. The surveillance rooms weren't nicely decorated like the others. They were often called 'the cells' by the students due to the lack of personality they held. Chloe hated them, she despised sending students to them but if she didn't, her father got involved.
"Make yourself at home, you're here for the next ten days," she said simply, clasping her hands in front of her.
"Ten? You said a week!" Rosa instantly exclaimed.
"That was before you were late."
Rosa groaned loudly and Chloe glanced at her once. She didn't dare look at her for long though. Her hair looked quite beautiful. She knew she was being harsh but if she put up that wall, the feelings would be severed.
"Right," Chloe announced after a few more moments of silence. It quickly grew thick and humid and made Chloe sweat from pressure. "Goodnight then," she said. She walked over to the door and held her hand over it.
"Goodnight, I guess," Rosa replied, turning away from her.
"Your report card is on the desk, make sure you take it in the morning." Chloe quickly informed, pointing at it.
"Will do."
"Alright. Good." Chloe nodded. She wanted to be sick. She wanted to hug her. Her shoulders were slumped over and her tone was harsh. She let her eyes linger on the back of the girl. Her hair was wavy, falling over her shoulders and the curves of her back like a waterfall in the most beautiful forest.
"I thought you were going," Rosa said, suddenly, turning back around. Chloe nodded and cleared her throat. She fought the blush creeping up on her cheeks.
"Goodnight." She slid out of the door, opening it a crack and shutting it quietly. However, she couldn't bring herself to leave. Keeping her hand on the handle, she listened for movement. She heard some, sighs and shuffles around the room. The wardrobe opening and closing, the drawers doing the same and finally, the click of the light switch. Silence and darkness fell upon the corridor. Chloe turned away from Rosa's room and slid down her own corridor.

Walking straight past her own room, she walked into her sister's. Although Emilia was sound asleep, curled under the covers, she went to sit in the chair by the window. She curled her legs up under her and switched on the lamp. She stared out of the window, watching the trees dance in the darkness and streetlamp light.