Talk of the Town

08 //

Every time Miraya watched a horror movie, she dreamt of being stranded in a haunted island alone, wishing she could kill herself instead of walking through the trees that moaned eerily every time the wind blew and whispered absurd things in her ear. She feels the same way as she stands frozen under Shray's shocked gaze.

And as soon as the cursed word slips out of his lips, her heart thumps. It brings back a thousand memories but instead of slipping into a happy reminiscing trip down memory lane, she schools her anger together. He still had the nerve to call her using that stupid nickname?

She snaps out of the trance and clears her mind. Like a slate wiped clean except that burning red anger she has harboured for him all these years.

He called her Miranda. That's not her name, is it?

She wills her legs to take a step forward and then another. She doesn't look at him again and struts forward like the last few seconds didn't happen.

What seemed like a badass move in her head turns out to be her asking for trouble. Because the next thing Shray does is grab her wrist and spin her around.

Ria steps forward, asking if he knew her. He gruffly says he will have to take a rain check on their game and drags Miraya to another room.

"Shray, let me go," Miraya hisses through her teeth. She is so used to him moving her like a sack of potato that it takes time for her to realise he was crossing a boundary. A boundary that he had clearly drawn with a bold red pen. His grip isn't very tight so she uses her other hand to peel them off her wrist.

But it was too late. They were in an empty room.

"Miranda, oh my god!" He grins. "Why— How are you here? Why did you pretend to not hear me?"

"Because Miranda isn't my name, Shray," she spits out.

He visibly coils back. Good.

"I know but that's what I call you all the time," he reasons. His voice isn't squeaky with happiness anymore.

"Not anymore. Don't ever call me that."

"Miran– Miraya, what's wrong? This is the first time I see you in seven years and I always thought it would be all tears and laughter and hugs."

How does he have the heart to say such a lie? Did stabbing her in the back turn his heart black and cold? Or was it always like that? Or was it her fault that she failed to see past the flimsy golden cover over his heart of stone?

Anger bubbles in her chest. He had ruined her life and had the audacity to ask what's wrong? Did she, by any chance, step into a multiverse? Did he have amnesia?

"Look Shray, I'll be candid with you. I didn't want to meet you."

His face crumbles. She feels the stab of pain inside her but she bites her jaw to steel herself. No, she will not act on the instincts she had grown up with. She will not give in to the urge to empathise with him.

He deserves to be hurt.

He ruined her life.

This was Miraya's mantra from now.

"I tried every possible option to avoid this meeting but bad luck is a clingy friend of mine. You might be wondering why I am here. I work at MIRROR —"

"I know."

She's totally going to ignore the way the question HOW? is itching in her mind. Never scratch an itch however tempting it gets. She's going to take that advice for once.