A hot breath fanned her skin, the scent of old-spice cologne wafting through her nostrils.
The addictive scent made her mouth water, and her throat gasped and clenched for water. Her eyes grew wide, ice-blue irises staring straight ahead. A groan s...
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May 2nd 2022 Pays de la Loire, France
"Félicitations!" [Congratulations!]
"Wow! Quel l'exploit, Mme. Roi!" [Wow! Quite the feat, Ms. Roi!]
"Je parie que vos parents seront très fiers de vous!" [I bet your parents will be so proud of you!]
"Je savais que vous pouviez le faire!" [I knew you could do it!]
Meaningless, thoughtless praises rung louder than her seizing heart in her ears. The young woman stumbled through the day, the faceless people around her praising her for her accomplishments.
They meant nothing. She shook hands for the entire day and threw fake smiles at faceless people who had never uttered a word. They didn't bat an eye when she was drowning by herself, flailing and screaming to be saved.
But now, when she dragged herself out the rapids, they praise her for her exploits? It felt like her head was spinning.
River Roi. A 23-year-old young woman working in the Marine Biology industry. She always wanted to become a vet, but she loved reptiles and fish much more than mammals. So? Why not mix the two up?
Marine Veterinarian. Despite her mental struggles, her goal was to tend to little fishies.
To others, fish were mindless jewelry floating around in tubs of water. To her, fish were scaley friends wiggling around in a weightless, carefree world. Fish could show love and adoration without saying a single word, which meant the entire world to her.
For something to work their hardest, despite physical limitations, to show their love.
Her long white hair was tucked into a high ponytail, bouncing and waving behind her as she swerved around the office of her workplace.
River was an incredibly pale, white-haired woman. Her Albinism, which comes from a shockingly strong family genetic, turned her brows and eyelashes a platinum colour from birth.
The 5'4 woman was petite but wide- her pear-shaped physic giving her a tummy she wanted nothing more than to will away. She was a healthy woman, but her chubby frame always made her insecure.
She needed to escape her workplace. She was graciously promoted and had to move away from France to Washington, America. River could be closer to the Pacific Ocean and restart her life there. Alone.
Someone as young as her going such a far distance for work? Practically unheard of.
The doors of her workplace shut behind her as she finally exited the suffocating box. The nipping cold air of Pays de la Loire delicately drummed its fingers along her pale skin, the knitting of her black turtleneck withholding what little warmth she had. A loud vibration hummed in her front pocket before River could ease herself of her social anxiety.
River blinked her brilliant ice-blue eyes down, fingers slipping into her jean pocket to pull out her iPhone 9.
Her mother was calling her.
She felt a chill tickle down her spine, though it wasn't from the winter cold. With a shaky sigh, she tapped the accept button and lifted it to her ear.
"Enfin!" Roared into her ear, making River repress a groan. "Salut, Signey." She greeted coldly. For years, River refused to call her mother by her first name. [Finally!] - [Hello, Signey...]
"J'ai entendu dire que tu avais été promu." Straight to the point. [I heard you got promoted.]
"... Oui." She nibbled on her bottom lip. [... Yes]
"Pourquoi travaillez-vous toujours à ce poste? Non pas que ce soit un. C'est juste du poisson." [Why're you still working that job? Not that it is one. It's just fish.]
Within her core, she felt the cracks of her bottled emotions exfoliate. Rage seeped through the seams. Her mother refused to believe Marine Biology was a proper branch of work, saying that fish weren't as important as people.
Signey always wanted River to become a lawyer or doctor.
She became a doctor! Just a fish doctor! Her mother should've specified.
"Que voulez-vous?" River whispered into her phone, eyebrows creasing down. [What do you want?]
There was a pause. "Je veux vous convaincre de changer de voie avant que vous ne le regrettiez." [I want to convince you to change your path before you regret it.]
River sealed her eyes shut. Not another thought passed by, her heart speaking for itself. "Je quitte la France." She muttered into the phone. [I'm leaving France.]
"QU-" She tapped 'end call' before her mother could scold her further. [WH-]
Oh, what has she done?
River planned not to tell her mother she was leaving at all, leaving her to figure it out on her own. At that point, it would be impossible for her to find her, and she would get the no-contact life she'd been desperate for.
Wiping the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand, The petite woman frowned and looked down at the concrete.
Improving her life as a whole meant leaving the nest- leaving her mother and family.
It just so happened the nest was the entirety of France.
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