Captured (A Modern Medusa Story)

CHAPTER 26: PHOEBE💙

I hadn't expected Miss Halima to be with me after that fiasco. But here she was.

Nory had dropped me off at my front door. Literally dropped me and drove off.

She didn't even bother to make sure I was safe inside. Maybe she didn't get her monthly pay cheque from my Papa this month? I didn't know, and I didn't care.

All I knew was that I was numb and wasted on the front door stairs before Miss Halima rushed out to get to me.

I didn't think she'd even care.

I thought our next encounter after she had walked in on me with her daughter would be her cursing at me and quitting her job.

But no, she was helping me inside.

She changed me, wiped me down, got me to bed, and even sat by to watch me fall asleep.

As if I was a little baby girl all over again. And for a moment, I wished I was.

It was so much better back then, when I had nothing to worry about. Birthday cakes and barbie doll houses were the cost of my happiness. Both cheap and affordable for someone like me, who was born to a rich man. I had everything I ever wanted. And my nanny was my only best friend.

Until father introduced me to Nory, of course. Chaos ascended from its grave as if to get me for my sins. Sins that I didn't even have. Like Nory said, I was a fucking angel on legs. And so I was.

I couldn't even hurt a fly.

As I lay half conscious on my bed, Nory's words pounded in my head like a replaying terrible song that I couldn't turn off.

You're perfect and I'm jealous of you.

I was the epitome of imperfection. There was nothing about me to be jealous about.

You're the Barbie doll I dreamed of affording when I was a little girl. But I couldn't.

If human had qualities, I'd be the lowest. That's my rank.

You're soft-hearted. You're a fucking angel on legs.

That one almost made me laugh.

"Miss Halima," I let out in a breath.

I felt the woman shift on my bed. I bet she had turned to look at me.

"You okay, dear?" Her hand reached for my arm and gave me a comforting pat.

"Can I ask you something?"

She shifted again before giving out a low, "What is it?"

"Am I soft-hearted?" I dropped the question.

"Of course you are."

"No way," I laughed. "I think your daughter is. She probably has the softest heart on this goddamn planet."

She moved her hand away.

"How about you have a rest and then we can talk in the morning-"

"Am I a fucking angel on legs?"

Miss Halima went silent, confusion obviously written all over her face.

"Am I as perfect as a barbie doll, like they say?" I perched my hand up and leaned on it, as the questions kept filling up my mind.

"You should go back to sleep, Phebes. You're drunk." Miss Halima pushed me back on the bed and pulled the sheets over me.

I unconsciously hummed an unfamiliar rhythm.

Miss Halima's fingers slid the hair out of my face before my eyelids closed.

I giggled at her latter action, opening my eyes again. When she was about to move away, I quickly placed my hand over hers.

"Are you going home after this? Are you going to leave once I doze off?"

Miss Halima sighed before replying, "Relax, I'm not going anywhere. My shift ends in the morning, remember?"

Oh. I smiled.

"Can I ask you something?"

"No, Phebes-" She started to pull away, but I gripped her hard, wishing she was her daughter.

"Please."

"This is not the time, you're drunk-" Miss Halima pulled away from me.

"But-"

"Go to sleep!" She suddenly yelled, making me gasp.

A minute of silence flew before I acknowledged how much I tensed at her shout.

My heart had raced when she raised her voice at me.

Miss Halima never raised her voice at me.

She never yelled at me. Neither has she ever tried to pull away from my touch.

Was I with the same person?

I've always known her as a calm-hearted person . . . but why did she randomly yell at me like that? I didn't even know she had such a loud voice.

I swallowed hard before settling on my bed and turning to face the wall.

I could still feel her presence, and for the first time since I knew her, I picked up a scent off of her. And it was nothing like the wildflowers that lingered on her daughter.

It was cigarettes.

What happened to the woman I knew? Miss Halima never smoked.

"Good night, Miss Halima," I murmured.

But without a reply, I heard her footsteps move away.

Was it about her daughter? Was it bothering her so much that she had to take a joint and also not say good night to me like she normally did?

Did she hate to see me with her daughter? Did she hate me now? Was she going to quit her job and cut out all times from me? Was she ever going to look at me the same way? Why did she hate seeing me and Averista, anyway? It's not like she could lose anything from our relationship? Was she going to treat me differently from now on? Could I still trust her?

All these thoughts were jogging my head sober.

First, Miss Halima. Second, a certain strange girl saved me in the alleyway, and now my mind filled up with sounds from that not so distant memory.

Why was I thinking about that now? Was it part of the alcohol?

Monster.

The word turned into a chant inside my head.

Growls. Hisses. Sounds that I couldn't label with my sense of hearing.

Papa wanted his monster back, and I needed my sight back.

It was a fair exchange, wasn't it?

He didn't care about the cost. Neither did I. Like father, like daughter. I was willing to risk anything to get what I wanted.

Maybe the monster wasn't anyone but me.

And as much as I loved the other monster, my love for her couldn't surpass my desire to have her in my sight.

I loved her that much to risk everything just to see her. Just to capture her beauty. Even for a second.

I yearned to see her more than I yearned to see the world.

I wanted to see the girl I loved.

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