The Cold Prince

15

Word Count: 2094

~Avila

I stand outside the door, rubbing my hands together anxiously.

I'm not ready for this. This is supposed to do me some good, according to my mother, but I'm frightened it's going to encourage more vivid flashbacks that have been stealing all my energy recently.

Summoning a breath, I press through the door and into the sitting room.

Two girls stand by the large stained glass window, murmuring to each other. Upon hearing the door open, they immediately whirl around, taking me in with wide, borderline frightened eyes.

The girl on the right, with braided dirty blonde hair, erupts into a gushing smile, rushing forward.

"Avila!"

She launches into my arms, nearly forcing me back into the half open door. Everything about her is painfully unfamiliar, cracking back the layers to the void I've been not bothering to fill, but to paint over.

I feel like I should recognise such an overwhelming scent of rose and vanilla. I should remember what it feels like to have her expensive fabric brushing my skin, or to know what she feels like to hug.

Pria, who was apparently once one of my best friends, is tugged away from me by the other.

"Pria, calm down. Did you forget she doesn't remember us?" She scolds. I'm assuming this other one is Venna, of which I've been told so little about.

Again, there's no spark of familiarity looking at her. Her hair is cut to her shoulders, and is sleek and black. Those blue eyes hold so much that she isn't saying.

She looks over me with cool, calm eyes. The tension immediately starts to fade. She's not going to make a big deal out of this, or make me feel lesser than for what has happened to me.

"It's okay," I say, forcing a smile. "You must be Venna and Pria."

"It's so good to see you...alive!" Pria claps her hands together, her cheeks flushed red from excitement.

Venna shakes her head at Pria before sliding her eyes back to me. "We missed you, is what she means."

"Well, thank you for coming to see me." I rub my damp palms down my thighs awkwardly. "I'm trying to make sense of everything right now, and I think talking to some friends will help me."

Admittedly, I'm terrified of these girls.

Knowing past me kept them in close company is the first concerning aspect of all this. I know I was a bad person, that I kept secrets and was horrible. What kind of people must Pria and Venna be to enjoy being around me?

"Do they know how you are alive right now?" Pria asks curiously, reaching out to pick up a clump of my hair, twirling it around her finger absentmindedly.

I stiffen, although I don't pull away.

"Pria, I told you not to ask questions like that." Venna nudges the girl in the side, who pouts.

"It's okay." I gesture at the couches for us to sit on, noting that tea has already been set out on the table between them. "Ah, we don't know why this happened, but I'm alive."

Venna and Pria sit opposite me, both not bothering to hide their scrutiny. I wonder if they are looking for a flaw, for an ounce of dark magic or perhaps some kind of curse that could answer why I'm sitting here right now.

"I think everyone is wondering what happened, but you should tell them in your own time," Venna says, reaching for a cup of green tea.

I pause. "Everyone?"

"The public." Venna exchanges a glance with Pria.