MODERN-DAY TRAGEDY

V. WHEN THE STARS ALIGN

"let me kiss you hard in the pouring rain."

                      THERE WERE TIMES WHEN RIVER FOUND HIMSELF unintentionally glancing out the glass door late at night in the tattoo parlors, his heart quickening, wondering if he would see the girl with the white dress in the moonlight ever again. Or if she had just simply been a figment of his wandering lost mind.

River was certain he knew her name from somewhere, though unable to pinpoint exactly where. He couldn't help thinking of her, remembering the smell of her citrus perfume in their brief moment of fleeting conversation. But as he plowed through his closet for even something remotely fitting to wear, his mind shifted to that of his dead father.

✩

The joys of life, Devon recalls fondly, started the moment she stepped into a ballet studio. Her chubby fingers, five years old at that time, grasped tightly at her mother's blouse as she took in the sight of a plain poorly lit dance room. She remembers tripping over her toes as she tried to spin for the first time, her eyebrows furrowed in concentration, her mind in repetition. At the age of ten, the youth had begged her parents to quit school all together so she could spend all her waking hours spinning. She heard the sounds of violins and cellos in tunes of melodies that played in her mind as she imagined her body moving and bending along with it. Even during her rebellious teenage years, she had always clung onto the dance as if it were her lifeline.

But like every happy beginning, there had always had to be a violent end. Her child-like innocence had been stripped bare to its bones in the hospital, her mind racing with contemplation, her body simply refusing to move. She had laid there, her raw body barely separated by the thin layer of clothing, shaking and gasping for air. And it was then did her joys of life turn into, what she thought to be, a never ending torment, an inescapable burden.

And that night was the first, but not the last, she had seen her father cry.

✩

"You look beautiful, Kaia," Devon said with a gasp after opening her door. The girl with the pale eyes smiled softly in response, her violet dress moving along with her. For a second, Kaia nearly looked like the girl her father wanted her to be. That was before Devon caught the sweet tang of perfume laced with liquor and grinned.

"Of course I do. How else am I suppose to fuck my father's friends?" Kaia's eyes gleamed with excitement. Devon rolled her eyes and grabbed the dress that was looped in Kaia's arm and gasped. 

"Be honest. How expensive was this dress? Actually, don't tell me." Devon said in awe. The dress was a forest green tulle gown scattered with tiny clear crystals. 

"More than a year's worth of coke."

✩

"Remind me why you hate it here again?" Devon says, in awe once again as she takes in the interior of the extravagant home. 

"It's just a prison decorated with chandeliers and gold," Kaia says bitterly, looking around. Her eyes met her own blue eyes. "Dad." She says flatly.

Carter LeClair was a dead man, metaphorically, to Kaia's disappointment. The notorious businessman would be nowhere if not for his cunning and manipulative tactics. Unfortunately, Kaia's childhood was had been more than tainted with it.

"How have you been, honey?" He says, leaning in for an embrace. "You must be Devon. It's been awhile since Kaia has brought a friend home."

"Nice to meet you, Mr. LeClair. Kaia has told me so much great things about you." Devon says, warmly, ignoring her pounding heartbeat. 

"We both know that is not the case," he says with a chuckle and humor in his eyes. Devon looked at him coldly, wondering how a father could ever laugh at the things he has put her daughter through. You broke her, she wanted to say. But instead, she gritted her teeth and smiled, leading Kaia away before she could say anything. 

"Why did you come here again?" Devon asked angrily, unable to shake of Carter LeClair's heartless smile. 

"I thought it would be different." The truth tumbled out of Kaia's lips, something she had never admitted. Deep down, there was always a sliver of hope that her father would change. No matter how many times she had been disappointed, Kaia always found herself coming back. Just in case. 

"He's not going to change."

"I know," Kaia sighs. 

✩

"Please tell me it's over." Devon begged, her social battery unable to take anymore introductions. Instead of answering her, Kaia's eyes darted quickly around the room as if she was searching for someone specifically. 

"Who are you looking-"

"Got to go to the ladies room. Stay here," Kaia says grinning and practically ran away. Devon sighs, wondering what the hell is going on.

There was a tap on Devon's shoulders and she turned. Her lips parted in shock and a soft smile was painted on her face. She was face to face with the boy from the tattoo parlor. River. 

"You," she says with a laugh.

"Can I get a dance," he says with a lopsided grin, unable to take his eyes off of the girl.