PINK

10

'Have you ever felt like you

are falling into a bottomless abyss?'

Iara stares at the white plainness that fronts her. Dante bites his lip nervously. Iara's lips part slightly in confusion and shock.

"Iara." Dante says, with a certain loudness that is unfamiliar to him. She watches as his grey eyes stare into hers, she notices a glistening quality to them, one that seems to always rack his eyes.

"They aren't blank. What do you see on your cards?" He explains, with an emphasis on the last portion of the sentence.

What does she see?

"I see..."

She is confused but has a stab in the dark.

"...queen of hearts..." She glances at Dante who is showcasing a slight smile of approval and relief.

"...ace of diamonds, two of spades, king of hea-" Iara gains speed each time she comes up with a new card that pops into her confused mind.

"Ah, Iara!" Addy screeches, laughing whilst blocking her ears with her hands. Iara can't help but notice how sallow this women was; the skin wrapped around her phalanges seemed to constrict around the bone, making them the slimmest fingers Iara has ever lain eyes on.

"What?" She looks up, scared.

"Don't tell us your cards!" She laughs.

"Oh, okay." Iara laughs nervously.

--

Iara folds the cotton shirts in half horizontally, then half vertically, resulting in a perfect square which she piles upon the stack of other neatly folded clothes.

The game of snap was hectic. Blank card after blank card nearly drove Iara to the brink of insanity. She had no clue what was happening. 'SNAP!' One of the adults would call randomly, they would beam with happiness and extreme competitiveness. The closer the calls of SNAP got, the more Iara would feel her skin crawl with puzzlement and question. She is folding clothes now though, and it's her job she must concentrate on.

She then sees a shadow growing larger along the corridor. Her head stays low but her eyes peer upwards toward the moving silhouette. Dante's head hovers around the frame of the door. She looks up, then back down, too nervous to do anything.

He walks closer until he is standing directly across from her, the bed with its lavender sheets between them. Iara continues folding the clothes: pajamas, underwear, lingerie, everything. The tension though, makes her anxious. They can't just stand there and not talk.

"I'm sorry." He says whilst looking down and biting his lip, which is plump and red. Iara does not say anything, she is still confused.

"For what?" She quietly says after a while whilst neatly folding a blue business shirt in quarters.

"This. You don't deserve to be here." He looks up, his lips are vibrant with the colour crimson and are quite full. He notices something, and instant worry overcomes him. Iara lifts up her head, not far, but quickly, and she can feel his concern for her.

"What's wrong?" She questions.

"Did he h-hurt you?" Dante stammers, his eyebrows crunching together causing deep lines to reside above where the bridge of his nose is.

He? Who could Dante be referring to? Iara is sure he doesn't know about Braden nor the crash.

"He? I accidentally had an accident. That's all." Iara in her mind, laughs at her use of the word 'accident' twice in a sentence.

"Oh, okay. That makes sense. Do you need any aid at all?" He asks. Iara shakes her head. They should heal by themselves. She also doesn't wasn't him to worry about her face contusions let alone others littered on the rest of her body.

They both prick up at the sound of incoming footsteps. They seem heavy. Dante looks at Iara, his eyes are wide with fear, but when he notices his display of emotions, he shuts his eyes and conceals them. His eyelids slowly open and once again, he has a glazed over look. Iara is stunned and confused.

Stephen pokes his head around the corner. He catches sight of Dante and walks in the room slowly.

"Dante. What are you doing?" He asks swinging his arm around Dante's shoulder, it droops a little with the weight of Stephen's arm. A fatherly son gesture, Iara guesses.

"Just talking, getting to know Iara." He smiles, tilting his head a little to the side so he can meet eyes with his father. Stephen grins in approval. He slaps his back, congratulating him.

"Tell me if he bothers you, okay?" Stephen points his finger at Iara and casts a scrutinising eye on Dante. Iara nods, but feels uneasy. Is Dante not to be trusted?

When Stephen is gone Iara continues to fold clothes, but Dante is staring, his body here but mind somewhere else.

"Are you okay?" She asks, now straightening a silk, short lingerie gown and folding it.

He nods, his blonde strands bouncing before his forehead.

"Come everyone. Dinner is ready." Addy calls. Dante leaves immediately. She worries now about what his heart and soul are feeling. Iara lifts her day's work onto a shelf in the wardrobe. As she does her knee accidentally bangs into the last shelf.

"Ow." Iara mutters whilst holding the pile of clothes still as they momentarily shake with the vibration caused by her knee. As she exits the room a bright blue light catches her attention.