The Siren's Flute

Chapter Two

Alex drove with smoothness and ease as she twisted and turned down the roads, and wove through the traffic. Classical music streamed through the speakers of the car, a melody that soothed my nerves as I tapped the measures out on my lap, honed from years of playing a musical instrument during middle school.

"I'm so glad the clothes fit you, I was working with some older measurements, so I wasn't sure if they'd still fit." Alex remarked as she drove through London.

"Oh, yeah. I'm pretty much the same size regularly, certain clients need you keep a certain weight for a while." I responded, slightly distracted by the cars whizzing by.

"That's not...normal. Weight changes, it's healthy." Alex's frown was clear in her tone and I looked over to see her eyebrows creased.

"Health isn't relevant to my clients currently," I murmured quietly.

"Make them! Find new ones!"

I shook my head, despite being my best friend and in the fashion design industry, she wasn't completely aware of how the model world worked. I couldn't blame her though, raised in Italy as a little princess. Meanwhile, while I was a kid, my modeling was the highest source of income that we brought in. "Sometimes you have to play by the system to play with it eventually."

"Hmm..." Alex pauses, quiet but her nose scrunched up slightly. "Anything from Chloe?"

"No. Nothing will change though..."

"Why not?"

"Look at me!" I groaned as I leaned my head into my hand. "I don't fit the standard of beauty. I know no one in my line of work...I've been in London for about two years and I barely know anyone. I'm mostly alone, no contacts and the people my mom knew can't help me anymore." I sighed as I bit my lip, the familiar feeling of despair settling in my stomach. It was filling, but not in a nice way. The way it hurt your stomach from the heaviness within it.

I bit off more than I could chew.

"Maybe we could go out and around." Alex suggested, keeping a clear head as she twisted through the lanes. "Meet contacts, network, that type of stuff, you know?"

"Alex. No." I shrugged one shoulder. "I've been in the deep end for too long. Maybe I should head back home."

"Patience-"

"I've been patient!" I yelled, sitting up in the car. Hot, angry tears filled my eyes as I felt frustration turn my face red. "I've been here two years, working my ass off! I have no money! My career is dead because of a racist photographer who's a weird pervert with too much sway in the industry." I clamped my mouth shut and looked at my lap, frowning. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to-"

"What happened to your money?" Alex cut me off suddenly. "Is this why you had to move in with Lilith?"

I shook my head quickly, looking away from her. "No..."

"Lani..."

"I..." I sighed deeply as my hands shook. I shouldn't have exploded, I hadn't told anyone this. "I just spent a bunch of it." I ran a hand through my braids before I leaned back.

"On what."

I froze, my hands paused. I peeked at her through my eyelashes. "Paying for my mom's treatment." Each word is like a single stab.

"Treatment...for what?"

"...Brain tumor."