Hide and Seek

CINQ

A/N: From here on out, most of the italic texts will be flashbacks. Hope y'all are enjoying the story so far!

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         The sunset was glorious that day. A surreal saffron hue was stretching throughout the horizon. Her jet black hair was whipping all around as they drove around the city, enjoying the view of houses and trees passing by them in a blur. She was waving her arms all around, dancing and belting out the lyrics of their favorite song that was playing on the radio. She was loving the feeling of the cool air on her face. They were just cruising with no destination in mind but she was happy. Her smile stretched so wide that she was afraid her face would split into two. Her laughs were like tinkling bells in the wind. Her gleaming eyes were full of mirth and the light in it never dimmed or put out. Her whole face glowed, the rosy blush on her cheeks was the main highlight that provided color to her pale skin. She had no makeup on but she did not need it. She was a natural beauty, after all. Someone who did not need extra stuffing on her face to look beautiful in other people's eyes.

          She was different, in the best kind of way. The rays of sunshine beamed on her face, the light reflecting in her eyes. The light felt warm on her skin and just like the light, she was emitting warmth. The smell of fragrant flowers lingered in the car, it was the kind you get addicted to. This girl was the epitome of perfection. She had no bad bone in her body. She couldn't even hurt a fly even if she wanted to. There was no flaw you can find in her. Wherever she was with the person who loved her, she felt contented and for a second, everything was fine until that fateful day.

            Iris woke up with a start, which seems to be an everyday occurrence for her. She clawed at the shirt she was wearing; it was suffocating her and she felt like the oxygen was leaving her body. She could not breathe and there was the feeling that the room was closing in on her. She gripped her hair and tugged it so hard, she almost thought she had torn all of it from her scalp. Salty tears streamed down her face like a raging river and droplets fell down to her thighs, creating a mini puddle in the process. She was sweating profusely and hysterical sobs escaped from her mouth. The dream she just had was too vivid in her mind, replaying over and over like a damaged record. It felt like she was slowly going crazy. These happy yet sad memories plagued her mind and there was no stop to it. Iris rocked herself back and forth, muttering phrases that one could never understand unless you listened closely. As she tried to calm herself down, she was slowly falling into the dark abyss and soon enough met with another onslaught of unwanted memories.