Wiped Clean

8. You served your purpose

Caia had spent the last three nights sleeping in her own room. Annika had hardly spoken to her. They ate together, with Annika preparing all their meals, then spent the rest of the day apart. And Caia was fine with that. She hoped that would be the end of it. That she would spend the rest of the month like this. She only had three weeks to go until she would be free.

But sometimes it was necessary for them to interact, such as now, when Caia felt the harshness of mid-summer, and had no idea where to find the controls to the air conditioning in the library.

When she was a few feet from Annika's study, she paused, hearing her voice.

"Do you think I don't know that?" Annika said to whoever she was speaking to on the phone. "I know, Skye, but I have no other choice. I can't expose Hallie to this. Not yet."

There was silence for a while, before Annika said, "Fine. Bye." Before the sound of what Caia assumed was her throwing her phone on the desk.

Caia went to leave, but froze when the floorboards creaked beneath her feet.

"Come in, Caia. I know you're there."

"Sorry," Caia said.

"What do you want?"

"Um..." For a moment Caia forgot what it was she had come to ask. She was too focused on the phone call between Annika and her sister. "Aircon," she said. "It's hot in the library."

Annika picked up her phone and swiped, before pressing a button. "There." She lifted her head, looking into Caia's eyes for the first time in days. "There's also a panel on the wall to the right of the door. I'm honestly not sure how you missed it."

Caia went to leave but stopped. "Are you punishing me?"

"No."

"You didn't even ask what for."

"I already knew what you meant, Caia. No. I am not punishing you. You have every right to be repulsed by me. I would be too."

"Right..." She knew she should leave, but her feet remained planted on the ground. "Who's Hallie?"

Annika's eyes were wide with fury. "Don't ever eavesdrop on my conversations again. Do you understand?" Though her voice was calm, it was laced with anger. Fear.

"Sorry." Caia scrambled from the room as quickly as she could and went straight back to the library. And just where Annika said it would be, was a control panel to the right of the door.

***

Steam wafted from the pot as Annika strained the pasta. Caia watched her from her seat at the table. She had watched her prepare the entire meal, in fact, after her offer to help had been declined.

Annika placed the bowl of carbonara on the table, before sitting. They ate in silence, while the tension built between them. Caia would have given anything to know what she was thinking. She had never seen her so angry. So distressed.

Annika stood, her half-eaten bowl still on the table and went to the kitchen. She reached into the pantry and entered a code into what Caia assumed was her safe. When she returned, she tossed a foil of oxycontin down upon the table before returning to her meal.

"Thanks," Caia said, before downing four of the pills in one go.

"Tomorrow there is an event at the club. You'll go with me. And because it's what everyone will expect of me, you will play the part and do as I say, when I say it. Because if you don't, Dan may find himself in hot water. And whatever it is he has on you... well, I'm sure you can already imagine."