Long Gone

Chapter 2- What if

When I first met her, she took my breath away.

She entered the visiting area, her eyes scanning eagerly around to see where I was. The first thing I noticed was how tall and graceful she was. 

Her brunette hair tumbled down to her shoulders, a set of perfectly-shaped, oval, brown eyes scanned frantically around the prison, searching for me.

Searching for me...

A burst of warmth imploded inside of me. I was somebody to her.

"Be good," Brianna warned me, patting me lightly on my shoulder. "This can't be easy for you and it's not definite yet. Take things slow and nothing for granted."

I barely heard her. This woman, Collette, had captivated my full attention. Everything else other than her was just mere background fuzz to me. I felt a sudden longing for her to like me, to accept me, to welcome me. 

"Lyra, are you listening to me?"

Collette sat down sharply, pulling out a rosegold phone with a striking, noteworthy purple phone case. An imprint of an intricate, gold crown was in the centre, like how a logo would have been advertised. This only piqued my curiosity. 

"Lyra!" 

"Okay, okay, okay!" I shot back, tearing my gaze away from Collette and back to Brianna. "Yes, what were you saying?"

Brianna sighed impatiently, giving me a stern look. I rolled my eyes and her face relaxed into a smile.

"If this works out, I'm going to miss you," She laughed, pulling me into a half-hearted hug, "Just be yourself and everything will work out fine. She'll love you."

"Let's hope that's true," I reply with a hazy voice. "I need to get out of here."

She pushes me in the direction of Collette encouragingly. The corners of her lips twitched to reveal a big, beaming grin and she clasped her hands together, watching like a proud parent from the sidelines.

I knew I was going to miss her if I left.

A swarm of butterflies was squirming inside of my stomach. I didn't know how to approach her. Friendly or polite? Direct or creative? Extra or simple?

I stopped dead in my tracks; a lump was forming in my throat.

What if she didn't like me?

Brianna falls back into my line of vision and the look on her face edges me forwards. At least there's one person out there that believes in me.

I pick my pace up once more and stride as confidently as I can over to Collette. The room abruptly felt twice as large as it once was. Each step I took made my legs feel more and more like jelly, wobbling about on a bright, silver platter. 

"Excuse me, are you Collette?" I piped up, hating how awkward my voice sounded.

Collette turned her head hastily in the direction of my voice. When her gaze first set on me, her eyes turned strangely misty. After a short pause, she pulled me into a motherly hug, burying her head into my shoulder. 

I wasn't used to such a comforting interaction; I only managed to give her a weak hug back. She pulled apart breathless, gently tucking her hair behind her ears.

"I can't believe I'm finally meeting you," She exclaimed softly, looking at me closely. I shrunk back slightly beneath her stare, disliking how fragile I felt in those few moments. "Lyra, isn't it?"

"Yes," They were the only words I was able to croak out. When I felt the familiar flurry of tears forming in my eyes, a flutter of panic began forming in my chest. There was no way I wanted to cry in front of anybody, let alone Collette.

"Don't cry sweetie," She put a consoling arm over my shoulders, brandishing a tissue towards me that she had pulled out of her bag. When she noticed my look of surprise, she chuckled. "I always carry them around for practical purposes, they come in use at times like this."

I could only nod, dabbing at my eyelids. Brianna was watching me with amazement. She had never seen me cry; I hardly cried since getting arrested. She walked over to us, a bundle of paperwork tucked under her arm.

"Oh, look at you both!" She said approvingly, winking at me, "Collette, I need you to sign this form real quick and after that, Lyra, why don't you give her a tour?"

"Around this dusty, musty prison? Are you sure?" I say in a wobbly voice. Collette laughs and Brianna punches me lightly in the arm. 

"You'll get used to her sarcastic attitude soon," She tells Collette, thrusting the form into her grasp. Collette signed it without hesitation, scanning the overhead text in record time. She handed it promptly back towards Brianna, who took it graciously.

"Right," Collette said to me, "Lead the way, show me around this place." 

I nodded happily, linking my arm through Collette's as we strode across to the cafeteria.