QUARANTINED

Day Ten

The biggest thing that had ever happened in Aaliyah's life was losing her parents, taken by stupid rich kids who didn't even get punished for it. The day before the accident, her parents had spent the night and telling her stories about their childhood, ensuring that they all listened although Tania was too busy on her phone. Aaliyah was paying full attention on that day, not knowing that those were the last stories she would ever hear from them. As innocent as that moment was, Aaliyah soon realised that perhaps that was the sign that they would leave and never return because usually her parents would eat and sing then head to bed. She realised that it was their way of saying goodbye, although they didn't know it yet.

The day after the dreadful call and haunting people she barely knew, she slept for the entire day and refused to eat something. "You have to eat to be strong" her grandmother had said but she didn't want to be strong, she wanted to be with her parents. Plates of food piled up in her room while she stared into space, losing her mind in the process. Tania came in at some point, sent by one of the elders, and scolded Aaliyah "I lost my parents too but that doesn't mean I have to whine and worry everyone else!" she had said but all that bounced in Aaliyah's blank mind. She had lost the two most important people in her life.

The day after their funerals, Aaliyah cried for the entire day as she thought about their coffins going below the earth. It was as if she was only realising that they would never return. "Eat baby, you need to be strong for your baby sister and brother" her grandmother had begged while Tania was out with friends, drowning her sorrows. No one would ever scold a grieving teenager so her grandmother never said anything as Tania did as she pleased.

She would wake, she would get ready for school, she would walk around as if nothing else mattered and return to the blend place that was ought to bring her comfort. Her grandmother tried everything to comfort Aaliyah but nothing worked. One day, Tania walked into the house smelling like a bottle store and their grandmother went ballistic on her "Tania you know better than that!" she had yelled and that's when Aaliyah realised that she wasn't the only one that lost. Grandmother had lost her one and only daughter and yet she was taking care of them without fail. Tania had lost her parents too but there she was, drinking her teenage life away because she couldn't handle life without them and the Twins were innocently crying for the familiar faces they once saw daily. "Mama!" one of twins had said, during the commotion, and that's when Aaliyah picked them up and told them that everything would be okay because they had each other. "Everything will be okay little ones" she promised them and that's when she decided to be strong for everyone else. That's all she ever knew, being strong.

Ten years later and for the first time in her life she went weak for another human being. Not only physically but emotionally and mentally too. She was happy. It took some time to welcome the happiness into her atmosphere as she didn't believe that she deserved it but with Cordelia, it was as if everything was ought to turn out that way. Everything that occurred the night before, made sense to Aaliyah and it was as if she waited all this time to be with a woman such as Cordelia. There was some feeling of fear as she didn't know what would happen now that she finally gave her all to her.

"Good morning little Aaliyah" Cordelia said, attempting to open her tired eyes. Aaliyah was also trying to wake up from her very peaceful sleep.

"Hello Delia" she whispered, her eyes searching for the older woman's orbs.

"How are you?" Cordelia asked as she had been dying to ask the question.

"I feel light, happy and famished" she chuckled "How are you?" she asked the older woman who blushed at the question.

"I am quite famished too" Cordelia smiled.

"What would you like to eat?" Aaliyah asked while a smirk formed on her sly face.