Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
All the color drained from Mei's face as she heard the little girl's innocent, but hurtful question.
"Mei, where's Kiana?"
There was a delay in Mei's response as she hung her head low. The venomous words of Kiana blared through her mind. I'm done with Karina. It was so loud, almost screaming, even. It hurt Mei so much, the same kind of hurt that she felt when she left Kiana.
The only difference? Mei left for love, Kiana left for power.
"...Mei?" Karina's sweet voice snapped her out of her daze. Mei looked at the girl as she bit her lip slightly as her hand shakingly went on the girl's hand, "Karina," She said, her voice shaking and almost a whisper, "When I tell you this, no--when I tell all of you this," Her lightning eyes turned to everyone in the room, then back at Karina, "You must not react irrationally. Even I don't know why she did this."
Words of reassurance flooded into Mei's ears like honey, soothing her a bit, but she was still tense.
"Mei, please," Karina pleaded, her eyes starting to water as her fragile hands gripped Mei's, "Where's Kiana? What happened to her?"
"Mei," Theresa put her hand on Mei's back, her voice pleading, "It's alright. Tell us, please. We want to know what happened."
Mei knew that if she said no, the others would acknowledge her boundaries, and ask her again when she's ready, but the pain and guilt she felt weighed more of a heavy burnden on her back if she did say no, so, she obliged, and told them the ugly truth of what happened.
