ODE TO THE MURDERED, bonten

11

PART ELEVEN !
a turbulence.

            MORNING'S PANDEMONIUM TURNS INTO SATURATED afternoons in a quick glance, melting into the cusp of evening. thanks to the medicine that the men had provided, your headache had subsided. it's as if you weren't feverish in the first place and the memory of the event was nothing but a hazy dream in the distance.

now you were back in your apartment and sat comfortably on a seat in your open-vanilla scented kitchen. your laptop propped on top of the marbled countertop as you lazily but studiously let your fingers tap along the keys, sticking attachments and sending emails to your colleague to discuss about the upcoming art exhibitions you wanted to participate in.

after finishing a couple of files you found yourself stretching, letting your eyes glance at the window where the kaleidoscope reflected your irises. your eyes then temporarily slip towards the bag of food you received in that small but bustling sports bar, your hand lifting as you slowly bring out a certain food you got this morning,

"uhm excuse me miss." you hum, craning your skull as you spot the waiter of the sports bar beckoning you over the counter. with a lifted brow you decided to approach the boy and watch with wide eyes and stiffened physique as he hands you a packaged up order. his honey eyes crinkling, brimming with a genuine smile. you mirror his expression but with a more narrowed glance, tilting your head in perplexity.

"sorry but i did not order this, you got the wrong person." you try to clarify. the young boy widens his eyes and shakes his head, "oh no ma'am i was ordered by one of the three gentlemen to give this to you."

"by whom?"

"the three men that you were with, they were the ones that assisted you when you fainted, did you not see them?" you merely blink, almost appalled by how on one hand they had almost harmed you with the restaurant's bread knife then the next they were buying you breakfast? you shake your head and murmur out a low thank you nonetheless, ignoring his question as you accepted the bag and slowly checked the contents, you noticed how the receipt was missing and you also noticed immediately that there was a piece of food not from the sports bar menu,

a bean-paced dorayaki resting atop the rest of the foods.

your eyes blur slowly on the sky over your window, tentatively tapping your finger against the dorayaki in your hand, the sweet and earthly flavor caressing your tongue. "sweet." you mumble softly, slowly unearthing the oddity of the new food in your mouth.

the sound of a door creaking open coaxes your attention from the window and towards your roommate as she arrives home from her work. you give her a glance, humming before taking another bite out of the sweet confection turning your attention back to your laptop.

    you didn't notice how Mars looked a little bit off and troubled tonight.

didn't notice how quiet she was as she slowly removes her shoes and enters deeper into the apartment, when she enters the kitchen you decided to question her like the usual,

"how was managing?"

    "never stepped outside and stayed inside the office, as usual."

Mars quips as a reply plopping herself on the couch but strangely does not reach for the remote, she instead leans her body against the plush like she was lethargy in flesh and with no remaining energy left to socialize or give her usual quirky replies like she always does, and that's when you notice her not-Marslike behavior.

    you somehow decided not to question it, your mind already preoccupied with this morning's events, then interlacing with the thought of the boys you used to know back in your teen years as you continued working. Mars watches you closely, her eyes tantalizing and burning that you can feel it prickle your flesh, almost distracting you. your fingers that continuously type along the keys of your laptop goes into an abrupt pause, your eyes peering at your roommate with a raised brow.