What she once was

Chapter 1- The Meeting

"What do you think about life, Aphrodie?'' he asked. 
"Well, I think it helps you find yourself. Why do you ask?" she questions as she looks at him. 
      "Oh, nothing...I'm just curious" he replied while lowering his head down as she kept hers high. 
     "Oh, okay," she says, hoping she didn't come off annoying. A few moments of silence passed as she got up from the ground from where she was sitting next to him, and he followed. 
        "I have to go now, it's getting dark," she said as she walked towards the road.
    "Shall we meet again?" he asks as he lunged forward for her hand which he pecks on. 
        "We shall," she says, looking at him smiling, while petals of pink flutter down. As she walks she carries her big hooped dress, slowly walking her way down trying not to trample over the pieces of cloth dragging on the ground. 
                She looked up while turning the corner, meeting a big house, slightly squared with a castle-like roof. She continues walking down the street until a girl aged between 13-and 14 opens the door for her trying her best to not make eye contact.
  "Good girl, you're learning the way of the Abbotts," says a lady from inside dressed in the same way Aphia was. 
     "Yes, my lady," replies the girl.  The lady nods and faces her daughter.
"Where have you gone for so long, Aphia?" a cold tone befalling her voice. 
             "I was at the market, mother," she says while looking down.
"You're lying, Aphia, and you know that you are." The lady speaks with disapproval and somewhat anger. 
        "This is the third time you left in a week for different reasons. I know what you are doing, Aphia, and I will not accept this reckless behavior." she shook her head from side to side. 
       "You're an Abbott, Aphrodie Abbott. I can not have a full-grown lady as you roam around the streets with commoners." Aphia tried to speak up but she felt like her voice was stolen. 
                   "Now promise me you will not ever meet him again." In shock, Aphia lifted her head while tears started to form. 
     "Nod your head if you agree, Aphia" Aphia let her head fall as tears trickled down the marbled floor. 
  "Aphia?" she called in a stern tone. Aphia gave in and nodded her head.
     "Good, now go to your room." Aphia nodded again and walked up to her room. 
As soon as she closed the door Aphia let herself fall to the floor weeping. She and Luca have always been friends since little, she never saw Luca as a romantic option until last summer. Last summer was also the same time she became a "Woman". 
      So maybe mother could be right, but there could be other ways, right? Aphia is 18, which people call becoming a woman. Although Aphia didn't want to be a woman, because in 2 more years she's gonna be sold to a man to get married. 
     She wants to be able to speak out and tell people that she intends to get married when she wants to, but she could never because her voice was stolen by the people around her.
          She was always a girl wanting to explore and not be locked up in a cage like a precious doll. It went well for the first 5 months of her life but then she had to be taught how to be a woman. 
              Sometimes she thinks that being a woman is a curse because they're stuck working the entirety of their life for a man without their consent. Either as his servant, his mistress, or it would be to take care of children which are not her own. 
        Every time anyone sees Aphia, they say that she's a gift to the world, with her beauty and heart, but that beauty and heart would never be shared with the world if she was not able to step out of her front porch without deceiving. 
          She stood up from the ground, wiped her tears, and faced the mirror. Her face leaking with black makeup from her eyes. She stares at this girl, this girl that she doesn't even know. Her face turns disgusted, who is this? Who is this girl with raven black hair, green eyes, fair skin, and rosed lips? Is she even real or is she just a doll her mother created to sell off?
       She kept her head up but dropped it down in minutes, not because she was crying again but because that's what she had learned since little. 
      She took the napkin beside her makeup and wiped it off, she placed her other napkin in her makeup and reapplied it. She needed to always stay pretty...she's an "Abbott '' after all. 
           The little girl knocks on the door and comes in after the indication of Aphia. " My lady Aphrodie, You have a party to attend this very night, Lady Isabel wants you to get ready by 8:00." her voice was shivering while again trying not to look in Aphia's eyes. Aphia looks at the little girl, making her feel like how she was from a few moments ago, she moves closer to the girl and kneels down. 
      "You do not need to keep your head down with me," Aphia continues,
         "I believe in keeping heads up," she lifts the little girl's head and looks her in the eyes.
 "Oh my, you have such pretty eyes" the little girl smiles with trickles of tears falling on her worn-out green dress. 
       "Don't cry, Lilian" Aphia takes the girl in an embrace as the little girl continues to sob. 
 "Here, go out today for a while...I won't keep you here" the girl smiles while wiping her tears and starts to head down the stairs, but before going she mouths a small thanks.
     After Lilian left, Aphia went back inside.  Her personal ladies started helping her get ready as they added more makeup to look "Perfect", fixed her hair in a bun added some emerald gems dangling down from the middle of the bun with matching earrings.
                  They dressed her best because They and she herself knew that the only reason her mother makes her go to parties is to get her a match so she could get married. She always says, "Getting married earlier is better", obviously in Aphia's mind, it's not. 
     She carefully walks down the slightly spiral staircase as her mother adores her from below. "Oh, My beautiful daughter, look at how you've grown. So splendid and lady-like." Her mother clasped her mouth while saying with glee. 
    "Yes, mother," Aphia replies, rather coldly. "Oh, look a bit happier...well at least at the party, no man would want a cold and stubborn-headed wife." Aphia nods her head and gives a fake smile. 
        "Good, Oh look...we are gonna be late, Hurry now Aphrodie" Aphia walks faster but with a dress this big it doesn't make much of a difference. 
 As they get, in the driver starts the automobile, and he drives for about 10 minutes till they reach a mansion-like building. 
            They get off and her mother brings her in close and whispers in her ear "Now don't fail me like before and find yourself a husband." Aphia nods again, but it doesn't mean she will, she'll just have to lie...again. 
                          The mother walks before, while Aphia follows. The doors open and luxurious banquet music plays as people all around start swaying and dancing. "Guess we came at the right time," her mother claims. 
                 As Aphia's mother pushes her into the crowd to go find a guy to dance with, she locks eyes. She sees this man, he seemed muscular but seemingly the right amount. 
        He was dressed all in a black suit like he was at some mourning ceremony but in a way, it does compliment him. Before Aphia could figure she was staring at him for quite a while he smiled. In embarrassment, she turns her head right in hopes that he won't notice her again. 
Aphia roams around the ballroom more as orchestral instruments play melodies, Aphia wasn't really the one to be tied around to go find someone to dance with during this time so she looked from a corner. "Miss," someone calls from beside her,
        "Would you like to share a dance with me?" Aphia turned around to look, she thought everyone knew that she would reject all the men that ask her to dance, but as she turned around she found it was the guy, the guy she saw earlier.   
From afar, he looked like every man but up close he looked mesmerizing. Aphia looked in shock, he seemed so different from all the people in this room. 
              Most of them were light-skinned and brown or blond-haired with blue and green eyes, But he had none of that. He was dark-eyed, tanned skin, and had raven black hair like her.  
         She wondered if he was maybe a commoner because she had only seen commoners have traits like these before, but the way he dressed and his manners don't really seem like of a commoner. 
               "I'm not a commoner if that's what you're wondering," he said as if he was reading her mind. 
      "Oh, well, are you sure?" Aphia responded by trying to be cold so he could leave her alone. 
                     "Well, as far as I'm certain," he says, acting like he was thinking about it though she knew he didn't even stop a second to think about it.            
Well then, nice meeting you," Aphia tries to walk away but before she could he pushes over her making her almost pressed against the wall.
          I know you look like you're in a hurry, but I'd like to know your name Ms." He says as he looks down at her making Aphia feel somewhat in a trancental world of his eyes. 
                  "Aphrodie, Aphrodie Abbott," she says in response to his question without lowering her head and continuing to stare at his deep brown intimate eyes.
       "Well I'm sure you're wondering about my name?" he says while a smile laid on his lips. 
"I would keep it for your wish," Aphia replied, trying to move away. 
       "Thus it's a yes, so to answer your question my name is Kairo, Kairo Adel. He says while trying not to fight her while she tries to leave. 
          "Nice meeting you Mr. Kairo" Aphia responded while giving him a fake smile.