Until Her Reign

7.

 Zephyra Audaz

 I was awoken by pulling my blanket off of me. I groaned as I looked up at the energetic teenager standing at the foot of my bed. "What," I asked, as I struggled to open my eyelids.

"Let's go shopping!" She exclaimed, pulling my hands.

"it's early-" I groaned as I managed to sit upright on the bed.

"It's literally 12- in the noon," She said, placing her hands against her hips. "12-WHAT-" My eyes went wide, at her words. "I am late to work," I said, getting up quickly and rushing to the shower. "no you're NOT, Dad said you'd accompany me to the mall for clothes. And Felix said he'd manage the office for today."

"he said that?" I exclaimed, trying to figure out if she's lying." yea, he dropped in today morning. Don't know where he went after...I didn't see him leave either must have left."

"10 minutes" I spoke rubbing my eyes, Azra nodded in approval and left the room. Phew.

I quickly showered and changed into an ivory coloured-stripped drop shoulder blouse with some brown trousers and also pulled out a black converse from my shoe closet. Since it was just visiting the mall, i needed to dress as basic as possible to not draw attention. I strapped my blades against my thighs, just in case I needed it.

When I was all dressed up, I had remembered what Dad had said, yesterday. Without thinking much about it, I knock on the door. "What" A voice inside screamed back. "it's me, Zephyra!" I responded.

"what do you want-" She yelled, from inside the room. "Can I come inside, Iris?" I asked politely. "Yea, I guess" Iris, the voice responded. I pushed the door open.

Iris was sitting on the couch, sketching something in her notepad and munching on an apple. When she noticed me, she looked up and gave me a scowl.

"I would like to tell you something!" I said as I looked around the room.

"Bark," She remarked, forming a smile on her face.

"I think we should go shopping for the Annual Ball, together," I said, putting a smile across my face.

"huh" Her eyebrows raised, and she had a confused look on her face. "wait- Im sorry, you want me to come with you ?" She asked again almost thinking that she heard it wrong.

"yes, Iris. Would like you to come shopping with me for the annual ball. I mean, if you don't want to or are busy no problem, ofcourse...but if you'd come then you can give us opinions on our dresses" I said, adding a bit of a soft smile and lowering my tone.

"uh. Ofcourse, I am not busy- I would love to. Give me a few minutes, let me change." Iris said, agreeing to me, I think she expected cameras and people bursting into her room, to tell her that it was a prank and that she'd fallen for it. 

In the underground parking, I picked out the Black Lexus GX 460 to drive. I took the keys from the security and drove to the front door. I rang Ezlyn but she said, she'd meet me at the mall. Iris and Azra came out together, chuckling among themselves. Iris was wearing a dark blue tank top with light blue jeans. She got into the passenger seat beside me throwing me off guard and then connected her playlist to the aux, to listen to some music.

All of us sang the choruses of the songs together, yelling at top of our lungs, I even took the long route as we would have more time together. 

This is the first time in years that Iris and I had some sort of conversation that wasn't humiliating each other.