𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐒 𝐃𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐋 | lady lesso

fourteen

She hasn't shown her face in a week, Zylia Hellman has disappeared from the face of the earth. Vanished. Withdrawn herself from the social net. And though I should be beyond happy, I have this overwhelming feeling that the last few days have been entirely my fault. That maybe I shouldn't have been so harsh.

Lesso has been happier, as if she accomplished something remarkable. Her eyes sparkled the morning after and she smiled bigger than I'd seen in a long time. A complete shit eating grin - from ear to ear.

I was entranced by her reaction at first, but it became more and more sickening as the days passed by. Leonora recognised my demur on the subject, and deeming my behaviour strange, has begun to distance herself from me. Becoming rather harsh with her words and temperament. The spark dulled and her smile back to the scowl I was familiar with in the first few months here.

As i sit in her afternoon lesson and write notes about emotions equaling power, I realise that all of my judgements on Zylia are not mine, but my mother's. Her presumptions of another child. Her opinion. I  reached my evaluation purely on the information my mother fed me. I based Zylia on her mother - the Baroness. I started fights with her even though she is a Never. She's not even my enemy.

As the days pass and I don't see her flowing brown hair and mischievous eyes in the corridor I become guiltier and guiltier. I have to fix this. Sooner rather than later. She's family, she always has been. I nearly got my own aunt killed by my girlfriends hands. What was I thinking?

I attempt a risky move and sit at the teachers table; something I haven't done in a while granted our dispute. Leonora's oceanic eyes meet mine - curiosity plaguing them. I simply smile and cast my spell, completely unbeknownst to her. We leave the hall together for the first time in weeks and I feel the stampede or remorse trampling over me again.

"So, you want to talk about your change of heart?" Lesso comments as we stroll under the winter moon back to the harrowing castle. I look at her. She looks ethereal - blue light illuminating her face and hair. I realise how much I've missed just looking at her this week.

"Not really. I'm sorry we argued over it though." I whisper, breath condensing.

"Alright. God I'm tired." She groans rubbing her eyes. As bad as I feel this has to happen. I shiver, regretting my clothing choice. Or rather lack of. She places her blazer over my shoulders and takes my hand dragging us into the warmer environment. She says nothing more as we climb into bed and I snuggle into her unusual warmth.

The fire casts a glow across the room as she falls asleep, shadows dancing and haunting. I wait for ten minutes before leaving, whether my spell is working becoming questionless. I only added a small dosage of sleeping potion to her food. It's harmless. I place a soft kiss on her forehead and, kneeling beside her sleeping figure, stroke a few of her wild red locks behind her ear. The fiery colour of her hair is so much brighter during the bleak, cold winter.

I pull the covers around her and leave the room silently. Venturing through the corridors in the middle of winter is becoming starkly regrettable. Seems everything is. I rush through the stone confinement until I come upon her room.

I lift my arm to knock. Three quiet thuds. After a moment I think no-one will answer until the door opens slowly. I push it aside - recognising that if I don't it will surely be slammed in my face. That or her fist. I close the door as she stumbles back.

In the lamplight I assess all the damage. She's almost unrecognisable as she lets out a quiet sob. I try to reach for her but my arms remain paralyzed to their limp position either side of my torso.

"Come to laugh at me? Bet everyone got a right laugh out of this, huh?" She spits, wiping her eyes. I moved across the room to her.

"What did she do to you?" I whisper, "What did we do to you?" She laughs manically. Hysterically. But it hurts her, I can see it in her eyes as she flinches in pain.

"I think you know exactly what happened." I stare at her in utter disbelief. Her face is swollen, eye a shade of plumb. Nails are chipped or missing, hands bruised and each one has a hole. I dread to think about what is hidden beneath her clothes.

"Give me your hand." I attempt to grab it.

"What? No-"

"Give. Me. Your. Hands." I accentuate. "Please." I add, softer than before. Reluctantly she places her hands in mine as we sit across from each other on her wooden floor. My eyes begin to glow the familiar soft lilac. I know as it shines in her blue eyes - which seem dull in comparison to the first time I saw them. The dullness reminds me of Lesso's. Pain floods my hands and I flinch but keep contact with the girl adjacent.

She smiles softly. I continue to take away some of the pain inflicted by Lesso. I stop once we're almost equally covered, my face the only thing unaffected. "I'm sorry." I say into the silence.

"Me too. I judged you based on what my mother told me of Cruella." Hearing my mother's name from her mouth doesn't feel wrong, just new.

"Guess that's both of us then. I want to start over, you are family after all."

"So..like a truce?"

"Yes. If that's what you'd want?"

"I can't forgive you, for the torture and fighting. But, I'm willing to build on it? On us?"

"Good." I smile, stretching out my hand. She takes it and I flinch, the puncture adorning it stinging. She laughs and shakes my hand gently with her now healed ones. "Now, I want to see some of your projects."

She laughs, "Alright."