Seek: Reflection

Chapter 3

Kye knew it. Anetté was there for a purpose. No one would be so nice. She knew better than to trust anyone. Kye immediately pulled her hand away from Anetté's, but she failed. Instead, Anetté squeezed Kye's hand tighter. Noir let out a threatening hiss, but Anetté ignored it as she continued," I need you to trust me entirely, but no questions." 

Kye let out a soft snicker and rolled her eyes dramatically. "Why do you think I should trust you?" Kye question. Anetté cocked her eyebrow and thought for a while. Noir was lying beside Kye, glaring at Anetté intently, its fur standing on its end and its tail stiff. Both sides were intense. It was an awkward moment until a booming voice broke up the silence.

"Anetté and Kye, what is taking you girls so long." It was a male's voice. Anetté furrowed her eyebrows as she whispered into Kye's ears," Take my hand, don't release it." Kye wanted to disobey, but her instinct told her otherwise. Swallowing her saliva, Kye got up from her bed and tailed Anetté cautiously. She felt uneasy. There seemed to be something between her family that she did not know. Something difficult.

Kye walking down the stairs while holding Anetté's hand was not easy. She nearly stumbled a few times; if it were not for Anetté, she would already be rolling down the stairs. Kye wondered why was she even having problems walking properly. In the dining room,  two people were sitting by the dining table; needless to say, they were the parents. Kye's mother still had a smile on her face, but Kye could tell that it was not genuine. On the other hand, Kye's father was staring at the dining table, his hands tapping it impatiently. Kye could not see his expression clearly due to his gold-rimmed glasses blocking half of his face. As Anetté and Kye approached the dining table, Kye could hear her father whispering something about the experiment to her mother. When Kye's father noticed their arrival, he immediately stopped his conversation and turned to Kye, eyes gleaming with anticipation.

"My girl, come closer," he said, his eyes glimmering with excitement. Uncomfort grew as Kye unwillingly inched towards her father. Kye's father grabbed Kye by her wrist and pulled her forcefully towards him. Kye flinched when she felt the painful grip on her hand. She shot a pleading look at Anetté, but Anetté did not do anything to help her. Kye was dismayed as her father examined her like a lab rat with a fascinated expression. Kye could hear faint compliments from her mother too.

"Father," Anetté spoke in a low voice like a warning such that Kye's father let go of Kye's wrist in surprise. He took one more satisfied look at Kye before returning to his breakfast. Kye's father shot an angry glance at Anetté, but Anetté simply pulled one chair out from under the table and signalled Kye to sit down. Kye hesitated for a while before walking over and sitting down beside Anetté. Just as Kye was sitting down, Kye's mother spoke.

"Dear Kye, your father and I decided to send you to Columbia University since we could tell that you had been recovering well." she chirped. Kye closed her eyes and sighed in frustration. So, she was sick. When though, she thought. Kye could not seem to have the faintest idea when she was sick. However, her mother smiled warmly and said, "Kye don't you remember being in a car accident, it sent you into a coma for a few days." Kye blinked her eyes a few times in confusion before an image popped into her mind. It was her crossing the road while a car speeding towards her and the impact sent her flying. Maybe her memory was affected by the car accident, she thought, this explains everything. Kye's mother smiled sweetly as she saw the glint of recognition in Kye's eyes before continuing," Your application to Columbia University was successful and you had gotten the full scholarship but we had to hold it off as you had been in the fatal car accident but since you had been recovering well, we thought it was time for you to start school." Kye nodded robotically while her mind wandered off as she stuffed the pancake in her mouth. She had been known as a genius to other people and people liked her as what her brain told her, but why didn't she have any friends she could think of? Maybe it was all due to the car accident. Kye's mother seeing the hesitation in Kye's eyes started," Kye, are you still blaming us for moving to uptown Manhattan instead of staying where we used to be." Where we used to be, Kye thought, so they moved. "I know you don't feel well losing all contact with your friends from California, but we need you to understand it is all for your future." her mother's voice pleading. All questions from Kye's mind had all been answered, so she dived into her breakfast without a second word. Well most, she thought as she caught Anetté's haunting gaze.