Heavy Is the Head That Wears the Crown

Look What the Cat's Dragged In!

Mei staggered into her father's mansion, clumsily dragging her feet across the worn-out ceramic tiled floor and almost forgetting to set her leather shoes by the foyer.

It's only the afternoon yet Mei was completely exhausted. In every way possible and in ways that she didn't even know were possible. It seemed as though weeks, months, and years worth of exhaustion came crashing down on her all at once in this very moment.

Amamiya's touch lingered on longer than usual. As if it was under her skin.. she hated this feeling. It made her want to rip her skin off.

Undoing her tie and loosening her collar, she collapsed onto her bed, groaning into her pillow. Her head was throbbing. It felt like the gears grinding in her head were protruding painfully against her skull.
Just how much longer will I have to go on living like this? Another three, five years?

Barely able to stand up without wobbling, she supported her weight by leaning against a nearby wall, shutting her eyes to tame her darkening vision.

She began rummaging through her drawers and such in search for the letter with the address to her new resident.

She came across the older letters.

Caving in, she grimly picked up a bunch of the letters, skimming back and forth to look at its contents.

"Look at this picture I took beside a panda! You would've loved to see this, I remember all the animal documentaries you'd watch as a child."

"How's student council been treating you?"

"I wish you were here to experience seeing all these sights with me, Mei."

Plip.. plip..

Before she knew it, her tears stained the paper- drenching it almost entirely.
In a sudden fit of anger, Mei ripped the letters, desecrating it, thrashing her things around the room, letting out a shrill scream out of sheer anguish- the harsh sound bouncing right off the bedroom's decrepit walls, echoing and ringing in her ears as she urgently brought her hand up to cover them, digging her nails into the skin around it as if the sound hadn't stopped.
She buried her face into her hands, slumping down the wall again. She started to weep quietly.

{◇◆◇}

Shifting her gaze to the dictated address then to the situated luxurious condominium complex before her, she was certain this was the right address. She tucked the letter back into her briefcase, striding towards the revolving door.

She fidgeted with her appearance in front of the elevator's mirror for what seemed like the thousandth time in the span of the couple seconds that went by. She couldn't help but feel a tad bit.. on edge. Sure, she's used to accepting just about whatever the universe throws at her having established long ago that she has no control whatsoever over the downward spiral that is her life, but that isn't to say she is used to change. Whether it's a minute off her usual routine or moving mansions, she fears what she can't anticipate, given the fact that she grew accustomed to her strict, narrow upbringing and lifestyle. And to unanticipatedly be shoved into a whole new abode where she has to play house with a woman she has never met before and with the mischief-maker she was just butting heads with?

AIHARA RESIDENCE

The recessed ceiling light casts a warm hue of white over the residence signage plate placed right above the doorframe.
She can hear chatter sourced right behind the door.
Taking one final deep breath, she gripped onto the doorknob, turning it.