Seek: Reflection

Chapter 4

Anetté was called away by her parents, and Kye had no idea why. She caught the glance Anetté shot her when she left—piercing and cold. Kye shivered and hurried back to her room. Slamming her door shut, she leaned against the wall, gasping for air. Noir just stared at her with unblinking eyes. Kye squatted down and scratched Noir's chin. Noir let out a relaxed purr before heading to her food and water bowl, meowing. Kye immediately understood Noir as she went to the shelf, pouring cat food into one of the bowls and bringing the other to the sink. When Kye reached the toilet, she halted, remembering what happened with the mirror. However, she had no intention of leaving her room anymore. Taking a deep breath, Kye pushed into the toilet with her head lowered. To her surprise, the mirror was taken off the wall. Anetté must have done that; Kye thought as she washed the water bowl. Returning to her bedroom, she found Anetté sitting on the chair near the window.

"What are you doing here," Kye said, not bothering to mask her dislike. Anetté stood up and walked towards Kye, stopping when she saw Kye backing. "You are scared of me," Anetté whispered into Kye's ear as she took a big step towards Kye. Kye stepped back until she realised she was against the wall. Anetté sighed and moved aside, giving Kye space. 

"Why are you convincing yourself?" Anetté demanded," Trust your instincts." Kye shook her head, not understanding Anetté's words. Anetté looked around cautiously before continuing," I shouldn't talk to you here; there are too many ears. I will speak to you in school..." Her sentence was interrupted by her father's hollering from downstairs. Before leaving, Anetté bent down and patted Noir softly; soft mumbling came from Anetté's throat as if speaking to Noir. Kye watched with curiosity yet was too scared to go any nearer to hear Anetté clearly. Kye quickly locked her bedroom door the moment Anetté left the room. She could not understand why her sister would do that to her. In her memory, her sister was always quiet and obedient. The mask, she remembered, the change might be due to the fire. 

A few years ago, there was a fire that had burned Anetté's face, causing permanent scars on her once beautiful face, Kye recalled, pulling out scenes from her memory. Maybe that had caused Anetté to change, Kye thought, even when I had not noticed. She needed some fresh air desperately; all this thinking had made her head heavy. Kye knew if she wanted to go out for a walk, she needed to go out of her room, and that was one thing she dreaded. Kye leaned against the door, putting her right ear on it and listening for movements. It seemed that the house was pretty quiet, Kye thought as she unlocked her door and opened a tiny crack of her door, peaking outside. 

Seizing her chance, Kye tiptoed downstairs and headed for the front door. That was when a voice called," Kye, where are you going?" It was her mother. Kye turned and saw her mother standing beside the sofa in the living room, arms akimbo and staring intently at Kye. Though her voice was cheery, Kye could see the coldness in her mother's eyes. "Just a walk outside," Kye answered, keeping her voice calm," I want some fresh air." Her mother relaxed and finally gave Kye a nod. Just when Kye was about to open the door, her mother's voice halted her," Kye, remember to take your sunglasses and cap. You won't want freckles to ruin your perfect face." Kye touched her face and tried to recall the last time she saw her face. Returning to her bedroom, she randomly grabbed a cap from the clothes hanger and picked up a pair of sunglasses on her table. Stuffing her phone into her pants pocket, she hurried downstairs, praying that Anetté wouldn't follow. She needed some time for herself, with nobody else.