Beyond Our Control

Chapter 33

 You're here."

The forcefulness of Faye's smile breaks her heart in seconds.

Kenna nods unnaturally, and inspects the room instead, finding any kind of distraction for herself.

Anyone else would have automatically realized that Faye had gotten special treatment as someone who has committed to some kind of aberration. Not the slightest bit of prisoner things or feeling are in here, instead, it's almost exactly like the luxury room she and Lina have been sharing for the past week. Except something about this room is different than hers and Lina's. Something about it gave off a feeling that it's been Faye's room for a while longer than a week.

The room is lightened up with a warmish light from the mini chandelier that hung above. A case opening near their right of what could fit two doors seem to lead off to somewhere even deeper and more interesting in the room. She can tell that this room is bigger than hers and Lina's. She assumes that this must be a sort of reading room or something, because there are books shelved in several wooden and ancient looking bookshelves. A reading desk nearby and strangely, the chair that Faye sits in is faced directly at the painting. As if it was put there and faced that way for that exact purpose, watching the painting.

Kenna now looks past Faye's chair and notices that the painting is of a man and a woman, somewhere in their late twenties, with a light haired little girl in between them. She recognizes those dark blue eyes no matter where, the girl smiles ear to ear, a small toy in her hand as she plays with it. Her gaze follows up to the man, a somewhat kind of sadness in his eyes, but a weak smile plays on his tight lips as he watches the little girl. And the woman, who also has her attention fixed on the little girl in between them smiles. Kenna almost doesn't recognize her, with that kindly and loving smile. Those grey eyes have light filled in them, pure happiness dances across her face as she watches the little girl, nothing scary or oddly cold in her expression. And back to the little girl, whose attention is only concealed on her toy, oblivious to the things that's happening around her. She smiles so widely and happily, it almost seems as if she's moving and that Kenna is right there when the painting was painted and captured. Kenna's lips curl up at the sight of the painting, capturing in the happiness and love of the woman and the little girl.

"You look beautiful."

The sound of Faye's voice brings her back to reality. The joy in the little girl is now gone and replaced with...everything that Kenna wants to help take away and relieve her from.

Her eyes finally shift and meet Faye's.

"Who picked out the dress? It fits perfectly on you."

She fumbled with her voice until she found the sounds back. "Lina."

Faye nods and she turns her head back at the painting, the room incredibly quiet all of a sudden.

"I can tell you really care for her."

That makes Kenna gulp.

"I wonder what it's like to have a best friend and care for them like that. But I guess I had something kind of like that, except there was something more to us. And that was what killed her."

The coldness and sharp edge to Faye's words cuts Kenna so deep that it's a pain that will take years to heal.

"How much...did you love her?" She had to force those words out, deepening her own cut that has already been deepened so many times by Faye.

Faye stands up from her chair and turns around, and when Faye faces her again and stares at her fondly, Kenna knows instantly that she's not really looking at her. She's looking at someone else, someone beyond here. Someone who she's been seeing as her for a long time.