Medusa

4

I slammed the door behind me, not worrying about the echoing sound that would rattle throughout my house.

My mom was probably wine-sleep in her room by now, I might as well have been alone anyway.

Eros's words echoed in my mind, refusing to fade away. They made me angry, like a piece of metal held to a flame, growing more and more orange until finally it was bright red.

"You don't need to be out there trying to prove something to people who don't matter."

Who was he to decide what mattered to me?

I walked through the darkened hallway of my house, each step feeling heavier than the last. My insides were a fire of anger, and I felt like I could barely contain it. I hated it. I hated the way Eros had played me.

I reached my room and closed the door behind me, leaning against it for support. The familiar surroundings of my sanctuary offered little comfort tonight.

I went back to my vanity, staring into my reflection just like I had before I left. My eyes were still hard and cold, yet with a glowing ember of that anger just beneath the surface.

"You don't even know yourself."

His words cut me, because I feared that they might be the truth. I had buried Andra so deep beneath Medusa that I wasn't sure who I was anymore.

But, I needed to do that. Didn't they understand? Didn't they get it?

Medusa might have been a curse but now she was my saviour. She could kill. Andra couldn't. And I had suffered the severe consequences because of that.

I picked up a makeup wipe infront of me, pushing it to my face with more force than was required.

I wiped off the perfectly placed makeup, the layers of Medusa's mask that I wore like a shield, revealing the girl beneath. The girl who had once believed in fairy tales and happily ever afters. The innocent one.

But even as I continued pushing that wipe against my face, I wasn't really looking at my reflection any more.

"Come with me," Don whispered in my ear, his breath hot against my skin.

I followed him, trusting, not knowing that following him would change everything. He led me to an upstairs bedroom, away from the laughter and music.

"Don, what are we doing here?" I asked, a lovestruck, innocent giggle leaving my lips. "We're supposed to be celebrating Scy's birthday."

He turned to me, his were darker than I was used to, with a hint of something I hadn't seen before. "I just want to be alone with you, Andy. Just us."

His words, which should have sparked butterflies in my stomach, sent a chill down my spine. But I ignored it. This was Don, my Don. He wouldn't hurt me.

But he did.

I looked back at my reflection, the hollow and meaningless tears streaming down my face, washing away the remnants of Medusa's mask.

I pushed harder on the wipe, even though there wasn't any makeup left. Harder against my skin. Harder. I wasn't sure what I wanted to erase. But I still kept pushing harder.

Until finally I realized I wouldn't be able to wipe away what I really wanted to. I wanted to wipe away Andra. Because bad things happened when I was Andra.

I closed my eyes, finally tossing away the makeup wipe, steeling myself. Somewhere inside me, I knew how horrible it was that I wanted Andra to disappear completely.