Soulsisters

Chapter 2.

"Not hungry lu?" she asked- concern etched into her features. Lucy shook her head slowly, looking away from angela.

Angela frowned, clearly troubled by Lucy's lack of appetite. She hesitated for a moment before asking, "did you eat your breakfast this morning?" Lucy nodded reluctantly, flushing red with embarrassment as she noticed the concerned looks on Tim and nyla's faces.

Angela sighed. "So if I went home right now, I wouldn't find the breakfast I made for you this morning in the bin?" Angela's question hung in the air, punctuated by an awkward silence. Lucy squirmed uncomfortably in her seat, her gaze fixed firmly on her lap- she looked guilty. Angela knew that look on Lucy's face all too well, it was the same one she got whenever she was hiding something from her. Swallowing hard, Lucy forced herself to meet Angela's steely gaze. "I-it is.." she stuttered out, looking ashamed.

Angela's concern deepened as she realised the gravity of Lucy's actions and she couldn't help but wonder if she was struggling with an eating disorder. Deciding she was going to have a chat about this with Lucy later she decided for now that she would ensure Lucy ate everything on her plate.

Throughout the remainder of lunchtime, Angela remained vigilant- making sure Lucy ate every last bit of food on her plate. At first Lucy protested, pushing her plate away and arguing. But as Angela's stern demeanour refused to budge Lucy begrudgingly gave in. Each mouthful was accompanied by a scowl or a deep sigh.

Meanwhile, Tim and Nyla watched on quietly, sensing the underlying tension between the two. They exchanged knowing glances- understanding this was far from over.

Once Lucy had finally finished she left the table abruptly heading to Angela's office, leaving Angela frustrated as she explained to Tim and Nyla about her recent behavioural changes.

Unknown to Angela, Lucy was grabbing her coat heading out of the station. Angela messaged Lucy "meet me at the diner in 10 x" Lucy rolled her eyes and began to get ready- but found her gaze fixated on the mirror. Time stood still as she stared back at herself, analysing every imperfection. She was in a haze. Without her even realising- thirty minutes had vanished without a trace, leaving her standing in the mirror. Self doubt clouded her mind, filling her head with negative thoughts about the sight she saw. It wasn't until she heard the apartment door slam open that she snapped out of her trance. Angela's voice echoed through the quiet apartment sending shivers down her spine. "Lucy, you were supposed to meet me 20 minutes ago!"

Time stood still as Lucy tried to process the information, she stood in front of the mirror for 30 minutes?

Angela began cooking lasagne whilst Lucy sat still on the couch, praying she wouldn't have to eat it. Angela looked up from the stove
"Lucy, do you have an eating disorder? Have you been skipping meals? Purging?"
Lucy and Angela began arguing once again, fueled by raw emotions and pent up frustration. Lucy's voice rose as she was exasperated at Angela for suggesting she has an eating disorder. Angela looked furious as her sister was in denial. "You need to face your problems head on lucy! Starting with sitting yourself down at the damn dinner table!"

As if on cue, the smell of freshly cooked lasagne wafted through the air. The two sat down at the table, the atmosphere thick with tension as Angela dished up her food, and once noticing Lucy hadn't- dished up her's too.

As expected, Angela watched intently as Lucy took small bites of her meal. It was clear that Lucy was eating to get Angela off her back. Just when Lucy thought she was doomed and that she'd be forced to eat her whole meal, Angela stood up heading into the bathroom. Seizing the opportunity- Lucy grabbed a large portion of lasagne off her plate and transferred it into some plastic tupperware before dashing into her bedroom and putting it in her drawer. Her steps were large as she rushed back to the table. By the time Angela had returned, Lucy had regained her composure, appearching nonchalant as she continued to pick at her plate. Angela rose her eyebrow at the amount of food lucy had eaten in the time she was gone, but upon looking in the bin and around the room she didn't see any traces of food, so she proudly sat down- certain that lucy had actually eaten the food, she thought that maybe lucy must've been so hungry that she decided to eat. Little did Angela know, her sister had secretly stashed the food away in her bedroom where around 20 other containers of mouldy food lay..

Angela turned to look at lucy. "I'm going out with some people from work, I want you to stay home. You're grounded." she spoke. Lucy rolled her eyes and went into her room slamming the door.

Being grounded was the worst.. disappointment spread across her features as she struggled to mask the fear of having to stay alone with her thoughts.
Alone in her room once more, darkness enveloped her like a cloak, amplifying the loneliness that threatened to consume her whole.

Angela put on a tight black dress that went down to her knees, she looked pretty- her black hair curled and her makeup minimal. She checked herself once more in the mirror before leaving her room. A quick glance towards Lucy's bedroom door sent a pang of guilt shooting through her heart, but she pushed it aside, reminding herself that it was for Lucy's own good. She slipped out into the cool night air, ready for the fun night ahead of her.

Out of nowhere, Lucy's phone buzzed with a text notification. Her heart skipped a beat as she realised it was her friend amanda- the one Angela had forbidden her from seeing as Amanda had a major criminal record already and she was only 17.

She read the message, a smile on her face.