Chaptire Trois: Breathe Out
Vick had reached rock bottom before, but this? This was the pit of hell.
She looked up at the grandfather clock besides her, watching as the detailed hand struck the hour. And as if she was a part of the clockwork, Misty came out of the kitchen bearing lemon water and animal crackers. Seeing that Vicktoriya didn't run to hills when her back was turned, the curly haired girl shot her a wide smile while sitting the platter down on the coffee table. To which, Vicktoriya pulled at her lips but didn't quite reciprocate the grin. The manager waited till Misty sat down in the love seat besides her before picking up what was supposed to be an elephant but looked a fucked up puzzle piece.
"They're gluten free."
And clearly for prisoners.
Vicktoriya tossed it back onto the plate and then reached for the lemon water. As she sipped, she looked around the living room, purposefully avoiding the eager girl. The walls were covered in paisley and decades worth of family photos. She could see when Misty's parents met to when their daughter got her certifications with the Red Cross. They were a textbook nuclear family in a decent house with a good sized pool. So, why? Why was Misty, Misty?
Don't get her wrong, she didn't find her as annoying as everyone else. She just existed and Vick never paid her any heed. That was until she became, what Misty liked to call her, 'the co manager'. While she had an equal title, due to Misty's seniority and assumed insecurity, she started treating Vicktoriya like her brainless lackey.
After gaining more than enough information about the Quigleys, Vicktoriya pulled the cup away from her lips, licked the coldness off the top one before asking, "So..what?"
Misty looked from side to side before fixing her glasses, "So, what..what?"
"Why am I here?"
A light bulb flashed inside Misty's head and she sprung to get feet, "Right! Wait right there, I'll be back."
When she came back, Misty was holding a few bags, "I wanted to sort through these so we can bring them with us."
Misty sat one of them down before her and Vick peered in, immediately making a face at the contents, "Jesus, we are only going for a week."
The blonde cleared her throat, "It's better to be over prepared than under."
Vick took out a pack of bandaids, pulling the container to her nose and then grimacing, "Can bandaids expire?"
Misty snatched the box from her, scoffing at the remark, "Of course they can't."
But when she took a whiff of it, her tone changed and she pulled the bag away from Vicktoriya, "Um, but maybe we shouldn't use these.."
As the girls sorted through the bags of supplies Misty stole from her volunteer work at a hospital, she tried to make idle talk. "So, today at practice, it was um, pretty scary."
"So scary." Vicktoriya echoed, not paying attention as she messed with a suture kit.
"I think they planned it out." Misty said as if she was revealing the eighth world wonder.
