Couldn't My Reincarnation have been more Cliche!

Interlude Two (The Black Cat) Part 3

[Iris] "Hello, and who are you?

Oh, she's awake, that's good. Wait, wait, she's awake? No, I know that. Waa waa wa- I—she's clearly trying to kill me. Huh, isn't she quite pretty? No, Mariam, now's not the time for that. Look at her cold calculating eyes, that body, and the way you found her all covered in bloody clothes. What were you thinking bringing her into your house? Ah, her glassy smile, what must she be thinking with that twisted mind of hers? Huh, I'm jumping to conclusions. No, I'm not. Huh, why's she looking at me like that, like she's going to eat me!

Mariam shook heavily in the corner, clutching the glass of water she had brought for the black-haired woman lying on the bed, her mind ran wild with airy nonsensical thoughts. Perhaps if I was so scared of the girl, I shouldn't have brought her into the house, but my morals moved faster than my mind.

She looked at the black-haired girl who stared impassively at her, while she was almost stunned by her beauty which now, in a proper place, seemed to show even more than when she had been crumpled in the alley. This pale-faced beauty of hers seemed to give her an unearthly glint, and she swore she saw the veins wriggling when she first woke up, as if they were entities of their own, though this was surely just her imagination.

Mairm's breathing slowed as she relaxed her posture a bit. Clearly, she was just getting ahead of herself. Looking over the girl again, she noticed her slightly downcast eyes, as if she was ashamed of something. Her face gave off a delicate atmosphere, and now that she was able to see her a bit closer, she looked a little taller than herself. Still, she couldn't get over the strange doll-like quality; she almost seemed non-human. The uncanniness of perfection was nothing short of unnerving.

No, no, Mariam, you need to calm yourself. She's clearly not what you thought. Yeah, that's... um, that can't be true. I mean, sure, she's a little eerie-looking, but she's still really pretty. And it seems I made her uncomfortable. I should apologize, yeah, um, wait, did I really do anything wrong? And I mean, she's not really speaking, so I guess it's fine, right? No, I should say something. It's not right to keep quiet in situations like these.

Just as she was about to introduce herself, the girl in front of her nodded slightly to herself before, with a surprising burst of speed, she suddenly stood up, lurching towards me with her hands outstretched.

This bloodstained girl, suddenly moving like a horror villain, made Marim lose her control, screaming. She threw the glass she was holding at the girl, her fight-or-flight instincts causing her heart to pound madly as she helplessly watched the glass hurtle forward. As her mind caught up with her body's movement, she realized what she had done and immediately regretted it. Her arms remained outstretched futilely, as if she thought she could pull the glass back before it struck its mark.

No, no, I'm sorry, I just got scared. What? I didn't mean it. Um, what can I do? What if it hurts her? What if she gets mad and kills me? Calm down, calm down, that's what started this thing! Maybe she won't blame me! Maybe she doesn't mind getting glass thrown at her. That could make sense! Huh, that's a fine thought.

As if getting tired of her racing thoughts, the glass made contact with the black-haired girl. Mariam was about to close her eyes to avoid seeing what happened to the girl in front of her. However, before they could close, she saw a flash of tender skin swipe in front of the glass, shattering it with a deafening crash, which sent chunks of glass hurtling in every direction.

Mariam stared on blankly as the glass was shattered in such a fashion. Her brain started to short-circuit as her thoughts worked overtime to figure out a solution. The girl's eyes started to water as she shook heavily in fear, waiting almost resolutely for the follow-up retaliation she was going to receive. But instead, the black-haired girl looked blankly at her, as if confused by her, more than offended by the blow.