The Enigma Of Deceptive Love

Chapter 5: Euphoria

It was a September, everything I laid my eyes on was either yellow or orange.
We had planned to pay a visit to my mom's colleague, Lydia. She invited, pretty much the entire office, to show off her perfect son with his perfect scores in the perfect private school that had perfect teachers.

I decided to wear a daisy yellow dress with my hand me down brown hat, that had a white bunny with a bow on top. Alex tore it though.
My new boots were ready to be worn, kept near our shoerack, along with Pa's and Ma's shoes.
As we get ready to leave, I take a look at my Mom, beautiful as ever, her indigo dress, bringing out her dainty features and pale skin, like a ray of sun light striking through the clouds in a clear blue sky.

Alex and I walk down the street along with Ma, Miss Lydia's house was close enough for us to go in our normal clothes, deliver the food and come back in a while.
But, as she insisted, we had to stay for dinner.
Maybe if I hadn't forced Ma to leave the house, she would've lived. She would be here.
While walking, Alex and I examine each tree, how some have more yellow leaves and the others have more orange leaves.
We step on each fallen leaf, one point for every leaf that crushes when we stamp it.

By the time we reached Miss Lydia's house, Alex won with fifty three points whereas I got only fifty points.
"Three points don't matter, you did amazingly well for your age" Alex said, when he noticed the frown on my face.
My brother was always sweet to me, it was just me, who thought of him as a competition. A competition for my Ma's love.

He was always better than me, at everything. Probably 'cause my Ma wasn't his Ma, even though Ma told me not to say that. It doesn't matter anymore.

Pa brought Alex home, with another woman, a red head, she always wore dresses above her knee, fairly younger than Ma too.

He didn't have any of his own money, everything was either stolen, or threatened away from my Ma. I, genuinely, had no idea what she saw in him.
"You look like my Barbie doll!" I yell out, the minute I see her.
"She means you look pretty." Pa reassures her fake face.

But actually though, I probably wouldn't even notice if she got switched for a life-sized barbie. She'd probably start melting if fire was brought near her. Her face-to-ass was entirely filled with plastic.

When Ma knock on the door, it immediately opens to all the clatter of the plates, the clinks of glasses, the chatter of kids and the gossips of sophisticated adults, she stood. Smiling. It was her brother's party, but she looked prettier than him, she looked happier than him, she looked angrier than him.

Perhaps, she couldn't stand to see her brother happy, in which case, we shared something in common.
Except that her brother was her brother.
We enter, clearly under-dressed,
Alex wore his new striped ivory shirt, that Pa gifted him, with jeans and his leather belt with an image of a silver lion.
We are greeted by Miss Lydia's maid, a kind, dainty woman, contrasting beautifully to the arrogance Lydia had in her.

I keep staring at the girl i saw earlier. How her eyes showed hatred, yet her lips continued smiling lovingly, how her hands were twitching while feeding her brother the cake, yet her moves were filled with grace.
The perfect brother, with his navy blue italian suit, on the other hand, looked exhausted, annoyed, but, thrilled by the attention he was getting. Just as his gaze meets mine, the strands of hair on my body stands up. Something about him, looked....creepy.

I suddenly feel a hand on mine, pulling me away, it was the girl from before, the girl with the lavender gown, "You look alone, wanna play with the rest of us?" She asks, ever so sweetly. I nod.
I tell Alex that im going with her while she takes me to her friends.
The rest of her friends looked as sophisticated as her, some wearing gowns, a few wearing frocks, all wearing colours, that complimented their skin tones perfectly.
I go to them while i make sure i stand tall, trying to seem less vulnerable in front of them while my entire body was burning up with excitement and nervousness. I'm getting new friends. I'm getting new friends. I won't be alone anymore.

"You're it!" She pokes me while flashing the most beautiful smile I've ever seen in an eight year old.
Everyone starts running and i run behind them, using up all the strength i had in me. I finally catch the girl with the blue frock, "You're it!".

Everyone becomes the seeker, except the girl in the lavender gown. She was competetive alright.
"Come on Alicia, we have to leave now!" Ma's voice echos through the now, empty hall.
"Ooh! I liked the name, Alicia, it sounds very fragile." She says, tasting each syllable as the sound escapes her mouth.

Before i could ask the meaning of the word, a thin hand wrapped itself around mine and dragged me away.
Ma, looking as tired as the maid, lets Alex and I lead the way, as she guards us from the back, while we continue playing crush-the-leaf.

During the walk back home, but Ma looked exhausted. Maybe she didnt have any of the fancy appetizers, or her mango-strawberry parfait. Made perfectly as ever.
"The trick is always making sure there is atleast one sour element, along with all the sweet ones. We have curious tastebuds, they go crazy over the tiniest of improvements" she'd say.
I wake up from my thought as i hear Alex crushing another leaf. I had lagged behind by ten points already.

The universe was on my side, I thought, when i saw a heap of dried leaves sitting idle across the road. I cross the road and run towards it before Alex realizes and stamp on the bunch, bursting with happiness on every count of crunch I hear.

Soon, to which, Alex had caught on.
He runs to me, unaware that there was a rock right in front of him.
I see Alex on the ground. Not knowing what to do, I rush towards him, my vision hindered by little pearls from the ocean. Those pearls, that I'd do anything to be able to feel again. Going closer, i see thick crimson drops on the ground. Funny how that amount used to scare the living shit out of me.
A bright shade of pink takes over my face as loud cries escape my mouth. Screaming. Panicking. Wanting Ma to come quicker.
Ma probably heard my cries. The next thing I heard was Ma screaming out, "Alicia! Baby, what happened?"
"ALEX! MA ALEX HIT HIS HEAD ON THE GROUND! MA THERE IS BLOOD" I pant.

I see Ma holding her dress up, trying to run across the road as fast as possible.
I turn towards Alex, who had now opened his eyes. I sigh in relief. He was alive. He didnt die. Atleast not because of me.

But Ma didn't know that.

Alex stands up, "HAH! tricked ya!" He said, wiping off the paint from his forehead.
"The look on your face was priceless." He continues.
I pull Alex towards the front of the road, so that Ma could see him. She does. She does see us. Sighing in relief, taking a step back, she smiles.

It was not too long before Ma's waist gets pushed away by a dark figure, hands shooting up in the air, legs stuck underneath the car.
It drives mercilessly on top of her, leaving her clothes to soak up the bloody river. Her face, barely visible from this distance.