Beautiful Disaster; Beautiful Reality.

Paloma.

The drive to Paloma's flat was brief. We all piled out of the taxi and stood in the cold night air whilst Fortuné and Mika argued about who should pay for the taxi. I looked up at the tall white building. The lights in the estate agents below had flickered off and now even the white stone seemed dull and tried.
"Sorry, my flats the highest. 4th floor." Paloma smiled as she followed my gaze.
"It's alright." I replied trying to sound as untried as possible.
Mika and Fortuné still argued and Paloma and I stood there slowly freezing.
"Shall we leave them to it?" Paloma asked, gesturing towards the door.
"Yes!" I replied a bit too eagerly.

She quickly opened the door and we ran up the stairs giggling like two naughty school girls. By the time we'd entered her flat we were out of breath, panting sand dying of laughter.
"Do you want a beer or a glass of wine?" Paloma asked kindly, heading towards the fridge.
"Yes please." I responded as she opened two beers.
We went and sat in the living room and drank the beers quite quickly. We sat on there on purple velvet sofas staring at the empty spaces in the flat. It was a big open plan space with a new shining kitchen, cozy sitting area and a large oak table. There were big long windows with window seats under each of them with long blinds and curtains for decoration.
"Did you lock the door? Can Mika and Fortuné get in?" I suddenly asked.
"Oh. Right. Can you let them in?" She asked remembering that they were standing outside.
I quickly let them in and was, literally, swept off my feet by a very cold Mika. He picked me up bridal style and climbed on top of me on the sofa.
"You've been naughty." He teased me. I looked over to Paloma who had Fortuné on top of her, tickling her.
"Mika..." I was interrupted by him suddenly tickling me.
"M-Mika s-stop!" I cried as he continued to tickle me. Paloma was laughing loudly too.
"Do we get beer if we stop?" Fortuné asked as his eyes caught sight of the now empty bottles.
"Yes. Just please get off!" Paloma pleaded. Thankfully, the both got off and opened two beers. They sat on the sofas opposite Paloma and I and we watched them down the beers.
Paloma also had another beer but I didn't fancy a hangover in the morning.

"Arm wrestle?" Fortuné challenged Mika.
"I always beat you!" Mika boasted.
"Oh yeah!" Fortuné started getting more competitive and more confident; I think the alcohol had a large influence on this.
They both say at the table opposite each other with their elbows resting on the table and their hands locked together. They both stared at us.
I turned to Paloma and she looked straight at me.
"Three... two... one!" We half shouted in unison.
Suddenly both Mika and Fortuné's faces became tense and their eyes were focused on each other's arm.
"Who's going to win?" Paloma whispered.
"Oh Mika I think." I joked which made Fortuné try harder.
"Nah, I think Fortuné." Paloma said, trying to irritate Mika. With this both their faces turned red from the effort thy were putting in.
"Who actually paid for the taxi?" I asked randomly.
"Me." A frustrated voice came from the table. When I turned around I saw Mika looking triumphantly at me and Fortuné looking very fed up. I smiled at Paloma who whispered:
"They've always done this." In a matter of fact way.
"I'll put away the beer bottles." Fortuné said happily, trying to get over his defeat in the arm wrestling competition.
"I'll open the window, it's way too hot." Paloma said a bit flustered.

She quickly walked over to the window, leaving me standing in the middle of the room with Mika just behind me. She leant over the window sill and tried to unclip the window. Suddenly the window flew open but...

She fell.

I quickly ran towards the window and reached through it but was stopped from going any further by Mika's hands on my waist.
"Let me go Mika!" I screamed as I tried to push him off. He only pulled me into a hug and dragged me away from the window. Fortuné just stared at us from the kitchen.
"Where's Paloma?" He asked in a monotone voice.
"Call an ambulance." Mika commanded. He quickly picked up his phone, dialled 999 and ran downstairs to see what had become of Paloma.

Mika finally let go of me and I rushed to the window. Four floors up. Her body was impaled on the railings below. Blood was pouring from her body creating a new river on the pavement below. Even from this height, I could see her eyes flickering open and closed.
I couldn't save her.

Mika's PoV
Hannah collapsed in front of the window. I looked over her head to Paloma and I gagged. My poor sister.
"I'm so sorry." Hannah whispered.
"It's not your fault. It was an accident. Accidents happen. It could have been you." I tried to sooth her even though, on the inside, I was dying.
"I should've stopped her." She continued to cry.
"I stopped you because you would've fallen too." I said, fighting back the tears.
"She's dead because of me." Hannah cried yet again.
"Shut up. She's not dead. She won't die, she can't." I said, getting more irritated.
"I-I'm sorry." She sobbed again.
"Just shut up! Paloma is going to be ok. It's not your fucking fault. So just shut up!" I shouted. I snapped.
Hannah got up and pushed past me but I grabbed her arm and pulled her into a hug.
"I'm sorry Hannah. Let's go to the hospital to check on her." I suggested.
She nodded.
We locked up Paloma's flat and got a taxi straight to the hospital. Hannah never let go of my hand. Now, to face the family and, possibly, death.