The Above || Completed

07 Trust and Power

I followed her to a secluded area in the library. There were beanbag chairs that we made use of. She gave me that stare again but then I came up with something to say that made her blink.
"I'm guessing the last person you trusted was Aeron," I said.
Erica stuttered, "Uh, y-yeah. Did he tell you?"
"The most he told me was what happened between you two," I explained.

"Then let me explain what happened when I was thirteen," she began. "It started when my parents started acting like they couldn't care less. They had more time for work than for me. Eventually, they also decided to get divorced. As if I didn't matter; their only child. That's what finally triggered the depression and the cutting. Back then I blamed myself; maybe a part of me still does."
"But that wasn't all, was it?" I winced, feeling my heart strain.
"Far from it," Erica chuckled. "After I turned fourteen, my parents were on their way to collect their divorce papers and they died in a stupid nimbus accident."
Smaller nimbus clouds were used as transportation here in the Above. An equivalent to cars. Some of the worst things do end up happening at the finish line.
I shook my head. "Erica, I'm sorry."
"It's okay." She gave me a small, fake smile. "I was alone and I learnt to fend for myself. But I was just in this constant emotional pain, so I kept cutting. It got so bad that I started to hate myself. I couldn't look in the mirror without feeling disgusted."

"I'm guessing when you were fifteen, Aeron happened," I said, stifling a wince.
"Correct. First, he made me stop. He made me feel that good about myself. However, slowly, I learnt that the better they make you feel, the more trust you give them. And the more trust you give them, the more power they have over you. The more power they have to hurt you," she explained, losing herself in her memories.
"He made things worse when he left, didn't he?" I asked.
"Much worse, Maddison," she spoke with the tone of someone who had cut through old scars.
I took her hand, giving it a squeeze.
"Things will get better, Erica," I said. "You've gone so far downhill that the only direction left to go is up."
This got a real smile out of her. I even got a glimpse of dimples! So beautifully prominent against her paper white skin.
Erica stood up suddenly. "Well, I'm going to check if Aeron's off the computer. I'll see you at lunch?"
"Sure, see you." I smiled as she walked off.

I decided that I didn't want to sit alone so I meandered between bookshelves, glancing at book titles. Then I stopped dead in my tracks when I heard shuffling behind me. I slowly checked over my shoulder to find that no one was there. With a slight roll of my eyes, I continued wandering around. But again I heard the shuffling. This time I turned around completely and there was nothing. I was getting annoyed. I was then startled by another sound behind me. I frowned as I looked back to find a pile of books on the floor. Just then, Aeron emerged from around the corner with flushed cheeks. I laughed. He'd been following me and knocked over the books. He smiled at me as he placed the books back on the shelf. Then he approached me.

^^^