Betrayal, Secrets & Love

Supporting A Friend

13th January 2015

They say dreams are connected to the unconscious mind. A world filled with the insight of hidden desires, emotions, and problem solving. Milira tended to believe the theory as her unconsciousness drove her down a long and stressful path.

As expected Milira fell into a deep sleep, filled with pedestals, each pedestal carrying a chest-like object with black silk wrapped around it. Danger dripped from each chest, however, her mind refused to adhere to her objections, forcing her closer and closer until her hands reached out. No matter her internal objections, she opened the first chest and peeked into it, only to start crying, her heart twisted in grief. From there her dream forced her to seek out all the chests. Each one held a negative emotion, portraying the darkness her life slipped into since Alexander's death. She crashed into a ball because of these emotions; her body, soul, and mind wracked with the conflicting emotions, leaving her shaken, fearful, and screaming. When she found the strength to look up, her heart laid not far from her, a bloodied glass heart, smashed into unfixable pieces. She crawled forward, determined to fix it, to find the goodness in herself, to forgive her uncle, and to move forward with a life she didn't want or need.

Milira woke with a silent scream on her tongue and the steady build of frustration pilling higher in her gut. She couldn't fall back asleep, staring at the ceiling, her mind recreating different scenarios of how her talk with Elsie would play out. None of them ended in a good forgiving light. Her horrid dream appeared to be processing her life while steering her towards the issues she faced, trying to force her to acknowledge them better.

Am I going to accept Elsie's forgiveness, my uncle's forgiveness and be a parental figure to a child when the time came or am I going to-

A quick knock, followed by her door swinging open, tossed the thoughts to the back of her mind. A maid, dressed in her nightgown, rushed towards her with laboured breathing, almost tripping over the carpet in haste. Even in the dark, Milira felt the urgency encircling her, and tossed the covers aside in a rush, her mind blank except for the pressing need to uncover the root of the maid's distress.

The maid screamed out when Milira grabbed hold of her shoulders. In the darkness, Milira could discern nothing more but the maid's silhouette and assured her in a hush that she wasn't a robber. The maid stilled her scream, and inhaled a deep breath. "There is a call for you madam. It's urgent." With the words uttered, both Milira and the maid rushed towards the nearest phone, the girl shook as she handed the portal device over to Milira, who for a fraction, started at it. Her thoughts kicked into overdrive and ran rampant with her. Her mother, the person she trusted the most and the one who hasn't betrayed her, still needed to arrive. Was her mother hurt? Did the plane crash? Did she have a breakdown due to the trauma? The maid rushed her to answer the phone, snapping her from her frantic state.

"He-ll-o? This is Milira." She choked out, unable nor willing to hide the shaking in her voice.

The person on the other end, hesitated and took a deep agonising breath, "It's me." Aiden's clear smooth tone rushed through the receiver but even without seeing him, Milira sensed a change in him, a bitterness lacing his one. Milira opened her mouth to ask what went wrong but Aiden beat her to it.

"I don't really much care if you read the letter I gave you or not-" Aiden paused, clearing his throat, and inhaled another deep lung-full of air, "I need a friend, my-" His voice broke, a whimper travelling through the receiver, "My mother has been admitted at Remington County Hospital- I-"

"I'm on my way." Milira rushed out, adding, "Hold on, for me, okay?"

Aiden didn't reply, instead the phone-line died, leaving behind a dreadful coldness. Her bones were bogged down as she stared at the maid who brought the phone to her. The girl's eyes carried the sheen of a woman being formed by the world, an innocence lying at the forefront of her eyes. Milira often saw the same innocence in herself but as the maid watched her with a measure of great concern, and pity, Milira knew she shed the girl in her. The world smashed into her and destroyed her, replacing her with a less stable, more confused, and broken woman. What doesn't kill you- she heard her mother's voice vibrate in her mind. Aiden needed her, like her, life tried to break him, and shove him into a world filled with heartache and the unknown. With a friend at his side, he might not lose himself completely. She couldn't help her uncle, but she could be there for Aiden. He reached out to her despite everything, and she admired him for it.