HADES (Ruby Rose fanfic)

THREE (Iselen POV)

"Please, stay inside, please..."

I'm begging to my breakfast of course. I already threw up a while ago because of my nerves and for the first time in my life I changed my coffee for a lime blossom tea. I look at my reflection in the entrance hall mirror with critical eye. I spent half an hour yesterday picking out my clothes, the truth is that everything I own is out of fashion and besides I'd look ridiculous wearing my only suit with a pencil skirt and high heels to take a walk through the greenhouses later. I finally chose the less worn out garments hanging on my closet: blue jeans, a tank top with sailor stripes, an oversize grey sweater that shows one of my shoulders, my boots and grey raincoat. I've tried to introduce a touch of colour with a grey and red scarf around my neck, my hair is up in a ponytail and I've tried to hide my dark circles with a concealer because I haven't slept that much either: it's pretty clear that I won't look like a top model today. I must impress her with my professionality and knowledge.

I look back, satisfied when hearing the quiet house, and I walk through the door heading to my pickup truck since I don't want to be late. Last night I did something terrible and I'm not proud of it but I do think it was absolutely necessary: I bought my mum a bottle of liquor for the first time in my life, gin more precisely, and I put it on her nightstand inside her bedroom. She's sound asleep now and won't wake up till evening. I won't let her ruining this meeting, not only because she'd put me in shame, but because I really need to sell those flowers... I need the money desperately.

Last night my mum came into the kitchen while I was baking some cookies with raspberry homemade jam after dinner. I'm going to take coffee and tea thermos in my pickup truck so I can offer a drink to my visitors, in addition to the workers lunch as always. She though that it was unusual for me to take the time to bake cookies, I have tons of things to do every day when I arrive home from work: check invoices, balance the account, clean bathrooms or windows, do the laundry, make dinner, etc. My mum does nothing besides cleaning her bedroom, that's what she says, I think it always looks like a mess.

"What are you doing?" She stole a warm cookie but I didn't say anything, I didn't want to start an argument.

"I have a business meeting tomorrow and they want to take a look at the greenhouses. I'm going to offer them coffee and cookies."

"Is this for a new hotel?"

"No," Shit! What an idiot I am, I should've said yes. "This is for... a TV programme" I couldn't tell her that it was for a video clip and certainly I couldn't mention Hell Bitch's name... she'd get mad about it. My mum thinks she's a slut with no taste that probably does drugs and sleeps with all her fans.

"Seriously? Is any TV host coming here?" She started to fix her lank and greasy hair with her fingers and that scared the hell out of me.

"No, of course not. The person in charge of the set decoration is coming most likely. They won't send the TV host or any other TV channel CEO in order to pick out some flowers." I answered with a smile but my hands were shaking while holding the spoon I was using for the jam.

"Why are you so nervous then?" She asked with a suspicious tone of voice, my mum lives permanently obsessed with the idea that I'm always lying. Sometimes it's true, but it's usually for her own sake... and mine too.

"This is an important commission, lot of people will see my flowers on TV and there's a good chance that more customers will come later."

"You're right, we need to impress the people of the big city..."

The word "we" made my skin crawl while my mum leaved the kitchen to go to the living room talking to herself. I finished baking my cookies and called my friend Rodia in order to beg her not to close the supermarket before I arrived in less than 15 minutes, I bought the bottle of gin and she took the money without saying a word but looking at me with pity in her eyes, I placed the bottle on her nightstand knowing that she'd find it sooner or later and when I woke up this morning I put my head around her door, just a little to check that the bottle was empty and she was snoring.