✓ Chaos Theory | Diego Hargreeves [1]

【CHAPTER TWO】

—chapter two.

  ❛ the trials & tribulations of being alive. ❜  

THE SMELL INSIDE A POLICE STATION ALWAYS MADE HER NAUSEOUS. Genuine anxiety-riddled nausea hit her stomach every time she stepped foot in the building. It was a horrible, regretful process and every time she told herself she would not go that time. That she would ignore the call or say she was just plain busy - maybe she would actually make plans, block off the month so they could not argue with her. Or just yell a great big 'screw you' through the telephone and hang up without another word. It'd be at least a little easier on her gut.

And, yet, every time, she showed up.

She really had to work on that.

Elodie's head shot up at the sound of familiar tap-tap-taps on hardwood floors. She could recognize the sound of those stilettos anywhere at that point - like a childhood memory committed to heart, so hard it'd never escape one's mind. The black heels stomped out a nightmarish rhythm spelling out her greatest fears, her worries and the bile rising up to her throat the closer they came.

She could never look at a pair of black glossy pumps without thinking of her.

"Miss Verbeck."

She rose to take the extended hand, not bothering to acknowledge the greeting or her faux smile. It took too much energy, and no matter what Elodie had ever said, the woman always looked at her the same. No point wasting time on calling out pitiful smiles when she would rather just get out of there.

A part of her valued Matialli, she really did. She was good at her job and polite about it too. But there was just a part of the sickly-sweet pity that had been rubbed across her face that drove Elodie mad, and so she could never look at the woman right. Always just past her shoulder, trying her best not to see the sympathy lurking in Matialli's eyes.

Elodie stood slightly smaller than the other woman, though perhaps a credit to the differing footwear was due - considering she stood in simple sneakers and the other in black pumps. Still, she jutted her chin out and crossed her arms, trying to give more power despite being smaller. Which in itself was stupid and pointless (but at least it made her feel a little better).

"How is he?"

Matialli shrugged, flipping open the file folder to glance at her notes. "Same as the last time. Still bad at working with others."