Revival Of Stars

8 | Blood On The Blade

CHAPTER 8
•••

"Sierra & Sid,
I'm out and about at the moment. Don't worry, everything's fine. There's totally nothing wrong. By the time you're reading this, I'm probably at The Archaic Bar. See me there. My appetite for their biscuits and wine shouldn't surprise anyone.
       Sincerely,
The greatest storyteller!"

Right next to the note were two yellow daisies.

Sierra squinted at the letter taped on the wooden door panel as she read her best friend's terrible handwriting. Eventually, when she got to the end of the note—where Etta's regular, obnoxious signature was—Sierra's eye twitched.

"Are you serious," she growled. "Don't tell me she went to that damn address."

Sid hummed from beside her before leaning against the wall, his face devoid of any concerns. "Do you think she's meeting that 'witch'?" A laugh slipped out along with his sarcastic remark.

"Don't be an idiot." Sierra slapped his arm, to which he scorned playfully.

After massaging the spot where his sister had hit him, Sid leaned across and snatched one of the daises that was taped alongside the note. With a grin, he tucked the stem behind his ear, his ruffled red hair draping over it.

"And to think we came all the way here to see her," Sierra grumbled. "All for nothing."

The freckles on Sid's cheeks danced like fairy dust as he smiled. "Well, not for nothing." Out from his pocket slipped a small piece of paper, black ink scribbled on it. "I got the desk boy's number."

Sierra stared at her brother disbelievingly before turning the opposite direction. She dug her hand in her pockets before retrieving her phone; Etta's number was dialed instantly.

A few rings passed by, until she heard a faint sound of something buzzing.

Sierra stared wide-eyed at the apartment door.

It was coming from inside Etta's room.

"Are you serious!" With a miffed expression, Sierra ended the call and looked away. "She didn't take her phone?!"

"She would've texted us instead of leaving a note, then," Sid responded nonchalantly as he tapped the note plastered on the door. "Of course she wouldn't have her phone."

The faint eyebrows on her ivory skin furrowed deeply as Sierra glared at Sid. Red curls framed her petite face, one blemished with a pink hue. Her green eyes darkened significantly—which wasn't an uncommon appearance with Sierra Burrows. It felt as if she was constantly in a fit of pique. She was a startling ticking time bomb that always seemed like it was on the edge of exploding—always bottling the fiery pit of anger inside, on the brink of lashing out, but never going past the usual annoyed facial expressions or irate comments.

"Stop being annoying," she said through clenched teeth.

Sid's smile slowly disappeared before he bowed his head, causing the daisy behind his ear to droop, almost falling; though, he caught it before it could.

As for Sierra, she tore the note from the door brashly before declaring, "We're going to the bar. C'mon."

Then she was off—Sid trailing dejectedly behind her.

And slowly falling to the ground with its solemn sways was the other yellow daisy—due to the absence of the tape and note supporting it.

Down to the dusty carpet flooring it fell—lonely, pensively.