L.O.V.E.

Chapter 20 - Nerissa

Faint noises wake her up from what appeared to be the most inanimate and abrupt sleep of her life. It takes her a while until she recognizes the familiar surroundings, the immaculate walls and plush carpet. Yawning, she stretches refreshed, when the memories of past days burst into her mind all of a sudden. Her heart skips a beat and the short-lived happiness fades away more rapidly than a blink.

Ilya, who is already dressed up and looking as flawless as ever, startles her by throwing a clean uniform in her face.

'Morning sunshine, time to head back and dig the dirt for that notebook. Dress up. I'll wait for you downstairs.' She utters, then disappears behind the door, leaving Nerissa staring baffled after her.

'How did my life become such a mess?' She questions, yet the words hang in the air, floating above her like a cloud.

Grateful for having Ilya in her life, she decides to put herself together and leave out any missing pieces to deal with at a later time. Without her help, she wouldn't have been able to do this on her own. For all she knows, she wouldn't have come this far without her best friend always watching her back. With her by her side, Nerissa learnt how to temper the monster inside her and fit in. She raises up on her elbows, wincing in pain as some of the deeper cuts burst open and start bleeding again. She rushes to the bathroom and starts dressing her wounds, however, the biggest ache comes from the inside. Unfortunately, there isn't a remedy to patch up the massive hole in her heart. Tears threaten to fill up her eyes again, but she stubbornly sends them away.

'Susan! She's the only one that matters right now. I have to find her even if it's the last thing I do.' She mans up as she watches the pathetic coward in the mirror.

More determined than ever, Nerissa decides to forget about her sad destiny and do what is right for her grandma. She splashes her puffy face with cold water and puts on the clean clothes Ilya gave her earlier. Her friend's school uniform looks way too baggy on her. Somehow Mother Nature skipped her when dividing height growth units, whereas Ilya must have collected a few more shares. She rapidly tames her hair, untangling a few messy knots with her fingers and tying it up in a bun. The smell of freshly brewed coffee finally reaches the bedroom, as she can't resist its tempting scent, she starts following it, rushing downstairs.

'You are a lifesaver!' She hails to her hero as she's savoring the black liquorice.

'What would you do without me?!' Ilya's curly head shakes derisive, her smugly grin hiding behind the steamy cup she is sipping from.

They are still laughing when they step outside and into the chilly morning, small puffs of hot air coming out of their mouths. Ilya's time of mocking her friend is not finished yet, however, there are more important things to be discussed right now. The sun has just risen, which means half of the city is still hidden in the shadows. Nonetheless, by the time they reach Nerissa's district, the orange ball will already be up in the sky, beaming over the whole city.

Leaving the glassy towers behind, Nerissa leads the way and takes a shortcut through the park. As mysterious as usual, its vastness surrounds them in a dense fog, completely blinding their path.

'Now, this is creepy.' Ilya's voice fades into the silvery opaque blanket, it's echo bouncing back from time to time.

They leave the misty woodland behind, heading towards the bridge that connects the Divides. Cut across by a wide river, the city had developed first on the northwest bank, establishing its industries on the other part of the bottomless water. Now two thriving sectors, the South, and the East look more like lunar colonies, with high-tech interconnected and fully-automated steel buildings. So completely different from the original northern settlement where history still awakens memories of the past.