Scar Red

40: Anger n' Angst

"Carina...wake up… Carina…"

My eyes fluttered open to Maureen sitting beside me and I blinked severally trying to adjust to the light just as confusion saturated me. Apart from the abnormality of my roommate waking me up with no apparent reason as to why she did, there was another conspicuous figure right next to her.

Initially, I visualized the figure as nothing more but a shadow however as soon as my eyes increased in clarity I discovered that it was no shadow but rather, another being.

Somehow, a frown etched onto my marred face on recognizing her. I sat up wearily, stretching my limbs as I ignored the pesky little girl.

"Good morning, Sister Maureen," I uttered, right after I'd said my prayers before turning to my bedside table. Both their gazes were burning holes at the back of my head until someone cleared their throat behind me.

"Carina, won't you bother to ask why Anaïs is here?"

Reluctantly, I shot them a perfunctory glance over my shoulder. "Nope."

"Well, I'll tell you anyway. Anaïs here will like you to accompany her to the learning centre."

At that utterance, I turned from the table to face them, my movements still sluggish from sleep.

The said girl was firmly rooted beside Maureen watching me. She donned a brightly coloured dress with a collared neckline and a cardigan.

Her big curly hair had been tamed into twin braids that just fell past her shoulders and those iridescent eyes on that little heart-shaped face bore defiantly into mine.

My gaze flickered back to Maureen. "Why can't you take her?"

"I want to go with you!" Anaïs declared suddenly. She wasn't taking no for an answer but simultaneously I was amazed at her effrontery to traipse in here and make demands like some kind of boss. For goodness sake, she was six...and was also becoming a thorn in my flesh.

It was very inconsiderate of her and Maureen too; I had been in a night of dreamless sleep—a rarity for me should I add. It was so unfair.

"You know, it's still up to me to decide if I will take you or not and I just realized, I don't take orders from over-confident and over-pampered six-year-olds!" I fumed. She should remember that I wasn't one of the sisters who would literally bend over to please all of them.

Her eyes widened, her lower lip jutting out in a pout while she looked disappointedly up at Maureen.

"Uumm…" Maureen was confused, it seemed. Shuffling closer to me, she said, "Carina, come on please just agree and take her already. Remember what I told you." Her voice was exasperated.

Shaking my head, I said, "That's still not enough reason for you guys to interrupt my sleep. There were no nightmares this time, Sister Maureen, no nightmares. You know how rare those are for me and you know I normally wouldn't sleep this long."

Stress was evident in her hazel eyes as she clasped her hands holding them in front of me in a show of sincerity. "I'm so sorry for that Carina but it's too early to be arguing most especially about such little matters."

"Little?!" I voiced now brash. "Did I just hear you say little?" I was unusually cranky that morning and had only realized how my voice had risen in pitch. I sighed, letting out a deep exhale. "Let me remind you, she must've left the orphanage's building which is only a stone's throw away from the learning centre to come all the way here so she could demand someone to literally walk her back and you're telling me it isn't absurd-"

"-and you know I wouldn't hesitate to do that if she'll let me but she wants you to walk her!"

Maureen looked like she would blow if this argument prevailed further as she pressed some fingers to her temple. "Again, I'm sorry about the sleep situation since that seems to be your major grievance but please don't refuse her, she'll stop this soon, I promise. It's just a phase-"