Stained Glass Kings | ONC2024

iv. scream, pianist, scream

Out of the corner of her eyes, she can see the paintings with their curtains drawn back. She can feel the mascara she spent so long on running down her face.

Divya's going to be sick.

She blinks back the tears and starts playing, too frightened to look at him.

He's going to kill me.

The panic is so thick she can taste it. It's metallic and smells of rot. Her ears are ringing too loudly to hear the notes she is playing, she can only see her hands on the keys.

Alexander walks right up to the piano and stops behind her. She can feel his presence, silent and dark as a shadow. She can smell his cologne, an expensive spicy clove.

"I heard you from the other room."

The screaming.

His voice is quiet. "You play like the world is ending."

She misses a note.

His shadow is cold, as if it has a solid presence. "Claude Debussy. Poignant yet indeliberate."

She stops playing. Her hands are shaking too hard. Divya hides them in her lap and digs her fingernails into her palms. When she turns around to look up at him, Alexander raises an eyebrow. His gaze moves slowly down her face, the running makeup, the botched tears.

"Everything alright?"

"Yeah," she squeaks.

He glances up. "Seeing as my father has no complaints, I'd say the job is yours."

If his father managed to complain with his entire body looking like it's been through a meat grinder, Divya would've been very surprised.

"Great," her voice is a few octaves too high.

"We're having guests over Sunday night to talk business. I expect you here from around five to midnight."

What game is he playing? She knows he noticed the wide open paintings.

She takes a second too long to reply.

He tilts his head sideways. "No?"

"No. I mean, yes. I–I'll be there." Her tongue feels heavy in her mouth.

He watches her carefully as she stumbles to her feet. "Are you sure everything is alright, Pianist?"

"Y-yes."

"You're trembling."

"It's cold."

"You left your coat in the kitchen."

"I'll see you Sunday." she walks out of the room without looking back, feeling the weight of Alexander's diamond eyes boring into her back.

The moment the door closes behind her, she runs down the hallway. Her heart pounds and her breath comes out in panicked sobs. She doesn't bother with her coat in the kitchen. She just runs, stumbling over the carpet fur and slamming into sharp edged corners.

The entrance hall is thankfully empty. She runs right into the doors, a stab of pain burning her shoulder. Her hands are shaking so hard she can barely pull the door open.

With a panicked sob she squeezes through a tiny slit between the doors. The biting night wind is the best thing she has ever felt. The stinging of snow on her face feels like a warm embrace. She slips down the ice-slick stone steps, her call for Amir's name lost in the howling air.

Divya stops at the crook between towers she left Amir at.

His car is gone.

"No. No no no no." She can feel the panic setting her skin on fire, a fist squeezing her heart tight. "Amir!"