The Secret Life of Ms Venable (One Shots)

Awake

Waking up was always the hardest part of my day, apart from facing the imbeciles that populated this outpost.

I rolled out of bed and tapped my way over to get another heavy, yet elegant, dress. When I pinned up my hair, I thought of my daughter and wondered how she was getting on in outpost 2. I silently prayed to someone, anyone that she was OK.

After my hair was immaculate, I pulled open my heavy door and made my way downstairs for breakfast.

As usual, the residents were obnoxious and Ms Mead was up my ass all day.

When everyone had cleared off to bed, I pushed open my bedroom door and pressed my back up against it once I had closed it. I sunk to the floor in Greif and held my knees to my chest for a while, crying softly through the silence.

My body shook with my emotional pain and I wanted to curl up and die. I crawled over to my bed and got in, the candles still lit, my makeup still on, my hair still up and still fully dressed.

I fell asleep in an instant, wanting to leave this pain-filled world behind.

I dreamt about how vulnerable I had always allowed myself to be around my daughter and in that moment, all I wanted was for her to hold me, just as I had held her the night her mother, my best friend, was killed. I had never felt loved until that night when she held onto me as if I were all that mattered in the world.

I woke up when I had the thought that maybe, just maybe, my daughter had passed on.