Heart of Glass

Chapter 3

The overpowering smell of stale clothes and body odour woke her. Sunlight streamed through the window and she shot up, looking at her wrist.

Damn, no watch. She'd gotten tired of changing it every time she switched a time zone and had thrown it into a bin in Abu Dhabi. The thought, 'Dad can just buy me a new one' filtered through her mind and she shoved it away, locking it in a mental cupboard labeled, 'things I will never think or say again'. When she got home she was never going to rely on her father or Paige again. He might have been paying for this institutionalization but it was for all the wrong reasons.

Reaching across the bed, she grabbed her handbag and pulled out her phone, switching it on and hoping it would change timezones automatically. Sure enough the front screen lit up with the time at home and the time here – 0745am. Her data was still turned on and a moment later her phone buzzed as two messages came through, her phone having switched to international roaming. Both were from the same person and instantly had her hackles raised; Paige.

The content of both were hidden from view and her finger hovered over the button to unlock her screen and see what her sister had sent her. She probably just wanted to know if she'd run into any rich lords or even a Prince. Don't look, she told herself. Don't let her get to you. Tears of anger filled her vision, rolling down the sides of her face and she turned the phone off, shoving it underneath the pillow.

Glancing over, she saw the outline of Emily's body curled into a ball beneath a mass of blue and purple blankets. She still wasn't sold on this roommate thing, but she knew better than to push her luck. If she was going to be stuck with these people for heaven knows how long, she was going to have to suck it up and get used to it.

The lid of her box had closed during her sleep and she opened it quietly, to make sure her heart was still there.  It lay peacefully, twinkling in the morning light and she allowed herself one brief touch, her fingers brushing the smooth surface lightly, her body tingling with life before she closed the lid. Slipping out of bed, her bare feet turned to ice on the floorboards and she quickly moved to her suitcase, ripping the zips open. She heard movement from across the room and tried to shift the contents of her suitcase quietly so she didn't wake Emily. It proved to be difficult as she pulled out shirts, pants, four different pairs of shoes and –she rolled her eyes at this impromptu decision to bring it along – a hair straightener.

She finally found the jumper she was looking for, a large ratty cream coloured woolen jumper with loose strands along its bottom. It looked as though it would fall apart with a single touch, but Ariel knew better. Ariel could barely remember when her mother had died, but her Grandfather always said that in the weeks after, Ariel had latched onto the woolen jumper, which had been one of her mother's favourites. It had smelled of French vanilla and lilac, her mother's perfume, and she had slept with it for months. The scent had long faded, though Ariel would sometimes think she could smell a hint of vanilla in a sleeve's strand. She grabbed a thick pair of socks, blue harem pants and three singlets. Layers would be important if she didn't want to freeze to death. Juggling all of it, she dropped her toiletry bag and let out a curse. Glancing at Emily, she didn't seem to have woken and she quickly bent down to grab it, sitting it on top of her locked box and made her way to the bathroom.

The house was eerily silent and she unconsciously started tiptoeing across the cool floor. Fortunately the bathroom was right next door and the room was free when she tried the door. Dumping everything on the floor apart from her heart, she locked the door behind her and started running the shower. The air soon misted as she tried to figure out a safe place to put the box while she showered. The bench was the obvious choice, but she fearfully thought it might slip off. She could just leave it on the floor but what if there were mice and they were like those Cinderella vermin who thought they were 'helping'?