THE CRYSTAL HOUSE

¶And there was one¶

It seemed foolish to think about it, but she knew it was her small puddle, and she did tell it to come later. She closed the door behind her, turning back to give it a soft smile as she whispered,

"You can dry up now." Instantly, it started reducing till the last drop sank into the tiles and vanished.

She resumed a grim expression, and went back upstairs in search of another housemate, pushing Ingrid to her to-do list. A normal person would be more worried about her ability bursts ten minutes apart, but for someone like her who relied heavily on the approval of people around her, Mareike was more concerned about the words she just heard.

"Ace, can you help me lose some weight?" Mareike moved to his side and asked, amidst struggling to keep her eyes open. She could hear her mother's voice whispering at the back of her head: Keep your head up high, young lady, or they'll strike till it falls off.

Chiara

"That was a mean thing to say." Priya admonished, entering the room few seconds after Chiara did. She sat down silently on the bed beside her, twisting the rubber bands on her wrists.

Chiara looked away from the door and focused her glare on Priya's face so the temptation to snap the rubbers would decrease.

"Then why didn't you say so outside?" She shook her head and whispered, less harshly. "Then maybe I could have apologized, and taken it back."

Priya sat up and offered a smile, determined to be the peacemaker. "You can, she's still outside."

"No." Chiara shook her head and wrung her hands together. "I don't trust myself to be calm and less insulting yet."

"What did she do anyway? Is it about Ingrid or something else?" Priya asked her friend.

"She burnt food again, Priya. Mareike left the water to dry up and when I shouted for her to remove it, she came to hug me. Priya, she gave me a hug and well, everything went wrong right away." She explained all in one breath, shaking her head as a memory flashed across her mind.

Laughter. Smell of smoke. Explosion. Hug. Sirens. Chiara wrapped her arms around herself and rocked her body back and forth, willing the memory to go away. She spent so many years avoiding smoke and hugs, till Mareike came and ruined everything.

She felt Priya touch her shoulder. "Did you hear what I just said? You don't look alright."

She blinked twice. "What? I'm fine. What did you say?"

"Are you sure? Maybe you need to rest." Priya said, about to stand up when Chiara held her hand.

"Don't go yet." She held Priya's arm and whispered. "You're right. I'm not fine." She continued, shaking her head.

Priya sighed and put her arms round Chiara. "What's wrong? Maybe I can help or just listen."

"I hate this. I hate having to relive this moment everytime I get a hug or smell smoke. Maybe I should be a nomad or a recluse, so no one will come near me." She told Priya, faking a smile to assure herself it was a joke.

"I lost my mom in an accident six years ago. It was a gas leak from the next building, and the fire started there. At that time, Mom was a bit ill so she couldn't move much. By the time we realized what was happening, the fire had entered our apartment and was rapidly spreading." Chiara sniffed and wiped her nose with her hands.

Priya silently offered her a tissue and watched as she cleaned her face too, already wet with tears.

She looked at the tissue, drawing up an image of her mom's face as she went on. "I ran around the house searching for an emergency exit, but there was none and we were at the fourth floor. People were using the emergency rails to climb down so Mom made me use it as well. She hugged me and said she would be right behind me. I climbed down and waited for her, Priya." Chiara sniffed again, and lay her down on her friend's shoulder.

She tried unsuccessfully to drown out the last words of her mom. I'll be down soon, honey. Just make sure you climb safely and take care of your dad and brother.

Maybe if she hadn't listened to her and stayed, she would have saved them both. She refused to think about the other option.

"Do you think Mareike will forgive me for what I said to her?" Chiara asked, eager for an affirmative answer. Now that her head was clear, she felt foolish and insensitive for saying those things.

She felt Priya's head bop up and down, before she heard her whisper. "Yes, I'm sure she will."

Ace

Ace nodded his head and continued writing the list silently till he was finished.

"Have it." He said, thrusting the paper into the girl's hands. "It's a one month diet and exercise plan for you. You'd have to watch what you eat, and exercise thrice a week. Think you can handle that?"

She nodded. "Yes, I think so. I just really want to lose all this fat. I have taken so much verbal insults, and it is starting to irk me."

He frowned and raised a brow. "Is this about you and my roommate?"

Ace watched as she stared at the list silently, he could tell she was debating telling him or not. After a few seconds, she raised the list and pointed to a number with a frown on her face.

"I need to stay off chocolates for one month?" She asked, eyes wide.

"Yes, though not totally. You can still consume them, but not everytime. If you can, I advise you stay off them given your track record." He explained with a small smile.

"What track record, Ace?"

He shrugged. "Oh, you know. The usual."

She threw her head back and burst into laughter, clapping her hands.

"Low blow." She stopped laughing and rubbed her arms. "How is Ingrid?"

"She's alright. You both just gave her a slight scare."

She nodded her head. "I'm glad she is well. I did not mean to upset anyone, but I fear my lack of culinary skills has put an end to my friendship. I still do not understand what I did wrong, and Chiara does not want to talk to me."

Ace was at a loss for words. Emotional comfort wasn't his strong suit, and be certainly couldn't get touchy with her. Besides, he knew it was just a temporary scuffle. Didn't all girls fight and bicker like this, only to settle few hours later?

She continued, "Chiara hurt my feelings too, you know. She called out my size, while Priya stood there saying nothing and they know how insecure I am about it."

He rubbed his neck and sighed. "If she apologizes, and I know she will, try giving her an audience. Maybe you triggered a memory, and she lost control. You both have a lot in common, more than you think, and I think you'll be stuck with her for a while." Ace advised, internally sure that both girls were part of the final six.

Their accident with Ingrid confirmed their abilities, and he hoped their issues would be resolved by October 30th. They had a journey to embark on.

*****

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