Carnal Desires

11

BLACKPINK - Playing with fire

A sob left her lips at the sound of her voice. The soothing and tenderness clutched onto her heart so tightly that all she could do was cry hiccuping sobs. The voice she wanted to hear for so long.

Her mother was on the other end.

"Mom." Rory cried, clutching the piece of paper to her chest. "Mom, mom, where are you? Do you know where you are?"

"Rory, why didn't you come back like you said you would?" She sighed, sounding a little irritated at the broken promise. But, her voice softens when she heard the broken sound Rory was making. "Why are you crying honey?"

"I just miss you so much." She hiccuped. She rubbed her chest, kneading the area with her fist to relax her aching heart.

"I miss you too but there's no need to cry, we will see each other again soon." She stated, sounding so sure of herself. "I'm so proud of you, you know." She continued, "Moving abroad to study. Your father told me all about it."

"Mom, what are you talking about?" She asked, puzzled.

"Your father came to see me and said you wanted to study abroad so he let you go." She replied, "He covered all your expenses. I was so happy to know he's taking good care of you." Rory heard the tranquility in her mother's voice. "Ever since then I've left the hospital and been living in a residential home. I have amazing carers and so many friends to do things with. So, honey don't miss me too much and live your life."

Her words were slurring, getting with each other as she began talking too rapidly. Rory sensed she was nervous and the thought of her mother being threaten to say it crossed her mind. She panicked, pacing around her room thinking about the best course to take.

Only the truth will set you free, her mother's word rang in her head. Rory recalled the time her problems started, the time her mother was taken into custody for being unable to care for her. She tried to lie so desperately to the officers, the doctors and nurses and the social services. The lie was meant to keep them together but it had only caused more heart ache the longer she kept it up.

Rory swallowed, besides she was the one person she could never lie to.

Gideon's threats echoed through the room like a painful ear aching alarm. His dark angry eyes filled with promise to fulfil them flashed before her eyes. She didn't want to worry her mother either nor did she want anything bad to happen to her.

"Mom," she murmured, takin deep breathes to calm herself, "I'll make you proud."

The lie fell from her dry lips in a shaky tone. Then, guilt, an unwanted intruder, stabbed through her heart. Rory, to stop the pathetic sobs from breaking her so, covered her mouth with her palm, muffling them.

"I bet it's late over there." Her mother stated, "Go to sleep and focus on your studies, okay?"

"Okay, good night mom."

"I love you, Rory to the moon and back."

"I love you too."

The line goes dead and Rory sank to the floor, curling into herself - missing the warmth of her mother's holds.

Words weren't enough for her especially if those words held no truth. She'll never make her mother proud and they'll never seen each other again.

~*~

Three days after her phone call with her mother, Gideon was still not back from his trip and Rory had been locked up in their bedroom refusing to even come outside. Eventually, on the morning of the third day, Luci barged into her room with a blinding bright smile. Rory knew she was faking since no one can smile like that and not be embarrassed.