Strictly Professional

Chapter 4: Objectively, Dinner with the girls is worse

Dawn had three aunts; the oldest being Time. She was renowned for her ability to foresee future events and slightly alter time; an ability that many could only imagine. She was cold, reserved, and tactical. She had a soft spot for Dawn though. Then there were the twins; Memory and Regret. They could make you recall your past as if it was really happening; their expertise in both matching their names.

Memory was kind, bubbly, and considerate. Dawn could tell it was bothering her not to say anything in the car, but she seemed to want to give her that opportunity. Her twin, Regret, seemed fine with the silence. Nobody could ever quite get a read on her except for her twin though. She was serious, direct, and all around observant. If someone needed the brutal truth, she didn't hesitate to deliver it.

Her aunts neither held any resemblance to her, nor did they particularly look alike. Memory was a humanoid figure, with hair that floated around like clouds, all the way to her knees. She had no difference in color; even her clothes changed with her. She was off white, and she glowed faintly like the duck night light Dawn had as a child. She was always hazy, almost as if anyone looking at her needed to rub their eyes. Her eyes and mouth were pure white, shining slightly.

Her twin, Regret, looked only somewhat like her. She looked more like the shadow that you think is a person at 3am, but it disappears when you turn. You could never get an exact lock on her location, and she was exactly like Memory; in physical terms. The differences were that her hair was jagged, her hands were almost sharp at the ends, and instead of being cloudy and softly wispy, she had wisps of dark shadowy smoke that came off of her.

Finally, her eldest aunt Time. Time appeared to be human, more so than the others. Still, she had pitch white skin that looked paper thin, like printer sheets. Her eyes were red; but they were never seen from under a pair of darkened rimmed glasses. Her hair was short, ending just above her shoulders. It was almost silvery; catching the light. Her lips, devoid of any color, rarely showed a smile. She was in some ways less terrifying than regret, but in many ways she was much, much, worse.

Surprisingly, it was Time who broke the silence. If the topic had been anyone but Dawn, it was highly unlikely she would have said more than two words in the conversation. She and Dawn had a special bond however, so the girl was important to her.

"I see that with all of the advice you have been given, you've chosen to proceed with the arranged marriage tomorrow. I, of course, approve of this choice."

Time nodded curtly. While she didn't show it, it did make her sad to see that her niece had not been able to marry for love. However, it was the best escape and would keep her safe. Both mentally and physically.

"I understand it's your life, but you're still young! You should find the one who's perfect for you, someone you actually love! To deprive yourself of true love is an awful thing to do! Life isn't like the romance novels you read!"

Memory, a hopeless romantic herself, looked over at Dawn with eyes that were practically pleading. Like this was the same as cutting off a leg, or begging someone not to take something precious away from you. Regret rolled her eyes, as much as one without pupils can.

"It is what it is, Mem. Plus, she'll be well off and safe. This man has no intention of going after her heart, which also means he isn't some obsessed creep or someone who will actually break her heart. This is a safe choice, and it secures a good business prospect."

Shadow nodded in agreement. She and Regret had always gotten along, for fairly obvious reasons. Tsunami however, completely agreed with Memory, be it for different reasons. She slammed her hand against the table and sent a furious glare over towards Regret.

"You'd entrust her safety to a random man none of us have ever met? What if his reputation is wrong? What if she gets hurt, or scarred emotionally again? Last time that happened none of us could talk to her for months! Are you really willing to take that risk? I'm not!"

The argument went back and forth, seemingly endless. The poor bodyguards in the room couldn't speak up, regardless of what they believed was right. They were left to text among themselves, occasionally sending Dawn pitying looks.

Dawn was silent, head turned down, fists clenched. It was her choice, didn't they get it? All of the arguments against it were about what they wanted, not what she wanted. Talks like this were why she couldn't take living with her family anymore, why she was leaving.

All she wanted to do was scream at them all to shut up. To respect her choices, that she wasn't a kid. She was stronger than most of them now, she didn't need to be coddled and guided along the right path anymore. She could choose for herself. That's what she was doing now, and she believed that her choice was indeed the right one.

Why didn't they see? They were the reason she couldn't stand it anymore. Was the incident traumatizing? Yes. But the responses she was given were what truly ruined her. Her aunts avoided her, her sisters coddled her, and everyone acted like she was a helpless puppy. She wanted people to see her as strong for surviving that, not helpless.

Nobody understood. She couldn't take it anymore. She felt all her frustration welling up inside her as the arguing continued. She pushed her chair away from the table and stood up, earning the attention of everyone else in the room. She gripped the edge of the table.

"Enough! Isn't tonight supposed to be a happy night for me? My last night unmarried? But you guys are making it unbearable! I can't take it anymore, any of you anymore! This is my choice, and I'm not a helpless kid."

Everyone stared in silence. She'd never spoken up for herself before. As Tsunami reached for her arm she jerked it away and headed out the door, glaring back at the sea of concerned faces one last time before stepping out.

"I'm going to get some fresh air. Don't even think about bothering me."

With that she slammed the door. She quickly walked to the balcony door, input the passcode, and went outside. She took a deep breath in, glaring at the sky. She reached the railing and leaned on it, fuming over how unfair her family was being. Slowly, the anger melted away into sadness.

Dawn buried her face in her hands and began to cry. Why couldn't life let her be happy anymore? Was she fated to be sad, cursed even? She was so done with everything, if this escape didn't work for her, she didn't know what she would do with herself. She tried to muffle her sobs against her hands, not wanting to be obnoxious and loud about it.

She heard the balcony door open; followed by a pause and the sound of footsteps behind her. Then, the creak of a chair. She took deep breaths in, trying to quiet down. She was probably ruining their night. This was the worst, ever.