DEATH'S HEART

Chapter 3

She slumped herself on the wooden bench at the bus stop, feeling relieved to finally sit down, and rest her feet after standing for more than seven hours. She twisted her back from left to right, giving herself a stretch. She was tired. She made a mental note on what she would be doing when she got home. She'd have dinner and pamper her exhausted body in a nice warm bath. She groaned at the soothing thought of that. Afterwards, she'd probably read a book, if sleep didn't get to her first.

"Hey, Asha!" a voice bellowed from behind her.

A cute girl with pink streaks highlighting her blonde hair was walking towards her, with each stride like a light, happy gallop. It was Cat Baines. She went to the same university and also worked at the news agency from across Asha's work. "Heya!" She moved across the bench to make room for Cat.

"My god! What's with today?" Cat exhaled, relived to finally get the weight off her feet. She was a short, petite girl–barely reaching five-two. Although what she lacked in height, she made up for in cup size. Knowing that those particular curves were her asset, she didn't have any qualms in showing off a little cleavage. "It's so busy at the shop! Was it busy at your work too?"

She nodded. "Hell, yeah!" She rolled her eyes, and let out a heavy sigh of exhaustion. "Can't wait to get home! Have a soothing bath. Get some rest." Then she grimaced at a sudden reminder of an assignment due on Monday. She slapped her forehead, making her black-rimmed glasses tilt off towards one side of her face. "Ooohhh! I have to finish a paper!" she groaned as she adjusted her eyeglasses back in place.

Cat studied her friend's face and couldn't help but feel frustrated. "Have you ever thought of–" She paused to correct herself. "I mean do you know what contact lenses are?"

Asha wrinkled her nose. "Yeah!" she exclaimed tersely.

Cat widened her big brown eyes at Asha, jerking her head back as if she saw something disgusting. "Have you ever thought of using them instead of those"–she wiggled her finger at the unflattering pair of glasses that looked like saucers on Asha's face–"goggles," she ended.

With pouted lips, she scowled at Cat. "Hey! They're not that bad!" She took the glasses off and cleaned the lenses with the bottom of her shirt, then propped them back on her face.

Cat put a hand over her mouth. "Sure! If you're auditioning for the role of Sybill Trelawney," she muttered.

She tilted her head to the side. "Who?"

"You know the Harry Potter professor who was like psychic?"

Asha was obviously not an avid fan. "Oh," she said nonchalantly. She only knew the major characters. She suddenly gasped upon realising who Cat was talking about. "You are so mean!"

Cat burst out laughing. "It's true! Your glasses are horrible!" She stared at the round, thick rims that rested on Asha's perfectly shaped nose. With the spectacles in the way, no one would ever notice the high cheekbones. The frame did a thousand and one injustices to Asha's face. No one could see the sculpted eyebrows that other girls had to pay pain upon pain for through waxing, plucking, and threading just to achieve that perfectly arched shape. Her eyes–the transitional lenses totally obscuring the image of her sparkling blue...Is it blue? Cat couldn't work out the color of her friend's eyes. It was like a shade of blue with hints of grey. She found it hard to pin down the exact shade. She told Asha many times that she was beautiful. In fact, Cat would never admit it, but she always envied how beautiful her friend was. The ugly glasses had some advantages after all because if they were the only females left in the world, the boys would make a beeline towards her instead of Asha.

She turned beet-red. "Oh! Stop it!" she whined with a little chuckle. "These were the only ones I could afford since the lenses are rather strong and expensive." Asha bit her lip at the longstanding lie. Ever since she got the letter of acceptance from Irving University to do her Bachelors Degree in Journalism, she hadn't thought twice about leaving her home in Sydney. She completed her application and sent it off, booked a five-hour plane ride, and got accommodation at a cheap backpackers' inn. The decision allowed her to kill more birds with one stone. She gained independence from her overprotective Uncle Nigel. She got the opportunity to travel, and get an education. Best of all, she was leaving her old life of misery. Coming to Perth was another chance to make a fresh start. It was a place where no one knew who she was. It was a chance for her to meet and make friends. Here, she had a chance to be accepted, and not be treated like a walking freak show because she was different.