Untouchable Fruit

Nerves and Questions

Briana's POV

    Chelsea leads me through the halls and points towards certain paintings and objects, telling me some random fact or other about it that she thinks it's fun.

   And while at first I was interested when I first arrived, all that's on my mind now is Artemis.

   Stupid fucking Artemis with his gold eyes and tanned akin and long luscious hair. The way she walks and the way she talks to me as if she knows something that I don't and won't tell me. She reads me like a book and.., I don't hate it.

   And that's the scariest part of all.

   I stumble as I run into a vase and I barely managed to catch it before playing it back on the pedestal that it was sitting in before turning towards me cousin who's looking at me as if she knows exactly what's going on in my head.

   Since when was I so fucking easy to read?

   "Come on." Chelsea tells me and with blushing cheeks I follow her as she weaves through the hallways and waves to people who wave back and smile. I can't believe that she was a bad person, she's all soft edges and smiles, reminding me a bit of Cora and Cody... when they aren't ready to get in to trouble that is.

    She leads me towards a hallway identical to Artemis' and walks towards a dooor that she opens, reveling says soft yellow bed room that's fancy in it's simplicity.

     The light shines through the curtains making it seem peaceful and away from everything else as the door gets closed and we go to sit on the couch within her room, her bed a couple feet away. Once we sit, Chelsea kicks off her shoes and tucks her feet in between the cousins of the couch before stalling at me softly when I settle down as well.

    "Ask me." She tells me and I think about playing dumb, but I know it would be useless.

    "What is she like? Should I be worried? What's something I should know?" I hit her with a few in a row before I take a breath and try to calm myself and she tilts her head and looks up at the ceiling as she thinks.

     "Art hates conformity. She hates social norms and she hates gender norms. She thinks princesses should where what the fuck they want and show people that no one is perfect. If it was up to her, she would let her mom keep the Crown or give it to her bother. Shes the best asshole you can meet and she's an empath, always carrying others emotions around and putting others before herself. She's selfish only in the way that she should be." I can see everything she's saying, piecing together the things I remember from her being around when I was a kid.

     "Sounds right." I mutter and Chelsea hums before she placed her hand on mine.

     "She knows what you went through. I doubt she'll tell you what she went through, and it's probably not my place. But her parents, they never really cared for Art. And while her brother does, he's shit at showing it. She may appear selfish some times when it comes to you, but only because she knows that she has a chance at finally feeling love. But if you ask her, she'll let you go. Just make sure you ask for the right reasons okay?"

     I look up into chocolate eyes that match my own and smile a bit before I nod.

    "I don't want to stay in this city." I tell her quietly, feeling the anxiety in the back of my heart as I've had all day. I swallow a bit as I voice the sentence that's been clawing at my throat for the past year. "But I'm so tired of running."

    Her smile is soft as she pays my hand and then holds them, shaking her curls at me softly.

    "Don't hide that part of you. It's apart of who you are. It's okay to be scared and if you can't talk to her, you can come see me. I pinky promise that I won't spill secrets even to you." She tells me and I hook my finger through hers before with a roll of my eyes.

    "This shit is so sappy." I tell her and she giggles before breaking away our connection as I throw myself back on to the couch that's comfortable beyond relieve.

    "Do you always ruin the mood?" Chelsea asks me in exasperation and I shrug as I try to think about it.

   "Most of the time."

    "You'll fit right in." She asures me and I laugh as the two of us continue to talk and poke fun at each other, this bonding thing new to me, but still making me smile.

✨✨✨

    Chelsea and I ended up laying on the floor on our backs facing the ceiling as we talk about random things that I wouldn't even think about to talk about with someone.

   "You're strange." I tell my cousin and she laughs and shakes her head and throws her hands up in an i give up gesture.

    "Think about it, Bri! Who in the world looked at a cow and was like yum I would drink the white stuff that comes out of it. That's nasty. Sexual assault, I think. I don't think I would have thought about drinking from a cows four way dick at all." She shudders and it's impossible to keep in my laughs at how ridiculous and random she is.

    "Who thinks about this stuff?" I get out between laughs and she giggles along with me.

    "Woke people." She says with exaggerated swag and it makes me die of laughter right until we hear a knock at the door.

   Chelsea immediately gets up and smooth out her skirts, her code switch impeccable as she suddenly turns into the proper sweet Court member she's supposed to be. She opens up her door and I watch as her body instant slouch and she turns towards me with a roll of her eyes.

    "Announcing, Princess Nosey." She says and I sit up with a snort as Artemis walks through the door with a dead panned expression and j her face.

    "Like we don't basically live in each other's rooms." Art says and Chelsea shrugs before she winks at me with a smile that makes my lips twitch up to mirror the look.

   As Artemis walks closer I look at her outfit and frown knowing that's not what she had on the last time I saw her but I don't comment on it though I'm happy when Chelsea does, sparing me the embarrassment of having to act like I care. Because I don't. I was just curious. "Where did you go?" She asks as Artemis settles on the floor.

    Gold eyes find mine and their gaze is so intentase that I shiver and look away, picking at the soft carpet beneath me in nerves.

    "I went to go see some old friends of mine." She says in amusement. "Your family is just like you." She says and it makes me look up with a smile.

    "Theyre bad ass." I say with a smirk and she laughs.

    "So, you fell in love with Ares didn't you?" Chelsea asks and I fully expect for the Faeries eyes to get all lovey as everyone's does when talking about him but she just scoffs as if offended.

    "Hell no. That man has the ego the size of a planet." She says and I just stare at her strangely.

     "Ares is God and you best treat him as such." I tell Art and I see her eyes flash in what looks like hurt but the look is so fast, I'm sure I imagined it.

    "Yeah. Maybe I missed something." She says and for some reason when she says it, I feel bad.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yes! Chapter 7 is done guys i'm so proud of myself. 1 hour left to do three more things I think I can do it but my mom is calling me down stairs uggghh.

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Comments?

QOTD: Do you like summer or winter better?