Hands Stained Red

Forty Five ~ Kira

When I watched Rya get on that plane in New York, we both knew that it would be the last time we saw each other.

Part of me believed that one day, our paths would cross again, but fate would not have it.

Quinn and I tried to keep in contact but Eden started to struggle and he was facing bankruptcy without Rya's help and the stress forced us apart. He told me that him and Rya were trying to have some sort of relationship but it ended the only way it could.

They lasted six months.

I remember seeing the article. I was sitting in a cafe in Rome taking reference pictures when I saw 'Guerreiro morta' in a headline of the newspaper on the table.

I didnt have a great knowledge of Italian but I knew enough for it to pique my interest.

So I googled her name.

Rya Guerreiro dies in Blaze of Glory

It took me 15 minutes to be able to read the rest of the article because my hands were shaking so much. But it only got worse the more I read.

Last night, emergency services responded to the report of a building on fire in Torstone. When they arrived, they found that the building was Eden, a local flower shop owned by Quinn Prescott, boyfriend of notorious 'Koroleva' Rya Flynn (better known as Rya Guerreiro). It is believed that the building was set alight by Guerreiro's husband, Kaden Flynn after he discovered of Guerreiro and Prescott's affair. The couple were trapped inside the burning building and were confirmed deceased on the scene.

The article went on to explain how Kaden most likely inherited the Guerreiro legacy due to the death of his wife.

It's been 6 years since that article was published. 6 years since I returned home to watch two of my best friends be buried. Rya was buried beside her uncles, which is what she would have wanted. I spoke to Bella briefly at the service but she was a shell of herself. Viktor didnt talk to anyone, he just drank.

They left the country with Lisa and Patrick soon after and no one has heard from any of them since. I tried to find them for a while, but they were gone.

"What's up, Kira?" A voice startles me and I jump. I turn and see the man who made my dreams come true. Leon Franklin, the man who organised the most beautiful art gallery I've ever seen.

I look around at my art plastering the walls of a gorgeous Greek villa and it doesnt feel real. "Nothing, I just cant believe this is happening."

He chuckles, "Its happening and it's amazing. You're amazing."

I smile at him and he nudges my arm. "We got a few sales today. That woman over there loves your stuff and she is loaded."

"Always a good thing," I laugh as I follow his gaze to a woman with a cloud of an afro floating around the room gazing at my work. "Do you think she'd like to be my muse?" I ask. Shes beautiful and theres something ethereal about how she holds herself.

Leon chokes, "She'd love that. Go! Quickly, ask her!"

I chuckle and head over to the beautiful woman. She grins as she sees me and my heart flutters just a little.

Oh fuck, here we go again.

"Hi, you must be the artist who created all of this," she says and her voice is like a melody.