"I'm sorry for my brother's words."
Why?
Elise sighed, looking away from the large windows, from the outside world, from freedom, to look at Marielle. The woman looked apologetic while wearing a small uncomfortable smile on her face.
Elise wondered why the young woman was trying to make some small talk with her. Elise didn't even want to talk about it, didn't want to give it a second thought because it felt too much for her to handle. She couldn't handle it. She already felt like a prisoner here but now she'd have to be burdened by the fact that she she was in a family full of what?
Like her brother had said, Elise was wasting his sister's time. She's wasting everyone's time. Why should she even bother?
Why should Marielle even bother?
Elise stared at Marielle for a moment, wondering why she suddenly cares. Marielle, who was poof! Magically her sister, was apologizing for someone, for their words. Else didn't take the young woman as a person who'd say such things. Where was the cold, frightening woman?
That side of hers was much more easier to deal with than this side of hers.
Since the beginning, the young woman had been nothing but rude, had provoked Elise, using words that slightly wavered her bravery and confidence and had been nothing but cold. Cold and frightening. Uattached of any kind of emotions.
What happened to that person all of a sudden?
Where was it?
"It's nothing." Elise answered tersely, looking back to the large windows as they walked through the empty corridors of the mansion. The only sound echoing were their soft patter of footsteps.
The young woman was giving Elise a tour but had immediately given up when the little girl looked uninterested, not even giving a second glance to the grandeur of the mansion. She was only looking at the windows with a longing look on her face.
Marielle had observed her for a little while and had seen the sadness in the little girl's eyes, her eyes would turn glassy as if she were about to cry and her lower lip would tremble.
It made Marielle's heart twist painfully.
"It's not nothing." She frowned, feeling her irritation swirling inside her. Why was Elise so calm about this? It wasn't helping Marielle's guilt. Elise was supposed to get mad and scream and react, she was supposed to do something but she was only looking at the windows with that longing, puppy dog eyes that was making Marielle feel like she should grovel before the little girl's feet.
"It is." Elise insisted but the young woman just didn't back off.
"It's not nothing." Marielle was trying her best not to snap. Her patience were wearing her thin though. Elise was just very hard to understand. Very hard to please.
Nothing was pleasing to Elise, nothing made the little girl's mood brighten, nothing ever made her show a smile or a laugh that's genuine.
And Marielle wanted to see all those sides of Elise.
"You shouldn't apologize for something that you didn't do, Marielle." Elise chuckled without having any bitter sound to it. She even sounded amused. "It doesn't suit you."
Marielle huffed and crossed her arms. "How would you know what would suit me or not?"
Elise looks at Marielle and grinned, her young, naive eyes were glinting with amusement and a look that made the young woman see a little girl with a story and not a mature fellow with a sharp tongue and eyes.
"Did you know that people's first impression are made in the first seven seconds?" Elise asked before looking ahead.
Marielle was confused. "What is that supposed to mean?"
"It means..." Elise gave her a pointed look before continuing. "That my first impression of you, Marielle, is someone who's strong and composed. Someone who could have her chin up whenever she's in front of people and someone who could stand tall in a battlefield. Someone who would not apologize for anyone when it's not clearly their fault."
Marielle clenched her fist.
"Why are you so annoying?" Marielle grumbled, glaring daggers at Elise.
The little girl snorted before rolling her eyes. "I could ask you the same thing."
It was her turn to roll her eyes. "I am not annoying."
Elise shrugged. "Whatever you say."
Marielle growled. "Why must you be like this?"
"Like what, Marielle?" Elise furrowed her brows in confusion and in slight annoyance. "I only chose to speak the truth. Was that not the truth?"
Then there were silence after that. Marielle didn't answer her question because her answer would prove that Elise was right. Elise held and spoke of nothing but the truth.
And it was annoying.
"Were you not even a little bit upset of what Kieran had said?" Marielle demanded an answer in frustration. She pulled Elise's arm to stop her from walking. "Why must you act like it was nothing? He had said those things to you and all you did was accept it? Why? Why would you do that?"
The little girl groaned, her face finally twisting in irritation. She narrowed her eyes at Marielle.
Why was the young woman so keen on having this useless conversation?
"Why are you the one who's more upset than I am? What the hell is wrong with you all of a sudden?" Elise hissed in annoyance, snatching her arm away from Marielle's grip. "Your brother didn't say anything wrong, Marielle. If he didn't answer me like that then I would've probably wasted your time on asking. Everything he said were the truth and I'm thankful that he had been honest with me than having to pretend like he he'd have to play host. What he said were facts. Facts that I accept."
Elise then frowned, looking at Marielle like reprimanding a child. "You should too."
The young woman gaped at that.
What does that mean?
Marielle accepts it. She accepts her brother's words, okay? It doesn't mean that Elise should too. His words were too hurtful and bold. He left no room for sugar coating it. He just blurted it all out, not bothering if he sounded rude. It wasn't right.
But Elise didn't react to any of what he said the next day and Marielle was even wondering if she dreamt Kieran walking into the room and saying all of those things.
Which also wasn't right, right?
Why the hell was she worried for Elise? She had only met the kid. The little girl should leave as soon as possible because she was making Marielle a complete mess.
"Do you think that I don't?" Marielle glowered over Elise, her red eyes glowing threateningly.
Elise only watched her do it. She only watched Marielle pull a threatening stance while biting her lower lip, like she was preventing something from coming out of her mouth. Elise then started to look at her hands while speaking.
"Then stop acting like you don't." She said timidly, looking like a kicked puppy before looking back at Marielle with a more tired look on her face. "Marielle, with all due respect, you have been as blunt as your brother and yet you sound like you are against his words, like he did something wrong. He was right, okay? What was wrong with what he said? Were you upset with his tone? His words? What? Do you think that I should cry? That I should feel pathetic?"
"You should!" Marielle snapped angrily.
Elise only glared at her. "I won't be a slave to that feeling! I wont let someone pull me down and let me feel pathetic just because they said the truth! What do you think of me, Marielle? Do you see me as a twelve year old who can't handle her fucking self?"
"I don't!" Marielle felt helpless. She should be acting like twelve year old. She shouldn't be reacting like this way!
Elise's shoulders sagged and her expression turned grim. She moved away from Marielle while looking dead in her eyes.
"I would like you to step back away from me and refrain from acting like we're family."
Marielle looked at Elise in surprise.
Meanwhile, Elise was busy with her own thoughts.
She didn't want to be in a family.
She doesn't want to be in a family who doesn't even want her. It hurts a lot when Marielle acts like one. Like a sister. Like she cares. And Elise hates herself for letting some joy seep inside her. It felt good. It felt real. It felt as if she were accepted. As if she were a part of something. And then she'd suddenly think: What the fuck is wrong with me?
All of those were lies. All of those things were nothing but a faraway dream that Elise could never reach. They didn't like her to begin with, what makes her think that they'd form a family? That they'd be family?
Marielle doesn't think of her as a family and she's not really worried. The young woman was only acting as a hostess for Elise. It's hospitality. What more was there to it?
Elise was only a waste of space. Elise was only a waste of someone's energy. Of someone's time.
What the fuck is wrong with her to suddenly think that she could actually give this a chance?
They've only just met. They were strangers. Nothing but the bond was connecting them.
Elise then looked back at the windows with a dark expression. "Because we're not."
Marielle saw the little girl clench her fist while she glared at nothingness. She looked as if she were recalling something pretty bad. Her eyes had that dazed like look that made Marielle somehow pity her.
Elise then looks back at Marielle with a pained smile. The expression painted on the little girl's face completely surprised the young woman that she became speechless.
What was she supposed to say?
To someone whose face looked like as if they were abandoned, someone who lost something important, someone who didn't have anything to hold onto?
It felt like it was Marielle's fault all of a sudden.
Marielle had wanted to immediately comfort the young girl, had wanted to say something, to apologize, but nothing came out of her mouth.
Elise continued then. "Stop acting like you suddenly care. Don't act like you're suddenly a big sister! We've only just met. I've only met you and I still don't know much about you! I am still a stranger to you and you're still a stranger to me so stop acting like we've already bonded and stop apologizing for someone because it only makes you more irritating than before."
And with that she walked towards the library
Marielle didn't even know that they are in front of it until Elise had walked away.
Leaving Marielle to herself and her thoughts.
_______
Sheesh, Marielle. Back off!
I hope that you enjoyed this!
What do you think?
Was Marielle too much?
Or was Elise too much?