Elena Paula, one of my roommates, was around when I got home. She flashed a cheerful smile at me, and her inquisitive self couldn't help but ask what I had in my hand. "Is that box dye?" she asked, pointing at the white plastic bag in my hand. Unable to hide it, I smiled back and gave her a short "yes." "Well, why do you want to dye your hair?" she asked, pushing further. "I just want to change my look," I told her, lying through my teeth. "You have such beautiful hair in… hm…" She looked at me for about a minute before concluding, "I think black would be nice on you. Your face, your skin, everything—it would pop." She held up her hands as though she was about to take a picture of me, and then I remembered she was attending fashion school. Her actions made so much sense now. I had always thought Paula was an unapproachable person when I first moved in. I would eventually be proved wrong as I discovered that she was simply busy. She was nice and always offered me smiles, but she
Elena Trying to find a comfortable position with the Unicorn thing was weird. My head was uncomfortable as I had no choice but to hang myself over my pillow. Nonetheless, sleep came as exhaustion wore me down and closed my eyelids. The next day, Paula helped me remove the Unicorn thing, even though she was bouncing on her toes, claiming that she was running late. She hurried me out of bed and wet her hands with oil as she helped me take it out. My hair was frizzy normally, but whatever she had done changed the curl pattern of my hair to a bouncy wavy texture. The black of my hair stood out in stark contrast against the paleness of my skin, making my features stand out even more. Did I look different? Definitely. Did I look like a different person? Not really. In fact, I thought it was worse. I thought I looked exactly like my mother, meanwhile, my goal was to look further away from my heritage. Suddenly, the thought occurred to me that perhaps I should cut my hair, but I shook my
Elena Her eyes were still the same bright and vivid green, and freckles were still a light dust on her nose. Her otherwise pale skin was pink from the hot water of the shower. Perhaps the woman in front of me was unknown. Perhaps Cassandra was yet to see this version of me that was neither Elena nor Isabella. I played with the necklace I had fished out earlier. It belonged to the original Elena, as did my name and the life I was living. I shook my head, clearing my thoughts to get ready for work. A glance at the clock told me that I would be late despite trying to hurry. But I didn't care; I wouldn't have cared if Guiseppe rained down all the insults he could think of on me. At this point, I was completely unsure of what to do with myself. Granted, I had made some money from betting earlier, but I was yet to pick up the form from school. I don't know why I decided not to; perhaps I had some misguided hope that my past would magically disappear. It was no surprise when Guiseppe sta
Elena I was in trouble. Even with the suspicion I felt for him, I couldn't help but melt when he shot me smiles like that. We got out of the car and started strolling in no particular direction. It was an awkward silence until he suddenly stopped and lifted his hand to grab my hair. He fisted a lock in his hand and rubbed it between his fingers. "Why?" he asked. "The red was so beautiful. I wouldn't fault you if you had a reason," he said as he took a step closer to me. I was stuck, actually mesmerized by the man in front of me. I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts so I could give him an answer without implicating myself. "I just wanted something different," I said dismissively. He stayed silent for a moment, staring into my eyes, and then his gaze fell to my lips. He licked his own lips and looked like he wanted to say something. My eyes followed the movement of his tongue over his lips, wetting them slightly. Blessed Virgin, I forced my eyes to look away, but somehow it
Elena Either way, I didn't want to be a part of it suddenly, as I remembered the reason I was skeptical about him in the first place. I felt like I had to be true to myself, not fraternizing with those who tried to kill me. I turned towards my apartment and tried to go inside when he finally spoke. "Everything I have… everything I have built, my city into. None of it belongs to me. It belongs to her, the one who I'm looking for," he said, caressing my cheek as though he was speaking directly to me, but I knew better. “Lucky girl, huh.” I muttered to which he laughed in response. I didn't believe a word he said. I turned my face, trying to detach myself from the sweet warmth of his hand. Unfortunately, he didn't take the hint. Instead, he leaned closer and planted a kiss on my cheek. This man was a menace to society. I looked at him and took him in for the last time. I wasn't going to see him again. Perhaps that was why I indulged him, but I knew I wasn't going to see him again, at
Elena "So what do you want me to do?" I asked him. "Why am I still hearing about you? Don't come back," he whispered. "Go and die, basically," he said. "Your presence... The mere fact that you are alive is challenging enough. I don't want any challenge, Cassandra doesn't want any challenge, your family doesn't want any challenge right now. The last thing we want is for the ground we stand on to be shaking. As though the masked King isn't bad enough, we can't afford to add you to the mix." He hung up after that. Half of what he said made sense to me, but the remaining half didn't. The masked King? What did I have to do with him? And then there was him calling my family. I had no family, so I didn't understand what he meant. My family, the one I had long since died when I was 15? Then again, I knew nothing of what had happened in Avalia for the last eight years, and I preferred it that way. I had avoided the news of that city for the last eight years, and I didn't intend to start
Elena This time, I knew the people inside were onto me. I almost cried when I saw the car follow me all the way to my school gate. It was definitely in relation to the letter that I had received. I shook my head, trying to think of a plan for what to do once I got off the bus, but nothing came to mind. I immediately started to fight for air as I began to hyperventilate. Suddenly, the walls and windows of the bus seemed to close around me, making me feel as though I was stuck in a dark box. I felt a hand on my shoulder and heard soft Italian words. It was the woman sitting behind me. "It's going to be okay," she whispered in Italian as she rubbed soothing circles on my back. I didn't know how long we were there, but by the time I calmed down and thanked her, we were already at my school gate. I ran straight from the bus stop into the school as soon as I got off, but I knew it was futile. I knew the car could easily drive into the school since it was public and anybody could enter.
Elena I sat in the library, pondering the letter again. Curiosity got the better of me, and I pulled it out of my bag, surprised that I had slipped it in there myself. I took a deep breath as I opened the envelope. The words made no sense to me, so I read it again, and again, and yet again. The letter explained to me that help was coming, so I should hold tight. Fortunately, if it wasn't from the person I thought it was, Rodrigo. It was signed, the Masked King. At this point, I couldn't hold in the curiosity and started to wonder just who this Masked King was. His words did little to explain who he was; rather, it was a few words. "As the daughter of the previous king, it is unsightly for you to live in such a way. Help is coming, and soon you will take your rightful place." Of course, the words were easy to understand in intent; however, they confused the heck out of me. If this person was really interested in helping me, then perhaps fixing the people that were following me woul