Continued from the Previous post.
Read the first part! (:
School tomorrow.

Remembering Kailey

.. Aaron was never the perfect stepfather, but he was nice enough.
Although he perpetually scolded Zana for every single misdeed he thought she committed, when he was nice, he actually meant it.

As Zana ironed Aaron's clothes, she attempted to enjoy doing the chore. Zana hated the way he ordered her around like she was a maid. "This is NOT a hotel. You are living UNDER MY ROOF." And he went on and on about it and she quietly cursed him. Then, she would reprimand herself for getting worked up because she detested anger. She knew how it utterly tarnished every relationship with the people she veritably loved. But she was also weak. She did lose her temper, and how often did she feel horrid about it.

"I should understand. Aaron probably doesn't realise how angry he sounds.
He probably doesn't."

"Well, he is a nice person. He did wake up and bring me to school whenever there was a downpour. He could have slept in."

Zana continued ironing the clothes.

"After all, he suffered enough under the hands of Mummy Kailey."

"And he did not intentionally leave Mummy, like Brick."

She will never be able to eradicate the sight of Brick's pushing of Kailey onto that unfeeling ground from her mind. That silent thud, that cruel melody, his body language.

He did not want them.
He desired his petite little present.
"I like older women. They are more mature than you.
I hate how whiny you are and your stupid job. You're worthless."

"You're worthless. " Zana chimed and stared at the mirror with cruel hate.
"YOU ARE WORTHLESS. Bricky, you are. YOU ARE WORTHLESS."

She sobbed uncontrollably and sniffed, and she buried her head in her shivering hands.
They did not feel human anymore. Why did they feel detached from her very frightened body?
"Why do I see you.. you, in myself. "

Her teardrop fell onto Aaron's shirt. "I hate evidence."
She glided the iron effortlessly and the tear evaporated into the unfriendly atmosphere.
But the water cycle is endless, and the tear will always haunt her and return to its sole owner.

--------------------

After Bricky deserted their "family", Kailey numbed herself with her work.
She was misused, exploited and she did not have the mentality to draw herself from it anymore.
Every night was an opportunity and a chance for her to make quick cash.
She was hardly at home, if we were to call that concrete mass a home, and if she were home, she would have been in the arms of a perfect stranger.

Perfect, and strangely perfect.
They were perfect because Kailey never saw them again, and that did her good.

Zana saw herself again that night, huddled in a corner with her hair tied with those blue ribbons from Sheila's, making that endeavor to disappear from the room and she saw those filthy dark purple lips consume her Mum's. Her Mum giggled as usual, that pathetic smile, that pseudo laughter, as though she really enjoyed the cash-making procedure. Both of them would burst out laughing and Zana's tears rolled down like the blood of a dead fish. Dead fish. She was cold like dead fish, and the tears were merely an obligation.

Mummy Kailey glanced at her, and Zana could see that she had already fallen asleep.
Or was she pretending?

---------------------

She heard the sound of chirping birds.
It was a recurring dream that continually haunted despite it having happened eons back.

Continued.

Zana hopped out of bed and folded the blue green sheets into an immaculate square.

"Time for the other part of my life. At times, I really wonder why I do it at all. What do I seek? All I want is just the satisfaction I attain from doing it. Whatever."