LOVE - Lana Del Rey

~Allison~

Séres grabbed the knob of the door, twisting and pulling but the hinges didn't budge. We knew damn well they wouldn't but we tried helplessly. The pale woman, however, stood still and watched us in confusion.  

I, on the other hand, had my whole body pressed against the door, leaving all the work up to Séres.

I wasn't a superstitious person, but I knew doppelgangers did not bring good fortune. But she was so pretty... how could something evil come from this seemingly angelic being? I was curious, but I didn't want to stick around to find out.

"Dammit," she hissed once she realized our attempts were truly useless. This whole situation felt absurd. All of Séres' bickering and now this..."What's she doing now?" I knew she was referring to the enigmatic woman.  Her long, achromic, silky hair wavered cursively as she eyed the walls of the library. They wandered for a bit until they settled on us.

"Nothing," I replied with a gulp. "She's just watching us." Séres pulled at the door a bit more aggressively.

"Well then greet her or something."

"What? Are you crazy?"

"What are you doing?" the woman suddenly asked. Her voice sounded like a well-composed tune played on an ancient piano. Séres and I both paused, astounded. The woman held her hand directly to us and we both cringed. Was she going to zap us? 

The door opened unexpectedly, revealing the school's chaotic hallway. The metal lockers seemed squashed, some slightly opened with it's belonging sprawled out on the floor.

"Who are you?" Séres inquired bravely. Her xanthous eyes held awe mixed with fear. 

The woman proceeded to walk past us and through the door. Her long indigo gown dragged graciously with each step. I didn't think she would acknowledge us any further.

"Asaíra," she responded on the way out. Séres and I were frozen on the spot for a while. 

Great. Her name starts with 'A' too, I thought, assessing my situation.

I was contemplating whether to follow her down the hall or run home to safety. Séres had already made up her mind and bolted behind her.

"Wait!" she yelled. I rolled my eyes. This was rather typical of her. The usual thing to do was to follow too of course. I caught up with them, just in time to walk out the doors of the school and into the street. 

The cold air was a harsh reminder that winter was just around the corner. All around seemed unaffected by whatever had just happened in the library. The damaged was only inside the school. By Monday, I was pretty sure that the principal would be infuriated.

The streets were almost empty as the sky grew darker and the moon took its place in the starless sky. Asaíra paused in the middle of the street, her gaze fixated above our heads.

"She does realise that if she stays there, she might get run over?" I whispered to Séres. She simply shrugged.

"There is only one moon?" Asaíra asked disgruntled. 

"Uh, yes," I answered. I was a bit unsure of myself as I began to wonder whether we were supposed to have more moons. "You should get out of the street," I added once I spotted a vehicle coming from afar. 

"When does your Asar rise?"

"My what?"

"Asar."

"What the hell is that?" Asaíra ran a hand through her pale hair in exasperation. "You should seriously get out of the street."

"I really need your help," she responded, walking towards us. The vehicle passed mere inches behind her as she walked unfazed. "I have come to retrieve something."

"We couldn't pos-"

"Of course!" Séres said. I elbowed Séres in the ribs causing her to gasp out. Why was she so willing to help this bizarre being? We had no idea where it came from or its intentions. Séres turned to glare at me. Of course, she'd be excited. I was the one with a doppelganger who seemed unreal.

Asaíra anchored her attention on us with her orchid orbs. Somehow, her eyes always seemed to wander off Séres and unto me. She wasn't as lucid as my normal friends, so I couldn't tell if she was as distressed as I was about our physical similarities.

"Have you ever heard of the relic of Irvine. I need it now." Séres and I exchanged looks. I almost laughed. The relic of Irvine was an artefact we learned about in our history classes, but it was only a myth. 

It was some stupid story that our great-grandparents made up over the years about a great warrior who's spirit was channelled into her remains and hid in a cave near the coast. But no one believed it existed. No one sane at least.

But was I sane? With this inscrutable woman before us, I was about to believe anything.

"Uh, yes," Séres said. She sounded unsure at this point.

"Excellent. Then you will take me to its location," Asaíra replied in a crisp tone. She glanced at the warped shapes that the stars made against the darkened the sky. "I will draw my strength from the Asar." She turned to face us. "Do you have a place for lodging?"

***

"This is fucking crazy!" I whisper-yelled into my phone. 

"Allison calm down. It's just for one night," Séres answered from the end of the line. 

"But this was your idea! Why didn't you bring her to your house?"

"Because my cousins are staying for the weekend and I'm short on space." I groaned. "Look, I could come and stay over, but that would be too much dialogue for the writer of this book. I'll see you tomorrow morning." She hung up. If I had the strength of the Hulk, I would have crushed my phone from how I clutched it. 

Séres always came up with ridiculous ideas, and when they didn't pan out, she somehow managed to push her mess unto me. I just wanted to let out a satisfying screech, but I had to keep my sudden outbursts under control since I had company.

Groaning once more, I walked into the kitchen where Asaíra sat at the island. I paused near the door frame and watched as she picked up an apple from the centre bowl and began sniffing it. I cleared my throat and she looked at me, carefully placing the apple back in its original spot.

"Are you hungry?" I asked as I walked towards the sink to rinse off my hands. She folded her arms.

"No." I nodded, eyeing her suspiciously. "Maybe." I was too tired and settled on preparing sandwiches. Even they seemed like a lot of work. It was silent for a bit until she broke it with a question. "Do you have children?" I raised a brow.

"Nope. I'm a bit too young for that," I said with a short laugh. Asaíra didn't share my humour and simply lowered her eyes. "Do you?" I asked once my feeble smile vanished.

"Had," she simply replied. The bread was still getting toasted so, I poured some coffee into a mug and took a seat on the other side of the island, directly facing her. My instincts told me I was better off not knowing what she meant by that, but my prying nature got the best of me. 

"What happened?" I asked, taking a sip.

"My parents," she said and averted her gaze to something just above my head. I chuckled softly. Her response was more poised than I assumed.

"Parents are the worst, aren't they. Did they give the baby up for adoption?" Asaíra suddenly made eye contact. She seemed upset for a second but turned bleak before I could blink.

"They sacrificed her." 

If I hadn't swallowed, the coffee would have spilled from my mouth. 

My knuckles turned white from my tight grip on the mug. I gulped, unsure of what to say. What could I say? 

"Oh, um, how old was she?" I wiped a pool of sweat that had formed at my brow. Asaíra merely shrugged, her eyes blank.

"A few hours." I couldn't contain the gasp that escaped my lips. She chuckled darkly.

"Why are you laughing? Aren't you upset?" I clutched my shirt near my heart. Teenage pregnancy was tough on everyone but it was rather unlikely that someone's parents would sacrifice a baby. Where the hell did she come from?

"Of course I am. That's why I'm here." I narrowed my eyes. What had Séres gotten us into? "I'm honoured that you decided to help me." 

"Help you with what?" My throat suddenly felt parched.

"What I truly deserve. My revenge." She smiled for the first time, showing off pearly teeth.

***

Thanks again for coming this far. Comment your thoughts. Does anyone else here adore Lana Del Rey?

Taja D'amore.