Baris POV
"Selin, there's something funny going on in my house" I told my older sister, who's also happens to be my therapist.

Selin leaned forward on her chair
"Are you talking about your life at home?" I shook my head disapprovingly.

"You are a very brilliant woman with a Ph.D. I think you can figure out the 'house' I'm talking about" Her eyes widen in realization then she jotted down something on the evaluation paper.

"Please elaborate on that, Baris" I sat up from my laying position sighing tiredly.

"This 'house' is where the darker side of my anxiety and depression multiply, I'm stuck inside this house but the odd thing is, I don't want to leave at all" I said pointing to my head for the extra effect.

Selin hummed in response going back to taking notes.

"Why don't you want to leave that 'house'? Is there something in there holding you back?" She pressed on to the question.

"How can I let go of the 'house', when it's so embedded in my lifestyle and so fixed into my personality and identity. I say that I want the 'house' gone but I don't want that to happen because I might end up loosing her..." I told in a somber manner fiddling with my cufflinks.

"Baris how many time will I tell you she's a bit young for you" Selin said in a warning tone.

"Sure we might have a slight age gap between us. I'm only 25 and she's 20" I told her my point.

Nothing, I'm doing here is illegal.

"But she's one of your students and if you guys were to get caught, have you ever thought of the repercussions of your actions? How badly it will affect you and her!" She angrily yelled throwing her hands up.

We sat in an uncomfortable silence for a few minutes.

"Baris, let's do a little activity" To cheer up the gloomy atmosphere in the room Selin awkwardly yet excitedly suggested something.

She got up from her rotating corporate chair walking to the Mahogany desk pulling out two sketchbooks out of a drawer.

Selin sat back down on her chair handing me a black drawing pencil and a book.

"I know you always loved to sketch, so we're going to draw what a burden would look like" She said in an eager manner while I groaned in frustration before nodding in understanding.

15 minutes later, I finished drawing while Selin was furiously shading something into the page.

"Done! Time for the reveal" She smiled waving the book.

I turned over my page and she did the same time.

Selin's smile formed into a pejorative frown.

"Baris, I said to draw what a burden looks like, not something that makes you happy" She said in an obliviously fed up tone.

"Selin, these black balloons are the definition of what a burden means to me." She tilts her head to side confusion marred on her face.

"How so?" She asked me putting her sketchbook on the coffee table and picked up her notes to write.

"This drawing is meant to exemplify my burdens, you might think it's peculiar because balloons are insubstantial and can lift up but simultaneously constrain me" Selin just stared at me in pure bewilderment.

"Wow, I never thought of it that way at all. It's not what you would expect a burden to be viewed as" Selin told me with perplexity in the depths of her hazel eyes.

"Let me see yours?" I asked moving the conversation onto her.

The sketch she drew was a faceless man bent over carrying a gigantic rock.

He seemed to be struggling due to the heaviness but the rock weighing him down to the ground.

It truly was a well-executed drawing.

I bet this is what she might have expected me to draw to represent a burden.

"Well, as you can already my drawing is already predictable." Selin said in a nervous chuckle closing the book and checked her watch.

"We have 5 more minutes to our session what would you like to do for the rest of those few minutes? Maybe like brother to sister conversation?" She asked unsure of what my answer would be.

I ignored her taking out my AirPods Pro laying back on the chair and letting the beautiful resonance of Adagio in G Minor float around my mind as I thought about my beautiful doll, Willow.

                      Willow's POV
I am in my room sitting on my bed with my laptop resting in between my thighs.

I had just finished watching all 25 episodes of a Korean Drama called Boys Over Flowers.

Right now, Wisdom and I are having a full blown argument about how the ending should have went.

It's Friday night, she and her younger brother, Goodness. He's my brother's best friend.

The two will be staying over at our house till their mother comes to pick them up tomorrow evening.

"Wizzy, Geum Jan Di should have ended up with Yoon Ji Hoo, because he's a nice guy and besides he never bullied her unlike the first male lead Goo Joon Pyo did in the first few episodes of the drama until she stood up for herself" I told the her annoyedly.

"Umm no, I beg to differ, because you know that boys only tease or bully a girl because they like her and it's their stupid way of conveying their feelings" She replied back with sassiness in her tone.

"Oh yeah, so that means all the boys that bullied me previously throughout my school years all had crushes on me" I retort back with the same amount of sass.

I heard a knock on the door before I could even utter the words 'come in'

My mum walked in with a plate of chocolate chips and macadamia nuts cookies in a fine china porcelain plate along with two full glasses of milk on a wooden tray.

"Aren't you two girls supposed to be studying?" She asked settling the plate and glasses on the mahogany double pedestal desk on the far corner of my room.

"Mum, we already studied now we're just relaxing" I told her smiling sheepishly.

"Oh ok, I'll take my leave then" Mum responds her eyeing the both of us suspiciously.

I took the laptop off my lap placing it to the side, getting off my bed.

I walked up to my mum and placed a kiss on her cheek before gently pushing her out of my room.

"Who do they think they're deceiving? I came to life long before them" She said from behind the door sucking her teeth then her footsteps faded down the hall.

I jumped back in bed "Wiz, let's watch something else" She shrugged nonchalantly muttering a whatever.

I turned on my laptop to watch another Korean Drama I found called Playful Kiss.

After watching six episodes, I felt that familiar yet irregular "friend" is coming soon.

This is what I hate about my period, I never know when it comes, I only get my period 4 to 5 times a year.

I know it's weird, that was my mum's, my grandma and my great-grandmother's cycle.

But it wasn't until they had children that's when it became a regular cycle for them.

So, I'm guessing it'll probably be the same thing in my case.

It just comes unexpectedly, no cramps on the first three days just blood but after day 3 only cramps, no more leakage. I hate it so much.

My period is a sneak attack, that's why I always take pads and sanitary wipes with me wherever I go.

"Wiz, I need to go to Walgreens to buy some pads I'm running out." I told her hopping off my bed.

I grabbed my Fila sweater, I already had on a black Nike leggings and I wore the first shoe I laid my eyes on which was a  plain white Adidas sneaker.

"You seriously need to stop cross-branding your clothes. It makes you look like you lack fashion sense." Wisdom commented giving my outfit a once over with a judgmental look marred on her face.

"Mi Nuh Biznizz" I told her in a Jamaican accent I've been practicing for the longest.
Translation: I Don't Care.

I knocked on my parents bedroom door and told my mum about my situation and she gave me $10 to buy a small pack of pads.

It didn't take long for Wisdom and I to get to Walgreens, since she took my younger brother's bike while I rode mine but if we walked it would have been longer.

Entering the air conditioned establishment, Wiz and I strolled around the store looking for the sanitary aisle.

Passing through each aisle, I saw a Caucasian woman and her young daughter having an argument near the candy sector of the aisle.

All of a sudden, the girl slapped the older woman's face and called her a bitch.

I was stunned because I wouldn't even dream of doing that to my mum or an adult even if they deserved it.

"That's some white people shit" I said out loud without realizing it.

Many faces turned to look at me, some had amused expressions and others looked mortified by my statement.
Getting annoyed by the attention.

"Is there a problem?" I voiced out to no one specific smiling sarcastically.

They turned away and continued on their shopping.

"Girl, one of these days your mouth will get you in trouble" Wisdom said from behind hitting me upside the head.

I turned my neck glaring before I flipped her the bird.

"Let's go" She said walking ahead of me to the cashier section.

I don't have anything against you white folks, y'all are just different in a good and bad way. That's all there is to it.

Birce Akalay as Selin Aslan

Naomi Campbell as Quinn James

Adut Akech as Wisdom Agar

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Until Next Time...