writing prompt: "orchids"
thank you so much for this prompt! I am very rusty when it comes to writing Sophia, but this gave me the chance to try again x3
Sophia sat at her desks, staring out of the window. Books and a half-written essay were scattered before her, but she paid no attention to it - too inviting was the way the branches of the tree near her window moved in the wind, making it look like plenty of dresses moving over the floor of a ballroom, elegantly, with a rhythm predictable despite the uncontrollable force of nature. Autumn once again was just around the corner, lingering behind the doom of another upcoming birthday at the end of the week, letting her anxiety climb into heights that made her dizzy. Seventeen. A dreadful number indeed, one she wished to sever before it could creep up on her. "My darling Vanity, how I envy you", she muttered quietly into her cat's direction. Vanity lay on the window sill, basking in the warmth of the sun, tail lazily swinging when she heard her name. Blue eyes stared at Sophia for a long moment, then the white cloud yawned and curled up with all the feline grace she possessed, decidedly choosing not to answer the girl. Phia's gaze wandered across her room. This space looked like a time capsule - still the same from when she was twelve. Same books, same colours, same furniture, same everything. A place that never changed, much as she would wish for herself. Eventually she rose from her chair as she realised that she wouldn't be able to focus back on her homework for now. Gently running her hand through the white fur of her feline best friend, she mumbled a word of short-lived goodbye. She straightened her dress and made sure that her hair was orderly, readjusted the bow just a bit in front of her mirror, then stepped into the corridor.
The floor lay silent in front of her, the only sound came from downstairs. Servants cleaning the house, the clutter of pots and pans from the kitchen, quiet conversations. It made her think of Mika and her father. They had only cleaned here for a short time, but Sophia had the fragile hope to make friends with the other girl, despite their conversations being nothing short of awkwardness filled with long silences….until she just never came again. Only by overhearing the gossip between two servants did she hear that her dear mother accused her father of stealing from the house and kicked them out. Sophia shook her head, trying to dispel the thoughts. Making friends had never come easy to her, it had been nothing but naive hope of a lonely child back then. Wasn't it the same with the girl from Ketterdam? She had been somewhat nice to her in her - admittedly - harsh way and immediately she clung to the illusion of a possible friendship in the making. She walked along the corridor, stopping in front of each door - Leo, her always working brother, the one she shared so many similarities with. The room lay empty as usual behind the door, the man anywhere in the world to do their father's bidding. Fyedor's room dormant as well, Saints knew what he was doing, probably getting into trouble. As she pushed open the door to her sister's room, she almost had a quiet sense of hope to find Ludmilla sitting on her bed. An echo of a scene taking shape plenty of times unravelled in front of her. The older one's bed covered with dresses, as Lumi stood looming over them, face pulled into a mask of concentration as she tried to choose the best pick for the event at hand. How thrilled Sophia had been the first time her big sister asked for her input. It felt like centuries ago. Of course that room was empty too, with her sister being on travels for school. Sophia should be too. For a while she had attended her classes in person, but returned to homeschooling. The constant travelling was stressful, she missed too much of her ballet classes and she could not find anyone to become friends with, even though she considered herself slightly less shy than she had been. But home was safe. It was an environment she had more control over and where she could plan most of her days to go like she wanted it. "I miss you. I wish I could talk to you, Lumi", she whispered into the room, her gaze lingering on the stream of sunlight falling onto the bed. With a bit of imagination, she could almost pretend the light carried her siblings into the room. But of course nothing of that sort happened.
"Miss Sophia! Misses Charkova wishes to speak to you!" The voice of one of the servants cut through her thoughts with the firmness of a cold blade, letting her flinch. Another wave of dread laced through her, putting her heart into an anxious grip. "I'm on my way", she called back almost immediately, knowing that letting her mother wait would only souring the woman's mood. She closed the door with a soft click and walked downstairs. Her eyes lingered on the orchids on one of the side tables as she passed them. She knew they were a gift from one of the ladies her mother organised events with; if memory served right, an apology. Sophia crouched down, placing her chin in her hand and watched intensely. From that perspective, the petals looked like someone spinning in a beautiful skirt and her mind supplied her music for it, translating into the real world in a hum. She stood on top of a staircase, watching a room full of people dance and laugh, there was a lightness in the atmosphere she did not know from real events. "Oh of course I wish to join you. How very generous to invite me", Sophia answered as a gust of wind from the window moved the flowers ever so slightly. She rose, just to sink into a curtsy, then placing her hand atop one of the flowerdressed dancers. Soon the floor was covered in spinning skirts once more, her own included as she danced to the music in her mind. Faster and faster the music went, faster and faster she spun without getting dizzy, until it played out into a soft, quiet melody. "Sophia! I'm not going to call you for a third time!", Ekaterina's voice echoed from the other side of the hallway, where the sitting room lay. The girl shortly tensed, then bowed in front of the orchids: "It was my pleasure to dance with you, dear ladies. May you never stop doing so." She caught her breath, once more straightening hair and dress as she neared the door. As she looked back over her shoulder, one of the petals floated towards the surface of the sidetable. Change. A highly undesirable, but inevitable occurrence.