· · · · Project.Newstar · · · ·
𓏏𓏏𓏏Chapter-2𓏏𓏏𓏏
My back rests on Dmitri’s bed, I only iced my nose for a bit before putting it away. It is soft and very springy. My unfocused and useless eyes stare up at the ceiling while Dmitri runs the rattling washing machine, the lavender smell of the detergent is everywhere but it smells nice. I have already laid the books down on his balcony floor and the money was in my waterproof wallet so they didn’t get that damaged.
The machine’s noise stops. Thank god, he needs a new washing machine.
The mattress dips on my right. So I turn my head and hover my hand around, touching his cheek, my hand brushing against the rim of his glasses. I hear his breath hitch and my cheeks feel weird again.
I rest the hand between us, near his hand. His skin was soft yet not smooth. I don’t know, it was just like a soft mattress with a rough bed-sheet.
“You didn’t have to do that…”
Dmitri doesn’t respond right away, he shifts and the mattress dips even more. Maybe he also lied down? His hand brushes against mine and I feel his gaze. I never asked what color it was, there was no point.
“I suppose..” I click my tongue, turning to my side. Dmitri is always so formal. ‘I suppose’. He speaks like a Victorian child.
“Hmph..”
“Vhat?”
“Nothing…”
Dmitri’s huff reaches my ears yet he doesn’t pull away. He remains close. “Vhat is wrong?”
I don’t respond, chewing on my cheek. The birds chirp outside, the small fan beside me blows my hair. It was curly, like Maggie. I tried to eat it once, Nandani told me, but of course it didn’t taste like masala. Pity, I would’ve eaten it even if it tasted raw. Raw Maggie is fire.
Speaking of my dear twin, I still have to call Mummi from his phone. I don’t really have one and good, it would be a waste. I just use hers when I want to listen to music or to call someone. I frankly do not understand the addiction. I’m superior.
This time, Dmitri clicks his tongue. Oh? Have I annoyed him? See, this is the real entertainment. Annoying people. Especially calm and quiet ones, they think they are a villain from a book.
“Nevan.”
It almost sounded like a demand. I turn away, not because I’m petty but to annoy him further. Maybe he’ll kick me out? Or maybe he will try to please me. Sigh… I love acting like those FMCs. Sure judge me, at least I have someone to be petty and princey with. Unlike you.
I hear him sigh and he scoots closer. His minty perfume covers me completely, I know his chest is inches away from my back. He leans in, his breath ghosting my ear and yet this fool remains oblivious.
“Okay fine, sorry.” He holds my shoulder and shakes it. So annoying… but warm. I lift my head and he clears his throat, “You.. Ahem. You have not spoken for three minutes. Are you alright?”
I frown at that and turn around, three whole minutes..? Damn.
“Areey, ’m fine… just thinking.”
“About..? Did they injure you?”
My frown deepens and I close my eyes. “No… Just give me a moment.”
For a moment I just hear his breathing then the image bursts in my mind. The image of them comes in my mind. I… I saw them. They were… this.. almost warm color. Warm.. like the sun. So maybe they were ‘yellow’? Is that what Yellow looks like…? It’s… warm.
Yet I can’t see anything now. I’m blind. Maybe… no not maybe. I most definitely want to see. But how? With their help? What if I was hallucinating? What if I am now sucked into a different dimension that has no exit?! What if I’m DE—
My hands sweat and I inhale a good chunk of air, tasting the mint as I wipe my hands on my clothes. Well, Dmitri’s clothes, I run a hand on my stomach. They are not that big on me, just the t-shirt is a little oversized. It sags off my shoulders and feel loose at my waist. Pants, the only pants that fit me are his little brother’s sweat pants.
Phew… my heart isn’t racing anymore.
“Dmitri?” The silence breaks and Dmitri responds with a hum.
“I saw something. In the cave. Like Saw-Saw.”
Dmitri lets go on my shoulder and even while being blind, I can tell we are inches apart. His breath hits me, yet it feels nothing like that creep’s. It smells like the chewin’ gum he always has in his mouth. Mint. Maybe… if breath has color, his would be green.
“Do you see anything now???”
“No…”
Dmitri exhales, his head moves down and his forehead touches mine. His chest against mine, his weight pressing me as his fresh breath hits my lips. I lift my hand and touch his cheek but he moves back. I sigh, but do not linger on, It is better to take slow than rush everything and make it worse.
Instead.. I should let him. About what—no, who I saw.
“It was so small… like a baby. Maybe six months old.”
A pause and I rest my head on my hands. They were on the pillow, Dmitri’s pillow. It smells like him.
“I promised them to come back.” I breathe out. My eyes, people call them big, stare at Dmitri or at least where I think he is. “Tomorrow.” I whispered that. OKAY, I did care for his opinion. And honestly, it would be valid for him to freak out. What if that baby eats me alive? Then what?
Yet.. I hate to leave them alone. They… they felt so lonely. “God.. I don’t want to think about it”. I think to myself, pressing my face in the soft pillow, the smell of his cologne enters my nose.
“Gospodi.” I hear him mumble. God for Russian. I know other words as well, I ask him when he speaks them. Though I don’t know a single swear word. Pity.
“And you are going.”
I nod, my useless eyes staring out at nothing.
Then a beep comes.
The mattress’s dip disappears and I reach out, my cold fingers brushing against Dmitri’s cold skin. We are both so cold despite the fucking weather in Virginia. I’m proud of our bodies. It’s a great achievement… I think it is. Whatever, I’m no weather expert.
“Where you going?”
Dmitri freezes, I feel it and jerk my hand away. Fuck… stop being so touchy, freak.
“I have to dry your clothes.”
I sit up. My feet touch the wooden floor and I lift myself upwards. I reach out and touch his arm, he had it outstretched.
“You don’t need to… they’re my clothes.”
“But y—”
“I know how to DRY clothes, Belov. Just take me to the machine.”
I hear a sharp exhale from him, and he drags me towards the beeping sound. It gets louder and then it stops. The sound of the dryer opening reaches my ears and I reach my hand inside.
A damp cloth brushes against my hand and I clutch it, the weird smell of damp fabric mixed with the detergent hits me. I move my head to my right, my useless eyes searching.
“Where is the hanging rack?”
“Just walk forward or give me the clothes.” I whip my head to the left, where Dmitri’s voice came from. My cheeks were flushed and I give my t-shirt to him then wipe the dampness on my clothes. Ugh, it’s so weird.
“Here..”
For few minutes, I give him the damp clothes and he hangs them without another word. Hm, I thought he would be mad with me going to the forest alone. Maybe he really doesn’t care. I press my lips together at the thought, my hands clench at the sweatpants's fabric into fist. Glaring at something I can’t see.
“Do you know the way to that cave?”
Dmitri doesn’t respond immediately, I can hear the rack’s squeaky wheels move and the fan’s whirr, it comes closer as well as the minty smell.
“Yes, do you vant me to take you there?”
I freeze, my head snapping towards him again with wide eyes. I swallow and nod, looking away.
“Yeah.. or you could send Nandani the way.” I mumble, picking at a loose fabric of the t-shirt.
“The path is… complex.” I hear him grumble. I glance at him with a knowing smile and he clears his throat, “And ve’ll get there faster on my motorcycle.”
“Great, I’ll call you then.”
Dmitri grunted and silence was there after. Well, excluding the fan and the sudden music coming from the the dorm next door. Then the smell of mint is closer with a shuffle, beside me. I look to my left and I hear the sound of dialing. It always makes my hands sweat even when twelve years have passed by.
“Who are you calling…?”
“Your mother.”
I nod, my useless eyes trying to make ‘eye-contact’ with the owner of the voice. -----------------------------------
A figure chews on the book as a cub stands in front of him. A mountain lioness licks her fur, resting outside the cave without worry.
The figure looks different from the one the lioness and her cub see usually but the scent is the same. The figure speaks and the cub also chews on the book, getting a nibble before the figure takes it away, hugging it to their chest.
The cub whines yet the lioness only opens one eye before grooming herself again. The figure also whines, tears streaming down their eyes all of a sudden.
They both whine in union and then go silent. Staring at each other before bursting in snickers and giggles. The lioness hums, stretching her legs while staring inside the cave.
The cub paddles to sit beside the figure, pawing at the book again. The figure opens the book, setting it down in front of them while the cub peeks over their shoulder.
“𝕃𝐚ย𝕘𝓱..” They mumble, pointing at the human baby with big blue eyes that they adopted. The cub flinches, staring at them before looking at the book. They mewl, attempting to mimic the figure.
The Figure giggles and the cub mewls, pawing at their light brown skin. Scratching them. They pout, crawling towards the lioness with the cub running towards her, pressing it’s head against her neck.
---------------------------
Nevan sits beside me with his bag in his lap as I grip the steering wheel. Yet I can’t start the engine.
I glare at the harsh purple blooming under my son’s eye, the freckled nose that has blood dried on it, and the black t-shirt of a Russian band, Dmitri, with russian words that I don’t understand nor care to. The t-shirt hangs off, enough to see his shoulder blades.
I don’t have a problem with my children’s skin showing but I do have a problem even they wear their so called friend’s clothes.
“Mummi..” He mumbles as he turns his head to me, so innocent and sweet. It would’ve given me diabetes if my diet was like his. “Is the engine not working?”
“Who did this?” I snap and the brat rolls his eyes. Of course, when has my ‘angel’ ever been an angel? He was only an ‘angel’ when he couldn’t walk.
“I tripped.” He leaning his head against the window rolling his eyes. My brown eyes narrow onto him before I lean in close. He turns his face away but not fast enough. The smell of Epic Medical is overshadowed by the mint and Lavender. It was so fresh like it had been washed everyday for Nevan and Dmitri might have done that damn thing.
“You tripped?” I mimic him, straightening and leaning on the headrest while my eyes go over him. His black painted nails were long before, but now they were cut with a little soil in them still and not to mention that he changed his whole outfit. “Stop lying to me at least, Nevan.”
He clicks his tongue and crosses his arms over his chest, glaring at me, “I am not one of your ‘sources’, Mummi.”
I freeze, before whipping my head in front, my bun messy from bustling in the Pentagon, “Watch your mouth, Nevan.”
His hands clench in fists but I only watch him from the corner of my eyes as I start the car, “If you don’t answer, your principal will.”
“Principal?! No! That is too embarrassing!” He shouts and I glare at him before catching myself. He can’t even see it, how do I even be angry at him without yelling?
“Enough. And why are your nails dirty?”
He raises a brow and brings a finger underneath his nail, fussing over it. I sigh and move his hand away.
“You can’t go out for a week.”
“A WEEK?!” He exclaims and I grind my teeth. He gets on my nerves sometimes, even as a child he did. I didn’t want twins, just one child was more than enough but we were careless. “You can’t do that!”
“Shut up, Nevan. I’ll do as I can!” I scream at him and he digs his nails in his thigh. I pry his hand away, placing it on the seat.
“I fucking hate you…” He mumbles, snatching his hand away as he roughly wipes his face with it. I just… watch him. Maybe I shouldn’t have said that… but I just do. My other children… they must feel the same thing. Even worse.
I stare at him, the corner of eyes on the road before I sigh.
“You always act like I am your enemy even when I try to hel—” “I don’t need your help!” He cuts me off with his cheeks growing red. Only he dares to and I hate it. He doesn’t respect me. Or love me.
I don’t say anything after and just look ahead, my eyes tingling.