Cosima would not look at Delphine. She kept her back to her like a mountain too steep to climb, her spine like rocks protruding from the side of wall as she wrapped herself in a cloak of protection. She sat like that, vacant and unyielding, rocking slightly on the breeze of her own unfinished sentences as heels clicked in her direction. The sound rang in her ears as Delphine got closer. Closer. Closer.
"Cosima, please look at me."
Her voice shocked Cosima, for she was expecting coldness but instead it screamed with vulnerability and pleas.
Slowly, as if afraid the ground itself would crack beneath them both, Cosima turned, eyes not meeting Delphine's but the guard who kept his gaze fixed on a specific spot on the wall. For a moment, she wondered what was so interesting there. He did not look away once, a very practiced soldier that obeyed his orders. How did he get here anyway? It took a moment, but Delphine made the connection and cut the thread that tied them together.
"You may leave. Now."
Despite looking like he was not paying an ounce of attention, it seems he was in fact very focused and simply bowed his head before leaving the room. Cosima noticed the key turning in the lock.
"What do you want, Delphine?" Still she did not look at the blonde, choosing to stare at a spot on the wall just like he did. Now she understood why – the walls did not stare back.
"I…You have to eat and drink, Cosima. You need to keep your strength up."
Cosima's ears pricked up and suddenly she found herself face to face with the woman who betrayed her. Molten lava boiled in her stomach and rose like a stampede up her throat and before she'd noticed, she was raising her voice and clenching her fists.
"For what, exactly? So I can sit in here like your little pet?! I don't know who you are anymore, Delphine. You're a monster!"
It all seemed like slow motion to Cosima, like she was wading through wet cement or running in a dream, but suddenly she was on her back on the cold floor, her blood-stained hands pinned either side of her head with Delphine straddling her lap and panting with rage.
"I HAVE KEPT YOU SAFE! I HAVE SACRIFICED EVERYTHING TO PROTECT YOU AND THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY ME?"
With strength she didn't realize she possessed, Cosima launched her – and Delphine – to the side, now the one in control.
"YOU ABDUCTED ME! YOU KEEP ME IN THIS COLD ROOM AND WATCH ME THROUGH A WINDOW! Oh, you thought I hadn't realized? Shit, Delphine! I LOVED YOU AND YOU BROKE ME APART!"
Keys turned in the lock.
"YOU RIPPED MY ENTIRE WORLD FROM ME AND HAVE THE AUDACITY TO EXPECT THANKS?!"
Men ran at her, grabbing her around the waist.
"YOU BITCH, DELPHINE!"
Cosima was yanked up and off Delphine, who lay stunned on the floor. One of the men helped her to her feet and repeatedly asked if she was ok, but getting tired of their voices, Delphine raised a hand to silence them and walked toward a captured Cosima.
Cosima had stopped struggling upon realizing that she was being approached, now slightly embarrassed by her outburst. Delphine came closer and closer until it seemed she would walk right through her, but she stopped, her face almost touching Cosima's and her breath heavy.
"You'll forgive me…one day."
It was only a whisper but Cosima heard her loud and clear. She was going to protest when, just for a moment, Delphine's lips met hers. It would've seemed like an accident to anyone watching, it was so quick that Cosima was sure she'd imagined, but with a smirk and a wink, Delphine walked towards the door and clicked her fingers, her devotees following without question.
Cosima stood, stunned, trying to make sense of what had just happened. She approached the mirror, fingers ghosting over her lips as if they'd find evidence of that fleeting kiss.
On the other side of the glass, Delphine stood alone, watching, touching her own lips with a small smile.