7) Photograph
She hears nothing else but her own breathing and the patter of the rain on the ground beneath her. Mira was soaked to the bone, but she didn't care; if it was going to wash away the blood caked on her skin, it was worth risking pneumonia for. French couture or not, she couldn't care less about the dress, either. It made me look like a whore anyway.
The Cavallone mansion was only 20 minutes away—25, for her, if she ran. I've got my own "bears" to run away from, she thought. But, now, clothes first.
Dino would seriously freak out if he saw me right now. Just as the she thought, the mansion was loosely guarded except for the occasional recruits and servants who worked there. Mira knew for a fact that Dino's father was probably in a chateau somewhere in France. They always told me to come visit them. Well, here I am.
Drenched and dirty, she waited on a tree branch till the cars parked up front left. It was already dark when they did, and Mira quickly jumped out of her hiding place and dashed to the back of the house. Second floor, balcony next to the second window. Unlike her, Dino always kept his doors closed. She looked up to his balcony, estimating how high the climb would be. About 15 to 20 feet up, she thought, her flames emerging yet again. Not bad…alright, I can do this.
Taking a deep breath, she crouched and put her hands on the wall, freezing the spot she touched. She let the ice thicken till she was sure that it would hold under her weight. She did it again, but this time, she stood straight up. Testing the makeshift handholds with her foot, she started climbing till she was at least 5 feet up. Don't look down now, girl. You can do this. Finally, she finished the climb and leaped onto Dino's balcony. Looking down, she saw ice trailing all the way up to where she was now. I'll take care of that later.
Touching the glass on the French doors, she froze it till they cracked and smashed her fist against it. As soon as it broke, she snaked her arm up and unlocked the door. Mission accomplished.
She hadn't been in his room since they were twelve—it was a sleepover back then, and it was one of the best nights of her life. In fact, every night she spent with him had been great. His room smelled like lavender; before, it had been vanilla. Must be a new maid, she thought. Walking over to his desk, she picked up a picture frame and smiled. She remembered taking it when they went to Spain last summer. Something ached in her chest as she looked at his grinning face. You just have a way of making people feel guilty, don't you? She thought, running a thumb across his face. Finally, she put it down and went over to his closet. After a few minutes of rummaging, she found a shirt and a pair of jeans that he'd already outgrown. While the shirt was a decent fit, the jeans were baggy and only stayed on her hips with the help of a belt. After pulling on pair of old sneakers, she grabbed a red jacket emblazoned with black scales. Dino liked it because of the "dragon" scales; she liked it for the same reason, but also because he liked it, too.
She was just about to leave when she turned back to the picture on his desk. Even from afar, his face still got to her. Dino, you suck major ass, she thought as she sat on his desk. After finding a pen and a piece of paper, she started writing. Then she folded the paper and tucked it under the picture frame. Contemplatively, she twisted the wedding band on her finger before putting it on top of her note.
She left the same way she came in, erasing any trace of her visit. Pulling on her hood, she ran and never looked back.
