Soon enough, Akali found herself situated in one of Evelynn's many ridiculously expensive cars, strapped into the passenger seat. No, it was not some vehicle; her heart sank a little when she saw the same machine Evelynn had driven when she offered her freedom, releasing her from inevitable sorrow and mediocrity. With nothing of any interest to do, she leaned toward the window, enjoying in silence the surroundings passing by as the lawyer sped through surprisingly deprived-of-traffic streets. Looking at her phone's display, she frowned, reminding herself of how ungodly early hour the meeting with Mister Winsome was scheduled. It was 5:45 am, Tuesday. She slowly let go of a somewhat heavy and tired sigh and locked the piece of technology, trying to find something positive about the current situation. But … no matter how she approached it, she could not. Eve remained silent, seemingly trapped in her own imagined world with problems she would never admit aloud. However, the siren's fatigue could not be entirely masked, even using her costly and extensive makeup. She must have stayed up throughout the previous night, overthinking what was beyond her reach. Sure, Akali had her fair share of worry regarding the meeting. It would not have been an overstatement if she had said the whole situation looked strange, fabricated even. Yet, without taking risks, she knew she would not go far. Hence, the insecurities must be discarded and replaced by a perfect mask that ought to fool the man.
In any other scenario, the dark-haired teen would have been happy, for the rising day shaped to be sunny and warm, a perfect one to spend outside whilst fooling around. However, acts like these would have to be postponed. After all, there was no telling how long the encounter with Mister Winsome would last. Other than that, Akali still had classes to attend.
As if her mind was somehow telepathically connected with the lawyer, the latter extended her right hand, grabbing the girl's left and squeezing it reassuringly. There was no need for the silence to be disturbed, as words would not bring any semblance of solace. Yet a wordless promise was bound between them: they would go through whatever fate had in store for them together.
The next couple of minutes passed like a heartbeat, unnoticed and too rapid to follow.
The so-called `diva` parked at the underground lot that the businessman had informed them about, facing only a marginal inconvenience in the form of a singular guard who quickly let them pass. The whole place was enormous; as their reserved spot was on the 3rd level, they needed to circle a tad around the maze-like construct, forced to acknowledge the sheer size of the construction.
Soon enough, the teen and her legal guardian exited the vehicle, smoothing their clothes as they wrinkled slightly throughout the ride.
Author's notes section:
Well, even though I did not promise you to release the WIP today, I did my best trying to do so. I know, the piece I'm sharing atm is not long, but I wanted to give you as much as I could write today. As announced previously, I will try to finish it before this year ends, but as you might already anticipate, I can't promise that. Anyway, enjoy.
Please, note that the dialogues written in italic are thoughts.
As always, I would like to thank you for everything. See you soon :)
Changelog:
[2023-12-26]: A preview has been released.
References:
- I'm still standing - Mystic Prophecy
- I'm still standing - Elton John
End of the author's notes section.