The hallways smelt like disinfectant and lavender, an odd scent that had already grown on Veil. It barely bothered her as she walked to the coffee shop on the first floor and took a seat, staring out into space.She needed to think about how to get the money before Tuesday, yet her brain chose that time to keep mute. She felt nothing other than a slow, seeping need to just let go and watch everything go up in flames around her.It sure would hurt, and maybe she would go under after that, but right now, nothing made sense, and her brain was unwilling to even make sense of it.Someone approached her with a pamphlet about saving a kid who had to undergo heart surgery, and Veil reached out mechanically to take the paper. She skimmed through it for a second and let it drop to the table in a whisper.Although she felt bad the moment the person walked away with disappointment etched on his features, Veil thought that she was no different from him, only that she wasn’t handing out fliers. She
Everyone in the hallway stared as Veil darted past, intent on avoiding Anders as best as she could. She knew it would all be for naught as the next day was Monday and she had to be at work.That was if she still had a job, considering what happened with Anders the previous night.Refusing to think about that, Veil ducked into a corner, and stayed there, waiting to hear Anders race past. But after a few minutes of hearing nothing, she came out to find the hallway empty.“Maybe he doesn't care about you as much as you think he does,” Veil berated herself, feeling stupid for even running away. He hadn't even gone after her for too long.Sighing in unwarranted frustration, Veil stalked back to the ward to join June, feeling bad that she had left her best friend in there for too long. But a smile lit up her face when she walked in to see her father laughing with June.They were playing some sort of card game the hospital kept around and Veil watched from the door as June allowed him to win
Veil rarely felt dumb, but there was something about Anders’ sudden appearance that got her brain stopping. She stared at him lost for words, clawing for something that seemed far from reach. The doctor must have said something, but Veil couldn't hardly place it. There was a thick wall between her life at the office and the one she had with her family, yet in the blink of an eye, that wall had been breached.Veil hadn't seen it coming.“Do you need to sit?” The doctor questioned, his hand hovering around her back in case her legs gave way. June stayed put on the couch, watching the scene with parted lips, but she at least understood what was going on.Veil's father, on the other hand, was confused and a series of questions ran through his mind. Didn't his daughter say she worked for this man? What was this weird tension around them?“Do you two know each other?” The doctor asked Anders, deciding that Veil was in no delicate situation. “She's my personal secretary,” Anders offered, l
"What?" Veil blinked in confusion, scooting to the edge of her seat. "I don't understand. Act as your girlfriend?""I didn't stutter when I said it." Anders watched the different emotions pass through her eyes, from utter shock to confusion to comprehension, or at least, an attempt to, and then, non-conformity.“I know…I…” Veil thought Anders was about to burst into laughter and tell her it was only some silly joke. He wouldn't exactly say something like that, right?"It's really a simple proposition, Veil," he explained in a low sultry voice. "You can decide to either take it or leave it.""But Sophia…""Is that what you're worried about?" Anders sounded like he couldn't believe it."That, and a lot of other things. Important things.""Well, for starters, you should only be concerned about your father. Don't you want him to get better? I'm giving you a chance to see him walk out of this hospital with a smile on his face. That is what you should think about- how much you want this."A
Anders and Veil walked to the hallway together, but he didn’t follow her to the ward. He mentioned that the next time he would see her father, he wanted him to be on his recovery journey. He knew that Mr. Hart hated people seeing him weak. Anders perceived it the minute he had stepped in the first time.The sole journey to the ward felt like a million years to Veil. Her legs felt heavy as she mulled over what Anders had just offered her and the best way to communicate to her family that the money for the surgery had been sorted out without saying a word about the contract.She stopped by the door, hearing laughter coming from inside. They were in such a good mood that this would only make them happier. But that was only if she didn’t tell them about the contract. Knowing her father, Veil knew he would refuse the treatment.Taking a deep breath, she pushed the door open, and all eyes fell on her as she strolled in.“Well, that definitely took more than a few minutes,” June said suggest
Veil saw June off to the hospital's parking lot. It was dark outside as they stepped out through the main entrance, and the whistling of crickets hit them at once. Veil and June had a little old joke about the language of crickets and the possibility that they were trying to cry for help from another group of aliens.It was all teenagers' chatter, but it made a lot of sense to them at the time. They couldn't understand why the insect was built that way and why they sounded like they were tired of Earth."They still sound the same," June muttered, sighing into the cold air."Of course. It's impossible they change. There would have to be some problem with evolution.""And that's the exact reason I know you are hiding something, Veil," June said, suddenly sounding serious. "I know you are over the moon that Dad is finally getting the help he needs and that he'll be out of death's way soon. But I told you I could talk to my father about the money.""I don't want you doing that, June," Vei
Veil started her journey back into the ward, hoping that June had only been joking and had not, in fact, texted Orleans. She wasn’t sure she was ready to speak to him, considering everything that had happened in the last 48 hours.It had been the longest and most eventful 48 hours Veil had experienced in a while, and she really wasn’t interested in making it any more complicated.But her hopes were all for naught as she turned the corner leading to the hospital entrance and met Orleans standing there, with his hands on the door, about to push it open.Holding her breath, Veil halted at once and made to slowly turn around, positive that Orleans hadn’t seen her yet. But he chose the minute to turn around, his eyes falling on her petite figure.“Veil!” He called out before she could dash off into the night. “I just want to talk, okay?”“Well, I don’t!” she retorted, turning fully to face him. “You should have gotten that clear from all the unresponded calls.”“I know I messed up again, a
Veil didn't wait to see if Orleans was behind her as she bounded after the nurse, her pulse racing and her heart thumping erratically. Despite the chill of the night, she felt a sheen of sweat on her forehead as fear wrapped itself tightly around her like a burrito.Different scenarios flashed through her mind during the short journey, and the images got worse every second. Tears pooled in her eyes as she thought about the smiles on their faces earlier today. He just had to stay put for one more night. Just one more night.Yet, even the cosmos didn't want to grant her that.When they arrived at the ward, Veil saw a lot of medical personnel surround her father's bed and the machines were beeping so loudly. Her chest ached and she almost fell to the ground but Orleans wrapped his arms tightly around her, keeping her warm and steady.Looking around for her mom, Veil found her standing by the couch in the room, fear clouding her eyes. She tapped the nurse that had sent for her, almost be