White to My Pink

I wake up in a dimly lit room. It seems that way, but only because the bed I am sleeping on is encased with dark pink curtains. I blink a few times, waiting for the drowsiness to wear off. I sit up, trying to better glimpse my surroundings and regret it immensely. I have a significant headache. Trying to squint through the pain, I can vaguely see through to the other side of the curtains, everything tinted in a shade of pink. The curtain's half-drawn allows me to see a panel on the wall with a screen across from me with clothes organized by style flashing across the monitor and the single door in the room to the left of me. Everything else is bathed in shadows, and I can't make them out. This room must be incredibly massive, and truly little light is leaking through the windows. What time is it?

My orbs glaze over the blankets covering me. They are thick and heavy, outlandishly decorated, and probably overly expensive. Stumbling from the bed, entangled beneath the covers, I proceed to get tangled within the curtains as well, postponing my trek to the door. I have no idea where I am, and it's a bit worrying. The last thing I can remember is the two gentlemen from the previous night.

What were their names again?

Sterlo and Zero. Zero was the man in the suit. Well, they were both wearing suits but –.

I turn the knob, hearing it click in place. I smile in satisfaction. It would have been more so worrying if it had been locked. No kidnapper would leave the door unlocked, right?

Could this be Sterlo's home? No, I would think that he would be much more flamboyant and louder. It's most likely Zero's house, simply elegant and screaming billionaire, though the pink room is quite curious. "Hello?" I call out as I creak open the door. "I'm uh… I'm awake now!" I walk a little way out of the room before hearing whispery voices. "Uhm, Sterlo?" I shout louder, managing to feel embarrassed about yelling in a home that I didn't know the owner of. My foot scrunches the hem of the nightgown I'm wearing into the ground, and I stumble a little way before I manage to catch my footing.

I don't know who changed me, and I feel I don't want to.

"Oh, child, is that you?" I hear Sterlo's elegant voice.

"I wouldn't really call myself a child," I answer him weakly. There's a giggle as he pops his head out of a doorway down the hallway. I almost giggle back.

"My sweet candy, that was a rather dumb question was it not?" he giggles more, even as he insults himself. He really is awfully carefree. Not that it is awful or anything…

"Whose house is this anyway?" I sputter out, although I already have my answer ready.

"House? Hmmm… house…" Sterlo murmurs in thought. "Oh, house! Yes, yes, I know this. You are in the very house of my dear friend, Ze–!" A hand slaps the top of his head and shoves him down. He staggers for balance but only for a few seconds. The action did its job to shut him up.

"Why must you consistently be so loud? It is like you are invariably trying to make an entrance, even though you have already entered." Zero sighs, seemingly tired because of Sterlo.

Sterlo merely giggles back at him and straightens up, which causes the other man to remove his hand. "Why must you consistently act like you are so annoyed that you are depleted? It is like you are trying so hard to get everyone to dislike you when they already do."

Zero glares at the pink-haired man. I can't help but look, too. His hair is so gorgeously long and light. The man practically glows next to Zero and his so-blonde-it's-almost-white hair. It doesn't help that both men are equally as tall and tall they are! I watch them as they converse with each other, a smile on my face. They seem so close, like they know each other very well, even if they are squabbling.

"Ah, what a nice little smile you have there!" Sterlo squeals, jumping out into the hallway before me. I stand there, frozen, and prepare myself for what I apperceive will happen next. Sterlo runs, his arms stretching out towards me and tears clouding his eyes. Once he reaches me, he grips my arms and yanks me to him, hugging me securely. He rests his chin on the top of my head and pats my back delicately like I am the most fragile of flowers. Him being so tall, to even rest his head upon mine, he's bent slightly at the back to reach. He breaks away to hold me at arm's length. "Are you feeling any better?" he asks, boring deeply into my eyes, searching for the answer himself.

I glance to the side, breaking eye contact. "Whatever do you mean?" I whisper nervously.

"Your hands, silly. Your hands were all battered the night before. Among many other things."

"Oh…" I mumble, glancing down at my hands. I notice then the aged white bandages wrapped securely around my knuckles. It's swathed multiple times, and the dressings are relatively thick that I'm surprised I managed to even open the door with the lack of movement my fingers have. "I hadn't noticed…."

A loud, exasperated sigh comes from behind Sterlo. He turns toward the man, giving me a view of him as well. Zero is leaning against the doorframe, glancing up at the ceiling. "That is only because Sterlo compelled me to ameliorate you. You would be in a considerable amount of misery otherwise. The bandages should no longer be necessary. An impeccable, twenty-four-hour recovery." Sterlo's face lights up in the recognition from Zero. His words, proper and spoken with confidence unbeknownst to me, are barely translated in my own head for understanding. "Why did you take her to my house?" His voice bounces from the walls and slivers its way along the hall.

"My, oh my, Zero! You have turned awfully grouchy! What is with the sudden transition?" Sterlo's mood seems to peek from Zero's unsatisfied state. "Oh… I see." His face, without warning, becomes mysteriously wise. A few moments of silence pass, and Zero and I catch a glimpse of each other by chance, waiting conscientiously for whatever he needs to say. "You must be feeling jealous of my sweet little candy for catching all of my attention!"

I should have been expecting that.

Zero runs a hand through his hair, spins on his heels, then walks back into the room he originally came out of. "Wait, my lovely!" Sterlo yelps, chasing after him like a lost puppy. I'm left standing, uncomfortable, not knowing what to do. Sterlo pops his head out of the doorway again. "What are you doing? Come on, we have a lot to talk about with you and so little time!" He blurts out before disappearing into the room again.

"Might as well before he drags me along," I mutter. Even though I had just met them, I already doubted that there was something these two wouldn't do at the right price. Quickly, I tag along behind Sterlo.

The room I walk into is entranced with an archway that three of me stacked on one another still couldn't reach the frame. The room was decorated elegantly with odd but delicately shaped couches and hand-painted artwork without any frame to complete them. The next room over, which I can see clearly, is the kitchen with its marble-topped counters separating the two rooms. The ceiling seems endless in its reach, glowering down at me with its hand-carved wood and glossy finish. Sterlo runs about in the kitchen, snatching stuff up and placing them down on the counters. Zero is sitting on the couch, all relaxed, head resting against the back of the sofa. His eyes roam the ceiling aimlessly, his lips parted to release a light sigh.

I make my way over to Zero and plop myself down next to him, a comfortable distance away or as far from him as I could manage. It doesn't help that he is sitting in the middle. He glances at me in annoyance but doesn't find me reason enough to move or even stir from his acquired spot. "Thanks for letting me rest here." My voice is barely above a squeak in the overly large and open room.

He sighs again. "You should not be thanking me." His voice comes out slow and smooth. I realized how soft and polished his voice sounds with a quick jolt. The first thing he's said hasn't been an outright insult. "I told Sterlo to escort you someplace else." I refrain from slapping myself. I can't help but wonder why he's been so sour toward me, and I can't help but be amazed at how he has friends like Sterlo that can even stand to be around him so regularly. To be frank, I feel it's a little refreshing after all that I have been through in such a short amount of time. He is so brutally honest and doesn't hesitate to speak his mind. He made me comfortable, though in an annoying way because I somehow knew that he wouldn't lie to me or withhold the truth to keep from hurting my feelings. "Can you not sit so close; I can smell you from here…."

I repeat, brutally honest. "Are you implying that I smell bad?" I lift a sleeved arm past my head to get a good whiff of my armpit, slightly concerned that he was right. There was a slight hint of flowers wafting from my body, to my surprise.

"No, I am saying that you smell like you!" He yawns and glares at me, not raising his voice but putting enough emphasis on it to show me his dissatisfaction with the situation.

"That's a bad thing?" I whisper, slightly irritated by his behavior. I was a guest, an unwanted guest, sure, but a guest, nonetheless. If he didn't want me here that badly, he should have advised Sterlo a little more sternly. Instead, he gave in and is now coming after me like it's my fault. As awkward as I was feeling, the anger was still welling up inside me.

Zero focuses on the ceiling, leaving my question to hang in the air. "Oh, Zero! Do not ignore that poor girl now!" Sterlo whines, skipping out of the kitchen, holding a tray of chopped fruit, arranged in neat sections. He places the thin, metal sheet on the short table before the couch and sits between Zero and me. As much space as there was between us, there was not nearly enough for another person to sit amid us two. This couch seemed to be the smaller of the collection of furniture in the room, more of a 'let's cuddle' kind of couch. As if Zero had ever cuddled a woman. "Oh, yes! You!" he turns to me and gives my cheek a careful pinch. "You never did tell us your name."

"My n'me?" My voice comes out muffled.

"Yes, your name silly." He continues to smile at me.

"I don' know my nam.'" I sputter out. Sterlo's face wrinkles up in a way that tickles my funny bone. "I tol' you tha' yes'erday, remem'er?"

It was a lie; I had a name. But I feel I had no right to use the word; it didn't belong to me.

"Oh, yes. This is quite a dilemma. What do we call you?" Sterlo pulls his hand away and rests it under his chin in thought. Shortly after, he snaps his fingers. "Aha! What about Snow White?" He claps his hands like he has just solved everything.

"What? Snow White?" I contemplate it slowly. "I don't… really know about that."

Sterlo's face grows pale as he gasps. "W-what? But…" He twirls his lengthy hair between his graceful fingers. "It is all up to you, Zero." He mutters solemnly.

"Oh, don't be sad! I didn't say that it was bad! I was just thinking something like… I don't know, maybe Melanie?" I pat his arm soothingly, doing my best to be polite toward these men that had saved my life, even if he thinks I'm a nuisance.

"What!? Preposterous! Snow White is much more tender!" Sterlo huffs, crossing his arms defiantly.

"S-Sterlo!"

"Melanie is a horrible name!"

"W-well… I don't have to listen to you!"

"I am telling you…!"

"Well, you don't have to tell me…."

Zero stirs, sitting up and crossing his legs. He looks over at us. "Phoenix."

"What?!" I yell in his direction, seething from my argument. "Wait…" I straighten up and gawk. "What did you just call me?" I'm slightly bewildered. He not only named me, but he did it in a way that you would do to a pet. To go even further, calling me Phoenix gave me some insight into how he felt about me at that moment. Was he comparing me to the legend of the Phoenix rising from the ashes, or…?

"Well, that settles it!" Sterlo yells over me, clapping his hands once again. Stretching like his job was done, Zero grabs a piece of fruit and walks out of the room. Sterlo skips happily behind him, carrying his own cube of sweet strawberry. "Go ahead, enjoy. I am heading home, and I assume that Zero is trudging grumpily to his quarters. You rested all day, you know. Oh, anyway, you will be staying with him for the meantime!" He plucks the berry into his mouth. I wait for him to swallow patiently.

"I'm staying here?" I twine my fingers together. "In a stranger's house?"

"No, not strangers; acquaintances and soon to be the best of friends!" He grins. "Well, I will be off! You should know where your bed chamber is." With that, he swoops up another piece of berry and lets out a pleased hum. He then lights up as if he has just remembered something. He closes the distance between us with two wide steps of his long, pant-clad legs. His somewhat warm fingers caress the hair over my cheek and tuck it behind my ear as his lips draw close. His movements are swift that I don't have time to think. He places a sweet kiss against my lobe; his voice is so husky and breathy that it makes my skin tingle. "Do not think that I have given up on the notion of capturing you, my sweet candy. You will be mine soon enough." With that, he bounds away from me in elation as he exits through the front door. Beeping resounds through the house, along with some buzzing, but they soon evaporate, and I'm left in silence.

Shivering in silence. Thoughts racing in the silence. Face burning with such passionate emotions and confusion and denying any sort of wonderment for the act that just occurred.

No! Bad! I-I would never stoop so low as to enjoy even a moment of that occurrence!

No, I am a proud woman, if anything. I will make that truth hold firm, as I am the one who will shape my fate, and these stupid reddened ears will not stop that! Or… or his delicious-looking lips… Handsome as he is, I do confess that Zero holds the candle for the most beauty I think I've ever seen on a man. The way his cheekbones jut out from his skin, just enough to shape his face; the jawline of a god, and such haunting eyes…

Gah! Stop thinking about it.

I sit there in the reticence, eating the fruit gratefully. This just seems too coincidental. I had lost everything: my name, friends, and home. Soon after, so very soon after, I gained it all back reminiscently. I was given a new name, a new home, although temporary it seems, and new people I could trust and plan on staying by my side. Well, using the word trust a little too lightly and the intentions behind them are somewhat contaminated, not to mention I'm not very welcomed by one particular man. But alas, that is life, isn't it? They had saved me and rescued me. Through all of that, somehow, I still felt uneasy. I had amnesia, which is sure to me now, but what knowledge did I contain before that? I feel like there is much more to myself than the others knew. If only I knew why… if only I could remember what it was that seems so important to me.

I wake up with a start, dim light giving the room a mythical glow as it glitters off the overly shiny objects. It feels familiar, almost déjà vu like. I look over to see a table, void of any fruit, "Ah, I fell asleep…" I stretch and yawn, getting up lazily. "…sore," I mutter, rubbing my neck with a heavy hand. I notice then how soft my hands feel against the skin on my neck. My bandages… they were gone? Zero did say I had made a full recovery… did he remove them while I slept? I glance over at the table again, noticing a small, metallic box that seems to change color at different angles. I lean forward, almost by instinct, and reach a shy finger toward it. Within inches, the box gives off a shudder that has me flying back in fear.

"I told you to go to your room. Oh well. I left you a message in my absence because I know from experience that Zero will just abruptly leave the house without any warning. Help yourself to refreshments and any cuisine I have stored away for later consumption. We will return at four o'clock. Please, do not have too much fun without me, my lovely little candy. Love, Sterlo." The box repeats back the message Sterlo must have left behind earlier that morning, his voice even lighter over the machine.

I suppose Sterlo could have also taken the opportunity to remove my bandages. That thought sends a cold shiver throughout my body and gives me an ungodly need to shower immediately.

With a sharp click, the box turns pitch black. Scared of messing it up somehow, I leave it to rest on the table and drag myself into the kitchen. I rummage through the fridge just as my stomach grumbles unhappily at the lack of food being placed in it. The refrigerator is grand, and I shortly find myself intimidated by the oversized object that hums almost soundlessly at me.

I end up rushing needlessly, grabbing the first thing my hands fell on and pulling it out, a large slice of cake that seems to have been created by an experienced chef. I pour a glass of milk to go with my feast and turn, finding another door to my left. It doesn't take me long to see that it is a swinging door and leads to the dining room. I push through the door unsteadily and stare, wide-eyed, at what confronts me. The room is more extensive than the kitchen and the living room combined! Exquisite paintings hang on the walls and a monumental window to the right, no visible curtains, letting in the golden, rich rays of sunshine. Against the walls are countless small glass tables topped with glistening silver candle holders housing dark purple candles, along with an array of fresh, lavender-scented flowers.

The middle of the room sits a larger glass dining table draped with a fine, red velvet cloth. The chairs alongside it are fit for royalty. They are red cushioned and shaped majestically, the wooden pieces painted a heavenly gold. Somehow, it seems to match Zero's personality completely.

"This place is huge! It's like a castle!" I awe. I am stupendously curious as to what it looks like on the outside.

Picking the seat at the head of the table, I stare at the feathery clouds through the window and eat my cake calmly. Above the entrance is a rather grand clock trimmed in gold; the second-hand ticks to its own rhythm quietly. I hum along to the melodic beat. I sit for about an hour to eat before finally getting up and heading back. Feeling out of place, I lay the dishes into the sink and sprawl myself onto the couch lazily. I lay there, head hanging from the armrest, and stare at the wall. I hadn't noticed the time on the clock, and I am now too lazy to get up and check.

I daze off into my own imagination as I wait for my entertainment to return. "It's so weird, being in someone else's house alone. What am I supposed to do?" I groan. I don't even know how long I have spent lying here like a pile of clothes.

"Nothing. Do not get yourself into a predicament that I will have to rectify." An annoyed voice state's from behind me.

I spring up from the arm of the couch and turn around to meet the eyes of the well-dressed man I had come to know as Zero. "Zero!" I squeal in delight, practically throwing myself over the couch. His face brought joy to my day, though he was anything but joyful. I run up to him and stand in front of him, hands clasped, energy passing through my veins.

He backs up slightly to get away from me before examining me quizzically. "What? What do you want?" He questions.

"Want? Want… Want!" I repeat, my enthusiasm building up. Zero's face twists up. "I'm not sure, but I just hate sitting around! I need to get this energy out!" I scream.

He takes another step and grimaces. "What is the matter with you? You must have been in an astronomical disaster. Why you cannot even function accordingly with even mere peasants…" he crosses his arms.

"Oh, come on, a little fun won't kill you, nor will being even a tiny bit nice! Let's go!" I start bouncing up and down.

"Must I really be having this discussion with you? I am not your servant, and I am damn sure not your friend. You are wasting my time." He begins to look beyond annoyed, a curse slipping into his elegant speech and only managing to sound just as enchanting as always, his fingers tapping against his arm.

"Oh, why are you so darn rude! You can at least treat me as a guest! I have done you no wrong, you know." His words are starting to hurt, and it's really bothering me that he can't as least be civil with me. I really haven't done anything to warrant such behavior! What's so wrong with wanting to go outside?

Zero glances around, now refusing to even make eye contact with me. "Why should I show any sort of concern for a bottom dweller like yourself? Such small-minded children. How does that warrant respect from someone like me, rats who only know how to scavenge the trash, looking for food." He mutters, his fists clenching in rage. He turns to glare daggers at me, his eyes boring into the depths of my soul.

It's not that I hate you. He seems to be saying. I just hate all of you, everything about you and your kind. You're disgusting and vile and hopeless.

"Heh..." My own teeth grind against one another. I don't know what his problem is, but he doesn't even know me! Not that I am one to judge, seeing as I don't even know myself, but to clump me into a mass, and that be his only excuse, I won't allow! If he can't reasonably state his hatred of me, then it's nothing but childish banter! "You don't even know me! Calling me a rat and giving an unfounded—"

He growls through his teeth, cutting me off midsentence. "Sterlo!" he yells, spinning on his heels and heading back in the direction he came from.

"What?" Sterlo yells back.

"Hey!" I yelp, chasing after him. I trail him closely as he attempts to flee.

"What is wron–?" Sterlo cuts short as he witnesses us approaching him. "Ah! Phoenix! What are you doing?" He laughs. Zero grabs him, shoving him into me to stop my pursuit. My face crashes into Sterlo's chest.

I bounce back and shake my head. "Ah, don't run away! You can't just insult my entire being and not let me retort! You're the only one being childish right now!" I try to look behind Sterlo, but Zero manages to avoid my gazing.

"Oh, my darling Zero! What is it that you have gone and done now to my poor, sweet, delicious-looking candy!" Sterlo bites his thumb softly and catches me with his other arm, suffocating me against his chest. Immediately I am hit with the smell of sweets, a hint of a women's perfume, and something more potent. It's musky, alluring, captivating my senses in a way I'd never experienced before and silencing me quickly. The smell, it's a beautiful aroma, a mixture of so many concoctions until the perfect one had conquered the battlefield. So many scents that had swallowed each other whole until the strongest remained, such a wonderous smell; my hands move on their own to grip at his suit jacket, pulling the two of us closer so that I can get a better whiff of the scent.

Zero growls loudly. "I have work to do." He comes out from his hiding spot and glowers at me. He seems incredibly angry. The sight of Zero's aggression releases me from my trance, and I pull back with so much force that I tumble and fall butt first onto the ground.

"W-what the…?" I stare up at Sterlo and Zero, unable to fully digest what just happened.

"Oh, my! I apologize, my candy. Seems I forgot that I had my enchanting perfume on! But dear me, not one lucky lady was able to break from it as you have… how curious!" Sterlo bubbles in joyous bemusement, clapping his hands together as he grins from ear to ear. Seems I may have somehow dug an even greater hole and given this man a challenge he's going to refuse to give up on.

My eyes lock with Zero as I catch him blatantly staring at me with what seems to be an almost intrigued expression on his face. Noticing me staring back at him, he quickly huffs and breaks the contact. "Your… enchanting perfume?" I repeat.

"Yes, my adorable, candied joy! I produce perfume in my free time, though I will admit that it was just a mere hobby on the side as I hate the stench of the feral beasts around here. With such low-grade scents cluttering the air, I had to do something! It was just awful, the way these poor dearies were being sucked into a black vortex of such offensive redolence and cheap rubbish. It delivered much better results than I had envisioned it to!" He brags on, clearly immensely proud of himself. I'm stunned by the news that this man has made such a smell that can entice women and put them into a trance? I can picture him doing that, though, and it seems totally characteristic of him and hypocritical, seeing as he is also feasting on these women. I hide a chuckle into my palm.

Still, though, even more reason I should be careful of these men. Sterlo seems harmless enough, but he's uncalculating and smart behind those flamboyant pink locks, so there's no telling what exactly he could be capable of. They had saved me, sure, but I know that Sterlo has other reasons behind his actions. Zero, though, I'm not getting a read on him at all. Why did he allow me to stay here when he so clearly hates commoners and the poor especially? It can't just be because Sterlo had convinced him of it, could it be? No, he must have some other reason behind it, something worth this 'suffering' of being around me. There's no way that he's not getting something out of this.

Who knows what's going on in Zero's head and what this intimidating man has up his sleeve; he seems much more dangerous than Sterlo? I need to keep my eyes peeled, and my ears opened. I'm grateful and have nowhere else to go, but that doesn't mean I'm going to allow myself to be taken advantage of or throw myself headfirst into this mess.

"Zero! Do not look so angry! You will get wrinkles…" Sterlo's voice rings out into my train of thought, and I look up to catch Sterlo lightly placing his fingers between Zero's eyebrows. Zero seems to calm down, but he looks even more unhappy. I can't help the giggle that slips past my lips.

"So, you said the perfume was your side business? Well, what's your main job?" I ask, looking up at Sterlo.

"My job? I, my dear Spark, am a chef with a chain of two-hundred restaurants spread around these continental islands. Of course, I own all of them, but the one I work with specifically is French! Oh, how eccentric the French language is!" My eyes are distracted by Sterlo's dramatic hand movements. He seems to move himself to tears.

I could have guessed that he was a famous chef with a chain of restaurants. I can't see Zero baking that cake that was in the fridge. I smile to myself. That really matches his personality. I hope he'll bake something for me one day.

"What about Ze–?"

"That is of none of your concern." Zero barks, cutting me off. I look at him, dismayed by the interruption. What IS his problem? Does he think I'm going to barge into his place of work or something? I don't even know where I am!

"Why? Is it an illegal business or something…?" I joke through my frustration, giving Sterlo a gentle elbow nudge in his side. Zero continues to glare at me. My smile drops once I realize that he intends on not telling me. "Or…or not?" I continue, trying to save my joke before it ultimately falls flat. Zero's expression doesn't change.

Sterlo giggles to himself, and it brings a shudder to my heart from the sweetness of his chuckle. "I apologize, my dear candy but, I alas cannot tell you of his profession. Not that it is indeed a secret or anything. He just tends to keep every bit of information to himself due to his trustless interior." He puts a hand over his mouth and giggles again. Zero's eyebrow twitches momentarily in annoyance. What Sterlo said was guaranteed to be exaggerated but playing along was too tempting. If he wanted to be a secretive grouch, then so be it, but I won't make it easy for him!

"Oh, wow! Really? How very bor-ring!" I make sure to pop the vowels to emphasize the word. I can see the veins in Zeros' head pop.

"Do you really expect that I would care for your little ploy?" Zero mutters, not looking up.

"Uhm, yes?" I tilt my head to the side, feigning innocence.

"Fine…" He sighs, letting out a puff of air.

"Fine? Fine what?"

Sterlo's lips twitch once, twice… then, he began to grin. "Really? Oh, what a miracle! You changed your mind, have you?" he squeals, jumping around like a little girl who got what she wanted for Christmas.

Zero sighs again and presses his fingers to his temples, but I can see, vaguely at that, the corner of his lips quirk up a tiny bit. It is the closest thing to a smile that I have seen him wear. "Yes, yes. If it shuts you up," he gives me a glance, "as well as you."

Huh, me? What? Wait, did he just grin?

Sterlo just about loses his mind; he is so excited that he attempts to throw his arms around Zero for a hug. Zero, of course, quickly maneuvers away from the attempt, and Sterlo runs into the wall, giving a yelp of sadness as he mopes, sinking to the floor. I can hear him muttering about how Zero is too cold. I stare at Zero in awe. Does this mean that Sterlo had asked him something like my proposition earlier? I get to go outside?! I do a little wiggle on the inside while keeping calm on the exterior. "This is more like it." I smile.

Zero glances my way but doesn't say anything. He just watches me soundlessly. He isn't trying to hide that fact, either; he's just looking me straight in the eyes. Sterlo quiets down, suddenly notices the stare down. He looks at me in wonder.

I can feel my cheeks flush from the unprovoked attention. Before I can open my mouth to ask why they are staring, Zero speaks up. "Are you wearing the same clothing from the day prior?" His nose scrunches up in disgust.

Embarrassment quickly floods my face and sweeps in to take control. "Wh-what are you trying to say?! Don't you look at me like that! It's not like I'm dirty…!" I glance down at my nightgown, terrified that a piece of fruit had survived the night. I pick at the balls of fluff delicately and nonchalantly that have been collecting on my clothing. I look back up at them, grinning freely again as a random thought passes through my head.

This is what it's like to have friends, right?