Alcmenes

THE ROOK AND THE QUEEN It was the cries and echoes, thuds and clashes that woke her up covered in sweat and enshrouded in fear. The screams of her mother still engraved deep in her memory from that night. The hands and knife drenched in blood. The bed itself drenched in blood. Her father's blood. She could not keep herself from staring at them all trembling and wild. It was only her thoughts that stopped her, convincing herself that it was in the past. And that she was now free of that guilt. That she was only a survivor. That word was the only refuge she could find lately, carrying an even deeper meaning than that of a mere word. It was absolution. She jumped off the bed and headed straight for the bathroom, eyeing herself in the mirror for what it seemed to be a long minute. Snapping out of it, she washed her face and brushed her teeth just before putting on her clothes for the day. With one glance at her phone, it was almost dusk. She had overslept. Again. She applied her makeup as instructed by her newfound friend, Summer, adding her own touch to cover those insomnia circles. And she headed out. The strip was engulfed by cold showers, dancing with the evening light as it was making its way down the path, towards Ikigai's way. Erina stepped out of the plaza, glancing at the sky for a moment, and with a brief sigh, she headed to the nearby seating area, right outside the JAA. A small group of Little Tokyo boys were there, along with the one she despised the most. The linear Rook. . . . "Only thin' we can do now is lay low," said Erina calmly, staring at the rest of the boys, "an' let the other motherfuckers draw the heat to themselves." "Thing is..." said the Rook, "we abou' ta do sum tha' will draw a hell of a heat ta us." Erina gave him a look of uttermost curiosity, "Wha's tha'?" "I can' say no mo'," said the Rook, "no' until the higher ups green lit it." She stood there, clenching her fists behind her back. It was absolutely clear that she felt angry. And most of all, betrayed again. Next thing she saw was a bunch of them gathering round and whispering as if she wasn't there. That infuriated her even more. She could see blood all over again, until she felt a warm touch on her right shoulder. "What's wrong, Rina?" said Summer, offering her the usual warm smile. "I can' believe this is happenin'," she scoffed, "How does tha' motherfucker know wha' they abou' ta do an' I don'? How can they trust HIM, the whoreson tha' snitched an' told lies abou' me? How can they no' trust me?" Summer wrapped her right arm around Erina's shoulder in a warm embrace. "I've worked hard," continued Erina, "I've worked my ass off to have juss a lil bit of trust around here! An' now it seems I'm no' trusted!" She hissed and cursed under her breath, hitting her fists at the table as she got up and headed to her car. She looked over her shoulder at Summer. "You comin'?" Do not forget