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 Posted: Tue Sep 04, 2012 12:26 pm
 Type: ORP
Status: in progress
Participants: Various
summary
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Posted: Tue Sep 04, 2012 12:28 pm
 FLOOD Her hand trembled as she fitted the key into the lock. Chewing her white painted lower lip, the strong and boisterous ganguro felt herself falling inward, shrinking back to a time when she was helpless. The lock turned with a click and she entered her home. It was well past midnight, nearly one o'clock, but instead of being greeted with darkness there were a few lights still on. Meilei paid it little mind, her eyes too blurry and mind too distracted to care.
She closed the door in a half daze, muscle memory working her shoes off and placing them beside the entrance. A sound in the kitchen normally would have made her pause, but instead her heart thrummed anxiously and her sock covered feet quickened their pace.
”Meilei?” her mother's voice asked quietly, accent even heavier than her own.
Meilei hurried up the stairs, away from her. From behind, the patter of slippers against hard wood floor sounded intimidating to her already overwhelmed senses. She ducked into the bathroom and shut the door, turning the lock. Her breath quickened, her chest hurt, her eyes stung. Just as she turned on the light, a palm slapped against the door from the other side, followed by her mother's loud voice. She rattled off in Taiwanese, continuing to rap her knuckles at the door when there was no response. Each word of concern hit her in the gut. Knees weakening, Meilei leaned against the counter with her elbows.
Over her mother's increasing volume and frantic voice, her daughter crumpled and cradled her head against the bathroom counter. No sound escaped at first, her face twisting in silent agony as she finally released all of her pent up emotions.
It hadn't just been the ice cream or that stupid girl. If that was all there was to it, things wouldn't be this bad. She felt like her chest was collapsing with each ragged breath. Face sore from its contortion, Meilei glanced up at the large mirror before her and whined in dismay. A couple stickers had peeled off or were beginning to, her lipstick was smeared across one cheek, and all of her mascara and eye shadow was trailing down her face, leaving disgusting grey lines. Letting out a short shriek, which surprised her mother enough that she went completely quiet for a few moments, Meilei's hands grabbed desperately for a wash cloth. She practically clawed the faucet to turn it on and soaked the cloth so thoroughly that it refused to stop dripping. Immediately she went to work, rubbing and smearing the make up around her eyes, peeling the rest of the stickers off her face, getting rid of every last remnant of white.
With her make up messed up, all Meilei saw in the mirror was a stupid, ugly clown. Exactly what everyone else probably saw on a daily basis.
”Meilei! Why won't you answer me?!” Lanfen kept trying, but every attempt just made her daughter's hands work more furiously to cleanse herself. ”Please! I hear you crying!”
Maybe Lucette and Priya had been nice enough to check up on her, defend her in the heat of the moment, but Meilei had little hope they would speak to her again with any familiarity if she saw them at school. They were just being nice, like everyone else that tolerated her. It didn't actually matter if she was fine, it was just the “right” thing to do. Meanwhile, that other girl just acted on impulses she was sure built up in people she was around for extended periods of time anyway. She just nipped it in the bud.
The washcloth was soaked, areas of its blue fabric coated with thick white and pink splotches. When she looked again, her eyes were red and puffy, tears still pooling and dribbling, but her face was bare. It was clean. Save for her darker skin and blonde hair, she looked just as plain, boring and ugly as she remembered, as unassuming and uninteresting, worth no one's time.
She hadn't noticed, so enthralled with cleaning her face, that Shawn had come to join her mother and was attempting to calm her down. The two spoke in hushed voices, her mother in Taiwanese and her father in English. His voice was calm, steady, though a bit haggard while hers kept the same woeful and worried tone.
”It's okay, just give her some time.”
”But she locked the door. We don't know what's going on. It's so unlike her!”
”She's home now. We should let her calm down.”
Stubborn as always, it took some minutes for Lanfen to relent but Shawn's gentle reassurance managed to win her over. In that time, Meilei concentrated solely on their voices, their words, trying to regain control of herself, but it was too difficult. What Shasta did in their brief meeting triggered an emotional flood that had been threatening to break through for weeks now. Everything seemed so hopeless. Day in and day out, it was the same.
No one cared to know her.
When the subtle thud of her parents' room door registered, Meilei unlocked the bathroom, shut off the light, and moved to her own bedroom. Normally the sight of such a bright, familiar place would be comforting but there was a numbness stuck in her that made such feelings impossible for now. It would come to pass, it always did, but not without setting loose every ounce of her despair first.
The door closed behind her, fake nails accidentally scraping the frame. It felt like her entire consciousness had been pulled back into her mind and she was merely watching as her body moved on its own. Her vision was constantly blurred, wrapped in tears, and she meandered weakly to her closet. A pair of pink pajama shorts and a matching tank top were procured and laid out on her bed. She began removing each and every clip from her hair and setting it on the nearby desk with mechanic precision. Every bracelet and accompanying piece of jewelry was discarded. Then the same for her clothes. She switched into the pajamas fairly quickly before sitting on the edge of her bed and eying the pile she had left in the center of her rug, particularly the cute white cropped top now stained and sticky with chocolate ice cream.
Chocolate on white. What were they even thinking, trying to salvage it? The smears from napkins were still clearly visible despite it being long dried.
Standing abruptly, Meilei snatched the ruined shirt up from the floor and took it in both hands. In a fit, she clutched either side of its neck stretched it as far as she could. A few threads snapped free. Her sobbing resumed, giving more strength to her arms and, with a short cry, the neck lining of the shirt ripped. The tearing sounded deafeningly loud to her. As quick as she'd grabbed it, Meilei threw the now worthless piece of fashion at the wall where it fell in a crumpled heap. She followed suit and fell back upon her bed but quickly got to her knees and crawled to her collection of pillows and stuffed animals.
One whack of her arm sent a portion of the toys plummeting to the floor. Her hands balled into fists and began slamming away at the innocent, fluffy pillows before her. There were ones of unique shapes, like hearts and stars, but her aggression was concentrated solely on the plain, rectangular offenders. Each swift punch accompanied an angry grunt. The hits came quick, a flurry of her fists against soft fabric, but soon her anger was overtaken by a returning wave of self pity and her punches slowed until her hands began clutching at the pillow instead. Meilei pulled the pillow close, burying her face in it, and rocked gently.
”Someone, please... Just want anyone...”
It was always the same, she was just too stupid to know any better.
She laid there quietly, occasionally hiccuping or sighing as her tired, stinging eyes watched the window . Her outlet of emotion had spanned a grand total of forty minutes, the past fifteen of it consisting entirely of crying into the pillow. Though her breathing hadn't righted itself and her eyes were still wet, no more tears came. She still felt horrible, but all of the anger and sadness had mixed into a state of malaise. Every inch of her felt exhausted, yet her eyes refused to close. Across the wall she could see the shadow of a cat atop the balcony railing.
”Sweety,” Shawn's voice came from behind the door, a small tap following, ”Can we come in?”
For a moment, it felt like she had forgotten how to speak. Her voice caught in her throat and she didn't move a muscle to get up. She barely managed to croak out a weak ”Yes...” before falling completely silent again.
The door opened, the tall form of her step-father in a grey tee and blue sweat pants entered the shockingly pink room while the small form of her mother in a bright red bathrobe followed quickly after. The two paused, looking first to their daughter, then each other. Lanfen began to speak but Shawn rested a hand on her shoulder and gave a reassuring smile. He directed her to the bed and gestured for her to sit beside Meilei while he did the same on the other side. Each of them was silent as they sat there, both parents glancing between each other. Tentatively, Shawn leaned down and scooped Meilei up, pulling her to his chest. She didn't react immediately, but once he wrapped his arms around her she released the pillow and traded it for her father's wide frame. Lanfen scooted closer soon after, nudging the pillow out of her way with a foot, and pulled the both of them to her with her small arms. Meilei buried her face against Shawn's chest while her mother did the same to her daughter's back.
”Let's get some sleep,” he cooed, ”We can talk about it tomorrow.”
Lanfen lifted her head, eyebrows scrunching impatiently, but she gave a reluctant nod and affirmed his words with a kiss to Meilei's head. ”Bóan-an, Meilei.”
After giving her mother a proper hug, the two left for bed. They were probably as physically tired as she was emotionally. Shawn closed her door behind them and Meilei stood, returning her pillow to the bed and switching off the lights. An idle glance was given toward the wall as she moved back to her bed, just in time to see the shadow of the cat's tail swish out of view. Were pets allowed in this building? With a huff, she pushed the idea out of her mind and cocooned herself in the warm embrace of her sheets.
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Posted: Mon Sep 10, 2012 3:41 pm
PLEA Hours passed.
Meilei laid in bed, tossed and turned, tried to keep her mind from wandering, to just stay still and concentrate on something singular and blank until she finally drifted off. When none of that worked, she got up and put her laundry in its proper place, as well as returned each of her stuffed animals to their rightful place on the bed instead of the floor. She even cozied up and snuggled with them for a while, hoping it might feel like they were holding her. It didn't.
After a long while of refusing to look at the clock, she finally gave it a glance. Five in the morning. Sighing, Meilei got back out of bed and pulled on a pair of thigh high socks (they were white with pastel rainbow stars) and opened her door. If she hadn't gotten any sleep in this time, there was little use fighting it. She'd just have to stay up until she collapsed. First thing was first, though; in all of the commotion of the festival, she'd barely eaten anything worthwhile and the slight queasiness creeping in told her it couldn't wait much longer. She crept downstairs, careful not to creak any of the floor boards and disturb her sleeping parents, then headed for the kitchen.
The refrigerator was packed full of left overs and easy meals, mostly her mother's cooking. Sānbēij, lǔròu fàn, málàguō, various rice and noodle dishes, all sorts of drinks from milk, juice, soda, various teas and beer. The meat drawer was stuffed with deli meats and cheeses while the crisper was filled to the brim with fresh, raw vegetables and a few fruits. Meilei sorted through and pulled out a small plate of beef rolls. With those set in the microwave, she also grabbed a cup and a pouchong tea bag.
Once her meal was ready, her stomach gave an appreciative growl and she sighed contentedly. ”Hō ta lah.”
Light and shadows danced across the windows as the occasional car passed on the street. The sky was growing paler. One such shadow caught her attention, however. It was the cat again. Narrowing her eyes in scrutiny but not allowing herself to stop chewing, she let out a sigh. Maybe the cat was a stray. It could probably smell her food now, which was why it was hanging around.
Stuffing the rest of the roll in her mouth, Meilei collected her things and walked over to the door leading tot he balcony. With a bit of balancing on her arms, she got it open without having to set anything down and stepped outside. She knelt down, resting her cup on the floor, and pulled off a corner of the beef roll and set it at the corner of the balcony. Retreating back, she closed the door so no bugs (or the cat) would get in and rested back against it while she set to work on finishing her meal.
The sound of paws quickly caught her attention and Meilei watched eagerly as a pure white cat leaped down from the balcony above, landing gracefully onto the handrail. The shape seemed to match the shadow, only now that she got a good look at it did she realize how strange it appeared. If it weren't for the long growths coming out of its ears, it might have looked completely normal – at least that was what she thought until it turned to look at her. Meilei leaned back, unable to blink or move, and watched as the cat-thing hopped down from the railing to the food. It finished the bite quickly, then sat up straight and stared directly at her, tail swishing behind as if demanding more.
Uneasily, she managed to pull off another piece, this time holding it in her hand and slowly extending it. The creature leaned forward slowly, as if sniffing, before taking the piece from her palm and gobbling it up. Relieved, Meilei took another bite of her own roll. Weird or not, it didn't seem dangerous.
Thank you for not putting it on the concrete this time.
A whole piece of beef and bread slid down the girl's throat as she inhaled, blocking her ability to scream. Instead, she let out a wailing cough and fumbled the roll, dropping it roughly back onto her plate and setting the dish clumsily on the floor. She moved to her hands and knees, grabbing for her drink, and chugged down the rest of her tea, just enough to push down the food and open up her wind pipe.
Are you alright?
”Y-yeah,” she responded breathlessly, though it nearly caught in her throat again as she stared at the cat-thing. Was it really talking? Maybe she had fallen asleep.
It tilted its head slightly, then stood up and took a step towards her, then another. Are you sure?
Her eyes widened and she glanced around suspiciously before returning her gaze to the strange animal. ”You... talking?” she lifted a hand and moved her fingers in a speaking motion as if it were a puppet.
The thing's ears twitched and it sat again, this time a bit closer. That's right. Talking to you! I felt how sad you were before. That's why I came. I wanted to speak with you.
Whenever it “spoke”, neither its eyes nor mouth moved at all. It was eerie, even more than Meilei imagined it would be if any animal spoke like a human. What it said caused her jaw to drop but there was nothing she could say in response. Her brows furrowed uneasily. ”You... want talk to Meilei?”
Of course. If there's anything I can help you with, you should tell me. So, are you sure you're alright?
This... thing wanted to help? To listen to her woes? It actually sought her out specifically to try and ease her sorrows because it cared?
Meilei's lip quivered. ”N-...no,” she started, pulling her legs to her chest, ”Not alright.” It tilted its head expectantly. ”I... It very hard. Meilei very lonely. Have momma, dad, me, no one else. Never anyone else. Meilei want them to stop looking at funny. Want them say 'Hi Meilei, how you today?' and be true. No one but them care. You see? You care, but--”
--but I'm not a human.
”Yes. Ah... what are you?”
With another swish of its tail, the animal leaped back onto the handrail and stretched, curling up with perfect balance. It sat directly across from her, looking Meilei dead in the eye.
I grant wishes.
She let out a skeptical laugh, pulling her legs closer and resting her chin on them to stare back.
It's true. I can grant anything your heart desires. You're not the first human I've approached about this.
”Why Meilei?”
The cat lifted its head as if taken aback. Isn't it obvious? You've got a lot of potential. You owe it to yourself.
Meilei's heart thumped quickly in her chest. What exactly was this thing telling her? That she could just wish for friends and it would be reality? She knew that didn't make any sense, it was stupid and childish to believe it, but then why was her heart aching for this opportunity?
You're not sure, the ears on the top of its head twitched, Or... you don't trust me?
”Um--”
It's okay. If you think it would be better not to make the wish, I understand. You also wouldn't be the first human to turn me down.
Her eyes went wide and Meilei fell forward on her hands and knees, prostrate before this wish granting creature. ”NO!” Immediately she bit her lip, tears clouding her vision. She hung her head, hands balling into fists despite the concrete scraping her fingers. ”No. Please... Meilei – Meilei can't stay lonely. It hurts...”
Its red eyes stared at her display, unblinking and emotionless. Tail swishing gently against the breeze, its paws untangled and the creature sat upright. Then make a contract with me.
Meilei lifted her head, tear stained cheeks glistening against the coming dawn. ”Con... tract?”
If you make a contract with me, I can grant your wish. Are you willing to fight for this wish? Do anything in your power to make it happen?
Desperation was boiling over inside her as this creature rekindled emotions in her from hours ago, emotions built up over the course of her entire life. There was no room for logic when she was sitting here talking to a cat that claimed to grant wishes. Only her desires mattered now.
”Yes! Meilei do anything!”
Then what do you wish for?
”People to care for Meilei. Accept her. Be honest. Friends for Meilei!”
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