"Dress up, Fiona, we’re having a girls-only night out!"
Saldrich burst into Fiona’s room like a whirlwind, completely unannounced and, frankly, no longer surprising. By now, Fiona had come to expect such dramatic entrances. While Saldrich’s habits merited a reprimand, Fiona found herself too accustomed to her antics to be truly shocked anymore.
Besides, she was the only one home. That had become something of a routine. Fiona rarely ventured out the way the others did, her presence indoors was as reliable as the ticking of a clock.
"Where to?" Fiona groaned from where she lay face down on the bed, her voice muffled by the plush embrace of her mattress.
"Where else? The city, of course!" Saldrich replied, her tone bubbling with excitement.
"Can I say no?" Fiona’s voice was drenched in exhaustion. "I just want to rest today."
"Nope. Absolutely not. Get your lazy ass up, tonight is girls’ time out!" Saldrich declared, already yanking Fiona up with relentless enthusiasm.
Fiona groaned but ultimately yielded. There was no arguing with Saldrich once she had made up her mind.
Soon enough, the two of them were dressed to the nines and in a cab, headed for the city. Unbeknownst to them, however, a group with malicious intent had already begun tailing them from the shadows.
Their first stop? Shopping, of course, it was shopping. This was Saldrich’s dream come true: roaming boutiques with a friend, laughing and choosing clothes freely. It was the kind of experience she never truly had when she used to tag along with Selina and her self-centred entourage. Back then, Saldrich had been little more than a glorified errand girl, holding their bags and occasionally receiving a pity gift.
But now, with Fiona? Everything was different. There was no pecking order, no silent rules of superiority. They moved as equals. Friends. Sisters, even.
"Do you mind if I ask you a personal question?" Fiona asked suddenly.
They were standing in front of a full-length mirror, each holding up an outfit to their bodies for a mock trial.
Saldrich turned to her with a smirk. "Come on, Fiona. We’ve long passed the point of shy little secrets. Ask away. If it’s within my knowledge, I’ll answer."
Her relaxed confidence helped ease the tension in Fiona’s chest. She hesitated only briefly before asking, "When is your brother’s birthday?"
Saldrich’s hands paused mid-motion. The outfit she was examining fell across her front like she’d already put it on, her features accentuated by the fabric, drawing out her lean yet well-performed curve.
She was a beauty, rivalling Fiona’s grace even.
"Why? Planning to get him something?" she asked, resuming her inspection casually.
"Something like that," Fiona admitted. "Aldrich has been... really good to me lately. I feel like I owe him the grace of making that birthday provision, if you get what I mean."
In truth, she felt more than indebted, she felt transformed.
When she first came to school, she’d anticipated isolation and monotony. Her unfortunate connection to Selina Von Degure had painted her as someone to avoid. She expected a silent existence, one where others would keep their distance for fear of invoking Selina’s wrath.
But everything had changed.
Instead of boredom, she found herself thrilled by the energy of life again. Instead of solitude, she discovered camaraderie, real bonds built on mutual trust and respect. She laughed more now. She breathed easier.
And Aldrich... Aldrich was the linchpin that made it all possible.
It had started the day they met in the boutique. That singular encounter had cracked her carefully guarded world open, letting in light she never thought she’d see again.
"I want to give him something he won’t forget. Something that stays with him," Fiona whispered, staring down at her hands. "Even if, one day, I’m not by his side, I want to know I’ve left something meaningful behind for him to remember me by."
She couldn’t quite picture such a day, didn’t even want to imagine a version of her life where Aldrich wasn’t near. Strangely, she came to discover that the thought of it left a void in her chest.
Bit by bit, Fiona Helmswoth had realised a quiet truth: she could no longer imagine her world without Aldrich Aldaman in it.
Before she could linger too deeply in that thought, Saldrich’s voice cut in, teasing yet edged with wisdom.
"Careful there, Fiona. Those eyes of yours... they’re dangerous, you know?"
Fiona blinked. "What eyes?"
Saldrich tilted her head slightly, gesturing with her gaze. "Those eyes, the ones that say, ’I can’t live without your brother.’"
"Wha—No way. I don’t look like that!" Fiona replied quickly, far too quickly.
Saldrich chuckled. "Denial. Classic stage one. When you’re ready to face your true feelings, come find me in the changing room. I’ll be testing this beauty on for real."
She turned and walked toward the dressing rooms, her new outfit in hand.
Apparently, admiring it in front of a mirror wasn’t quite enough, she needed the full experience to decide if it was to go or to be returned when she picked it up.
Left standing there, Fiona crossed her arms and huffed softly.
"Come to terms with my feelings?" she echoed aloud, incredulous.
Saldrich didn’t know what she was talking about. She couldn’t possibly. Fiona’s intentions were pure, simply gratitude for the good Aldrich had done in her life.
That’s all it was... right?
"She really has no idea what she’s saying," Fiona muttered again, more to herself this time, as if repeating it could reinforce its truth.
Still...
Something was unsettling about the way Saldrich said it.
"Sal, about what you said earlier—" Fiona called as she stepped into the changing room.
But her words fell away as she entered.
Saldrich was gone.
The room was empty. No sign of her friend, only the clothes she’d taken in to try on, now crumpled on the floor.
Fiona bent down and picked them up.
One of the sleeves was torn.
Her heart sank.
"Saldrich?" she called, her voice suddenly fragile.
No response.
Then she noticed it, tucked in the corner of the room, half-hidden beneath the curtain.
A single shoe.
"No..."
Her breath caught. A cold rush of dread swept through her.
She didn’t need to see more to know? Something terrible had gone wrong.