“Oi,” a protruding yell startled Bernadette and sent her bolting up in bed. She tensed up at the dark face that inched itself closer bit by bit. Be it due to the sudden tension between the two or sheer surprise, the room felt cold and the raven-hair could feel the breeze on her cheek.
Forcing to break her gaze from the other’s golden eyes, she looked to the side and noticed the windows swaying open against the wind that rushed in. The sun had already vanished, and the light of the streetlights seeped into the dim room along with the refreshing breeze of the cool night.
“Oi, whitey! Get down on ya mattress,” a hand grabbed the neckline of her top, the material struggling to hold together under Bernadette’s weight, “Out of everyone’s fuckin’ place mine always ends up the prison cell!”
The other remembered the words Melina said hours before. They rang out clear as day but putting them to action proved far more difficult in her brain. Fortunate for her, the ginger had a peculiar ear and sense for her wellbeing.
“Nadra, would’ya mind lettin’ go?” Melina peeked out behind the door. She watched the two for a bit after butting into the conversation. After the other seemed not to care much of her presence, she slammed her fist on the light switch, “Ya want ya other pinkie bent?”
The aura of the room had turned darker, even as the lightbulb above the three glowed with a steady light. Nadra let go of Bernadette as she faced the new guest. Now that the lights have lit up their faces, the pale woman could see the one that threatened her just moments before. She found herself intimidated by her muscles, body rather muscular in comparison to Melina or herself. The woman’s onyx skin glistened with sweat, the loose tee sticking to her back. Kinky locks seemed greasy, both because of the sweat seeming seconds away from dripping all over the room and what Bernadette guesses is not showering in days at a time.
“Bernie, get out. Fen-Hua made some rice porridge. We’on think ya had anythin’ to munch on since ya got to the hospital, yeah?”
Bernadette nodded at Melina, wary of Nadra as she got up and hurried out into the hallway. The door slammed shut behind her, and she felt a pang of concern as she continued to the living room. With slow footsteps, trying to listen in on what was happening behind the door.
On the white couch, Fen-Hua sat cross-legged with a small empty ceramic bowl in his lap. Beside him, Dave seemed to be dozing off, his head lolling to the side and his eyes hovering closed. When the younger boy took notice of Bernadette entering, he pointed his finger to an arch to the right leading into another room.
He croaked out the word “Bowl” as he pointed, holding for a bit before lowering his hand. His face buried into a book, the characters on the cover resembling Chinese characters.
‘Where’d he even get it?’ Her mind wondered, as she was confident in the fact that the public library didn’t offer much multilingual literature.
The woman got the message he portrayed, though, walking into the kitchen. Warmth hit her face; the tiny space held in all warmth and the lack of a window made it insufferable. Seeing a porcelain bowl akin to the one the boy earlier held in his lap, Bernadette felt the side of the bowl. Still warm, what seemed to be mushy rice filled the bowl to the middle point. The smell of soy sauce rose from the bowl, and various toppings coated the middle of the porridge. The ravenette leaned on her right hip at the kitchen counter beside the stovetop, after taking the spoon stuck into the rice porridge, she started to eat.
“Y’know, you can eat at the couch. Ain’t nobody gonna judge you. The kid is too intrigued into his tales. An’ nobody else is there anyway.”
The woman stopped half-bite as she turned her head to see Dave leaning on the arch. He yawned before pushing his sunglasses up to rest on his forehead, large honey-colored eyes staring back into her.
“You were sleeping so I didn’t want to disturb you,” Bernadette admitted. Talking to Dave flowed easier than with any other member of the crew. He waved his hand dismissively,
“Didn’t have to. My dreams are shit anyway, woulda’ gotten up sooner or later.”
Bernadette nodded, feeling some concern at the implication the words held. But then again, they were gang members, and from what he’d told her during the car ride, they were unlikely to have left their previous state with a healthy mind.
A light slap against her back brought her back, “Don’t be feeling so bad, can’t change what’s happened,” the laugh that followed didn’t sound genuine, but Bernadette didn’t pry. She picked up her bowl with her healthy hand and started walking toward the living room. Behind her, she left the audible clank of bowls and spoons as Dave went to scoop up his own serving.
At the couch, she sat on the opposite end of Fen-Hua. She saw his gaze rest on her for a moment before returning to the book at hand. A vague feeling of unease bit at her legs but she sucked it up and continued her meal, not paying mind to the younger boy.
Over in the smaller room, two menacing forces stood at each wall. Their gazes scalded each other, the shorter bared her teeth like a rabid dog. The other only glared with menace, the look making up for the beads of cold sweat forming at her temples, “So, you taking in white kids? You gotten amnesia or something? Maybe the drugs they shoved down your mommy’s throat DID hand down‒”
The bed springs screamed at impact, weight crushing down Nadra’s chest as Melina pressed her knee down. The shorter’s eyes carried anger that made her jaw throb, and repression struggled to hold on as such to prevent her from wrapping hands around the other’s throat.
“They’re at eachother’s throats, again!” Dave purposefully yelled to be audible all the way to the farthest room, Bernadette’s eyes widened the size of saucers.
“Ah, don’t press yourself too much. Nadra likes to stomp all over Bosslady’s temper. Can’t kill her though, she a spy if we had any,” Dave tried to lift up Bernadette’s spirits, guffawing at the reaction. She had enough on her plate as is, another murder wouldn’t help her mental state.
Nadra tipped her head to the side, a smirk playing upon her lips as she stared at Melina.
“Heard it? I’m a valuable asset,” she snorted, some air forcing out just by the pressure on her chest, “Wouldn’t be comin’ here if I didn’t get any sauce. So, you better let go before I lose consciousness, boss.”
Melina released the other’s chest, getting up from the bed as she crossed her arms and dug her nails into the flesh of them, “So?”
Nadra wiggled her pointer finger in front of her face as she sat up:
“Nuh-uh. First you tell me why a snowflake is just loungin’ in my room and as soon as I’m boutta play with it, you butt in like it’s ya lover, not so secret one at that.”
“Da name’s Bernadette, ya better use it,” when the ginger replied, the taller woman’s mouth hung open in surprise, before returning to the wicked grin.
“Oh? On a first name basis? You're just cementing those claims,” she let out a deep hoarse laugh, Melina’s glare turned sharp enough to slice through Nadra whole.
“Shut the fuck up. She was married to the capo, that’s all,” the smaller breathed out, the other seemed to be pleased.
“Ah, I see. We gettin’ the spoils then,” the woman sitting at the bed rolled her eyes before she spoke again, “Aside from that, I think they’re at the girl’s tail already. At least his gang is, guessing the higher-ups are gonna get involved only if the soldiers are busted.”
Melina’s eyes stared off at a space above Nadra as if in deep thought.
“He was quite a valuable one to take out, he brought in the most money but stayed loose on security. I guess they underestimated the anger of NYC gangs,” Nadra stood up, “Especially one of they former‒”
"Stop," Melina deadpanned at the other, who remained with a smile on her features.
Only moments later, a faint smile replaced her earlier pursed lips and bared teeth, “Then all we gotta do is clear out the gang and get the uppers on our tail,” she concluded, the taller a bit perplexed.
“Well, yeah. But I think we best have someone with us‒”
“Not needed, it’s my own score to settle,” Melina turned as she headed toward the door before a low whistle sounded behind her, “So, I get the girl?”
Melina didn’t waste a second to jerk around and send a leg between the other’s legs into her groin.
“Fuck,” she screamed as her hands flew to her crotch and she toppled down to her knees, “You’re fucked!”
Melina grinned as she opened the door, “You’re getting Fen, then.”
She heard a groan in response as she walked out, heading to the couch. Bernadette curled up at the armrest on the right, seeming to have dozed off along with Dave beside her. Fen-Hua looked up from his book and snorted.
“She just sleeps,” the Chinese he spoke rolled off his tongue better than single english words he'd utter. Melina stifled a laugh.
“Yeah,” she replied in the same language, although it sounded different from his slick pronunciation, be it from talking in English for so long or otherwise.
“Hey, hey! Wake up sleepyhead, you’re sleeping in my room tonight!” Melina pat the ravenette on the head as she yelled, startling Dave awake in the process.
“You really know when to yell loud 'nuff to turn it into a nightmare,” he groaned as he threw his head back. Fen-Hua looked at him and then at his sister who helped the other girl to stand up in her sleepy daze.
“Oh, you’re spending the night with Nadra, sorry,” she tried not to break out into a laugh, her face contorted, she hid it from his sight. The look on his face showed nothing but betrayal, and she couldn’t get enough of it.
As soon as she flopped Bernadette onto the couch that lounged inside her room, the other seemed to fall right back to sleep. This left Melina with nothing to do, she resorted to sitting on her bed and staring at the single hole the size of a bullet sticking out from the light blue wall until her eyes burned.
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