- Vol. 09
- Chapter 06
SECOND SKIN
Alluring. Enticing. Mesmerising. You were just astonishing in every way. Captivating any room each time you entered came so effortlessly to you – like breathing. It was in your DNA. You would flash that seductive smile of yours so naturally and there was always a glimmer of unpredictability in your eyes. Nobody ever quite knew what you would say or do next. Perhaps that was all part of your popularity. You exuded an irresistibility and fascinated even the most stoic. However, behind that glimmer there was something more, something the untrained eye would never be able to see. When you are subject to hundreds of spellbound gazes throughout your day it would be almost impossible to spot that one gaze which observed you with an all-consuming intensity and dedication. Mine.
Much like a global virus which goes about its rampage, picking off people without method or mercy, I too had no immunity when it came to you. Committed to memory was every curve of your figure, the graceful gait of your walk and the dulcet tones of your silky laughter which had me begging to be shrouded in. Wherever you went. I followed. Whatever you prepared. I ate. Whatever you bought me. I wore. Whatever you asked. I did. Whenever you wanted me. I came. Even when you were done with me. I stayed like a stubborn bloodied stain. Before I knew it, you had made me the centre of your world before systematically and deliberately, dismantling mine. My tears fuelled your happiness, my insecurities boosted your ego and my growing weakness only made you stronger. Of course, deep down, in the very core of my being, it was clear to me that these feeling didn’t stem from love or lust or even loathing…
SECOND SKIN
Fear. You see, at the exact moment you chose me as your next source of amusement by reeling me in then breaking me down for your ephemeral enjoyment, you inadvertently awoke the dormant part of my being. An element, which up until then lay in slumber until the traumatic trigger was pulled. At last I understood: seeing what everyone had missed was the purpose of my birth. Catching polluted inner thoughts or adverse vibrations was now second nature to me. It was in my DNA.
You were far too clever for the ordinary masses. They were simply ill-equipped to catch the glint of darkness in your eyes, to feel the shadows in the atmosphere which enveloped you and see the ferociousness behind that well practiced, permanently-etched smile on your oh so beautiful, feature-perfect face. Others couldn’t taste your acid-laced words which regularly erupted from the void within you: beguiled by your bile. You were a walking abyss, cloaked in darkness and adversity. Your outward appeal was only a façade for your inherent need to possess souls. A vicious veneer for your unmerciful nature and relentless ruthlessness. You wore your aura like a second skin.