Part 24* - Lea and the Recovery (Unfinished)

This is the start of what would have been a the next chapter in the series. This picks up with Lea and sets her back on a path to getting better. This was one of the parts I found hard to write. Maybe it's the subject matter, I was caught between not wanting to "cheapen" what Lea was going through but also not having an easy time writing the depressive melancholy. I have put parts of myself (or parts I wish I had) in many of my characters, and maybe this was just too close to home. I don't know, but it's been sitting unpublished for some time and I had even written out an outline for the rest of the story to try to drag myself forward without a lot of progress. I won't be doing the normal PDF download for this, unless someone asks. Anyways, enjoy a brief glimpse into Lea and her RV adventuring:

The Stories of Bound Friends

Part 24* - Lea and the Recovery

Unfinished

By JessBaby

Lea’s dull trance staring at the distant TV was suddenly interrupted as Lucky stood up and began to wag his tail. She sat up on the couch, watching the dog as he began to walk circles and whine as he always did shortly before Kiara came back. Lea could never hear the signs of return but Lucky always seemed to know. She ran her hands through her hair, trying in vain to make it look like she hadn’t just stayed on the couch the whole time Kiara had been gone.

“Hey.. hey there,” Kiara greeted as she opened the door and leaned forward on the stairs to grab and scratch Lucky’s head while he was still eye level. “And how about you? How are you feeling?” She continued in a much more human tone when she was obviously addressing Lea. She closed the door behind her and walked up the three steps to the main level.

“I’m.. fine.. I’m..” Lea stammered as she ran her hand through her matted and spiked up hair. It was still short enough to stand up and show proof of just how long she’d been laying down.

“Honest answer?” Kiara asked, sitting down next to her and only giving Lucky just enough attention to keep him from begging for more.

“I.. well not as terrible as yesterday.. I guess” Lea mumbled.

“Well that’s good,” Kiara said as she placed an arm around Lea and let Lea lean against her.

Lucky pushed his way in, poking his head as far as it could stretch to try to reach one or both of their faces. Lea smiled just a bit and pet the eager dog who returned the affection with his eyes. He gently set his paw between the girls to lean up onto the couch a little more. He left his other leg raised and bent, not finding a good spot to set it down that seemed to feel stable to him.

“And did you behave yourself while I was gone? Huh?” Kiara asked rhetorically to the dog. He whimpered back and began to wag his tail at even faster speed. Kiara moved her hands to scratch his sides. “He alright?” she asked again but in a more serious tone.

“He was fine..  just kind of lay beside the couch the whole time like he usually does. Hoping I drop my hand down and pet him,” Lea replied, still lightly scratching him. “Which I do do from time to time, so I guess it’s a smart little ploy.”

“And has he.. been the only one laying down since I left?” Kiara asked, somewhat delicately.

Lea exhaled softly as she considered lying. “No.. I.. I didn’t get up like I though. I kind of just..”

“That’s alright. But how about you come out with me now? Just out to the park, no big crowds or pressure or anything. But it’s been days, and you haven’t stepped outside since you first stepped inside. I don’t want to tell you how to be, but you’ll probably feel better if you get out even just a little bit,” Kiara calmly suggested. “How about this, you throw the ball for him say five times then you can come back in if you want.”

Lea thought about it, looking down at Lucky’s excited eyes as they darted back and forth between the two of them. “Just the park, the one right immediately outside the door?” Lea asked,feeling like she needed to simply ask something before saying yes.

“Just the park, you don’t even need to go more than a few steps out.” Kiara replied calmly before more excitedly addressing Lucky “Go get your ball, go get it!”

Lucky darted away to go grab the bright orange tennis ball that was by the bathroom door. He pranced back happily with it held between his teeth.

“That’s it though, just a few throws then I can go back inside right?” Lea asked as she sat forward.

“If that’s all you want to do, sure,” Kiara said as she bent forward and held Lucky’s head between her hands. “But who can say no to this face?”

****

“Morning,” Kiara said a little surprised as she came out of the bedroom the next morning. Lea had prefered to sleep on the couch so that as she couldn’t sleep she had the TV to watch. She had been somewhere between asleep or vegetable most mornings, but surprisingly she was not only sitting up but had an empty bowl with a spoon and just a bit of milk. Lucky came rushing up to Kiara, whining and wagging his tail. “Yes I’ll get to you in a second! I’ll get your food don’t worry!” Kiara said  as she walked back to the cupboard that had the dry dog food.

“I.. I actually gave him some already..” Lea said.

“She did! Then why are you trying to trick me huh?” Kiara said as she looked down sternly at her dog. Lucky immediately sat down and began looking between Kiara and Lea, still excited but a little more contained. “And did she give you water too?”

“Yeah some, but he downed it pretty quick,” Lea said, leaning forward but still wrapped in the blanket she had been sleeping in.

“Oh then you just wanna go outside? Outside?” Kiara taunted causing Lucky to get back up and start whining again. “What about you?” she said as she looked over at Lea. “You up for coming out again?”

“It was.. kind of cold yesterday..”

“Didn’t you grow up in Pennsylvania? This is a lot warmer than that even if it’s been an unusually cold week,” Kiara asked.

“I just mean.. well cold for.. for the jacket you got me at least. I appreciate you bringing me some more clothes and all..” Lea stammered.

“How about a nice warm shower first?” Kiara asked.

Lea sat forward and rested her head in her hands, trying to think. Thought that was interrupted as Lucky saw an opportunity to lick her face. “Urgh.. get off!” Lea said as she shoved Lucky back with a bit of a chuckle . “Fine.. but one condition. Don’t.. like.. this is going to sound weird but.. please try not to make this like some big deal alright? I really don’t want to feel your.. whatever optimis.. or like.. help.. I don’t want to be the girl so bad that a morning shower needs a parade ok? Just.. I don’t think I can take that.. pitty or whatever it is.. I really don’t want that. Is that.. do you know what I mean?”

“Sure.. won’t say a word, we’ll just wait for you out here and that’ll be that,” Kiara said as she took a seat at the dining nook.

****

Lea could see her breath, it nearly fogged her glasses, but the air was crisp. The puffy black jacket she wore preserved a lot of the warmth of the shower, but she was starting to regret not having any gloves. The so called “park” was more accurately a wooded hillside, a small gap of undeveloped land between suburban homes on either side. The walk was short, just down to the creek and back, but Lucky dashed this way and that making his outing several times larger for him. So many trees to sniff, so many things to investigate, but as they approached the road he rushed ahead as he saw another dog walking by the road. It was lanky and thin, wearing a thin purple vest with a long nose and big wide eyes. Lucky’s tail furiously wagged as he began to chase the other dog. The other dog took off towards the woods, panting and looking back but easily outpacing Lucky.

“Diana.. Diana come,” called a female voice whose source was still blocked by the RV. The dog turned around almost on a dime and began rushing back towards the road where the voice was coming from.

“If you’re not up for seeing anyone still, you wanna make a break for the RV? I could probably distract whoever this is, or just tell them to take off” Kiara whispered to Lea.

“No.. that won’t be.. needed. I think I can stumble through a bit of small talk,” Lea said.

Kiara began to smile just a little but wanted to be sure to not show Lea. She loudly whistled, causing Lucky to stop playing with this new dog and come running back to her. He followed beside but still seemed to have excitement pouring out of him as they approached the RV where Diana and her owner were.

The woman that walked into view was tall and wearing a jogging outfit, covering her from head to toe in flexible fabric. Her dark black skin was only visible at her hands and above her neck where a headband kept her full curly hair at bay. Her hair’s thick black volume was accented by streaks and tips of dark purple in a shade not very different than her headband or jacket.  “Hello..” she said somewhat awkwardly as she looked at Lea, then back to Kiara and back to Lea again.

“Hi I’m Kiara,” she said as she reached a hand out of her pocket and shook the approaching woman’s hand. Lucky immediately took the contact as permission to begin to sniff the other dog.

“You don’t mind?” the woman said as she bent down to reach for Diana’s collar.

“No go ahead,” Kiara said before watching the splotchy white greyhound take off to a sprint in an instant, leaving Lucky to try desperately to keep up. “Didn’t catch your name.”

“Oh right.. duh. Meria. So are you two.. like.. sorry never mind,” she said as she looked again between the two of them, deciding in the end not to ask her question.

“We’re clones, you caught us. Built in a government lab for some.. reason,” Kiara joked in a dry serious tone.

“Oh yeah.. that would explain a few things,” Meria said with a wide and disarming toothy smile. “That the lab they made you in?” she asked pointing back at the camper.

“Something like that,” Kiara said as she looked back at Lea. Lea looked back, still mute but not signaling any strong panic or discomfort.

Lea swallowed once before forcing herself to quietly say “Lea,” and reach out a hand. The woman’s soft delicate hands were cold, but her smile and eagerness made it feel warmer. She left her hand there perhaps a little long, but once it crossed her mind that it might be lingering too long she was fast to withdraw in back into her jacket pocket.

“So I don’t want to.. keep you too long. Heart rate or whatever if you were mid run..” Kiara said, politely tapping the breaks.

“Probably right well.. nice to meet you,” she said before giving out a loud call recalling her dog and setting back off to jog along the edge of the empty two lane road.

Lucky came rushing back with his tongue hanging out of the side of his mouth before nearly collapsing down onto the ground at Kiara’s feet. “Aww is someone tired?” Lea said as she reached down and scratched his fur still slightly damp from when he had been splashing around in the creek. Kiara looked at Lea who noticed the attention and began instantly to look down at the ground and stomp back towards the RV.

****

“I have a confession to make,” Kiara said as she sat down at the couch. “Please.. don’t be mad but I need to tell you know or you’ll probably be more pissed later.”

“Not a great way to start out,” Lea said as she leaned against the kitchen counter and glared.

“I know I promised to be upfront, not try and do any.. well not to hide what I’m doing any more. That run in.. that wasn’t an accident, I kind of arranged it while you were in the shower.”

“How do you even arrange something like that?” Lea said, almost sounding more curious than hurt.

“She’s an old friend. I didn’t tell her any of the why, I didn’t tell her anything about you, I just told her to take a walk by and to pretend she doesn’t know me. I also knew I could tell her to fuck off if I needed to and she’d be cool with it,” Kiara explained.

“Why can’t you just leave me alone? Goddamnit, why do you.. fuck!” Lea exclaimed as she banged her open palm against the counter. The force left a sting stronger than she was expecting, causing her to grunt out. She spun around, gripping her hand and closing her eyes. She opened them as she felt Lucky brush up against her leg. She looked down at his wide eyes and slid down to the floor with her back against the counter. She began to scratch Lucky’s head as her thoughts spun, not sure what line to follow back out of the confusing jumble to a stable train of thought. A silence fell over the room. “I didn’t mean to snap but.. fucking hell.. I told you I didn’t want.. I..”

“Feel free to hate me if you want.. I was just kind of thinking.. just.. that it’d be a.. like a small step. Sometimes we all need a little push to make those when they seem really hard to do otherwise,” Kiara said, leaning forward on the couch, slumped over and partly staring at the ground. “I mean.. before I said anything.. you were fine that it happened right?”

“Yeah.. but.. shit you’re twisting.. I don’t even know any more,” Lea mumbled almost incoherently. “I really.. I hate being like this. I *know* you mean well.. I do.. it just makes me feel.. I mean to make a big deal about just.. bumping into someone.. Why do you keep fucking doing this? Make me feel like.. like I’m so fucking.. broken that these little things are worth.. celebrating. Like taking a shower this morning.. well I mean with that at least you kept.. quet. You been hatching any other shit behind my back?”

“No.. I promise. I’ve kept to your instructions, no logging you on, no charging your phone, I promise.” Kiara called back apologetically. “I really worried about if I should do what I did, I worried it’d push you too much if I did this, but.. I did it anyway. Then I thought.. I shouldn’t try to keep it from you now, that you’d be way more hurt later if I kept it from you now.”

“I get.. I mean I’m still.. I understand but.. let me just be alone for a while ok?” Lea pleaded before beginning to wipe the tears just starting to form and letting Lucky lick her now salty hands.

“Ok.. well I’ll just go to the bedroom for a little bit, give you some space,” Kiara said as she got up and walked back without looking over to Lea. She set her phone down on the edge of the counter. “Incase you want to know more or even get in touch with her. All on your terms of course, I’ll just make myself scarce now,” she said as she closed the door behind her. Lea looked up at the small spit of phone sticking over and reached up to grab it. It was open to the woman’s contact page. Lea put it back up on the counter for now, returning both her hands and her attention to Lucky. She could do that later.

****

Kiara: Hi.. this is Kiara’s friend using her phone. So.. she just filled me in, sorry for the whole pretending you don’t know her thing.

Meria: Oh hi! No need to apologize. You must know what she’s like right? ;)

Kiara: So she really didn’t mention why? Or who I was?

Meria: Nope, not a word.

Meria: Do you wish she had?

Kiara: I told her not to, I don’t want to deal with anyone. But then she tried pushing you in anyway.

Meria: Oh.. suddenly things are making more sense.

Kiara: ?

Meria: Makes sense why she wouldn’t just introduce you. She didn’t want to break your rule

Kiara: Well she’s not good at following it either.

Meria: But at the same time, you’re the one filling me in not her. You initiated even, maybe you feel you’re done with that rule by now ;)

Kiara: She started it, not me!

Kiara: I know that sounds childish, but it’s true.

Kiara: Kind of pissed at her right now, but she’s in the other room. And what I storm out into the empty park? Like.. WTF can I even do?

Meria: Want me to tell her to GTFO for you?

Kiara: No, no I’ll just deal I guess. Long as she stays in her room I’m probably ok for a while.

Meria: Want me to get you TFO?

Kiara: No I can suck it up.

Kiara: Actually, that still on the table?

Meria: Yeah, for sure. I can pick you up if you want, I’m free most of the day.

Kiara: Never mind. Don’t want to be bother.

Meria: Seriously, no bother.

Kiara: Fine.

****

It had taken Lea minutes to work up the nerve to send her last reply. It took several more minutes before she could coax herself up and really consider if this was a good idea. It took hearing a faint rumble in the bedroom after another few minutes before she walked outside to wait and see. She’d been quiet and clutched Kiara’s phone tight to her. Had it been another few minutes she might have turned around, but a blue subaru hatchback pulled up almost as soon as she leaned against the front of the RV. The passenger window rolled down and she could see the black jogger’s face, still in her gear looking out silently at her. Lea wasn’t sure about her choice, even as she began to slowly walk towards the unlocked car door to get in. She didn’t know this woman, she just wanted to get away from where she was.

Meria paused for a moment after Lea came in, wanting to see if she had anything to say. After just enough time for an awkward silence to form, she delicately asked “Do you.. Want me to take you somewhere specific?”

“Just not here,” Lea said as she finally fastened her seat belt. She didn’t look at Meria, she only looked out at the scenery as it passed her by. Lea looked out as the small road climbed down a tree covered hillside before dead ending into a four lane highway. The road followed a wide flowing river. After a very short trip they veered off at the first possible exit and Lea shifted her head. She realized she had no idea what river that was, she had no idea where any of this was. She was startled and tried to search her memories, how had she never asked Kiara where she had taken her? That realization hit her hard. She knew she had been dazed, but how could she have been that out of it? “Where.. Um..” she managed to say before finding it hard again to continue.

“We’re going back to my place.. Since you didn’t have a place in mind. Give you a break, that RV looked big but I’m sure that kind of living could get on anyone’s nerves. I can order food if you want..” Meria said like she was working the front desk of a hotel.

“No I mean.. Never mind,” Lea interjected before backing away from her point again.

“If you’re not comfortable we can go somewhere else.. Or are you having second thoughts now about all of it? I could turn around pretty easy,” Meria said after Lea took another pause.

“Not that.. Just.. I’m realizing I don’t know where.. Here is,” Lea finally said.

“Like the street? We’re just on the other side of the park now. It’s kind of a long way but there’s no way to just drive through so..”

“No.. I mean..” Lea said interrupting Meria. “It’s kind of dawning on me.. I have no idea where I am. She’s the one that set the destination and.. I mean if she told me it didn’t register,” she said slowly as the car pulled into a driveway beside a detached garage with a second story. Lea looked over at the car beside them but didn’t recognize the licence plate.

“You have no idea at all?” Meria asked almost in disbelief.

“I was.. Going through some stuff. Am going through stuff..”

“Well it sounds like you’re coming out of the worst of it at least. But if you’d rather ‘go through stuff’ alone I’d understand,” Meria said unbuckling her seatbelt but not yet moving.

“Why are you trying to be so helpful? You don’t even know me,” Lea mumbled.

“You’re right, I don’t know much about you, but Kiara does. She trusts you so that’s all I need. You sounded like you needed a break so I offered one. I’m guessing it’s probably been a good while since you got out of there right?”

Lea adjusted her glasses and silently turned her head to look out the side window. “Days.. maybe a week?” Lea mumbled as she tried to remember herself. “Depends on what day it is. It was.. It was a Friday..”

“It’s a Thursday now, for as much as that’s worth. So not quite a week, but I’m sure it’s long enough in a cramped camper,” Meria said after Lea trailed off again. “So you really have no clue where you even are?”

“Kiara.. She put in the address.. I was kind of..” Lea said quietly before she trailed off again. “But still.. Why do you care if I’ve been cramped? I don’t get it. So I’m some girl your friend knows..”

Meria leaned over the armrest and spoke softly but bluntly. “A few days ago my friend shows up half a year before she was supposed to. Won’t tell me how or why, won’t even say why she won’t say. Then she says come by and pretend not to know me, and I meet you. You reach out to apologize for making things weird, and that you had told Kiara not to tell anyone about you. I don’t think you’re just some girl. I don’t know what you are but don’t sell yourself short.”

“So I’m just some fascination then? Some unanswered question?” Lea shot back.

“No.. I mean you’re also that, but you also seemed like you needed a break. Was I wrong about that?”

Lea shook her head. She continued to stare out the window unsure what else to do.

“Knoxville,” Meria said to fill the empty quiet. “You’re in the hills just south of the river and the main UT campus. I don’t know if that changes anything but at least you know where you are now.”

“Well..” Lea eventually said after giving Meria ample time to finish. “I think it might. Not because of the place.. just.. I know at least now.”

****

Lea followed Meria up the rickety staircase to the loft above the garage. The way the building material changed made it rather obvious that this was an addition at some later time. With a slight shove the door creaked open and the two walked inside. Lea saw Meria’s dog Diana lazily lying on a cushion beside a cheap couch, who turned her head to watch them enter but otherwise maintained its lazy sprawl.

“So please, it’s not much but come in. Make yourself at home,” Meria said as she closed the door behind them. Most of the apartment seemed to be a general living area with the only walls being in the far corner dividing off a small bedroom and an even smaller bathroom. A series of metal structural columns ran down the middle of the apartment, holding up a roof that seemed to be mostly glass. It was almost like a greenhouse, and the scaffolding and columns held various potted plants to help that impression. It was also significantly warmer, which Lea appreciated instantly as she unzipped her jacket.

“This is an.. interesting set up,” Lea mumbled as she stared up through the glass into the overcast sky.

“Yes, it has its charm,” Meria said pensively. “Do you want anything to drink?” she asked.

“No.. thanks..” Lea replied indecisively.

 “So..” Meria continued without a clear continuation in mind.

“Yeah..” Lea nervously replied.

“This is weird isn’t it?” Meria asked more directly, breaking the tension and causing them both to chuckle slightly.

“Yeah.. Kind of just wanted to get out of there and.. I guess didn’t think much about.. well.. where I’d be when I left..”

“Could I ask you a question then? Or what that only make things more weird?”

“Things are kinda weird already..” Lea said as she slumped down on the couch just beside Diana’s bed.

“True enough..” Meria said with a shy smile. She leaned her back against one of the pillars that was somewhat opposite Lea on the couch. “Ya know.. Maybe I should just give you a bit..” she said after abiding a long moment of silence between them.

“No it..” Lea finally said after Meria was already halfway to her room. “I just.. I don’t talk.. good. And, this is..” she said before pausing again. Meria turned and quietly walked back, sitting on the other chair facing the couch. “I might.. I might be.. slow.. to say what I’m trying to get at. I just.. I want to say things and.. I.. the words just don’t work like I want them to sometimes. So.. go ahead and ask but.. just don’t expect a.. um.. a fast response every time.”

“Slow down, you’re going a mile a minute,” Meria joked.

“Ugh.. that’s not funny,” Lea said in a tone that said it was. Meria smiled again and Lea caught herself staring. She seemed to simply radiate a joy that seemed bright and genuine enough to almost seem transmissible. “So what’s your.. what’s your question?”

“Ok.. is it still one question if it has multiple parts?”

“Let’s have the first one and find out I guess,” Lea replied with a bit of a shrug.

“What exactly happened to bring you down here living in an RV, with someone who looks just like you, who was supposed to be working for another six months, when you don’t even know where here is?”

Lea looked down at the floor not sure how to answer.

“That whole mess a words is still just one question right?” Meria added causing Lea to crack half a smile. “It might feel good to unload.”

“Easy for you to say you’re not the one carrying it,” Lea said looking back up at her.

“Fair again. Look, I can start smaller. Just part maybe?”

“I.. I worked at the same place she worked. When they saw how similar we were they paired us together. My time ended, and when I did I.. well I ended up with what was left of her contract. I didn’t know where to go, and was kind of in a state of mind where I just didn’t care. So she got that RV and entered in some place, I never really tried to find out where that was,” Lea said slowly, pausing and nearly stuttering more than a few times as she worked up the best answer she felt she could give. “I think I will take a drink actually.”

“Meaning the fun kind or the regular kind?”

****

Lea started slowly at first, but she surprised herself how quickly she became comfortable talking. Perhaps it had simply been long enough that her wounds were beginning to scab over. Maybe it had just been so long since she spent time with anyone besides Kiara, she was feeling desperate for someone new. She wasn’t spending much of her energy questioning it, she simply let her story flow.

Meria let her go on, uninterrupted for some time, filling in what Lea was willing to share. Not about Sophia, but about the two’s bond, about the depression she got into without being very specific as to why, until Lea breezed past something that caused Meria to finally speak up. “Wait hold up, so after all you went through, she just kind of tackled you and chained you up?”

“It.. I mean it sounds bad when you put it like that,” Lea said, pressing her glasses up with her index finger as a nervous twitch. “And looking back she did kind of.. Like.. kind of ask.”

“Is that why you needed to leave? Look she’s one of my best friends but she can be a little intense and you bring up any kind of mental.. well unwellness and her decision skills get a whole lot, let’s just call it non-objective. If you need a place to stay away from..”

“No, it’s not.. I didn’t need to get out of there because of that. I just.. I needed to be away.” Lea said as she pulled her legs up onto the couch. “Honestly, it’s nothing to do with that.. Cause at least then it.. Well it was a distraction. I had a focus other than.. me. That I need to be babied along like.. I am just so fucking tired of being fucking tired. It’s fucking.. I’m just I want to be done.” Lea vented  as she wrapped her arms around her legs. “And when you offered to just get me out, I tried thinking about it and well.. I don’t actually have anywhere to be. So why the hell couldn’t I just take off? I don’t have a home or a job, I can live anywhere really. I mean, I’m sure that’s not what you were meaning when you offered,” Lea said with a light chuckle.

“Yeah, that’s certainly not what I meant with my text” Meria said, with a slight chuckle.

“Not saying that it is.. But.. I mean I could. I could just.. I don’t know what! I have not had the most normal year. But right now? Right at this moment there’s nowhere I need to be, no one expecting me, and I’m more than capable of supporting myself.. If not forever than at least for a very long time. It’s kind of the upside I hadn’t really been thinking of. Hadn’t really been letting myself think of. But I can’t do that if I keep living in my own shadow. That’s what I was getting away from. Kiara.. I like her enough, I’m just feeling like I’ll always going to be looking back if I’m with her cause.. I mean how do you go forward with a clean break without actually.. breaking I guess. And yeah, don’t worry, I know this isn’t what you signed up for!”

“No I get it, I do. Self reflection and all that, not exactly always coming at the most convenient moments,” Meria said with an understanding smile.

****************************************************************************

****************************************************************************

Rest of the story:

So this is where I was thinking of going:

First, Lea just starts to relax. Then as the room gets warm (the reason I made it like a greenhouse) Lea makes some comment about how terrible it must get in Summer. Meria, who’s bent over getting something out of the fridge, then says “Yeah in August I’m basically naked 24/7” To which Lea has a sudden picture of her bent over like that but naked. Meria notices a look and teases “Now you’re just picturing me naked aren’t you?” in a slightly flirtatious way.

Then, later that day, Lea gets a call on Kiara’s phone from her own phone, which she declines. Lea justifies it to Meria by saying she just needs a break from Kiara. Right after that explanation, Meria gets a call from Kiara, and with input on what to say basically assures Kiara that Lea’s safe but wants space.

That would be when Meria is asked about how she knows Kiara. That’s when Meria would talk about how she lived on the same dorm floor as Kiara, but weren't friends at first. Then, she as a nervous freshmen paced outside this one room she had read was holding a campus event that sparked an odd interest. It was like a safe sex talk but more focused on BDSM, it promised “demonstrations” and instruction on a few things she’d never been a daring enough person to try in high school. She would pace the hallway as if she was just passing by as she watched other people go in. Then Kiara walked by and recognized her vaguely from being on the same floor. Kiara saw right through the fake “I’m just passing by” excuse and encouraged her to come in. She was then one of the demonstrators, and near the end when they offered to “demonstrate” on the students Kiara coaxed her to volunteer. That’s where she learned she loved to be hit.

And Meria, in a bit of oversharing, then rambled on about why she has those plants hanging like she does, so that she could get chained up and whipped  without the hardware looking obvious. Lea is.. Well.. worked up by all this. And as Lea asks a few more probing questions of Meria about if it ever got serious between her are Kiara, Meria kind of picks up on that. She calls her dog into her bedroom and closed the door, leaving them alone in the main room. Lea goes with it, and after seeing her collection of hitters, and chaining her up with her hands outstretched, she starts to unload. And she finds that being in control again is a huge release of sorts, and just goes a little too far causing Meria to cry out a safeword.

I haven’t worked out a very natural way to transition from all that to the ending, but the story should have this at the ending:

Somehow Kiara either by showing up in person or calling persistently, shares the social media post Andrea made at the start of the last story with Lea. It had simply come as a notification once her phone was back on, so it’s different than “looking them up” which Lea had told her not to do. As a result, Lea breaks down, overwhelmed that somehow Sophia was safe after all. Then the story ends with her dialing Andrea’s phone number.