The early morning sunlight filtered through the curtains of the hotel room, casting a golden glow that felt cruel against the somber mood. The air was heavy, and the once lively banter and laughter that had filled the room between the trio was now replaced by silence.
Veronica sat by the window, her knees drawn to her chest, staring blankly at the world outside. Her usually fiery, outspoken demeanor was nowhere to be found. The news of Daisy’s death had shaken her to her core, leaving her raw and vulnerable in a way she hadn’t experienced in years.
Clara sat quietly on the bed, her arms wrapped tightly around a pillow. Tears streamed down her cheeks, her soft sobs filling the silence. She was the youngest, the baby of their group, and Daisy had been her protector-a guiding light in an otherwise harsh and judgmental world. Without her, Clara felt adrift.
“She’s really gone,” Veronica whispered, her voice cracking. It was the first thing she’d said in hours.
Clara sniffled, wiping her face with trembling hands. “It doesn’t feel real. It doesn’t feel fair. How could this happen? She was… she was Daisy. She was larger than life.”
Veronica clenched her jaw, trying to suppress the tears threatening to spill. “We didn’t even get to say goodbye.”
Clara looked at her, her eyes filled with sorrow. “You knew her longer than I did. What was she like… before?”
Veronica exhaled shakily, her fingers gripping the edge of the windowsill. “She was… complicated. Before the show, we were just acquaintances. I thought she was like every other spoiled starlet-entitled, self-absorbed, and unaware of how the real world worked. But then…” She paused, her lips trembling. “Then I actually got to know her. She wasn’t what I thought at all. She was… kind, thoughtful, and stronger than anyone I’ve ever met.”
Clara’s tears renewed at Veronica’s words. “I wish I’d known her longer. She made me feel safe. Like… like everything would be okay as long as she was around.”
Veronica swallowed hard, her voice barely above a whisper. “She had this way of making you feel like you mattered, even when you didn’t believe it yourself. She could make you laugh when you were at your lowest and give you hope when everything felt impossible.”
The two women sat in silence for a moment, the weight of their shared grief pressing down on them.
“I can’t stop thinking about that night,” Clara admitted, her voice trembling. “The fire… the screams… I keep seeing her face, and I keep thinking-what if we’d been there? What if we could have saved her?”
Veronica turned to Clara, her eyes red and filled with pain. “We can’t live like that. Daisy wouldn’t want us to. She’d want us to keep going, to fight, to live.”
“But how?” Clara asked, her voice breaking. “How do we move on without her?”
Veronica didn’t have an answer. All she could do was reach out and take Clara’s hand, squeezing it tightly.
Later that night, Veronica sat alone in the room, a glass of wine in her hand. She had waited until Clara had fallen asleep before retreating to her thoughts. She pulled out her phone and scrolled through the pictures she had taken during the show.
Her thumb hovered over a picture of Daisy, mid-laugh, her eyes sparkling with joy. It was a candid shot, taken during one of their first bonding moments. Veronica felt a lump rise in her throat as she stared at it, her heart aching with the weight of loss.
She remembered the first real conversation they’d had, the moment Daisy had let her guard down and showed Veronica a glimpse of the woman behind the fame.
*”You’re not what I expected,” Veronica had said, tilting her head as she studied Daisy.
“And what did you expect?” Daisy had asked with a raised brow, a playful smirk on her lips.
“I don’t know… Someone fake, I guess. Someone who’d care more about their image than the people around them.”
Daisy had laughed, a genuine, melodic sound. “Well, I hate to disappoint, but I’m as real as it gets.”*
Veronica smiled bitterly at the memory, tears streaming down her face. She missed Daisy’s laugh, her warmth, her strength.
Setting the glass down, she whispered into the quiet, “I’ll make sure you’re remembered, Daisy. I’ll make sure they all know who you really were.”
Clara stirred in her sleep, mumbling Daisy’s name. Her face was scrunched up in distress, her body trembling as if caught in a nightmare. Veronica moved to her side, gently shaking her awake.
“Clara, wake up. It’s just a dream,” Veronica said softly.
Clara bolted upright, her chest heaving as she gasped for air. Tears streamed down her face as she clung to Veronica. “I saw her,” she sobbed. “She was calling out for help, but I couldn’t reach her.”
Veronica held Clara tightly, stroking her hair. “It’s okay. It’s just a dream. Daisy’s at peace now.”
“But what if she’s not?” Clara whispered, her voice trembling. “What if she was trying to tell us something?”
Veronica didn’t know how to answer. All she could do was hold Clara and hope that, somehow, they would find a way to heal.
As the night wore on, the two women sat together, their grief binding them in a way that words never could. And though Daisy was gone, her presence lingered, a shadow in their hearts that refused to fade.