Aquarius
Act 5

*this chapter may contain triggers for some readers; please read with caution.*

The Typical Aquarius Male:
Appearance -
* is usually taller than average
* has long bones
* may have broad hips

* is strongly built

* has a distinctive facial feature (freckles, moles, etc.)
* has a high broad forehead

*

"What the-? Yo! GET UP!" a voice shouted while Janiah tried to sleep peacefully. Maybe she was dreaming, so she decided not to move; perhaps they'll go away. Then flashlights pointed at her face as she heard more people walking into the room. She opened one eye and squinted at the harsh flashlights and the harsher sun streaming through the window. "GET UP, YOU GOTTA GO NOW!"

Janiah rolled over on her back as she groaned. She held her right arm over her face to block all the flashlights. Why were they pointing flashlights at her if it was 9 am? "Excuse me? YOU have to go. I live here!"

"How did you cut up your hand, ma'am?"

"Don't worry about it," Janiah said as she looked around her old room. But it didn't look like her old room anymore. Did her parents convert her bedroom with all her prized possessions into a bland-ass guest room? She almost didn't recognize the place until she saw some marker writing on the door frame leading to the adjoining bathroom. It showed how fast Janiah had grown. She looked at the date when she reached 5 feet and was only ten years old. That was the only thing she recognized in her room. She then looked in shock and noticed the voices yelling at her were Bermuda's police. What the fuck?

"Have you been drinking, ma'am?"

"You see any liquor? How can I drink when I am sleeping?" she asked with an attitude. 

"Are you on any substances, ma'am?"

"Are you on any substances, sir? Like I said, I LIVE HERE!" she said. "My parents changed the locks on me due to some stupid, petty fight, but I do live here. Just call James or Jennifer Peterson," she said her parents' names disdainfully. They must've had one of the maids call the police, unbelievable.

"The homeowners are right here. You mean to tell me that these are your parents?" the policeman said as he gestured to an old white couple standing in the hallway looking like two old deers in headlights. 

"Of course not-"

"These are the homeowners. They said they bought this house last month."

"No, those...they must be new housekeepers because they fired the ones who let me in when I first got here," Janiah said as she massaged her temples.

"Looks like a classic Goldilocks case, boss. Did you eat their porridge and sit on all their furniture before you decided this bed was just right?" another officer said, and they laughed. Except for the homeowners and Janiah, there was nothing funny about this. "What's perfect is she's got some blonde in her hair."

"Ma'am, you gotta come with us. Let's get you booked and sobered up," the other policeman said as seriously as he could. Janiah glared at him. "Ma'am, don't make us force you-"

"I live here! I did- I mean, I do! Lift the floorboard right in front of the bathroom, and you'll find something down there. I'll prove it to you. This is MY room."

"Now she's a magician," the "comedian" cop said. 

"Lift the board, Talboot," the other policeman said, not taking his eyes off Janiah. She was slowly coming to terms with what was happening, coming down from a high, no doubt. Once she realizes she is going to jail, she will probably run for it. Police weren't allowed to carry guns here, but they had tasers that made you feel like you'd been shot. He didn't want to use it on her. 

His partner sighed, walked to the bathroom door, and stomped on the floorboards. "Looks like these are brand new floors. You got the wrong house, ma'am."

"Ma'am, I need you to put your hands in the air-"

"This IS my house! My parents moved all my shit out and erased me like I was never here!" Janiah exclaimed. She wanted to cry, but she was too tired and confused. This had to be a bad dream.

"Before we renovated, the floorboard used to come up," one of the homeowners piped up. 

"The box was still there? The crystal necklace?" she asked, snapping her head toward them.

"At the time, but we threw them away-"

"YOU THREW THEM AWAY!?"

"Ma'am, calm down-"

"What are you trying to arrest me for!?" she turned to the officers that woke her up to put her in another nightmare.

Can she actually wake up now?

"Breaking and entering and possibly drug and alcohol intoxication. You broke the window at the back entrance to get in?"

"And public indecency," their partner said as he looked her up and down. The sheets weren't covering her backside as she sat up in bed, and he made sure to get a good view. "Nice tattoo."

"Cut it out, Talboot," his partner warned. "Ma'am, if you stay calm, you'll make this easier for yourself and-"

"Get him out of here," Janiah said, and the police officer actually listened to her. Talboot sucked his teeth.

"Take the homeowner's statements. Get them off the property." There's a news van outside. Once Talboot left, he said, "Ma'am, please put your hands up."

"Can I at least get dressed!?" Janiah said defeatedly. "I'm naked." The police officer escorted everyone out of the room. "You can go too."

"Can't let you out of my sight."

Janiah sighed, "Fine. Just turn that way."

Twenty minutes later, Janiah was handcuffed, escorted to the cop car, and told her rights. She saw the For Sale sign in the front yard with SOLD in bold red letters. Once seated in the back of the squad car, she looked at the house in shock. The whole place looked different. Bland. Mostly white and black furniture. What's worse was the entire house was now painted white when it used to be a bright and beautiful baby blue. She didn't notice it last night because it was dark.

Her family hated her so much that they would rather her be homeless than be able to live in the home that she would eventually inherit. The first time she stopped by, the housekeepers were shocked to see her but let her in right after she landed. Unfortunately, the butler, who was loyal to a fault to her parents, let them know she showed up. The Petersons always let them know ahead of time if one of the family members made a solo trip and was on their way so the house would be ready. They were ordered to kick her out or be fired. The housekeepers who raised Janiah couldn't bring themselves to do it. They let her at least sleep there for the night and grab some things from her room, but she had to leave in the morning. The ones who let her spend the night were fired, and now since they sold the house, they laid off the rest of the staff, loyal asshole butler included. He kissed her parents ass right out of a job. 

She hoped he was suffering just as much as she was. She stayed away because even though they worked for the family, they were still family to her, but no one stepped in or stood up for her. A check was more important than her well-being. A tear fell as the squad car pulled off. She couldn't hold it in anymore.

*

Young Aquarius minds are always working at lightning speed, so often, they get in a mental muddle.

*

The jail system here was way different than in the US. Some were hungover like she was, or coming down from a high, or were put in here to be taught a lesson or to simply cool the fuck off. Time seemed to stand still, and Janiah felt like she was rotting away in the holding cell with others arrested and brought in. 

How long would she stay here was the question. She didn't know what time it was or how long she'd been here. She kept nodding off, but her anxiety would wake her up before she went back into a deep hungover coma. She's usually never hungover, but the last 12 hours alone were so bizarre she would give herself a pass for this one. She usually took two aspirin before passing out; it's worked for her since her first hangover years ago.

But she had just found out that the love of her life was engaged to someone else and that her family didn't give a fuck about her. She wouldn't be here if one side had a change of heart.

"RENEE," a voice called as a couple of correction officers approached their holding cell. A loud beeping made Janiah's head feel worse as the cell doors opened and closed behind them. Everyone looked around for 'Renee.' "RENEE?" they shouted like they weren't in the same cell. "RENEE, JANIAH!"

"I'm here." Janiah jumped right up. No one called her by her new last name, so she was still getting used to that.

Then they said the magic words: Come on, you're free to go.

THANK GOD.

She ignored the corrections officers as they instructed her on whatever happened next. She didn't care; she just wanted to get out of there. 

It turns out someone did care. 

It turns out he did care.

Her belongings were returned to her, she signed out, and then practically ran out of the doors and squeezed through the gate as soon as she saw enough space to get out. It was opening too slowly for her.

Her hopeful spirit instantly died as she came to an abrupt stop as she looked at what she saw.

Or more like who she saw.

She had only one phone call, but luckily the corrections officers weren't watching, and she snuck a second one. 

After all, she knew no one on the island. She never gave out her number; the numbers she collected because she was in a nice mood or just wanted the guy to go away, were permanently deleted the next day. 

One person's number she knew by heart was Javier, who didn't answer, but she left a voicemail and hoped he would get it.

But what if he didn't?

She wracked her brain for any numbers she knew subconsciously and wanted to throw up in her mouth. 

But she had no choice.

She just hoped her favorite choice showed up.

Her hopes were shattered when she saw her now ex-boss leaning against his car, smoking a cigar.

Fuck. 

She could feel herself wanting to cry, but she held it together.

It turns out he didn't care.

"What you stop for?" her boss asked as he looked her up and down. "Come to Papa."

Janiah couldn't move and tried to take a few deep breaths. He made it harder every day for her to be fake nice, and now she couldn't do it after last night.

"You being rude, Princess. You realize what's happening, right? I bailed you out of jail with my money. You either come with me...or lock yourself back up," he said as he approached her and stood right before her. She could smell his strong cologne, and the cigar smoke made her eyes water. "Damn, did you have a bad stash? Princess, you need to stay with me. I have all the purest powder on the island. That's probably how you wound up behind bars. Where's my thank you?"

"Thank you," she said quickly and quietly.

"Nuh uh uh. Thank you, Daddy," he said with a devilish grin. 

Janiah swallowed as she tried to muster up to thank him again and call him by a name that made her feel degraded.

Besides, she no longer had a Daddy.

"Thank...you...Daddy," she forced herself to say. As soon as the words left her lips, he held her close to his side and walked her quickly to his car. He opened the door for her. She paused but then got in; the doors immediately locked her in.

He slid into the driver's seat and locked the doors again. "You don't mind if we go to my place first, do you?" he asked, not really asking her. "Got some tings to take care of," he said as he opened the console between them. There was a chilled bottle of Dusse and two glasses. "Drink?"

"Yes," she said immediately. What was this called? Hair of the Dog or something? What did that even mean? She downed as much of the drink as possible, even though it was a full glass and not a shot. She tried her best not to throw up as he sped out of the lot like a bat out of hell while her stomach was doing anxious somersaults, wondering when this fucked up day would be over?

*

Aquarians need to be taught practicality. They will need to be taught simple methods for remembering things and finding their way when they get physically lost.

*

Amethyst was closing up the record store later that night when she noticed someone moving out of the corner of her eye. She glanced toward them as she double-checked that the doors were locked. The person was struggling with a gym bag, and as they walked closer to her, she saw that their arm had a huge gash under their ripped hoodie. She thought she should run for a second, but then she recognized their face. "Janiah?" she asked in shock. 

She met Janiah just the day before. Yesterday she was a hot, talented sex pot you couldn't say shit to. She impressed not only herself but Henri, Rafael, and the others that witnessed her sick freestyle and 'pencil drum' skills. Today, it was a 180; she looked like a wounded puppy. All the confidence was sucked out of her, her life drained, and she was severely wounded.

Janiah looked up at her and cursed under her breath as she dug into her bag for her sunglasses. The sun had set, yes, but she needed them.

"Ohmygod, what happened to your eye?" Amethyst said to her as she approached her. "Who did that to you?"

See?

"Girl, please, don't worry about it."

"Should we call the police?"

"No!" Janiah said a little too harshly. She already had a run-in with the cops today and didn't need another one. Also, she was pretty sure they would be no help. "I've had a day from hell and just wanna be left alone."

"I don't know; it looks like you need help...or a hospital."

"I just want to go home," Janiah said sadly, breaking Amethyst's heart. Janiah's heart was broken, too, because she didn't have a home here. 

"Come on, at least come to my place so you can get cleaned up. I live a few blocks down," Amethyst said to her.

Janiah looked at her. "Wow, you lucked out and got a spot here to live? I've been trying to get a place here, but I'm on all the waiting lists."

"Henri and I have been living here for years. It sucks that our rent went up, but it's still cheaper than every other place. Where do you live?"

"St. George's," Janiah said quickly, not wanting to tell Amethyst too much.

"Come on, let's get you cleaned up," Amethyst told her. Janiah hesitated, but then she gave in. Amethyst smiled and, shockingly, put her arm across Janiah's back and squeezed her, giving her a church hug. Amethyst had a free shower, which was the only reason she followed her home. Living in a storage unit didn't provide her access to a bathroom or shower, so she had to get a gym membership.

However, she quickly regretted it. When she and Amethyst walked in, Henri and Rafael were on the couch, playfully nudging each other as they played Mario Kart. Janiah backed up, but Amethyst stopped her. "The bathroom is right here through my bedroom, come on," Amethyst whispered to her. Luckily, the two guys didn't notice them until Amethyst closed the door behind them.

"Am Bam? That you?" Henri called as he looked back, noticing their bedroom door was closed. Rafael scooted away from him.

"Yeah, I'll be right out," Amethyst called back. "Sorry," she said to Janiah as she turned on the light. "Sorry about the mess too," she said as she kicked a pile of clean laundry waiting to be folded to the side as she led her to the small bathroom. "You need a towel? Wash-"

"I got it from here, thanks," Janiah said hurriedly, then closed the bathroom door behind her and locked it.

"Ok, I'll be out here if you need me. Oh, and we have a First Aid kit under the sink if you need it."

Janiah answered by turning the knob in the tub to hot. She pulled the small handle under the faucet, and soon water shot out of the shower spout. She had been holding it all in. Once the water started splashing loudly into the bathtub, Janiah started to cry, hoping Amethyst and her two roomies didn't hear her. She stripped down and got in the shower but couldn't even wash. She soon found herself sliding down the tiled wall. She sat in the tub, hugging her knees to her breasts as she tried her best to sob softly. Soon she was soaked and didn't even care that her hair was wet. She had bigger issues.

When her ex-boss, Omari Luckett, was his name, took her to his home, she was drunk again, drinking the Dusse he gave her like water the whole way. She felt uncomfortable and wanted to stay in the car when he pulled up and pressured her into coming in, but she also had to use the bathroom. She had been holding it since she got arrested earlier that day and didn't want to pee around strangers. The problem was Omari was also a stranger. A stranger she didn't trust. Her bladder felt differently, and she had to listen to it.

That was the biggest mistake. He let her use the restroom, and as soon as he heard her flush, he picked the lock and let himself in. She tried to fight him off, but she wasn't as strong with her injured arm from breaking into her house. He soon started telling her how much she owed him for her 'smart ass mouth'; he should have done this a long time ago, which would be the only way to get her job back.

She refused to apologize for her smart-ass mouth; it came with the territory, a part of her defense mechanism; she didn't care nor wanted her job back; she just wanted to go home. As they wrestled, she spat in his face.

Immediately she was backed into the corner of his shower, the wall against her face, and soon he started violating her in the worst way. She tried to fight him off, but she was answered by him practically pushing her face into the wall. Hence her black eye.

He not only physically assaulted her, but he raped her. She almost threw up at the thought, the word, him, and what he did.

Luckily, he wasn't shit and didn't last long, but it didn't matter. It was too late. The damage had been done. In horror, as he got out of the tub, she glanced at his small ass dick and saw that he didn't use protection. Her panic doubled. However, she didn't know how to escape this situation until his dumbass said, "You want something to drink, Princess? I need it. That was some good ass pum-pum you just gave me." He cackled and walked out. 

She pulled herself together, pulled her pants back up, and ran. She ran out the front door, and she heard him calling after her. She ran to his car, where she had stupidly left her belongings. The doors were locked. She found a rock, threw it into his window, reached in, got her gym bag, and ran as fast as her legs could carry her. Shards of glass got on her and cut her up again, like when she broke into her home.

Or what had been her home.

She ran until she couldn't anymore and stayed in back alleys and parking lots when she noticed his car going down the street trying to find her. As she did, she went searching for a pharmacy. She picked up a few things to help heal her wounds and a Plan B pill. She kept looking over her shoulder and didn't relax until she got onto a bus. She was a long way from her storage unit when the bus reached Historic Pointe. She decided to get off. She was far enough away from Omari, and she didn't know what else to do with herself. 

That's when she ran into Amethyst.

Janiah stood up, reached around the shower curtain, and looked through her gym bag. Once she found her soap, she scrubbed her vagina with vigor, trying to get the sick Omari had left on her. She took the pill as soon as she left the pharmacy but still felt dirty.

Violated. A victim.

A violated victim.

A knock came at the bathroom door, shit. "Yeah? Almost finished."

"Just wanted to warn you that our water supply is always low. Henri washes his hair more than I do, and Rafael takes long showers, so I didn't want it to run out."

Janiah cursed under her breath and immediately turned the water off. "My bad."

"It's ok. We forget too."

Bermuda is a small island with a limited freshwater supply. Everyone relies on harvesting rainwater. The island has no rivers, lakes, or streams, just the beautiful ocean surrounding it. Most of the freshwater comes from rainwater collected on rooftops and stored in tanks. Collecting rainwater is a tradition in Bermuda, and the Bermuda Water and Sewage Company also filters the tap water of any impurities. Many homes and buildings have a system for collecting and storing water. Rainwater is typically collected from rooftops via gutters. Hence, it never touches the ground, gets contaminated, downspouts, and is diverted into tanks for storage and filtered out. However, once it runs out, it runs out.

Bermuda rainwater has potential benefits for the skin and hair too. Rainwater is naturally soft and contains fewer minerals and chemicals than hard water, which can be more drying and harsh on the skin and hair. Also, rainwater is naturally slightly acidic, which can help to balance the pH of the skin and hair and may help to prevent issues such as dryness, itching, and irritation.

So taking a shower in Bermuda was like taking a shower at an indoor waterfall of sorts. Knowing this also relaxes Janiah, but there have been many times when water was limited with a house full of 7 people while spending her summers here with her family. She was sure Amethyst wasn't lying. Her braids were long, all the way down her back. Henri was a pretty boy with enough hair to make a cute little man bun. Rafael's hair was the same length but very curly. 

She was grateful Amethyst was willing to share.

"Oh, Janiah, I got a pack of peas from the freezer for your eye," Amethyst added. Once Janiah was decent, she opened the door.

"Thanks," she said as she put the frozen pack of peas on her face.

"You want some tea?" Amethyst asked as she held up her mug. It said: I'm pretty cool, but I cry a lot. Janiah snickered at it. "What?" Amethyst asked her, relieved that she could laugh now.

"The mug. That's me right now," Janiah said as tears came to her eyes. "Ugh! I'm sorry," she said as she fought back her tears.

"Janiah, it's ok. I really wanna help you. I know you may not be comfortable with telling me-"

"AM BAM!" Henri interrupted as he called from the other room. "We're out of beer. We're going to get some more. You want anything?"

"Um, a few ginger beers and some Snickers bars," Amethyst called back and then looked at her. She mouthed, 'You want anything?' Janiah shook her head.

"Ok, we'll be back," he called, and soon the door was closed behind them.

"Good, we got the place to ourselves," Amethyst said to her as she peeked out. "Anyway, I know you have been through an ordeal tonight, but-"

"You smoke?" Janiah asked her as she noticed a full blunt in an ashtray on the coffee table in front of the couch. She was surprised. Amethyst was so quiet, at first she didn't seem like the type, but then when she looked at her low, dreamy eyes, chic boho style, and long braids, she had the look for it. This girl was getting cooler and more relatable by the minute. 

"Yeah, my therapist doesn't like it but fuck it," Amethyst said. "You?"

Janiah paused. "I haven't in a minute, and now that I lost my job, I probably have no business to," she said, which made her more depressed. Amethyst looked at her sadly. Damn, she lost her job too? Janiah then shook her head and then said, "Fuck it, I can cheat, right?"

"As long as you want to. Weed is self-care for me," Amethyst said, and Janiah smirked at her comment. "I have terrible anxiety, and I suffer from depression. This is called the 'Slurricane.'"

"Get the fuck outta here," Janiah said with a laugh. "Really?"

"Yep," Amethyst said with a smile. "Thankfully, Bermuda passed that bill. It's legal here for medical use, but you could only get 1 gram a year, but that ain't shit. Thanks to the UK, we can get 2,000 grams and get it imported."

"All Hail The Queen. Well, King," Janiah said. "All you'll get is jail time in the States," she added, and Amethyst hummed in agreement as she slid a small box of mason jars from under the couch. She picked up a jar and handed it to her. Janiah looked at the label. "Hmmm, 71% Depression, 68% Stress, and 59% Anxiety. Wait, that is way over 100."

"I call that Packed With Benefits," Amethyst said as she lit the blunt. 

"Top Effects: Relaxing, Comfortable, Less Aware of Pain. Fuck it, let's do it," Janiah said as she put the jar down. 

Amethyst handed her the blunt, "Wanna do the honors?" Janiah nodded eagerly.

Forty-five minutes later, Janiah put makeup on her face to hide her black eye and did Amethyst's makeup. The two girls kiki'ed while getting to know each other, not noticing that the guys were taking their time bringing beer back home. Janiah then fell asleep on the couch with a smile on her face. Amethyst covered her with a blanket and decided not to disturb her. 

*

If a person has a personality type of those born with an Aquarius sun sign, home is a place where they can fully express unconventional ideas.

*

https://youtu.be/qQuQ8zDxGh0