My Bloody Valentine

Today is my birthday, the day when my mother died 21 years back. She must have been in so much pain, the pain I caused. I cannot say I love her because all I know about her is her name and that I share the same black hair and brown eyes she had. All I know about her is from what little my father has shared with me, only bits and pieces of stories filled with deep longing. So, I cannot say I love her, but I owe her my life. She is the reason I stand here in this monstrous mansion devoid of happiness. I look at my reflection in the mirror, and the same melancholic face looks back at me. I feel older than my age. Maybe that’s why I can never love someone else, ever. Tucking the black curls behind my ears with a pin, I let my mind settle and try not to appear gloomy. The black dress I wear every year on this day suits me like I am the symbol of death. Someone taps on my door lightly.

“Come in.” Rob enters my room with all the grace of a panther, smooth and powerful. He is my personal bodyguard, and the only ‘Black Suit’ among the other recruits under my father allowed to be near me all the time. Except in my room, he follows me everywhere, even in my college where the girls practically drool over him. He stands tall with his hands clasped at the front.

“It’s time, Miss.”

I sigh. “It’s Dawn. I have asked you to call me by my name several times. Anyway, I am ready.” I brush past him and walk through the corridor towards my father’s cabin. I see him very rarely nowadays. He is always off on some business somewhere in the world, leaving me almost alone. But he never misses my birthday—or, rather, I should say my mom’s death day. Since I can remember, it has become a morning ritual now to visit Mom’s tomb every year. He always carries a white rose in his pocket and places it on the stone. I don’t mind this, and to be honest, this is not the only day I visit her. Whenever I am extremely alone, which is most of the time, I ask Rob and our old driver Julian to take me there. None of them ever stopped me, so they stick with me all the time. It’s just on this particular day I feel the gravity of the situation. I see the story of her demise written on my father’s face, and I realize that the fate of my mother was decided by my birth. I killed her. My father is seated behind his desk, concentrating on some paperwork. His cabin is pristine and so is his greyish black suit, as always. Bloom, his personal assistant, is standing next to his chair looking stressed out as usual. She is tiny with brown hair, and her eyes never seem to rest behind those huge glasses. I tap once on the doorframe and say politely, “Father, I am ready.” He looks up at me, face grim and eyebrows scrunched. “Yes, I will be there in a minute.” I take the cue and stand out in the corridor. I love my father, and he has treated me with nothing but modesty and kindness over these years, but I have to admit that he intimidates me. It might be because we spend so little time with each other that our relationship is more formal than friendly, but I trust his judgment and his keen sense of keeping me safe. All these restrictions of not hanging out with my friends and being followed by a bodyguard day and night do feel suffocating sometimes, but I have come to accept it because he accepted me despite the circumstances I was born in. Loud voices break my line of thought, and I watch my father burst out of his cabin with Bloom trailing him. “I have told you time and time again not to make any appointments without asking me,” my father rages on.

“But sir, I did ask you,” Bloom says in a tiny voice, fear written all over her face.

“When?”

“The day before the appointment was made, sir.” I see her almost shaking like anytime she might collapse.

“Well, you must be well aware of how busy I am. Before you do anything, you ought to ask me whether I am willing or free. You are a clumsy woman. It’s reflected on the reports you present me. I will not tolerate sloppy work, is that clear? It should be, or the next time, you will be fired. Enough time has been wasted. Dawn, let’s go.” Saying that, he turns and leaves. Bloom takes a deep sigh, her back hunching forward clearly defeated by what happened. I approach her and place my hand gently on her shoulders.

“You okay?” I ask. She nods once. “I’m fine. Thank you”

Rob comes and stands beside me. “You don’t want to keep him waiting, Miss. He is already in a foul mood”

“Yes,” I reply and squeeze her shoulders once. Rob turns to face Bloom then and says, “You will be alright. Just take a little break and then start working again.” He has a soft heart hidden under all those muscles after all. Bloom looks at him and manages a weak smile. “Thank you. I feel much better.” When I reach the parking area, a Black Suit opens the gate to my father’s car, and I find him seated by the window scrolling on his phone. Julian and Rob follow behind in my car. It feels odd as I am used to traveling with them all the time. After an awkward silence that felt like an eternity, my father speaks up. “I bought you something.” He takes out a rusty red box from his pocket and extends it towards me. I open the box, and a diamond ring sits in the middle. It dazzles like a true gem, and the design is absolutely stunning. “Wow, this is so pretty. Thank you, Father.” I am genuinely thrilled that he bought me a gift, but all I really want is to have more time with him. I want to help him in his business endeavors and learn more about the world. I feel him watching me and fear that my thoughts might burst out and disappoint him. Then he says, “You look a lot like your mother,” and everything slows down. Our eyes lock, and for a split second, I see something in his eyes, something close to fondness, there and gone. His face turns cold again, and I lower my head, not quite sure how to form a proper reply to that statement. The rest of the journey remains silent. When we reach the graveyard, I find the tomb clean of any unruly grass and splattered mud as it was the last time I visited. We stand side by side with four Black Suits, including Rob and Julian, behind us. No one speaks. Father takes the white rose out and places it gently on the stone engraved with her name, Daniella Speller, a scene I have seen year after year. But this is probably the first time that I really understood it. He loved her. It is visible in the way his face softens and his hands trail on the letters of her name. His dark brown hair is streaked with white at places, and the skin around the eyes has started wrinkling, but his body is built strong. I wonder what he saw in her, what made him fall so deep in love, and what he might have felt when he lost her forever. He remarried after; he had to for me, I suppose. But I have never seen him look at my stepmother Monica the way he looks at this big chunk of stone. Monica came with her own son, Skye, who is one year older than me, and my father and she had a daughter again, my half-sister June. But they are not truly my family; they never have been. We rarely speak—Monica remains mostly in her room, Skye is always busy in his own world feeling entitled, and June practically hates me. So I look up to my father always and hope that he loves me too. Closing my eyes, I send prayer and gratitude to my mother’s soul. We come back to our cars silently.

“Dawn, I am going now to the airport,” my father says.

My heart sinks. “You’re leaving again? You just came back. Can’t you stay today at least?”

“I have to go to Singapore for urgent business. I will be back in a week. Julian will take you home, and don’t worry, honey. It’s a good thing.” I manage a half-hearted smile. “Take care, Dad.” He nods once in reply and then gets into his car with the three Black Suits. I watch their car drive away, leaving behind dust in the air.

“Don’t be sad, missy. It’s your birthday,” comes Julian’s voice. He is old and has been my driver since I was a toddler. His smile is so genuine that I find myself smiling back at him. Rob also smiles, which makes his serious face light up and more handsome. I jump into the car on my familiar seat with Rob next to me. “Let’s get going or we will be late,” says Julian with that singsong voice of his.

“Late for what?” I ask.

“You will see,” he replies over his shoulder. I look at Rob for answers, and he just shrugs. Halfway through the ride, I realize we are not on the way to home. “Julian, where are we going?”

“We are kidnapping you,” he says, half-laughing. “You are all grown up now. You deserve a good birthday and some time away from that cold place you call home.” I don’t argue—what he said is right. Home is not just a place where you live in, rather who you live with. I look through the window and watch people pass by on the road. I watch a group of boys and girls laughing and giggling, making fun of each other, and an old couple out for a stroll hand in hand. I have a friend too, and her name is Jenny, the only person other than Rob and Julian who is really close to me. But I can’t stop thinking about my life and how it would have been if I was born in a different family, a normal family. After almost twenty minutes, Julian stops the car in front of a small house with a courtyard decorated with plants and flowers. He then looks at me and winks. “Okay, Missy, enjoy the party!”

I step outside the car, having no idea of where I am until...

“Dawn! You are here!” I whip around and get immediately wrapped in a fierce hug by Jenny.

“You made it! I was so getting nervous that you might not be able to come. I have planned this surprise party for weeks now,” she speaks without a pause.

“Whoa, Jenny! Breathe. Your face is red.” I laugh at her, and we embrace once more.

“I am so excited. Let’s go in. Mum and Dad are desperate to meet you.” We giggle our way through the front door, and the warmth of the place hits me like a soft breeze. A middle-aged woman with blonde hair and a man with lanky figure greet me with the brightest smiles I have ever seen in my life. Jenny takes my elbow and drags me near them. “This is my Mum, Alice, and my Dad, Roby.”

“Oh, so good to see you child,” Mrs. Starr says, hugging me gently.

“Welcome to our little house, Dawn,” Mr. Starr nods at me smiling.

“Thank you so much. I am glad to be here,” I reply politely.

“Okay enough with the pleasantries; we have so much to do. Mum and I baked a cake for you!”

“Really? I can’t believe that I am having a birthday party!” I am so excited but don’t know how to express it. I have never been to a place so colorful and so lively. Compared to my own house, which is plush and huge, this is a mini wonderland.

“Um, but you are not dressed for a party, Dawn. You can’t be wearing that.” Jenny’s face is hilariously concerned like I am having a big fashion failure moment, and she is there to save me.

She drags me towards the staircase. “Come, I have something that will fit you.” We climb the staircase and land in a cozy room half covered with books and the other half with the basic necessities a girl needs. “Wow, Jenny, that is a mini library there.”

“This is only half of my collection, actually. Dad had to sell so many books because there was no room for them. It was the worst day of my life. You know how much I love my books.” She is a book dragon, not a bookworm, but a giant colorful book-reading dragon. I have never seen anyone who is so much into fantasy and believes reality to be the imagination. She often said to me that the real world is dull and boring and that the magic is lost. I don’t always understand the meaning, but I try to see everything from her perspective. After all, she is the only access for me to have a taste of the life outside the manor. She brings pure joy wherever she goes, her dusty blonde hair flipping around and small lips chattering about kings and queens, shades of love, hints of magic, and much more. Though we met only about two years ago in college, I can count on her anytime. She takes out a short blue dress from her wardrobe with a V-neckline and holds it in front of me. “Try this one. You will look good in this.”

“Okay, ma’am.” I take the dress from her.

“I am going downstairs. Come down when you are ready.” She closes the door behind her and thumps down the stairs. I put on the dress, the material soft on my skin, and look myself in the mirror. There is a very subtle difference that only I can notice in the reflection, a pink tinge on the cheeks and a little sparkle in my eyes. I feel special and happy? You don’t really know what you feel until you really feel it. I walk down the stairs and find everyone busy setting up the table.

“Dawn, you look great. Come and sit here.” Mr. Starr ushers me to the table. “So, tell me about your life and your family,” he says.

“Um, I have a pretty boring life actually,” I reply with a nervous smile. “There is nothing much to do, and I do not go out very often, so I am having a great time right now.”

“I am glad you are, dear. I have heard about your father. He has quite a reputation, you know. I might appear as a clown compared to him. My house is small, but my heart is big.”

“No, it’s perfect. I love it here.” I really do. This is what a family is supposed to be. This is what home should feel like.

“We were looking forward to meeting you. Jenny kept mentioning your name a lot. You know I push her lot to go out and make friends, but she is always immersed in those stupid books.” He leans towards me and whispers in a conspiring tone and mischievous smile, “I fear no boy is ever going to ask her out”

Jenny sets the dining plates on the table and says, “Dad, I heard you, and for your information, someone has asked me out on a date, and I said yes.”

“Who? You didn’t tell me. Jen, I thought I was your closest confidant. You cannot just sneak around behind my back.”

“But I can,” Jenny mocks him.

“Stop it, both of you. It’s Dawn’s day today, and you two never fail to make everything about yourselves,” Mrs. Starr jumps in. I watch them bickering and find it surreal. The relationship that Jenny shares with her father is something that is far from what I have with my father. The easygoing way and the ability to connect and express so much through eyes and words is just wonderful to witness. Julian has that kind of humor in himself. He is like a father figure to me, but he is not the one. He knows it too that there exists a fine line between us. Here, there are no boundaries. Here, it is pure joy shared with one another.

Jenny slides a beautiful red and black wrapped package towards me. “I hope you like it,” she says.

“Is it a book?” I ask, half-smiling.

“Surprise!” Mr. Starr mocks her.

“Come on, Dad. I don’t know anything better than books. Don’t ruin the moment. I have planned this for almost a month”

Mr. Starr laughs and turns to me. “She did, actually. We knew it when two men came to investigate our house last week.”

“Wait, what?” I am shocked by this information. Investigate their house? That is rude.

“Yeah, Alice and I were shocked at first that our daughter must be dating a celebrity. But then she spilled about your birthday, and we were..”

“Shh, Roby! This is not the topic to discuss right now. Honestly, you call yourself a grownup,” Mrs. Starr stops him, clearly frustrated. Jenny just shakes her head with a defeated look on her face.

I ask her, “Who came to your house?”

“Julian and Rob, but don’t worry about that, Dawn. It is fine. We understand,” she says gently.

“Yeah, but I don’t sometimes,” I whisper back.

Mr. Starr clears his throat.“Um those two didn’t come today? I saw the car outside.”

“Yes, they are waiting outside in the car. They are paid to follow me everywhere.” The words come out clipped.

He then turns to his wife. “Don’t you think they should follow her inside too and join the party? I like those fellows.”

“Yes, yes. No one leaves my house hungry,” replies Mrs. Starr.

Jenny starts to get up. “I will go and get them”

“No, you stay. I will bring them in. They might hesitate today.” I get up before they stop me and leave through the door. Julian is inside the car, listening and humming an old song, and Rob is leaning on the side of the car. He straightens when he sees me. Julian pokes his head out of the window and asks, “The party is over so quickly?”

“Both of you were here to investigate the household?” My voice is filled with rage, and I never get angry at them. I never feel anything too much, and even if I do, I just do not express it. They exchange looks with each other, and Rob nods.

“Why? That is so rude. Jenny is my friend, Rob, my only friend besides you and Julian.”

“Am I your friend?” Rob asks me expectantly.

“Well, of course, you are. If only you could stop addressing me as ‘Miss” all the time. But what made you think that anything harmful would happen to me here? They are good people. That is why they allowed this to happen. I would have lost my friendship for this.”

“We had to do it Miss...um, Dawn. It is our job to protect you,” Rob says hesitantly. I sometimes find it funny that a huge man like him can be so soft-spoken. But then again, what do I know about men.

“Protect me from what? I hardly have any friends, let alone enemies. Anyway, we can have this conversation later. For now, you are asked to join the party. Both of you come with me.”

“We...uh…we are fine here. You go and enjoy,” Rob says with an uncomfortable tone.

“That is an order. Besides, it is not the first time that you are meeting them. Now, follow me and behave.” I give them a pointed look and turn to leave. They both follow me awkwardly inside.

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAWN!” All three of them are standing behind the table, forming a semicircle. The table is all set with plates and delicious smelling food, and, in the center, there is a double layered cake with chocolate frosting. The room is lightly lit, and fairy light really does the magic. The decorations must be Jenny’s because it is the most perfect fantasy birthday I can ever imagine. I am elated. The rest of the day feels like a dream. The cake is delicious and so is the food. Mr. Starr and Julian immediately chat like old buddies. Rob is awkward at first but then he also eases into the laughter and music. Jenny and I dance and sing our hearts out. It is dark outside when Rob nudges me with his elbow, my cue to leave.

“Thank you so very much for making this day so wonderful. I loved every moment of it.”

“You are welcome in our house anytime you want, dear.” The sincerity in Mrs. Starr’s voice warms my core. I wish I could stay there every day, but I can’t. I prepare to leave, and Jenny follows to escort me to my car. “Read the book—you will like it,” she says.

“I will. Thank you, Jen, for all this.” I hug her once, promising to meet tomorrow and then we leave.

I catch Rob watching me and arch my eyebrows. “I have never seen you laugh so much. You, uh, you look good when you laugh,” he says. I smile. “I had the greatest time of my life. You were right, Julian. This is what home feels like.” I turn to Rob and ask, “I won’t be able to come here often, will I?”

He shakes his head apologetically.

I sigh. “Of course, I can’t let both of you invade their private space every other day. What are you guys protecting me from, may I ask?”

Julian answers, “The world is cruel, missy, especially for girls like you. You might not have enemies, but your father sure does. Money attracts attention, and greed can make the worst enemies a person can ever have”

My face must have shown the tension because Rob quickly adds, “Your father is a powerful man, and he is well-protected like you. He is fine and so are you.” I try to take strength from what he said. The sadness creeps in. The time spent today will become a memory now that I shall cling to as long as possible. But I cannot come back and jeopardize their lives. I am meant to be caged, and this is my destiny.

I am sitting in my room with Jenny’s book on my lap, the taste of the chocolate cake still sweet in my mouth. Cool breeze enters through the open window chilling the room. It must be raining somewhere. The white curtains blow in the air like ghosts extending their hands. I get up from the bed to lock the window panes and the door that lead to the balcony. When I reach the window seal, something catches my attention. It’s so far away that I can’t pinpoint. A silhouette of a man? Under the tree that stands across the street hidden in the shadows; someone is standing. Usually I never get scared but a chill runs through my body. I quickly close the windows and pull the curtains to cover it. It must be a homeless man, although it felt like I was being watched. Someone taps on my door, and I whirl around. “Yes?” I call my voice little shaky.

“It’s me” The intruder says. I know that voice. I open the door and Monica is standing in a silver satin night robe with her auburn hair tied in a bun. She is a tall woman with sharp features and apart from the shadow that masks her face all the time, she must have been fairly pretty. But she never comes in my room, like never. It can’t be good. She comes in and stands in front of my bed, her back to me “How was your day?” she asks in that same stern voice of hers.

“It was good, I was with Jenny”

“Well you are all grown up now and there is no hiding to the fact that our relationship is not affectionate one.” She turns to look at me and I can’t read her face. Every time I look at her it seems like she is frozen, seems like she is hiding something. “You were so little when I came. Now you look like her; your mother” Wow, this is the second time in a day that I am being compared to her and the fact that everyone alive knew her sometimes annoys me. She was my mother and I only know about her from other people’s stories and stories are often lies told in a beautiful way.

“Is there something bothering you?” I ask politely. The entire situation is so bizarre. For a moment it seems like she is deliberating. She is not sure whether she wants to tell me. After an awkward silence she says, “Just keep your eyes open Dawn and see everything” and then she leaves through the door a little too swiftly. I close the door replaying what she said in my mind. Is that some kind of a prophetic suggestion? I have got no idea. Bone tired, I get in my bed and let sleep take me.

Down the street the shadow of the man leaves the cover of the tree and vanishes into the cold night. He walks through the empty streets for almost two kilometers and then jumps onto the bike parked at the corner of the street. Without making much fuss he leaves the place; his job done for the day.

The next morning I am woken by Rob for our weekly self-defense practice. It has been one of the rules my father set for me. It feels good to be a little sweaty and dusty. Boxing is the first thing we practice. Today Rob holds the pad higher near his face and I hit them one by one as he commands. I started practicing self-defense and boxing almost a year back. I am still in the beginner stage, but my core strength, balance and arm power has definitely improved. I can hit harder without injuring myself. Early days were tough; my knuckles would be all swollen and red. “Hit, punch Hit” he commands, taking one step back and forth. “Uppercut, jab, cross, jab.” I place my punch right below his chin and it misses the pad to hit his nose, not too hard but hard enough to misbalance him. “I am sorry, did I hurt you?”

“No, no. You are doing well. Let’s practice some tricks shall we?” He keeps the pads on the floor, and I remove my gloves. My palms are all sweaty and I rub them on my tights. All of a sudden he comes and holds my waist from behind. It was so sudden that I hardly do anything before he lifts me in the air. Hanging in the air I scream “I was not ready.”

“The attackers won’t give you time to be ready.” I slither back on the ground and face him.

“The attacks happen suddenly. They don’t come with a warning. So you have to be alert and strong every time. Imagine yourself in such kind of situation.”

“Well it’s hard for me to imagine such a situation because I am never alone in my own house and never ever on the streets. I don’t even know what the point of all these practices is. I mean it’s good that I sweat out a little bit, but I feel absolutely safe around you”

“Nothing in life is pointless. Everything you do today will be something that you might need tomorrow.” He says grimly.

“Says who?” I shoot back.

“Me” He replies puffing is wide chest. We start again and this time I plant my feet firmly to the ground. “How can you fight back when someone tries to drag you or tackle you to the ground? The first thing to keep in mind is your stance. Keep a wide stance always when you are standing. Don’t stand with your legs closed like a model. Keep hip width distance between your legs like this” I mimic his pose. “Remember, the opponent will be stronger than you most of the time, so you have to be smarter. Resist first when someone is tackling you and if you are down do not hesitate to jump back up. You know the little trick don’t you?” I nod. “Okay let’s try it”

He comes at me with such speed that I immediately lose my ground and fall with him toppling over me. Our faces are inches apart, our breath hot on each other. Why Am I always stuck in some awkward situation? His Knees are pressing on the ground at the side of my waist and my hands are on his chest. It’s like we are frozen in that moment both clueless of what to do. I make my move first and start wiggling and like a trance broken he swiftly rolls to the other side and pushes up on his feet. He gives me a hand and lifts me up. We both don’t look at each other. Awkward!!

“Um, sorry, I was a little too fast. I should have been slower. You are not hurt are you?”

“No. I’m okay. I should have held my ground. I need more practice.” I dare to look at his face at the same time he looks at me. He is handsome. I know why the girls in the college watch him so longingly. Suddenly his gaze intensifies like he is resolved to do something terrible. “Dawn, I wanted to tell you something.” He is still hesitating but don’t want to hold back either.

“Yes, go on” It can’t be anything bad; can it?

“I have been feeling like this for a while now, and I honestly don’t know if it is the right thing to say to you. I mean don’t get me wrong.” A pause “I think I...I think I have started to like you more than ‘just friends’”

Awkward a thousand times over! I am speechless. How on earth do I handle this now? The horror must have shown on my face because he quickly adds “You don’t need to answer me if you don’t want to. It’s perfectly fine for me. I don’t want to ruin anything between us.” There is no trick to avoid this situation. Honesty is the best thing I can do.

“Rob, I don’t know what to say to you. I mean I like you, but I never thought like this. I don’t know what feelings are really! I have no idea about loving someone. It is better that we remain friends. I am sorry” That is the only thing I can give him, a denial and a whole hearted apology. His face drops and I start to feel sick to my stomach. What a great way to start the day. Walking towards my room I feel horribly wronged. Is there a problem in me? Why do I always run from feelings? Lost in thoughts I don’t pay attention to anything else and right around the corner bump into Skye. “Easy Dawn, watch your steps” His words come out rudely as always. “I am sorry” I say.

“I could have fallen; I have a match tomorrow you know” he says in that ‘I am so special’ tone. I refrain myself from rolling my eyes. He is overdramatic and a brat. He has got Monica’s features which may pass him as a good-looking lad, but his attitude is obnoxious. I can’t imagine the fate of the girls who might date him because the only thing that concerns him is he himself.

“Going to college today?” he asks.

“Yes, as soon as I get ready. I am running late. See you later” I run past him.

“Hey, don’t avoid me like that, I am not finished. I have a basketball match tomorrow.” This is so annoying. I flip around and say “Yeah, I heard it. Good Luck!”

“In your college with your college team” he finishes. “Tomorrow bring your girlfriends as we are going to crush the opponent team” With that he winks at me and leaves. Not sure how to react to that bit of news I decide to mind with my own business.

I run to get a shower and dress in a black jeans and olive-green crop top. Julian is already waiting in the car with Rob. Except from Julian’s chattering the ride goes mostly in silence just as I prefer for today. When we reach the front gate Rob speaks up “I’ll see you at lunch time Miss. If you face any problem just give me a call” He still doesn’t look at me properly. I just reply with a timid okay and flee. Although the college authority has given the permission for them to stay at the parking lot they are not allowed for any reason to enter the main building. Rules are for everyone and so I can’t have a bodyguard following me through the corridors. I find Jenny near the lockers talking to someone over cell phone. “Yup I’ll be there. Ok I gotta go now. I have my sociology class. Bye” She is smiling, not a normal smile but ‘I have a secret’ type of smile.

“Where are you going and who were you talking to?” I ask.

“Later. We both are getting late for our classes. You are having Anthropology now right?”

“Yes. Ok then, meet me at lunch break” I say. We part our ways and I prepare for a grueling day of classes and by the time of recess I am starving. Jenny and I sit on the stairs in front of the building where most of the students mess around. We both have burritos with chipotle sauce and coke. I can see my car and definitely know that I am being watched by both of them. “So tell me where are you going?”

She smiles again and sips her Coke. “I should have told you sooner, but I couldn’t. I met a guy online. His name is Ethan”

“And?” I poke her with my elbow.

“You remember last night when I told that someone has asked me out, well it was true. Ethan did ask me out on a date tonight.”

“Wait, wait, wait! You are going on a date with a stranger? What about your safety?”

“He isn’t a stranger. We have been talking for a while now and you know me well. It’s not that I will fall for him on my first date.”

“Yeah, I know you well enough Jen. You had an instant crush on my brother Skye the moment you saw him in my house remember?” She scrunches her nose and says in an accusatory tone “That’s not fair. I was dazzled by everything in your house. What do you mean? It’s huge and lustrous and your brother seemed like a prince charming. You have got to agree he is handsome but with a bad attitude”

“Indeed a ‘prince charming.’ You are so you” I say to her frowning.

“Who else will I be? Besides, I have moved on from him” She flicks a lock of hair from her shoulders.

“Have you now? Because he is coming tomorrow here for the basketball match.”

“He is?” She immediately brightens up “When?”

I arch my eyebrows half smiling. “Don’t smirk at me Dawn; I am just going to focus on my date tonight. What happens tomorrow will be taken care of tomorrow”

“Ok about the date, be careful alright. You will not be rash. Don’t go off in one of your fantasy dreamland and be normal”

“Fine! Speaking of fantasy I am almost at the end of the book I was reading. It’s so good like I had goose bumps reading it. The man who seems to be the villain is actually in love with the girl and..” I lift my face to look at my car again when my gaze fixes on a dusty blue truck. I know when someone is watching, I know it. I have been watched over my entire life. The truck is old and dirty, and the inside is dark and appears to be shabby. The person sitting is wearing a hooded black jumper which obscures his features. The arm that rests on the steering is heavily tattooed. The same chill from last night runs through my body and I straighten up a little bit.

A finger snaps in front of my face and I startle “Hello? Are you even listening? You missed the best part girl” Jenny says.

“Yeah I was a bit distracted, sorry” when I look back the blue truck is gone.

The blue truck follows the path that goes round the forest and then is abandoned in an empty field. The man with the tattooed hand rides a bike from there. The den is a small one, wooden and fragile. The wooden boards creak when he steps in the room.

“Any new updates D?” a voice asks from the dark corner, a man stooped down on a knife, sharpening it.

“It’s the same” D answers.

“Get some rest then. You have a date tonight” The man says with a hint of mockery.

“One for which I am very excited”