Sage's Rage

The clock struck 2:00 a.m. A girl could be seen moving around in a building surrounded by trees, closing windows that had been left open by her relatives. Rain was pouring hard outside, and she couldn't help but wonder how her family could sleep through it. Exhausted from running around, she dragged her feet up the steps leading to the attic.

Inside the small attic, there was a small bed against the wall with a little stool next to it. On the other side of the room, there was a pile of cartons, making the room look even smaller.

She looked around the room and thought, 'No matter how long I've lived here, I can't really call it home.'

Since she moved into this house, life has been really difficult for her. Every day, she tries to do what is expected of her, not what she really wants. Life wasn't always like this for her until the death of her parents. Even then, life was bearable with her uncle Erik around. She moved in with him after the death of her parents, and he never failed to treat her like his daughter. But he had also died a couple of years back.

She was left with his family, and they never ceased to blame her for his death. She was then moved to the attic with all her belongings.

Lying on the bed to rest, she was reminded of how uncomfortable the bed was as it creaked as if to complain about her weight, but it was better than nothing. She lay down and shut her mind from all the memories running through it.

***

"Sage, Sage, Sage."

Sage flinched as her name was called loudly, making her fall off the bed and land on her right hip.

"Sage," Ericka said, making Sage panic.

Usually, Sage would be awake before anyone in the house; it had become a normal thing for her. So she couldn't help but panic when Ericka called her.

She quickly ran down the stairs to meet her caller, feeling the more time she wasted, the angrier Ericka would become.

Ericka was a woman that Sage had seen smile a few times, and that was when her husband was alive. Her eyes were always squinted like it was difficult for her to see, adding to the features that made her scary.

"Where is my breakfast?" Ericka questioned. Sage was about to remind her she was an hour early from her usual wake-up time but bit her lips together. She knew Ericka was aware of the time, so she kept quiet.

"I'm sorry, ma," Sage apologized with her head bowed.

"Why are you still here? Go get me something to eat," Ericka barked, causing Sage to lean back a little.

'Sometimes I feel like she could eat me raw, even with just her gaze,' Sage thought.

Looking at the duo, one would think the relationship between them was master and slave, but in truth, they were relatives, and close ones at that.

***

"Ma, your breakfast is all set," Sage said, not minding the fact that Ericka was on a call.

"I'll have my breakfast in my office," she said after placing her hand at the end of the telephone.

"Okay, ma," Sage replied before leaving.

"Ericka, this is big, we can't lose it," a male voice was heard at the other end of the call. Setting the breakfast down carefully, Sage quickly walked out of the room.

Ericka had changed her name from Kate after getting married to Sage's uncle, Erik, but when Erik was alive, he still called her Kate; he never got used to the whole Ericka thing.

Sage went back to the kitchen, trying to make breakfast for her cousins because she didn't have the energy to put up with their crap today. Singing, she sluggishly made them waffles like they requested.

After a while, two blonde females could be seen walking side by side as they approached the kitchen counter. They were so identical it was difficult to tell them apart.

"What is this?" one of the twins asked while the other looked at her plate with disgust. Most times, Sage would wonder if they just woke up bored and made plans on how to make her life miserable.

She looked at Clara, who was the meanest, and she was the one to always annoy her first.

"Did you have part of your memory erased, or are you blind?" Sage questioned, still staring at June. Within a few seconds, Clara pulled Sage's hair while June took her feet in her hands so that Sage was midair. No matter how many times she told them to let her go, they didn't listen; they just kept yanking harder. 'I should have ignored them,' Sage thought regretfully.

"Stop that this minute," Ericka seemed to have witnessed the whole chaos.

The twins froze on hearing their mother's sharp voice; they let go of Sage suddenly, and she landed on her back.

"Mother," June called out.

"What is going on here?" Ericka questioned. 'Is it just me, or is everyone going blind?'

"This witch gave us poison for breakfast," June said, pointing accusing fingers at Sage, "and she also insulted Clara."

"That's not true, Er—"

Sage paused for a moment, realizing the costly mistake she almost made. She was about to call Ericka by her first name instead of referring to her as 'Ma'am, but the mistake was already done, the words had slipped out.

Ericka crouched, and now she was on the same level with Sage, who had unconsciously knelt down, looking at Ericka with pleading eyes.

'If there was anyone in the room who had a witch vibe, it was definitely Ericka,' Sage couldn't help but think, a shiver sent down her spine from looking into Ericka's eyes.

"You are the reason why my husband is no more, and now you want to kill my children? You insult them and dare to lay your filthy hands on them."

Looking at Ericka, it was difficult to read the expression on her face, as always; they were stiff and emotionless.

"Lay my hands on them? I didn't—"

Sage tried to defend herself before she was cut off by Ericka. 'She's twisting the already twisted story. Well, it's not going to be the first twisted, twisted story.'

"You call me by my first name." Sage would've loved to defend herself until she was satisfied, but she knew not to. They've always treated her this way.

"Clean this mess," Ericka said.

"What mess?" Sage asked. As if to answer her question, she heard a loud shatter followed by giggles from the twins. Looking behind her from where the sound was made, she saw the plates she used to serve the twins breakfast broken into pieces.

'This is not funny in any way,' she thought to herself as they walked out of the kitchen.

Running into the attic, Sage soon broke down. She had done everything possible not to cry in front of them; the harassment was becoming unbearable for her, and she wondered if she could be strong enough until she would leave. It was clear to her that she wasn't welcome.

"I didn't kill her husband; why does she always bring it up? I could never do a thing like that," Sage shouted at the top of her lungs, knowing that Ericka wouldn't hear her as she had left for work.

"I was still little when Erik's corpse was brought home, but you keep blaming me for his death. I've lost both my parents, and you've never shown any form of sympathy," Sage continued, pouring out her heart to an imaginary Ericka.

***

While Sage was busy cleaning up the broken plates, the twins quickly dashed out of the house, having an idea of what they were about to do. She dropped the broken pieces into the kitchen sink and ran after them. Unfortunately, she wasn't fast enough to catch up to them; she heard the car engine roar to life. Getting to the door and standing outside, she saw the car pull out of the garage. Clara, who was behind the steering wheel, brought out her arm and raised her middle finger to a sulking Sage.

Sage always drove the twins to school, so this action of theirs was not expected.

Left without a choice, Sage walked into the garage. She stared at the old, rickety car.

Taking the key off a shelf, she got in and drove off.

Three reasons why she wasn't happy with this vehicle: one, the first and the last time she took it to school, they wouldn't stop making fun of her; two, it moved like it had hiccups; three, it smelled really bad.

Sage made it to school, though late. The classroom was nearly empty, and she lay her head on the desk, watching raindrops slide down the window. Her tranquility was interrupted by a hit on the head.

Clark, the only one who seemed to care about her, had tossed a rumpled paper her way. Sage, picking it up, turned to face him as more students filled the class.

"Really!" Sage exclaimed, raising the paper above her head. "You didn't have any other way to tell me you were in school?"

Clark, his infectious laugh revealing a broken tooth, engaged in conversation with Sage about a recent movie until a horrible voice interrupted.

"Hey, suckers."

Tasha Campbell, the leader of the Red Roses and the queen of fashion, entered the scene. Loved by all, except Sage. Even Clark seemed enamored by her.

"Hi Tasha, how was your holiday?" Sage asked, attempting to keep a friendly face.

If the twins were making her life difficult, Tasha made it a living hell. Since Sage started schooling here, Tasha's hands had been on her, making her a laughing stock every single day.

"Well, Sage, I can't wait to continue the fun we both had last term," Tasha said with a mocking giggle. 'Why is she getting excited? If she thinks I'm gonna let her walk over me again, she'll be in for a serious surprise.'

"Hi Tasha, you look great today," Clark said, smiling foolishly as he tried to get Tasha's attention. As usual, she had a disgusted look on her face and ignored him. 'Poor Clark, he never stops trying.'

"Ummm, Sage, where are your glasses? I don't want you tripping," Tasha stated, feigning pity. Sage did use glasses, but she never wore them when she had a class with Tasha. In the past, Tasha would either seize them or break them, and it took a while before she could replace them.

Sage didn't like the fact that Clark had been a secret admirer of this lady monster. Still, she felt that Tasha should at least give the boy a little recognition.

Ignoring Tasha's comment, Sage decided to confront her a little.

"You know, Tasha, even if you don't care about Clark, you should at least be polite to him."

This surprised Tasha; she never knew Sage could be this outspoken. Now she intended to cut off the little wings Sage had before they grew bigger. Before she could reply, the door opened, and Mr. Hobbs walked in. The students took their seats.

The door opened again, and a young man with short brown hair walked in. Sage could see his facial features clearly, and the only word that came to her mind was 'beautiful.' As he took a seat at the back; all eyes were on him.

Sage couldn't stop looking at him until her neck began to hurt. When he raised his head and gave her a questioning look, she quickly turned away, embarrassed. In all honesty, she had never been attracted to anyone like she was to this mysterious guy. Turning on her seat, she met Tasha's death glare.

'What is wrong with this lady?' Sage wondered before returning her attention to the raindrops on the window.

Stealing another glance at the mysterious guy, she found him looking at her without shifting his gaze. Just then, the bell rang. Unable to bear the awkward moment, she quickly packed her books and left with the other students.

Relieved to be away from the mysterious guy, she noticed how fast her heart was beating. Leaning against her locker, she shut her eyes. She wasn't used to this feeling, didn't understand it, and it was giving her butterflies.

"Sage, are you okay?" Clark asked, seeing how she was breathing hard.

Hearing Clark's voice, she opened her eyes and began to get ready for the next class.

"Hey, ummm... I don't think Tasha likes that we're friends. Maybe that's the reason why she always ignores me," Clark stated nervously.

"What?" Sage exclaimed. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "I don't get you."

"Look, Sage, don't panic. I need you to understand what I'm saying," Clark said, trying to explain himself.

Clark knew Sage well enough to know that their relationship meant a lot to her. If she felt like she was going to lose it, she'd break down totally.

"Oh, I understand perfectly well what you're trying to say. 'Sage's a weirdo. I don't want the girl that I'm obsessed with seeing me with a loser like her,'" Sage said, almost mimicking Clark's character to perfection.

"What is wrong with you?" Clark asked, really hurt by her sudden display. He also knew Sage was hurt, but he couldn't help but feel she was overreacting.

"You know why you always get bullied? It's because you can't keep your eyes off her. That girl unconsciously puts you in trouble. Imagine how much trouble you'll be in if you eventually start dating her. Not like that's ever gonna happen."

"Where the hell is this coming from? Countless times I've told you I'm madly in love with Tasha, and you never said anything. So why now, huh?" Clark requested, perplexed by Sage's sudden outburst.

"I don't know, maybe I didn't always say what was on my mind," Sage replied, feeling a little guilty by the fact that her words might have hurt him.

"Well, don't say what's on your mind, cause it won't change a thing." Without waiting for a reply from her, he walked away.

It was the first day of school, and they already had a misunderstanding because of a girl! And not just any girl, Tasha Campbell.

***

Sage waited for Clark in the cafeteria, although they didn't talk to each other in class. She saw him leave immediately after the bell rang.

'Yes, we had a misunderstanding, but why isn't he here?'

Worried, Sage disposed of her food and left the cafeteria.

In an empty hallway, a group of boys, five in number, could be seen. One was against the wall, seeming to be in pain, while the other four had a smug look on their faces. It was obvious that the boy against the wall was being bullied.

"Hehe... I heard you talked to Tasha today. You've got a lot of nerves, boy," one of the boys said before landing another punch on his prey's torso. He had spiky brown hair and looked like the leader of the gang of bullies. The one against the wall was none other than Clark. It was normal for him to be bullied by this group, but he didn't think they'd be onto him on the first day of school.

"Hey... Drake! And the rest of you guys," a voice was heard at the end of the hallway.

Although Clark was in pain, there was no way he wouldn't recognize the voice. At first, he was happy that someone had come to save him. After he realized who it was, all hope was lost.

Sage had gone looking for Clark, but she didn't expect to find him this quickly. She stood at the end of the hallway, watching as her friend got beaten. At first, she wanted to run in and help him, but she had second thoughts. After all, she was also weak herself. Still, something inside her didn't want to watch someone she cared about get hurt while she stood by. Thinking of what to do, she decided to confront the bullies, hoping that Clark would escape and she would too after him. Besides, she was quick on her feet, something she acquired from years of running from her own bully, Tasha Campbell.

As soon as the bully was about to give Clark another punch, she called his name. She wanted to stay at the end of the hallway so that she would have enough escape time, but her feet started to move on their own. Soon, she was in front of the bully, Drake.

"Why don't you mind your business, weirdo? You won't be the first girl I'll hit," Drake said, pounding his fists together.