Strange Love

"Alia, honey, we have to leave now!" I heard my mother call from the living room.

It was happening again—the constant moving. We barely spend more than a year or so in any new town.

My mother was running away from my father, and every time she feels he is getting closer to finding us, we move.

I rolled my eyes and went over to where my bags were already packed. I put in the last bit of my clothing and zipped up the bag.

I was already getting tired of it. I was tired of the changes, new school, new people, new views, new life that ended the minute my dad got closer to us.

I took a last look at my bedroom and sighed. I wouldn't miss this. I never did because I was never given the time to make it really mine.

"Coming!” I shouted in response to my Mum's call.

As I made my way to the living room, I noticed most of our pictures that were on the wall were no longer there

That's when it hit me that we were really moving. There was no changing her mind or going back.

All my seventeen years of living, I'd never had a place I called home. I’d just had places I’d lived in and it hurt. Why my father still didn't change hurt. Why was he so bent on hurting Mum? But I'd learnt to live with the pain already.

As I stepped out on the front porch, I saw my mother with all her bags in her car. She was already annoyed at the fact that I was slowing us down.

"Alia, we will miss our flight if you keep walking like that. Please, honey, be fast!“ my Mum said angrily, which made me quicken my steps. I went over to the trunk of the car and threw my bags inside, then made my way to the passenger’s side.

As soon as I had put on my seat belt, Mum started the car and off we were to the airport to a new town, new life, new people, new school, new everything. Though I had done it more than ten times already, it still hurt. As the car got farther away from the house, tears began to roll down my face unconsciously.

"Oh, baby. I am so sorry I'm doing this to you again, but I'm sure you know I have your best interests at heart. I have to protect you. You are all I got, and I can't let him hurt you, my love. I am sorry, baby girl,“ Mum said sadly.

"I understand, Mum. And I know you love me. So, where are we going this time?" I asked as it dawned on me that I didn't even know where we were headed.

"We are going to New York,“ Mum said.

"New York? But we've already lived there. I did my junior high there... Dad will find us there,“ I said, terrified.

"Yes, baby, I know that... that's why we’re going there. That’s the last place he would be looking till I get help from a friend of mine. I don't want us running for the rest of our lives, my love. You deserve a normal life, and I'm going to give you that,“ Mum said.

"Thanks, Mum. I love you!“ I said, and for once in my life, I had a bit of hope in my heart that this life of constant moving would soon be over.

"And, baby, I'm sending you back to your old school,“ Mum said, which made me want to leap for joy.

"You mean Excellency High School!?" I asked happily like a baby who was given her favorite candy.

"Yes, my love, and someone has been expecting you"

"Who? Wait, let me guess. Tracy?" I said, excitedly.

Tracy was my best friend in junior high. She stood by me through thick and thin. Tracy and I were very different: she was on the loud side, and I was on the rational reasonable side. Somehow, we became the best of friends; we completed each other. I couldn't wait to see how she looked like now as we lost contact with each other when we moved.

When we checked in at the airport and were already on the plane, the memory of Excellency High came flooding back in my mind. As much as I was excited about going back to the beautiful city and that amazing school, I couldn't help but worry too. We were going back to the monster that Mum and I had been running away from with the hope that he didn't find us. We were putting our lives in danger more than ever before. I felt Mum's hands on mine. I bet she had noticed that I had tensed up at my own thoughts.

"Alia, we will be okay. I promise,” Mum said and gave me a kiss on the forehead.

"I know, Mum, but I promise to be careful and alert too, so we won't be caught unaware,“ I said.

"Okay, baby. Now, sleep, so the next time you open your eyes, we will be in the big city."

"Okay, Mum," I said and shut my eyes. I tried to clear my thoughts, but even as I drifted to sleep, the face of that monster was all I saw. I needed to overcome my fear of him for myself and Mum.

"Don't worry, baby. You love New York. I will give you a normal life free from that monster that hunts us," I heard Mum whisper to me before sleep finally claimed me.

Alia’s POV

When we arrived at our new home, I couldn't believe my eyes. The house in front of me was bigger than any house we had ever lived in. It was a mini mansion if I do say so myself.

I looked over at where Mum was standing, and she had a big smile plastered on her face like she had won the lottery, which confused me the more.

When the gates of the house were pulled open, a woman in a maid’s outfit stood there waiting for us outside. She looked like she was in her late fifties, as she had white hair already, but the smile she gave me, and Mum made her look younger.

Mum went over to her and gave her a hug like she had known her all her life. The woman hugged Mum back, and Mum gave her a peck on the cheek which increased my curiosity. Mum turned to me and smiled. She gestured to come over, which I did.

"Nanny, this is Alia, my daughter. Lia, this is my nanny, Nanny Elisa,“ Mum introduced us.

"Oh, my little Alia is all grown up now. How old are you? Fourteen?“ Nanny Elisa asked, which made me almost roll my eyes, but I controlled myself.

"No, ma'am. I am actually seventeen. Eighteen in four months,“ I said in the nicest way possible.

"Oh, sorry. My bad. I am sure you are both tired. Please, come in. I will have someone take your bags,” Elisa said and waved her hands. An elderly man came to carry our bags, which made me wonder who this house belonged to.

We made our way into the house and the inside looked even more gorgeous than the outside. The interior was decorated with gold and silver and a hint of wine here and there. There was red carpet on the stairs like in the movies. I looked over to Mum, but she didn't seem affected by the beauty of this house like I was, which made me frown. I made a mental note to ask her whenever we were alone.

Nanny Elisa, who had disappeared for a while to only God knows where, resurfaced again with a smile plastered on her face. The way she smiled gave me goosebumps, but I didn’t know why. I couldn't tell yet. Maybe I wasn't used to old people around, or people smiling that much? Either way, it was awkward.

"Your rooms are ready. Alia, I promise you will love your room,“ Elisa said, giving me the same smile. I was so tempted to roll my eyes.

"Okay, honey, go with Nanny Elisa to your room while I go change, okay? I will come see you in a while,“ Mum said and gave me a peck on the forehead.

"Okay, Mum,“ I said and followed Nanny Elisa to my supposed room, We went up the stairs and took a left turn. Nanny Elisa stopped in front of a double door in the middle of the hallway. I could tell she was so excited to show me my room. I really hoped I wouldn't be disappointed.

When she pulled open the double doors, and I stepped into the room, my jaw dropped. It was more than amazing—the perfect example of a princess bedroom with a rose gold color design. It was perfect, and I couldn't believe it was mine. I'd never had anything like this before. I loved it.

"So? What do you think?“ Nanny Elisa said.

"I love it, Nanny!“ I said, not containing the excitement.

"I am so happy! Your friend Tracy helped me design it. She’s been waiting for you ever since your Mum called to say that you guys were moving back. I am sure she can't wait to see you in school tomorrow,“ Nanny Elisa said.

"Tomorrow? Already?“ I asked, surprised.

"Yes, tomorrow is Monday. Don’t worry, love. Excellency High will be a whole different experience for you!“ Nanny Elisa said, excitement dripping in her voice.

"I hope so. Thanks for the room, Nanny. Can I call you Nana instead? It's way easier to pronounce,“ I said shyly.

There it was again—that contagious smile. I bet I had to get used to it because I had a feeling we will be here much longer than any other place we'd lived.

"Sure, my love... why not! I am so tempted to give you a kiss on your forehead. You are so adorable, Alia. Maybe it's the old age, but you are like a granddaughter to me already,“ Nana said. She was genuinely happy; I hadn't seen this kind of happiness since I and Mum had been on the run. It was strange to me but welcoming.

I went over to where she was standing and hugged her as tightly as I could, and she returned the hug. When I started hearing small sniffs like she was crying, I pulled away.

"Oh, I’m sorry, love. I am so emotional. I will let you relax now, okay,“ she said and wiped the tears off her face and left.

The sight of the bedroom was so beautiful to behold. The chandelier that hung directly above my bed was golden, and the wall at the side was a mirror wall. I had a walk-in closet too. In general, everything was beautiful. I went over to the bathroom and was equally amazed at the décor. I still couldn't believe it was mine.

The sight of the bathtub had me longing for a good bath, so I decided to take one. I found some towels on the bed and wrapped myself in them. When I stepped into the warm water, all my nerves relaxed, and it was as if the water was taking away all the stress, fear, and pain.

After a long time in the water, I began to feel cold. I quickly got out of the tub and made my way back to the bedroom. I went over to the walk-in closet where I figured my clothes were already hanging.

But the sight in front of me as I stepped into the closet was on a whole different level; I had more clothes in there than I had ever had in my entire life! And everything was neatly arranged. I could tell everything had a place for itself. When I turned to where the shoe rack was, my jaw dropped. The shoes I saw were definitely not what I brought from Germany. The sight in front of me increased my curiosity even more. Who did this house belonged to? I really needed to ask my Mum.

I went over to where I saw what looked like PJs, and I was right. There was even a tag that said "nightwear" on it. I shrugged at how this was even possible. I went through the rack and found pink shorts and a tank top that tickled my fancy, and I decided to put them on.

After combing my hair, I decided I really needed to eat. I was a foodie; I do not play with my belly. Take away food from me, and you take away my life. Looking at my petite stature, I often wondered where all the food went.

I made my way back down the hall Nana had brought me through, and it wasn't hard to find them, which I was very grateful for. As I came down the stairs, I heard laughter coming from the side which I figured was the kitchen. When I entered the kitchen, I had to control myself from rolling my eyes at how a kitchen could look this amazing, but the thought of what was in it gave me joy in my soul.

"Oh, honey. I am sure you are already hungry, my foodie," Mum said, which made me roll my eyes.

"That's disrespectful, princess,“ Mum said.

"I’m sorry, but I’m really hungry,“ I said, whining.

"Go over to the dining table, and I will bring your food to you, okay?“ Nana said with her usual smile plastered on her face.

"Thanks, Nana," I said and picked up the cup of juice Mum was already having, then made my way to the dining table. I wasn't surprised that the dining room was also astonishingly beautiful. I really needed to have a talk with Mum about who owned this house and why we were in it.

I heard footsteps approaching, and a smile began to grow on my face. The fact that food was making its way to me gave me joy. The maid placed a bowl of spaghetti and meatballs in front of me, and Mum brought another glass of orange juice. There where pancakes as a side dish and scrambled eggs. Oh, my love for food doubled at the sight in front of me. Without wasting any more time, I dug in to the food.

"Baby, could you eat like a proper lady!“ I heard Mum say with annoyance.

"Sorry, Mum,“ I said sheepishly and began to eat like a proper lady, which involved me eating a bit more slowly and quietly.

When I was done eating, I drank the orange juice that was made out of fresh oranges. After drinking the juice, I also washed it down with a cup of water. The satisfaction I felt was indescribable. Food was life, no arguments about that.

"Mum, can ask you something?“ I said after a while.

"Sure, baby. What is it?“ Mum said, dropping her phone on the table to give me her full attention.

"Who owns this house?“

"It's yours, actually. I'm squatting with you,“ Mum said with a million-dollar smile on her face.

"Mine? How? When? How? How?" I asked, confused.

Mum burst out in laughter at my question, which made me frown. Seriously?

"It's yours, baby. Actually, it was mine, and I gave it to you. It was built by your grandfather for his granddaughter when you were born. He made me the caretaker till you were old enough to actually live in it. Nanny Elisa has been keeping it going ever since. When I decided that we were moving to New York, I told myself there wouldn't be anywhere safer than this house because your father doesn't know of its existence,“ Mum said, smiling.

"Wow, so this belongs to me? No wonder my room looks like that... Wow... I'm so grateful to Grandpa. He really overdid it this time,“ I said with a smile of my own.

"He loves you, honey. You can't blame him,” Mum said.

"Mum, how were you able to pay my tuition for a school like Excellency High? You've never really had a stable job,“ I asked.

"I have my own money, love. And besides, my father is one of the founders of that school. He practically built the whole thing, so the school is indebted to our family if you think about it, and you completing your senior year there is just their way of saying thank you,“ Mum said.

"Oh, nice," I said, but my mind trailed off to what it would be like to go back to that school. During my junior year there, I wasn't really the brightest or most popular one there. I wasn't a nerd, but I was invisible. I'd rather stay to myself than interact with people. Tracy was the only one I talked to then, and one other guy whose name I had forgotten already. He was a nerd, unlike me, but he was more reasonable than Tracy, so he was welcome in our group. I wondered if he were still at that school. I really didn't want to be a misfit anymore. I was only bold and outspoken around my Mum, but outside my home, I unintentionally let people walk over me, and that character still hadn't changed. The thought of school tomorrow was terrifying.

"Hey, Miss? Earth to Alia! Don't overthink anything. Just go there and be yourself, and I promise you, you will be fine, okay?“ Mum said and held my hand. I bet my facial expression was disturbing.

"Okay, Mum. I’ll be in my room. I have a big day ahead. And please thank Nana for me, okay,“ I said, gave my Mum a kiss, and then made my way to my room.

I locked my door with the keys and went over to the bed. I looked at the bed and prayed it was as soft as it looked, and when I got inside and covered myself with the duvet, a smile spread across my face. This was officially the softest bed I had ever been in.

I switched off the light with the remote I found on my nightstand and said my night prayer. Before I said the final words of the prayer, sleep claimed me.

"Excellency High, be nice, okay,” I whispered to myself before giving in to sleep.