(LEAVING HIS HOUSE)

  Ariel’s POV

  Folding my legs to myself, I sat on the bed in my room and the sunlight lit it up from the window. Last night's event clouded my mind, and I began to wonder how I managed to sleep, despite the war going on in my mind due to what I did last night.

  This is not the Ariel I used to be; I wasn’t the hard type, and neither am I too stubborn. But lately, I haven’t been getting along with Axel even though I get along well with others. Sometimes I feel like he had really offended me even when he did nothing wrong.

  What I did last night was totally wrong. I shouldn’t have been too curious, and even after I broke the glass frame, I should have felt a little remorse. Yea..I did say sorry, but that wasn’t enough, because I went against his wish.

  Now, I couldn’t even face him; even after practicing my apology, I still didn’t think he would allow me in.

  I actually had breakfast in my room; well, I couldn’t go downstairs to the dining. I just couldn’t face him now, and I believe he had his, too, in his room. He might still be very angry at me, and facing him now will only make it worse.

  I suddenly feel sad for saying those harsh words to him; how I wish I could change the hands of time and make everything, including my life, right. But a little correction won’t hurt; everyone makes mistakes in life.

  Still, in deep thought, I noticed the gate of the compound open widely as a car zooms in. My clear window made it possible for me to see whatever was going on in the compound, being that my room was actually facing the gate. I gasped softly, sighting the car that zoomed in; it was Aiden’s.

  Is he actually here to pick me? Has Axel told him what I did?” All this thought clouded my mind as I paced around the room.

  Not less than two minutes, I heard his voice in the building as he climbed the stairs. I thought he was heading for my room, but he wasn’t. Perhaps he wants to see Axel first before coming for me, I think.

  After waiting for like forever, a knock came on my door as I muttered a ‘come in’

  It cracked slowly, revealing a handsome dude in all black with a gold chain around his neck. I almost gasped, drooling a bit before getting a hold of myself.

  He smiled, closing the door silently as he delved his right hand into his pocket, sighing briefly

  “Ermm…hi” I fidgeted, playing with my fingers. No doubt, I was indeed nervous; what had they discussed? I thought. But his facial expression relieved me a bit of my nervousness

  He brought out his hand and stretched it forward, requesting a hug, with a lingering smile on his face. I hurriedly went for it; I think I need it most now.

  He hugged me firmly with his well-built muscles as I enjoyed the warmth of his body and smelled his sweet cologne. But my mind was really thinking of Axel..what will I do about him now

  “I miss you, sweetheart,” Aiden muttered softly, kissing and stroking my hair. I disengaged the hug and stared at him. Did he just call me sweetheart? I asked

  “Yes idiot” my subconscious replied

  We remained that way, not until I broke eye contact; I didn’t want the room to get intense, making him end up kissing me. Well, even though I enjoyed the first kiss we had, I won’t still give in to him, being that we are not in any form of a close relationship.

  “Erm…Aiden…I think…i..erm…I really hurt your brother. My stay here hasn’t been good all through as we never get along well. I’m a bad girl right?” I pouted

  He chuckled a bit, stroking my hair.

  “Don’t feel bad, I’m sure Axel might have forgiven you, so don’t think much about it” He assured, I nodded not really satisfied with his reply

  “Erm….can I at least apologize before we leave”

  “Hmm….don’t worry about that…we have spoken already..so he is cool, trust me, he holds no grudge against you. Come on, let’s go” He held my hand, trying to pull me out of the room

  “Uhn…wait..I need to pick my clothes..erm..and erm…”

  “Come on Ari…you have enough clothes already at home…”

  “Please…..I really need to pick some things,” I resort, running back into the room.

  A few minutes later, I was done; as we made our way to his car parked outside, I stared at the house for the last time.

  “Hmm..will I ever come back here..”I thought “Well maybe not, but anytime I have the opportunity to apologize to him, I will”

  Not long after, Aiden ignited the car engine as we hit the road.

  ~~~~~

  The Shaw’s Mansion

  Flinging off clothes from her wardrobe, Elsa packed them gently in a small portable box, as drops of tears rolled down her cheek. She sobbed and groaned in pain, remembering the event of last night of how she was brutally raped by Mr. Shaw who forced her to go doggy.

  Her legs wobbled in pain as she cursed him lowly within her heart, blaming her mother for not taking her along when going to the other world.

  This is the height of it; no one knows about all she had been going through in the house right from when her mother died, but this isn’t what she bargained for.

  This isn’t what she wanted for her life; if not it has just been too miserable from the start. More tears gush down her cheek as she wishes her mother had never left her alone to suffer more at his hands.

  “Why did you leave me, mother…why… Huhn…your precious daughter.. when?” She sobbed heartedly, picking up other clothes as she arranged them in the box. She heaved a sigh, cleaning the tears in her eyes which made her vision blurry, as she continued with her packing.

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  A sudden knock came on the door, making her frozen at the spot. She hurriedly hid the box, arranging her dress as she muttered a ‘come in’.

  The door cracked open, as a red-haired lady stepped in. She had a smile on her face, which suddenly turned into a frown as she saw Elsa’s expression. She was putting on a short flimsy maid dress, just like Elsa’s

  “Elsa……what’s wrong?” She asked, drawing closer to Elsa, who stiffened a bit, knowing that if Diana came closer, she would see her box and have a clue of what was going on. She made steps toward preventing her from coming closer

  “Hey…I’m fine…ermm….is ma’am calling for me?” Elsa asked as Diana stared at her puzzled at her behavior. She seemed nervous, she thought

  “Nope….just came to check up on you”

  “Oh…ok..thanks…i…ermm..”

  “Elsa….come on, speak to me…you have been behaving strange…what’s wrong?” Diana asked sincerely. Elsa sighed a bit, going to sit on the bed, as Diana joined her, holding onto her shoulder. The threatening tears in Elsa’s eyes poured out, as she couldn’t hold it in any further.

  “Oh..no….come on….stop crying…shhh….it’s ok,” Diana patted her back as she cried on her shoulder.

  “I don’t know where to start from, Diana…I’m confused here…I can’t say this…it hurts so much…I’m really pained” Elsa cried

  “Hey…look at me..” Diana held up her chin, looking into her eyes

  “You trust me, right….it’s better you let it out and free your heart of the burden. A problem shared is a problem half solved, okay” Elsa nodded, sniffing

  “Yeah…but the thing is that I can’t share this problem…it’s….”

  “Hmm….it’s alright…I understand…But I don’t like seeing you this way. Everyone knows Elsa to be a hardworking and lovely girl..but these days, you have been moody. And being your very good friend, I need to see to your well-being”

  “Yeah…thanks Diana”

  Diana smiled as her eyes scrutinized the room; she caught a glimpse of the box and frowned.

  “What’s that?” She asked, with arched brows

  “What?” Elsa resorted, nervously. Diana stood up, went towards where she hid the box, and pulled it out, a few clothes dropped out, and Elsa gasped

  “Elsa….a…are you leaving” She asked, her eyes boring holes into Elsa’s, who nodded slowly

  “The pain is too much” She whispered in agony. Diana dropped the box, rushing to hold her hands.

  “Please Elsa…what is going on…please don’t leave, you are my only friend here…..but why will you….”

  “Shhh…..” Elsa whispered. “It’s for my own good; I don’t wanna die yet…it’s hard to say, and I’m really sorry Diana, but I need to go away from here. Things haven’t really been going well for me, and the boss caused all this…I’m sorry”

  “Tell me…what has the boss done…I mean…Elsa…come on…where will you go to if you leave here…you and I know that you are an orphan and have no one. It might be dangerous out there” Diana muttered, shedding tears too

  “Diana….I will be fine, okay…and you will be fine too, trust me…out there might be dangerous, but within is more dangerous for me as of now. But if I will advise you, just stay away from Mr. Shaw,” She cooed, wiping off her tears and pulling her into a hug. They cried on each other’s shoulders for a while before comforting themselves.

  Diana couldn’t really understand Elsa’s motive for leaving, but she knew something bad might have happened. She assisted her in setting up her pack. Elsa handed a letter to her which she asked to give to Mrs. Shaw, as they planned on how she will exit the building.

  ~~~~~

  Dragging along her heavy box, Elsa walked along a dusty road that led to a slum area. A nostalgic feeling overwhelmed her as she remembered her former life before Mrs. Shaw picked her and her mum up.

  Walking down the lonely road, she noticed a few people were around, but in a twinkle of an eye, she suddenly became alone. Where did those people go to? She asked herself, holding the little bag across her shoulder firmly to avoid it from slipping off.

  The small bag contains her life savings, well she should have decided to keep it in the bank, but it isn’t easy to find a bank where one can quickly withdraw in a slum area like this.

  This is the worst area to live in; the poorest rat in the city will be the richest over here. But, she seems wrong, though, because most criminals take this village to be their hideouts, and furious touts could be seen hanging around in the hidden areas, performing hideous acts on innocent villagers.

  She sighed for the umpteenth time, tired of the unending journey. Though she had nowhere in mind to lodge, she hoped to meet someone who would perhaps direct her to a small lodge or hotel where she could spend the night.

  She yawned repeatedly, and her stomach rumbled furiously. She was about to take a rest under a nearby tree close to the road when she noticed some guys at the end of a certain building.

  They were about four, and she couldn’t really glimpse at what they were doing, but the joy of finding a person overwhelmed her curiosity as she made her way towards them, hoping to get information about the village.

  They noticed her presence and turned sharply towards her as she walked closer. At this time, after walking some meters toward them, she noticed their outfit, expressions, and the substances in their hands.

  One was holding a wrap of weed, to be precise, while others were busy drinking hot liquor. They gritted at her, sniffing her from afar as their red eyes gave her a bad impression

  “Who are you?” One of the guys asked he was putting on a red cap, with a silver earring stuck on the loop of his ear

  “I think we got a fish here…come on check her out…..” Another said as they tried making their way towards her. A load of fear fell on her, disorganizing her body system as a loud shrieking scream escaped her mouth.

  She tried running away, but one was already at her front, taking off the small bag from her as he landed a heavy slap across her face making her shriek. She fell to the ground sobbing loudly as the other guys came closer; they opened the bag and their eyes bulged out

  “Geez….this is money, never knew this villagers were rich” A guy with a smelly mouth muttered

  “She doesn’t look like a villager…look at her bags” A heavily built one muttered

  The one who slapped her seemed to be their leader, he went and stood before her, squatting to her level

  “Hey chick….don’t cry, okay…we just wanna have a taste of his perfect body of yours,” he smirked, trying to pull off her trousers. But her struggle prevented him from doing so. She slapped him across the face, trying to free herself from his grip, but he was just so strong. She busted into another round of tears, cursing herself for taking this route.

  She should have stayed in the mansion; Diana was right….now these guys will all rape her, she thought, wondering why her life will be so miserable.

  “Stop struggling bitch and stay still…” he muttered in a husky voice, tearing off her shirt in the process.

  But before he could complete his words, a heavy kick landed on his face, making him stagger as he rolled off her. Elsa managed to get up, shifting backward, as she stared at her savior, who gave the hoodlum another kick just as he was about to get up, making him stumble to the ground; perhaps the kick had a strong effect on him.

  She glanced at the floor and saw the other guys who were mocking her earlier on the ground, groaning loudly. But when did all this happen? She thought.

  Perhaps she was too busy fighting the man who tried raping her to notice the fact that someone else her taken charge of beating up those guys.

  Her savior picked up the leader of the gang, sending hot blows into his chest, but he dodged it, sending a kick at her, which she swiftly avoided.

  One of the guys sprawled on the floor stood up to attack her, but she felt his presence, sending him a punch before he could lift his hand, he staggered, falling on another wounded guy on the floor.

  The leader of the gang stood up again and, with force, surged at the strange savior girl, sending a blow to her jawline; she grabbed his hand, twisting it backward as it made a cracking sound; he grunted in pain, landing on one of his knees.

  The fight went on, with the young lady beating the hell out of them; they, however, surrendered, knowing that they were not a match for her: four guys against a lady.

  She collected Elsa’s bag from them giving them a strict warning to stay clear as they hurried off without sparing her another glance. Elsa breathed a sigh of relief, feeling at ease as she spoke out

  “Thank you so much, you saved me…..I’m just so…..”

  “Elsa” the strange girl muttered to Elsa’s surprise

  She stared at the stranger in shock, wondering how she got to know her name. Who is she, did she know me from somewhere, but how?” this thought kept running in her mind, not sure of the answer to give, not until the lady took off her sunglasses. Her mouth fell apart in shock as she gaped at her, she later found her voice, shuttering a bit, she muttered

  “Br- Brit-Brittany???” Elsa called

  The strange girl smirked