chapter five: unexpected Murder.

Sofia's POV 

After explaining my terrible story to her, even though I left out details about how I was molested since I was seven years old. She listened to it all through in pity.  She almost shades my tears. 

She took me to her home.  She was just a year older than me.

"Do you live here with your parents?".

I asked her in confusion. It was a big apartment, I stood in a daze in the middle of the living room.  It has just two couches at the center of it, with a fireplace that is taller than me. It has two floor-to-ceiling windows, with a beautiful golden chandelier hanging about the ceiling. 

"No, I live alone. I left my parents when I was 15 years old, to make a life for myself ".

She turned around, answering my question with a small smile on her face. I gasped in shock. 15years, while I was with my parents in a thrash hole and being molested.  I instantly had tears burning my eyelids. The sticking sensation in them made me blink, and a tear rolled down my face. I used the back of my hand to clean it up before she could notice.

"Congratulations". I found myself telling her. She smiles and walks over to me." You can stay here with me, till you have made enough to take care of yourself and get an apartment of your own. Everything is possible with hard work." She smiled again, letting go of my shoulders, turning around and going to where I presume was her bedroom. looks like she had a smiling syndrome. She keeps smiling all the time.

I nodded my head and thanked her immensely for her kind gesture. 

I dragged myself to one of the couches and stumbled down my exhausted body on it, with my hands in between my legs,  I stared blankly around the house. 

"Here, change into them, I will make you a cup of coffee. The bathroom is on your left".

She threw some clothes over my head and motioned to a door opposite me." thank you so much".

I muttered, scooping the dress into my hands.

"I'm Rochelle by the way. I'm sorry that I didn't introduce myself before ". She apologized sincerely. She is a nice person because not too many people would help a random stranger like me.  I should be blaming myself for not introducing myself first.

"I'm Sofia and thanks again". I smiled at her.

"We could be friends ".

Friends! It's been a long time since I heard a word like that.  I never had any friends growing up and I don't even know what friendship feels like.

"Uhm sure, why not". I agreed and she pulled me into a tight hug.

"You don't have to cry, consider me as your family.  You would be fine here".

She stretched her hands to my cheeks and cleaned my tears. Maybe I just found another family. 

I just smiled and made my way to the bathroom. 

******

5 months later. 

"Wakey! wakey!". I growled when the mattress sang behind me and Rochelle's voice echoed in the room.

"It's work time Sofia". I heard her say and rolled the duvet off my body. I jolted up when the cold breeze from the window hit my bare legs, sending cold shivers down my legs. I rubbed my sleeping eyes open to see her standing in front of the bed with a wide grin on her face.

"Come on Rochelle, it's still early in the morning " I groaned with sleep still in my eyes. I needed to sleep some more. I was exhausted from working overtime last night. 

"Well, if you don't like your job, then you can sleep all you want. I'm out". She threw the duvet back on the bed, swinging the door open and she walked out with a frown on her face.  I sigh and get off the bed. I made my way to the bathroom and took a quick shower. When I was done, I stepped out of the shower, with my towel wrapped around me, I looked at my face in the bathroom mirror to make sure that everything was on track before walking out of the bathroom. 

I strode to the closet and took out a pair of black jeans with ripped on both knees. I searched for a series of t-shirts and picked out my favorite red color. It had the words MEMORIES OF A LION written on the front side. I folded it in my hands and brought it up to my lips, kissing the words which reminded me of my parents. Rochelle bought it for me about a month ago when we went shopping.

My family was once a LION, but I don't know.  I heaved and shook my head trying not to remember the painful memories. 

I slide into my black sneakers, taking my little bag, I hang it over my shoulders. My black hair was up in a ponytail and I applied a lip gloss to my lips. Rochelle was at the dinner table eating breakfast when I walked to the living room.

"You look beautiful, I bet you wouldn't come home today without three or more guys asking for your number ".she smiled with her gaze fixed on me, which made me tense and my eyes on the plate in front of me.

Guys! Her last sentence cut right deep into my heart. I felt the pieces being shattered with no mercy. The last thing I ever wanted to talk about was a man. They all disgust me. I could cut their throat off.

"Anything the matter?". She asked when she noticed my mood. 

"No, let's just eat".

I snapped out of my thoughts and grabbed my spoon.

"You look beautiful too ". I said in the middle of our breakfast. Her cheeks went all red. Her long beautiful brown hair matches the brown color of her eyes. She has this pointed nose that goes together with her plum lips.

She has the perfect curves. The kind of figure that had tongue-wagging each time she passed by. I noticed that a few times at the hotel where we work. Every guy there wanted to have a taste of her. When I asked her sometime back why she does not have a boyfriend, she smiled and replied "men are not a priority for the moment". She is such a principle girl to keep up with her values. 

"Thanks and you look more beautiful". She complimented and I just nodded my head and chewed on my food. "Do you hate men that much, to chop off their dick each time they approach you?"

Her questions made me choke on the salad I was eating. "Oops, I'm sorry". She apologized and handed me the glass of water that was in front of her.  I gulped a good amount of it before my nerves could calm down.  "Nothing serious, I don't like men touching me". I replied simply, not daring to dwell in my past because I have never told anything of such. 

I just hate dicks, I said thoughtfully.  I lost my appetite just thinking about my past. Memories that were going to live with me forever. She smiled awkwardly before nodding her head. The last two incidents that happened in the hotel where we are working; Were lifeless bodies of cock suckers who tried forcing themselves on me. I did not resist that much. I lured them in and when they were fully immersed, I removed my safety knife that is always around my waistband and cut their old bananas. Rochelle was always the one to meet me in that horrible position although being scared, she kept my secret and it's been two months now and no one knows about the person behind the murder even the police, which I'm very grateful for. I didn't just want to end up like my father. I want justice and justice I will get, no matter the cause. 

******

" I'm feeling so nauseated Sofia,  I can't hang on, I'm going home". Rochelle strode over to me at the receptionist's desk with her hands crouching on her stomach and a weird expression on her face. "Women stuff I guess" I smiled at her and she nodded. 

" Alright, you go ahead, I will join you soon," I told her. "Wait!" She stopped in her tracks and  I took a few steps toward her and pulled her in a tight hug. "Thank you so much for everything Rochelle," I said, taking her unaware.  Maybe she was probably thinking I wanted to give her the keys that she usually forgot behind. 

 "For nothing Sofia" she returned my hug. I could feel her smiling from behind me and I did the same. 

I will be moving to my apartment next week and it is all thanks to her. She is like a sister to me. She is the only family I have now. She has been of great help to me.

"Take care, see you soon". We separated and waved our goodbyes.  I couldn't stop smiling. 

Rochelle's POV. 

I had a really bad feeling when I stopped at the door leading to my apartment. I  locked the door this morning before Sofia and I left for work. I don't understand why it's wide open. Did I forget to lock it?  Trying to figure out what is happening, when I heard someone say from inside with excitement evident in their voice. "Looks like she is here". I freak out when a man with a black mass on his face with just his eyes and mouth visible stepped out of the house. 

" Sorry, wrong apartment ". I clutched my bag at my side with my head down trying to turn around.

"No way out pretty " I bumped into a hard chest while trying to run. He was tall, huge, and had a bald head with tattoos all over his body. 

"Please, Let me go, I don't owe you anything ".

I was now on my knees pleading with tears in my eyes.  I heard them burst out in laughter, echoing in the hallway.

"A friend to my Boss enemy is our enemy ".

The first man chuckled behind me.

"You owe us nothing girl, but you are keeping someone that we need ''.

The one who I bumped into said crouching down to my level with a deadly smile on his face.

"You have Sofia, where is she ?".

Dear Lord, what did she do? "I don't know what you're talking about".

I lied, with tears streaming down my face.

"Alright then, you leave us with no choice but to kill you". I could hear the cracking sound behind my head as he unlocked his gun.

"You are not going to kill anyone ".

I heard another voice say, coming outside of my apartment. " Tell your boss Leonardo that his attempt to kill me failed and I have come back to take my revenge.  He will suffer greatly. A lion never dies". The newcomer said and the bald man passed a glance to the man that was standing behind.  The fear on his face was evident. 

But What in the world was going on? Who are these men? And why were they looking for Sofia?. I gathered my knees up and rested my head on them, shivering terribly.  I have never witnessed a thing like this before. 

"Do not shiver Rochelle. You did a good job helping Sofia".

I gasped in surprise looking at the man who said that, he knows my name and knows Sofia too. Have these people been stalking us, who are they? What do they want?.

I looked up to see a man in his early forties standing with a massive gang of well-armed men behind him and one of them holding a plastic bag, the type able to accommodate a human being.  It looked as though there was a lifeless body in it. God, did I get myself into trouble, I hope Sofia was safe and nothing has happened to her. I couldn't stand the thought of anything happening to the only friend I found solemn in.

"You keep following us" the bald head man growled in irritation, looking at the man who said they were not going to kill anyone.

The next thing I heard was the sound of guns over my head before everything blackout.