chapter two

''Alice! Alice! you have to wake up my dear. it's already 10 in the morning." she had the distant voice of her Aunt climbing up the flight of stairs in a hurried manner. Alice did not understand what the fuss was about when it came to early rise-ups. Her Aunty was always obsessed with people getting up early in the morning even though there was nothing specific that was going to be done.

When her bedroom door was opened, she felt do warm hands caressing her shoulders as they shook her gently. She felt irritated especially because she had not slept much last night from the nightmares. Even though Alice and her aunt were close, she never disclosed anything about those recurring dreams she had. In a way, she understood that she could never trust anyone, not even the people that were closest to her. She had had her own fair share of Betrayal and she will never risk it for anything.

''Ok! Ok! I'm up,'' she responded in an irritated manner, rolling her eyes as she threw the blanket across the bed and pulled her feet down. The soft fabric of the carpet soothed the Soles of Her Feet as she brought herself to a standing posture.

''Whoah, look at you. You look like you spent the entire night chasing cats and dogs. Did you even sleep?'' She asked, examining the young girl as she paced around her bedroom.

''Not really, I was working on something last night. why did you wake me up so early?'' Alice asked masking the irritation in her voice.

She hated this little conversation. She hated everything that had to do with human decency. Alice hated having unnecessary conversations with people. in one Way Or Another, she was simply an introvert. She hated interactions with others or being in crowded places. This is why school was her least favorite place. she did not like answering questions or being given a project to do in groups. she hated being the center of bullies because then she would have to deal with them the only way she knew how. being a couple of inches bigger than other girls did not give them the right to bring her down. Alice was the toughest of them all and she was often expelled because of bullying the ones that try to bully.

''Mia is coming today. she wants you to take her shopping because you both are starting school tomorrow.'' her Anty explained. Mia was her aunt's daughter hence the cousin to Alice.

Even though the two girls did not get along very well, Alice often agreed to hang out with her just because she wanted to do her a favor. Her aunt had after all done so much for her and she did not want to seem less appreciative.

''She's coming to school with me?'' Alice asked. As much as she was down to hang out with Mia, she hated the idea of having to go to the same school with her. The two of them did not get along because they were both opposites. Mia loved attention, she loved interacting with other people mostly boys. She was more into fashion and she was a b**** to everyone. the only places where their characters were Common, is when it came to handling the bullies of the school.

''Yes of course. just like you, your cousin has also been expelled from her previous school. I don't get it with you children nowadays. one minute you are performing well, your grades are good and you're very disciplined. and then the next indulge in a fight.'' her aunt complained.

''So what exactly did she do? did she fight someone again?'' Alice asks curiously. she needed to know what had gotten her cousin in trouble again. Just like her who was always in indiscipline cases in her school, Mia was no different.

''She beat up one of the girls and it turns out it was the principal's daughter. But that is not what we're talking about is it. You both need to behave in your new school. I am not going to pay for any medical covers that have to be handled because of one of your victims. Keep your karate skills to yourselves and stay behaved.'' her aunt scolded.

Alice only rolled her eyes. she had listened to that conversation over and over again and it always ended up with the same scenario. No matter how many times she had been told not to fight the other students at school, Alice would never stand back and let anyone bully her. She was going to put people in their places no matter the consequences of her actions.

'' And I'm hoping you're also going to tell your daughter that. I'm not the only one who will be keeping her hands to herself.'' even though she is speaking in riddles.

Alice knows very well that a fight might break out between her and her cousin. They were polar opposites even though their grades and academic performance will be very competitive. Alice expected that when they went to the new school, her cousin would settle for whatever bad boy Run the school. Mia was the type to always seek Fame from the ones who already had it. even though she did not really care about what her cousin was going to do in school, she hoped that she will not end up entangled in all that mischief. she had to lay low and make sure that none of the parks in the area will notice her presence. She knew that they were going to have misunderstandings and one way or Another they would end up in different groups. Alice was more than ready to throw some hands and she knew that Mia would also be prepared.

Her aunty would always side with her daughter no matter what the situation was. This is why Alice always understood that she was alone in this world. Even though her aunt catered for her education, give her a roof over her head and meals, she still knew that when it came to a Rough part of survival, she would be on her own. She would never trust anyone with what she was; with who she really was.

As the both of them head downstairs for breakfast, Alice cannot help but worry about the arrival of her cousin. She knows that this will tamper with a lot of her plans especially because there was a soul mission as to why she agreed to come to this new town. She knows that her cousin will be following her everywhere and they will be stuck together. She hoped that her self-control will stay intact and she will never let Mia nor her auntie know what she really was.

But can a secret really be hidden, especially when the people around you at the same ones who are hunting you down?