The Whisper In The Ice

[Vancouver, September 2, 2002]

[Roxie, 14 years old]

~ • ~

"Mom, I'm going to school now!" Roxie shouted from the open door, getting ready to walk to her school in a long white top, a short black skirt, and a maroon blazer with the school crest on her left side. Along with her light brown shoes, and long black socks that almost touched her knees.

"Wait a minute Roxie!"

She heard that her mom was walking towards her. So she stood by the door for a moment while staring at her mom's figure who was tying her woolen cardigan to her white silk negligee. Her mom then ties up her dark brown hair into a messy bun.

Later her mom appeared in front of Roxie, she hugged her daughter, who also hugged her mom back.

"Mom, I'm going to be late," the daughter said, chuckling, then releasing her hug.

"Okay, honey, be careful," said her mom, releasing her hug too.

"Yes, mom," said her daughter, holding the strap of a bag that was slung over her shoulder, and then walked out of the house.

Her mom followed her only to stand by the door.

"Oh, and if something happens, call me okay? I will go there as soon as possible," her mom said worriedly, hugging her figure, as the cold morning air creeps over her body.

Her daughter stopped walking and stood on the stone path that led from the residential street to the terrace of their house.

"Calm down, mom. I'll be fine and don't worry about me, I can take care of myself," said her daughter who smiled reassuringly at her mom and then finally went to her school.

Her mom smiled lovingly at her daughter, who had gone to her school, and then she went back to the house and closed the door.

~ • ~

Roxanne Elenora Victoria Walker, who was usually called Roxie, was her name. She was a fourteen-year-old teenage girl and currently in her second year of junior high school.

She was just a typical teenage girl, having a normal life, a loving mom, and a nice home. It all seems pretty normal. Aside from that, her appearance was average, or that was what she thought. Yet, according to others, her looks were above average.

With her long dark golden brown wavy hair, baby blue eyes, naturally red lips, and a sharp nose. Those are her distinctive features, known by many people. Even, with her fair skin and rosy cheeks, made her a natural beauty compared to the other girls in her grade. Where every day, there was no such thing as without makeup.

Not only that, but her body was also no exception. She has a slim body with a height around 165cm, which made her look a bit like a model. For a fourteen-year-old, she did get taller quite fast. Though, her mother has an average height.

She wondered if her father's gene had been passed on to her. She couldn't remember him quite well. He was often busy at work, rarely at home. She could only recall a chunk of his black hair and broad shoulders.

This was also from the photo that was hung in the living room, where her father's face was cut out from it. She looked for other pictures, searching for his figure, but none of them has her father in it. The only photo left was the one on the wall in the living room.

Her heart suddenly ached at the thought of him. She recalls the time when he had left the house and never returned. Not a single word from him, nor from the people who know him. It was as though he had vanished.

Roxie shook her head, dispelling bad thoughts about her father. The two straps of her bag were held by her as she proceeded to walk on the road. She quickly changed her mind to the people at her school.

Continuing what was left before, Roxie was one of the best students, as she excels in every subject at her school. She was not only blessed with beauty but also with intelligence.

A lot of boys were waiting in line to get her attention, a lot of girls were jealous and wanted to be in her position. Even all the teachers love her too. As a result, she doesn't have any allies or friends at school.

Since people were already biasing towards her, other girls felt insecure when they were close to Roxie, and even the good girls refused to approach her. What remains of her, the boys in the school who worshipped her, they viewed her as a true queen.

She rolled her eyes as she wondered, why the boys were after her? She knew she was quite attractive, which was what the typical boys liked about, right? She didn't brag about her presence here, thinking about it made her want to vomit.

But, what else besides her looks?

For them, there was nothing else. They just enjoyed the beauty of her.

'They are so pathetic,' she thought.

Unlike the people who loved her, she also had people who hated her. Most of them came from the girls who thought they were the queens of this school. Of course, they felt disturbed by the presence of Roxie.

They would rant at her occasionally, but Roxie didn't budge. She just ignored them. Besides, if they were more rude than usual, she would address them sarcastically.

~ • ~

Flashback

~ • ~

"What's that Roxanne? Did you bring an apple to school? Why? Don't have money to buy a good breakfast, huh? Aww, what a pity."

Then they laughed. Roxie ignored them and continued to eat the apple. As soon as she heard them stop laughing, they continued their pathetic comments.

"You know, I can buy anything for breakfast. My daddy always gave me a lot of money. While you Roxanne ..."

Roxie rolled her eyes when she heard the story of the girl being spoiled by her dear father. So Roxie decided to stop the conversation.

"Shhh ..."

She put a finger on the girl's mouth. She gave Roxie a strange look.

"Did you guys hear that?"

Roxie asked while looking around the classroom. They also followed suit and did the same.

There was only silence in the classroom.

They looked back at Roxie, confusion etched on their faces.

As they continued to stare at her in confusion, she stepped outside the classroom and stood by the door.

She looked at them seriously.

"It's a sound that I don't care about your bullshit."

And then she left without missing their angry reaction.

She grinned as she continued eating the apple.

~ • ~

End of Flashback

~ • ~

She chuckled, looking back to the incident that happened not too long ago. But the smile soon disappeared as she started to walk towards the entrance to her school.

'Another day begins again,' she thought with a sigh.