Chapter 6, Unknown number

Sofia p.o.v

This day is officially the worst day I've ever had.

Number one should be pretty obvious. AND number two was when I fell in front of everyone in first grade and got called 'Monkey Panties' for the whole year because I wore my damn Monkey panties and flashed when I fell.

When I got to Jessica's ford, I thank whatever Gods are listening for the fact that she's waiting for me.

"WHERE WERE YOU?" she yells.

I groan because of course the day can get worse. "I got kidnapped and then left to walk in the rain and then almost strangled to death and then saved and then had a chocolate milkshake and the finally got dropped off here. This day isn't even done yet and already I've had slap two guys across the face," I rant.

Jessica stands there, blinking.

"Well," She says, "I'm not sure what to as first."

"Can we please just get home? This day needs to end."

Jessica finally sees that I'm not in the condition to get interrogated and instead we get into car. I know by pained expression she has when she starts the car that she noticed the red marks on my neck.

"I heard by Lara that you got carried off by Luke, but Lara's a gossip-bee so wasn't sure what to believe. I guess that at least answers the kidnapping part. Was he the one that did that?" she asks ad point at my neck. "Did he strangled you because you talked back to him this morning?"

"No he kidnapped me become he is a perv and when I rejected him, he left me to walk back. Okay, maybe I left him to walk all the way back. We were at the docks and because bad-luck is something that just comes with me, I ran into a couple of guys that were about to shoot the other guys...." I explain and Jessica goes quite.

"I could let them do that," I continued,"I couldn't let them shoot the guys. It just felt so much like when I let those guys shoot my mother..... So after shouting at them, they chased me and strangled me. And here's where the bizarre thing comes in, Jayden Steward and his gang show up and save me. But Jayden, just like Luke, is prev an when he made a move after dropping me off here at school, I slapped him," I conclude.

"That's a lot to take in," Jessica says and pull out of the school parking lot. Unlike Luke drives the legal speed limit when we made our way home.

"Yeah, well, welcome to my life," I sigh.

Jessica bites her lip, but keep her eyes on road when she asks, "Do you even know how much trouble you're in?"

"I'm getting feeling like that I'll find out soon enough.."

"You need to lie low, Sofia," Jessica says, "That's how you survive high school. That's how you don't get involved with the Gangs. You lie low...."

I nod. "You're right. From now on, I'll avoid Luke and Jayden like they're the plague. I just have to go through this year and after that I can go to some art college," I say.

We made our way home without mentioning Luke and Jayden anymore. Jessica gives me her scarf to hide the marks on my neck and mutters something about the Vampire Diaries before we head inside the house.

Aunt Tessa isn't home yet, but Uncle Anton is, because he works the night-shift at the hospital.

"Good day, young-ones. Did any of you learn something useful today at school?" Uncle Anton asks when we greet him in the kitchen.

Jessica grabs an apple and says: "I learned that scientists are developing an immune therapy based on blood cells from patients who have made 'miracle' recoveries from cancer. So basically, we'll have the cure for cancer soon."

"I said 'something important'," Uncle Anton sigh with an eye-roll. God, who's the one filling the teenagers clichés? He's a forty-something grown-ass man that feels like it's appropriate to roll his eyes at his teenage daughter.

And then turns to me, "What about you kiddo?"

I blink for a second. He can't know that I wasn't in school today. As cool as Uncle Anton is, he might not appreciate me not being in school. Or he'll twt it. I really don't know what to expect from this guys.

"Uhm....shaking milk automatically makes it a milkshake?" I try.

"Excellent, Sofia! That's just excellent!"

Jessica is about to protest, but stops herself, because she knows it's a futile attempt.

"Now, Jessica, you have to help me figure out the clothing Jacuzzi," Uncle Anton says and leads Jessica to the washing machine.

I take that as my cue to head down to the basement and finish my artwork.

The basement has become my sanctuary. My paints and brushes are scattered everywhere and paintings are stacked against the wall. None of them have even a bit of red. And neither do they have too much dark colours. I try to keep it bright.

I stroll over to the artwork I'm working on. It's painting of a field of sunflowers with a random bed in the middle of it.

Maybe the bed is not random.....

I pick out a paintbrush and start working on the details of the bed. The white pillow and blue cover needs to be brighter.....I add purple for the dark shadows under the bed. At the exact spot I was hiding.

When my mother got shot...

I love you Sofia. I love you so, so much. Go under the bed....

If I didn't hide.....I if I tried fighting, recalling all those self-defence classes, maybe I could've saved my mom. If I just got out from under that bed....If I didn't stay frozen there hours after the intruders left.

I didn't call the police. One of the maids that didn't get shot did and the police had to drag me from under the bed.

Something I feel like I'm still not out.....I feel I'm still hiding...

Even if I managed to stand up for that guy today, I'm still so scared on the inside.....And maybe it's going to get me killed, but I have the feeling I'm not getting into trouble because of bad-luck.

I'm getting into trouble because I'm trying to prove myself that I'm not scared...

A buzz from my phone pulls me out of the darkness my mind is getting sucked into. I snap back to reality and realized I've painted the bed pitch-black.

When I unlocked my phone, I noticed I've gotten a message from an unknown number.

[unknown]

-hello, Marigold.

A chill goes through me when i realise that I haven't told anyone at school my last name. The only person that could know is the people in this house and okay, maybe my teacher.

Mr. Wessils did call you Miss Marigold index English class today, I remind myself.

I decide to text back.

[you]

-Who's this? And no, I don't have a favourite scary movie.

The next text comes instantly.

[unknown]

-I notice you like getting into trouble.

Who the hell is this person? I don't rule out those possibility it can be Luke or Jayden, but I distinctly remember not telling them my last name. And Jessica isn't one for pranks.....

I have half a mind to just block the number and continue with my panting, but honestly, nobody in their right mind can ignore a text like this.

Much less Curious Sofia over here.

I text:

[You]

-WHO ARE YOU?

Once again the unknown number responds instantaneously.

[Unknown]

-The docks 23:00 don't get caught ;)

[You]

-What's this about?

This time, the unknown number doesn't respond and the amount of questions I have is blowing my mind.

[You]

-Hello?

More frustrated than I've ever been, I saved unknown number as 'Mysterious Fucker' and stuff my phone into my pocket.

Does that person want to meet me at docks? Luke took me to the docks today so maybe it's him?

A gut feeling tells me I'm wrong.

And because I'm a idiot and curious and trying to prove to myself I'm not scared and maybe also because I really do have to knack for getting into trouble, I know I will in fact be at the docks at 23:00 tonight.

Why the hell not? Possibly getting murdered is not a problem at all.