Chapter 6: Chapter 6

After work, Aly gave me a ride home in her car, and I didn’t feel strong enough to refuse her invitation. Even though the encounter with the twins had happened a few hours ago, just the thought of them made me shudder, and Aly’s silent judgment didn’t help me in the slightest. Finally, she spoke:

“What the hell?” she said, without taking her eyes off the windshield.

I knew what she was referring to.

“You know they like to bother me. That’s all,” I replied.

Aly clicked her tongue and then gave me a lecture about the problems I was getting myself into. She insisted that I needed to find a way to make the twins stop pursuing me.

“You have no idea what Chloe and Amelia are capable of,” she warned me.

It was true, I had no idea, but I could form an image just by remembering the way Chloe had thrown that ball at my face with such force. If I had taken a second longer to react, I would have needed facial reconstruction at that moment.

When I got out of the car, things were better with Aly, and I promised her that I would do my best to shake off the twins, even though I knew it wouldn’t happen. It was because, in a way, I had been abused by them in my locker, but I was also aware that I had enjoyed it.

Even though Lia’s car wasn’t parked there, I discovered that Dub was snoring on the couch, so I quickly went to my room. Lia didn’t take long to arrive, and I was finally able to relax. But just as I was about to fall asleep, my cellphone rang. It was an old 2G model that Lia gave me because, according to custody, I had to have one to answer calls from the social worker assigned to my case. I answered the only person who had that number.

“How have you been, Sussan? Is everything okay?”

How could I explain to Margaret, the social worker, that I was now being harassed in my room by a man who, if it hadn’t been for the appearance of two wolves a week ago, would surely have abused me by now?

“I’m fine, hanging in there. Counting the days to get out of here.”

Margaret sighed on the other end of the line.

“Have you received the deposits?”

I knew she was referring to the deposits from my father, which my grandmother always gave me, although I only used them for my personal expenses and gave her everything else. But since they started going into Lia’s account, I hadn’t seen a single dollar.

“I know he sends them, but no. Lia is stricter with expenses than my grandmother.”

It was a polite way of saying that she spent the money my father sent on her boyfriend’s alcohol.

“Well, Sussan. I’ll be in touch. Rest well.”

“Thank you. Goodbye.”

I lay back and don’t know at what point I fell asleep because next, I returned to school, to the hallway, to my locker, to being besieged by the twins. Their warm, mint-scented breath penetrated my body, while their hands explored every inch of my skin. Ethan’s hand was back on my abdomen, only this time it descended gently, while Liam’s teeth wandered along the lobes of my ears and then trailed down my neck, exposed to their will, despite my insistence that they should stop. When I woke up, drenched in sweat, I heard the rain pouring heavily. I got up, startled by how vivid my dream had been, so much so that I wasn’t sure if it had actually happened. If it weren’t for the fact that it had taken place at school, I would have believed that the twins had actually entered my room while I was sleeping.

I approached the window to lower the blind, which had been left raised, although I was sure I had lowered it before. As I did so, a lightning bolt streaked across the night sky, and for less than a second, I could see the features of the two wolves that had previously roamed around the house. I would have screamed if it weren’t for the risk of waking Lia and Dub. With my hand pressed against my lips, I looked again and thought I saw, in the pitch-black darkness, the bodies of the two animals as they moved away. It couldn’t be possible. I had to be going crazy.

I didn’t go to school the next day. I felt too nervous to even see the twins’ faces. I couldn’t do it after what had happened at my locker, and after the vision of the two wolves, I couldn’t fall asleep. Only with the warmth of the sun in the morning was I able to rest a bit. Lia didn’t even notice that I was still in my room, and it didn’t take long for me to hear the TV that Dub’s alcohol-clouded eyes were glued to all day long.

Around three in the afternoon, I heard Aly’s car parking in front of the house, and I ran out.

“What happened to you today?”

I pursed my lips.

“I didn’t sleep at all last night,” I said.

“Did the storm keep you awake?” she asked.

I nodded.

“Why didn’t you message me on WhatsApp to let me know you weren’t going to school today?” she asked.

“I don’t have a data plan,” I unintentionally mentioned, referring to the horrible 2G phone that only received calls and had only one contact: the social worker’s.

“But you work, you could buy one, right?” she suggested.

“I’ve already spent my money on other expenses, and now I need to replenish my savings,” I replied.

I realized that Aly seemed to not understand what I meant. In her mind, the idea of me having to provide even my own food didn’t fit because what was in the refrigerator at home belonged to Lia and her boyfriend. I suspected, based on her worldview, that she might also be one of the wealthy ones in town.

The afternoon at work proceeded as usual, and with just one hour left to finish my shift, one of the waitresses, Jennifer, bumped into me and spilled a plate of spaghetti on my chest. I attributed it to an accident, one I was familiar with, and went to change my blouse. As I was finishing changing, my nose warned me of the danger that was approaching. I recognized that fragrance and wanted to hurry to the kitchen as fast as possible, but then I bumped into Liam’s chest.

“I didn’t see you at school today, honey. What happened?” he asked.

I avoided his gaze and tried to move away, but I couldn’t. He was too sturdy and large, his body completely filling the narrow passage between the dressing room and the kitchen.

“That’s none of your business,” I said, determined to finally confront him.

“Whatever you say, honey,” he said mockingly, running his warm, strong fingers across my cheek. I shuddered, and even after he left, I remained paralyzed for a few seconds. The sound of a pot crashing to the floor snapped me out of my stupor.

When I reached the kitchen, I noticed that Jennifer, the waitress I had collided with, was staring at me. I turned and met her gaze.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, with a smile.

Jennifer didn’t take her eyes off mine.

“Do you think you’re very special?” she asked.

“What?” I asked, still smiling.

“Don’t play dumb. Tell me, do you think you’re very special?”

I shrugged.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“What’s going on here, ladies?” Angelo, the owner, asked when he saw us standing in the kitchen. “Aren’t you going to attend to more customers today?”

“It’s her,” Jennifer said, as if accusing me of something. “I don’t know what she thinks, but the twins only ask for her.”

My skin crawled, and Jennifer’s tantrum became the least of my worries.

“Well, go attend to them,” Angelo said, looking at me.

“If you want to serve them, Jennifer, go ahead, I have no problem with that.”

Jennifer didn’t respond and left the kitchen. As I turned my gaze, I could see from where I was standing that they had sat in my assigned section of the dining area. I sighed and approached the table with the drinks they had ordered. As I served them, Ethan reached out and grabbed my arm tightly.

“What the hell is this?”