Webs of Revenge

Chapter 2: Midterms

After the funeral for Maddie, which surprisingly my parents organized, I went back to the apartment. Sometimes, I hate having the color yellow assigned to my rank, and this was one of those days. Even though I had my black dress on, I had to wear a yellow cardigan. People were whispering and gossiping. I noticed my parents were oddly proud of the yellow cardigan.When I got home, I saw Caroline sitting on the couch and studying. “People talked didn’t they?”

“What would they be talking about?”

“That you wore yellow to your sister's funeral.”

“I never intended to wear it, I just had to. I didn’t have a sash.”

Caroline looked back at her books and sighed.  She doesn’t realize how lucky she is sometimes, she grew up in a loving home, has a wonderful boyfriend who proposed, she isn’t the heiress, she won’t be arranged into a stupid marriage, and she wears the color blue. “Sometimes I wonder if you really know what it’s like to be in my shoes Caroline.” Then, I ran out the door crying, every single emotion that I have experienced ever since I was a child has caused pain and suffering. I had to hold all those emotions since I could remember. “Us the Militon-Cortexes can’t show any signs of weakness you understand? Any sign of weakness and you will be overthrown by someone else. Remember Klara, when you show emotions you show weakness. That you care for something, and when you care for something that becomes your weakness.” 

I ran off of campus and I went straight to the park. I sat on the bench and looked up at the sky. It will rain soon, but I don’t care. It started to rain, I started to cry harder, “I HATE YOU MOTHER AND FATHER! EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS STUPID LIFE AND WHAT YOU MADE ME LIVE THROUGH!” I felt like I just exploded on the inside. I haven’t shown any major emotions since the age of six, when my parents scared my face. After that thought, my face stiffened back to its proper forum, that mask that covered my emotions, and I touched my scars. Those scars had been there for most of my life, they were a constant  reminder that my parents thought of me as a failure, someone who is unfit to take over the fortune, but I was born an heir and they couldn’t change that. I sometimes wished they had somehow changed my rank, by bribing an official or just not showing us our creation certificate. Then I noticed someone that was also sitting in the park. Oh my goodness, I have made a huge mistake, I have shown weakness. If my father were here I would have four scars on my face. I looked at the person sitting on the bench, I didn’t know him, but he was wearing a yellow blazer. He was an Heir, and he might know my father. Why did I go to a public place when I had a melt down? I got up and started running toward the direction of the campus, and he  got up and started running after me.

“Hey, are you ok?” He was right behind me, “ I could drive you back to your house because it looks like it’s about to rain.” He caught up to me.

“ No thank you, I don’t live too far from here and my roommate is going to pick me up soon.”

“Are you sure? Because a couple of minutes ago that didn’t seem to be the case.”

He stepped in front of me blocking my path. He was tall, looked about my age, blonde hair, green eyes and was an heir. “Sir, I don’t understand why you are blocking my path, but I would advise you to move out of my way.”

He looked at me for a moment and said,” Your the girl that I saw at the funeral today, you were wearing a yellow cardigan?”

“Sir, I still don’t understand your interest in my life but, yes I was the girl at the funeral.”

“ So I can assume your name is Klara Milliton-Cortex?”

“Yes, my name is Klara Odette Milliton-Cortex, and It was lovely meeting you but I have to get back to my apartment, and I would appreciate it if you moved out of my way.”

He still didn’t move. “Well my name is Vincent Lockridge, and I could promise you that your father won’t know that we meet like this. I will see you at your debutante and have a wonderful afternoon.”

“Vincent! Wait!”

He turned around and looked at me. “How do you know about my father?”

“Well everybody technically knows about it. Your sister Maddie wasn’t sick, you didn’t have a dog, and your sisters have scars on their arms.”

“Goodbye Vincent! I’ll see you at the debutante!”

I ran home, and I had this weird feeling on the inside, everything was buzzing inside me. “Klara! Are you ok? You ran out and I couldn’t find you anywhere on campus!”

“I was at the park. But let's go inside the apartment, something amazing happened!”

I told Caroline the story, and after squealing and laughing, I went to study for the midterms. I always hated Midterms, because they took so long and it doesn’t even matter how you do on them at Sunset Academy, but I had to ace them to avoid conflict at home. I noticed a stray piece of paper lying on my desk. I titled it “Revenge List”. The first person on the list I wrote was my father. I was pondering whether to write my mother on the list and Caroline came into the room.I quickly hid the list under my books. “I’m going to go shopping, and I might be back somewhere around 5:00, do you need anything?”

“As a matter of fact, I do. If you happen to see a yellow sash, could you please buy it for me? I’ll repay you later.”

Caroline smiled and walked out the door. I felt hollow on the inside, no emotions hiding. I took the piece of paper, and wrote, Mother.  Yes, she deserves revenge for all those years for aiding my father. I put the list in my purse and sighed, time to get to studying. I heard a knock at the door, “I’m coming!” I yelled.

“It’s Nick!”

“It’s open!”

Nick came into the apartment with a small package.

“Oh I’m sorry Nick, but Caroline went shopping thirty minutes ago.”

“Actually, my roommate Vin told me to give it to you. He said he was supposed to give it to you at your debutante ball, but he wants to give it early.”

“Why thank Vincent for his gift and tell him it is greatly appreciated.”

Nick left the apartment, and I decided to open the small box. I slightly cracked it open, and I saw some metal shining. He gave me throwing knives and a bottle of a clear liquid, that I suspect was poison. The note read:

“Dear Klara, 

This might seem like a wierd of type of present, but I assure you that this isn’t a threat. I received these a while ago, but I think you need them more especially since your family is not the kindest.

 V.Lockridge”

I looked more closely at the contents of the package, three silver throwing knives with leather handles and a clear type of poison to coat them. “Well, thank you Vincent. Your helping me so much with my list.”  I saw the cork dart board I received as a present for my birthday last year.  I took the knife and threw it in the direction of the board, and it hit the middle. I took the second knife and threw it, again I hit the bulls eye. And that's how it went on until Caroline came home.

“Klara! I’m home, I bought the sash! IT was expensive, but consider it a pity gift.”

I quickly put the knives in their wooden case, which was small, and shoved it into the pocket of my backpack.

“Nick came over an hour ago, I would give him a call!”

“Gosh, I forgot about my date! It's in 30 minutes!”

Caroline went to her room in a hurry, and I took my backpack into my room. I took out the wooden case and traced my finger over the carvings. Many girls carried around daggers at the academy, so it wouldn’t be that much different if I had thrown knives. Why did Vincent want to help me? If my father found out about this, he would probably lose all the contracts that his family might have made with mine that are centuries old. Then I noticed a small compartment that opened, it was meant to store the poison. I popped the bottle into the compartment, and put the set into my purse, it would be easier to reach. But for now, I don’t think I have the courage to use them, yet. Still wondering why he cared so much about my well being I called my sister Honor.

“Hi, Klara! How is the bride soon to be?”

“I’m sorry Honor, but you know that I’m not seeing anyone.”

“Well mother and father have settled on who you will marry after you finish Sunset Academy.”

“WHAT?!”

“Well, it wasn’t really their idea but the government chose the match. He was at Maddie's funeral, tall, blonde, and green eyed.”

“Is he the heir of the Lockridge fortune?”

“Yeah, I think his name is Vincent or something like that…”

“ I have to go Honor, see you soon!”

I ran to the living room, and looked at the phone book that Caroline alphabetically organized. This was the first time in my life where I actually have found it handy. Nick-  201 215 5556 I dialed the number knowing that it would be the only way I could reach Vincent. Nick Picked up the phone.

“Hello Nick, I was wondering if I could speak to Vincent Lockridge, because I know that you two are roommates and I have something to discuss with him.”

Silence took over the phone for awhile and then I heard Vincent come onto the phone:

“Hello? Who is this?”

“According to my parents, your future finances!”

“Ah, hello Klara!”

“Wait, did you know about this arrangement?”

“Well yes? Otherwise why would I be your escort to your debuate?”

“Wait, you're my escort?!”

“Gosh, you really didn’t know..”

“Yes of course I didn’t know! My folks and I don’t talk, I only see them once a year, and that usually results in major a***e!”

“I guess I should have improvised…”

“No kidding! While I’m still on the phone, thank you for the gift.”

“Your welcome, see you later Klari.”

“You will not call me-”

Then he hung up. How could someone be so infuriating and charming at the same time?! Also, how the hell did he know about my stupid childhood nickname?! The only person who knew about it was, Honor… She told him! I hate having a twin sometimes because this is exactly what happens.  “The queen has arrived!”

“Caroline what the heck happened? You are totally wasted, and you weren’t on a date with Nick because he was in his dorm!”

“Yeah, I wasn’t with him, I was with Carl Henderson!”

“Caroline, oh my goodness! You're engaged! Don’t you love Nick?”

“Yeah, but he gets boring sometimes and I went out with Carl for a little, I left Nick a message.”

“What did you say?”

“I said about how he shouldn’t worry because I’m with Carl right now and I’ll come over to his house tomorrow.”

“Caroline what is going on?! You have been coming home wasted three days in a row, and now you cheat on Nick? What’s wrong?”

 Caroline started sobbing.

“What's wrong? Caroline what going on?”

“She died because of me…”

“Who died? I don’t know…”

“Maddie, she died because of me.”

“Caroline, what are you talking about..”

“ I never stitched the cut. I couldn’t suck it up and stitch it. I was a coward.”

It hit me like a ton of bricks, even though Maddie was hooked up to the machines, Caroline never stitched the cut.

“Why did you do it Caroline? You stitched up Haylnn and Honor before.”

“It's different, my parents told me if the Milliton-Cortex angel ever showed up, I wasn’t supposed to help her.”

“YOU TOLD YOUR PARENTS? After all I told you and did for you, covered your classes helped you achieve your rank and introduced you to Nick this is how you repay me? I thought we were friends Caroline, best friends in fact.”

  I ran out of the apartment with my purse. I took my phone out of my purse and dialed Nick's number to try and contact Vincent, and I achieved my goal.

“Hey Klari, Nick is totally wasted on the couch mumbling something about a girl named Caroline.”

“I know Caroline, she also is totally wasted, and I need a place to crash.”

“Is there a reason for Klari?”

“Listen, Caroline is my roommate/Nick's fiance, or probably ex fiancee now…”

“And?”

“She is majoring in pre med and helps my sisters when our father hits them and she took care of Maddie, and when she was wasted on the couch she told me about how she purposely let Maddie die, because her parents wanted Maddie to be gone for some reason and I just can’t stay with her right now, and I could help you with Nick.”

“Deal, address is Building 10 apartment 6, Ivory Prep Board.”

I got into my car and drove to Ivory Prep, and Vincent already opened the door and started to panic.

“He wont stop throwing up and he keeps on drinking and getting more aggressive. Also he keeps on screaming your roommate's name…”

I walked into the room, it was a mess.

“What the heck happened here?! Vin, first take away all the bottles from him, empty or full, and fill them with water.”

He gave me an awkward stare.

“Trust me it works.” The carpet was all stained. “Do you guys have any cleaning products?”

“Somewhere in that closet!”

He pointed toward a tiny door and I opened it, found everything I needed to clean the carpet.

“Don’t worry, the maid will clean it up.”

“Trust me, these stains have to be scrubbed now, and it appears that you finished the bottles.”

Handing him a cleaning brush, I kneeled down and so did he.

“So, how often does this happen with Caroline that you know every step.”

I thought about it, I had to do this once a week at least .

“It depends, and who said I don’t drink a little,” I answered smiling.

“I know you do, but I could bet you half of my family fortune you never got drunk.”

“Well be prepared to go bankrupt because I did once.”

He started with his eyes widened, and he said ,”With what type of booze?”

“You will laugh, but I got drunk on champagne…”

“I never heard anyone say such a thing, I’ve heard wine, scotch, whiskey and vodka but never champagne!”

“Well I am surprised aren’t I? Now go back to scrubbing because at this point the carpet will have to go.”

After five failed attempts to get Nick off of the couch we gave up. We decided to give up, and go to bed.I was going to sleep in Nick's room because he fell asleep on the couch and I had to wake up early to get to the Academy. “The maid is coming tomorrow, and you're waking up early. Could you let her in? Because this carpet was expensive!”

I laid down and swept up my purse from the floor. I took out the list and wrote ,”Caroline- Just not too extreme,”. 

I woke up late in the morning, and today was the midterms! 

“Good Morning Klari, you didn’t let the maid in!”

“God! I’m late, and I have midterms and I’m not going to make it back to campus and it’ll affect my grade-”

“Did you even realize you have your uniform on? I think you just need to get to class.”

He was right! “ I got to go, want to meet up later?”

“Sure, the coffee place on 9th, and now go! You will be late!”

Running out of the apartment, I quickly rebraided my hair, and broke all speed limits but I made it on time.

“Hello, students of Sunset Academy, Let the Midterms beg