Chapter:2 "Her Name Is Sofia".
1956 Words
This generational curse, which Aunt told me about and has haunted my mind like a bad dream, I need to understand it.
And I studied all this time to become stronger, so that one day I could do something about my past and uncover the truth.
Now I've to gather my all courage,
Now, I will go there. That house is mine too—it has my father's share in it. I'll go there, and I won't be afraid of Aunt and Uncle anymore. Even if I feel fear, I won't let them see it...
Just then, from behind, I heard:
"Hey, Sofi, are you still planning to study tonight?"
"No, Amelia... I'm just sitting here, passing time," I replied.
"Really? You waste time sometimes too?" she said lightly, laughing.
"You're laughing? Do you know, I've been reading novels along with my syllabus books lately?" I said with a smirk.
"So, before turning 21, you've learned all this?" Amelia asked, her curiosity and joy evident.
"Yeah, and mostly dark novels, forbidden stories, some haunted, some... cursed."
"What's all this? Why are you reading these?"
"Well, romance is in there too," I said, laughing.
"Crazy," Amelia said, hitting me lightly on my arm.
"You can read too. There's a book on the table," I said with a smirk.
And we both burst out laughing again.
Amelia was looking more happy than me.. maybe because she likes to see me smile,
Amelia is the one who always praises me the most. She thinks my smile is really beautiful and says that any guy could fall for me just by seeing my smile. She has always told me this whenever I smile.
I was lost in these thoughts, looking at her, when Amelia, noticing me a little distracted, said,
"Hey, darling, lost in your thoughts again? Or are you blushing thinking about those dirty scenes in your novels?
Or maybe you're imagining yourself in them?"
Amelia teased me playfully.
"Idiot... I'm not imagining anything. Do I even have the time for all this?" I retorted.
"But you do have time to read, huh?" Amelia asked with a smirk.
I smirked back.
"I'm just reading, that's all. It's not like I'm recreating all those scenes with someone..."
But then, realizing the words I had just said, I blushed.
Amelia burst out laughing.
"Why are you teasing me so much, Amelia?" I asked, playfully hitting her lightly.
"You should go to sleep if your plan is to keep annoying me like this," I said, rolling my eyes. "Because I'm going to sleep, and I don't have time for your inappropriate talks."
Amelia smirked and replied, "Oh really? If you ever get a boyfriend, these talks won't sound so bad coming from you. Until then, keep saying all this."
She paused for a moment and added mischievously, "I'll wait and see what Madam will say in the future when she has a boyfriend."
I gave her a sharp look. "Not a boyfriend... a husband. I want a husband, Amelia," I said firmly.
Amelia raised an eyebrow, her smirk widening.
"And one who's deserving of me," I added confidently.
Amelia whistled and said, "Wow, little Sofi has big dreams! But I like your thinking—not a boyfriend, but a husband."
I lay down on the bed, looked at her, blushed a little, but gave her a firm look. Then, pulling the blanket over myself, I turned away and started to sleep.
Later, I was asleep, but... sometimes even in my dreams, I see those terrifying days when I used to live with Aunt and Uncle.
After spending the entire night caught between half-asleep dreams and half-awake reality, my eyes opened to the sound of the alarm at 5 a.m.
I got up to start my morning routine. My roommates were still sleeping, so I decided not to wake them.
If they woke up now, I wouldn't be able to get ready in peace—they make so much noise.
I thought, Let me get ready first, and then I'll wake them up.
I started getting ready for my day. I took a shower and picked a beige-colored shirt and pants from my collection. I brushed my hair and called out to my roommates,
"Amelia! Lyra!"
And as both of them started waking up...
"Sofi, you're used to waking up early; we're not," Lyra said.
"It's 7 o'clock. Get up, both of you," I said.
"Look, I'm leaving the hostel now..."
"You guys can come later. I'll meet you in class," I said and grabbed my bag before heading out.
Amelia rubbed her eyes and said, "Sofi, aren't you having breakfast?"
"Are you guys ready?"
"No, right? Then get ready, or else you won't even get breakfast.
"You know the rules..."
"I'm leaving now. Catch up later," I said, opening the door, glancing at them, and walking out.
Stepping out of the door, I noticed other girls in the corridor waking up. And here my roommates, who are still preferred sleeping in, probably waiting for a teacher to come and scold her awake.
The thought made me chuckle as I shook my head
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A little further out, I stretched my arms, inhaling deeply as the fresh air filled my lungs.
Standing in the garden, I found myself lost in thought.
How did I grow up so fast? Here I was, in the final year of college, living in a hostel.
So much had happened, yet my resolve hadn't changed.
I still had to return to my home.
I needed to go back, to uncover the truth about my parents, and to see what state my uncle and aunt were in.
To be honest, I truly wish they're suffering for what they did to me— keeping the truth about my parents' deaths hidden from me.
My aunt's family even considered selling me, as if I were an object.
Selling me would have given them money, and I would have disappeared from their lives forever.
But instead, my aunt abandoned me at an orphanage.
I never told anyone what had happened to me. Not a single soul.
But then, I shouldn't think about all this. I should first go and see them.
The most important thing is that I need to go home and find out the truth about my parents.
And now, nothing can bring me down, no one can scare me. After thinking, I chuckled.
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After walking for a bit, I waited for my friends to arrive. As soon as Amelia and Lyra showed up, we had breakfast together and headed to the lecture, which was about to begin.
My hostel is part of my university, so living here has been quite convenient for me.
As I entered the class, I took my seat alongside Amelia and Lyra.
A girl group has been after me since my first year, probably because I don't pay attention to them or anyone else who isn't my friend or doesn't matter to me. Or maybe it's because the leader of that group, Estella, thinks her crush likes me.
Sawyer… her crush does like me, but all his attempts to talk to me go in vain. I don't even maintain eye contact with him and ignore him just like I ignore everyone else.
I feel like, what's the need for it anyway?
Even now, Sawyer looked at me. While staring, he turned to his friend and laughed. I gripped the edge of my desk tightly, anger rising within me, especially when I notice things like this.
But there was one good thing about me—I never let what I was thinking or feeling show on my face. Whatever was going on inside, my expressions stayed perfectly controlled.
As the class continued, I occasionally glanced in his direction to observe him. Because, what can I do? It's a habit of mine—this curiosity about what he sees or feels compels me to do it.
But even when I look, no one ever notices me watching.
Then I turned my gaze away, telling myself not to look and focused on taking my notes.
Because observing him is pointless anyway—especially when I have no interest in him at all.
I was heading toward the cafeteria after leaving class when a voice stopped me just before the classroom door.
"Hey, Sofi..."
"Call me Sofia," I said, turning toward Sawyer, who was still chuckling.
He was taller than me, with wavy dark hair and hazel eyes. Handsome, yes, but he still seemed odd to me.
"Everyone calls you Sofi, don't they?"
"Not everyone—only my friends," I replied.
"Oh, so your 'everyone' is just your friends?" he said with a mix of curiosity and a mocking chuckle.
I smirked.
"Unlike you, I don't have the habit of talking to everyone. I let only my carefully chosen people call me Sofi. If you want to say something, call me Sofia.
Or better yet, just call me classmate."
"It's because of the way you talk that I never approached you before. I figured you'd respond like this," he said, leaning slightly toward me with a faint smirk.
"Oh, so you already knew?" I replied.
"Interesting. If you could guess so much before even talking to me, I wonder what assumptions you're making now after actually speaking to me, huh?" I chuckled.
"This just proves that instead of taking notes in class, you spent more time observing me—even when you didn't want to talk to me," I said with a smile, almost as if I was enjoying saying it to him.
"Do you know, Soofi—Sofi—Sofia," he said, dragging out my name with a teasing chuckle, clearly enjoying himself. "Your words are annoying me just as much as they're entertaining me, because I know you're just avoiding me and want to keep doing so."
He chuckled again.
"Ohh," I laughed softly and looked up at him. "Good that you know, because I really don't want to talk to you. If you're so desperate to talk, go talk to Estella.
She's always glaring at me because of you. She notices everything—even though I don't even talk to you, she keeps staring at me like she wants to burn me alive."
"But now you've spoken to me," Sawyer interrupted.
"I'm just responding to what you're saying and letting you know—don't talk to me, talk to Estella.
And if you don't want to talk to her, then don't talk to me either," I said firmly.
"Sofia," he said with another smirk. "Estella is worth talking to. She's beautiful, sure, just like you. I'll talk to her, no problem. But I also want to talk to you."
I stepped back, turning away. "If you don't understand, then don't, Sawyer. I don't care," I said.
"I've already told you, I don't want to talk to you. So, that's it. Stand here if you want, it's up to you," I added before leaving the classroom.
Amelia had seen and heard everything, and while Lyra didn't seem to want to say anything, Amelia looked like she had something on her mind. I dismissed them both and told them to come along without discussing it further.
Even as I walked away, I could still feel like he was standing there, chuckling to himself. But...
"Why didn't you let me speak?" Amelia asked, grabbing my hand.
Walking on my other side, Lyra said, "Because we were already quiet the whole time, and speaking up at the end would've only escalated things unnecessarily."
I nodded at Lyra's words and replied, "Exactly. That's why I stopped you.
What's the point of giving more time to something that doesn't even matter?"
- Writer
