TWO WORLDS APART

CHAPTER 1

One more year left and I can finally leave this shithole, Amelia thought to herself, as she chewed on the tip of her pen. This was her third-year final exam, and her chances of getting into her final year depended on answering these damn exam questions correctly.

She tossed the pen on the desk and glared at it, as though she expected it to be hurt by the 'chewing' torture and maybe grow some magical legs and fill in the answers for her. Anything is possible, she whispered under her breath. She still had some time left.

They had already submitted and we're struggling to leave the class already. "Good luck, red!" A baritone voice called out from the crowd but she was already wholly buried deep in this thick crowd before she could turn back to identify the owner of the voice.

Red, a name everyone called her obviously because of the colour of her hair or the status of her financial life. Whatever it was, it earned her the name, red. She was pretty sure only twenty per cent of the town knew her real name, even though they still chose to call her Red.

She adjusted the buckles of her watch and sat comfortably at the only free seat in the school's garden. This was her late mother's watch. She brushed the surface of a scar that she had carefully kept hidden underneath the watch.

She had gone out one night, as usual, to get her father at his newly found favourite spot. The casino. She had met him already wasted and as usual, a betting slip that showed how many games he tried again. He couldn't even recognize his daughter. He snatched a bottle and broke it on her outstretched arm.

One time he had found a little stash of cash she had hidden inside a torn compartment of her bed. The money was for the house rent and utility bills, but he had gambled everything away. The landlord took pity on her and gave her an extension. After all, she was the Red Bull's daughter, a name the town folks coined for her father being as wild as a bull and of course his red hair.

She adjusted a little towards the window for some fresh air, and noticed a familiar BMW, sitting at the school park. She tried remembering who the owner was until a plump figure emerged from behind the wheels.

"Uncle Jordan," said Amelia out loud as she gasped in surprise. He had a black bowler hat on his fat head and a silk grey scarf wrapped around his short neck. A long black coat and a well-tailored suit gave his petite structure a little respect.

He made his way up the stairs and everywhere he went, people seemed to point in her direction without him asking. This damn red hair, she thought angrily as she packed her things to run away. Nothing good ever came out of that man's mouth. He was pompous, and rude and had a middle-class family with 3 daughters who behaved exactly like him.

She pushed through the crowd, as she tried to make her way through the busy hallway. "Stop right there Amelia" cried a shrieking voice from a petite man. Everyone's attention seemed to be drawn to them as they stopped moving as though he had cast a spell on them. "Uncle, how long has it been like six years, seven? Anyways you look younger every day" said Anelia as she turned around to face him. He seemed to like praises because his frown lines were reduced a little. Ten frown lines gone, twenty to go, she thought to herself as she followed him to the car park. "Get in," said Jordan, as he already made his way to open his car door.

She was already familiar with his demanding nature and tried her best not to curse out loud. Whatever it was that made him drive from Los Angeles to Beverley, West Virginia was bad news.

"Where is your father?" He asked while raising his brows to look intimidating. "What do you mean where's my father? At home of course. What did he do?" She asked and crossed her arms as she gave him a hard stare. You are not the only one that can look intimidating you know, she thought as she scowled at him.

He removed his bowler hat for the first time and tossed it to the back seat. He was going bald. A bald redhead? "I'm not here for fun and games, child. Where is he? " He asked once more.

"Did you drink at a club in LA before you drove here? He would probably be at a casino or bar right now but when I left this morning he was in the sitting room" said Amelia. "This is a waste of my time uncle and you got the wrong person. If you want to speak to my dad, go to him and not me" said Amelia as she grabbed the door handle to leave the car. A hard push sent her back to her seat; her uncle pushed forward and bolted the door. "Not a chance, Red! We are going to find him and if we don't, you would have to find a way" said Jordan. He lit up a cigarette and scratched his hair in frustration.

"What the f**k Jordan. He's not here. You come to my school and put up this drama. My life is not a theater to contain all these Smith dramas. Tell me what is going on or I call college security" said Amelia angrily.

She glared at the petit man in front of her. She already hated that she was a Smith. Her mother had passed away on her high school prom night; she had warned Amelia not to leave that night but Amelia had snuck out for the party. I was so foolish. I was just tired of always babysitting her and needed a 'leave', she thought to herself. Her mother was sick at that time and was also bedridden. Her father at that time was a responsible man but he was always busy at work, so little Amelia had to nurse her mother and struggle with her studies.

"You won't dare call security," said Jordan as he interrupted her thoughts. "Why can't I? You seem too relaxed for someone that's about to get kicked out from this place" said Amelia. "Relaxed? I'm anything but relaxed right now. Just take a look at the documents at the back" said Jordan.

A brown envelope sat on the back seat. It had a charcoal fingerprint stain on it, probably Jordan's. She pulled out the document and began to read. The silence that had overshadowed them was interrupted by Jordan's laughter. He had a terrible laugh that sounded like a man choking on his vomit.

"Take the phone and call security. You were running your mouth before weren't you? "said Jordan as he kept mocking her. Her heart sank as tears rolled out from her eyes. The document had sapped her strength, she sank into the old leather of the car seat, hoping to wake from this dream. How could he do this to me? Ten thousand dollars loan? No way, I have to find him, she thought to herself as she bit her tongue to stop herself from breaking down in her uncle's front. "Let's go," said Amelia with every bit of strength left in her.

He placed the key into the ignition and tried to bring the old BMW back to laugh. The car shook vigorously, and smoke poured out from the exhaust. A few more times, and they were finally on their way to search for her father.