Chapter1
1503 Words
In a quiet moment that felt like the best day of her life, Willow sat comfortably in the backseat of the taxi, a smile permanently etched across her face.
The drive through the familiar streets felt nostalgic.
Five years.
Five long years of lectures, assignments, sleepless nights, and sacrifices.
Moments like this were what kept her going whenever life became too heavy.
Especially after Gamora's accident.
Willow had taken the news like a missile straight to the chest. She had practically lived at the hospital, standing beside her best friend through surgeries, therapies, and endless recovery sessions. She skipped classes, missed tests, and watched her grades slip without caring.
Gamora's life mattered more.
At least, that's what Willow had believed.
Eventually, Gamora recovered, and both of them found themselves struggling academically. They had fallen far behind everyone else.
But Gamora was influential.
Connected.
Privileged.
She found a way forward.
Willow had expected her best friend to help her too.
She didn't.
Claiming there was nothing she could do.
The betrayal hurt more than Willow cared to admit.
Still, she pushed through.
She studied until her eyes burned.
Read until dawn.
Worked twice as hard as everyone around her.
Fear of disappointing her parents became the fuel that kept her moving.
And now, here she was.
Going home with distinctions scattered all over her results.
A graduate.
A success story.
Willow smiled again, unable to help herself.
The taxi driver caught her reflection in the mirror.
Her convocation cap was still sitting proudly on her head.
The older man smiled warmly.
It was the kind of smile only fathers seemed capable of giving.
"Your parents must be proud of you," he said.
Willow's smile widened.
"I hope so too. Thank you."
"There's definitely going to be a party for you, right? I think you deserve one."
The smile on her face faltered.
Only slightly.
A strange mixture of emotions surfaced before she quickly buried it.
"Why?" she asked.
The question came out colder than she intended.
The driver laughed.
"Sorry if I sound too forward. I was just hoping to crash the party if there is one."
Willow studied him for a second before laughing softly.
The man was harmless.
"I'm not so sure," she admitted. "But if there is one, you're welcome."
"There we go." The driver nodded proudly.
Willow leaned back into her seat.
She wasn't entirely sure she'd be getting a party.
Maybe she would.
Maybe she wouldn't.
There had been a period when her parents were deeply disappointed in her.
The period when she chose Gamora over everything else.
Over her studies, over herself, over them.
They had warned her repeatedly.
She hadn't listened.
And she still hadn't told them the friendship was over.
That revelation would only prove them right.
And she wasn't ready for that.
Not yet.
If they knew, they would bring it up every chance they got.
Every argument, every discussion, every life lesson.
They would win.
And Willow hated losing.
"I know there's going to be one," the driver said suddenly. "My daughter got one last year after graduating."
Willow chuckled.
"Really?"
"Oh yes."
He pointed ahead with one hand.
"Your parents were probably supposed to pick you up themselves, probably they're busy planning something."
Willow laughed.
The theory sounded ridiculous.
Yet a small part of her hoped he was right.
"I see." The driver nodded thoughtfully. "You remind me of my daughter."
"Oh?"
"She works at a law firm now. Makes me proud every day."
The pride in his voice was impossible to miss.
Willow smiled.
"I hope I make my parents proud too."
The driver glanced at her through the mirror one final time, the smile still on his face.
“You sure do. My name is Aaron. What's yours?”
“I'm Willow.”
The taxi slowed as they entered her neighborhood.
Willow's smile remained until her house came into view.
Then it vanished.
Her stomach dropped.
The house looked abandoned.
The lawn was overgrown, the bushes stretching beyond the neat lines her father always maintained. He used to trim them so low you could practically see the soil underneath. The paint looked dull. The curtains were drawn.
It looked like nobody had lived there for months.
A cold sensation crept up her spine.
The last time she spoke to her mother on the phone, something had felt off.
Her voice had lacked its usual warmth.
At the time, Willow had blamed distance.
Now she wasn't so sure.
Had something happened?
Something she didn't know about?
The fear must have shown on her face because Aaron immediately noticed.
"Are you alright?"
"Yes..." Willow swallowed. "Pull over here."
Aaron guided the taxi into a parking spot.
His cheerful expression faded into genuine concern.
Before the vehicle had fully stopped, Willow was already opening the door.
She hurried toward the house.
"Mom?"
No response.
She knocked.
Then knocked harder.
Still nothing.
Her pulse accelerated.
The door handle didn't move.
Locked.
Not from the inside.
From the outside.
A knot formed in her stomach.
"Are you okay, Ms. Willow?" Aaron called from behind her.
One leg remained inside the taxi while the other rested on the pavement. His arm hung casually over the door, but his eyes were alert.
"I don't know." Willow shook her head. "The house is locked. I'm confused."
Aaron thought for a second.
"How about calling someone?"
Willow froze.
Then slapped her forehead.
"Of course."
That should have been her first thought.
But fear had clouded everything.
She couldn't think straight.
Walking back toward the taxi, she reached into her handbag and retrieved her phone.
"I'll get my luggage from the trunk," she said. "I can wait on the porch until someone shows up."
She started moving toward the rear of the car.
Aaron stopped her.
"No."
Willow looked up.
"I'm done for the day." He smiled reassuringly. "I'll wait with you. It's no problem."
Before she could protest, he settled back into his seat.
A moment later, he pulled out his phone and dialed a number.
"Hello, Celine?"
His voice brightened immediately.
"You won't believe where I am right now."
Willow couldn't help smiling.
"I just met a girl and I think you two would make great friends."
"Dad!" a muffled voice complained through the speaker.
Aaron laughed.
Willow found herself relaxing slightly.
Until a familiar car appeared at the end of the street.
Her breath caught.
A yellow 2011 Nissan 350Z.
Her mother's car.
The one she refused to sell under any circumstances.
The one her father had given her as a wedding gift.
"There she is," Willow whispered.
Relief washed over her.
For the first time since arriving, she could breathe again.
Aaron immediately ended the call.
"I'll call you back, sweetie."
He climbed out of the taxi and joined her.
But as the car approached, Willow's relief slowly began to disappear.
Something wasn't right.
The driver wasn't her mother.
It was a man.
The vehicle pulled in behind the taxi and came to a stop.
Willow's heart began pounding again.
"Where's my mom?"
The question came out sharper than intended.
Suddenly, every terrifying possibility returned.
The abandoned house, the silence.
What if something had happened?
What if they were in a hospital?
Or worse...
What if she was already too late?
The man stepped out.
He looked to be in his forties.
Professional in his look.
Though there was a faint smell of medication clinging to his clothes.
"Ms. Willow?"
"Yes."
"My name is Taylor."
His expression softened.
"I need to show you something inside."
Willow hesitated.
The fear returned immediately.
She glanced toward Aaron.
The older man gave her a small nod.
"I'm right behind you."
The simple words eased some of the panic clawing at her chest.
She hadn't known him for more than an hour.
Yet somehow, she trusted him.
Together they approached the house.
Behind them, Aaron followed.
Unknown to Willow, he had slipped a large spanner from the taxi's tool compartment into his sleeve.
Just in case.
Taylor unlocked the front door.
The lock clicked.
The door swung inward.
And suddenly….
BANG!
A deafening noise exploded through the house.
Aaron lunged forward instantly.
Adrenaline surged through his body.
For a split second, he thought it was a gunshot.
A trap or some kind of attack.
But then….
“SURPRISE!”
The shout erupted from every direction.
Music blasted through hidden speakers.
Confetti exploded into the air.
People poured into the hallway laughing and cheering.
The entire house came alive.
Willow stood frozen, completely stunned.
Then she saw her mother.
Tears were already streaming down her face.
She rushed forward and wrapped Willow in a crushing hug.
"We're so proud of you!"
The words broke whatever composure Willow had left.
The fear and anxiety was gone. Also the terrible scenarios she'd spent the last twenty minutes imagining.
Replaced by overwhelming relief.
Behind her, Aaron lowered his makeshift weapon and let out a long breath.
“I told ya.” He smiled at her.
- Writer
