Scarlet scars

CHAPTER 9: See you tonight

Scarlet

I was standing in my parents garden trimming the flowers when a hard, sturdy chest hugged me from behind. He kissed the back of my head and smelled my hair. I smiled and turned around to Jay's handsome face. He kissed my forehead and then my nose and then he lingered a little longer on my lips. It was so Sweet.

"Good morning beautiful" he whispered and pecked my lips once more.

"Good morning" I blushed as I hid my face in his chest, I could smell his masculine Cologne. I inhaled once more and sighed.

"Haven't gotten enough?" He asked with a mischievous grin. I smacked his chest lightly and pulled away.

"breakfast is ready milady" he bowed in an old fashioned way and I giggled and took his hand. He led me to a table in the garden where he had prepared some sort of picnic buffet. I gaped in surprise.

"Did you make all this?! For me?" I asked in amusement. He chuckled as he sat me down in a chair.

"No, I made it for the neighbors and the birds" he said sarcastically

"You are so generous" I replied lacing it with as much sarcasm as I can. He chuckled and I rolled my eyes as I washed my hands.

"I'll do everything to make you happy Cally" he said smiling charmingly. But a sixth sense was telling me this was just too good to be true. I looked behind me and then all of a sudden, the walls started to close in on us, I found myself in a room and it looked familiar, the attic, my room! I turned to look at the food which had turned black like dog s**t or something and I looked up at Jay, but instead of him, it was my aunt, grinning.

"Look at you, so pathetic, nothing good will ever come out of you" she said with malice but in Jay's voice. I shook my head no as he squeezed my hand tightly. "He is never going to love you like you think, no one will, because you are a wretch. A curse. Bad luck.. And you think I will let you go? ...I'd rather kill you!” she screamed the last part and grabbed a knife from somewhere trying to stab me.

" no- no!" I cried out, trying to free myself from her tight grip. She raised the knife higher and stabbed me on the chest.

"Noooo!" I screamed and the next second I opened my eyes and sat up, checking my chest to feel for blood or a wound bu I found Nothing. It was just a nightmare. Phew! I wiped the beads of sweat from my forhead and dropped my head back on the pillow. ‘Really? You even had to make my dreams nightmares?’ I spoke to the universe or whoever was orchestrating my life. I sighed when I didn’t get a response.

Ever since I saw Jay again, I've been having more dreams and nightmares with him in them. In the nightmares, he takes up my aunts role to treat me like everyone else. He also hates and hits me in some of them. In the beautiful dreams, he loved me and not like his sister, like something more and I knew that was impossible in my reality.

I shut my eyes and tears streamed down my face. I stayed like that for a moment and then turned to the small window of my room, and I could see the sun rays. I closed my eyes for a brief moment, sunrises must be beautiful to watch. It's morning! I quickly got up from the bed and put on a long skirt I usually wore whenever I was doing my chores. I had broken my alarm the other day so I could only wake myself up like this. I was late and I knew I’d have to go through s**t in my aunts hands this morning.

I should just Grab a bag, stuff it with necessities and jump out the window fast, becuse she was gonna kill me, I thought. But I couldn't do that, where would I even go? I haven't raised enough to rent an apartment yet. My thoughts were all over the place. I had already pissed them off last night when I came home a bit late and made supper late. They hadn't even touch it but they hadn’t stopped me from cooking. The surprising thing was, it was quiet. My aunt wasn’t yelling or anything.

I tiptoed down the stairs and straight to the kitchen. I entered the garage and noticed uncle's car was gone and then I remembered hearing them in a heated argument. It made sense. Everytime such happened, my uncle would go out the entire night and the following morning my aunt would always stay in bed till he came back. Huh! Turned out today was that lucky day.

I happily went to the kitchen and prepared breakfast just in case and went to prepare for school. The bruises I had and swollen patches on my skin were much better today but not completely healed. But it was something my clothes would fix. Yesterday was uneventful because I didn’t get any beatings, since the kickboxers of the house were fighting each other. I didn’t really wish they fought all the time but I did wish for morning like these.

I put on my usual long sleeved outfit and headed out happily. I didn't run into any of them and by that I'm sure this day was going to be great.

"Were are not done talking Cally, and I won't give up" I was walking to the bus stop when I suddenly remembered his words the other night. Why was he trying to give me a hard time? If he continued like this, I wouldn't be able to keep my strong girl facade up for much longer. My heart juddered every time I saw him and I didn’t want him to know that. I don't believe he just wants to be friends with me. What if he turned out to be just like that Caleb guy? But then he used to be my best friend so he can't be planning to hurt me. But then again, we've grown apart and whatever I felt when I saw him wasn’t helping matters.

Honestly, I wouldn't bear to see Amelia stick her tongue into Jay's mouth. I shuddered at the thought. I don’t know why some part of me felt like it owned Jay and I know it's impossible between me and him but then again, I couldn’t bear the thought of him with somebody else.

I had enough problems to last me a lifetime that I didn’t need to add more. Having feelings for him would most definitely be a problem because in the end it isn't written in my story to have love. I'm cursed with bad luck. My parents died because of me. My aunt was always sure to remind me of that.

I was so close to leaving that house because I’m a few months I’d graduate. I had to wait until then despite me being 21 because my parents had that written in their will, if I had to inherit something of theirs. Something I didn’t even know But I knew it would be important no matter what it would be.

At 19 I tried to leave deciding I had had enough and couldn’t take it when she threatened me with the same precious thing, but I thought she was only lying so I went to Roy, the lawyer who was in charge of my parents affairs and I found out it was true but he also didn’t tell me what it was.I felt like my aunt didn’t want me to leave because she got to have a free live-in maid at her service and I thought she had bribed the lawyer. My parents were the only reason I was still staying with my aunt otherwise.

My day at school was unusual because I received something at lunch. A delivery that I didn't order but was in my name. It was a very scrumptious, appetizing foods. Ones I've never had in my life or if I did, must have been a long time ago. I'm not stupid to refuse it, so I dug in and savoured the taste. Good thing I had always had lunch outside the cafeteria. I wouldn't want to attract unnecessary attention.

If I was being poisoned, then I would at least die eating delicious food. I would have loved to share this food with my only friend Adline, but she left to study abroad and now I was always alone. After finishing all of it, I was about to throw the boxes in the trash can when I saw a sticky note, which I'm sure was supposed to be seen after the meal because if it was suppose to be seen before, it would have been at the top of everything.

Great! now I was going to find out that I was about to die. I took out the note and it read.

Hope you enjoyed the meal, I know most of it consisted of your favourites.. Don't let it cross your mind that I forgot about you Cally. I didn’t.

See you tonight.

Jay

I unconsciously smiled as I read it but then smacked myself for getting carried away. I did enjoy my lunch and I was also glad it didn't come from someone who wanted to kill me. You might be surprised that for someone who is constantly abused, I had a will for living. Yeah, I don't want to die young. I re-read the last part of the note, see you tonight? What did he mean by that?

What was it with him? Why was he treating me nicely? I was not used to all this. I could easily count the people who were nice to me using my fingers and to the rest I was either invisible, pitiful or a punching bag.

My last class was done and I headed for my locker. I suddenly had the urge to fix my face a little, with a bit of make up. No I'm not that eager to see him, I just feel all sweaty, and that's why I'm gonna use this perfume Adline gave me a year ago because I don't want it to expire without me putting it into use. I told myself. I was definitely not excited to see him.

I got my comb and brushed my hair and held it up in a neat bun. I used gel to lay out my edges. I had never used these things on my own before. Adline used to force them on me when she was still here and today I just felt like looking good. it was not because of somebody. I kept reminding myself. When Adeline had bought the products, she had told me to keep them in my locker at school or work because the "evil step sisters would devour them" Her words not mine. Everytime I got something, my aunt would either throw it away and get a better one for her daughters or give it away to the servants.