The Darkness comes hunted

Chapter Fourteen: The Gloomy day

The sunrise filled the entire sky with the deep color of rubies, setting the clouds ablaze. The waves crashed and danced along the shore, moving up and down in a graceful and gentle rhythm like they were dancing. But back at the Prescott Manor, things don't play beautifully like the birds of the town of Lakewood always do every morning.

Valentina, like every other rich girl, she comes downstairs slowly from her bedroom, making her way to the kitchen looking for her breakfast that is always prepared by her butler, but this morning instead of her usual hot meal, she found her parent and a man in a black suit sitting next to each other at the dining table.

"What's going on?" She asks.

"Valentina, This is Harvey Ross, our family's attorney, He's here to prep you a very important paperwork."

"What's paper works?" Valentina asks again, she eyed her dad, who quietly sit on the other side of the table.

"You will be taking Nathan's seat at Merrick Enterprise board, you should know our family-owned 5 percent of the entire Merrick Enterprise stocks, you will get that stock when you turn 20 years." Said Mrs.Prescotts, who sits next to her attorney.

"And what with the hurry, Mother, it not like you guys have five months to live or something?" Valentina replies, looking confidently back at her parents.

"No, Valentina, we just want to secure our seat at the board that all, and it also our family tradition." Her Dad explains, but his facial expression seems off, scared and he has sweat all over his face.

"Where do I sign?" She asks, too lazy to argue with her mother today.

"Here, Ms. Prescott." Say, Mr. Ross.

She signed the paper fast, without asking a single question, her attorney smile, her mother was as happy as a lark, but her father not so much, Valentina noticed it, but she just don't care, because she believe that she just signed a piece of paper that her family's lawyer says will give her the owner of a 200milion dollar's worth of stocks when she turns 20 year old.

"Is that all, I'm late for school now." Biting her lower lip, swallowing unnecessarily, and rolling her eyes, often paired with a long-suffering sigh.

Later that day, the bell of Lakewood high started to ring, students standing in the hall started to go to their classes except for Cheryl and Valentina who still standing in front of each other locker, just out of curiosity Cheryl decided to slide in next to Valentina who just standing there, doing nothing in front of her locker mirror.

"What now, Cheryl?" Valentina's exhausted voices speak up, puts her head to one side of the walls.

"I just want to ask you something?.... When Nathan first reported missing with the rest of the Bulldogs team on that bus, and for a long time no one knew where they were or what happened to them, especially your brother... But when you learned that he had died...was it helpful to know the truth?" Cheryl asks, looking at the eyes of the lonely, scared Valentina Prescott.

"To say it was soul-crushing would be an understatement." Valentina reply with a straight face, and by her *dead soul* facial expression, Cheryl knows exactly what Valentina really means by that.

"So, what if you'd never learned the truth? if you had hope that he might still be alive?" Cheryl asks again.

"When I learned the truth, I was able to grieve for my brother... from my experience...it is better to know the truth...and make your peace with it," Valentina replies, shutting her locker door close ready to go to her class.

Valentina turn and saw Cheryl's face, her eyes is red causing by crying," What's wrong, Cheryl, you lost someone?" Valentina asks.

Cheryl nodded her consent...tearfully " Howard...The Police just found his body in the dumpster, southside of town?" she starts crying.

"So the last summer rumor is true then, you guys really...?" Valentina points fingers, trying to explain to Cheryl what she really means.

Cheryl nods, trying to wipe out her old tears, but the new ones keep coming.

Valentina walks over and gives her school friend a long heartwarming hug, trying to make Cheryl feel better, hugging together in the quiet hallway of Lakewood high.

*___________*

Back to downtown Lakewood on Elm street, in Mike's room, Fred, come upstairs and walk into his son's bedroom, seeing Cole and Mason just casually playing games together.

"I'm, uh-- I'm gonna headed out...Sorry to be missing your birthday this weekend, Mason," said Fred.

"oh, you will not be missing anything, Mr. Walker--- I'm suppressed you even remember my birthday---every time I ask my dad when is my birthday, he just made up some random days--- sometimes he guessed it right, the other time not so much," Mason replies, while his eyes busy focusing on the TV screen.

"Your dad is a busy man, Mason, give him some slack, son"

"To be real, my birthday means nothing to my dad, even I barely acknowledge my own birthday," Mason replies, the expression he gives back to Fred is like a dark cloud, seems to constantly loom over his head.

"Cole, can you give me a hand downstairs real quick, son?" Fred asks, emotionally eyeing at his son.

Cole sit down his controller and walks over to his dad, but he was dog-tired and kept yawning on his way downstairs.

"The good news is that all these divorce papers and legal mumbo jumbo will be done... it should be behind us by the end of the week," Fred explain the divorce situation to Cole, who was on the brink of tears when he heard their parent is gonna be divorce each other legally soon.

"Are you only going to see Mom now, because you and Ms. Monica?" Cole raises his eyebrows, eyeing his dad for the answer.

"No, No, Son, I ended that, just being together, not a good idea, for old people like us."

"In that case...then why finalize thing in such a final way now?'

"If I don't finalize thing now, your mom will come back, stroll down from New York just like the last time, and will find a way to give me a hard time again," Fred says, trying to hold back his tear, no one could express his agony right now.

"I know mom could be a b***h sometime...but can you guys make some guys of a deal that will benefit Me, Jay-Jay, You, and mom in a way."

"You know your Mom, Son, but sometimes you just gotta rip the Band-Aid off." Finished explaining, Fred pick up a dabble bag near him.

"Or you can try and fix things." Cole stands up, trying to convince his dad back.

"We're past that points long ago, Colie."

"I called Mom, yesterday, she didn't mention any of this, except the New York is better than Lakewood, you should come and live with me part."

"Your mom take Jay-Jay and moved out to New York two years ago...She didn't tell you, because

she wants me to be the bearer of bad news." Fred's descent the stair, making his way to his truck.

"What if I came with you?" Cole rushes down the stair and grabs his dad by his Jacket.

"This is between me and your mother, Son." Fred pulls his son's hand away and takes a last-minute glance at Cole's tearful eyes.

Sadly Cole watched his dad continue walks to his truck that parked on the sidewalks in front of their house on Elm Street.

Meanwhile that morning in the school's hallways, Betty and Mike, just causally ambush Valentina and pull her aside and pin her against the wall, trying to have a talk with her.

"What with an ambushing today, first with my parent and now you guys?" She mumbles, narrowing her eyes with a slight head tilt.

"Valentina, there is something we need to talk to you about?" Betty whisper,

"Bring it, after the morning I have had, I'm ready for just about anything," Valentina replies, with her arms clasped behind her body.

"Okay, yesterday while Cole was sitting in a booth at the Arcade like usual, a mysterious man-call him, and left him a file that is very important to this town future, and again, Valentina, please don't snitch and pass down this information to your parent after you see what I'm about to show you okay?" Betty explain, blinking with her feigned innocence.

Before Betty can show Valentina what is in that file, Cole rushes to grab her hand by the wrist and lean down toward her left ear.

"Are you sure we can trust her? if she snitches, we'll doom?" Cole whispers silently into Betty's ear.

"Why is this suddenly feeling like a friend-tervention?" Valentina asks, rolling her eyes, clenching her lips, and often paired with a long-suffering sigh.

"No, it's nothing, here is the file, see for yourself." Cole push over a file that contains fake information about them having strong proof to bring down Merrick Biotech.

"What the Hell? are you kidding me?" Valentina gaps surprisingly, after she read what in that fake piece of paper that Cole planned for her, to test if she is trustworthy or not.

"Why the hell would Martin Merrick have anything to do with my brother and the rest of the Bulldog player's death? Valentina replies, she stands up, shaking her head in disappointment toward her friend, and paced off the hallway.

In spite of Valentina's reaction back toward them, to Betty and Cole, it was a mission success for them, all they need to do now is sit and wait.

While walking to his classroom beside Betty, Cole turns and tells her the truth about the paper."Hey, you may or may not know this...but the paper you show Valentina is fake... we have no concrete proof like what the paper says." Cole whisper.

"Yeah I know, but having a picture of Martin Merrick killing one of the Bulldogs... do you really think Valentina even believes that?" Betty responds while giving out a bitter laugh.

"By the look of it, I think she does believe it," Cole replies,

"I hope so, for your sake, Cole, you just risk putting us all in danger." She replies back with a sad worried face.

"And one more thing, it's Mason's Birthday."

"What, today? And he didn't say anything?"

"No, it's not today, it's Monday next week, He doesn't like making a big deal out of it, I heard every year he goes to the Movie with some of the players from the Bulldogs, but they all gone now, so I been thinking this year we should throwing him a movie night at my dad garage, if you can go it would be nice for him, what do you think?"

"Of course, I'll go, and I will text Jimmy and Mike to see if they are free to come or not"

"Then five double chess burgers then," said Cole, giving a smile at Betty.

"Actually, Cole, six double chess burgers... you should invite Cheryl too," said Betty, the two share a lovely smile.

"Okay, I will, and I'll see you later, Betty." Cole smiled back winked his dark blue beautiful eyes at Betty.

"Okay, see ya." Betty was saturated with happiness and quivering all over with excitement, she can't wait for their first-ever party together as a close friend.