Troubled

FIFTY THREE

CORA PHILIPS

All the times I had the disasters, I thought I knew them well. Like they were a part of me, so of course I knew them. I knew each and every one of them so well that I even gave them names. But this one, this one was new, I couldn't figure out if it was a disaster, or a side effect, or something entirely different and not related. Unfortunately, I had a feeling it was a disaster. But they were all bad, they were never good, they caused a rift between my mom and I, stopped me from living my normal life, so why? Why was this one just popping up? And why did it help see something happening to someone else, I wasn't even in it.

My head hurt from thinking about it so much.

"Thank you.." The girl whispered to me.

The fear had not left her voice entirely. Her voice was low.

"You are welcome, although, do you know where we are?" I ask her as I look around. The place looked so unfamiliar. And by now the bus had already gone far.

"No.. this isn't my stop."

"Yeah, me neither." I sigh before checking the bus routes glued the bus stop.

"Why.. why did you do that?"

"Do what?" I ask distractedly.

"Help me, nobody else does, they pretend they don't see.. like the bus driver."

"Ahhh, that? I did something really ugly today, I guess I was attoning for my sins." I say before slumping into the seats of the bus stop.

There was one last bus that was supposed to pass by here, and that was it for today. I was lucky there was one left, else what was my plan B?

"It seems we are going in the same direction." I tell her, she doesn't answer. She just stands there with her head bowed.

I pat the empty space beside me, telling her it was okay to sit with me.

"I don't know where I'm going actually, I'm going to my grandma's house, but I always went by car before, and I'm not sure if I'll remember the place, it's been ages since I went there." I tell her before she sits down softly.

"You look like you ran away from home." She comments.

"Yeah.. I ran away. Not from home, from everything."

"From your sins?"

"And my mother."

"You actually succeeded, I haven't yet."

"Your mother sucks too?"

"Majorly. I can't wait to turn eighteen and just leave."

"I'm with you kid. I'm the president of mother hater club."

She chuckled slightly.

"Thank you for helping me.. unfortunately it can't be stopped. It can only be delayed, not everyone is brave enough to help. So I really appreciate you."

I don't have to say anything, the bus arrives and both of us climb on. This time we sit together. I make a mental note to always sit with young girls who sit alone in buses or trains. I don't know how many I have ignored and they end up as police cases.

It was getting darker and darker, i had to squint hard just to see the girl I came with. It was probably eight, or eight thirty. I wondered what happened with Kyle, and Margaret. The image of the wound flashed before my eyes one more time.

I rest my head on the site in front of me, willing the images to disappear. The gashes someone created on my body and I hated with the whole of my being. I had re created it on someone else's body. Her face, where everyone could see my art. God. I was really a monster. More specifically, I held a monster inside of me, it came out when it wanted blood, and i assisted it. If I had left when Kyle said so, I wouldn't have carved her face. Maybe I would have hurt Kyle, who knows?

"Our stop is in front, we have to get off soon, else we might leave the state altogether."

I raise my head to face her,

"What if we left the state? Ran away forever, me and you?"

She doesn't hesitate when she answers,

"Let's do it. How old are you?"

"Seventeen."

She sighed like she was deflated.

"I turned fourteen yesterday, the cops will bring us back home. It's no use."

"Happy birthday."

She smiled at me. In the smile, I saw a child screaming for help like I was when I was fourteen. We both climbed down and the darkness was even thicker out here, it enveloped us, I had to strain my ears just to know where she stood.

"We leave each other here." She says, there's a tinge of sadness in her voice.

"The mother hating club continues to thrive in different parts of the world."

I hear her chuckle.

"What's your name?"

"Cora, you?"

"Eve."

"Well, Eve, can you find your way to your house from here?"

"Loved the fact you didn't say home. But yes, yes I can. Can you find where you are supposed to go?"

I shrug even if she couldn't see me.

"I doubt it, but I will try."

"Kay, good luck."

"You too. Good night Eve." I hear her walk away. And I sigh, but start in the direction of the lights. Light meant people. People knew the directions I needed to follow.

By the time I get to the lights, I see it's a group of women, they were discussing and laughing. One of them looked to be about Margaret's age. I felt guilty stab me all over again.

"Hey, are you lost?" One of them asked when she noticed me.

I try to shake the guilt off.

"Do I have something on me that screams lost?" I say as I pat down my body. I find nothing.

The lady chuckled,

"No, but we know everyone around here, except visitors, and we rarely have those."

"I'm not so lost, I'm supposed to be seeing my grandma but I don't really know her house. My father and brother have been visiting for a while now."

"Ohhhh, you're George's daughter?"

My head whipped to the woman that spoke in surprise.

"We don't get much visitors, when we do, I tend to know them personally." She explained with a smile.

I nod,

"If you could show me to the house, I'd be very much grateful."

"Follow me closely, your grandma has herself enemies. They would rip you apart once they know her grand daughter is here."

"They didn't hurt my brother right?"

She laughed,

"Nobody can hurt a kid, a teenager on the other hand?"

My grandma was different from her son, while he was calm and kind, she was a menace. I could see why she was hated.

"If you don't mind me asking, you're not adopted right?"

We had walked a stone throw distance from her group but I heard them grow quiet, they wanted to know too.

"No I'm not."

"It's just.. we never thought George would marry someone as.. well as beautiful as your mom. Then you, you're so pretty, it's almost like she had you with another man."

She was asking if my mom had another man. As much as I hated her, I knew my mom was faithful.

"If you're suggesting my mom having an affair, I can assure you, I'm half George, and half Maria. If you keep assuming atrocious things about my parents I'd assume you're one of my grandma's enemies."

She looked cross. I don't give it another thought as I continued to go forward.

Something caught my eye. Something big, familiar.

"Oh, that's the car from earlier. I hear their names are Kyle and Xander."