I’ve just reached the bottom of the stairs when I hear people talking in the kitchen. Dammit, I’d hoped to make it in and out without running into anyone. I’m so not in the mood to deal with anybody right now.
“- I don’t know what to do with her.” I hear my father say, sighing. He sounds as though he is completely exhausted.
I quietly sneak closer to the entranceway into the kitchen, wanting to catch a glimpse of who he is talking to.
Keeping to the shadows, I tilt my head so I can see round the doorframe, seeing my father sitting at the island in the kitchen. He looks…like a mess. His top button is undone and his tie is askew.
What’s even more surprising is that, on the other side of the island, is Thomas. He is standing to attention, unlike my father who looks like he has been unceremoniously dumped in his stool, relying solely on his elbows perched on the island to keep him upright.
“She was so close to her mother, I know she misses her dreadfully.” My father continues, taking a deep gulp of dark brown liquid from the glass in his hand.
Seeing the glass is empty, Thomas unscrews the lid on a bottle of whiskey sitting on the island, pouring a generous amount into my father’s glass.
“I’m sure it’s not easy, Sir. It will take some time, but Sophie will adjust.” Thomas reassures my father.
My ears perk up at the use of my name, suddenly realising they are talking about me.
My father shakes his head at Thomas’s assurance, not wanting to believe his words.
“I have no idea what I am doing. She’s been away at boarding school for years now. I usually only see her on holidays. I’m not used to handling a teenager on a daily basis, never mind one who has been through what Sophie has.”
My eyebrows draw together in confusion. Boarding school? That’s what he’s been telling people!
“She spends a lot of time in her room, only leaving it to come and get dinner,” Thomas tells my father, “but most teenagers are anti-social and lock themselves away when they are at home. This has been a huge adjustment for her, not only a new home, but a new school, new friends, as well. Give her some time to get used to her new life, I’m sure she will come around.”
“You’re right Thomas, we are both trying to adapt to a world without Grace. We miss her terribly.” My father says, rubbing at his eyes as he sniffs. He actually fucking sniffles. He looks as if he’s about to start bawling his eyes out any minute now.
I couldn’t stop my eye-roll at his dramatics if I tried.
If I hadn’t witnessed my father’s wrath only a few hours earlier, I would have believed this Oscar worthy performance, but I’ve seen the real Robert Montgomery, and this farce is not him.
This is an act, a charade, to wrangle his way into Thomas’s good graces, and Thomas is eating it up like it’s a melting ice-cream cone on a roasting hot afternoon.
Not wanting to get caught, and no longer having an appetite, I quietly make my way back up the stairs to my bedroom. My heart only stops pounding once I’ve closed and locked the door behind me.
What the hell is Robert up to? Sucking up to Thomas and lying to the rest of the town about our past. None of it makes any sense.
Chapter 8
School continues in a similar fashion for the rest of the week. I am ignored by the entire student body, except for the one-percenters, who continue to harass me whenever they can, sticking tampons and condoms in my locker, constantly moving my chair and desk in class, knocking my lunch tray out of my hands, and other stupid petty shit that just pisses me off. And everywhere I look, Preston or Barrett are there, giving me death glares.
By the time Friday afternoon rolls around, I’m annoyed as all hell and completely exhausted. I’m ready for a weekend of holing myself up in my room, reading a book, watching trashy television, and not having to talk to another living soul. I’m going to need every spare minute to gain some control over this anger and prepare myself for it to start all over again on Monday morning.
On the plus side – and it really is a small silver lining – my burn didn’t get infected and is starting to heal up nicely.
It’s the last class of the day and I am counting down the final minutes until my weekend of freedom begins when a female voice comes over the speaker system, “Can Sophie Montgomery please make her way to the Headmaster's office, immediately.”
Ugh, this can’t be good. What the hell could I possibly have done now?
I quickly pack up everything on my desk back into my bag and hurry from the room before I can get into any more trouble with the teacher for disrupting the class further.
I’m making my way down the hallway, taking my time and enjoying the peace and quiet since all of the other students are still in class, when, out of nowhere, someone sneaks up behind me and shoves a bag over my head. What the hell?
Someone else tries to grab my hands, but I wriggle free of them and drive my elbow back, nailing the asshole behind me in the chest and hearing that satisfying grunt as air leaves his lungs.
You don’t grow up where I did and not learn basic defence moves.
Unfortunately, the guy behind me recovers quickly and rushes in behind me, wrapping his arms around me and effectively pinning my arms to my sides before I can lash out at whoever is in front of me.
Before I know it, someone is grabbing my hands, roughly tightening a cord around them both, tying them together. What the hell, is that a fucking zip tie?!
Opening my mouth to start yelling – this is getting out of hand now and I’m seriously starting to panic – someone throws their hand over my mouth, cutting off my cry for help.
They start to drag me through the school, one dickhead pulling on my restraints to encourage me to move. The other asshole ensures one hand stays securely over my mouth and their other hand remains wrapped tightly around my waist, more or less carrying me down the hall. All the while I’m wiggling and squirming like a fucking worm to get away from them. I have no idea what is going on but I know it can’t be good.
A light breeze blows against my bare legs as we exit the main school building and stumble down a few steps before making our way across some sort of gravel area. I’ve completely lost my bearings and I don’t know the layout of the campus well enough, so I can’t work out where in the school grounds we are.
We aren’t outside for long before we stop and I hear a lock being undone and a heavy-sounding door being yanked open, squeaking on its rusty hinges. The next thing I know, I’m shoved roughly from behind and I fly forward, falling onto a hard cement floor and groaning out in pain as my shoulder and knees slam into the ground.
Just before the door closes, fucking Preston calls out, “Hope you aren’t afraid of the dark, Princess,” before he slams the door shut and the click of the lock engaging rings out in the silence of the room.
Fucking Preston and Barrett. I should have known this was them. Pair of bloody shitbags with a fucking death wish.
I quickly pull the hood from my head so I can see where I am. Initially, all I can see is darkness, but, after a few blinks, my eyes start to adjust and I can make out storage boxes and some old gym equipment. I must be in some sort of outbuilding where they store whatever school materials they no longer have any use for.
Moving carefully, I slowly feel my way across the floor until I find what I am looking for. Ah-ha. There is a rusty nail sticking out of the side of a wooden crate not far from where I fell. I start rubbing my zip ties against the nail until they finally snap. Damn, that took a lot more time and effort than it does in the movies.