I smother my expression. “Come in.”
Aunt and Uncle walk inside, both of them still wearing their work suits.
When Aunt Blair leans in for a hug, I stand up and remain in her embrace for a bit too long. Beneath the cherry perfume, she has Mum’s scent. Something that resembles cotton candies and summer.
I don’t know why I’m thinking about that right now when I don’t even remember my mum.
Today, I miss her.
I miss the life that I don’t remember.
Reluctantly, I pull away from Aunt and hug Uncle Jaxon. He plants a kiss at the top of my head.
Uncle is classically handsome with brownish blonde hair and cobalt blue eyes.
Although his build is above average, he has a beer belly.
“I called and you didn’t pick up.” Aunt studies my face in that scrutinising way that brings her clients to their knees.
It’s like she’s detecting the lie before I even say it.
“Sorry, I forgot it.”
“I called the school,” she says. “They said you went home?”
“I…” Darn. I didn’t think that far when I left. “I didn’t feel so good.”
Uncle Jaxon looms over me, his forehead creasing. “Are you having palpitations, pumpkin?”
“No.” I force a smile and hope to hell they believe it. “I just had a headache and wanted to come home and rest. Sorry I didn’t call you.”
“We were so worried about you, honey.” Aunt smooths my hair back. “I came home to check on you earlier, but you were asleep.”
“I told you she would be fine.” Uncle chimed in. “Where did you forget your phone?”
“At… school.”
Real classy, Elsa.I’m shooting one freaking lie after the other.
It hurts to lie to them, but I’d rather die than put Aunt and Uncle’s company in jeopardy.
Their names and Aiden fucking King’s name shouldn’t exist in the same sentence.
Aunt continues scrutinising me and checking me up and down like she’s expecting me to collapse any second. “A headache out of nowhere is suspicious. Maybe we should visit Dr Albert.”
“It’s just a headache, Blair,” Uncle says on my behalf.
“Headaches are symptoms for the nastiest diseases, Jaxon.” She scolds.
“One of them is simple fatigue.”
“I’m fine, really,” I chime in, not wanting them to argue. “I’m just going to study for a bit and have an early night.”
“Dinner first, pumpkin. And we should play a chess game.” Uncle hooks me under his arm and drags me out of the room. He asks about my first day and tells me a joke about a worker of theirs. He almost fainted when he got a phone call that his wife was in labour.
Uncle Jaxon has a way of lightening up the mood, and I smile along.
Aunt follows, but she’s not amused. She keeps watching me intently as if trying to see through me.
Once we arrive at the kitchen, I smile. “Aunt, do you have time for some yoga? It helps with headaches.”
“Hell yeah.” She chuckles then her smile dies. “I’m sorry I haven’t had much time for our girls’ time, hon.”
I shake my head and say in a mocking tone, “Nah, it’s for the best. Too much girls’ time would distract me from Cambridge.”
Aunt busies herself behind the counter and I slide to an empty stool. Uncle comes behind me and massages my shoulders. “I’m going to coach you so well for Cambridge, pumpkin.”
Aunt rolls her eyes. “This isn’t a Premier League game, Jaxon.”
“Ignore her.” Uncle leans in to whisper, “I’ve got tickets for Arsenal’s game next week. Guess who’s asking you on a date?”
My chest flutters with excitement. I hate our school’s football team, or more specifically, I hate the arseholes who play in it, but I love the game. Uncle converted me to the dark side and turned me into a Gunner — Arsenal’s diehard fan.
“You better not be asking her to abandon her studies to go to some stupid game.”
“Of course not,” Uncle and I say at the same time, then he snorts and I can’t help but laugh, too.
Aunt folds her arms and taps her foot on the floor.
Uncle and I busy ourselves with retrieving vegetables from the refrigerator while trying to suppress our laughter.
“Teamwork,” Uncle and I murmur to each other.
For the moment, just this moment, I forget what happened today.
Or I try to, anyway.
In the morning,Aunt drives me to school on her way to work.
I kept recalling yesterday for the entire night and contemplated not showing up today. But then, I had a serious angry session with myself.
No one — Aiden included — will break me.
My early childhood didn’t and he certainly fucking wouldn’t.
I just have to be smart about dealing with him. Like avoiding the shit out of him and go back to glaring from afar.
I wave at my aunt and stride into the school with my head held high like usual.
The taunts begin, but I don’t let them rattle me.
A little voice in my head whispers at them.
Run along, kids, your little pranks are nothing compared to Aiden’s depravity.
Despite my pep talk this morning that gave me much needed courage, a tremor shoots down my limbs the closer I approach the class.
I’ll see him again. I’ll see those demon eyes.
Those sadistic smirks.
That dark soul.
Son of a bitch. How the hell am I supposed to survive an entire year with him in the same class?
To make matters worse, Kim is nowhere to be found. Since I don’t have a phone anymore, I called her from the landline earlier but she didn’t pick up.
I still have some time before the first class, so I head to her spot in the garden.
My pace falters near the tree where Aiden trapped me yesterday.
A strange awareness grips me by the throat. My body’s memory acts up again.
I can feel his hands all over me.
I can smell him amongst the trees.
I can see that soulless look in his eyes.
A strong wave of hate takes over me, but that’s not the only thing.
Something else, something completely immoral grips me, too.
Get out of my head, damn you!
My brows scrunch when I arrive at the cabin and find no trace of Kim.
Like me, Kim never skips. If she did, something serious must’ve happened.
That wanker Xander better not have hurt her or I’ll go all mama bear on his arse.
I turn around and my head collides against a strong chest.
“Are you here for more, sweetheart?”