Sarima blamed her father without hesitation.
He never stayed home unless it was time to "use" them for whatever deal or arrangement he was involved in. Once he was done, he disappeared again like nothing in the house mattered.
She was almost certain her mother was tired of everything too. It wouldn't have surprised her if he had another family somewhere else. And honestly, it didn't even look like her mother cared enough to fight it anymore.
By the time they returned home, exhaustion had settled over everyone, and they each retreated to their rooms without much conversation.
Sarima went straight to the bathroom. The warm water of the bathtub eased her tension as she sank into it, letting the heat blur her thoughts for a while. The world felt distant and muffled as she soaked in deeper leaving only her nose and mouth to stick out of the water.
"What a jackass," she sighed under her breath and some water splashed out. Her head tilted slightly, lost in thoughts. The bathroom door was slightly open and she stared at it absentmindedly. It was so quiet and peaceful in the water. A sad smile creeped up her lips. The door becoming quite blurry. Then a shadow moved.
She sat up instantly, her heart jolting. For a brief moment, she hesitated.
Do I check… or stay here? Her eyebrows drew together in panic. If it was a killer, she would already be dead the moment she moved. It would be better to be found in her bed,compose and presentable than sprawled across the bathroom floor like some cheap horror movie character.
She grabbed a towel and pulled it toward her, not caring that it got damp as the ends dipped into the warm water. From the cabinet, she took a pair of scissors and gripped them tightly before she stepped out.
The dark room welcomed her. Cold shivered down her spine and goosebumps rose like the hair on her neck. The window rattled violently as the wind pushed against it, and faint moonlight spilled across the floor. Sarima scanned everything carefully, scissors raised slightly in her hand. Her knuckles had turned white from the force of her grip.
Nothing looked out of place and that bothered her more than if something had.
Whoever had been here hadn't forced entry. No broken locks or signs of struggle. She exhaled sharply.
"I need to tell someone," she muttered as she turned toward her dressing table. Her legs froze. A pristine white sheet of paper sat neatly on top. She didn't notice it because she came out heroically and lunged to the window, expecting someone.
Her pulse spiked immediately. She rushed forward, grabbed it, crushed it in her fist, and threw it in the bin. She stormed back to the window, shoved it open, and shouted into the night. "Fuck you… asshole!"
She raised both middle fingers into the darkness, breathing hard. Then she stepped back, dragging a hand through her damp curls.
"This is practically turning me insane," she muttered followed by a long sniff. She walked to the mirror, staring at her reflection. Wet hair, tired eyes and towel clinging loosely.
Without hesitation, she opened her wardrobe and pulled out a satin nightgown.
If there was one thing she had learned, it was that sleeping half-naked was no longer an option when some creep kept breaking into her room.
She changed quickly, applied ointment where needed, and finally lay down.
Memories of the day crept in slowly, one after another, until exhaustion pulled her under.
She woke up with a heavy yawn, her body stiff and sluggish. "Ugh…" her sinuses were blocked, realizing she never shut the windows. Dragging herself up, she went through her morning routine of bath, clothes, perfume, shoe, with some shine on her lips before leaving her room.
Downstairs, the house was already alive with movement. Maids moved around the kitchen efficiently as Sarima grabbed a bottle of water and a few pancakes.
As she headed toward the door, her parents' voices arguing echoed faintly through the house. She heard something clatter and knew her mother was having a crash out. She rolled her eyes at how loud they were for her to hear from where she stood. "So Annoying." She muttered.
She stepped outside and moved toward her car then stopped abruptly. Her breath caught.
"Uhn uhnnn," she muttered under her breath. It was better to see a snake or someone's body at this point as what she saw made her blood boil.
Carved into her black Audi R8 was a single initial. "A". Her fists clenched immediately and she threw it midair, raising her middle finger with a scowl on her face.
She ran her fingers over the engraving. It wasn't random. It was deliberate and personal. She got into the driver's seat without hesitation. She was already late and pissed off to start wiping anything.
While driving, something on the back seat caught her attention, a blue handkerchief.
She frowned and reached for it while still steering, her grip steady despite the distraction.
The same initial was stitched into it and she lifted it closer. Lowering her head, she took a small sniff, looked at it then took a longer sniff. That spicy cologne always did something to her she couldn't explain.
At school, she walked into the lecture hall as if nothing had happened. Composed with her head high. Lora waved her over, and Sarima sat beside her.
"Babeee… I've been trying to reach you since yesterday," Lora whispered.
"I was uhm...quite busy," Sarima replied with a small frown as her eyes scanned the hall. Lora smirked, her eyes lingering on someone.
"Your new love interest?"Sarima teased. "You mean your talking stage?"His name is Olrey and he asked about you apparently" Lora said giggling.
Sarima glanced briefly at the boy Lora was so obviously hinting at then continued scanning the room.
"Chen isn't here," Lora murmured accusingly.
"What makes you think I'm looking for Chen?" Sarima replied quickly and cleared her throat.
Lora raised a brow "Of course you're not." She rolled her eyes.
Ignoring her friend's sarcasm, her eyes moved across the room until they briefly locked with Olrey's. She looked away almost immediately.
"What's with all these new faces?" she asked and she raised her hands to rub her arms.
"They aren't new students," Lora whispered. "They were invited."
Sarima sighed, irritation building for no clear reason. A headache started forming.
"Sarima… you're burning!" Lora suddenly said, moving her hand from Sarima's neck and placing it on her forehead.
"I'm fine," Sarima muttered with a sigh. "Let's not cause a scene Lora..."
"You need the sick bay...like right now!" Lora cut her off and before Sarima could argue she was already packing up.
They slipped out through the back door quietly. Sarima handed over her keys to Lora in defeat. She knew Lora wouldn't back down as she found out. She felt cold in the morning but didn't expect to fall sick so suddenly.
Lora drove out of the parking lot and Sarima leaned back in the seat, her body felt heavier than it should. Her eyes had already begun blurring far objects and the headache worsened. She sniffed in and let out a hot sigh.
A tall blurry figure appeared and got closer as the car slowed in speed. "I thought you wouldn't come today," Lora said and hit the brake. "I was on my way," he replied. "What's wrong?"
"She caught a fever," Lora answered.
Chen moved closer and lowered in front of Sarima. Their eyes met and everything seemed to still for her. Her heart shuddered at his intense gaze.
He placed a hand on her forehead and clicked his tongue in disapproval. Sarima gave an awkward smirk. "Finding love in my eyes?" she teased faintly.
A soft sigh left him and he stepped backwards for lora drive off, gesturing for her to move. She hit the road again, shaking her head as Sarima kept turning her head backwards.
"You always look like you're going through withdrawal whenever you see him," Lora said, half laughing and took a U-turn.
"You are so rude Lora.....I could swear there's this connection between him and I that I can't just pinpoint," Sarima muttered.
"Mhmm....You say that like you don't know what that connection is and awfully, I'm not liking it. That guy is a player gurl." She replied back.
"Just cause he loves people easily doesn't make him a player." Sarima answered came in defense and her friend rolled her eyes.
"Love does veil people's eyes" Lora tched. Sarima opened her mouth but closed it, not knowing what to retort. Lora turned to look at her suddenly with a questioning look. "By the way… when did you have a name starting with A?"
Sarima's face dropped."I don't."
Lora glanced at her in amusement "Then whose initial is on your car?"