Fifth Night

Quinn

{'At my signal, unleash hell!'}

"Are you sure you're not going to take my advice?" Risa asked, briefly glanced at me before she focused on the road, turning her car on my way home.

She offered me a ride that I refused but she was too stubborn to accept my protest while she towed me away out of the school, minutes before the school ended.

And here I was, thankful that I was sitting in her passenger seat as I stared out the window, watching the rain getting stronger in each blink I made. The sound of its fall against the tinted window was like thousands of knives, grazing my heart in isolation. I tried my best not to think about it but this loss reminded me every day- on how the clouds never stopped from crying even if the raindrops already taught me about emptiness.

Suddenly, the fast pace of surroundings due to the car's speed slowly halted. I turned my head to look at the driver beside me, realizing that she was now giving me a worried look and found her hand already holding mine. "Are you alright?"

I gave her my genuine smile for the first time. Seriously, I could be true to someone whenever I want but it doesn't mean I was going to let her in. She was just a tool to protect myself from possible harm.

"Yeah, I'm cool. I just hate the rain," I answered sincerely, squeezing her hand for assurance.

Risa frowned, sliding down her other hand around the steering wheel and lowered her gaze to our connected hands. "Are you sure?"

I nodded at her for reassurance. "Yeah."

"Really?" she asked again. "Because you're really squeezing my hand hard right now."

I immediately jerked my hand away, plastered a fake smile which earned a concerned look from her. "Sorry, what was it again?" I asked, recalling that she was asking something before I tumbled down from my own awareness.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay out from those bim—— I mean from Khloe's group?"

I sighed. "Yes, Risa. I gave you a chance then why I can't do the same with them?"

I heard the spoiled brat whine and I smirked sarcastically at her reaction but hid it quickly, staring bored at her.

"I know but seriously, they are all troubles. Did you know that Khloe almost burned our school with her failed experiment in chemistry and she spilled a hideous chemical on one of her classmates in the same class? I'm glad that the girl didn't burn her skin. It just made holes through her clothes," she ranted, stepping her heel on the gas and continued to drive in our neighborhood.

I almost snorted at what I found out but I faked my expression into shock. "Khloe did that?"

"Yeah." Arisa nodded.

"And what about Maggy and James?" I asked.

"Who's Maggy and James?" she retorted, her eyebrows drawn together in confusion and I mentally rolled my eyes. If she claimed that they were trouble then why she didn't know the names she was referring to. I guess she didn't care as long as she gets rid of those who were lost in her own territory.

"Maggy, the one who has red hair, and James, her tall boyfriend," I answered nonchalantly.

"Oh yes! I heard some rumors about them joining a group of pothead dealers. You know, weeds, drugs, and such. If the rumors are true then Khloe must be one of them."

I shrugged, finding the subject so uninteresting. If James and Maggy were like that then I would gladly introduce them to my friends back to the school I used to attend. They were so captivated by this kind of activity.

But who was I kidding? I already left my life behind before and I was going to make sure that I'm not going to turn back. I did drugs once but I found it so unexciting. To get high was something I found so irritating. Everything stays the same no matter what. It would never change for me no matter what chemical I use that could save me from this nightmare.

I realized that Risa was secluding herself from all the reality. She was a Queen who preferred to stay in her own beautiful castle, awaiting a report from her servant about the dilemma of her own kingdom. I was sure that once she gets out, every monster of this life is going to eat her alive.

"But they are just rumors, right?" I inquired and it was really weird that she always kept uttering unpleasant comments about Khloe. If Khloe was one of them then, I should force her to get out of this group myself. She really owed me an explanation.

She shrugged. "Maybe."

"What about Ella?"

Risa shrugged again and glanced at me with a weak smile. "I think Ella is okay?"

Ella is okay? Did I hear her right or did my brain just couldn't function at the moment- unable to grasp what she had said?

"Oh okay. Good," I only muttered as continued to watch her intently. For me, watching someone and observing them from a distance is crucial. To watch them every move and how they respond to everything were all necessities for me to understand. It is one of my survival kits to predict what they about to do or wanted to do with me.

She cleared her throat as she noticed that I wasn't taking my eyes away from her features but still, it didn't make me feel embarrassed by the fact that I was looking at her for a long while.

"Yeah, but I warned you about Khloe. Don't get too close to her," she reminded, too shy to glance at me so she settled her eyes on the road instead.

"I don't think she won't bite," I defended playfully.

"Yes, definitely. She can do more than a bite. I think she's with an underground society who plan to influence people to make the biggest mistake of their life."

I burst out laughing and she giggled at her own remark. This bitch really knew how to mess up with people.

Once I recognized the tedious house standing among the dazzling that we had passed, I gestured for her to stop in my own driveway. The rain never ceased from falling and it haunted me to see the place which reminded me of my deceased parents.

"See you tomorrow at class?" I said with a cloaked smile.

"Yeah. So how about lunch at my room tomorrow," she invited, knowingly smirking at me. I guess I should be edible tomorrow.

"Okay. Cool... Lunch with you tomorrow," I accepted and turned around, arranging myself before I run across the lawn to my porch but she stopped me before I could feel nothing but pain inside.

"Wait!" She leaned closer to me as I prepared myself for another make-out session but she just reached her leather jacket on the back seat in my surprise. "I don't want you to get sick from the rain," she said, wrapping the jacket around my body securely and kissed me on my cheek before she put the hood over my head.

She smiled and her blue eyes lit brightly against the dull environment and I got to admit that seeing her was like an oasis in the desert. A beauty that you would always search for. Like she was the best thing lurking in your own darkness.

As the rain continuously poured from above repeatedly, my eyes couldn't stop resting on her lips. She tasted so great that she was like ambrosia that was typically reserved for divine beings to give them elongated immortality. But for me, it was one of those things that reminded me how this loss could bind me from feeling the love of someone. Immortally forever...

However, I needed her taste so that she could protect me. So that I could protect them from loving someone like me. I needed this game that she created to prevent myself from hurting and for everybody who wants to try to get close to me.

"Thanks," I mumbled and gave her a quick kiss on her lips. So quick that her flavor eventually vanished away from my lips. I rushed towards the house once I hopped out of her car, ignoring the sound of the rain that was cascading all over me. I wasn't planning to turn back even if the sound of the car was no longer existing in my ears. I was just standing in front of the house....in front of the door, in front of the empty place.

Letting out a deep breath, I found the strength to grab my key out of my bag and unlocked the door, twisting it like it was the hardest thing to do. And finally, I was able to step into my own house which my Dad gave to me. It had been a while since I set my foot on this doorway.

The silence inside the isolated space was killing me but I'd rather pay attention to this austerity than listen to the noise of the rain outside. I couldn't understand why I ended up in this place. This house was never been my home.

Overlooking the terrible feelings, I turned the lights on, showing all the white sheets covering all the furniture. I sighed again for the nth time, gathering that I needed to clean up so I put my bag on the dusty table and searched for the cleaning tools in the basement.

Once I found something to use for, I started to clean around, finding something nostalgic or rather strange for my Dad's liking. He was a serious person so why did I find funny things in here? Maybe he was not something I used to know or maybe I had already forgotten what he was.

It had been already eight years since my parents died in a car accident. It felt like I died along with them. It was a terrible experience as I remembered the rain hammering down heavily and that's why I really hated it so badly. I was ten years old back then but the memories were still haunting me until now.

For eight years, my grandmother on my mother's side took me in care and raised me until she died two months ago. I was now eighteen so I already had every right to claim what my parents gave me after their death but all I had left was this house. The money my parent insured was spent by my Grandma for my treatment including the expenses for my high school.

I was homeschooled for five years before I decided to study in a public high school. However, my Grandma declined my decision to protect me so she enrolled me in a more private and prestigious school. She was very rich but I wasn't the only problem she was taking care of. She had my Aunt who was waiting for her to die so she could sleep comfortably over my Grandma's fortune. To my dismay, she already had claimed it.

My Aunt and her family hated me so I spent two months wanting to rip them apart but I decided to settle down here in my father's hometown. Away from them... away from my friends who called me a freak as soon as they learned the truth about me.

Even my ex-girlfriend, Jane, confronted me like I was a dirty bacteria. It was a pain to see her looking at me with disgust so I instantly hated her like she was a snake who wrapped me around for so long so that she could feel the fame I had. Yes, I was a popular kid in my previous school so I understood what it felt like to be Arisa Gail Valentine. However, she would never understand me as nobody would ever.

The sound of my ringtone inside my back pocket brought me back from my reverie and I immediately answered it, realizing it was my half-sister who was calling.

"Hey, where are you!?" she said in a disturbing tone.

I giggled and halted from rubbing the vase I planned to place over the oak piano I discovered in one of the rooms. "I am here," I informed her and was certain that she already knew where I was talking about.

"And what are you doing there? You already have another home to stay in."

She was right and I happily smiled at how she told me that her home was also mine. "I'm cleaning up the whole house."

"What?!" she exclaimed, "Good luck with that, Miss Sweetheart!"

I snickered at her comment. "Yeah, and I really need you to help me in here."

I heard her groan in irritation but I knew she was going to be here in no time. "Okay. I was searching all over for you so you better order me some pizza. Oh no, not just some pizza, make it half-Hawaiian, half- pepperoni, whether you like it or not."

"Yeah. Yeah, okay... Hurry up, I'll be waiting for you," I said back with a smile before I hung up to order our pizza and then continued with what I was doing... Like I was wiping away all the life I had before me, changing it to a more peaceful setting and I was going to make sure that it was going to stay that way no matter what I risk.

Even playing games with the daughter of Valentine.

.......

Sitting on the couch we cleaned up, I stared at my half-sister, waiting for her laugh to mend down.

"S-She-She is attracted to you?" my sister said, clutching her stomach and her laugh grew louder like she was some lunatic who just escaped from a mental hospital. I guess it was the reaction I already expected as I told her about the game I was playing with Risa.

"Yeah." I nodded enthusiastically before I bit the last crust of my pizza slice in my hand. Yum!

"I think it was more like 'I lust for you so get naked for me, baby!'" she quoted and I glared at her but she just laughed it all off before she shoved a remaining slice of pizza in her mouth. Gross!

"But seriously, the rumors she was talking about aren't true at all. Do you believe in me?" she asked hopefully, looking straight at me as she munched her food disgustingly.

"Of course," I replied, closing the empty pizza box.

"So what are you going to do about it? How can you find those pieces of evidence of this b-i-t-c-h loitering?"

"Don't be mean!"

"FYI, you're the one who taught me how to be mean," she countered back and I stuck my tongue out at her like a child.

"See!" she exclaimed, pointing her finger at me accusingly.

"I'm just going to let her be because I need her to protect myself," I answered, looking down at my hands.

I heard my sister sigh, grabbing my right hand and placed it on her shoulder. "I am here, Quinn. I can protect you from them."

I smiled gratefully at her. "I know but you're not with me all the time."

She gave me a sad smile. "I guess you're right." She paused and then continued as her eyes swam around the place, "I know that we have so much to do with this house but I think Mom's now looking for us. So shall we?"

I nodded and we headed out to our true home. It was just five minutes away from here so we just walked together and I was glad that the rain had already stopped. As soon I entered our house, Aunt Claire attacked me with her hug and I embraced her back like I was supposed to feel something from this motherly figure I was holding.

"So how's the first day of school, Quinn?" she asked as she pulled away with a wide smile.

"It was exciting," I said truthfully and my sister grimaced beside me.

"Hello! I'm the daughter here," she complained and we laughed at her together.

Aunt Claire gave her a hug and patted her head messily. "Aww, my sweetie is jealous. Dinner?"

My sister groaned out from her mother's hold. "No, Mom. We already ate. Right, Quinn?"

I nodded in response and started to make my way upstairs carefully. "I think I should get ready to sleep."

The two brunettes just nodded at me and said their goodnights.

Once I was in my own room, I collapsed on my new bed and let out a huge gulp of air.

"Are you sure you're okay?" The voice of my sister startled me so I immediately sat up. I watched her as she leaned against the door frame with her eyes enclosed with concern- the same hazel-green eyes I used to observe from my Dad.

My father and Aunt Claire made a mistake but my Mom eventually forgave them and welcomed them to our family. She was that kind and sweet. I was so glad she was forgiving because I never thought that their mistake would be someone who was so important to me. This girl looking straight at me is the one who was beside me all the time. Every time I let myself give up on my own weakness.

"I'm sure. I'm just tired. That's all," I replied back.

She sighed and smiled at me. "Okay. Goodnight, Quinn."

Smiling back, I playfully saluted her. "Goodnight, Khloe."

.......