The Hidden Gemstone

Chapter: 20

River wasn't always a big fan of school. Not until her father took that privilege away.

It was hard waking up so early in the morning, especially if her father had been at home the previous night. It was hard dragging herself to school, her body aching and her head throbbing. It was hard to keep hiding in the shadows to avoid any unwanted attention from the bullies at school.

But it was even harder to stay at home all day, fearing her father every second.

She didn't stop studying even after her father banned her from leaving the house. She used Hannah's old books, scribbled her notes along the margins, and even tested herself. Even though her dream of escaping that house seemed impossible, she had faith in it and she didn't want to be left behind when it happened.

Thankfully, she wasn't.

When she started school two days ago, she realized she was actually ahead of everyone else. She could feel some of the students looking at her in awe when she answered almost every question the teacher asked, some rolling their eyes and some completely ignoring her. Xander was among the ones who ignored her.

Being back at school did somewhat help her mental psyche, but her demon made sure it wouldn't last that long. It appeared whenever River turned out the lights at night, whenever she missed her siblings, and whenever she felt insecure. The latter two happened quite often, paving a wide pathway for the demon. The more she tried to forget her past, the more the demon reminded her of it.

Today, though, it hadn't appeared so far and as she combed her damp, blond hair, River hoped her day would remain that way. She let it down to dry naturally and, swallowing down her evening medication (she found it easier to swallow the tablets dry than with water), made her way outside and into the living room.

She was hoping no one would be there, but to her rotten luck, Xander was sitting on the couch, watching TV. She wanted to run back to her room, but he had already seen her. He rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to the TV. She didn't think he had any reason to be so cold toward her, given that she hadn't said a word to him after their first encounter, but her demon always told her that she couldn't blame him; no one wanted a stray intruder in their house.

River sighed and silently made her way to the couch near the one Xander was sitting on. He didn't bother sparing her even a glance as she sat down, but she was okay with that.

"Don't you have stuff to do?" Xander said and River turned to him but he wasn't looking at her. "Like study or, you know... call your Dad?"

River inhaled sharply. Her demon would've advised against her speaking up, but her demon wasn't there. "Why can't you be more like your sisters?"

"How long have my sisters been home since you got here?" he asked, turning toward her. "A couple of hours? Half a day? They wouldn't mind a complete stranger living here. So, don't compare me to them again." He leaned back and turned his attention to the TV screen again.

River wanted to yell at him, but she held herself back. Instead, she spoke quietly, "You think I want to be an intruder in someone's house?"

"If you didn't, you wouldn't be here, would you?" he answered casually.

"Why do you have to be such a jerk?" River asked, standing up. Initially, she didn't want to argue with Xander, but he was getting on her nerves now.

Xander's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "I'm the jerk? You're the one who barged into my house. My family was already drifting apart—"

"I don't even have a family!" River's eyes were stinging with tears, but she tried to blink them back.

Xander stood up. "How the heck is that my problem?!"