Saving Nikolai

Chapter 3

Months passed. It was like Nikolai promised. He never interfered in Leylani's life. She was back to being a mere shadow. She didn't mind it, though. Leylani was used to being alone. Most of her life, she spent as a nameless face hidden in the crowd. While there was peace in the silence, Leylani couldn't deny the longing she had for Nikolai. Not lustfully, but more, I crave for your conversations kind of way. It had been years since someone held a conversation with her and she longed to exchange words with someone. While she was alone, she wasn't invisible. Kiera's animosity towards her increased.

Leylani guessed that someone let slip that she was at the Gotti household. Kiera's harassment was constant. Leylani found it difficult to even take a breath. At home, her father was abusive, hurtful, and negligent. At school, Kiera filled in for Leylani's father. She hurled insults at Leylani constantly and when she got the chance, landed a clean punch to her ribs. Leylani wished that her coin toss took place daily rather than monthly.

The bell rang, signaling the end to another torturous day. Leylani went to her locker but froze when she saw Nikolai. He stood at his locker, with a pen in his mouth, and skimmed through a copy of "Milk and Honey". He stopped at a page, his fingers tracing the words on the parchment. Nikolai took the pen out of his mouth and wrote a few words on a sticky note. He turned to Leylani's locker. His hand trembled as he held the note inches away from her locker. He sighed, shoved the note into his pocket, and walked away. Leylani wanted to run after him, to ask to see the note, but she stopped herself. She knew she was safer this way. Though Kiera didn't stop her abuse, it was better than what it used to be. At least now only Kiera bullied her rather than Kiera's followers as well. Facing one bully was better than standing up against a handful.

Leylani grabbed her belongings and went to the library for her last tutoring session of the semester. Winter break was here. For others, this was a relief. For Leylani, this was a living nightmare. At school, she at least had three meals. Stuck at home, she would have to scrounge for scraps. Her father would take all the money she made to pay the bills or to fuel his gambling addiction. There would not be any to buy her food. She shoved these worries to the back of her mind and focused on what her tutor was saying. Her grades had finally jumped up to a B minus. She wanted to keep it that way. She couldn't afford to allow her worries to consume her thoughts.

When the sun set, her tutor packed his things and left. Leylani stayed back for one last meal. Upon her arrival at the cafeteria, she found that the school had created meal boxes for the students to take home. She had been going to this school for four years and never had they done this before. Why now? She opened her box. There was enough food in here to last a week. Tears blurred her vision. Leylani blinked them away. Someone had to be watching over her. She ate her dinner, then headed home to get her cleaning supplies. She had to clean the Gotti's mansion again. Victoria assured her that Nikolai would not be home.

Her father met her at the door. "Bring home another hundred," he ordered, replacing the meal box with her cleaning supplies. 

"Yes, sir."

The walk to the Gotti mansion was long. A half an hour later, Leylani was panting and sweating despite the bitterly cold temperature. Richard stood by the end of the driveway. His eyes widened and his mouth popped open when he saw her approaching. He sped towards her.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Ms. Victoria scheduled for me to come in," Leylani said. Her stomach dropped at the urgency in Richard's eyes. Did they not want her to work for them anymore? She needed the money. Her father would kill her if she returned home empty-handed.  

A car rolled up the driveway. Richard grabbed her arm and ran into the mansion, speeding down the halls. Leylani panted like a dog, trying to catch her breath and calm her racing heart. Richard came to a stop outside Victoria's bedroom. He knocked and entered before she could respond.