The backside

Maria's house

I covered my eyes in a attempt to not get blinded by the light. "Cynthia? What are you doing outside this late? It's not safe.", i recognized the voice but i didn't know who it was. My arms still covered my face, protecting for any danger. The familiar voice lowered the flashlight to give me a change too see. When i removed my arms from before my eyes and looked up, i saw Maria standing in frond of me with a baggie black hoodie on and dark sweatpants. She had, what looked like a cigarette in her hand, and her phone with the flash on in her other hand.

"You smoke?",i asked, while still trying to process what happened. "I just caught you in a abandoned part of the neighborhood, with bruises and a blue eye..And that's the first thing you ask?", she said jokingly but with a serious tone. She helped me up  and started bombarding me with all sorts of questions.  "What are you doing here? What happened with you? Who did this to you? How long have you been here...-"she asked way too much to answer everything. "Uh..i ran away from home for a little while.. But i was planning on returning when my dad calmed down..."i answered. Maria knows about my father getting aggressive at me. She helps me cover some of the bruises up in the school bathrooms. She supports me and she's worried. I know she is, but i can't do anything about it. I don't like it when people worry about me. It makes me feel pressured to be alright all the time..Or at least show people i'm alright. Because if i don't, they will stress and worry. 

"You can stay at my house for the night. My parents aren't home, but i think my brother has some friends over. And my sisters are sleeping right now, so its okay." Maria told me as she started walking. I sprinted a little to keep up with her. Then her phone rang..."I'm still at the warehouse. No i can't. I have a  friend with me. I'm on my way right now with her, she's staying at mine. Don't scare her when we get there, she has been through enough." said Maria to the person on the other line. Everything after that was a blur. She mumbled some more words to the other end of the line and then she hung up. We waited there for a few minutes until a black car picked us up. i fell asleep in the car as soon as we started riding. i was exhausted mentally and physically. 

I woke up the next day in a over sized t-shirt with some shorts under it. The shirt was so big, you couldn't see the shorts. I got out of bed and looked around. I was in a small room. With pictures on the wall and some led lights all around. The room had a dark vibe, maybe because the walls where dark red and there wasn't many natural light in the room. Saw a big drawer and a closed, next to a worktable with some plants around it on shelf's with a lot of books everywhere in the room. I saw a window with a curtain in frond of it. I walked over there and opened the curtains to take a peek outside. I was met with a few of a neighborhood that looked a lot like mine. Not the same though. 

I turned to the door and opened it slowly. I peeked my head out and looked around. i saw a long hallway, with a lot of smoke coming out of a door on the right, and the stairs on the end of the hallway. There was another door with a lot of signs and stickers on it. I looked to the right and saw a door that was slightly open. The light was on and i heard movement in the open doorway. There where 2 more doors, one wide open, and inside was a lot of pink and a bunked. The other door was also full of stickers and signs. But with a very different vibe, and under the door some light escaped the room. 

I derided to go to the left and see where the smoke came from. Ones i came closer to the door i stopped. The smell wasn't what i expected. Not the smell of fire, not the smile  of cigarettes. It was the smell of strawberries... Strawberries? That's strange. I was thinking about what the smell could be, and where it was coming from. But my thoughts got cut short. because suddenly the door opened. Smoke came out before i could see what's inside.

And then the smoke left the room. The room was big, dark blue walls, with a lot of signs on the wall. A boy looked around after stepping a food out of the door frame, he reached down at the floor and picked something up. when he looked to the left he saw me. He straightened his back again and looked at me, observing me for a few seconds. "Aren't you Liam, that friend from Chase?" i said, before even thinking. "Yes, and you're his lap partner. What's your name again?"he answered while still observing me."Cynthia."i answered. He didn't ask me what i was doing here, not why i was here. 

As he told me to go downstairs, be pointed to the left. I walked downstairs and looked back too see him closing the door while talking to someone. "What is she doing here? Chase, didn't you finish-" Liam said while the sound of his voice faded, making it so i didn't hear what he said anymore. Chase..? Chase. Is Chase also here? Does Liam live here? As i walked downstairs, i saw Maria in the kitchen with 2 little girls in those baby, eating seats at the table. I helped Maria for a little while we talked. I had so much questions but i didn't ask any. Besides why Liam was here. "He's my brother. Did they wake you up? He has a few people over again."She answered while still making food for the little girls at the table. Me and Maria ate together. We ate some noodles together, while she had all the spices and 4 packs of chili, because they had some left over, and i didn't want mine. 

The rest of the day went pretty normal. Me  and Maria watched a movie and We hung out in er room a little before going  outside. I found out that the room i slept in was Maria's room. I didn't see Liam or Chase for the rest of the day. I fell asleep on the couch next to maria while watching the hunger games. 

In the middle of the night i woke up sweaty and out of breath. I shoot up and looked around. I just escaped a dream, or well. A nightmare, where my dad was hitting me and doing awful stuff to my mother and brother. i Stood up and noticed Maria laying next to me, with her head leaning on the armrest   of the couch. I walked around the living room a little bit. My mouth was extremely dry, so i walked over to the kitchen. The light was still on, and when i looked around the corner too see if there was someone there. I saw Chase drinking some Sprite from the bottle, while the fridge door was wide open. He had his back turned too me so he didn't hear me sneak up to him. I swear i wasn't trying to scare him at all. I was thinking of a way to not jump-scare him. But he turned the cap back on on the sprite and turned to the fridge to put it back. As he was turning to put it back, he must've seen me in the corner of his eye, he jumped up and  flew back like a cat. If he was a bird he would certainly fly away. We stared at each other for a few seconds and then he let out a long sign and said "What the fuck are you doing up this late. And what the fuck are you doing in my old shirt?".... Silence. i didn't know how to react. "Uh i don't know. I uh..-" i answered with a slow and tired voice. "Chase, just get the coke, and some drinks. Hurry up man!"i heard Liam shout from upstairs. Coke? and drinks? isn't coke a drink... unless.... He turned around and grabbed a plastic bag and a liter, coke cola bottle."Go to bed Cyn, It's 3 AM. This is a dream, okay?"he said. He turned around ad walked upstairs. I was exhausted so i shuffled back to the couch and fell asleep within seconds of hitting the pillows. 

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*I know this was a VERY long chapter, and it also took me very long too write, so here you are. Please leave some feat-back, or at least tell em you liked/ didn't like this chapter. Ill be  continuing and releasing the next chapter end this week or start of next week. *

* And quick shout out to Jasmin,  my friend that inspired the type of movie Cynthia and Mariana where watching, we talked about the hunger games in art class today so here's a little shout out to my bea 😘😋🤗*