Ruthless

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Four Years Ago

It's been two days and I still haven't heard from them. Not even a notice on the news. A picture in the paper. Nothing. I thought that by this time I'd hear from them. Sometimes I feel like just giving up - to just stop looking out for them and go home. But a little voice in my head reminds me why I left in the first place. The suffocation, the publicity, the constant need of approval. My family aren't celebrites but around our city, everyone knows us. We appear in the news every now and then and people in Arizona look to us as a big, happy and rich family. Although my life here isn't the best, I know soon I'll be back where I need to be. They'll come looking for me, and when they find me they'll open their arms ready to be engulfed in a hug. Mum will cry, Dad will yell but at the end of the day, they'll take me home and everything will be the way it used to be. I know nobody will recognise me here, our family's publicity only stretches to Arizona but soon they'll find me, I know it. I smiled, keeping my eyes closed as I played the scene in my head.

Suddenly there was a loud clatter followed by an angry curse, causing my eyes to snap open and the realization of my surroundings to drop my smile.

I sat up and swung my legs around the bed feeling my toes curl as my feet touched the icy, cold floor. I sighed and stood up, hearing the bed creak behind me. I dragged the curtains open to see sky coloured in grey and the building of the opposite flat standing tall.

"Just a few more days," I mumbled to myself whilst grabbing my wash bag before walking out of the room towards the bathroom.

"Morning Rainya!" smiled Maya, standing in the doorway of the kitchen.

"Oh hey, uh, morning..." I mumbled quickly, shuffling off to the bathroom.

"Did you sleep okay?" She replied promptly, smirking as if she knew she caught me trying to get away.

"Yeah, great thanks..." I smiled back, closing the bathroom door. I turned around and faced the mirror to see a reflection of a girl I didn't recognise. Her eyes were dark and red from tears and make-up, her hair was knotted and her lips were chapped. I turned on the tap and splashed my face repeatedly, rubbing my eyes and face vigourously. I looked up and pulled my hair band out, grabbing the furry and dirty brush from the sink I frustratedly brushed my hair. I looked up in the mirror and sighed, steadily going through my bathroom routine consisting of brushing and flossing my teeth, using a 3 minute face mask and dabbing a facial toner,  all whilst keeping my eyes locked on my reflection.

I finished up and stripped down, getting into the shower, grimacing at the collected mould at each corner and the clump of hair at the bottom. I turned on the tap, shivering as the shower dripped cold water against my skin. I let out a small cry and quickly began to shower, regretting leaving home. I grabbed the shampoo and condintioner that I made sure to bring and washed my hair, feeling a smile creep on my face as the memory of home returned and the water began to warm up. I felt my body relax as if the hot water was melting off my regret.

"I hope you're not using all the hot water!" Maya yelled from behind the door.

"Using all the hot water?" I mumbled. Since when could you finish hot water? Isn't it endless?

I quickly turned off the tap and jumped out. Remembering I forgot my towel, I grabbed one of the side and dried off, feeling as the roughness of the fabric scratch at my skin. I shivered and grabbed my stuff, before opening the door and mumbling a quick 'sorry' as I ran back to my room. Heaving a sigh of relief, I began to get dressed. I opened my bag to see I only had two clean underwear left and no other clothes, I looked to my other clothes and instantly shook my head. Never had I ever wore an piece of clothing twice! I felt myself begin to gag. I ran over to the wardrobe in hope to see the designer labels hanging there waiting for me. But to my disappointment, the only thing hanging was cobwebs. I turned back to what I thought was the worst possible option. Slowly, I pulled on the clothes I wore last night and let out a weak cry.