The boy who held a knife to her throat

Chapter ONE: She Never Wakes Up On Time

*BLEEP BLEEP*

She awakened to a start, rolling over to silence the monstrosity of an alarm that rang from her phone. Disgruntled and disoriented, Karina checked the time; it was 06:30.

'It's still too early', she thought to herself. 'Another half hour won't hurt'. Karina smiled with satisfaction after concluding that it was, in fact, okay to sleep a little longer. After all, she'd already straightened her wild curls the night before, and her uniform laid neatly on her desk, beside a stack of worn library books waiting to be returned, ready for a new school year. Fantasising about her new and improved debut at Windsor Prep, Karina rolled over once more, sinking into a blissful slumber..

****

"KARINA WAKE UP THIS VERY MOMENT AND GET READY FOR SCHOOL! "

Once again Karina rolled over in bed, startled this time not by the ringing nuisance of her phone, but rather by the bellows of her anxious mother. As she checked the time, her eyes still adjusting to the darkness of her small room, she realised at once that she was beyond late, as it was now 08:00. Karina hopped out of her bed with such immediacy and force that she found herself falling, ever so un-gracefully, before landing on the dark cold timber with a resounding thud. "Ah shit!", she croaked as elegantly as a frog. "MUM I'M COMING JUST GIVE ME TEN MINUTES!".

The next ten minutes involved a mad dash to the bathroom, which was thankfully not occupied by either of her sisters whom, it seemed by the noise pollution one floor below, had already dressed and were having breakfast. As Karina brushed her teeth, she admired her sleek black tresses; they were unlike her natural ringlets, shiny, soft and without frizz. It seemed a miracle she could look so different simply by ironing her hair. To her, this was a sign that things would change, and that finally things for her may turn for the better.

Alas, she had no idea.

The next few minutes flew by in a hurried breeze, as she dressed into her uniform and quickly applied some concealer and winged liner. Regardless of how late she was, looking good always came first. She was thankful to have showered the previous night, it had really saved a lot of time as she was already late. Grabbing her bag, she sped down the creaking stairs towards the bustle of the bright kitchen.

The kitchen was the heart of their old home. Brightly lit and humbly designed, the old wooden countertops groaned under the weight of countless appliances, herbs, spices and plastic containers. The chipped yellow painted walls were scattered with pictures of their family and ever so often the odd Hindu god.

Karina's mother was behind the sink washing dishes and loudly singing an old Bollywood song when she entered. Karina did not miss the worried expression on her mother's youthful face, however, as she spotted her repeatedly glancing out the window facing the front lawn.

"Good Morning Ma, what's wrong?".

"Morning Rina, don't worry nothing's wrong, just wondering why your father's taking so long at the store. Quick, have some breakfast, I've made french toast and your lunch is on the shelf. You don't want to be late for your first day back at school".

A brief moment of worry crossed her mind, not long enough to linger upon, but also not immediately forgotten. 'Let's just hope- no, trust in him for once', she thought.

Karina turned to face the kitchen table, where her older sister Ria sat browsing her phone and the younger, Alinah, sat mindlessly attacking her food, while also swiping through her Ipad. It was clear from the obnoxious thumbnails that she was on YouTube, browsing through the videos of some lame 20 something guy who managed to appeal to the current tween generation.

Ria, switching off her phone and grabbing her bag then rose from her seat. "Okay, I'm heading off to work people, have a good day", she echoed with a sigh, before she strode off without bothering to tuck in her chair or put her dishes in the sink.

"Typical behaviour", Karina murmured following the thud of a door signalling her sisters exit, as she drew a chair beside her younger sister and began eating her food while also staring at the very screen her younger sister was engrossed in..

****

Ten minutes later and it was 08:20 when Karina was finally in the car with her mother and younger sister, as they pulled out of the small driveway and drove off towards her school. Windsor Preparatory College was a school in a league of its own. A fair distance from the bustling and fairly multicultural community which Karina's family called home, the relatively new yet affluent school was situated amid rolling green hills and gated white communities, a flagship symbol of the growing Nouveau riche in Chicago.

As they drove past a great sparkling lake surrounded by a woody grove, the road thinned, changing from smooth concrete to gravel and pebbles, eventually leading them through the large gates that enclosed her school. Before her school was visible, however, she could hear it. Lively laughter and conversation were suddenly muffled by the chiming of the great bell, announcing the first warning for students to head to their home rooms. They had made it in time.

'The bustle of another school year', Karina thought to herself, as she leaned against the window looking towards the overcast sky. Funny, she did not feel so good anymore, as she noticed the unease in her heart and the pangs in her stomach.

As they finally pulled into the parking lot of the school, Karina thanked her mother as her younger sister hopped out and was about to also leave when her mother stopped her.

"Wait Karina, let me look at you".

Her mother smiled upon her as she examined her daughter up and down; it seemed as if her previous worries had disappeared and Karina fidgeted as she looked into her mother's warm brown eyes, awkwardly returning her mother's smile.

"Mum I'm going to be late, I need to go now".

"Just wait a moment Rina, can't I admire my pretty daughter even a bit? You're growing into such a smart, beautiful girl, and while I think your natural curls are the best, I have to say the straight looks good too. All the other girls are going to be so jealous".

Her mother cupped her cheek as she said this, holding her gaze for a moment longer before pulling away. It sounded as if her voice was breaking.

Karina, knowing how emotional her mother often got at the smallest of things, reached over and hugged her mother tightly.

"Mum why are you getting so emotional, it's just senior year and I'll be back in the afternoon. And of course I'm so pretty, I'm your daughter after all. Nobody else stands a chance! Anyways I've got to go now, goodbye, love you!".

Without giving her mother a moment to respond, Karina dashed out the car, closed the door behind her, and jolted to catch up to her younger sister, who had already reached the bustling front lawns of Windsor Prep.

*****
Authors note: Can't believe I'm finally starting this novel! The concept behind this story has been in my mind for a long time now but I never really got around to writing it. Now that I'm on holidays from uni, thought I'd start.

I know it's a slow start but please bear with me, it's really important for me to establish certain character traits and context before the story really starts rolling, but once it does, oh god will it be good.