The Ties of Family (RotG Fanfic)

Chapter 59

A new OC with a random name appears in this chapter. Because I can't keep referring to non-canon characters as 'the girl' or 'the boy' all the time.

The train sped out of the station, the gust of wind following whipped at Sophie's hair, partially obscuring her vision. She brushed the blonde strands out of her face, as commuters around her hurried past her, all of them looking flustered as they headed for the exit of the station. Sophie seemed to be invisible, standing in the midst of all the hustle and bustle, though she did attract several curious stares and glances.

"Look who it is!"

Sophie froze. She didn't dare to turn, to see who it was, for she could recognise the voice. It wasn't one she had expected to hear when she came to the train station with the purpose of losing herself in the crowd of commuters. She stood where she was, merely staring at the train tracks, her hands balled into fists, her cheeks burning. She heard the group of girls whisper excitedly among themselves before, judging from the sound of footsteps, one walked up to her and tapped her on the shoulder. The touch seemed to send electric shocks through her body.

"Hey, Soph. Here."

Sophie turned ever so slightly and looked down at whatever the girl standing next to her was offering, refusing to meet the latter's eyes, lest she could see the fear in them; though she knew they wouldn't dare to do anything, not in such a crowded area. Plus, if they ever tried anything, she could just push them towards the train tracks and hope they don't recover before the next train she could just claim it was an act of self-defense.

It was an envelope. Sophie frowned slightly in confusion. "Come on, take it," the girl urged, prodding Sophie with the object. Trying to appear unfazed, Sophie snatched it out of her hand, and finally looked up to meet the other girl's eyes. She seemed sincere. "Was thinking we should patch things up, but right now isn't a good time, so, see you there," she said, with a shrug, before returning to her friends, who were merely talking among themselves, like nothing was happening, like Sophie wasn't there.

The next train sped into the station and the girls boarded it, leaving Sophie alone on the platform, the envelope still clutched in her hand. She waited till the train and the girls were out of sight before tearing it open. Out fell an invitation to one of those many mindless parties several students at the school often threw. Well, Jamie had been the one telling her they were mindless when she was never invited, but he didn't know she would often sneak out and hang about the houses where the merrymaking were, just curious to know what they were all about, and what it would be like if she was invited. Sophie knew why she never secured an invitation, and that was due to her brother's reputation of being a dreamer and a freak, and that on her first day, she had been regarded as a snob. Over the years, she lost her interest in those parties and spent more time painting, isolated in her bedroom.

But there she was, with the card in her hand. Her mind reeled as she thought about her shattered phone, and the reason why she had flung it at the wall in the first place. But that girl had seemed sincere. And what was that she said about patching things up? Sophie glanced down at the card, wondering if it was really happening. Should she go? It was worth a shot; she had had enough of all the stuff they were saying. Perhaps things could really be fixed and her mind would finally be put to rest.

Sophie's glance shifted to the train tracks. Originally, she had gone to the train station to finally cut herself off from the rest of the world for good, to put the largest distance ever between herself and those schoolmates of hers. It would mean missing the egg hunt the following Sunday, and being separated from Jamie and her mother, but her mind had been made up.

Sophie stuffed the invitation into her pocket, crushing it as she forced it in, before turning and heading out of the station, plans changed.

#

It wasn't really as she had imagined it to be, and it seemed to fit Jamie's description; a house filled with high-schoolers, most involved in activities, that, in Sophie's eyes, were inappropriate. The place reeked of alcohol. No one seemed to notice her as she made her way down the hall, clothed in an old dress she had managed to snag out of her mother's wardrobe. As she reached the living room, several eyes were trained on her and she heard sniggers and whispers, some of which she overheard to be snarky remarks about her presence in that house and her mother's dress. Steeling herself, she scanned the sea of faces for familiar ones. She finally spotted the particular group of people she had been searching for and hurried over to them.

"Oh, Sophie! You came!" Anna, the one who had handed her the invitation, exclaimed, leaping to her feet and beaming at Sophie. "Would you like a drink?" She held a glass of some queer liquid, the smell of which made Sophie feel a little nauseous.

"No, thanks," Sophie rejected the offer, before getting straight to the point. "About what you said in the station..." she trailed off. She wasn't always that socially inept, but at the moment, she was having a conversation with the last person on the planet she ever wanted to hear from. Still, she clung on to the sliver of hope she had of her life returning to normal.

"Oh, yes," Anna smiled. "I do remember you apologizing for that remark you made in some of the replies you sent us. And..." She trailed off, as well, before casting quick glances around. "You know, this isn't the best place to discuss. Let's go upstairs, shall we? It is my house, after all." She said it loud enough and her friends heard, as they scrambled off the couch and began gathering their bags. Sophie eyed them warily.

"Why can't I go up with you alone?" she asked.

Anna smiled again. "Everyone here wants to apologize as well, Sophie," she said, kindly. "Come on. It's gonna get really noisy in here once they turn on the stereo. Not exactly the ideal setting for a reconciliation, don't you think?"

Reconciliation? Sophie hadn't even been friends with them in the first place. Before she could say or do anything else, Anna grabbed her by the arm and led her towards the stairs. "Come on, Sophie, you're wasting precious time." She placed her drink on the table and began to ascend the stairs, still leading Sophie by the arm. The blonde girl made a feeble attempt to free herself as the other girls followed the two of them up the stairs. She was brought to a room she assumed was Anna's bedroom.

"There, that was easy," Anna said, nonchalantly, as she tossed her bag onto the bed, as did the other four girls, before shutting the door. Sophie's heart skipped a beat as she heard the click of the lock. Anna gestured at one of the girls, who immediately slid into place and leaned against the door. Anna turned back to face Sophie, her kind expression gone. Sophie's heart hammered in her chest.

"What do you want?" she asked, her voice cracking slightly. She chided herself for being so naive.

Anna laughed. "You really think we were that forgiving?" she smirked, and so did the other three girls, who were now advancing on Sophie. The latter stumbled backwards, bumping into Anna's dresser.

Sophie's eyebrows furrowed. "But you... seemed sincere..." She realised how stupid that sounded as soon as she said it.

Anna's next laugh sent chills down her spine. She walked up to Sophie and looked her in the eye. "That's called acting," she said, still smirking. "You should try it sometimes."

She turned to her friends as Sophie made a mad dash for the door, but was pushed back against the dresser by one of the girls. Anna's smirk evolved into a scowl. "Do it," she hissed at her mates.

Another OC, sorry. :-/ 'Anna' is just a random name, by the way. And the next chapter will have a different rating. And sorry for the late update, I've been facing a pretty huge dilemma lately...