Running Away

Chapter 5

Olivia brushed her hair, she looked at her face in the mirror trying to recall how much she had changed on the past years. She dropped the brush and pulled her night dress. She pressed her lips together and then she stood up and went into the bathroom. She opened the cabinet and reached for a bottle of pills. She dropped two pills in her hand and tightened close the bottle. She threw the pills into her mouth and swallowed.
She went back into the room and got out her diary, she wrote for some minutes before Ryan entered into the room yawning. She closed the diary and looked at him.
"You look so tired. You should go to bed."
"Indeed. I have work tomorrow, and I need to finish working on those report for the law firm." He said going to the bed. He pulled out the bedspread and went under it with his head peeping out.
"I thought you were done with it?" Olivia asked with a shrug. She picked up the glass of water she had kept on the dressing table earlier and gulped it all down.
"No. No. I think I'd wake up by midnight to finish up. It's due tomorrow."
"You should set your alarm clock then."
"I did already. Won't you sleep?" He asked rolling over.
"Not yet. I have to send a quota to my manager's email. She needs it's for a board meeting tomorrow." Olivia said.
"Your manager also called me to check on you. She said you took leave for two weeks and you've barely been at home."
Olivia thought of a lie to tell, something to cover up the loop hole. "Yes."  She shrugged. "There is therapy I've been going to."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I wanted to surprise you." The lie came again. She fondled the pen in her hand as though she wanted to break it in two.
"Surprise me for what? Olivia I hate when you make decisions on your own knowing it affects us both." He said looking at her.
"Am sorry. I really am." She sighed.
"How is the therapy going?" Ryan asked.
"Well. I just hope it works out good." She said feigning a smile.
"It will. I'd sleep now."
"Goodnight my darling. Sleep well." She said watching him close his eyes.
If Ryan ever find out the truth, she'd definitely have a way to calm him down. But it won't be long, she believed. She'd tell him everything, the question that dropped in her head was 'How long? How long before the whole truth comes out?'

Aria moved the books on the table and looked at the woman in front of her.
"I'm done arranging the books. Can I go home now?" Aria asked. The short woman looked up at her.
"Yes thank you. But you can go home as soon as you finish cleaning up the tables and chairs. There's a rag in the cupboard." The woman pointed.
Aria scoffed and cursed under her breath. "But I've spent three hours already!"
"You are lucky you didn't get to clean the cafeteria like your sister, because she is still there looking like an ingrate."
"Where is the cupboard?" Aria asked.
"How many cupboard is in this classroom?" The woman asked looking back at her note which was in front of her.
Aria walked to the cupboard, she got out the rag and started cleaning the chairs and the tables. When she was done she washed the rag and hung it near the window. She bade the woman good bye and left the classroom in a hurry.
She walked past the cafeteria, she heard someone moaning and grunting angrily. She moved closer and peered in. Sasha was on her knees scrubbing hard on the ground. Strands of her hair fell over her face and she looked so tired. Aria went into the cafeteria, she looked around for a broom. When she saw one she aided in the cleaning with Sasha looking at her from the corner of her eyes.
When they were done, Sasha left for home, Aria walked through the hallways to her locker to get out a few books.
Her back ached, she wondered why Sasha couldn't even say a common thank-you to her. She opened her locker and something fell out. It was a piece of paper, Aria bent and picked it up.
She opened the paper, it was a note.
       I'm watching you. Someone is coming to StoneFields.
Aria tried to understand what the note meant. Maybe it was a prank note or something like that, she shoved it into her pocket and got out her books. She pushed them into her bag and stared for the exit.

"Someone kept this in my locker." Aria said giving her friends the note as they headed home. Mabel took it.
"Horror!" She said passing it to Brittany.
"Someone is stalking you." Brittany said. "Maybe that boy of yours."
"You mean Connor?"
"Mhm." Brittany said with a nod.
"No. Connor won't do that." Aria replied looking ahead of them.
"Then who would put in a note as that?" Brittany asked.
"We are taking this too far. It might be some prankster, someone who want to have fun." Mabel said.
"Maybe its Sasha, or her clique of zombies."
"Maybe, but Mabel is right. We shouldn't take this too far."
"Someone is watching you, Aria!" Brittany shouted.
"Let them keep watching." Aria murmured. She tucked her hair behind her ear and looked at her wrist watch.
"When are we going shopping. Kilton's ball is on Friday night and I have nothing to wear."
"Wear a zoo." Brittany said with a stiff face.
"Maybe on Thursday. We could ditch school." Mabel said raising her left hand up.
"I am on detention and this is my last week on it." Aria replied throwing her a glance.
"How do you get your outfit then?"
"I'd take my measurements, you girls would get me one. We'd have a sleep over at Britt's on Thursday night." Aria suggested.
"That means we'd be at Britt's house until Kilton's ball?" Mabel said.
Aria nodded. Mabel smiled.
"Don't get your hopes up Mabel, my mum would definitely put a padlock on the fridge if she knows you are coming for a sleep over."
Aria laughed. "A big one."
They all laughed.
"So I helped Sasha clean the cafeteria today." Aria said kicking an empty soda can.
"Why?"
"Connor said I should try and be good to her."
"Did she thank you?" Mabel asked.
Before Aria could reply, Brittany supplied the answer. "The demon inside of her won't let her."
"Exactly." Aria nodded. "Connor wants me to ostracise it."
"What? The demon?" Mabel asked.
"Yes." Aria replied looking at her.
"Good luck with that." Brittany said. "It's no use helping someone who doesn't want to be helped."
"Maybe she kept that note." Mabel started.
"Oh please. Her handwriting can't be so beautiful and calligraphic as the one on that paper." Brittany mocked. "I doubt she could even spell StoneFields."
"That's absurd." Aria said bursting into a laugh.