Perfect Scars

1. The Cole family

Violet

Walking down the road, I watched the sun as it fell behind the horizon, painting the sky shades of red and pink. Hugging my sweater tightly, I continued relishing in the cool breeze of winter. A sigh escaped my lips as I reached Mr. Cole's mansion.

The mansion looked like a cut out from Architecture Today magazine. As the guard noticed me, he recognized me immediately and led me inside. A loud bang reached my ears. Following the source of the noise, I ended up in their living room where Mrs. Cole and her elder daughter Anna Cole were screaming at each other.

"I am going to that party. And you can't stop me," Anna growled loudly and walked past me, without casting me a glance.

"I am your mother. I have every right to stop you." Mrs. Cole ran behind her daughter, casting an apologetic glance at me.

A few minutes had already passed when she returned, exhaustion clear from her face. I poured a glass of water and handed it to her as she slouched down on the couch.

"I don't know what to do with her. Her father and I, we both have our night shifts and with her leaving for a late-night party, how are we supposed to focus on our work?" she murmured in a low tone.

"Don't worry ma'am. I'll inform you whenever she returns. You can relax your mind," I said, consoling her.

"You are such a nice girl, Violet. Your mother is very lucky to have a daughter like you." She gave me a smile which I returned.

"Okay, the driver is here. I should leave. I have put two chicken sandwiches and some salad in the fridge. Ariel will return from Grace's house soon. After you both are done eating, help her with finishing her homework. And she has school tomorrow. Don't let her stay awake till late at night," she instructed me while walking out.

Charlotte Cole and her husband Brent Cole were two of the most famous neurosurgeons in our town. With their exhausting jobs and two daughters, life was not easy for them. Especially when their elder daughter Anna had been acting like a spoiled brat since she started college.

Their younger daughter Ariel was the polar opposite of her, kind and compassionate even at her young age of six. So, when Mrs. Cole asked me to babysit her a few months ago, I could not reject her. Besides, she was offering me a nice amount of money for this job, which I could use to pay my college dues. I would never ask for my mother's help in these financial matters as she was too busy planning her fifth marriage with a rich lawyer.

After she left, I switched the TV on. Half an hour had passed when the doorbell rang. As I opened the mansion door, little Ariel came running into my arms. She was one of the cutest kids I had ever seen, with her red hair tied in a ponytail and her big, blue eyes always filled with mischief.

"I missed you Vi," she said in her cute voice.

"I missed you too, pumpkin," I replied, engulfing her in a big hug.

***

"I hate maths. It is so difficult," she complained while solving the multiplication question.

"Why Ariel, look this question is so easy. Just imagine you have four chocolates and Grace and Karen also have four chocolates. Now, three of you have four chocolates each. Tell me, how many chocolates are there altogether?" I tried my best to explain to her.

"Twelve," she replied after much contemplation.

"Right. So, three times four equals twelve."

"Yay, my answer is right," she exclaimed loudly.

"Ssshhh, we still have six more questions to solve," I told her.

***

It was almost 9 pm. After helping her finish her homework, I made her bed. As she returned from the bathroom, changed into her pink fur pajamas, I told her to lie down. Switching off the lights, I leaned down beside her. She was a fast sleeper, so after a few minutes, soft snores started coming from her.

Pulling out my mobile phone from my handbag, I opened my text-book that I had downloaded online and started reading it. I was studying Business Management at a local college. I actually wanted to go to Yale, even got accepted. But I didn't have money to pay my dues. And my mother simply rejected me when I asked for her help, saying she didn't want to burden her fiance .

I was completely engrossed in studies when a loud noise from outside pulled me out of my trance. I got up and slowly walked towards the glass window and looked outside. A gasp escaped my lips as I watched the security guard lying unconscious on the ground in front of the main gate.

A small squeal left my mouth as the door of Ariel's bedroom thumped loudly.

"Open the door," a heavy voice sounded from outside. My hands started shaking profusely and I could feel sweat droplets on my forehead.

"Who is it, Vi?" Ariel asked groggily, rubbing her eyes.

Running towards her, I carried her in my arms and led her towards the attached bathroom.

"Honey, we are playing a game. It's a new kind of Hide and Seek. You have to hide in the bathroom and you can only come out if your mother or I call you," I told her, fear dripping from my voice.

Leaving her in there, I walked out of the bathroom and secured it with an emergency lock Mrs. Cole had given me. She had a copy of this key with her. Holding my phone with trembling hands, I dialed 911 and then sent a voice mail to Mrs. Cole's number.

The banging continued. It looked like whoever was on the other side of the door was trying to break it. Sending a voice mail to her number, I slid beneath Ariel's bed.

The door slammed open and two pairs of feet entered the room. I could not see their faces as I was under the bed.

"I know someone was in here. Come out or I will search myself girl," a masculine voice spoke and I clamped my hand over my mouth to stop myself from screaming.

"Let's check this door," the other man said.

They started walking towards the bathroom door. Ariel's innocent face flashed in front of my eyes. Without thinking further, I crawled out. As their eyes landed on me, their faces contorted in a sick smile. Both of them were tall and huge, almost in their forties. One of them had a scar running down his cheek to his neck. The other one had two silver piercings, one on the side of his right eye and the other on his upper lip. A shiver ran down my spine as they started moving towards me.

"She is the one boss told us about," the one with the piercings said.

"I guess boss wants to make her his whore," the other one said and my eyes widened like saucers.

As they were busy looking at me, I pulled the emergency knife from my back pocket without showing them any sign.

When they reached me, I lunged the knife towards them but my attempt failed as the one with the scar gripped my hand forcefully and pulled the knife out of my hand. And the other's fist landed right on my cheek with full power and my vision turned blurry, the darkness enveloping me soon after.

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