Things had gotten so bad at home that one day she had stowed away in the local Catholic priest's car. Father Michael had been on his way to Kingston, and when he found her, he had taken her to an orphanage in downtown Kingston that was run by nuns. She had been missing for two weeks before the nuns realized that the Arnella Bancroft being featured on television and Nella Parks, the name she had given them, were one and the same person. She hadn't wanted to leave the orphanage. Three square meals a day without the drunken attacks from her mother had been heaven.
Incidentally, that had been the turning point in her mother's addiction. Her Uncle Ryan had stepped in and gotten her into rehab. By then, Arnella was as hard as a turtle’s shell. She had become cynical and bitter, believing that nothing good ever happened to her without a crushing bad following.
She bit her lip when flashbacks of her most recent incident with the guys resurfaced in her mind. She needed to confront them about it. Why had they done that to her? She got up from the overstuffed chair and started pacing again. She had thought that those memories of them violating her would eventually go away, just like her other bad experiences, but they always seemed to resurface. She kept remembering the afternoon with a hazy cloud surrounding it. She couldn't recall specifics, and the not knowing spooked her even more.
Her first recall was David panting on top of her. Then there was Jeff assaulting her orally, and Cory… She couldn't remember what he did. She only recalled his grinning face operating a camera or had he been standing in the light?
She should report it, but a part of her was reluctant. She hated when people disbelieved her—she hated that with a passion. Who would believe her anyway? Even Alric thought that she had gone off with them, and Tracy thought she was hallucinating, and from her fuzzy recall of the events, she hadn't been exactly comatosed in her reactions.
She ran her fingers through her hair and pulled it slightly.
"Hey, Nella."
"Hey, Micah." She gulped in a deep breath. This thing was haunting her. She injected some enthusiasm into her voice.
When she looked up, Micah was standing in the doorway with Taj, her other cousin. In her head, she called him Uncle Ryan's indiscretion. When she had heard the story, she had found it funny. Uncle Ryan was always pretending that he was above reproach. Taj was proof positive that he was not.
"Hi," Taj said to her. He came further into the room. "Micah said you needed easels."
"Oh," Arnella hit her forehead, "I just mentioned it in passing to Charlene. I have a whole lot of space down in the basement that I could put easels. What are you guys here for?"
Taj looked at Micah. "To help you move in. Micah said we should be building easels for you. I am itching to get my hands dirty."
"That's right." Arnella nodded. "You are a psychiatrist. Not much dirtiness with that job. Well, I could do with six easels. It's pretty simple to do." She got up. "Want me to show you guys what I want?"
They followed her down a shallow flight of stairs into the vast the basement. She had thrown white sheets on most of her paintings except one: the seascape with the driftwood.
"That's lovely," Taj said, going closer to it. "You are talented; granted, I am no art appraiser, but this looks really good."
"It's not done," Arnella said shyly.
Taj moved away from the art and examined it, rubbing his chin. "The piece has a quality of loneliness, even despair to it…quite moving."
Arnella gasped; how on earth did he discern that from the piece? Those were her emotions most of the time. Taj looked at her while Micah went toward the easels, examining them and making grunting noises. "You can come see me," Taj said softly. "My services are free for students, even more so for cousins who I know nothing much about."
Arnella swallowed. She wanted to laugh off his offer, but her voice sounded hoarse, and weak instead of mocking and detached. "I don't need a psychiatrist."
"No, you don't," Taj said, nodding, "but I sense that you need to talk. It's my job to listen."
"I talk through my art," Arnella said. "That's my therapy."
After Arnella showed them out, and she and Charlene were left chitchatting in the living room. She remembered Taj's offer and tried to bury it. She didn't need a psychiatrist, whether they were free or family; she was fine. It took her the best part of the night repeating that mantra before she finally accepted it.
*****
Tracy called Arnella on a whim. She hadn't heard from her since her father had given her that upbraiding at the house. She wanted Arnella to know that she was moving into her new place at Blue Palm Apartments and that she was going to start classes tomorrow. She hoped the news would somehow affect Arnella, maybe make her jealous.
The truth is, she had listened to her fathers rant on Arnella and had loved every word. She had only pretended to be on the phone, but she really wanted Arnella to suffer a little because nothing ever really affected her. She had watched and waited for Arnella to break down, especially when her father had called her trash, but Arnella had calmly kept on eating while the words rolled off her easily.
What would it take for Arnella to feel something? There had to be something that mattered to her. She needed to be taken down a peg or two. Surely, she was not immune to the lesser emotions of humanity like fear, sorrow, and confusion. Arnella had always been invincible against hard knocks. The girl was solid as a rock. She shrugged through tragedy and laughed through pain. It had always been a source of envy for Tracy, who thought at the back of her mind that Arnella was a robot.
Nothing touched her in high school. Tracy used to study her and tried to act like her because the more nonchalant Arnella behaved the more people flocked to her. Tracy had had to work for every single friendship she had, not so for Arnella. During high school, some girls had once teased her that she had all the money and Arnella had all the looks and personality.
Tracy had always remembered that, and resented it. She had a love/hate relationship with Arnella. She had deliberately invited Arnella to the party so that she could see that she had many other friends, most of whom were more mature friends and university students.
She had wanted to highlight the differences between them and watch while Arnella displayed some type of jealousy, but she didn't. She had acted the way she had always acted. To make matters works, even weeks after the party, some of her mature university friends were still asking about Arnella.
That was the reason she liked Alric Peterson so much: he disliked Arnella. At first, she had dragged Arnella to meet him at the university church just to test to see if he would like her. She gave all men, the 'Arnella test' before she dated them. If they liked Arnella, that was it. She would lose all interest in them, but when she had introduced Alric to Arnella, he had looked shocked and dismayed.
That had been a good sign. Arnella was in a maroon red dress that fit her beautifully; even a jealous Tracy could see that. However, Alric had told her, quietly, that he already knew Arnella and asked if she was sure she wanted Arnella for a friend. No, she didn't want her for a friend. Tracy had thought gleefully but she served her purposes. The question had been music to her ears. Usually when she introduced any boy to Arnella, they seemed more interested in Arnella. Conversations usually descended into an Arnella lovefest.
Arnella was fun and unconventional. Arnella was witty and daring. Arnella needed to be cut down a size or two, Tracy thought resentfully, but how do you hurt a dog that was already down and was not even whimpering?
Well, she could always brag a little and throw in some concern for her well-being while she highlighted how great her life was turning out. With that in mind, she dialed Arnella's number, picturing her in that dingy old house where she lived, having nothing to do and having no company except her rusty old car, and her little paintings which were not that good in her opinion.
"Hey, Nella," she said sweetly when Arnella answered the phone. "I haven't heard from you for all of three weeks. What have you been doing with yourself?"
"Hey, Tracy," Arnella sounded happy. Tracy sat up straighter in her settee and pressed the phone closer to her ear. Why was she so happy?
"How's it going?" Tracy asked, willing her voice to have an even tone.
"Well," Arnella said slowly, "I am at Mount Faith. My uncle convinced me to stick around, and I am going to be doing two years of school: an associate degree in General Studies. Can you believe it? Tomorrow I have, of all things, Biology and then Bio lab, and Music Appreciation. I appreciate music; why do I need that class? I tell you."
Tracy felt her skin grow hotter and hotter in anger. Who was Arnella's uncle? She didn't know Arnella had an uncle.
"You are up here? Great. I was calling you to tell you that I had settled into my new apartment, and that I was gearing up for my second year of pre-law."
"Good for you. All the best in your school year," Arnella said.
"So where are you staying?" Tracy asked. She couldn't believe that Arnella was actually in university. Who was paying her fees? Mount Faith was one of the most expensive universities in the country. She had had doubts that Arnella was even related to the Bancrofts at Mount Faith. Now she was not so sure.
Arnella was going to be the center of attention soon, she could bet. Why did her father have to give her that speech about college? She had enjoyed being the friend who was going to college. She had enjoyed rubbing it in. She had liked the idea of Arnella being the underdog and she being the benevolent friend. With Arnella coming to the school, that would change in a moment.
"I am staying in a house called Buena Vista," Arnella laughed. "I have never in my life stayed in a place that had its own name. It's gorgeous up here."
"Where is that?" Tracy felt a tight hand squeeze her chest in jealousy.
"In the hills. Not too far from school," Arnella said breezily. "Tell you what, I'll invite you to lunch. I'll cook. Charlene's been teaching me to do a few basic dishes."
Who is Charlene? Tracy asked in her head, but she didn't want to ask out loud. All the wind was officially taken out of her sail. "Okay, sounds fun," she answered Arnella, and then in a completely fake happy voice asked, "Wouldn't it be great if we had classes together. I mean, if you are doing general studies, we are bound to meet up sometime."
"It would be okay," Arnella said, her voice becoming lackluster, "I am not getting excited about any of these classes. Got to go, Charlene is calling me."
Who is Charlene? Tracy asked to the dead phone. She flung it down on the floor. So, Arnella was already up here and making friends? She wondered how close Arnella was to the Bancroft's up here. She had always referred to them as her rich relatives, but somehow, she had always thought she meant it in a vague way.
She gritted her teeth and looked in the mirror. She had a definite muffin top in her jeans. She had indulged a little bit too much over the summer. She was ordinary looking, she bemoaned. If only she weren't, then she wouldn't envy Arnella so much. As they grew older, that was one of the reasons she had stopped being close to Arnella. The girl showed her up.
Tracy looked at her profile in the mirror. She had long, almost waist length hair, which was thick like a rope. Her skin was light brown; her eyes were pale brown; her nose was a little puggish, and her mouth a bit wide. When you put her features together she was not pretty; she was fairly ordinary in her eyes. She didn't pass muster, especially when standing beside the petite Arnella. Drat it, why was Arnella up here? This was her territory.
Chapter Six
Arnella walked into her Biology lab reluctantly. There was a smaller group of students in the lab compared to the larger Biology class. She had opted for the morning lab because she needed to leave the evenings free to do her painting.
The instant she entered the lab she spotted David Hudson, the guy who had drugged her and raped her, sitting without a care in the world. She went to the back of the lab and sat on one of the wooden stools, but her mind would not settle. She drummed her finger on the table.
David looked back at her, waving nervously.
Did he seriously think that I was going to wave back and pretend like everything was splendid? He had a next think coming, the louse. She glanced at her watch. She had ten minutes until class began. She got up and advanced toward him.
David spun around and swallowed nervously when he saw her approaching. "I didn't know you were coming to college, Nella," he said pleasantly.
The girls on both side of him looked at her curiously.
Arnella gritted her teeth. "You pig. You nasty, slimy pig."
"Keep your voice down," David said grinning, but behind the grin was a sense of fear. Arnella could sense the fear, and it made her even angrier. She jumped on him and wrapped her hands around his throat.
David started fighting for breath. "Get her off of me."
Arnella held on to his neck for dear life. She was going to kill him right there in class. She applied more pressure to his neck and dug her fingers even more deeply. She saw his twisting face, his eyes growing larger as he struggled for breath, and she imagined that these same eyes were above her violating her. She squeezed his neck harder.
"Stop it, Arnella!" Alric's voice got through the pain and anger that held her in its grip, and she slowly released David, who was coughing and wheezing. The rest of the class, all fifteen students were standing around looking on in varying degrees of shock.
"You are crazy," David gasped out, backing away from her as she made to go toward him again.
Alric held her arm and dragged her outside.
"You should have let me kill him," Arnella said, shrugging from his grip. Tears were in her eyes and coursing down her cheeks. She wiped away the tears impatiently. "I would have done it, you know."
"I can't have you doing that," Alric said calmly. He watched as her breathing returned to normal and said wryly, "What did he do to you to make you so angry?"
Arnella shook her head. "I don't want to say."
Alric sighed. "I hate to come between a lover's tiff."
Arnella, who had turned her head from Alric, not wanting him to see her cry, spun around and looked at him viciously. "We are not lovers."
Alric held up his hand. "Okay. Sorry. It just seemed like it. Are you attending the school now?"
"Yes," Arnella said, rubbing her hands together and then stretching them. "I am doing General Studies."
Alric nodded. "Your uncle insisted, huh?"
"Something like that." Arnella inhaled deeply.
"And you are doing biology lab?" Alric asked, looking at her. She was in a deep green long sleeved top that molded to her curves, and black pants with green pinstripes. Ordinary wear, but on her it looked special. He hoped she'd say no to the lab because he was the lab instructor and she was a distraction.
"Yes," Arnella said wearily, "but I can't do lab with him in there. I would probably find some way to poison him or burn him with fire or whatever you science types do with lab equipment and chemicals."
She looked behind Alric and into the classroom. David was still having trouble breathing. The two girls who sat beside him were trying to comfort him.
"Okay," Alric sighed, "I am your lab teacher; I am going to have to ask one of you to leave class if that's the way you feel about him."
Arnella winced. She wasn't going to be in the same class with David, and if she did not go to labs, which was 40% of her overall grade, she would probably fail. "I can't do the lab in the evening; I have work to do."
Alric frowned and looked from her to David. "Okay then, I'll ask him to leave."
Arnella nodded. "Thanks Alric. I thought I would be the one you kicked out."
"Don't mention it. Welcome to Mount Faith by the way, and I am not sure that I would ever kick you out."
He went inside and spoke to David. He nodded and got up. He walked through the classroom door slowly and glanced at Arnella, who was standing at the door. He cautiously pushed the door and came through, keeping his back close to it and creating as much spare inches between them as he
could manage.
"Look, Arnella," he wheezed as he slowly shuffled along the wall, "I am sorry okay. It was a stupid thing to do, what we did."
"Was there a tape, a video or something?" Arnella hissed, glancing at the class behind her who were trying to hear what was being said.
"We destroyed it," David said. "Honest we did. We realized that it was wrong. You were just lying there like a rag doll passed out cold after a while and we got scared. Cory thought you were dead, and he removed the SD card from the video camera and threw it in a bin."
"Why did you do it?" Arnella asked. "Why me? I thought we were good from high school?"
"We had a little too much to drink and we sort of dared each other." David coughed.
"So you drugged me?" Arnella asked incredulously, "and had sex with me?"
"It was Cory's idea to drug you." David inched passed her. "Blame him. He set up everything."
"You were the one who had sex with me," Arnella said, "the rest didn't. At least I don't remember. You know what I think. I think it was your idea. You stupid cow! I am telling you now…sleep with one eye open, look over your shoulder. I am going to get you."
David actually looked afraid after her vicious reply.
Arnella made to go inside the classroom and then spun around and kicked him in his balls. The last she saw of him was that he was hunched over near the steps. Serves him right, she thought angrily.
After the class, Arnella was slowly packing her books into her bag. The guys in the class had given her a wide berth and the girls were treating her as if she was a leper. It didn't bother her in the least. She was used to people treating her as if she had some kind of disease.
Alric had kept glancing at her during the class, probably waiting for her to explode. He was standing at the front of the class now, glancing through the completed activity papers with one hand in his lab coat. He looked so professional standing there, and it had been a good class, well, the parts she allowed her mind to absorb. He would make a good teacher if he weren't planning to be a doctor.
Sense of Rumor (Mount Faith Series: Book 6) Page 5