by D. V. EEDEN
“Here’s your drink,” Blaire says as she passes me a rum and cola.
I take a sip, my face scrunching in disgust. “God this is really strong. You trying to give me alcohol poisoning?” I grimace.
Blaire and Maisie laugh as Blake leans against the metal staircase behind him, not looking like he fits in. He’s wearing navy blue chino shorts, a white Ralph Lauren polo shirt and a navy cardigan tied around his neck. Posh twat.
“And here I thought you weren’t attending?” he purrs, wiggling his eyebrows at me. I ignore the bastard, taking another sip of my rum with a dash of cola, which will hopefully make me forget about this dick.
“Have you seen Miles, Blake?” I ask, pursing my lips at him, but he shrugs his shoulders at me and walks off into the ocean of people.
Okay then.
Blaire grabs my hand, pulling me into the crowd to dance, and we jump around, swaying our hips to ’My Bloody Valentine’ by Machine Gun Kelly which happens to be her favorite song. Maisie has sauntered off somewhere with a guy, unsure if she knows him or not, but she is confident and meets guys all the time.
Once we’ve had our fill of dancing, we need another drink to quench our thirst. I see Royce hanging out by the bar, grabbing himself a drink.
“Hey,” I say, coming up next to him.
As soon as Royce sees me, his eyes go wide in shock, his lips in a perfect ‘O’.
“What are you doing here? I thought you weren’t coming Ade?” he gushes. I stare at him in confusion, thinking he would be excited to see me but instead he’s wearing the expression of surprise, but not in a good way. “You shouldn’t be here Ade,” he continues, grabbing my upper arm, squeezing tightly. I pull my arm away, biting the inside of my cheek before I lose my shit.
I raise my eyebrows at him. “What do you mean, Royce?” I spit. My hand lands on my cocked hip. “Why do you look so surprised that I came to a party everyone asked me to attend?” I say.
Royce scrubs one hand across his face before looking at me again. The sea green of his eyes avoiding mine, he presses his lips together in a flat line, sighing.
“Ade, I know where Miles is. Blake said he’s outside. Come on,” Blaire shouts over the loud, banging music. She grabs my hand to escort me outside, but Royce grabs the other, and I feel as though I’m in a game of tug and war.
“Ade, do not go outside… please,” Royce pleads.
Do I listen to Royce? Or do I not? Eventually, I decide to follow Blaire outside into a large courtyard, surrounded by large brick walls. A huge makeshift bonfire sits in the middle, surrounded by different bodies, and faces of people I finally recognize to be from the academy. On the far side of the bonfire, I catch a glimpse of the Royals, seated in a makeshift seating area. The chairs and tables are made by wooden crates, but I don’t see Miles anywhere.
“Nice of you to attend, Africa,” Blake says, standing up from where he was sitting. The whole courtyard goes silent, turning around to look at me. Hugo and Charles stand up from their seats, walking behind Blake as he walks closer to me.
“Blake, what’s going on?” Blaire asks, concern in her voice.
I knew coming here was a bad idea, so why didn’t I just listen to my fucking gut?
Grimacing, I swallow the lump in my throat, lifting my chin up in defiance. Fuck them. I am not retaliating for whatever they have planned. My ears pick up on giggling from the three bitches who were sitting with the Royals, and I shake my head, looking down at the ground before I bring my gaze up to them. Blake’s standing in front of me, Charles is on his left and Hugo on the right.
Clearly this is an academy event, otherwise Hugo would be the one in charge.
“Africaaa” Hugo drags out, purring my name as he steps forward, Blake taking the hint and stepping back. Oh, shit. I’ve definitely underestimated the whole who’s in charge thing now. Blaire looks at me in confusion, clearly unaware of the real hierarchy between these cunts.
“Blake?” Blaire pleads. I turn my head around, noticing Royce is behind me, shaking his head before looking down at the ground. I look around at the familiar faces but then Zach comes through, parting the audience. He’s out of breath, standing next to Royce as he stares at us in surprise.
Oh, so he’s in on it too. Maybe all this time he was pretending to be my friend, the fucking prick. I knew I shouldn’t trust him, especially if he knows my actual secret.
Has he told them?
Hugo tuts, shaking his head. “I did warn you that you were due a punishment, and now look. You turned up on time…” Hugo drawls, his hard face staring at me with venom in those dark eyes. He’s clenching his jaw, the muscles in his neck pulsing. I notice the tight black shirt and black ripped jeans he’s wearing, looking devilishly handsome as always.
Charles is wearing jeans and a white shirt, the sleeves rolled back to his elbows. Both him and Blake have sinister grins on their faces, and Blake stands with his arms behind his back, clearly hiding something.
Hugo looks over his shoulder to Blake, signaling for him to hand something over.
“I thought we could go down…. Memory lane? How does that sound?”
I shake my head, my breath picking up speed as I now have an idea what Hugo holds in those large, tattooed hands. “How…did you…?” I mumble, unable to get my words out.
Hugo grins, chuckling under his breath as he brings my photo album in front of him, opening the pages. I find Miles coming out from behind the Royals, wearing a nonchalant expression as he walks towards them. “Miles? What’s going on...?” I ask, staring at my supposed boyfriend joining the Royal dicks.
“You should really dump him Africa. I mean, he is a complete dick,” Hugo says, giving a derisive laugh as he takes a step back. Blake steps forward, taking the photo album from Hugo.
“He is the one you have to thank for tonight, Miles here is the one who pretended to like you, even date you just so he can get your dirty little secrets and tell us. The last task he was set, was to just dump you in front of everyone and express his hatred for you, but then… he brought us this lovely photo album and came up with a whole new plan,” Blake says, his lips curling even wider into a mischievous grin.
Shifting on my feet, uncomfortable with this situation, tears start forming as my body begins to shake. “Miles, why are you doing this?” I stutter, staring at the man who I thought was angel, my comfort zone, the guy who helped me during my lowest points. But then it began to make sense. Recently, he’s been so distant, not caring when I was in hospital, beaten black and blue by his sister.
He shrugs, smirking. “It was the only way to become one of them…”
I scoff. “What, a stupid Darlington Knight?” My eyes narrow at him. The crowd gasps at the fact that I just mentioned them, by name. Miles nods his head at me before taking a step back, joining Constance, who snakes her arms around his shoulders, licking the outer shell of his ear.
That’s fucking gross.
“Blake I swear to god, I will never speak to you again if you do this…” Blaire shouts, running towards Blake but there’s always someone around to grab her out of the way, and this time it’s Zach. My chest tightens, my throat closing up, and I’m unable to breath. Blake takes out a photo, showing me the one of me and my mum hugging each other on the beach, but then he throws it into the fire. A scream escapes my lips, shouting for them to stop, but Blake carries on.
“Why?!” I cry out, trying to run to Blake to stop him, but my heel catches in a crack in the tar, sending me to the floor. My knees hit the rough ground, grazing my skin. The palms of my hands cut from the sharp stones as I try to break my fall. The tears are streaming down my cheeks, hitting the ground as I plead. The sound around me muffles, my senses all lost as I watch Blake burn photo after photo, the only thing I have left from my mum. The only thing to remember her by.
“Stop, please stop… What have I done to deserve this?!” I scream, my throat closing up as I beg on my bleeding knees. The Royals all laugh, the flames dancing aro
und their dark faces, once again appearing as if they have just emerged from hell. The true demons that they are, are visible now, showing their true identity, away from the masks that they wear.
“Africa, we warned you. And this is the price,” Blake hisses through his teeth, throwing the whole album into the fire. I crawl forward towards the burning wood, watching my life burn away. The pages disintegrate as I watch through the flames. The album turns into ash.
It’s as if I’m watching her being cremated once again. I bang my clenched fists against the tar, cutting my skin further, not caring that I have an audience to see me break down.
And here I thought they couldn’t do worse when they accused me of murdering my mother. But here they stand, the three fucking cunts actively murdering my mum’s memory. Making me break down and crumble in front of everyone.
They have won.
I’m officially beaten, bruised, and now broken.
I’m cowering on the ground until the audience submerge back into the warehouse, leaving me alone. As soon as Blaire has been released by Zach, she runs over, grabbing me into her arms. My chest hyperventilates, my heart is beating so fast I can’t even get a breath of fresh air into my lungs.
Zach joins Blaire, trying to speak to me but I can’t hear anything. My focus is on the fire, watching the ash float around in the air. I get up on my own, the blood dripping down my knees from the deep cuts. I can’t feel the pain. My feet take off, running through the warehouse and out again to where the Uber dropped us off. I quickly order an Uber which arrives in a matter of minutes and takes me back to the academy.
I storm through into my dorm, wiping the tears away from my cheeks. My body is shaking from the trauma caused, but I know how to stop the pain. I go to my side table, pulling out all my pills. My anti-depressants, pain killers and whatever else I can find. Stumbling into the bathroom, I fill a glass of water and down all the pills. This should stop the pain, and hopefully I can join my mum wherever she is. I stare at myself in the mirror, my face cherry red, my cheeks stained by my mascara and my red lipstick smudged all over.
I look like pure shit.
It’s not long until I feel my body shut down, the numb feeling creeping through my veins. I fall to the ground, my knees hitting the ground again, but this time I don’t feel a thing. As my eyes threaten to close, I hear shouting from the bedroom. Blaire comes storming into the bathroom and I hear another familiar voice, Royce.
“Call an ambulance! She’s taken an overdose!” Blaire shouts.
That’s the last thing I hear before my body shuts down on me.
* * *
“Ade.”
“Ade?”
My eyes begin to open to the voice calling my name. My vision is all blurry as I awake, but it begins to focus, and I see Blaire standing over me. I try to speak but my throat and mouth is so dry, like the Sahara dessert. I need water.
I’ve only just woken up, but I feel exhausted, my body aching, screaming at me to move. I scan my eyes around, noticing that I’m back in a blue room, with the paintings of the ocean and farmland. I’m in the hospital. I try and use both my arms to push me up to sit, but my arms give way, clearly too weak.
Blaire notices and assists in lifting me up, adjusting my bed so that the head is upright. “What happened?” I ask, my voice coming out raspy.
“Ade, you had an overdose on all your pills. Royce and I got to you just in time.”
Tears form in her eyes as Blaire explains.
“How long was I out for?” I ask her, grabbing my glass of water on the little table beside me. I take a sip as she contemplates telling me, awkwardly playing with her fingers.
She sighs. “Two weeks.”
I nod, accepting the fact of what happened. Blaire tries to keep the details minimal, but the memories have flooded back already, my emotions experiencing it all again.
The nurse comes to check all my vitals.
“You are incredibly lucky, Miss Adams. If your friends didn’t find you in time, you may have died. You took an excessive number of tablets and your body began to shut down,” the nurse explains, her wide eyes staring directly into mine. “What you did was profoundly serious. I hope you understand that.”
All I do is nod, agreeing with her.
No shit, I didn’t do it for fun.
“A gentleman called Steve will be collecting you Miss Adams, as your father requested. It was agreed that the rest of your recovery will be at home where a nurse will be on hand twenty four seven just in case,” the nurse adds and I hum in response, agreeing with her. I’m pleased that I will be able to go home rather than stay in a hospital. My nerves jitter again, frightened of what my father will say when I get home. Blaire helps me out of bed and to get changed into normal clothes, an IV still attached to my arm. I find myself in a mirror, and my skin is an ashy colour, my lips so chapped from being out cold for two weeks. My eyes are red raw still, as if I have only just stopped crying. I look like a ghoul, dead but still walking the earth.
That’s how I feel too. My soul has left the vessel.
Before I know it, Steve has arrived, waiting for me outside as Blaire pushes me in a wheelchair to the car. She gives me a big hug, still crying since I opened my eyes, and then she helps me slide into the car. Steve packs my bags into the boot then climbs back in the car himself. We don’t acknowledge each other the whole route, I stay quiet and just watch the outside world, the beautiful green farmlands, and woodlands. My eyes threaten to close again but I’m enjoying the view too much, so I force myself to stay awake.
As soon as I get home, I’m asking father to transfer me to a normal university, not this stupid academy for the elite shit. I’m done with it and this life. We pull into the driveway, no other cars present, which means father isn’t home yet. Mrs. Blossom is standing at the bottom of the marble stairs, waiting for the car to come to a halt.
“Oh, my dear Adelaide, let’s get you to your bed and I’ll bring you some hot chocolate,” she says as soon as her eyes land on my fragile form. She pulls me out of the car, letting me lean on her as we go through the house. Climbing the stairs, we head into my bedroom. She helps me get into the bath, washing my skin as I’m too weak. I honestly don’t care if she sees me naked right now. I need a bath.
Once I’m in my pjs and tucked into bed, Mrs. Blossom brings up a hot chocolate for me to drink before I can nod off to sleep. I turn on my television, not wanting to fall asleep straight away as it’s still the middle of the afternoon. I indulge myself in a few films and Mrs. Blossom brings me up some fruit to snack on.
My phone pings a few times, texts coming in from Blaire, Royce, and Zach.
Fucking Zach, the traitorous bastard, checking up on me. I read the texts, and he apologizes for what happened. Apparently, he had no clue what was going to happen, but he will explain everything to me when I feel better. Yeah right. He still owes me an explanation about the Darlington Knights, which he promised on the night of the cocktail party. I don’t trust him anymore; the attraction has completely vanished.
I hate them all, and I want them to pay.
I still don’t know how I didn’t see this all coming. I trusted Miles with my past, my life and my love and he crushed it all in the palm of his hands to be part of some stupid legacy or tradition. Fuck them.
I wake up in the middle of the night, sweating through my satin pajamas from a bad dream. The tears roll down my face, my pillow soaked. I wipe them away as I try to stand up to go to the bathroom. My legs shake, but I seem to get the hang of it quickly, as long as I find objects along the way to balance myself.
Peeling off the soaked dress, I slip on another to make my way downstairs and make another hot chocolate. I need it. I don’t bother putting on a dressing gown or slippers, my skin is too hot for the extra layers. I use the polished wooden handrail to steady myself on the steps, taking it one at a time. I saunter towards the kitchen, switching on the lights. It must be late. I look at the time to see it’s two in the morni
ng. Great.
Switching on the automatic machine, I insert a hot chocolate pod, waiting for the green light before I can pour it out. I stand there watching the machine until I hear a roar of laughter coming from another room. My father must be back, and he’s not alone, the sounds of other voices ring in my ears the closer I get to his study.
My chest tightens, nervous from confronting my father, explaining to him what happened. I’m certain that he isn’t on his own right now, but I don’t give a shit anymore. My own parent should care about their daughter, protect them with all their life and worth.
Knocking on the door, I receive no answer. I still hear the faint noises of laughter, so I try again, but once again nothing. Fuck it. I’ll just go in.
I open the heavy wooden door slightly and call out, “Father,” but I don’t think he hears me, so I step in further, noticing the backs of three familiar heads facing my father. He’s sitting at his desk, looking all smug and way too happy for my liking.
My body shakes, nerves taking over me. “Father!” I call out louder, which helps. He stops talking, the room going silent and he stares me down with a smirk on his face. He takes a sip of his whiskey before pulling a drag of his cigar.
The three heads turn around to find me standing in the doorway.
Hugo, Blake, and Charles face me, their eyes wide and their mouths open in shock.
“Father, what’s going on?” My hands clench at my sides, my chest heaving in shock and fear. The image of them laughing as my life was burned away in the fire is still before my eyes. Tears prickle behind my aching eyeballs and my body trembles so much I have to hold onto the door to steady myself. I can’t fall again, not in front of them.
“Father?!” all three of the boys say in unison, staring at me blankly, like they’ve seen a ghost. Well bitches, this ghost is going to haunt you forever.
My father’s face wrinkles up as his mouth curls into a maniacal grin, leaning back into his leather upholstered chair.
“That’s right, I am Adelaide’s father.”