YEARS

just gotten past the gate area when her phone d

ned the phone to her pocket. Her formerly long hair was cut

he scrunched up her face when she saw the fa

've got to b

ma'am" he wa

told you to call me by my n

hut the door wh

mo? Isn't thi

He probably wanted to g

ook he

he looked out the window, wat

te" she

did yo

just focus on d

but from an unknown number. It had only two sen

OME B

ack. Amy, Robert, her father and her step-brother. If her

but why did she not message with her num

distracted her

eted her and stopped walking when

she said hal

e back.

oment her mother died, this place wasn't home to her anymore. She met Kevin, her step-brother, on the way and they utterly ignored each other. It had always been like this, even before she went to college. Th

after his paren

er step-mother on the grounds of adultery. The news made the headlines, and

ed her eyes and breathed in d

an. She took a minute staring at the bed tryin

and instructed her to ha

it was time for dinner. Cressida would rather not have dinner wi

tes later, informing her that h

dining table when she got there. K

rnly. She sat down silently and they started eating. She found it

ed a messa

ave some f

t but right now, she loved anything

ur

her room to

aid, not intending to

d another t

side you

see her. She heard a car horn and

car door and

m h

de her way

back. I m

er face realizing too late she was wearing lips

t" Any looked into the mirror.

end was worried about her lipsti

oe eyes and an oval face. Her brown eyes match the color of her hair. She was

until her father had a breakthrough in his business an

n did you

od

a stare

u were going to agree to come out wi

I just want to ge

et used to it.

rtment, hopefully s

bar. Amy ordered

of Aunt Ro

zy? It's 100

bered something. "Did you send this message?" She showed Amy the messa

ut hearing her confirm it, the sens

ived, scrunching up her face as

edly. "Are you sure

el her head spinning

was another message f

ATCHIN

round her to see if anyone was suspicious but no one se

Is someth

r a while

N

er shot, then an

bartender. "Wher

d her th

with you" A

ll be right ba

ith his legs crossed, a glass of vodka in h

out. No one dared to

he was obviously drunk. She made a turn, and he caught a gl

as her. Her hair wa

n black follow her. So

e. He didn't bother to follow them and w

eave and was almost hit by a six-inch heel. Luckily,

n't it? The c

but she was sloppy becau

She didn't change at all except that she loo

hat he didn't realize she was tar

him in the groin. He groaned

ran, falling about ten time

I went to the restro

get out

was planning on anyway. She struggled to return to the bar consid

female patrons helped

hed. This wasn't the outing she had e

d drove away, having no ide