Chapter 5 - Am I being paranoid?

I quickly ran towards the cabinet and unlocked the box that had all the needed things while calling Drake. However, he didn't receive the call, which made me freak out even more. "Damn, Mom," I muttered as I took my jacket and stuffed all the items in the hidden pockets. I tried calling Elina, but she didn't answer, which only increased my panic. I know I had decided not to use all these things, but if Mom is going to play dirty, then I will make sure to give her a befitting reply. After all, I am her daughter.

I took my bike keys and didn't waste any more time. I drove towards the diner, and as soon as I reached there, I took a deep breath. The restaurant was still full, as always, and I could see Elina from there. I then drove towards the studio and barged in, but when I saw a very startled Drake, Henry, and their clients, I couldn't help but take a deep breath in relief.

"What happened, kid?" Drake came towards me with worry. "Who bothered you?" He asked me again, while I became even more confused by all this. I couldn't be wrong in their case. I had lived with them all my life, and there was no chance that they would let me go this easily after what I had done. I knew that until today, they didn't know about Mom's whereabouts, which was why they didn't know about me, but if they found Mom, then there was no chance that she didn't tell them about me.

The main question is why they aren't here by now. They clearly knew that I would run away from here as soon as I could, and they are not foolish enough to let me slip away this easily. I knew that they didn't have a single contact in this area, and this area was not safe for them either, but still... The thing that I had with me was worth taking every risk.

I grabbed Drake's hand and dragged him outside of his studio. "Did someone come here asking for me?" I asked him, and instantly, his expression changed from concerned to action mode.

"No. Shall I call the boys?" He asked me without even asking a single question. Drake used to be in some sort of local biker gang when he was young. He had only mended his ways after Elina came into his life. Although he had left all that behind years ago, he still had contacts who were ready to go to great lengths for him. I couldn't drag him into these matters.

"No, I just thought I was in trouble," I admitted. His concerned expression returned.

"Look, if you don't want me to know things, that's alright. But if you're in danger, you have to tell me," I started to interrupt, but he silenced me and shook his head. "I deserve this," he said, and I couldn't argue with that.

I took a deep breath. "I have a troubled past, Drake," I said, searching his face for any reaction. When he didn't react or say anything, I raised my eyebrow towards him.

"What? Do you want me to act shocked?" Well, I was not expecting this, but it made sense. Given the condition they found me in and the way I had to survive back then, my constant doubt of others, it wasn't hard for them to see how messed up my life was. But the truth is, they can't even imagine the level of mess I'm in now.

"I'm afraid that my past is going to trouble me again," I said, and he nodded.

"The past never leaves us, kid. It's a part of our lives that stays with us until the end. But it's up to us how we deal with it," he said. I nodded, and he asked, "What do you need me to do now?" I smiled at him.

"Nothing for now. I'll contact you when I need your help. But you need to be vigilant. I know I should have told you this before you took me with you, but there's a chance that my troubled past could cause trouble for you guys," I said, noticing a troubled expression on his forehead. "Don't worry about it, just be cautious. I won't let any trouble come your way," I reassured him, taking hold of his hand.

"I'm concerned about you too, kid. Before you think about us, you need to think about yourself. We're more than capable of taking care of ourselves. You already know our pasts, and you know what we're capable of," he stated, smirking, and I couldn't help but smile.

"Way to boost your ego, old man," I teased, and he chuckled.

"In my age, compliments become rare," he said, and I chuckled too.

"Yeah, yeah, Superman. I believe in the compliment you gave yourself. Now go, your customers are waiting for you," I said, and he nodded, but didn't go inside. "What is it, Drake?" I asked him, and he huffed.

"Did Henry ask you out?" he asked, and I narrowed my eyes at him. "No need to look like that. I told Elina to talk to you about it, but it seems like she didn't. Well, Henry has been crushing on you for months now, so I just want to know if you're interested in him and, if so, are you planning to go out with him?" he said directly, and I was glad for that. I was about to answer when we heard an animal-like growl from nearby, and we both looked at each other in confusion.

"Did you also hear that?" I asked him, and he nodded.

"Must be a dog or something," Drake suggested, and I nodded. This town is entirely surrounded by the woods, so many times, small animals find their way into the town in search of food, but we never faced any major issues because of the animals till now.

"Hmm, it can be... but about Henry. Nope, I am not involving myself in any romantic relationship right now," he nodded.

"Cool, now I should get back to work. In case of any issue, call me. I will be there," I nodded, and he again went inside the studio. I looked in the direction from where the growl came. I know I am just being paranoid, but I can't shrug off this weird feeling of being watched 24/7. I went in that direction, but there was no animal to be seen. As there was a garbage bin nearby, it was not hard to accept that it must be an animal.

I rubbed my temples... "Am I just being paranoid, or is there something seriously wrong?" I can't help but feel something weird. Will it be wise to go to the hospital again to check if they are following me or not? But there is a high chance that they will be watching Mom very closely from now on to get a hold on me. I can't involve anyone in all this, or I would have sent someone there to check on the situation, but this will place that person in mortal danger. I can't even hire someone to do the job because there is no one I know who can do this job.

I didn't want to go back home, but all the things that are stuffed in my jacket's pocket are not something that I like to keep close to me. I went towards the cafe, and when I didn't see anything fishy there, I again went towards the small room that I call my home.

I locked the door and pulled the curtains before emptying the contents of my pockets. No matter how much these things were important to me before, or how much these things attracted me from childhood, but now, these all are nothing but souvenirs of my past that I will never be glad about. Only by looking at these things, flashes of my past started whirling inside my head, which did nothing but made me sad and troubled. The helplessness that I felt, the tears that left my eyes, the pain that I went through, everything just came back and popped the safe bubble that I made around me.

Tears started rolling down from my eyes automatically, and I frantically wiped them again and again. "I am not letting you do the same thing with me again, Mom. I am not a small kid. I can save myself now, and I will. I am not letting anyone dictate my life."

I quickly took those things and locked them up in the box and stuffed that box deep into the cabinet. My eyelids are getting heavy due to the lack of sleep now, but my brain is not calm enough to let me have some sleep. I pushed the curtains away, and my eyes got glued to the woods. I can't even count the number of times I crave to be in those woods, but my fears got the best of me...{I can go into the woods with that diner's handsome, though.}

I don't know where this thought came from, but I can't deny the truth in it. No matter how stressed I am, just imagining that man calms my mind. I don't remember being attracted to anyone after my teenage years. Truth be told, I don't think anyone in their right mind would think about falling for someone in the condition I was in... {Damn it, Arya! What are you thinking? Stop thinking about that man and focus on the situation at hand.}

"I need to think of something." I was about to grab my bike keys and head to the hospital when Drake called. I answered his call instantly.

"You're not going to take the road along the woods alone from now on," he said making me automatically wonder what I did this time. 

"What happened, Drake?" I asked when I was not able to think of anything.

"A couple of people were attacked by an animal on the same road while they were coming to Greenville." As soon as he said that, I couldn't help but feel uneasy... {They came after me.}