Chapter 2

10 years later…

Crystal’s POV

Another morning, another dumb day with same stupid people who just does’nt  understand the meaning of privacy and personal space.

I think it's on me, why is my 20 year old ass living with my parents yet? The fact that my two elder sisters never moved out doesn’t help either. The two devils with innocent faces sitting right in front of me.

Camila is my eldest sister, 25 years old, working in an international trade business and NGO that serves tribal people. She is the favorite one in the family.

Ava, the second elder sister or should I say younger? Nah… she acts like a granny so we are going with elder. She works in a pharmaceutical company. Her work is more interesting than Camila’s. She performs experiments on animals and then dissects them. She creeps the living hell out of our parents while she blabbers about her day.

“How was your day Ava?” asked Camila.

It's 8 pm. I was peacefully sleeping in my room before they decided to ruin my day and bring me to the dinner table for “family time” where everyone will boast how productive their day was and how I spent my whole day on my bed doing nothing. And I have the best solution for this. Trust me, headphones with no music playing do work. What then? No one will talk to me this way. That’s a relief.

“Good, Remember I told you about my acute poisoning test on rats for a new drug overdose?”

“Sure, regular dinner table conversation” I muttered under my breath.

“Yes,” spoke Camila, giving me the sour face.

“Yeah so I got to dissect the fatty ratty today. It was amazing” she chirped.

“Crystal baby, come help me set up the dinner table” mom called. She is my only favorite person. She understands me and my emotions.

“Sure mom”

The conversation continued in the background as I helped my mom to set up the table. Daddy works in the army hence his stay in the house is limited, so to compensate the ‘family time’ he video calls us and has dinner together with us every week. Today was that day.

“Mom should we call daddy” asked Ava like the psychotic kid she is.

“Sure” mom replied.

“Hey Maria, how are you?” asked daddy.

“I am good. Thank You darling.” Replied mom settling on the table.

Clearing his throat, hiding his stupid blushing cheeks like a teenage girl. I mean come on, we all know you had coitus with mom.  Yet he talks formally with mom in front of us. Little did they know I have heard all the dirty talk they have in the middle of the night.

“So how was your week, Camila?” and the dinner begins.

She blabbered about something for 10 minutes straight then Ava.

Here comes the worst part, me.

“How was your week, Crystal?” he asked me.

“Ahem….it…was good” I replied with a shrug.

“That’s all?” he enquired. And here it comes

“Aren’t you going to tell daddy how you quit your internship which will obviously affect your resume?” interfered Camila.

“And how you have spent your whole day in bed, doing no work whatsoever” added Ava.

“And how I had to drag you down for dinner ?” again Camila.

Just follow the routine, keep your face down, shoulders down, hunch forward and play songs in your head.

“Care to explain?” gritted daddy.

I should never have pursued arts. Should have dissected Ava and exported her to a lonely island, bitches.

“She couldn’t handle the pressure of her field” Ava again.

Oohhhhh, pressure? The owner of the art gallery must have felt the pain when I kicked his nuts. How dare he lay his hands on me. I am sure he will be pressured when he cant produce kids.

“Why are you smirking?” shouted daddy startling me.

“I am sorry” I muttered.

“What did I tell you about muttering?” he questioned.

“I am sorry Arthur, we know discipline is a great part of your life but you cant talk like this to my baby. So just ask how they are and leave before imposing your discipline on us” mommy backed me up. She is a cutie, isn't she? She knows what happened so she understands.

This is the best part, the angry staring competition, the one who loses will back off. Hahahah…

‘We are here’ I received a text from debby, my college friend.

‘ In a minute’ I replied.

This session has to end soon If I want to sneak out. So today Ava was a jerk so I am going to use Ava's id to sneak into the club.

All of my friends are legal aged except me, I am yet to turn 21, just a few more months. Excusing myself I sneaked into Ava's room, grabbed her id and some cash from her secret stash, being the youngest one I have this talent of finding out the hidden stuff.

Next junction, my room. I put on Camila’s sexy off shoulder cocktail dress. Camila is shorter than me, so her knee length dress is my thigh length. Throwing a jacket on, I walked downstairs towards the back door. And there she stood.

“Where are you going?” asked mom.

Play dumb, play dumb, play dumb.

“Huh?”

“Listen my sweetest baby” she said grabbing my face, “I know living with these jerks is hard, but I understand you. You need to be honest with me” she pleaded with her puppy eyes.

“I was going to sneak out tonight and come home late tomorrow” I admitted honestly backing off from her.

She gave me a disapproving look. This is not allowed in my home. So only one thing comes to my mind. RUN.

I ran as fast as I could to my friend's car. We drove off without looking back.

Soon we stood in front of the club, it's not what they show you in movies. We have to stand in line for hours  before we can enter the club. Luckily Debby's boyfriend Roy got us VIP passes. Perks of having a friend with a rich boyfriend you see.

Hours passed by in the club, dancing, drinking and getting wasted. I have a very high alcohol tolerance. I used to drink from daddy’s stash from early teenage years before the family dinner helped a lot.

I don’t understand how Roy couldn’t taste Debby’s puke, she just puked in the bathroom and they are making out right in front of me. Ugh!

Alcohol doesn’t make me nauseated, but this surely does.

Leaving right now is the best option. I collected my stuff and left the club. I didn’t bring my phone tonight, cause I have shared my live location with each and every family member, again no respect for privacy. Hence I can't book a cab too. Life sucks but I got used to it.

Sighing I started walking, a bus stop was just a few blocks away. It just takes me 10 minutes to reach the bus stop.

I was disappointed as no one hit on me the whole time in the club. I mean I don’t look that bad but on the bus stop this charming man stands before me. I can smell him, we are just one hand distance apart. What's up with these men?

He is tall, definitely taller than me. Most guys avoid me because of my height. Little stubble on his tanned face. He looks a little fat in his jacket but intimidating enough not to mess with.

“Hey,” I said to start a little conversation while the bus comes.

He glanced my way, then ignored me.

HOW DARE HE? Was it not enough that my family sucks and my friend makes out after puking? that a complete stranger is ignoring me too.

I am not that drunk drunk, but intoxicated enough to whine out loud.

“You know it's socially unacceptable to not greet someone and it is considered rude to ignore a kind gesture” I spoke barely above a whisper. He moved away when my hand brushed on his jacket.

I hear him sigh and start to walk away. Shit I scared him. Huge guys are teddy bears, and get emotional easily.

“Hey come back I am sorry.” I yell.

“I am not a creep”

Definitely drunk.

“I won't kidnap you I promise”

My bus approached, I got into the bus. Everything was a blur, me reaching home, sneaking in, blurrrr.

I wish that stranger had kidnapped me. I woke up with a headache, sore legs due to heels and a mom who just won't shut up.

“I regret standing up for you”

“Your dad was right, you are just moron”

“Sneaking out? Running away? Grow a pair and achieve something in your life”

“Your dad will be calling us tonight, better be prepared”

I have had too much and I have reached breaking point. I can't handle this abnormally disciplined family of people with overachievements.

I must admit, yelling at parents feels good, so is crying and so is running away. The decision was irrational but cant back off so soon. Hence I will be crashing at Debby’s for a few nights.

Its evening time, the sun is setting down. I am walking towards Debby’s house in my yoga pants and hoodie, with my hand down a Harry potter bag. This is what I meant, I was always ignored, hand down stuff. Don’t get me wrong, I love potter but I don’t like the fact that Camila used it then Ava and now me.

Aggressive walking helped me reach Debby's house quickly. Her house was fairly bigger than ours. Debbyy’s mom and my mom are good friends.

Instead of Debby, her mom opened the door and invited me in. Debby nowhere in sight.

“Crystal, your mom told me about yesterday night. I am very disappointed with you and Debby” she started.

I already know where this is going, “well I am disappointed too, who names their daughter Debby?”

And this is how I ended up on the same bus-stop at the same time, but this time I am furious. I. Want. To. Leave.

“Hey,” the man said.

I grit my teeth ignoring him.

“You know it's socially unacceptable to-“

“oh shut up, will you?”

I shouldn’t have said that, coz next I remember forcefully breathing in chloroform and being stuffed in the trunk of his car, his last words were…

“I WILL KEEP YOU SAFE, LUNA”