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CHAPTER 21
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2024-10-29 19:42:56“Onda wake up. You’re not safe.” Mom?
I try to look around but it’s too dark to see anything. I don’t even know where I am. I feel the ground and I can tell I’m in a room; the floor is cemented.
“Baby you have to be careful.” My mother’s voice moves across the room in a whisper.
“Mom where are you? Where am I?”
The loud creak of a door echoes through the room, telling me that the room is bigger than I think. The door slams shut and I hear footsteps. I slide back, hoping to hit a wall soon but I never do. The footsteps draw closer and I ready myself for a surprise attack. I still can’t see anything so any attack would be a surprise at this point.
“You think you’re safe with them.” A voice whispers behind me. I try to turn around but my body is frozen. I can’t even turn my head. Their hot breath fans my neck and cheek as they breathe down my neck. Rough hair scratches my neck as they move closer.<
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Onda PROLOGUE
OndaThorne I don’t remember ever hearing birds chirping by my window whenever I wake up in the morning. And the air certainly wasn’t this chilly last night. I slowly open my eyes and the first thing I see is the bright blue sky high above me. I gather myself in a daze and sit up. This definitely isn’t my room. Why am I in the woods? What happened last night? The trees surrounding me are thinner than the ones I know. The branches are bare and the ground is covered in freshly fallen leaves. I could’ve sworn that they were all brown yesterday. Voices fill the air and I stand up as swiftly as I can. I’m either in the wrong woods or these people are lost. I follow the voices and they lead me to a large clearing that resembles an old village. How have I never seen this before? I turn around, frantically studying the unfamiliar environment. Men and women walk past me and little children r
Onda CHAPTER 1
I spring up from bed, drenched in sweat like I just ran 4k. My dream replays in my mind like a movie on repeat. “What was that? I was really hoping for a good dream today.” I peel off my old blanket and head to the kitchen, just outside the bedroom. “Morning Doc.” I greet Dr. Howard but as usual, he doesn’t reply. Rude much? “You know some people would find it very rude when you don’t reply their greetings every day.” I pull open the cabinet doors to find a can of baked beans and a single packet of noodles. “Doc you didn’t tell me we were out of food. What am I going to eat now?” I sigh and leave to get dressed. I pull on my usual hunting attire, which definitely needs to be washed. “You’re definitely not getting anything I catch.” I slam the small picture frame on the two-person table and step outside. The sun is already so high in the sky you would think it was 2pm, it’s just 8 in the morning. Grabbing my bow and only
Onda CHAPTER 2
I don’t know how long I’ve been walking for but I can feel my legs start to give out. My silvery hair falls out of the messy bun it’s in and I sloppily put it back.I left the house as soon as I got the second message from my mother. I packed as lightly as I could, only filling my bag pack with the essentials.The sun is high up in the sky once again. I check my watch and it’s actually 2pm. I’ve spent a night on the road so that means I’ve been walking for well over a day, only stopping 3 times – to sleep, for a bathroom break and to eat the last of my food.I left my old town a few miles back and now all I can see is empty, green land. The only people I’ve seen in the past few hours are bikers. A few have asked me if I needed a ride but I declined every time.“Don’t trust anyone.” I repeat to herself for the umpteenth time.I struggle to lift my feet as they start to feel heavy but
Onda CHAPTER 3
I’m awake but my eyes feel too heavy to open. I’m lying down on something soft, definitely not where I passed out. Everywhere is silent for a few minutes before a girl speaks up. “She’s breathing but she isn’t waking up. Should I just dump water on her?” Sounds like the waitress from the diner. “Probably. I don’t know. Why’re you asking me?” A guy answers. “I’ll do it.” I hear someone leave the room and come back in a few seconds. The lady whispers a countdown from 3 as I try to open my eyes. As the countdown ends, I’m drenched in cold water, waking me up completely. I jump up from the couch, my blades already out. I’m already in a fighting stance, surveying the room. “Where am I?” The first question I ask. The other three people in the room stare at my hands in amazement. They look at me, and then each other before settling their eyes back on the sight in front of them. “I guess we were right.” The lady says. I glare a
Onda CHAPTER 4
“Joey and I need to get back to the diner but we’ll be back in a few hours. West is here so don’t worry about being alone.” Being alone is the last of my worries. “Do I really have to be alone with him? Can’t I just go with you?” I whine. I haven’t really talked to him much but from the looks of it, he definitely doesn’t like me. “No you need to rest and I can tell you’re not used to the smell of alcohol, you looked like you were about to puke when you walked in there. And don’t worry about West, he may seem a little tough but he’s harmless. A little grumpy but nothing to worry about. We’ll be back soon.” Thea puts on her apron and leaves the room, shutting the door behind her. After a few minutes, I hear the front door slam shut and a car engine roars to life. As soon as the car sounds far enough, I get up from the bed and leave the room as quietly as I can. I tiptoe downstairs, looking out for West but he’s nowhere in sight. Deciding on taking a quick tour
Onda CHAPTER 5
“Rise and shine. Breakfast is ready.” Thea softly shakes the bed. I yawn widely and stretch on the soft bed for a few seconds before sitting up. That felt nice. Odd, but nice. “Wow. I don’t remember the last time I slept in a bed this soft and comfy. I could get used to this.” I climb out of bed and follow Thea downstairs. The smell of fresh toast fills the air and Thea and I double our speed. “Morning Thea. Morning Onda.” Joey greets while West just grunts. Everyone takes their seats and starts eating as Joey serves orange juice into everyone’s cup. “So do you guys always cook or how does it work?” I ask, referring to Joey and West. “We rotate it week by week. The boys cook for a week then I cook for the next week. Today’s Saturday so my week starts tomorrow. And since you’re here, you get to help. I finally have a kitchen assistant.” Thea says excitedly. We finish breakfast quickly. Thea and I remain at the table while the bo
Onda CHAPTER 6
Thea slams the front door and stomps around the living room, letting off steam as best as she can. West and I follow, with shopping bags in both hands. Joey emerges from the kitchen with a towel in his hand. “Hey guys.” Joey’s smile slowly fades as he senses something is off. “What happened?” He asks cautiously. Thea turns to him, still fuming, “I’ll tell you what happened. It’s those disrespectful brats, those little punks who believe that they’re better than us but they don’t know I could snap them in half without breaking a sweat if I wanted to.” I stand awkwardly by the door with the bags still in my hand while West drops on the couch like he’s completely used to the situation. I don’t know what to do. Do I just leave the room? “Derek and his friends?” Joey asks. “Derek and his friends.” West nods. “They want to threaten me! Me? Bad choice.” Thea finally storms off. “Let’s get you unpacked.” Joey helps me with some
Onda CHAPTER 7
Sunday morning.I toss from side to side as Thea shakes the bed. It’s too early for whatever this is about.“I’m trying to sleep.”“And I’m trying to wake you up. Wake up!” Thea yells in my ear, making me jump.“What? It’s”, I turn to check the clock, “5:30 in the morning. Even the sun hasn’t woken up yet, why should I?”“Because it’s time for our morning run.” A voice replies. Thea and I turn to the door to find it open with West leaning on the doorframe.“West please tell Joey that she is finally awake and will be done in 5.”Thea points to me as I quietly pulls the covers back over my head, “You! Stand up and get dressed. Meet me downstairs in 3.” She walks to the door and stops to glare at me.“And don’t make me come back here.” With that she leaves, leaving me slightly frightene
Latest chapter
Onda CHAPTER 21
“Onda wake up. You’re not safe.” Mom? I try to look around but it’s too dark to see anything. I don’t even know where I am. I feel the ground and I can tell I’m in a room; the floor is cemented. “Baby you have to be careful.” My mother’s voice moves across the room in a whisper. “Mom where are you? Where am I?” The loud creak of a door echoes through the room, telling me that the room is bigger than I think. The door slams shut and I hear footsteps. I slide back, hoping to hit a wall soon but I never do. The footsteps draw closer and I ready myself for a surprise attack. I still can’t see anything so any attack would be a surprise at this point. “You think you’re safe with them.” A voice whispers behind me. I try to turn around but my body is frozen. I can’t even turn my head. Their hot breath fans my neck and cheek as they breathe down my neck. Rough hair scratches my neck as they move closer.
Onda CHAPTER 20
“Once again it’s Friday, my favourite day of the week.” Thea stretches as we exit Geometry class. “Not me. It’s the one day I have a class where I’m seat partners with Alexa and she tries really hard to piss me off every time.” I slam my locker shut so hard it rattles, threatening to come off its hinges. “Sucks to be you. See you later though. Remember, you can’t hurt her.” Thea gives me a thumbs up as she walks to her next class before the bell even rings. I drag my feet to Literature class and slump in my seat. The bell rings and in walks Alexa and the girl whose punch I will never forget – her name is Tracy. “Ok class we don’t have much to discuss today, we’re going to continue from where we stopped in our books last week and ask questions at the end of the class.” The only sound heard in the room is the sound of flipping pages as Mrs. Jones returns to her desk. “Hey Rhonda.” Here we go again. “It’s Onda, get it right.” “Sorry, it’s
Onda CHAPTER 19
WEDNESDAY “I see you’re feeling better.” “Better than ever.” Joey beams as he plays around with his balls of fire. “So what exactly was the problem?” Thea asks. “I still don’t know but I’m better now, that’s all that matters to me.” I will take my actions to the grave. Telling them is only going to make them trust me less, as if they trust me at all already. “Okay everyone in the car.” West orders as he grabs the keys from the coffee table. With Joey in front of me, leading the way, and Thea and West behind me, we all head for the front door. I stop in my tracks, feeling a sneeze coming. “Oh no.” My loud sneeze is followed by a slight tremor and the house shivers. The sound of plates and utensils hitting the floor in the kitchen takes the lead and the bookshelf by the window is half empty. Everyone turns to me as I flash a nervous smile. “Surprise. It’s back.” ************
Onda CHAPTER 18
“You okay?” West asks Joey as we enter the car, ready to leave for school. I glance at Joey and he looks quite pale. Did I do that? “Yeah I’m alright. Let’s go.” Thea joins us and West starts the car. We reach school just as the first bell rings. “Mr. Parker.” West and I look at each other in horror as we realize that we have Geometry now and Mr. Parker gives detention to anyone who gets to class after him. We sprint down the halls and take the stairs three at a time to reach our class. West opens the door while I rest my hands on my knees in exhaustion. “He isn’t even here yet.” I sigh as we walk over to the only free seats in the class. As I manoeuvre my way through the occupied desks, Brian kicks his leg out just as I’m about to pass him but I’m quicker than he thinks. I skip over his foot with my right leg and step on it with my left heel. West and I high five after seeing Brian clutch his foot as we get to our seats. My choice of
Onda CHAPTER 17
SUNDAYThea doesn’t wake me up for our morning run today, I wake her up. The run is quite peaceful, unlike last time. Everyone makes sure I stay clear of the lake as we run past it. We get back to the house about an hour and a half later and we all scatter to get ready for breakfast.“What’s for breakfast today?” I ask Joey as we head downstairs together.“I don’t know either. West said he’d handle it himself today. To be honest, I’m a little scared.” We enter the kitchen to find West running around the kitchen. I’m not going to lie, West looks good when he’s cooking. His hair is stuck to his face just like yesterday and I can’t help but admire him.Joey snaps me out of my trance and pulls me to the table.“Woah someone went all out for today’s breakfast.” The table is covered in all sorts of things.“I’m feeling good today.
Onda CHAPTER 16
“Rise and shine.”I roll to Thea’s side of the bed stretching as far as my limbs can go.“It’s almost ten o’clock. We need to go to work. Wake up sleepy head.”I spring up on hearing the time. 10 AM? I’ve never slept in this late before. I grab my phone off the nightstand and race to the bathroom. Thea giggles as I slam the door behind me.“I really shouldn’t be slacking off this much. What’s gotten into me?” I pick up my toothbrush first and squeeze paste on it. As I brush, I pick up my phone and turn it on. As the screen comes on, the first thing I notice is the time.7:39 AM.“Thea!” I scream, sputtering toothpaste everywhere. She lets out an evil laugh from the bedroom.Next thing I notice is the texts from Beckett.“Hey! Are you home yet?” 9:32 PM.“Don’t forget you’re taking little Jack-Jac
Onda CHAPTER 15
“And then she threw two balls at him. One hit his leg while the other misses him but gets stuck in the wall behind him. The crowd went crazy.” Joey narrates the story for me as I scarf down my lunch. “Wow. Who knew dodgeball could be so exciting?” West laughs. “He deserves it though. I knew something was fishy when he suddenly wanted to be friends with you, asking you to join him for lunch.” Thea says. “And you didn’t say anything? Aren’t you supposed to be ‘protecting’ me?” “Yeah but experience is sometimes the best teacher. We all went through it, so you should too.” She shrugs and bites down on her Deli wrap. I didn’t expect much sympathy from her anyways. “By the way, it says I have Child Development as an elective in the nurse’s office. What’s child development?” I ask as a gulp down the last of my orange juice. The boys turn to Thea with wide eyes. “Why would you give her child development? Literally no one ever picks tha
Onda CHAPTER 14
FRIDAY “I’m so happy it’s Friday.” Thea yawns as we exit geometry class. “You successfully succeeded one week of school, how do you feel?” She holds her pen to my mouth like it’s a mic. “I feel drained. How many more weeks of this do I have to go through?” I whine. “You don’t want to know.” She laughs. “What class do you have next?” “I have English literature next and we’re having a quiz, I’m scared. Then I have PE.” “Ok, that means you have PE with Joey. Good luck on your quiz. Later.” She walks off and I run to the vending machine in the girls’ locker room. I’m still trying to get the hang of these machines so it takes me a few minutes to get myself a coke - I need the sugar for this quiz. As I walk out of the locker room, I bump into someone and drop the can. I catch it with my foot as it's about to hit the ground. "I'm sorry." The person bends to help me get the coke but stops when they see it balan
Onda CHAPTER 13
Ringgg! Finally, Spanish class has come to an end. That is probably going to be the most boring class I'm in. I even caught Thea sleeping. The teacher, Ms. Lopez, was talking so slow and kept stopping to give me an odd look. Weird lady. Thea and I quickly run out of the class, looking and feeling exhausted. "That was torture. Is that what you go through every time?" I ask Thea as we exit the classroom. "You wouldn't believe." She shakes her head dramatically. “She’s just the substitute though. Our real teacher is actually pretty cool. She’s on maternity leave.” She turns to look at me and her expression suddenly to one I don’t recognize. "Onda, we’ve known each other for less than a week and a lot has happened since we met. I want you to know that I’ll never break my promise. I promised to protect you and I will. Okay?" "Where’s all this coming fr..." "Are you ready?" I jump, startled by the voice ever-so-close
