Chapter 11: Home is best.

How can anyone treasure comfort from a domicile, without the gratification of a home?

***

A chilly wind blew withered dry leaves about as her footsteps rattled more beneath her steady, stealthy steps. The school pavements were deserted, she beat the air angrily grabbing her scarf from her backpack to wrap her neck. She'd made way past the last block, through the queer silence in the compound. It was as if every soul vanished the minute she'd stepped out of that hallway. She missed the school bus again and couldn't help cuss. Dusk was quickly settling in, the brick red horizon was slowly fading to an obscurity.

"At least detention is out of the picture for now." Lexie muttered stepping outside Grinstate's environ. She waved a goodbye to the absent-minded guard who sleepily chewed on air. A few steps into the isolated lane leading her home and thoughts came surging through her mind. She quaked, recalling her horrid day.

Amidst them, she reckoned the absence of Mr. Peterson's authority and his indelible self. Chances were he'd resigned and it upset her to lose a great Chemistry teacher. Alex Paulman made her cringe, she renounced her damnable reality.

Even worse, her tortuous encounter with that insolent hoodie guy stayed plastered in her mind. His egoistic confrontation sickened Lexie to her bones, as did his repulsive attitude. "He called me a sulk...a flipping sissy..." Yet his syrup-like brown eyes still held hers which shook every nerve in her, to have been too enamored to feel everything at the time. His strong-scented designer cologne lingered on her scarf, she scrunched her nose mortified by his presence on her. These thoughts of him, like a worm wiggled in her mind stirring her entirety. She'd never once been that disturbed about anyone, she scrapped him off from her thoughts.

A crispy breeze kissed her forehead, goosebumps arising on her skin making her quiver. The weather pattern was rather strange, it'd rained a night ago, was sunny that afternoon and now? Frigidity. Regardless, she trudged on appreciative of the much distance she'd since covered.

The thought of home hovered, she worried she'd wronged her mother from the day before. She abruptly halted, fearing she'd heard footsteps. Darkness had since engulfed evenfall and she feared someone furtively approached her. She fought the nudge to cowardly bolt and looked behind chuckling when she sighted playful squirrels speed across the road for the other hedge.

"Hey Lexie! Long time..." A familiar voice greeted beckoning her from stupefaction.

"Hi?"

"You left school late, I see," he hollered waving his hand. "You've not forgotten me? Have you?" He looked at her disapprovingly.

"Gillian!" She exclaimed, skittering towards him on the other side of the road where the squirrels had dashed to. "Sorry, long, tiresome day." She sighed, standing outside his tin roofed shop. "When did you come back? I heard you'd decided to permanently move east? Cheaper hustle and whatnot." Lexie narrowed her left brow. "My, my, how I missed your jokes."

"It's a long story, I'll care to share later on. You should rush home, unless you want mom on your case about these boyfriends you're seeing in school." Gillian teased, she frowned. It was dark and though her house was just a stone throw distance away from his shop, she was all too familiar about the insecurity in her neighborhood.

"C'mon, don't you be silly now! I'd love to hear from you now but if you insist..." She mumbled.

"I do," he replied authoritatively, "run along now," he said as an elegant lady stepped out of her parked Mercedes eyeing his shop. Lexie watched her, then him suspiciously.

"Sheila," Gillian greeted.

"Hello there, I hope I'm not intruding." She apologized her utterance accentuated.

"Oh no, I'm just leaving." Lexie excused herself. "Lovely evening to you." The lady smiled.

***

Lexie then hastily hit the marram road leading her home. She observed the societal derelict, like she did daily, of crumbling houses in the lowland slums beyond the ridge. There a polluted river ran downstream to helpless citizens who partook off its dirty water. With a bleak sigh she walked on down the dusty road. Enragement crippled her, pondering much on the pangs the paupers endured because of slack leaders. Vote for me...I'll...I'll, empty-empty promises each electioneering year, campaign promises never count or account for much. The pitiable impoverishment reality remained a nightmare, what with existing disparities in her country, especially in their county.

"Life's so unfair," she muffled shaking her head in dismay. Mom? She muttered but there was no answer, she rushed to the back.

Silence.

"I thought she had an off?" Lexie grumbled wrinkling her face from confusion. Exhaustion drenched her body and she opted to sit on the front stairs.

"Booh!" She yelped jumping away rattled. Her cuddled self-shook, in petrification.

"Someone's scared!" Bryson, Rosemary's son laughed, gripping his stomach tightly to restrain himself. Lexie scowled at him threatening to smack him. "Mother said I drop this off," he explained handing her their house keys.

"And it took you forever?" Lexie barked faking an angry growl.

"She saw you pass by but was busy with dinner so she sent me. I took advantage to go get gum from Gillian. Anyway, here you go." The eleven year old rambled.

"Why thank you, now go get playing with your toys and Bry, quit speaking to strangers, you know your mom. She'll freak out." Lexie jokingly warned.

"What am I, five? Also, Gillian's not a stranger and PlayStation four is no little toy Lexie!" He groused locking his arms vexed.

Lexie shook her head amused as he disappeared back into their yard. Their place was way bigger, she'd never understood why they had never moved away knowing Rosemary's husband had gotten several appraisals over the years.

She made way to open the door. "Sweet!" She exclaimed seeing their revamped house. "Whatever happened here?" She said closing the door behind her and as she did a note fell from the adjacent table.

Hi dear, don't touch the walls, see you when I do.

Love mom.

The paint had dried off, thank God, she detested the stench of fresh paint.

***

"Wake up Lexie," Kayla urged, nudging her from the sweet slumber she'd drenched herself into. When and how she'd fallen asleep she simply couldn't recall.

"Hi...hey mom," she said, her words slurry.

"I'm guessing school was exhausting today? How so? Thought you trained Thursdays?"

"No, it's not...not about hockey, I walked myself from school." She disclosed, Kayla gasped sitting on the arm of the couch.

"Oh my, I'm sorry dear. Soon, things might change for the better."

"Mom..."

"Lexie," Kayla said, both statements coinciding. "You go first," Kayla signaled amused.

"Well, about yester, whatever it was, I forgive you, I love you mom and you know that." Kayla smiled patting her back motherly.

"Forgive my disorientation, I'm learning to pay mind despite the chaos within me." She paused looking away, she could never disclose what happened to her after dreadfully being dragged from that crowd of young ladies decades ago. "Dinner is ready, come, let's eat." She said leading the way to their small dining area. On the table was a sumptuous meal and they relived some of their nostalgic moments with lighthearted laughter.

"So, I'll be having my classmate over for dinner this coming week."

"Sure, tell her no problem." Kayla said surprised, Lexie hardly invited her friends over, she understood it was because of their status and she held nothing against her.

"Actually, it's a him, he's called Calvis, and you’ve met him before." She replied blatant, "And sure, I'll deliver your message." She noted her mother's wistfulness.

"Lexie, is he your...?"

"Ugh?! No mom."

Kayla smiled. "Thanks for supper." She kissed her forehead then left to clean their plates. An hour later she'd showered, neat as a pin and was sitting on her bed, pen to paper entertaining her journal. After lazily mumbling prayers, she slid between her sheets and flicked off the lights.

However, her bedroom door got busted, landing on the floor with an ear-piercing thud. She sat up rattled as men in black advanced, her screams birthed no sound. Blackness suddenly consumed her vision with blindfolds and the rugged handed man bound both of her wrists.

There were argumentative noises, someone cocked his firearm silencing their banter and she trembled. Her heart's pulse, violent, unable to hold the tears stinging her eyes. The man shoved her down from her bed, and she slouched with withered strength. A myriad of nothingness clouded her judgement, numbing her semblance. The only coolness of the scene was a breeze whistling through her bedroom window but even that faded when she got mercilessly dragged down the stairs as if a sack of potatoes.

The murkiness of her nightfall preponderated as was its prevalent nature. In a moment she was seized, torn from the only person she knew as family.

***

A/N: Hey everyone reading. I appreciate your support and comments.