Unfortunately, Raquelle did not almost sleep and woke up many times at nighttime. Even if the girl managed to fall asleep, she had nightmares. One of them brought her to the day she had a photoshoot with Terrence MacClife, who treated her in a terrible way. However, in her nightmare, everything was much worse than it was in real life. That’s why she woke up with a cold sweat and a fast heartbeat.
Raquelle slowly opens her eyes, looks around the room, and just looks into the distance for some time, understanding it’s a very early time, judging the fact that she wants to yawl. At some moment, she reaches for her smartphone lying on the table near the bed, turns on the screen, and sees it’s currently 8:23 in the morning. It’s a very early time. So, the girl turns to another side, covers herself with a blanket, and tries to sleep for some time. However, she does not fall asleep and is just lying in bed with closed eyes.
Understanding that an attempt to fall asleep is worthless, Raquelle stretches herself up slowly and gets up from the bed a little lazily. When she stands on her feet, she comes to the window and looks through it with sadness in her eyes, seeing there are not so many people outside, and the sun is just rising above the city.
“Oh, God, what a terrible night it was…” Raquelle whispers, scratching the back of her head and running her hand through her hair. “Those nightmares were chasing me all night… And now I woke up at such an early time and can’t fall asleep.”
Raquelle closes her mouth with her hand and yawls.
“But I’d like to sleep a little bit longer…” Raquelle says quietly. “But I’d hardly fall asleep because of my nightmares… The nightmares with MacClife… The nightmares that were much worse than what happened in real life.”
Raquelle sighs heavily and moves a couple of strands of hair off her face, still watching what’s happening behind the window.
“Will that man, who was chasing me in real life, mock me in my nightmares?” Raquelle wonders. “Couldn’t I calm down and forget him? Forget what he did to me?”
Raquelle bites her lip slightly.
“Or I just need to have much more rest and walk in the air,” Raquelle assumes. “Maybe, I’ll get better… Well, I should go somewhere and do something to have no time to think about what gives me pain…”
Raquelle steps back from the window and leans on the wall with her back, still thinking about something.
“However, now I have a reason to forget that idiot,” Raquelle adds. “My aunt. And her problems. Her conservation with that person, who called her yesterday at a late time. I’d like to know who that was, and what they needed from her.”
Raquelle sighs heavily and comes closely to the mirror hanging on the wall in her room. The girl looks at a reflection of herself for a long time as if she is looking for something. And she gets a little shocked by what she sees… Due to a lack of sleep, she got circles under her eyes, and her look seems to be tired and a little extinct. But her eyes are no longer as red and tear-stained as they were a few days ago, when she was crying and worried about what would happen to her career and reputation.
“Wow, what kind of circles I have under my eyes!” Raquelle gets horrified, looking at her reflection in the mirror and barely pulling her skin under her eyes down to look at them and circles better. “I’m gonna have to cover them with cosmetics all day. Or people would be scared of me. Or, at least, ask me tons of questions.”
Raquelle looks at her bruises for some time. And then she decides to brush her little matted, loose hair and get it up into a ponytail. Then the girl goes to the bathroom and spends some time there to put herself to order. Next, she returns to her room, comes to the closet, and starts looking for some clothes, trying to decide what she would put on today. After thinking for a long time, the brunette picks up a gray transparent shirt, underneath which she puts on a gray sleeveless t-shirt and dark blue jeans. Being happy with her choice, she quickly does nude makeup that would cover the sighs of tiredness and a lack of sleep.
Raquelle looks at herself in the mirror to see how she looks. And after she is happy with the result, the girl leaves the room, closes the door, and goes to the kitchen. She sees that Alicia woke up a long time ago and is now doing something with some things on the kitchen table while thinking of something with sadness in her eyes. Moreover, the woman placed many different bowls and ingredients she is working with so hard, definitely going to cook something delicious.
Raquelle watches her aunt for some time with a slight smile on her face, but then enters the kitchen confidently and lets her know softly that she is here:
“Hey, Auntie.”
Alicia moves her eyes sharply to Raquelle.
“Oh, good morning, Raquelle,” Alicia greets. “But why did you wake up so early?”
“It happened,” Raquelle shrugs.
“Go to sleep for a while, my sunshine.” Alicia takes a bowl and a big wooden spoon. “It’s very early now. A little more than eight o’clock.”
“I would be happy to do it, but I couldn’t fall asleep,” Raquelle confesses.
“But you didn’t probably get enough sleep.”
“It’s okay, I shall sleep a little later. I’m gonna have a lot of time to get enough sleep. It’s okay.”
“So, okay then…” Alicia replies thoughtfully. “If you don’t want to sleep anymore, I shall not make you do.”
“I will sleep in daylight. I don’t know when, but I will do.”
“Okay… I will quickly make breakfast for you.”
Two seconds later, Alicia closely looks at Raquelle’s face and frowns slightly, seeing her niece looks not very fresh and cheerful.
“Hey, you look like you didn’t sleep all night long,” Alicia notices.
“It’s true,” Raquelle nods.
“So, honey, were you watching someone so hard?” Alicia chuckles kindly. “Or did you have more important and interesting business?”
“No, Aunt,” Raquelle smiles shyly and runs her hand over her face. “I was just seeing nightmares all night long and waking up at times.”
“Seeing nightmares?” Alicia frowns slightly.
“Yup… I saw nightmares with the one that turned my life to hell. But in my dreams, everything was much worse.”
“Jesus Christ…”
“That’s why I often woke up and didn’t get enough sleep. And when I tried to fall asleep now, I couldn’t do this. So, I decided to get up. Dressed up, brushed my hair, washed my face, and did my makeup… And came to you.”
“Oh, my girl…”
“Even when I’m far from MacClife, I can't forget him anyway.”
“Do you mean the one, who probably spread the terrible rumors about you and sent you anonymous letters?”
“He is…”
“Hey, are you still getting some letters from him?”
“Yeah, he’s sent me something, but those letters don’t have anything special.”
“Do you think he will show up?”
“I don’t know, Aunt. Anything is possible.”
“If that guy is one hundred percent guilty of everything, he is really a selfish narcissus.”
“It’s the truth.”
“Anyway, you shouldn't leave this case without your attention. If that was really him, you should make him pay for slandering you.”
“He will undoubtedly pay,” Raquelle replies confidently. “I wish that idiot didn’t think I would easily forgive him and forget what he did. I shall do my best to ruin his career and deprive him of hope of getting a starring role in a movie.”
“That’s right! Whoever he is, you must not leave him unpunished. If there’s a little chance to make him pay for that, you must do this.”
“Don’t doubt, Aunt. That man is going to regret standing in my way. MacClife got in touch with the girl, who wouldn’t incline her head for him and obey him.”
“Excellent, Raquelle! That’s right!”
“I will wait for a while and then take measures.”
“Right decision. Very right.”
“I’m going to ride out the storm at this place. With the hope that I will not be found here.”
“I’m supporting you.”
“I’m gonna walk, go somewhere, do something… And get ready for Christmas.”
“Excellent!” Alicia exclaims. “You should often walk somewhere and breathe in much fresh air.”
“I shall do it.”
“You shouldn't spend your time in four walls. You will do it when you’re old. Now, your life shouldn't be limited by the time you spend at home.”
“I shall go somewhere now.” Raquelle shrugs. “I’ve got nothing to do now. So… I’m gonna walk in the places where I was in childhood… Maybe, I wish to buy something… I dunno…”
“That’s good,” Alicia smiles shyly. “I’m glad you’re not hiding from everyone behind four walls.”
“I just don’t wanna lock myself.”
“Wonderful then!”
Alicia is working with some things on the kitchen table all this time and pours and moves something. At some moment, she moves her eyes to Raquelle and smiles shyly.
“Sit on the table, honey,” Alicia invites, pointing at the small table placed in the kitchen. “I will give you something to eat if you are awake now. And then you and I will drink a cup of coffee, so you don't walk like a zombie.”
“Alright, thanks…” Raquelle smiles slightly.
“Oh, hey, I’ve just cooked cheesecake. Don’t you wanna taste it? It’s hot! I just took it from an oven!”
“With pleasure.”
“Sit at the table. I shall give you a little piece.”
Alicia places a bowl she is holding in her hands on the kitchen table and starts working with a pot on the stove, mixing something with a big spoon without stopping. Meanwhile, Raquelle sits on the table, leans on it with an elbow and leans on her hand with a chin, and watches what her aunt is doing for some time.
“By the way, not to be a sleepy zombie, I advise you to wash your face with cold water or wipe it with a piece of ice. It gets you fresh and makes your skin better. I do this when I don’t get enough sleep but should do something.”
“Thanks, Auntie,” Raquelle thanks with a slight smile. “But I just did makeup.”
“Okay. But remember that cold water always shakes you up.”
“I know.”
Some time later, Alicia puts on a very delicious to look cheesecake that she cuts into little pieces with a knife and gives a plate with one of them to her niece. And then the woman sits at the table with the girl, taking a plate with a piece for herself, and begins to eat the hot dish that is really awesome.
“M-m-m, it’s delicious,” Raquelle pronounces with a slight smile, eating little pieces of the cheesecake.
“Today, it was especially delicious,” Alicia notices.
“You always do everything delicious!”
“Aw, thanks, my sunshine.”
Raquelle and Alicia say nothing for some time, eating their pieces of cheesecake and drinking little sips of coffee. At some moment, the girl looks at her aunt hesitantly, silently noticing that the woman looks much tenser and thinks about something and seeing how strongly she winces her forehead.
“Does it seem to me, or does she look much more excited?” Raquelle frowns slightly. “I wonder, what’s my aunt thinking about? Looking so gloomy and tense! Is yesterday’s call the one to blame? Maybe, I ask her about it? What if I find out something? Or is this a worthless idea?”
“What are you thinking of, my sweetie?” Alicia asks.
“Erm, me?” Raquelle rounds her eyes.
“Yes. I look thoughtful.”
“Erm, I…”
“Does something bother you?”
“No… I just…” Raquelle drinks some coffee from her cup. “I’d just like to ask you something…”
“Of course, sweetie,” Alicia says softly with a shy smile. “You can tell me everything!”
“Not exactly to ask… But… To find out something…”
“Speak. I’m listening to you.”
“Eh-h-h…”
Raquelle looks down for a moment and starts barely scratching the plate with a fork she is holding.
“You know, Aunt…” Raquelle pronounces hesitantly. “The case is that yesterday, I… Heard you… Talking to someone about something…”
“Me?” Alicia rounds her eyes. “Talking?”
“Yeah…”
“Erm…”
“The time was… Late enough… About eleven or twelve in the evening…”
Saying these things, Raquelle closely watches the reaction of Alicia and notices the woman gets quite tense and a little white.
“Who were you talking with?” Raquelle asks. “Who could call you at such a late time? And why were you… Were so excited?”
Although Alicia tries to keep calm so hard, Raquelle assumes the woman knows what her niece is talking about.
“Me?” Alicia pronounces hesitantly and puts her fork slowly on the plate. “Erm…”
“I heard you screaming at someone for a long time,” Raquelle confesses. “But I didn’t understand everything because I couldn’t hear you well. Still… I am wondering…”
“Erm…” Alicia stutters, biting her lip slightly, while her eyes are running from one side to another. “No… No, no…”
Alicia shakes her head with a false smile.
“No, Raquelle, it seemed to you,” Alicia lies in a little shaking voice. “I was talking with anyone.”
“Anyone?” Raquelle rounds her eyes.
“My God, who could call me at eleven o’clock? Think yourself!”
“But I heard well that you were talking with someone!” Raquelle protests.
“No, Raquelle, it seemed to you.”
“Seemed?”
“Yes, seemed.”
“But, Aunt…”
“You’re just too tired.” Alicia softly caresses Raquelle’s shoulder. “Besides, you didn’t get enough sleep. When someone is tired, something might seem to them.”
“No, Aunt Alicia, I’m not crazy!” Raquelle protests. “Don’t make me think something is not right with my mind. You were talking with someone!”
“I didn’t say you were crazy. And I don’t say you’ve got mental issues.”
“You asked someone to leave you alone and said that you should’ve done anything to anyone.”
“I don’t know who said something, but it wasn’t me. I was gonna go to sleep at eleven o’clock.”
“Don’t make me think I’m crazy.”
“I don’t do,” Alicia protests hesitantly and starts to eat little pieces of the cheesecake. “I just wanna say that because of a lack of sleep and strong stress, you… Don’t clearly understand what you’re talking about. You… Something might seem to you.”
“No…” Raquelle shakes her head.
“You were working so much and not thinking of yourself. Besides, you’ve lately had strong stress.”
“Aunt…”
“That’s why you believe you hear someone’s voice and think it was me.”
“No, that’s not the truth!”
“You should have a good rest and forget your problems.”
“Why do you wanna make me believe that I’m crazy?”
“I repeat, I don’t try to make you sure that you’re crazy. Jesus Christ! How could I say it about my beloved niece?”
“Aunt Alicia…”
“It’s okay, sweetie, don’t think about it.”
“But…”
“You came here not to worry about problems,” Alicia recalls, pulling words and stuttering sometimes. “To have a good rest. So, do this. Enjoy your life.”
“No, Aunt Alicia, I do know I wasn’t wrong.” Raquelle puts her fork on the plate. “In yesterday’s late evening, you were talking with someone. You were fighting with someone.”
“Okay,” Alicia sighs tiredly. “If you’re so sure you heard someone’s talks, maybe, it was a TV? For example, my neighbors from the up! Wife and husband! They’re actually very loud people! They have got a big dog that runs in the apartment. That’s why I hear the floors squeaking. Besides, they are deaf and often turn on a TV to full volume.”
“No, it wasn’t sounds of a TV.”
“My God, Raquelle, why do you care about it?”
“Because I’m worried.”
“Don’t worry,” Alicia shakes her head, still eating her piece of food and drinking some coffee. “Nothing terrible happened.”
“Were you really talking to nobody?”
“Right.”
“So… If you’re saying so… Let’s think I really should have a rest…”
Alicia relaxes silently with a shy smile because, as she thinks, she managed to make her niece sure that nothing happened. Raquelle herself keeps silently eating her piece of the cheesecake, understanding more and more that something is not right about the story, and her aunt is hiding something very serious.
“Don’t think you would get better at once,” Alicia replies softly. “It’s gonna take some time. You’ll live a couple of weeks here, you will forget all the bad things.”
“Maybe…” Raquelle shrugs. “But I feel very bad now…”
“It’ll be gone, sweetie. The important thing is not to think about bad things and to focus on something nice.”
Raquelle says nothing and just smiles shyly. Silence settles in the air for a few seconds, during which the two complete their breakfast, which they liked very much. And then Alicia quickly looks around and drinks the rest of the coffee from her glass.
“When do you wanna talk?” Alicia asks.
“I don’t know, maybe, even right now,” Raquelle replies thoughtfully. “I’ve got nothing to do.”
“Go then. I heard that the weather is going to be great today. No snow and much sun. So, you can walk as much as you want.”
“Wonderful!” Raquelle drinks coffee from her cup. “So, I’m gonna have much more time to examine the city and call the memories of my childhood.”
“Go to walk, but I will do homework,” Alicia says softly. “Gonna use the fact that I have a free day and do something at home.”
“Isn’t Lexi gonna come to help you?”
“I can’t always ask her to clean my home. The girl should have her own life. She’s young and beautiful. She probably wanna walk with her friends or go on a date with a boy. Lexi is not my servant to be called here every day. She helps me at her wish.”
“Yeah… You’re right… Maybe, I can help you with something?”
“No, no, my sweetheart, thanks. Go, but I shall do everything.”
“Well, maybe, I go to a shop and buy something?”
“No, I have everything. Don’t need anything.”
“Okay then…”
“Go, Raquelle, walk. Breathe in the fresh air.”
“Okay, I’m going.”
Raquelle carefully wipes her mouth with a handkerchief and slowly gets up from the table.
“Thanks for the breakfast, Aunt,” Raquelle thanks with a slight smile. “The cheesecake was really delicious.”
Raquelle kisses Alicia cutely on the cheek and leaves the kitchen quickly, leaving her aunt with her thoughts. The girl goes to her room for some time to take some things. And then she goes to the exit from the apartment, puts on her high boots with little heels a long, slim tight coat, and takes her little black purse with her mobile phone in it.
After making sure that she looks good and forgot nothing, Raquelle opens the door and closes it after she leaves the apartment of her aunt, still thinking of her aunt’s strange behavior and asking herself why the woman was trying to make her sure she was talking with nobody at yesterday’s late evening.
***
This morning, Alexis did some business that she needed to do. But when she got freedom, she accepted the invitation to walk in a park with her best friend, Jacqueline Underwood, a spoiled girl from a rich family, whose friend she has been for many years.
As well as her friend is, Jacqueline is a blonde. But her hair is longer and barely reaches her shoulders. The two girls have almost the same height but prefer a different cloth style. While Alexis prefers dressing up in a modest way, does not have a deep décolleté or too short skirts, and prefers nude makeup and pastel shades of clothes, her friend is much more uninhibited and does not miss a chance to show her slim body. She loves bright colors in clothes and makeup, and adores often changing her hair and experimenting with clothes. Even in the cold weather, the girl tries to look in a stylish way and express her dignity.
At the moment, Alexis and Jacqueline are slowly walking in a park, enjoying the good weather settled in the city, and sometimes glancing at other people walking in this quiet and very beautiful place.
“Listen, Jacqueline, do you know who has recently come to visit my neighbor?” Alexis asks.
“Your neighbor?” Jacqueline frowns slightly.
“Yeah, Alicia Middleton.”
“The one you often visit at home and help with homework?”
“Yup, her.”
“So, who has come to visit Alicia?” Jacqueline crosses her arms over her chest. “You say it like a celebrity has come to visit her.”
“It’s correct,” Alexis smiles mysteriously. “A worldwide famous model is visiting her now.”
“Oh, gosh…” Jacqueline closes her mouth with her hand. “C’mon? Milton, aren’t you kidding?”
“Not at all!”
“And who’s that model?”
“Raquelle Cameron.”
“Raquelle Cameron?” Jacqueline frowns slightly.
“She is a niece of Alicia and the daughter of her late sister, who that woman talked very much about.”
“Wait, is that the model, who got charged with humiliating and insulting everyone she was working with for many years?”
“Yup, that’s her…”
“M-m-m…” Jacqueline instantly stops smiling and becomes very gloomy. “That’s where the princess, whom everyone allegedly owes, ran. Everyone is talking about Cameron running away somewhere and not letting them know about her. As it turned out, she went to London…”
“Alicia suggested she visit her,” Alexis confesses. “She’s probably gonna stay here until Christmas and celebrate it with her aunt.”
“How much Cameron is worried about her ass. How scared she is that everyone will tell her what that girl actually is.”
“Do you believe what they say about her?”
“I do!”
“Are you sure the charges against her are explained?” Alexis asks.
“Of course, I am,” Jacqueline says coldly. “I’ve recently, closely read everything the mass media is talking about her. So many articles have been published, in which they tell everything about what happened on every single shoot. They told all the truth about how Cameron was actually behaving towards those she was working with.”
“It’s a lie! Raquelle didn’t do what someone tried to blame her for.”
“C’mon, Lexi!”
“Someone wanted to slander her.”
“Did Alicia tell you? Do you believe the woman, who is one hundred percent defending her niece?”
“Do you believe the one, who is afraid to show themselves?”
“I’m sure the brave guy would show up early or late.”
“Even if they do, would you believe someone that nobody knows, not a famous model?”
“You know, I personally prefer believing someone that nobody knows over that insolent gal.”
“What if someone wanted to get promoted thanks to her?”
“Oh, yeah! That girl got insolent! Crazy fame really blew up her mind!”
“But there are no photos or videos. Someone just claimed Raquelle was terrible and egoistic without any proof.”
“And what? I doubt someone would be lying. Someone definitely wanted to tell all the truth about her a long time ago, but they couldn’t find the courage. Or someone shut them up. For example, Cameron and her managers’ team.”
“Don’t you have any other variants?”
“No, I don’t,” Jacqueline says confidently. “I am absolutely sure that person did the right thing. They finally revealed that egoist, who was pretending to be not the one she was all those years.”
“Don't you know about some people, who adore getting promoted and earning money on scandals and attempts to shower someone with mud?”
“And Cameron tried to get popular thanks to her kindness. She pretended to be an innocent angel, but she was actually far from that. But that brave anonymous person became the one to bring her to clear water. Everyone was afraid, but they bent under nobody.”
“My God, Jacqueline, how can you say it about Raquelle?” Alexis wonders. “You don’t know her at all!”
“Now I know everything,” Jacqueline says confidently.
“Why are people sometimes so naive? Tabloids posted an article about her allegedly disgusting behavior, and people believed it was the truth.”
“Just don’t say you didn’t believe in that story.”
“Yeah, first, I had the same thought as you do. But I’m starting to understand I wasn’t right. Raquelle is actually very good. The one everyone knows.”
“Did she charm you?” Jacqueline chuckles evilly. “Is Cameron a witch? The witch that made everyone love her and believe she was holy!”
“It’s hurtful that people believe liars. Even if they do know that the media do adore looking for someone’s demons, posting false articles and spreading the same or much worse rumors about celebrities.”
“You say it ‘cause you don’t wanna get Alicia upset,” Jacqueline assumes confidently.
“Alicia wouldn’t be lying. She’s always been an honest and decent woman!”
“Your neighbor doesn’t probably know everything her niece did. Everything that made everyone turn their backs upon Raquelle.”
“Alicia knows everything! And she’s not gonna believe everything they say about her niece.”
“Sorry! So sorry that she is blind and doesn’t understand her niece is a terrible person.”
“Jacqueline…”
“Want me to send you links to articles on the Internet? You would make sure I’m not lying.”
“Stop believing everything they post on the Internet, Jacqueline. Any person could post anything and make people believe it.”
“Very good! That’s good anyone could tell people the truth at any time. Because nobody would shut anyone up and make them deny everything and delete their posts.”
“They could do it, my darling! You can sue someone for slander.”
“Is Raquelle probably hoping to win by suing the media or the one to post these articles?”
“I’m sure the situation would get clear early or late, and Raquelle would prove that she was slandered.”
“Ugh, everyone already knows. Raquelle has been revealed. If she ran here, it means she has something to be afraid of.”
“She ran away to come to herself and get ready to fight for her clean reputation.”
“Trust me, Lexi, she will never clean herself from the dirt she was showered with.”
“Jacqueline…”
“One day, you will have to pay. She couldn’t have people wrapped around her finger and make them believe in her good plans forever. Believe their favorite girl is really so sweet, kind, and innocent.”
“I’m starting to think I was wrong when I succumbed to everyone and believed those articles.”
“Besides, I don’t know why she got so famous.” Jacqueline tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. “That girl has always thought she was unreal and special, but it’s not true. She was just lucky to be found by a woman, who worked at the agency that used to collaborate with that girl. She was lucky because she wanted to promote her career.”
“Yeah, right.”
“At least, Raquelle herself said it. Everything might be different. I don’t personally doubt she was actually promoted by a rich lover.”
“Not everything can be gotten for money.”
“Money and contacts decide much, friend,” Jacqueline replies with her head proudly raised. “I do know it well. Thanks to my parents, who could easily help me solve any problem by just paying someone good money.”
“Yeah, but Raquelle worked so hard to get so famous.”
“Don’t make me laugh, Lexi! Everyone knows how that girl got into the modeling business. Raquelle is not as stupid as it seems. She quickly got it when she got a chance to get famous thanks to a rich sugar daddy.”
“Jacqueline…”
“Aren’t you surprised that she got famous so easily and started to get good offers so easily? It took a few months for that girl to get what many people have worked for ages. Someone actually retires without reaching anything.”
“So, do you think Raquelle paid for her fame at the age of seventeen?”
“Oh, Milton, don’t be such an idiot. Don’t you know that some gals start to fuck everyone much earlier?”
“Actually, Raquelle has had no serious relationships with anyone.”
“To have sex, you don’t have to have a relationship. Maybe, she’s really dated nobody, but she really has got great experience in sex things.”
“Jacqueline…”
“But now nobody would get a crush on that girl… Yes, maybe, many men were ready to move mountains for her. But now Cameron can forget it. Forget about gifts and proposals to get married.”
Jacqueline smirks evilly.
“Well, she doesn’t hurry to get married,” Jacqueline notices. “Really! Why would she exchange a chance to stand in front of a camera in a bikini to care about your man?”
“You get nothing, Underwood,” Alexis shakes her head.
“I wonder…” Jacqueline thinks for two seconds, putting a finger on her lip. “What do Cameron’s managers think of what their ward did? Does that woman regret agreeing to start promoting the one that would’ve stayed an unfamiliar girl and kept getting bullied by people of her age?”
“You decide: whether Raquelle got famous thanks to a sugar daddy, or that woman started to promote her,” Alexis says confidently.
“She probably did that for Cameron’s lover. He paid good money to her and asked her to become her manager. So, she’s working hard. She helped that girl get into the show business. And those people continued to close their eyes to her tricks for the time being and did their best not to let the media know it.”
“I doubt her managers would make Raquelle date someone by force and lie in someone’s bed.”
“But in the case of the anonymous that opened everyone’s eyes, they failed it. Or they no longer wanted to cover that girl. Because she annoyed them with her scandals. They decided to let the anonymous destroy her career and get off her.”
“You aren’t right, Jacqueline.”
“Okay, it doesn’t make sense to talk about that girl and her tricks now.” Jacqueline simpers quietly. “Raquelle Cameron lost everything she was trying to get for so long and hard. I’m imagining how she is suffering now. Everyone knows that girl has always been obsessed with her career. So, what happened is gonna be a strong hit for her.”
“If the media doesn’t stop bullying her, everyone will turn their backs on her,” Alexis says confidently.
“I hope they will not stop.”
“But, Jacqueline…”
“Stop, Lexi…”
“Listen, I thought the same as you do when I met her at Alicia’s apartment. And I couldn’t hold myself down from telling her everything I thought of her. But later, I started to understand I wasn’t right. The anonymous could slander her to get famous thanks to the famous enough person.”
“Stop defending her.”
“That girl is not what that person called her. I am sure Raquelle could not do the things they talked about.”
“You know, when people talk about them, they say still waters run deep,” Jacqueline says confidently and coldly. “Raquelle always tried to seem like an innocent angel and keep her clean reputation. But the truth is finally out, and people opened their eyes and realized how ‘cute and fluffy’ she actually was.”
“If you met her personally, you’d change your opinion.” Alexis moves a strand of hair off her face. “Believe me, she’s a very good girl that doesn’t deserve the mud she got showered with.”
“If she were a good girl, she would’ve never insulted everyone she was working with and pretended she’s God. She wouldn’t have thought everyone owed her. I told them to treat her especially and had hysterics when someone went against her.”
“She didn’t do that! Raquelle has always treated those she worked with very well.”
“Huh, it’s clear how well she treated…” Jacqueline blunts. “Every day, I read tons of articles on the Internet and watch shows, in which they discuss that egoistic bitch.”
“The media is happy to post a couple of articles to slander someone and make people much more sure she is really so bad.”
“Any lie and slander has a piece of the truth.”
“I personally doubt that people would close their eyes to Raquelle’s bad tricks if she did something.”
“Do you think Raquelle would tell her everything!”
“Alicia does know what the anonymous said about her and always says she would never believe any of their words.”
“Sorry!”
“I’m personally starting to understand that woman was right, and her niece didn’t do what she allegedly did in the opinion of the anonymous.”
“Okay, Lexi, let’s not talk about it…” Jacqueline exhales tiredly. “You can’t make me sure that girl loves nobody but herself.”
“I know,” Alexis nods. “So, I’m gonna insist upon nothing.”
“And none of your arguments will change my mind.”
“I think you will later understand I was absolutely right about Raquelle.”
“I doubt.”
“I’m sure it’s gonna be otherwise. And you’ll understand Raquelle is not as bad as you think.”
Jacqueline says nothing and just smiles shyly, still keeping her arms crossed over her chest. On the one hand, she wants to believe Alexis, who says Raquelle is not as terrible as someone, who spread terrible rumors about her, described her. But on the other hand, the girl does not exclude that fame could get obsessed with the young girl and make her pretend to be a worldwide celebrity and start to act like she is the center of the Universe.
Alexis does not aim to change the mind of her friend at once, but she is sure she will understand everything one beautiful day and regret all the words as well as Alicia’s neighbor. She is realizing more and more that the girl is actually not so bad and just became a victim of a bad person. But she asks herself why they decided to ruin Raquelle’s career and her good reputation.
***
Raquelle has been walking in the city in a slow step for a long enough time, hurrying nowhere and using the fact that today’s weather is just amazing. That’s why the girl is not going to go home right now and is visiting places, which she has loved since childhood, and which make her call memories of something nice, and goes to some shops to check what they are selling. Or she is just watching other people and everything that is happening to her.
The more time is gone, the less Raquelle thinks of what Terrence MacClife did to her. But the more she gets obsessed with the thoughts about Alicia and the secret she is hiding so hard. She does not doubt that her aunt is probably hiding something very important. The woman always finds excuses, lies, and makes her niece sure that everything is fine. The girl completely understands she should find out everything as soon as possible because it might be too late later. Who knows… Maybe, someday something terrible will happen and lead to some sad consequences.
Raquelle understands it could actually be a personal business of Alicia, which does not have to do with her. But a feeling tells her the problem with her aunt is serious enough. Her intuition says so. Yes, the girl does not always listen to the one, but it does not almost betray her and could warn her about something bad and lets her know she should not do one or another thing.
“I should find out what’s happening to Aunt Alicia as soon as possible and why she refused to say who she was talking with the last night,” Raquelle thinks with sadness in her eyes, slowly walking on the street with a little purse in her hands and feeling that a cold wind is blowing her face. “Because I’ve got a bad presentiment about this situation… It seems like all these problems might lead to sad consequences. For her… Or maybe, even me… I can’t exclude it…”
Raquelle tucks a strand of hair behind her ear.
“My intuition rarely betrays me,” Raquelle thinks. “It’s always shown me the right way. But I often do something different. Even if I understand that I might pay a too high cost for that later.”
Raquelle sighs heavily, glancing into the distance and watching a man and a woman going somewhere and talking about something with interest.
“Just like it happened in MacClife’s case,” Raquelle thinks, barely biting her lip. “My intuition told me I should’ve declined the offer of participating in that photoshoot. But I did not do that. For harmfulness. For a wish to mock that idiot.”
Raquelle swallows up nervously.
“But what’s the result of the story?” Raquelle thinks. “Everyone hates me and showers me with mud, and my reputation got worse. Those, who I was working with for many years, believe everything newspapers, magazines, and articles on the Internet post and even confirm it’s really true. I lost almost everything. Because of MacClife, who revenges me for rejecting him.”
Raquelle embraces herself with her arms.
“He got the fuck mad,” Raquelle thinks. “He got used to the fact that nobody refused to fuck him before. So, he decided to take revenge on me! But I wouldn’t be surprised if he took revenge on every girl, who dared to reject him. But MacClife himself never talks about it and keeps pretending to be an alpha male that is wanted by everyone.”
Raquelle chuckles quietly and keeps walking in the city, thinking about everything that is happening in her life. Honestly, it’s kind of weird for her to walk on the streets and not to stand out against others. To walk on the streets as an ordinary person. As a habitant of the large city. People used to recognize her often. Many of them photographed her against her wish on mobile phones and shared photos on social networks. And someone confidently came to her to ask for an autograph or a photo together and asked some questions.
But now people do not pay attention to Raquelle. As if there is not a worldwide celebrity among them. Nobody cares about it! Maybe, they are far from the world of celebrities… Maybe, they show respect for a personal life… Or maybe, someone recognizes her and either ignores her or talks about her secretly, so she does not know it. Who knows if those people on the streets of London where Raquelle is walking recognize her or understand who she is, but do not wish to talk to her. But now the girl could not be afraid of getting caught by someone, who would tell the world she had been noticed in this place. Let journalists and reporters know that they can come here and ask the former favorite model of many people all the questions they want.
Raquelle walks in the city for some time, examining all the possible places and checking out some good shops where she, however, buys nothing. And at some moment, slowly walking in the central alley where there are many enough people, the girl understands she has not called her grandfather Frederick since she arrived in London two days ago. But before getting on the airplane, she promised that she would call at once and then do this as frequently as possible.
“Oh, my God, Grandfather Frederick!” Raquelle thinks, stops sharply and rounds her eyes. “Damn, I forgot about him! I haven’t called him after I came here.”
Raquelle shakes her head.
“But I promised to call him after I came here and didn’t do that,” Raquelle thinks. “And I actually said I would often call him.”
Raquelle closes her mouth with her hand.
“God, I forgot it at all,” Raquelle thinks. “It got out of my mind because I got too busy with the problems of my auntie. Oh, God… He is probably sitting at home and worrying. Worrying about the idiot, who forgot him. God…”
Raquelle slaps herself on the forehead.
“I need to call him and let him know I’m really fine,” Raquelle thinks. “What if he thinks something happened to me. Okay… If I’m not mistaken, it’s supposed to be daytime in New York. So, I wouldn’t bother him if I talked to him right now.”
Raquelle thinks for two seconds.
“Yes, I'd rather call him right now,” Raquelle nods confidently. “Who knows… Maybe, he’d even tell me what to do to Aunt Alicia if I explained the situation. He’s a very wise man. Grandpa would surely help me find an answer to this mystery.”
Raquelle goes aside not to bother people. The girl opens her purse and searches for her mobile phone for some time. Fortunately, she finds it quickly, takes it, unlocks it, and, seeing that nobody called and sent her messages, types Frederick’s number. Raquelle does not have to wait for too long because she gets the answer at the end of the line quickly enough. And she can hear such a close and familiar voice of the man, who she misses so badly.
“Hello,” Frederick pronounces a little excitedly.
“Hi, Grandpa,” Raquelle greets with a shy smile. “It’s Raquelle.”
“Raquelle, my girl!” Frederick exhales with great relief. “Gosh, finally you’ve called me!”
“Sorry for not calling you after I landed in London.”
“Listen, I started to worry about you… I was waiting for your call, waiting… But you did not call and text me.”
“I’m sorry, Grandpa…” Raquelle apologizes shyly. “I’m really very sorry…”
“I even began to think something happened to you, and you did not land. Wanted to call Alicia and ask if you came to her.”
“It’s okay, don’t worry. I already came and am living at her home.”
“Listen, Granddaughter, don’t make your grandfather scared like this anymore. You know well how much his heart hurts when something is happening to you.”
“I know… Forgive me, please… It happened… I promise I will call you as often as possible from this time on. Sorry… I’m very sorry…”
“Okay,” Frederick pronounces much quieter with a quiet sigh. “Thank God, I can now calm down and stop worrying about how your flight was.”
“You can stop worrying. I had an amazing flight and reached Aunt Alicia’s home without problems.”
“Thank God! Then tell me, how are you doing? How’s your life in London?”
“Everything’s great about me,” Raquelle replies with a slight smile. “Life in London is incredible…”
“How much has changed after your last visit?”
“Erm… I must confess that almost nothing has changed since my last visit here. Of course, there’s something new, but everything’s still the same.”
“You walked somewhere?”
“Yup, I’ve walked in many places, which have been my favorite ones from childhood.”
“Great!”
“I’m now walking in one of them.”
“What about the weather?”
“Cold but sunny. Yesterday, we had strong snow. There is a lot of snow everywhere now.”
“Alright. Are you walking alone?”
“Yup, alone.”
“I thought you’d go somewhere with Alicia.”
“She can’t do it now. But she promised she’d take me someday, and we’d go somewhere together.”
“Alright…” Frederick quickly clears his throat. “How’s Alicia actually doing? I hope she is fine now?”
“And how’s she doing?” Frederick asks with interest. “Hope Alicia is absolutely fine now?”
“Well, how I can say it…” Raquelle pronounces thoughtfully.
“What?” Frederick frowns slightly.
“Erm…” Raquelle bites her lip slightly. “You know, Grandpa… There’s a problem…”
“Jesus Christ, Granddaughter, what are you talking about?” Frederick gets horrified.
“Honestly, I don’t know if I should talk about it… But I think I’d definitely need your piece of advice. Because I don’t know what to do.”
“Something serious happened to Alicia?”
“I believe so…”
“Tell me more.”
“The case is…” Raquelle sighs deeply, being a little excited. “Aunt Alicia is acting very strangely, Grandpa. She’s been kind of tense and scared by something since I came to visit her.”
“But why?” Frederick wonders.
“I don’t know. When I ask her what she’s hiding from me, and why she looks tired and a little scared, my aunt tries to make excuses and avoid an answer.”
“My gosh…”
“She is definitely worried about something but doesn’t want to say why.”
“Problems at work?”
“I dunno. Hardly. I don’t think she would look scared if the problem was about her job.”
“Listen, are you sure she’s got problems? What if you thought it up?”
“If only I did… Today at the breakfast, Aunt Alicia found any excuses not to explain the reasons why she looked kind of excited. And pretended that everything was fine so hard.”
“But what could happen to her?”
“I don’t know, Grandfather.” Raquelle falls into silence for two seconds. “But I have a bad presentiment.”
“Presentiment?” Frederick frowns slightly.
“Yup. I think she’s got very serious problems. And they might lead to something bad.”
“Listen, Raquelle, maybe, she doesn’t wanna say because It’s her personal business? What if there is something you shouldn’t know?”
“Of course, I understand it might be her personal business that has to do with her. But I think she needs someone’s help or advice.”
“Oh… I don’t know, sweetie, I don’t know…” Frederick frowns slightly and thinks for two seconds. “But it’s all so weird… Very weird…”
“For as long as I remember, Aunt was always very sanguine and optimistic,” Raquelle notices. “She never looked exhausted and powerless. And honestly, I barely recognize her now…”
“My gosh…” Frederick falls into silence for some time, still reflecting on what Raquelle told him. “It’s not unlike Alicia… She’s really always been a positive person, who’s always told the truth and never lied to anyone.”
“But now Aunt doesn’t look like a positive and funny woman,” Raquelle says confidently. “Yes, she jokes and laughs, but… I don’t see the fire in her eyes that she had before.”
“But what could happen?”
“I don’t exclude that she might have very serious problems,” Raquelle shrugs. “Maybe, someone disliked her as well as Terrence MacClife got hate for me and wanted to ruin her life.”
“Yeah…” Frederick pronounces thoughtfully and starts stroking his chin. “Maybe, you’re right… Maybe, that woman is really hiding something…”
“Her behavior scares me, Grandfather. I really wanna help her if I have a chance to do it. But I don’t even know what’s going on. I don’t know what would help her.”
“Interesting case…”
“What do I do, Grandpa?” Raquelle sighs heavily with sadness in her eyes. “How do I help her? I feel she has problems, but I don’t know how to help her. If I can’t help her by doing something, I could support her with words… Show my love and let her know I’d always listen to her if she wanted to talk.”
“Oh, Raquelle, I don’t even know what to advise you,” Frederick sighs quietly, shaking his head slightly. “You know, I can’t judge her behavior only according to what you said. I need to talk to her personally to make some conclusions and advise you on something.”
“I know… But I thought you could advise me something… What to… How to behave… How to discover her secret…”
“Maybe, you won't really meddle in this case?” Frederick falls into silence for a second. “What if it’s her personal business, which you don’t better meddle in? Everyone has secrets that we’ll never reveal, no matter what we can get for it. So, Alicia also wouldn’t like to show you all the cards.”
“I know,” Raquelle moves her eyes down and sighs quietly. “But even if something happened to her, she always told someone about it and asked for help.”
“Right…”
“But now my aunt is silent and says nothing to anyone. As if that woman did something terrible. Something like a sin… Or somewhat…”
“Oh, no… I doubt Alicia has committed some sins. She is a religious woman. She regularly goes to a crunch and prays to God.”
“Aunt barely sleeps and has circles under her eyes because of that.”
“So barely?”
“Yup. When I woke up today in the early morning and went to the kitchen, Aunt was already in the kitchen and was doing something there with some things, bowls and other things.”
“What’s wrong with it? I can’t also sleep much and would never fall asleep if I had a chance.”
“Yeah, but you do know she adored sleeping a little longer if she didn’t have to go to work.”
“You know, my sweetheart, only young people usually love sleeping much. When people get old, they want to do as much as possible and consider sleep a waste of time.”
“By the way… I almost forgot to tell you one thing that made me sure that my Aunt could have serious problems.”
“Really? And what?”
“You know…” Raquelle falls into silence and puts a finger to her lip. “Yesterday, before I went to sleep… Someone called Aunt Alicia.”
“Called?” Frederick wonders.
“Yes. Somewhere at eleven o’clock.”
“So late?”
“I was surprised, too. But I clearly heard that my aunt was talking with someone on the phone.”
“That’s how…”
“But when I asked her today in the morning, Aunt Alicia started to deny everything and make me sure that it seemed to me. I went crazy from worrying because of MacClife.”
“Really?”
“Yes, and I’m not lying. Aunt was really talking to someone.”
“What if it seemed to you? What if Alicia just made the volume of a TV louder? Or someone from her neighbor made it louder, but you could clearly hear it?”
“No, Grandpa, that wasn’t a TV!” Raquelle shakes her head. “I’m not thinking up!”
“What was she talking about?”
“I heard not the full talk, but I clearly heard Aunt should’ve done anything to someone and told them to leave her alone and let her live a quiet life.”
“Wanna say someone wants something from her?”
“Maybe. Probably, money or something like that. I don’t know.”
“Listen, maybe, something like that just seemed to you or happened in your dream?”
“No, Grandpa Frederick, it wasn’t my dream!” Raquelle protests confidently.
“But why would Alicia deny she was talking with someone?”
“I don’t know. But I will surely find it out.”
“Maybe, you won’t do it?”
“What if Aunt has serious problems? I’ve gotta help her before it’s too late!”
“So, what are you gonna do?”
“I don’t know… I will be just waiting and watching. And then I will decide. Besides, who knows… Maybe, Aunt Alicia will tell me everything someday. And I wouldn’t have to make her reveal all the secrets by force.”
“Okay, Raquelle, do what you want,” Frederick replies quietly. “But please, don’t get new problems. You have too many of yours, but you wanna solve the problems of someone else.”
“Okay, Grandpa, I’ll try,” Raquelle says with a slight smile.
“Or it would be better if you didn’t meddle in that case. It’s not your problem, but Alicia’s one.”
“I said I would be just watching Aunt and everything she is doing.”
“Oh, okay…” Frederick sighs tiredly. “If you think it’s right, do it.”
“Thanks, Grandpa.” Raquelle falls into silence for two seconds with a slight smile and quickly looks around. “Okay, I have to go. I have some business to do… AI just called the memories of the fact that I wanted to go to a shop and buy something for me. I found something interesting.”
“As you wish, honey,” Frederick replies amicably. “I will not bother you.”
“A little later, I’ll call you and tell you what’s happening to Aunt.”
“Yes, sweetie, please, call. Don’t forget your sick and old grandfather, who stayed all alone. Who feels so lonely without his beloved granddaughter.”
“Don’t say so, Grandpa!” Raquelle protests with a shy laugh. “You’re not old!”
“Why am I not old? I’m no longer a boy!”
“You’d slay any young guy!”
“But alas, honey, I will never be young. Your life lies in front of you, but mine is almost over.”
“But you’ve got the soul of a young guy. At the bottom of your heart, you are still a boy.”
“Aw, sweetie, don’t say that…” Frederick laughs shyly.
“It’s true, Grandpa.”
“Okay, maybe, you’re right. I don’t like thinking of getting old and wanna live while God gives me a chance.”
“I’m sure you’d find something to do while I’m spending time with my aunt. Before I come back and start living with you again.”
“Don’t worry about me, Granddaughter,” Frederick says shyly. “I will find something to do and a place to go. You better take care of yourself and have a good rest. So, you come back home, feeling fresh and funny.”
“Okay, I will do it.”
“Alright, I will not hold you longer. Go to do your business.”
“Buy, Grandpa!” Raquelle tucks a strand of hair behind her ear with a slight smile. “See you later!”
“Bye!”
Raquelle finishes the call, puts her smartphone in her purse, and starts thinking about something while going somewhere in a slow step, sometimes glancing at different sides at times and watching other people’s lives, who are busy with their business and going to do their business.
At some moment, Raquelle gets a notification on her smartphone. A short, loud sound let her know it as well as the slight vibration that she feels even through a purse. The girl frowns slightly, takes her phone again, unlocks it, and sees a notification about a new message in her email.
“Oh, no…” Raquelle moans tiredly. “When I turned on notifications about new letters, I got tons of them.”
Raquelle decides to check what she got with reluctance, being ready that she might see a bunch of letters from those, who hate her due to the current situation. And she really sees many emails from them. However, the girl does not check them and moves them to the trash not to get upset, even if she notices some people are not shy about telling her everything they have in their minds.
But at some moment, Raquelle finds another email without a subject and the name of the sender among many of them, which she got from the same email that Terrence MacClife possibly sent all the anonymous letters from.
“What?” Raquelle resents. “One more email? From the anonymous! MacClife is kidding me! He cannot leave me alone! He didn’t stop after getting blocked by me on Instagram.”
Raquelle growls quietly.
“Okay, what’s he writing to me this time?” Raquelle asks herself. “What kind of bullshit!”
Raquelle opens the email and starts to reading another long text from the one, who is definitely happy with what’s happening at the moment.
“So what, my dear Raquelle, hello!
How do you handle everything that’s happening to you? How many tears have you shed? Are you not regretting not listening to me and not quitting your modeling career? You are now suffering and understanding that it’s getting ruined slowly but rightly? All your fans are turning their backs on you little by little. Who, it seems like, admired you some time ago and made you their role model, but now they hate you and wish you all the worst!
Now I understand why you disappeared somewhere. Nobody has been able to find you for two days. Everyone is looking for you, but they cannot do this! Where are you, beautiful? Where are you hiding? Did you get so scared and decide to hide at your home with the hope that everything would be solved by itself? It will not, my sweetie! Even if you are going to spend your whole life inside four walls, it will change nothing.
Are you wondering whether I am happy with what’s happening? I will answer! Very happy! I am happy! And I smile widely when reading all the articles about you acting like a selfish diva. Besides, I can see everything your fans are talking about. They madly hate you, regret praising you to the sky, and unfollow all your accounts on social networks. They are probably sending you tons of negative messages in your email. How quickly did you find my email among the many negative ones? I think not very quickly! You were supposed to get emails from those, who are disappointed in you so much.
But even if you are suffering now, and people hate you and believe everything I tell them, it’s not enough for me. Yes, not enough! I want more! And I will keep working on my operation to destroy your career. Trust me, it’s easy for me because I have good familiars, who would do anything I want for me. They could even publish an article that showers your name with mud. But I want to say that not everything you are reading is my work. Something is true. Some people are really saying negative things about you. Many of your former colleagues decided to speak and tell everyone about the breakdowns you had.
Yes, you would say you did nothing and are not guilty of anything. But those, who you hurt somehow, even if you did it accidentally, will never forget it. And they will be happy to take a chance to help me destroy your career. I would not even hate to persuade them because they would do this at their wish. And I truly hope someday those people will show up and take the first steps to destroy your career and your perfect reputation.
Are you still wondering who I am, when I would reveal myself to the whole world and explain why I am doing all of this? Alas, Raquelle, but it’s not time yet. I will be hiding. And making you guess. I believe you have some guesses about who could hurt you like this. Yeah? If it’s so, that’s good! Wonderful! But before charging someone, first get proof. It’s going to be bad if you attack someone with charges, but someone is guilty of nothing.
Maybe, a little later, I shall give you some tips that will help you reveal me. Maybe, I will say it openly if you want to blame someone openly. Or maybe, I will keep it a secret until the very end. I will reveal myself when I think it’s time. Who knows. Anyway, wait for my future emails. I am not saying goodbye to you.”
Raquelle shakes her head, locks the phone screen, and tightly squeezes it in her hand.
“Oh, MacClife, oh, cad…” Raquelle thinks gloomily. “So, you are not saying goodbye to me… So, alright, then. It will be worse for you if you do not stop.”
Raquelle proudly raises her head up.
“Send me as many emails as you want – I shall print all of them and go to the police,” Raquelle promises. “I shall charge you for slandering and threatening me. I shall also do my best to ruin the career of a fucking actor to the fuck. I swear you will do no away from me so easily.”
Raquelle exhales sharply and keeps walking in the city for a long enough time, viewing the landscapes of the city and not stopping admiring the places she just adores. Also, the girl gets to visit a couple of shops and buy a couple of things she liked.
However… Even though this walk gives her pleasure, she does not stop thinking of Alicia, her strange behavior, and the secrets she is hiding. She is making more sure about her wish to watch her aunt closely, take notes about something, and think about what to do. And the situation with Terrence also bothers her and makes her understand that she would hardly forget that man because he does not want to leave her life and leave the girl alone.
***
The United States of America, New York. The time after lunch. As usual, people rush to do their business, not noticing what's happening around them because they are too busy with their personal problems. Someone is working too hard, someone is studying, someone is going to a store… And someone is walking in the city spending time either alone or with someone or doing something yet.
The dark-haired man, whose name is Terrence MacClife, is now sitting at home. He has lately been thoughtful and cannot stop thinking about something while doing his business. And there is only one explanation for that… The girl named Raquelle Cameron. She got obsessed with the man’s mind. That’s the girl that everyone is trying to find in New York, while she is actually in London.
All this time, Terrence has not stopped trying to find the girl, whom he cannot forget yet. That non-obedient, headstrong beauty wakes up as many emotions inside them as any other girl has never done before. Her non-typical behavior causes passion and a wish to do his best to make her belong to him and make her fall in love with him. By the way, he still cannot forget the first kiss they shared when they were obsessed with anger. It was probably the best one in his life. Kissing Raquelle was something incredible. Something dizzying. Something that he would like to repeat.
Terrence is already aware of what newspapers and magazines have written about her. He knows they try to make her terrible for people. He has been closely watching what the media and people say about her and how everyone gets resentful more and more because of the behavior of the one, who has been pretending to be an angel for many years. And it should be noted that he does not like it at all. He does not like that someone is shamelessly humiliating Raquelle and slandering her by publishing humiliating notes in magazines, newspapers, and interviews.
“Meanwhile, a certain bastard keeps showering that girl with mud,” Terrence frowns slightly, sitting on the bed in his apartment that he has been renting for ages. “It’s been a few days, but notes about her keep being published. It seems like there is no end to this hell. Someone definitely wanted to hurt that girl and do their best to humiliate her for the whole world and destroy her career.”
Terrence moans tiredly.
“I wonder if all of this will end?” Terrence wonders. “Everyone that has ever worked with her turned their back on her! I haven’t seen anyone publicly defending her and telling that person to shut up. Anyone! Nobody has the courage to ask for proof of what someone blamed Raquelle for. To say something, you should prove it somehow. That person did not definitely think about it. They believe everyone would believe them.”
Terrence runs his hands over his hair.
“I hope that girl will not think that I spread rumors about her,” Terrence frowns slightly. “What if she believes it was all my work as she and I fought on the photoshoot, and I shouted that I would destroy her career in anger. But I did nothing! I never thought of doing it! I don’t know who spread the rumors. I also wanna find out who dared to do that.”
Terrence raises his head proudly.
“If she really thinks so, I should talk to her as soon as possible and let her know I am not guilty of anything,” Terrence decides. “I doubt we could have a good talk, but I should deny all of her possible guesses.”
At some moment, an issue of news about celebrities’ lives starts translating on the TV, which is working at a high volume. However, Terrence does not care about it until a certain moment. But when the man hears how the young host wearing a slim, tight black dress calls the name of the model, Raquelle Cameron, he puts his thoughts aside and starts to listen to everything she says.
“And now some news from celebrities’ life,” the host announces with a slight smile.
On the screen of the TV, one of Raquelle’s photos is shown, and there is a line, in which the signature “The humiliated for the whole world model was brought to clean water and ran away from shame.” is written.
“The twenty-three-year-old model, Raquelle Cameron, suddenly disappeared a few days ago after we got news about her bad behavior during the shootings, which nobody said anything about for many years,” the host of the issue jabs without emotions in the voice. “I am reminding you that the model regularly insulted and humiliated her colleagues and a crew team. Cameron began to praise herself to the sky and say everyone owed her.”
“Oh, yeah, sure!” Terrence resents. “Did you ask for proofs?”
“After the rumors about the model’s behavior were spread, Raquelle Cameron stopped being available to her close people. Nobody knows anything about her, and the paparazzi and her fans cannot still take a photo of the model. Nobody knows what happened to the girl, and where she is now. Her managers still cannot contact her and have to cancel the scheduled shootings she should have had. But it should be noted that she does not have too much work because many people refused to collaborate with her and claim they no longer want to work with her.”
“Yeah, nobody has seen and heard her for several days,” Terrence frowns slightly, watching the TV with his arms crossed over his chest. “I wonder where she is now? Is she really hiding at her home? Does she think that everything will get better by itself?”
Terrence says nothing for a second.
“Or maybe, she actually ran away somewhere? But I don’t know how she managed to stay invisible. If someone had recognized her, that girl would’ve been photographed. Photos would’ve immediately been published on all the social networks. And that bitch would’ve had to answer a hundred questions from her fans and journalists.”
Terrence sighs tiredly and continues to listen to the girl, who is loudly jabbing, holding a piece of paper in her hands, and confidently looking into the camera.
“Some time ago, journalists found some friends of Cameron. But sadly, they do not give any comments about their friend and tell them not to ask them any questions about her anymore. Besides, they also found the closest relative of Raquelle. Her grandfather, Frederick Cameron, was more talkative but told the media that he knew nothing about his granddaughter’s disappearance. The man said it in a talk with a journalist from one of the famous Internet portals. Here are the words he said:”
The girl moves her eyes to the tablet she is holding and starts quoting Frederick’s words:
“Unfortunately, I do not know where my granddaughter is and know nothing about her current location. Please, do not bother me with this question anymore.”
And then the girl moves her eyes to the camera and starts speaking much liver, gesticulating actively.
“Of course, you, viewers, cannot be indifferent to this situation,” the girl says more cheerfully. “Because Ms. Cameron was a favorite girl of men and a role model for teenage girls. That girl always taught us to stay strong, brave, and happy in any situation. We closely examined all the comments of the Internet users and can notice that they were separated into two teams: the first one judges Raquelle and praises the anonymous, and the other blames them for slandering and defending their favorite girl, Cameron. And I want to notice that everyone was judging Ms. Cameron for what she did. But now the situation has changed a little, and the models have some defenders. Or at least, those, who are neutral. Right now, I will now read a couple of comments from users on social networks about the scandal, which the famous model got into.”
Then a couple of comments by Internet users are shown on the screen, and the host quotes them as well.
“I was always a fan of Raquelle Cameron. Because she is just a beautiful and clever girl! I mean, I thought so. But when I found out what she did to those, to whom she must have been thankful as they made her famous, my opinion changed for the worse. I truly admire the one, who decided to open people’s eyes and say she is a nasty and rude girl. And I am encouraging that hero to show up themselves, so we can thank them for letting us know that second-rate model had us wrapped around her finger,” one user comments on the situation.
“I think the anonymous person, who told these things, just wanted to get popular by using Raquelle’s name. Moreover, you can post anything on the Internet under any name and make everyone believe it. So, I am sure the poor girl just became a victim of the one, who wanted to humiliate her for the whole world. So, people, let’s not attack that girl and swear on her. What if she is guilty of nothing, and you attacked the poor girl and bullied her like that? Raquelle was never involved in scandals and always had a perfect reputation. At least, I think that girl is very sweet, kind, and educated…” the host quotes another user.
“Hallelujah, at least someone thinks soberly and doesn’t believe everything someone, who spread the false rumors,” Terrence says under his nose gloomily, still watching the reportage with his arms crossed over his chest. “And I thought everybody went insane.”
“Sadly, the one to decide to tell everyone about Raquelle’s real side does not want to introduce themselves to the whole world yet and prefers staying anonymous. But the weekly magazine ‘Celebrity Universe’ keeps posting new notes, and people now buy it much more as they give exclusive information about this case. The Internet users’ opinions are also different. Someone thinks the anonymous would show up and give more information about who Raquelle Cameron actually is. And someone believes that person is just a coward and hid from everyone not to ask for trouble, insults, and charges for the lie.”
“Yeah,” Terrence smirks quietly. “I would also like to know who that person is. And when they would love to show up and tell everything, looking into people’s eyes.”
Terrence shakes his head.
“Is that person really afraid that the truth will come out?” Terrence wonders. “Afraid that people will find out everything and bully them? They probably understand that it will happen. If people know Cameron was slandered, they will hate all the hatred. No matter who they are, they will have to regret much.”
“This is the information we know so far,” the host says with a slight smile. “But our colleagues from other channels and us will surely be telling you any news about this scandal that is actively discussed not only by the Internet users. Stay with us, and you will be the first one to know everything!”
A five-second intro for the show starts translating on the screen of the TV, and then a commercial that people usually, rarely watch starts translating.
“Alright, I’m done with hearing this fucking bullshit!” Terrence throws in a much lower voice.
The resentful Terrence takes the remote placed near him, turns off the TV, throws this thing aside, exhales sharply, and runs his hands over his face.
“When will all of that end?” Terrence wonders. “They haven't been able to calm down and leave the poor girl alone for several days!”
Terrence growls quietly.
“These journalists and reporters do wanna get much money from the scandal,” Terrence adds. “Now they have such an amazing chance to do. The innocent girl that was never a part of a scandal turned out to be terrible for everyone. Good reason to post a couple of articles!”
Terrence leans his head back and exhales sharply again, being a little excited and resentful because of the current situation.
“Damn, I need to find her as soon as possible,” Terrence thinks. “I need to talk to that girl! I wanna let her know I’m guilty of nothing as soon as possible. I’ve gotta make everything clear.”
Terrence swallows up nervously.
“And try to get on well with her,” Terrence thinks with his head proudly raised. “I must admit that I behaved not very well towards her. So, I wanna suggest she lives in peace. And let her know that I… I can help her… Yes, I can help her restore her reputation. Help her stop the author of the rumors. My word means very much. People would believe me if I defended her.”
Terrence glances aside.
“If nobody wants to defend Raquelle, I will do this with great pleasure,” Terrence thinks. “Despite our relationship, I do care about what’s gonna happen to that girl. She shouldn't suffer because of a sick bastard. May Raquelle know she can always count on my help and my support. I will not support those rams and wait for them to wake up and realize it was slander. If I can put an end to this story, I shall do this.”
Terrence scratches the back of his head and frowns slightly.
“Besides, I’m not still going to give up on my wish to do my best to seduce that cutie,” Terrence thinks. “Even if she went somewhere, I must find her in any way. And no longer let her go. Give her to nobody else.”
Terrence slowly stretches himself and locks his fingers tightly.
“I don’t want any other men to wrap around her,” Terrence thinks. “I don’t want someone else to get her. I was the first one to meet her, and I must get her! And I swear she will be mine early or late. That girl will lie in a bed with me and do everything I want.”
Terrence cracks a slight smile.
“Since I liked our first kiss, which was incredibly hot, she’s gonna be good at sex, too,” Terrence assumes. “I’d kiss her whole body with great pleasure… How I want to touch it again… M-m-m…”
Terrence smiles much wider, thinking of the moments when he was hugging and kissing Raquelle, who liked it somehow, even if she was hiding it so hard. And their first, hot kiss will always be one of the brightest memories of him in his whole life.
“I really have a crush on that girl, who is more beautiful in real life than on the cover of a magazine,” Terrence confesses. “Such a sexy cutie can’t leave anyone indifferent. Any man wants to take her to bed so badly. That girl definitely knows how to please a man. However, a glance of that cutie already drives me crazy and makes me want her…”
Terrence moves her eyes to the window with a sly smile.
“Don’t think you will easily get off me, Raquelle Cameron,” Terrence thinks. “I shall do my best for you to fall in front of me and look into my eyes as well as all the girls do. I will not calm down until you’re mine.”
Terrence chuckles kindly.
“Due to the current situation, this game is getting more interested,” Terrence thinks. “I don’t have her number. I don’t know any of her familiars. There is nothing that would help me find that cutie. So, it’s much more interesting to run after her than anyone else. She is like an unbreakable wall. Behind which many interesting things might be hidden… So, I will keep playing this game and find Raquelle early or late. She will surely be mine. My girlfriend. Or, maybe, even my wife. Who knows…”
Terrence thinks for some time with a sly smile, considering a search for Raquelle as an interesting quest that he really wants to complete. To do this to get such a wanted prize. Yes, this game seems hard due to the tense relationship between them and her sudden disappearance. But that’s why it’s very interesting for the man. He wants to help the girl restore her reputation, prove that he did not do anything, and also do his best to conquer the one he got a crush on from the first seconds after meeting her.
At some moment, Terrence sees the screen of his smartphone turns on, and the phone makes a quiet vibration and a loud sound. It lets the man know he received a message. So, he takes the phone in his hands, unlocks the screen, and checks the messages list, among which he sees a new incoming message from a certain Jack. At least, this name is shown on the screen.
“Hey, Terrence, do you remember you told me you wanna find the girl, who was a model, called Raquelle? So, I can help you a little… Of course, I don’t know why you’d run after that selfish girl, but still… The case is that I have a familiar. He recently told me he has some information that could help you find that model.”
Terrence starts typing his reply on his phone, instantly getting a little hope of getting what he wants.
“Yes, yes, I remember. But what could your familiar give me? Does he know Raquelle personally and know how to help me contact that girl? It would be really cool! I really wanna meet that girl.”
Terrence gets an answer to his message from Jack quite quickly.
“The case is that my familiar somehow saw Raquelle somewhere and can say where she went. I don’t know where she went, but I know she is not in New York now. That person is the only one to know all the truth.”
Terrence sends the following reply message with a slight smile:
“Okay, tell that man I’m ready to meet him at any time. We better do this as soon as possible because I can’t really wait to meet that girl.”
Jack sends his message quickly enough.
“Great! Then I’m suggesting you meet me right now! If you came, I’d introduce you to the person, who could help you. He would tell you everything, and you’d try to find that model that ran away from here.”
Terrence decides not to waste time and quickly sends his answer:
“Okay, I agree. Just tell me where to go, and I will be there immediately.”
Terrence gets a very short message with the café name where he will be expected to be.
“My familiar and I will be waiting for you in the summer café ‘Summer Sunshine’ in one hour. Fine?”
Terrence nods with a slight smile and sends his reply:
“Okay, deal! I’ll be there just in time. I’m gonna go there right now. Wait for me!”
Terrence decides not to waste time and to get immediately ready to go to the meeting, which could be the only way to find Raquelle. The man quickly gets up from the bed with this thought and comes to the closest to pick up clothes to go outside, hoping it will help him meet the girl and reach his main goal – to get the love of her.
***
Some time later, Raquelle comes back to Alicia’s home with some things she bought in the shops. This time, she decided not to catch a taxi and to take a ride on the public transport that she uses, even after she got famous around the world and got her own automobile. During the trip on a bus, the girl looked at everything she passed by with interest. And after she reaches the stop she needs, the brunette takes some distance on her feet before she reaches the building she needs. When the girl wants to carry her purchases into her room, she gets obsessed with a bad presentiment. She understands that it’s suspiciously quiet in the apartment. Alicia is not in the living room. There is not a note anywhere.
Although there is no reason for that, Raquelle suddenly starts to think something terrible could happen. And knowing Alicia is definitely trying to solve her problems with someone, who called her yesterday in the late evening, she would not be surprised if it was the truth. The girl starts carefully walking around the whole apartment and checking all the rooms, but she does not find her aunt or anything suspicious.
At some moment, she suddenly hears the exciting voice of Alexis, who shows up from nowhere and looks scared enough. She looks like she was attacked by a robber, who threatened her with a gun.
“Raquelle, Raquelle!” Alexis jabs excitedly, coming to Raquelle. “Thank God!”
Raquelle turns on the call sharply.
“Lexi?” Raquelle pronounces surprisingly. “Are you here?”
“Thank God, you’ve come!”
“What’s wrong? Why are you so scared?”
“Something terrible happened here.”
“What? What do you mean?”
“I don’t know… But something happened!”
“Gosh, you’re so white…” Raquelle closely looks at Alexis, who looks at the girl with her widely open eyes and looks white enough. “What happened to you? It seems like someone threatened you.”
“The case is not about me,” Alexis says much quieter. “But your aunt.”
“My aunt?”
“Something happened to Alicia while you weren’t here. She looks terribly excited.”
“Oh, God…” Raquelle looks at Alexis with a scare in her eyes, shaking her head and getting a little white from horror. “What’s wrong? What happened to my aunt?”
“I don’t know what exactly happened…” Alexis says in a little shaking voice, breathing heavily enough from excitement. “But… Something bad, definitely…”
“Please, Lexi, hide nothing from me. Where’s Aunt Alicia, and what happened to her?”
“The case is that I…”
Alexis tucks a strand of hair behind her ear with a shaking hand.
“I was walking in the park with my friend,” Alexis jabs excitedly, breathing heavily enough. “And while we were walking, Alicia called me and asked me to buy something for her. So, I said goodbye to my friend and went to a shop.”
Alexis says nothing for two seconds to exhale slowly.
“I quickly brought everything, came back home, and talked to my mom a little,” Alexis says. “And then I decided to go to the home of your aunt and give her all the purchases. But I quickly found out that the door was barely closed. It scared me, and I decided to come in. I thought Alicia felt bad. And after I came to her room, I saw that woman was sitting on the bed and looking terribly white and was kind of dumbfounded after something.”
***
Earlier on the same day.
The young girl named Alexis Milton comes back home with big packs of purchases that she leaves at home and sorts out quickly. But something was bought for her neighbor Alicia, who is living against her and has a good relationship with her mother, Valeria, with whom she drinks a cup of tea or coffee at times.
And after finally sorting out all the purchases and talking to her mother on the phone a little, the girl decides to visit Alicia and give her what she asked her to buy. She puts all the purchases she needs in a small packet, quietly goes to the exit from the apartment, locks the door with a key, and comes to the one that is placed against her. Alexis presses the doorbell two times and waits for a reaction, but does not get it. So, the girl tries to call again a few seconds later. And this time, she also gets no response.
“It’s all so weird…” Alexis frowns slightly. “Why doesn’t Alicia come to the door? She always does it very quickly! Or isn’t she just home now?”
Alexis tries to ring the doorbell again but gets no result. She thinks Alicia is really not at home and decides to give all the purchases to her later. But when she is going to turn around and leave, she throws a look at the door, which is barely closed and not locked with a key. It makes her suspicious because Alicia never leaves the door unlocked and does not especially close it barely. After hesitating for a few seconds, the young blonde decides to enter the apartment and check out if everything is fine here. She is not afraid of entering it without permission, because Alicia often asks her to watch something. That’s why she has keys to the apartment, where she can go at any time.
Because Alexis gets more obsessed with a bad presentiment, she carefully opens the door and slowly enters the apartment, hesitantly looking around. She quickly notices things that are lying on the floor but were placed in a little closet, which is placed in the hall. It makes her heart squeeze, but she keeps moving on with her eyes full of scare and gets much more shocked when she sees a total mess and things thrown in all the rooms.
“My God, what happened here?” Alexis wonders, looking around with horror in her eyes and a slightly open mouth. “Was someone in Alicia’s apartment? Did someone rob her? Everything is turned upside down in this apartment for a reason. I see no other explanation for it.”
Alexis frowns slightly.
“But where’s Alicia?” Alexis asks herself. “Is she home? Or she is not here? Does that woman know what happened here?”
And after checking almost all the rooms, Alexis carefully goes to Alicia’s room, where she has not been yet. When she slightly opens the door, she sees that everything is turned upside down as well, and the scared woman is sitting on the bed, keeping her scared, widely open eyes into the distance and shaking slightly from fear caused by an unknown reason. She does not react to the pretense of her neighbor and keeps thinking about something horrible.
“Oh, God…” Alexis pronounces quietly. “Alicia…”
Alexis quickly comes to Alicia sitting on the bed and sits down next to her. Then the woman moves her scared look to her.
“Lexi?” Alicia wonders and sniffs quietly.
“What happened here, Alicia?” Alexis shows anxiety. “Why is your whole apartment turned upside down?”
“Yeah… Upside down…”
“I wanted to come to you and give what you asked me to buy. But when I came here, I saw the door wasn’t locked, and something horrible happened in the apartment.”
“They robbed me…” Alicia pronounces with horror in a shaking voice, shaking her head.
“What?”
“They took my money.”
“Money?”
“Those people came here to steal all the money that they could find…”
“My gosh, did that woman come and threaten you?”
“Her accomplices… They came here and turned this apartment upside down…”
“Gosh, she went really crazy because of the money! She’s literally ready to kill you for it!”
“I know, but I can do nothing.”
“Maybe, you should better agree and give that woman everything she wants?”
“No, Lexi, I’m not able to give her the full amount at once. She doesn’t want me to pay it in little parts. She needs everything immediately.”
“But she can kill you if you don’t do this.”
“Yeah, but I don’t have and will not have so much money.”
“Alicia, please…”
“Luckily, they didn’t find my secret place where I have some money for a rainy day.”
“They did something to you?”
“Yes… Those people threatened me. They said that woman would not forget the fact that I refused to have a deal with her.”
“If I were instead of you, I would give her everything she wanted and live a quiet life. You got yourself exhausted because of that woman and can’t literally sleep at night.”
“I can’t do it, Lexi. I can’t do it.”
“Wait, what is this?”
Alexis moves a few strands of disheveled hair off Alicia’s forehead and sees a little bruise on it.
“My gosh…” Alexis pronounces in a little shaking voice, rounding her eyes. “My gosh…”
Alexis moves her eyes to Alicia’s arms, looks at them, and sees a couple of bruises on them.
“You’ve got bruises!” Alexis gets horrified. “Alicia… What did those people do to you?”
“It was horrible…” Alicia pronounces in a shaking voice and sniffs quietly. “I thought they would kill me right here… Or beat me black-and-blue.”
“God, Alicia…” Alexis embraces Alicia in her arms and softly caresses her back while the woman sniffs quietly and is still shaking from fear caused by the visit of some people. “Calm down, please, it’s okay… Be happy they did nothing to you.”
“God saved me…” Alicia says quietly. “He did not let those people kill me right here.”
“Does that woman want to get the money so much that she’s literally ready to cut your throat for it?”
“It’s clear she does.”
“Listen, Alicia…”
“They will find me and Raquelle, Lexi.” Alicia steps back from Alexis and tightly takes her hands, looking into her eyes with tears. “That woman wants to find not just me, but also my niece.”
“What?” Alexis rounds her eyes. “Raquelle?”
“Those people said that woman knew Raquelle came here.”
“But how?”
“I don’t know… They probably watch me. My apartment.”
“My gosh…”
“I will not take it if something happens to her. I don’t want Raquelle to run into that woman or her people. They will show no mercy for her!”
“Was Raquelle home when those people came to you?”
“Thank God, no!” Alicia puts her hand on her heart. “I have thanked God thousands of times for not letting my girl stay at home. Or those people would have done something to her.”
“What if she meets them?”
“I must not let it happen.”
“How?”
“I don’t know. But I must protect her.”
“You should tell her that the woman threatened you and sent her people here to ruin the apartment and steal all your money.”
“No, Lexi!” Alicia cuts off sharply, rounding her red, tear-stained eyes. “I will say nothing to her! And you don’t dare to tell her anything!”
“Are you going to lie to her and say that everything’s okay? Will you make her sure that nothing is happening?”
“I invited her here not to make her solve my problems. My niece should have a good time here.”
“But, Alicia… You would have to do it anyway.”
“I shall hide the truth from her until the end.”
“I don’t understand you! That woman literally wants to kill you, but you don’t want to tell your niece anything and refuse to go to the police and report that crazy one.”
“No, Lexi!” Alicia protests. “No police will be involved! If I go there, it’s gonna be the death of me and Raquelle! But I can’t let that snake do something to my girl. You know well that I am ready to tear anyone for her. Even that woman.”
“Yeah, but she shall be chasing you until she gets what she wants. Until you agree to follow her conditions!”
“I will not dance attendance upon her!”
“Are you ready to let everything happen as it wants and to always live with fear for you and that girl?”
“I said everything, Lexi!” Alicia says in a low voice, shaking a finger in front of Alexis.
“Raquelle has a right to know everything. You’re doing a bad thing, making her sure that nothing is happening.”
“She doesn’t have to do with this case. I’m not going to get Raquelle involved in her problems.”
“By coming here, Raquelle already got involved in this story.”
“That woman can do whatever she wants, but Eleanor Woodham will not dare to hurt my Raquelle. I shall strangle her with my own hands if she touches my girl, even with a finger.”
“Alicia, please…” Alexis begs with pity in her eyes.
“Please, Lexi, don’t tell her not only about Eleanor. Don’t tell her about that woman and the mess her accomplices left.”
“What? Don’t tell her about the mess? What if she comes back and sees all of this?”
“When I come to myself, I will put everything in the right place. If she gets some questions, I will just say I was cleaning my home.”
“Then I will help you move all the things off and throw off what’s been broken.”
“Yes, yes, help me, please. I can’t do this alone.”
“But remember that early or late, you will have to confess to Raquelle everything and tell her what that woman needs from you.”
“I shall be doing my best for her never to know it.”
“She would probably love to help you.”
“I love my niece with all my heart and understand I’m doing a bad thing to her. But I don’t want her to know these things.”
“But, Alicia…”
“And she will not know.”
“Something tells me she’s watching you and suspecting something.”
“I shall find what to say.”
“If only she didn’t run into the people of Eleanor and suffer because of them.”
“Don’t worry, Lexi, those people have left with nothing and will hardly be back here again,” Alicia says hesitantly in a shaking voice.
“What if they’re back?”
“I doubt. They came here with a goal – to steal as much money as they could find. But they could not find too much.”
“My God, you are ready to take all of this because of the money!” Alexis shakes her head. “I don’t get it.”
“Don’t think about it, honey,” Alicia pronounces softly. “Thank God, I’m fine and didn’t suffer from those people.”
“Are you really alright?”
“Yes, yes, don’t worry.”
“How much does your forehead hurt?” Alexis closely looks at the bruise on Alicia’s forehead. “The bruise is quite clear… You would hardly hide it from Raquelle…”
“It hurts a little, but it will be gone soon,” Alicia puts on a smile.
“Nothing more hurts?”
“No, everything’s alright. Some blood got out of my nose, but then everything was gone…”
“But what do you do to bruises?”
“I shall cover my bruises with cosmetics. So, Raquelle will not see anything.”
“Listen, maybe, you go to the hospital? Hits on the forehead and nose bleeding are serious things. What if something terrible happened to you?”
“No, no, Lexi, I won’t go to the hospital,” Alicia shakes her head. “It’s alright… I feel great.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes… Sure… Sure…”
Alicia falls into silence and sniffs quietly, still shaking from the strong scare and worrying because something terrible might happen to her or Raquelle, who, as she said, also got threats from some people.
“Okay, let’s talk about Raquelle and that woman later,” Alexis decides confidently, hugging Alicia around the shoulders. “But now you need to calm down… You’re very white and shaking from fear very much…”
“I was terribly frightened, Lexi,” Alicia confesses in a shaking voice. “First, I tried to hold on somehow and not to show my fear, but those people terrified me so much that I had only to pray to God about all of that to be over as soon as possible.”
“It’s all over, Alicia,” Alexis says softly, caressing Alicia’s shoulders to calm her down. “Calm down, please. Those people left. Left.”
“I’m in a danger… A great danger… That witch will destroy me… Destroy… Destroy…”
Alicia starts looking into the distance and doubles over, getting horrified from thinking about something bad, not stopping shaking, and feeling how fast her heart is beating. Alexis watches the woman with pity in her eyes for a few seconds and tries to calm her down with words, hugs, or caressing her shoulder.
“Gosh, they did scare you too much!” Alexis gets horrified. “You’re so shaking…”
“That woman is my punishment,” Alicia shakes her head. “Horrible punishment.”
“If you gave her what she wanted, Eleanor Woodham would leave you alone.”
“No, Lexi, she will not do.”
“Okay, let’s talk about it later.” Alexis puts her hand on her forehead. “Let me give you some sedative and strong tea. And check your blood pressure… I don’t like your exhausting look.”
“They will kill me…” Alicia says under her nose quietly, shaking her head. “Kill… And will move no eyebrow… I'm gonna be dead… A danger is threatening to me…”
“Alright, sit here, please. But I will find a sedative and put the kettle on for tea. And when you get better, I will clean up the apartment and bring everything to the right places. I will be back now. Go nowhere. I will be back no…”
Alexis gets up and quickly goes to the kitchen to find the cures she needs that will help the excited Alicia get a little better and stop being so nervous after what happened to her. Well, the woman stays in her room and keeps looking at the same thing with her dumbfounded eyes, not stopping to think about what would happen to her after the threats she got and about how to save her niece Raquelle from something horrible that might happen if a certain Eleanor Woodham decided to go much further.
***
“I was so worried about her that I barely braced myself and decided what to do,” Alexis confesses excitedly, not saying that everything was much worse than it seemed by the plea of Alicia. “I tried to find out what happened, but she could say no word. She just said something unclear that I couldn’t figure out.”
“Gosh, what actually happened here?” Raquelle wonders, closing her mouth with her hand. “Did she still explain nothing?”
“Nope… Alicia couldn’t say anything because she was too scared and shaking from fear. But I’ve got a feeling that something happened to Alicia when she was home alone.”
“Do you think something horrible happened?”
“I don’t exclude…” Alexis inclines her head for two seconds, then moves her eyes to Raquelle, and looks at her with pity in her eyes. “I’m worried about her, Raquelle. Alicia never had a condition like this. My heart was squeezing when looking at her…”
“Oh, my gosh…” Raquelle shakes her head with horror in her eyes.
“Besides, when I came here, the door to the apartment wasn’t locked.”
“Wasn’t locked?”
“Yup, just closed slightly.”
“Wow…”
“If someone had known, anyone would’ve come here without problems! I didn’t even have to go home to take the keys to get into here.”
“Something horrible really happened here…” Raquelle shakes her head. “I don’t like all of this. Maybe, someone tried to rob her?”
“No, nobody has ever been robbed here,” Alexis protests. “As long as my mom and I live here, none of our neighbors have been robbed.”
“But what happened then?”
“I don’t know, Raquelle, I can say nothing.”
“Where’s Aunt now? Is she in her room?”
“Yes, yes, Alicia is in her room,” Alexis says much quieter.
“How does she feel now?”
“I gave her a cup of strong tea and made sure to eat something. Now Alicia is lying and having a rest.”
“Oh, my gosh…”
“Due to excitement, she had high blood pressure, but I brought her condition back to normal thanks to tablets.”
“Maybe, we should call an ambulance?”
“I didn’t call a doctor because I managed to do it by myself. And Alicia didn’t want me to call an ambulance or take her to a hospital.”
“At least, she got better,” Raquelle exhales quietly. “That’s very good.”
“You can go to her if you want. She’s now in her room. Coming to herself after I gave her everything she needed.”
“Yes, yes, I’ll go to her right now.”
Raquelle sharply gives a start and goes quickly to Alicia’s room. And Alexis watches her for two seconds and then follows her.
The brunette quickly comes to the door, quietly opens it, and enters the room. She sees Alicia, who is now lying on the bed, looking white enough and tired and still being scared by something.
“Oh, my God, Aunt Alicia…” Raquelle pronounces in a shaking voice. “My sweet aunt…”
Raquelle comes to the bed and sits on the edge of it.
“Aunt, how are you feeling?” Raquelle shows anxiety. “What happened here while I was left? Lexi said you felt bad!”
“I’m fine, my sweetheart,” Alicia lies faintly with a false smile. “You shouldn’t worry.”
“What scared you so much that you look very scared?”
“Nothing, my sweetie. It’s okay. My blood pressure just got a little higher.”
“But why?”
“Probably, I overworked… Who knows…”
“How do you feel now?”
“Thank God, I feel much better now.”
“I was so scared when I saw Lexi being terribly white and heard you felt bad.”
“Don’t be surprised,” Alicia pronounces softly, trying to keep calm so hard but barely hiding her emotions and breathing heavily from excitement. “My health has been much weaker in the past few years.”
“But you’ve always been healthy!”
“Yeah, I used to have strong immunity. But my age does its thing. Sadly, I can’t be forever young and healthy. Every year, I’m gonna get more and more health issues.”
Meanwhile, Alexis enters the room with a quick step, comes to the bed, and looks at Alicia with sadness in her eyes.
“Are you really alright?” Raquelle asks excitedly.
“Yes, yes, Raquelle, I’m alright,” Alicia nods. “Now I will lie a little and get better.”
“But you look much better than you were some time ago,” Alexis notices quietly, bending her arms at her elbows and locking her fingers tightly.
“Don’t worry, sweetie, I really feel much better…” Alicia replies with a slight smile.
“For God’s sake, Aunt, don’t scare me like this anymore,” Raquelle begs with pity in her eyes and takes Alicia’s hand. “My heart stopped when Lexi ran to me and said something terrible happened to you.”
“No, Raquelle, thank God, I’m fine. And you and Lexi shouldn’t worry about me…”
“What happened here when I was left?”
“Nothing, sweetie.”
“I feel something bad happened.”
“You’re too sensitive, my girl. You should take everything easy.”
“You’re hiding something from me. You don’t wanna tell me something.”
“Nothing terrible happened to me.”
“Please, tell me what scared you so much.”
“Nothing, sweetie, nothing.”
“But there must be a reason for your condition! The reason why you’re being so white and scared.”
“I hide nothing from you, honey,” Alicia replies softly. “It’s just exhaustion.”
“You just don’t wanna make me upset. Don’t want me to worry about you.”
“Trust me, there is no reason for that.”
“Aunt, Alicia…”
“Did you forget which kind of job I have? I am a teacher at the university. This type of job takes too much energy. Sometimes there are very loud, insolent, and unmannered children. Calming them down takes much more energy than having a few lectures per day.”
“Okay, I can believe it. But why were you shaking so hard from fear?”
“I was not shaking. It seemed to you.”
“Nothing happens without reason! You look like someone was in the apartment.”
“What?”
“Was someone trying to rob you? Or something yet happened?”
“No, Raquelle, nobody tried to rob me.”
“But what’s the problem?”
“No problem, sweetie. No problem.”
“Auntie, please…”
“Gosh, Raquelle, stop worrying about me.” Alicia puts on something like a smile and runs her hand over her white, exhausted face. “I’ll have some rest and be absolutely fine.”
“I would be much more worried if I didn’t know what bothers you,” Raquelle confesses.
“You’re the only thing I worry about. Your well-being.”
“Aunt…”
“Erm, listen, Alicia, maybe, you need something?” Alexis asks hesitantly. “Don’t you want to drink some tea? Or eat something?”
“No, Lexi, thanks, I don’t need anything now,” Alicia says quietly, shaking her head. “I just need to lie a little. A half-hour before I’m fine.”
“Please, Aunt, tell me what happened…” Raquelle begs with pity in her eyes.
“Nothing happened, my sunshine. It’s just exhaustion.”
With these words, Alicia caresses Raquelle’s cheek, trying to put on something like a true smile.
“Have you never run into something like this?” Alicia wonders.
“I wanna know why you’re so tense and scared,” Raquelle says with pity in her eyes. “And who called you yesterday in the late evening.”
“I already told you everything about it this morning.”
“Aunt…”
“I am alright,” Alicia pronounces confidently and slowly. “No reason to worry.”
“Are you sure?”
“I am.”
Raquelle sighs heavily with sadness in her eyes, understanding that continuing this talk is worthless.
“So, okay then…” Raquelle pronounces quietly. “If you say you’re fine…”
“Better go to do your business. I will lie for a while.”
“Yeah… I will better go… Go to my room… Do something… Have a rest, for example. Because I… Got too excited because of you.”
“Sure, my happiness,” Alicia smiles slightly. “Go to your room. And then you and I will eat something tasty.”
“Good…”
Raquelle slowly gets up from the bed and softly caresses Alicia’s hand and shoulder with a shy smile.
“Have a rest, Aunt,” Raquelle says quietly. “And remember that you can always count on me. I’m ready to do anything to help you.”
Raquelle turns around, slowly leaves the room, and closes the door, looking a little anxious. The girl is upset that Alicia keeps pretending that nothing is happening and finds any excuses for that. She says anything not to confess something terrible is happening.
Alexis keeps staying in Alicia’s room, watching the woman and her niece with sadness in her eyes and definitely fighting with a wish to tell all the truth about what happened. And when Raquelle leaves it, the young blonde sits on the bed and folds her hands in front of her.
“You see, Alicia,” Alexis says in almost a whisper. “Raquelle guesses something is not right about you. But you’re denying everything so hard.”
“I will deny,” Alicia replies confidently.
“Please, stop all of this and finally tell her about that woman. Tell her that the people of that crazy woman came here and turned the apartment upside down.”
“I already said that she should know nothing about it. My problems shouldn't be her burden. It’s only my responsibility.”
“Raquelle is not a stranger to you. She is your niece! How could you hide these things from her and lie to her that everything is alright?”
“I’ve got no choice, Lexi. I can’t get her involved in my problems.”
“You should understand that she’s gonna keep asking you about what happened.”
“She can do it.”
“Are you gonna always look for excuses and pretend that everything’s okay?”
“I am.”
“It would be much worse if she found out everything not from you, but from other people. For example, Eleanor or her people.”
“I wish she knew nothing.”
“It won’t happen, Alicia. Someday, Raquelle will find out everything.”
“I completely understand her wish to find out all the truth. She’s worried about me and wanna help me.”
“So, let her know what’s going on. It would be much better. She would stop guessing and asking herself about what’s happening.”
“No, Lexi… I don’t want to bother her with my problems.”
“Excuse me, you’re doing a bad thing.”
“She’s got many of her problems.” Alicia sighs with sadness in her eyes. “Making her solve my problems would be too much.”
“When someone wants to do or find out something, they will find a way to get what they want.”
“I should solve everything by myself. I should end this story.”
“You will hardly end this story by yourself. That woman might easily destroy you and reach that girl.”
“I shall find a way to get off that woman.” Alicia falls into silence for two seconds and sighs heavily. “And okay… If she really wants to get my money, it’s okay. I shall give her the full amount. I’d give that snake anything. I’d do anything for Eleanor to leave me alone once and forever.”
“Alicia…” Alexis pronounces with pity in her eyes.
“Say nothing to Raquelle about Eleanor. No-thi-ng.”
“But…”
“I hope you didn’t tell her anything about what happened here when she came here?” Alicia slightly squints her eyes.
“No, of course,” Alexis shakes her head confidently. “I said nothing. You did ask me about it! I didn’t say everything was turned upside down.”
“Wonderful! Keep saying nothing.”
“But I really wanna tell her everything…”
“Don’t dare, Lexi. Don’t dare!”
“Okay, okay, I will say nothing,” Alexis raises her hands up. “Don’t worry.”
“If she didn’t see my bruise on my forehead, I covered it well…”
“Are you going to do makeup on your face all the time?”
“Until my bruises are gone.”
Alexis says nothing and sighs heavily, while Alicia looks around the whole room.
“Yeah, are there not things thrown in the apartment?” Alicia specifies. “Did you clean everything before she came?”
“Yes, sure…” Alexis nods. “It was enough to put everything in the right places. Raquelle suspected nothing.”
“Excellent… Keep pretending that you know nothing. Say nothing if she starts to ask you questions.”
“Yes, of course… I had time to put everything in the right places. Raquelle suspected nothing.”
“Okay, Alicia, I got it. I promise I will not betray you until you wish to tell her all the truth. You can be quiet…”
“Alright, I hope you heard me well.”
Alexis says nothing and swallows up nervously, looking at the exhausted Alicia with sadness in her eyes. The girl thinks the woman is doing a bad thing by hiding all the truth from Raquelle about what happened today, and what a certain Eleanor Woodham wants from her. The blonde is sure her neighbor could not say anything forever and would have to reveal all the cards early or late. No matter how hard she tries to pretend that everything is alright.
However, Alexis decides not to insist because she does not have to do with what’s happening in Alicia’s life. But the girl hopes her neighbor will tell Raquelle about her problem at her wish, without persuading, and says there is something that makes her worried.
***
While Alicia is talking to Lexi about her secret, which she does not want to tell her niece, Raquelle is in her room. The girl is lying on her bed and thinking about what could happen to her aunt when she was walking in the city. Every new day starts to scare her more and more because something bad happens and makes the woman worried. Every single case makes the girl much more sure that the problem is serious. But she does not know what to do or what to expect at the nearest time.
“I don’t like all of this,” Raquelle thinks with anxiety in her soul. “What’s Aunt Alicia afraid of so much? What’s happening to her? So many things have happened in the two days since I came here, and it made me much more sure that she needs someone’s help. But Aunt keeps denying everything so hard. She’s making me sure that I’m dreaming up.”
Raquelle frowns slightly.
“I don’t think someone tried to rob her today,” Raquelle thinks. “There is nothing that would get the attention of someone. Nothing expensive and very valuable.”
Raquelle swallows up nervously.
“God, I wanna know everything so badly…” Raquelle thinks. “I wanna see my aunt being what she was many years ago. Cheerful, funny, positive… Aunt Alicia was always full of energy. Being with her was such a pleasure. But now everything has changed. My auntie is not like this. She’s different. Because she’s afraid of someone. Someone to make her fear, worry, and get upset.”
Raquelle reflects on the current situation for some time and calls the memories of something a little later.
“Hey, wait…” Raquelle pronounces thoughtfully and sits up sharply on the bed. “The room… The one that’s always locked… For as long as I remember, it’s always been locked. Even when I was here when being a kid. Every time I wanted to go there, it was locked. But I was shy of asking Aunt what she had there.”
Raquelle frowns slightly and thinks of something for two seconds.
“Maybe, there is something that could make the situation clear?” Raquelle asks herself. “It’s been locked for so many years for a reason! So, there is something very important to Aunt. Something I should not see…”
Raquelle starts stroking her chin.
“Maybe, I could find something interesting there?” Raquelle asks herself. “What if there is something that would give me answers to all my questions? Aunt would hardly lock that room if something forbidden or very important to her was there.”
Raquelle glances at the window.
“It would be great to get into there,” Raquelle says thoughtfully. “To see what she has there… But how do I do it? The door is locked with a key, and I don’t know where it is.”
Raquelle frowns slightly.
“Risking now would be bad,” Raquelle assumes. “But tonight, I could try to come closer to the room.”
Raquelle bites her lip slightly.
“I doubt I could get there, but I will try to search for keys,” Raquelle adds. “But I need to wait for the evening Aunt to fall asleep, and Alive to go her home. I should do everything secretly. What if Aunt doesn’t like the fact that I’m showing interest in what there is in that room.”
Raquelle moves her eyes to the watch hanging on the wall.
“I guess Aunt will fall asleep at about half past eleven or a little later,” Raquelle says thoughtfully. “At least, she is going to go to her room after it’s eleven o’clock. So, I will be quietly waiting for the evening and thinking about what to do.”
Raquelle swallows up nervously.
“I know I'm doing a very good thing by trying to find out someone’s secrets,” Raquelle says thoughtfully. “But I’m doing this for the best. To know how to help my aunt. I am sure she needs help as much as she has never done before. My help. My support.”
Raquelle sighs heavily and thinks about something. Although she is not quite sure that she is doing the right thing, the girl is determined enough to find out what bothers Alicia so much and makes her so tense. However… She is obsessed with a wish to help her close relative and just curiosity. That’s what makes her do all of this and try to find out what is a secret to her at the moment.
***
It’s about midnight. Alicia already went to her room and fell asleep, and Alexis came back home after she spent a whole day with the woman to make sure she was alright and help Raquelle take care of her aunt, who scared her a lot because of her condition.
After making sure someone would hardly bother her, Raquelle decides to use a moment and come closer to the secret door that has always been locked, at least with her pretense. Holding her smartphone with the flashlight turned on, the girl opens the door of her room very quietly, closes it when she goes to the hall, and looks around to make sure Alicia would not like to wake up and go to the kitchen or a bathroom, for example.
After hesitating a little, Raquelle goes down the hall on eggshells and makes her way to the place she needs. The secret door, behind which something that has to do with Alicia’s secret might be hidden, is near the kitchen. That’s why she carefully goes there as quietly as a mouse.
“It’s here…” Raquelle pronounces thoughtfully and quickly looks at the closed door. “Here’s the door…”
After hesitating for two seconds, Raquelle tries to push the door and pull it, but she finds out it’s still locked.
“Damn, locked!” Raquelle gets upset and carefully pulls up the door handle a couple of times. “Doesn’t open! Damn!”
Raquelle exhales sharply and shakes her head.
“It seems like I can’t go there…” Raquelle assumes thoughtfully. “I don’t know where the key is. But I could assume it’s somewhere in Aunt’s room.”
Raquelle glances at the side where the closed room of Alicia is.
“No, no, I won’t go to her room and sort her things out,” Raquelle says in a whisper. “No, no…”
Raquelle looks at the door with the flashlight turned on and examines what’s around her.
“It seems like I came here for nothing,” Raquelle concludes. “Yes, I hoped the door would be open this time, but it’s still locked. But at least, I made sure there’s something there. There’s something that other people should not see.”
Raquelle sighs with disappointment and quickly turns off the flashlight on her smartphone.
“So, it’s a failure,” Raquelle thinks with sadness in her eyes. “I’m gonna keep reflecting on what to do. But I don’t exclude that someday I will get into the room and search it, after all. Of course, it’s barely possible, but still…”
Raquelle sets her eyes into the distance for two seconds, biting her lip and embracing herself with her arms.
“Okay, I shall think about it tomorrow,” Raquelle thinks tiredly. “Now I will go to sleep… It’s late enough. I’ve got nothing to do here… I’d better go. Before Aunt Alicia wakes up and wishes to go to a bathroom or to the kitchen.”
After standing against the secret door of the room where people have hardly been able to enter for ages, Raquelle goes to her room on eggshells in a slow step, trying not to wake Alicia up by making too loud noises. When she comes back to her room, closes the door after her, and thinks a little about what her aunt could hide, the girl turns off the night-light placed on the table and lies in her bed with a wish to try to fall asleep and start to reflect on this hard, tangled situation that can easily give someone many serious problems if the solution for it is not found at the nearest time.
152Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS27uBRyJes
