LIGHTS UP {Do you know who you are?}

Viewpoint One: The New Kid

TORI

I was running as fast as my legs could carry me, the men were running fast too. One moment it feels like they were about to catch up with me and the next, I suddenly gather strength and run a bit faster. I can’t let them catch up with me, I can’t!

Great! There is a river right in front of me; I jump in without even thinking twice. I can hold my breath under water but for no longer than 72 seconds. I hope these evil men leave before I drown.

“Search around!” I heard one of them yell when they reached the river bank.

“She’s nowhere near here, Boss!” another reported

“She managed to escape this time, be on the lookout for her, but remember I want her alive. Let’s go!”

I fought so hard to hold back my laughter from under the water where I hid. Of course, he would want me alive after all it was my father who sold me to him. What was he thinking selling me to a mob uhn? Well I sure am not letting them get a hold of me. It’s been 60 seconds already. I can only last 12 more seconds under this water. These men sure walk too slowly for people who run like hyenas.

‘Phew! They finally left’ I came out of the water at last but I was dripping wet, I catch cold easily and the weather too isn’t helping. Looks like it’s going to snow even.

Great, I ran away from my father and the mob but now I’m going to die by freezing on the streets of annoying Shelby.

I scurried to the foot of a tree and cuddled myself, it’s not helping. Oh no Tori, it’s the end for you!

What to do? I have nowhere to go, my only family is my father and now even he doesn’t want me any longer.

I feel like I’m drifting away till I blanked out, wait! I heard a girl’s voice before passing out right?

After what seemed like eternity, I finally feel like life is coming back to me. I’m still alive!! I slowly opened my eyes and my gaze was instantly met by three other pairs of eyes. One pair of eyes had curiosity boldly expressed in them. Another was soft, so warm that it felt like home, they seemed to be the eyes of a younger girl who was still unaware of the evil side of this godforsaken world. Oh how I wish she could stay innocent all her life. The third pair of eyes?! I don’t know why they looked so emotionless, looking at the pair of dark orbs made me want to crawl into my skin, how can eyes be that scary? No matter how void the eyes looked, I couldn’t seem to tear my gaze away from them. Seems the eyes locked me in a trance.

“She’s awake!!” The owner of the warm eyes exclaimed, her eyes shining brighter and her voice like it was mixed with caramel so sweet! But I was wrong though! She wasn’t a little girl; she looked like she was exactly my age or at most a year younger than me.

The other two moved almost immediately, the curious eyes helped me to sit up and propped my head against clothes that had been tied together in a bundle to make do as a pillow.

I was lying on a very small bed, there wasn’t enough space and my legs were definitely cramped. The mattress was very light; I could feel the wood from under the bed rubbing against my back.

Now’s not the time to complain, after all this is Shelby. Wait, its Shelby right? These strangers didn’t dare to take me out of Shelby did they? They didn’t kidnap me, right? What if they worked for the mob my father sold me to!

I shouldn’t have let my guard down at all!!! If these people are villains then they definitely have the upper hand with me lying weakly on a bed like this.

I made to get up but the boy with the curious eyes gently pushed me back on the bed.

“Your body still needs some rest!” He whispered as his eyes bored into mine like he was looking for some answers of some sort.

“Hi” The girl with warm eyes said to me with a bright smile on her face. That smile made me feel relaxed and I finally let my guard down.

“My name is Diana!” She introduced herself “And this here is Stefan my twin brother, and that loner over there is Alexander” She introduced the others, starting with the curious guy and then the emotionless one. I barely know this guy and I already concluded that he had no emotions at all, what am I thinking?

“Hi” I whispered, Alexander only spared me a quick glance as if to say, ‘I don’t care’ and then he moved towards the doorway and sat on the floor resting his back on the doorway. He looks thin but one could tell that he was one who did some Body-building or maybe it’s natural. He doesn’t look like he’s interested in anything. Honestly!

My gaze was drawn back to the twins when Stefan started to pour out the questions

“What’s your name? Where are you from? What happened to you? How long were you in the water? You had wounds on your feet, did you run without shoes?”

The questions kept pouring out and Diana had to shut him up.

“I… I am Victoria but I’d rather be called Tori.” I said trying to sound excited like it was nice to meet them but I was betrayed in the next instance by a yawn.

“Seems you need more rest Tori, we’d leave you to rest now. If you need us just call for us, we are right outside” Diana said. She flashed me a smile before turning to leave. The other two followed her like they were some kind of personal bodyguards.

I didn’t even have time to thank them, they were gone and I was trapped in my slumber the next minute.

DIANA

Alexander, Stefan and I were on our way back from the Shelby Market, we had made a lot of sales today than usual so we were going home happy. Well Stefan and I were going home happy. Alexander? That boy doesn’t even have any emotions at all; he goes around like he is a programmed robot or something.

Stefan had suggested we took a bath at the river before heading to the house that was because there might not be any water to bath with by the time we get home; there might not even be electricity.

As we neared the river, I noticed something or someone cuddled up upon a tree and shivering severely.

“Look, there’s a girl over there!!” I called out to the boys.

Stefan and I ran towards the girl. I felt her temperature and it was damn high… “…I think she has a fever” I exclaimed and Stefan looked at me like duh!

“We should just leave!” Alex blurted out from where he stood, far from us.

“What?!” I exclaimed “She needs our help and you’re talking about leaving?? You have to be kidding me!” I snapped.

I can’t bear leaving this poor girl out here.

“We should take her to the house!” I said I walked to Stefan and took off his jacket, walked back to the girl and took off her wet one and replaced it with Stefan’s

“Hey, that’s my favorite jacket!” Stefan protested

“Then you should be glad a sleeping beauty is wearing it” I said.

“She’s not going home with us” Alex protested

“What do you care?” I snapped back

“Well It’s my father’s house so I basically make the rules in this situation” Alex replied nonchalantly

“Come on Alexander, please!!” I begged giving him my cutest puppy eyes

He can never resist me when I do that.

“Fine!” He finally agreed.

“Great, you should carry her Alex!” I said

“What me? No?” He refused.

“Come on, Stefan is too lazy and I am not too strong!” I said.

Alex finally agreed to carry her and we made our way back home forfeiting the bath we came for in the first instance. We stopped by a drug store to get some drugs for the girl.

We got home soon enough and thankfully, Alex’s dad wasn’t around. I don’t think anyone of us wants to answer the questions he would ask if he had seen us with the girl.

She finally woke up after being out for a short while. She looked so peaceful in her sleep but when she opened her eyes she looked fierce, like a warrior that could never back out of a war. Something in her eyes screamed loyalty. I wanted to be her friend almost immediately.

Stefan started to bombard her with questions; I had to shut him up because it was obvious that she was in no condition to answer his questions

She managed to tell us her name, Tori as she loved to be called, such a cute name. She sounded happy to meet us too bad she needed to get some more sleep. I get the feeling she hadn’t being getting much sleep lately, I feel so bad for her, she must have been going through a lot lately.

“I feel like she has been through a lot of stuff” I say to the guys once we’re out of the room, we opted to give Tori more space to rest.

“This is Shelby! Everyone is going through sh*t” Alex say nonchalantly as he moves away from us.

“Hey watch your language” I half yell after him careful enough not to wake Tori “That guy is being a jerk!” I said to Stefan in hushed tone

“As always!” Stefan said back to me before moving to leave with Alex

Of course they are leaving me alone again, going off to God knows where and coming back at night with enough money to get us through the next few days before they go off again.

I wonder why I hang out with them; oh I forgot one of ‘em is my twin and only family and the other? Well he could pass for a best friend or something like that.

I decide to go back into the room where Victoria is in, I mean Tori, and I could stay beside her till she wakes up. I know I’m being selfish but it’s good to finally have female company, all these years with the boys has really been hectic, I have gotten too involved in boy stuff, I don’t even know what girl stuff is anymore **sigh**

I sit next to Tori on the bed for a while before lying beside her, and in a matter of minutes I drifted off to sleep.

About an hour or so later, I feel like I’m being compelled to wake up, you know that feeling when someone is gazing at you like they want to see through you, that’s how I felt at that moment. I had to force my eyes open. I was met with really fierce hazel eyes, fierce but somewhat calming, she looks like she was studying my sleeping face.

“Hi” I said but it came out as a croak instead. That felt awkward! I got off the bed and picked up a glass of water which I immediately downed. Whoa! I must have been so thirsty.

“Hi” I said again, my voice sounding better than before, she was already sitting up on the bed with arms akimbo in a comical manner, and I really wish I knew what was going on in her head.