Louis singlehandedly took care of the case. The CIA were kept on finding out who and how the investigation went. Hannes smoothly redirects the CIA to enlighten them that he and his team have run a diagnosis of the aircraft and did their best.
A week passes.
Ravine and Cassandra were quietly walking to their classrooms when they split at the corridor.
“I’ll see you at lunch!” Cassandra enthusiastically waves at Ravine who keeps walking.
“What’s wrong with her?” Shrugging her shoulders, Cassandra enters her class and forgets about Ravine’s disinterested mood.
At lunch, she gets a text from Zayn who was at the campus.
[What are you doing here?]
[Louis wanted to take us all to Alaska out of the blue. Come with Ravine, we will explain everything later]
[I gotta take permission from the vice-principal fool] she texts him.
[Ha, who do you really think Louis is, huh? Just come down]
[Foine] texting him and chucking her phone into the bag, Cassandra goes to fetch Ravine from the class.
“Hey, babe!” Ravine sighs as she sees her best friend. The status mustn’t remain for long, she thought.
“Hi. I’m busy-”
“Yeah, yeah. I know that. Anyway, Louis wants to take us all to Alaska to spend some time. Wanna join us?”
“Um, no. Thank you.”
“What? But your brother and James Lee is coming as well. They agreed-”
“Cassandra, I’m a little… busy. Take a hint, will you?” Cassandra clashes her eyebrows as she huffs and walks away after Ravine heads to the cafeteria. Or seems to be.
Cassandra walks out of the campus as the security doesn’t even question her.
Zayn waits for her outside with the car, gifted to him by Louis roughly an year ago.
“Hi!” Zayn waves at her who was grumbling under her breath.
“Whoa, Whoa. Did you wake up on the wrong side today?” He chuckles, pinching her nose to annoy her.
“Stupid Ravine. Stupid, Stupid, Stupid! Who does she think she is!? She’s being so rude to us lately! I’m busy this, I’m busy that…! Ugh! She even urged to break up with poor Alex!” Cassandra smashes the door of his car as he feels the discomfort rather than the car itself.
“Calm your horses, babe. It might just be because your term exams are approaching-”
“They’re two months away! Jeez, not you too.”
“I’ve seem students like her, Cassandra. They’re all about marks. Maybe they are pressured by her parents in jail. Is someone bullying her?”
“None… that I know. I’ll check with her tomorrow.”
“Alright. But the chances are slim, because her stepbrother is literally the president of the campus.”
“Ha! I don’t trust him a bit, that bum. He’s worse than anyone and I bet he is the one bullying her.” Zayn laughs at her words as he thinks otherwise.
There was something else, an external entity troubling Ravine which they didn’t know.
And the external person was none other than her own parents.
***
It is around 5pm.
Ravine drives to the jail to meet her parents after a long time.
For a whole year, they have been asking for Ravine to break up with Alex and cut all ties with the Johnsons who were responsible for the state their family was in.
Ravine was defensive at the beginning, convincing them that their deeds have brought them here themselves. It wasn’t anyone’s fault, much less blame the Johnsons for it.
Alex was simply a reporter who gave evidence to Louis and he contacted the police using his power. Soon, the couple was arrested and thrown into jail.
But that didn’t stop them from snatching their child’s life away.
They knew James Lee wouldn’t buy their bullshit at any cost.
They knew Ravine would be swayed by emotions, following with them mindlessly because she is a cowardly girl with a kind heart. Her own father was willing to use his daughter to drag the Johnsons down.
“Hello, daughter.” The two were sat side by side as they face the troubled girl on the other side of the transparent wall.
“Dad, I can’t do this. I- I can’t betray her and hurt her again. I promised I will change for her I-”
“Don’t forget what they did to your family, Ravine! They broke us apart! They made us criminals when we were just-”
“You are criminals! You were supplying drugs to fucking teenagers! Are you kidding me?” Ravine was retaliating.
“Honey… are you lashing out on us? Do you really think I would do something like that to children who are younger than my daughter?” Her father was manipulating her emotionally.
“I thought you were better than James, Ravine. You were always my favorite child. That’s why I invested so much on you to see you grow, my love.” The man says, faking every word and every emotion to get Ravine to follow him.
“Listen to me, Ravine. I know you still love your convicted dad. Help me, love. Help me get my revenge on those bastards. Once I am out of the jail in three years, I will be the best father you could ever ask for” Ravine wipes her tears as a rush of memories flash in her eyes.
When it was just the two of them, her and her father living in a lonely little house, she was the happiest six year old the world has ever seen. Sooner or later, things started to pollute her family of two when Ravine was introduced to a stepmother and her son, James Lee.
She didn’t like their intrusion. But she saw her dad was smiling truly instead of hiding the pain behind his facade.
She accepted them, not knowing she was soon replaced by strangers in her dad’s heart.
“You will… change? Do you promise?”
“I promise, my love.”
A promise was never meant to be made, because it will be broken before a person acknowledges it as a promise.
“Good girl. Now go back home. It’s late for you to stay out.” Watching him express care and concern for the first time in her life, Ravine smiles as she goes back to her house.
She was ready to avenge her berserk parents.
And it will start with the one who got too close to her stone cold heart.
She will start with Cassandra.