73

‘I thought you’d never ask,’ the voice huffed. ‘You can call me Silver.’
‘The voice in my head has a name,’ I nodded. ‘This is great.’
‘Look at it this way, we’re improving,’ the voice sounded happy.
‘Improving?’ I scoffed. ‘More like descending into madness.’
‘Hey, I’ll be along for the ride,’ Silver grinned. ‘It’ll be fun.’
‘Y’know, I didn’t expect the voice inside my head to be so damn optimistic,’ I rolled my eyes.
‘Get used to it, Sophia,’ Silver chided me. ‘I’m here for the long run.’
‘Great,’ I muttered, unenthusiastic.
Sebastian glanced at me from the corner of his eye, concern evident in his gaze. “Feeling alright, Sophia?” he asked, his tone full of concern.
“Yup,” I popped the ‘p’. “Just talking to the voices in my head.”
I wasn’t sure why I said that, but I didn’t care. This week had been one for the books. I was nearly certain I had the worst week in history. Assaulted, frightened, abandoned, used. And it would only get worse from here. I’d be forced to live with Sebastian, thankfully only until Friday. I could handle that, I told myself. A week of avoiding school and Sebastian like the plague-it should be fun.
Sebastian looked taken aback, but a small grin formed on his face. “And what are the voices saying?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
“You’re not concerned I’m hearing voices?” I scoffed. I couldn’t begin to understand this man. He appears in my life out of nowhere and tries to take on the fatherly role, only to completely throw me off. The look in his eyes was almost humorous, not that I cared about his sense of humor.
Sebastian shrugged. “We all hear voices sometimes. It’s important to pay attention to what they say.”
“The voice in my head says I don’t pay attention,” I rolled my eyes. “She thinks she knows everything and refuses to be quiet. And now I sound absolutely insane.”
“I don’t think you sound insane,” Sebastian shrugged, his tone relaxed.
“Like I’d trust your judgment,” I grumbled under my breath.
The first thing I needed to do once I was settled somewhere else was find a therapist. And possibly some strong medication.
Sebastian dropped me off at home, reminding me to be ready in the morning.
Packing my belongings was easy; it only took an hour. All my toiletries fit into a small bag, and my clothes fit nicely in a small suitcase. The rest were just odds and ends, all fitting neatly in my backpack. I almost wished it had taken longer to pack, to give my mind a break from thinking about anything.
Silver absolutely refused to be quiet, insisting she had been silent long enough. I refused to listen, scrambling to find a way to put that brick wall back up. It was nearly impossible. The brick wall was in shambles, and nothing I did could repair it. By the time I gave up, it was late at night, and I had a horrific migraine.
‘Now, if you listened to me, your head wouldn’t hurt,’ Silver shrugged.
‘It’s your fault my head hurts,’ I grimaced.
‘Oh no, you’re not pinning this on me,’ Silver shook her head. ‘If you’d just listen to me, you wouldn’t have a headache in the first place.’
‘Why would I listen to you?’ I snapped. ‘You’re a voice in my head. How sound is your advice?’
‘I’m confident in my abilities,’ Silver shrugged. ‘First thing you need to do is stop avoiding Ethan and Kieran.’
‘Not going to happen,’ I shook my head. ‘In a week, they won’t matter anymore.’
‘See, that’s where you’re wrong,’ Silver said. ‘Jessy isn’t going to hurt you again, not if you stick with them.’
‘Jessy hurt me because I was with them,’ I frowned. ‘I’m not risking it again. I was almost raped. Next time I won’t be so lucky.’
‘Next time, Jessy won’t be so lucky,’ Silver growled like a wild animal. ‘You didn’t have me the first time around, not fully anyway!’
‘Problem solved. There won’t be a next time,’ I snapped. ‘I don’t want to kill anyone, and I don’t want anything to do with Ethan and Kieran.’
‘You’re lying,’ Silver’s voice was a silent whisper as my eyelids fluttered, drawing me into a deep sleep.
As usual these days, morning came much too soon. The sunlight streamed into my bedroom, making my tired eyes ache miserably. A soft knock sounded on my door, and I waited for Lauren to come in. As strange as it sounded, I could smell her. She smelled of faded perfume and body wash. Both scents were strong in my nose, but not overwhelming. “Your-Sebastian’s going to be here in a few minutes,” Lauren called out, not bothering to step inside my room.
Silver became angry within the confines of my head, and the urge to lash out at Lauren appeared out of nowhere. Something she did or said pissed Silver off. Goodness, I sounded crazier than ever. Lauren made the voice inside my head mad-call an ambulance and get me some strong medication.
“So, is that it?” I snapped. “The caring mother routine done and over with?”
My voice didn’t sound like my own; it was rougher and much angrier than I could ever manage. I felt like I was handing over the reins, giving them to Silver for just a moment.
Lauren’s washed-out blue eyes narrowed at me, and she stepped into my bedroom with an air of superiority. Silver wanted to laugh; this woman was superior to no one.
“I don’t know what you’re insinuating,” Lauren snapped, her words dripping with venom. “None of this would’ve happened if you hadn’t called the damn social worker.”
“I’m insinuating you’re a terrible mother who only cares when it benefits her,” Silver growled, and I watched as Lauren’s eyes widened. My voice sounded hostile, more hostile than I could ever manage on my own. If looks could kill, Lauren would be on the floor already.
Lauren’s mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water. She was far out of her element. I had never spoken against her this way before, never antagonized a reaction from her. She knew I had her cornered. She couldn’t deny what I had said, because we both knew it was true.
Lauren wasn’t a narcissist incapable of admitting fault; she was simply a terrible person who made even worse decisions. I stood from the bed, Silver in control of my movements. It was like stepping into the passenger seat of a car, the car being my body. Silver approached Lauren, and she backed away in response. Silver kept going until Lauren was standing just outside our bedroom.
“That’s what I thought,” Silver laughed, a laugh full of repressed malice. “Have fun with your husband, Lauren. You two deserve each other.”
Silver slammed the bedroom door shut with incredible force, and I was amazed the door hadn’t been destroyed in the process. I knew Lauren was just an inch away from being hit by the door; she probably felt the gust of wind lash at her face. Silver relinquished control over me, and I finally realized I had been trembling in rage.
‘Relax,’ Silver sounded like she was talking to herself. ‘Not yet. Now’s not the time.’
‘Anger issues?’ I raised my eyebrow at her.
‘You’d have anger issues too if you were stuck with a human girl who never spoke her mind,’ Silver snapped in my head.
‘Touche,’ I nodded, grabbing my bags in my hands.
I hobbled down the stairs, thankful Lauren was far from my line of sight. I made it out the front door without seeing her once. Seemed she didn’t like her little chat with Silver. Sebastian came up the porch steps, and I didn’t argue when he took my bags and suitcase from my arms, throwing them into the back of his sedan.
The drive was quiet for the most part. I watched out the window, noting how far we were from town.
“You’ll have your own room,” Sebastian nodded. “You can pick which one you want; they all come with their own bathrooms.”
“How big is this house you have?” I frowned, pursing my lips.
“Six bedrooms, six baths,” Sebastian responded. “Only three bedrooms are taken, so you have three to choose from.”
“One for you and your wife, another for your daughter,” I stated with a nod.
“Yes,” Sebastian nodded, his small smile looking strained. “The third is my office.”
“I see,” I nodded, and resumed my defiant silence.
I wanted to ask what he did for a living, but the last thing I needed was to know him. I already knew he had a wife and daughter, and that was all I needed to know. Anything else, any form of attachment would only make it harder to leave. He had his family, and I wanted a chance to find my own.
We drove into the woods for a bit but quickly made a left turn down a road I hadn’t seen before. The house appeared on our left, nestled comfortably into the woods but sitting off the side of one of the main roads. The house was absolutely massive, sitting at the end of a private cul-de-sac.
“They haven’t built any other houses nearby yet,” Sebastian murmured, pulling the sedan into the driveway.
This was the house you saw in the movies, the one with the happy family and their golden retriever. It was even set with a white picket fence. Maybe in another life, this could have been my home. A life where Sebastian embraced me instead of pushing me away, a life where he had raised me himself.
I noticed the house was a couple minutes out of town, but not as far as the little area Kat lived in. We walked inside the massive house, and I noticed how our footsteps echoed in the foyer. Sebastian set my suitcase against the wall and piled my bags on top.
“Are you hungry?” Sebastian turned to ask. “We have Tracy with us; she takes care of things while I’m gone. She’s also an amazing cook.”
“You have your own personal chef?” I scoffed.
An older woman with fading blonde hair stepped around the corner. She was a little plump, her body forming a gentle hourglass shape. She was dressed nice yet casual. An apron was thrown on and tied around her waist, something white and powder-like clung to the apron.
“He wishes I was his personal chef,” the plump woman gave Sebastian a stern look.
“Speaking of Tracy,” Sebastian chuckled awkwardly.
“Hello there, darlin’, let me look at you,” Tracy had a slight southern accent. She stepped forward and eyed me up and down, not once making me feel uncomfortable.
She smelled of biscuits and coffee, a combination I found extremely pleasing.
“Well, you certainly got your Daddy’s eyes,” Tracy nodded, a grin breaking out on her face. “You know how to cook?”
“Not at all,” I shook my head. “But I wouldn’t mind learning.”
“I think we’re gonna get along great,” Tracy gave me a sly grin, one I couldn’t help but return.
Tracy reminded me of my grandma. Grandma was much thinner before she died, but she had the same faded blonde hair and spunk.
Delicate footfalls came down the stairs, and I nearly whipped around at the echoing sound. Everything seemed much louder in this house; I blamed it on the lack of furniture. An older woman came down the stairs, her teenage copy following closely behind. I assumed this was Sebastian’s wife and daughter-my half-sister.
My half-sister was taller than I, even though she was two years younger. Long legs and high cheekbones, just like her mother. Their hair was the color of honey, blindingly beautiful. It was a color I hadn’t seen on a person before, just cheap imitations. They both had deep chocolate-colored eyes. I couldn’t help but notice Sebastian’s daughter didn’t have the same eye condition as her father and I. Sebastian and I were the only ones to have two different-colored eyes; the similarity made me feel uncomfortable. I wanted something that distanced me from Sebastian, not brought us together.
I almost expected this entire afternoon to go smoothly, but the sneer on the teenage girl’s face ruined those thoughts. I blamed Silver for my burst of optimism. The teenage girl’s mother had the same disdainful sneer on her smooth face, looking at me with something similar to disgust.
“Sophia, this is my wife and daughter-your half-sister,” Sebastian smiled, looking truly at ease as he gazed at his wife. “My wife, Olivia, and my daughter Krystal.”
“So you actually brought her here,” Krystal scoffed, looking me up and down.
“Krystal,” Sebastian’s tone was one of warning, the smile on his face dropping at his daughter’s attitude.
That familiar sense of power and superiority swirled around Sebastian. Krystal seemed affected by it, her face turning down in offense as she took a few steps backward. Even Olivia looked uncomfortable, shifting under her husband’s powerful presence.
“She’s nothing,” Krystal sneered. “Weak and ignorant. I should’ve been your firstborn-I should’ve been the one to rule-”
“Enough, Krystal,” Sebastian bellowed, his hostile voice bouncing off of every smooth surface. Krystal flinched at her father’s harsh voice, her lip quivering before she stormed up the stairs. Olivia shot me one last disdainful glare before she rushed after her daughter.
“I will leave you to it,” Sebastian cleared his throat. “I’m afraid this has been an adjustment for all of us.”
I didn’t respond, my mind still working through what Krystal had said. Of course, it didn’t make any sense to me, but I was beginning to expect that by now.
“Don’t worry about her, darlin’,” Tracy shook her head. “She’s too used to getting what she wants. Girl needs to learn some manners before she goes spewin’ that nonsense.”
I couldn’t help the hysterical giggle that left my lips. Everything was dawning on me now. This was where I’d be living. If I thought living with Darren and Lauren was bad, I had a feeling this would be worse. At least Lauren and Darren simply ignored me at all costs; Olivia and Krystal were much more confrontational.
“Don’t go tellin’ your Daddy I said that,” Tracy chuckled, patting me on the shoulder. “Let’s go get you somethin’ to eat.”
“I actually have to be at work in a few hours,” I frowned, realizing I hadn’t told Sebastian beforehand. I wasn’t sure if he’d want to know or if he simply expected me to come and go as I pleased.
“I’ll let your Daddy know,” Tracy nodded. “Just leave him a note, and I’ll make sure he gets it.”
“Thanks, Tracy,” I nodded, thinking she was the one bright spot in this entire situation.
Tracy led me into the kitchen and fixed me a plate of delectable-looking food while I sat at the counter writing Sebastian a short note.
—
Sebastian,
I have work today at the restaurant we went to. I’m working a double, so I won’t be home until 10 tonight.
– Sophia