Chapter 5 004

Leila was exhausted and couldn't even relax in the cab. She was thirsty and hungry and was glad the driver didn't ask her questions. He only stole glances at her through the rearview mirror, his face filled with concern.

Why was a teenage girl putting on only shirt? Why was she hurt? What happened to her on the road? Lots of things he was worried about but he decided to stay quiet because he felt she needed a little bit of time to herself.

Leila wanted to scream, she wanted to cry. She couldn't help but feel grateful to the mysterious guy who saved her. She began to imagine how she could have been penetrated by those guys and that made her sick to her stomach.

She told the driver to stop while she got down and let out her guts. She vomited the little food she ate this morning and the concerned driver gave her a bottle of water to rinse her mouth and wash her face with.

"Should I drive you to the hospital? You look hurt." The driver finally said something to her for the first time since their drive.

"No, I am fine. It's just a minor cut." She said.

She shut her eyes and was comfortable as she knew she could trust the driver.

"Is it okay if I sleep for a while?" She asked with her eyes still closed.

"Anything to make you feel better. I'll wake you once I get to your place."

"Thank you."

She finally rested and slept throughout the ride back to her house. Leila felt a tap on her arm and she woke up.

"We are here." The driver said softly and smiled.

She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand, feeling that she had a short sleep but was glad she could even sleep at all.

"Thanks." She yawned and got down from the cab. She totally forgot that her legs were hurting, and almost fell but the driver was quick to hold her.

"Let me walk you to the door." He suggested, but Leila shook her head worried that her mother might say something about it.

"I will be fine. Thank you very much." She bowed her head slightly and turned to leave but stopped when she heard the driver speak.

"You're a good person with a kind heart. Now I don't mean to meddle in your affairs, but whatever you are going through, I hope you heal from it soon. Have a good night, young lady." The driver said and went back to his cab, while Leila stood there sulking. She really needed that. She tried her best to hold her tears back but it just wasn't possible.

She wiped her tears and limped to the front door. She took a deep breath, wondering if her mother had already noticed she was late and was worried about her, or didn't care as always.

She opened the front door and her mother was sat and she looked worried. That was a surprise. Her mother turned to look at her and she stood up hurriedly and rushed to her front.

"Where have you been?" Her mother asked while checking her body. Did she actually care?

"Mom. I... I..." Leila stuttered. She hadn't yet made up her mind if she should open up to her mother about her rape incident or not.

"Leila where have you been? Your teacher called me and said you were absent. She said you went to school but left right before the closing hour, where did you go?" Her mother yelled at her. She placed her hands on her shoulders and shook the already tired and injured Leila. Her mother was persistent, as she kept on asking her what happened.

"Where the fuck did you go Leila? And why in heavens sake are you putting on a boy's shirt? Answer me."

"Momm, let me go. You're hurting me." Leila burst in tears. Her mother finally let go of her. She was extremely angry and didn't even care about her daughter's pain and tears.

"Oh stop with the pathetic tears, it's disgusting and irritating."

Leila couldn't believe her what she just heard. She knew it was too good to be true. She knew her mother wouldn't just have a change of heart and start caring for her. This sounded exactly like her mom, nothing has changed.

"I guess the rumors are true. I can't believe it. Well I knew something like that would happen, there was a possibility. You would always lock yourself in the room doing God knows what." Her mother cried.

"Mom? Are you okay? What happened?" Leila suddenly became concerned as she reached out to console her sobbing mother. She tried to touch her mother but her mom smacked her hand away like she was something disgusting.

"You dare ask if I am okay, you whore? You will not disgrace me and soil the name I worked so hard for, you disgrace of a child."

Leila was used to her mother saying all these things to her, but calling her a whore was new and different. She couldn't take it anymore. Why has everyone been calling her that since?

"Whore? Did you just call me a whore? How ironic for someone who got pregnant when she was 16 and gave birth to an excuse as a daughter and went ahead to get pregnant for an entire different man after the excuse of her baby father left her for someone else because he only used her for her body and to satisfy his sexual need. So yes sure, I am the fucking whore." Leila yelled.

Her mother lunged at her and slapped her face. Her breathing ragged as her veins were about to pop out from anger. Leila held her face and stared at her mother in shock.

"DON'T YOU DARE TALK TO ME LIKE THAT." She screamed at the top of her lungs.

"Oh please stop being dramatic. We both know it is true." Leila said as she tried to hide the pain she was feeling.

"Check your phone. I'm sure the video would have spread by now. Check your phone."

"I don't have a phone remember? You took it from because you thought I would get distracted meanwhile you just hate my guts and don't want the best for me."

She always felt her mother was jealous of her and because her life was bitter, she took it out on her instead of finding a solution for her pathetic life.

Her mother brought out her phone and gave it to her.

"Just look at it. Look at what your sister sent to me."

By the way she wasn't here yet, where exactly was she? Her sister could come back home at any time but she couldn't? Her sister could have sex with her boyfriend but she isn't called a whore but she is?

She played the video and her jaw dropped. Moaning sounds echoed in the living room and her mother shed tears. The video those boys wanked to, the video everyone was talking about in school, she was finally seeing it. This wasn't right. This didn't make any sense. Why was she in the video? Why was she the one using a dildo to masturbate? This didn't make any sense at all.

Leila felt sick to her stomach and she gave her mom back her phone. This can't be. She started to hyperventilate and fell on her knees. She couldn't breathe. Why was that her face? That was also her room. She hasn't touched herself for like... ever, so why was this happening?

"I don't understand, mom. This can't be happening. My face...my face is in the video but that isn't me. Something isn't right here." She stood up and went to meet her mother. "I swear mom you have to believe me, that isn't me." She burst out in tears.

Her mother stared at her in disgust. She clearly didn't believe her, who would? It was clearly her in the video, she couldn't deny it.

"Shut up. How long will you keep on doing this? For how long? What exactly are you gaining from lying? Just accept it, Leila."

"No no no. You have to believe me. Just believe me for once in my entire life. You have to trust me."

Leila was in pains. Even her mother wasn't going to believe her, she knew that very much.

"Trust you? I would rather trust the devil than trust you."

She was clearly asking for the impossible. But she didn't understand why her mother decided to turn this around on her. Her mother snatched her bag and everything that was inside it, she threw them on the floor. The books she brought home too were scattered on the floor.

"Is it because of these things? Is it these books? It must be them."

She stepped on the books till they were dirty and roughened.

"Mom stop it. Stop it." Leila pleaded.

Even though she was familiar with Amy, and she often got discount on the books she gets, she knew for some reason that Amy cherished these books more than anything and that it meant a lot to her.

"Mom? Don't you dare call me your mother, you bastard. I can't stand you and I wish you were dead. Just die already and stop causing me pain."

Leila couldn't believe her ears. She didn't know her mother despised her to the extent of wishing her death.

"I don't know what I have done to you that you hate me so much and I don't care, just take your legs off my books."

Her mother stared her dead in the eyes, bent down, picked up the books and started ripping off some pages of the book.

Leila screamed and begged but her mother turned deaf ears. She gave her a little nudge and her mother almost fell. She quickly took the books she let go and the ripped pages as she cried her eyes out.

"Even though you hate me, I don't. You want me dead? Fine then, but I won't die simply because you want me to. One day, very soon, I will be killed. Do you know I have been bullied my whole life? By my mother? By people I thought I could trust? Do you know how I ended up like this? Even though my mother bullies me at home I still managed to smile but have you ever wondered why that doesn't happen anymore? Obviously you don't care what happens to me. You don't care at all. Oh and do you know I was raped today?"

"Rape? Who on earth would be in a right state of mind and want to have sex with a miserable woman like you?" Her mother laughed, mocking Leila.

Leila sighed. She definitely wasn't expecting empathy from her mother, she knew she didn't care but at least, she thought she would say something to comfort her about the rape incident but she just mocked her.

"I take back my words. I hate you so much. And sometimes, I wish it was you who died in that accident and not dad."

She didn't feel bad about what she said and just went to her room and locked the door. She sat down on the floor and she could finally let out her anger and frustrations. She bawled her eyes out and let it all out. She hated herself and she did wish to die. Maybe if she did, all her pains would go away.

She stood up suddenly and picked up the knife that was laying lifelessly on her counter table. If she could just cut the hand she got hurt, she would bleed to death. That was perfect. She would finally be at peace. A strong gust of wind blew and all the ripped pages of the novel flew everywhere. One page flew to her face, which caused her to drop the knife on the floor.

"You're stronger than you know it, my love. I will wait here patiently for you, I will wait for you my love. Even if it takes a thousand years, I'll wait for you. So stay strong, my love. No matter where you are, even in an alternate universe, I will wait patiently for you. But don't take long darling, cause I am dying for your touch. I long to hold you, I want to kiss you delicately on your lips, and tell you how much I have missed you and after that, we will be together for eternity."

That was what was written on the page that flew to her face. Leila for some reason felt comforted, she saw it as a sign, as if someone was waiting for her. What would she gain if she gives her mother what she wants? What if in an alternate universe, someone was waiting patiently for her like how this guy was waiting for the love of his life?

She wiped her tears and smiled for the first time in forever. She picked up the pieces that were scattered in the room and sat on her bed to put them back together. After she was done, she read the volume one of the novel. It had an interesting title; "The Vampire Prince." She smiled at the intro and was instantly emerged in the book.

"Dear reader, if you are reading this then that means you were chosen. My name is Xavier..."

She smiled at the name and whispered it slowly as if engraving it in her heart.