Will and Rhea left in Will's car after Louie had made sure that Sasha or her friend, Dahlia, were nowhere around the premises. He also made sure that there were only a few students around, and those students would say no word to Sasha or Dahia.
Rhea waved at Louie, hoping she would not have to leave with Will but Louie; she would feel more comfortable with him. Silence invaded the car as the driver drove off.
"Do you want some water?" Will asked, stretching a bottle of water to Rhea. "Or chocolate?"
He had wanted to break the silence that had lingered for so long between them.
"No, thanks."
Rhea's answer was so brief; she did not intend to start a conversation with him or go on with the one he had started.
Will opened the bottle of water in his hand and drank from it. He could tell that Rhea did not feel comfortable with him and would avoid him if she had the chance; she kept moving away from him when he attempted to get close to her.
It was all Sasha's fault! He thought.
If she had not threatened Rhea, she would have felt comfortable with him. He wasn't good to her either; he knew that. He had treated her with scorn, so It was right for her to be shocked and walk on the edge around him.
Rhea hummed a song as she stared through the window. Her house wasn't too far from the school but going home with Will made the journey longer.
When will the journey end? She thought.
She wasn't sure how long she would be able to cope with being in the same space with him without having the thought that he would bully her sooner rather than later.
She also had the thought that Sasha would find out about this and bully her. Her lips curved into a warm smile when she saw her house some distance away; she would be getting off soon.
"You can ask the driver to stop there." Rhea pointed at the brown-roofed house, a distance away from hers.
"Is that your house?" Will asked and Rhea stared at him, her eyes narrowed. "I am so sorry if my question was inappropriate. I did not mean to offend you."
Will's words were sincere, it made Rhea wonder if she was being too hard on him. She sighed but said nothing. Will took that as her way of telling him to shut up; he faced the driver instead.
"You can stop the car over there," he pointed to the driver, who nodded quickly.
The car stopped, and Rhea stepped out, breathing a sigh of relief. She had felt so uncomfortable with Will around that she thought she would choke; she hoped to step out of the car soon and get some fresh air.
Will got down from the car too, though he had doubts he was doing the right thing. He doesn't want Rhea taking offense to that again.
"How about I walk you to the door?" Will asked in a low voice.
"That would not be necessary. I can go in from here."
"I just want to be sure that you..."
Rhea's eyes twitched. "Don't you think I would be safe now? I live here, remember?"
Will could tell she was getting frustrated already; he took a deep breath. Rhea doesn't want him here and there is nothing he can do about it
"Fine. I will take my leave now. Make sure to call Louie to tell him that you got home safely. He would be so worried about you."
"Of course he would be," Rhea murmured.
"I should leave now," Will said.
Will found his way back to the car when Rhea said no word to him.
She would have said a word of goodbye. Why did she not? He wondered as he headed home.
He knew Rhea had not stopped in front of her house; he was the reason for that. He could tell that she was determined not to let him know where she was staying.
Rhea, who had waited for Will's car to be out of sight, decided to head home. The house was empty; Celia wasn't back yet, and so was her Father.
Rhea sat on the couch, her legs crossed on the table. She felt so tired from pretending to be okay with Will.
When will Celia be back? She wondered.
Their father would not be returning soon, and if Celia didn't return soon, she would be left alone in the house. She rested for a while and then headed to her room to get changed, after which she went into the kitchen to eat.
There wasn't much in the kitchen; she settled for cereal and milk. She was done eating in a few minutes. Rhea stared at the wall clock; it was a few minutes past four. She returned to her room to do her assignments. After which she brought out a book to read.
A few minutes past five, she felt bored and dropped the book on the table. Celia was taking too long to return, Rhea wondered how long she would need to be alone. She thought about visiting the abandoned pathway, the one she now calls the House of the Seashells.
She had named the pathway that name because she always gets a lot of Seashells whenever she visits it.
Rhea's reason to visit the pathway was to get some answers about the bluestone; she needed to know how it works or she might be having a sleepless night again today.
She brought out the stone from her wardrobe and then placed it into her trousers' left pocket.
Rhea left the house and found her way through the pathway. She did not only hope to see Aquamarine, but she also hoped that she would get the answers that she desired.
Aquamarine was waiting for Rhea when she got there and that caught her by surprise.
"Hi, Aquamarine," she greeted.
"Are you here for me this time?" Aquamarine asked.
"No. I am here to pick some seashells. I did not expect to meet you here," Rhea lied.
"I do not think so," Aquamarine answered and that made Rhea furrowed her brows.
Why did Aquamarine say that?
"The stone in your pocket is saying otherwise," Aquamarine answered.
Rhea chuckled nervously. "There is no stone..."
"It's glowing." Aquamarine pointed. "Are you here to ask me how it works?"
Rhea nodded. "Yes, please. I have tried my best to make it work but they were all to no avail."
"Come sit." Aquamarine pointed at the bench. "Your sister will be back soon. I won't be saying much."
"Will you tell me how to use the stone?"
Aquamarine shook her head. "No. But I am about to tell you a secret. Do you want to know about it?"