Sarabelle Adesanya
Sara sat down with her head down and her pen clutched tightly in her hands.
Two more minutes.
Only two minutes left until class was over; until she can go to her house and forget about high school even if it was for only one minute.
One minute and fifty-two seconds now.
The teacher droned on and on about a random book by Shakespeare which just made Sara more anxious than before.
One minute and twenty-three seconds.
The teacher looked up at the clock and sighed, "It seems like I might have to let you all go early today. There are barely even two minutes left." Collective sighs left her coursemates who were as bored and tired as the next person.
"But before you go, remember to start your presentations on the history of-"
Just as he before talking, the bell rang and everyone started to filter out of the classroom and into the halls.
Sara wasn't too far behind, speeding out of the classroom the moment she had the chance, ignoring the annoyingly high-pitched voice that called her name.
She could hear the squeaking of sneakers getting closer and she didn't need a sage to tell her that they were already chasing after her.
The doors were just an arm's length away. If only someone didn't trip her before she could reach the doors.
She fell to the ground with a huge thump and banged her nose on the ground. With a pained groan, she pushed herself off the ground and sat up to face the offenders.
Amanda Baker; the typical high school queen bee with pretty blonde hair, a perfect body, a rich family and a bunch of high schoolers who worship the ground she walks on.
Andrew Baker; twin brother and an exact copy of Amanda except that he had a dick and balls.
Vivian Drake; the queen bee's assistant, nerdy girl who gained popularity after putting on slutty dresses and associating herself with her former bully.
Ryan Turner; a basketball player and best friend of Andrew. Typical asshat who loves to oppress people he deems 'lower' than him.
And finally; Samantha Smith; a former friend of Sarabelle Adesanya turned on her to be Ryan's girlfriend. She was the one who tripped Sara.
Sara hissed in pain as Ryan grabbed her by her hair and pulled her to her feet. "Where do you think you're going, loser?" Said Ryan, chuckling as she struggled against him. He and his friends chuckled and dragged her to the school gym.
"Ew, don't let her get blood all over you, darling," Samantha complained, pointing to Sara's bleeding nose.
Andrew pulled out something shiny from his pocket and the next thing she knew, she felt pain all over her arms and stomach. She fought desperately against the arms that held her down but to no avail.
"Still a pathetic little crybaby as usual, aren't ya?" Samantha sneered, slapping Sara across the face. Her friends cackled and Ryan threw Sara to the ground.
Once they were done, they packed up their things and left.
Sara lay there emotionless and unmoving, at least until she was sure they were finally gone.
"How long are you going to fucking lie there like a dead body?!" The harsh voice of the gym teacher called out making her flinch.
Sara mumbled a small sorry and pulled herself up, ignoring the painful throbbing coming from her arm and torso.
The woman sneered as Sara walked past her, scrunching her nose in disgust at the sight of her covered in bruises and blood.
So did the rest of the population of Riverdale high school.
After a long and painful walk to her car, she locked the door and rested her head on the steering wheel. 'Mom is going to kill me for ending up in the hospital again,' Sara chuckled darkly to herself.
Starting the engine, she drove herself home despite her body screaming at her to rest.
~
"How many times have I told you not to come back to this house covered in blood you this stupid girl?" Sara's mother yelled the moment she caught a glimpse of her daughter.
"Good afternoon, Mother," Sara muttered blandly before going to her room, ignoring her mother completely. "Don't ignore me, brat! I'll be informing your father about this behaviour of yours once he gets home."
She reached under her bed and pulled out a first-aid box. She began dressing her wounds and wrapping them up with bandages as best as she could.
Once she was done, she lay on her bed and closed her eyes, hoping to get a few hours of sleep before her dad came home.
Unfortunately, Sara didn't seem to have lady luck on her side today. Her father's booming voice resonated throughout the house as he announced that he was home.
"Where's Sara? Doesn't she have the common decency to at least come to greet her father?" The man asked his wife.
Her mother grinned wickedly and began telling him about Sara's 'attitude' from earlier that day. Of course, this upset her father, who decided to pay her a visit to her room.
"Sara? Are you in there?" Sara just grunted in reply, not in the mood to speak.
"What is this about giving your mother attitude? Can't you show the woman who brought you to this world a little more respect?"
Sara didn't answer which pissed him off even more. "Sara, apologize to your mother or I get the belt." He warned, entering her room.
Her mother stood behind her father with a sad look on her face. "I'm sorry, Mother," Sara said without moving at all. "I meant a proper apology."
"You should have specified then cos that's the best she's going to get!" Sara snapped at her father, unfazed by the consequences of her actions.
"You see this is all I've been dealing with every time you're not home." Her mother said somberly.
"Sara, this is your last warning. Don't let me-", "Get the belt and beat me to a bloody pulp even though I'm already bloodied and covered in bandages? Go right ahead, Father. Like you usually say, you brought me into this world and can take me out of it so please beat me until I stop breathing and crossed over to the other side, dear father." Sara said, her voice dripping with sarcasm and annoyance.
"Tch. I'm not in the mood for this. When you're ready to apologise to me and your mother, you know where we'll be. Stupid brat." Her father mumbled angrily and left her room with her mother trailing behind him.
~
Sneaking out was one of the things Sara never thought she'd be doing at three in the morning but here she was, climbing out the window to escape the unholy noises coming from her parent's room despite the pain shooting up her body.
And so she ran. Ran as far away as her tired body could carry her and only stopped when the pain became unbearable. Taking in her surroundings, she realized she was at Larnwick Park which was only about ten minutes away from her house.
Sara sat down on the nearest bench, admiring the beauty of the night sky. "Pretty isn't it?" Sara jumped at the voice, nearly falling off the bench. She turned around and came face to face with a man in an all-black outfit and a hunter's knife in his hand.
'So this is where I die, huh?' Sara thought to herself, accidentally laughing out loud. The man turned to give her a strange look but said nothing.
"On behalf of my boss and amazing friend, I'm here to offer you a deal, Sara." The man spoke, sending shivers down her spine. "How did you know I was going to be here?"
"I've been watching- no, stalking you. I'm surprised you didn't realise," he answered plainly. "Why?"
"Because my boss said you're special, Sara. Said he needed you for something only you could do."
Sara laughed nervously and started to back away, "I think I'm going to have to decline that offer. If you don't mind, I'll be going home now."
"Not with those injuries, Sara. You'll most likely bleed to death by tomorrow morning with that awful bandaging."
Sara cast an unsure glance at the man and then ran. The man sighed and took off after her.
~
Sara covered her mouth as she hid behind a tree, trying to catch her breath. She couldn't run anymore, the man was right about her bleeding out.
Blood was already seeping through the bandages and her vision was starting to get blurry. Her breath hitched as she heard the leaves crunching behind the tree.
She held her breath and closed her eyes, praying to whatever God was out there to save her. Then it went silent.
Normally, silence equals good for Sara. But this current situation she was in, only increased the fear blooming in her heart.
Suddenly, a cold metal brushed against her face and an arm wrapped around her waist. Silent tears ran down her face and her heart hammered against her chest as he dragged the knife carefully down her cheek.
"You can always come with me peacefully or I could just kill you and tell the boss some believable lie and it would be the end of Adesanya Sarabelle. It's your choice."
Before she could actually say anything, black spots covered her vision and she passed out in his arms.