She hated masks. More importantly, she hated how her parents wore them. How they could sit on their red arched sofa sipping tea and having light conversation dressed so refined and sophisticated. It bothered her as she stood in the middle of the luxurious living room of their regal mansion.
A lot of things bothered her recently but seeing them today heightened the churning in her stomach. Sometimes she suspected they weren't her parents but she had her mother's Hazel eyes, hips, and hair and from her father, she got the shape of her eyes and lips.
This home, a prison to be exact, didn't bring any pleasant memories to her. She wasn't abused-not physically anyway-but emotionally, they tore her apart and the worst part was they never did anything to her and that was the issue, they never did anything.
"Mom, Dad," she called out coolly and they looked up from whatever activity they were doing.
"Mitchie, you're home." Her mother's eyes brightened as she smiled at her daughter. "How has school been? You didn't tell us you were coming back."
Mitchie. Michigan. Her first name but she preferred Kayla because why would she be named after a state her mother loved?
"Yes. I transferred money to Dad's bank account just now for the debts with the loan sharks and there's little for Evie's medical fees."
Her father, Xavier Hastings, set down his teacup, and his verdant eyes bored into hers as he asked, slowly, "Where did you get the money, Mitchie?"
Her breath caught in her throat but she managed to squeeze out, "You don't have to worry about it. I got it covered."
"Just like when you said you had the loan shark's information covered until they almost cut off your father's arm?" As Ariana leveled the accusation at her the only falter in her expression was her eyes.
Kayla balled her fists wondering where she got her anger from. None of her parents ever let their cool mask slip except when it came to her older sister, Evelyn.
She remembered when she was ten and Evie was fourteen and her older sister fell ill. They asked her to look after her throughout the night because that was her duty. She left the room for five minutes and Evie had managed to get out of bed and tumbled down the steps.
Those smiling eyes and carved-out lips polished to a smile of Ariana became akin to the devil's as she yelled profanities at Kayla.
"Useless! Stupid! It's all your fault!"
"Look, it's your prerogative if you want to spend the money or not but I'm just trying to fix-"
"Fix what?" Ariana slammed her teacup on the table. Her nose flaring. "All we asked you to do is keep your head down and not cause any more damage!"
Her left eye twitched. "Damage!? What the fuck do you mean!? Everything I've done is for this family because you-" she pointed her finger at Ariana- "keep reminding me that everything that happened is my fault!"
Ariana stood up, the mask slipping off her face. "Because, Michigan, it is your fault. Your mistake. You've always been careless and impulsive."
"I admit that I did wrong by using your card to buy things and the loan sharks too but I was only trying to help!"
In her defense, the things she bought were gifts for her friends when they were all about to enter college and the loan sharks were a foolish mistake. She found them on the dark web and at that time she naively thought they could be trusted.
"Do not raise your voice at your mother. You are a Hastings and Hastings don't shout." Xavier's authoritative and deep voice sounded making Kayla shudder a bit. Where was the menacing man when his business was going under?
"My mother? Do not pretend that we have some kind of relationship with me! You and I both know that I was the daughter you never wanted but were forced to have! You've never been my mother not now and certainly not back then!" How Ariana walked across the room and how her hand slapped Kayla across the face making her head snap sideways were all a blur.
The second slap of the year. This was shocking. You would think with the perfectly manicured and soft hands she had the slap wouldn't sting but that was just a wrong impression. The slap stung like a bitch not just physically too.
It echoed in Kayla's brain over and over again.
Ariana took a deep breath, wanted to say something but closed her mouth before going to sit back down. Something flashed in the older woman's eyes as she stared at her motionless daughter. She didn't want to but she left her no choice.
Her Michigan was always sensible and rarely needed any form of attention and took care of her ill sister all the time but in recent years she couldn't recognize the girl in front of her.
She had dyed her Auburn hair into multiple colors and wore lots of jewelry every time she saw her so this was the only way to snap her out of it. She was doing the right thing. She reminded herself.
"I'm done with both of you and your hypocritical faces!" The business wouldn't have suffered such a huge hit if her father had listened to her and let her change the security system five years ago.
Now she had to pay for her tuition and rent all by herself and when she found out she couldn't pay the enormous amount because of her double majoring, she dropped out of the cyber security major.
However, her father heard about this special class and thought if Kayla could get a good job at a huge company, it would all be okay because Broadway was a risky career path, to him.
She loved hacking and acting but they didn't give her fulfillment anymore. They made her doubt herself over and over again especially because of how she misused her hacking skills for the dark web but it was the only way she could provide for herself and her family.
If it weren't for Kayla the mansion would have been sold and the expensive gowns her mother wore would be stripped off of her. Her sister's medical bills these past years have been taken care of by her and she would do anything for her sister no matter the price.
Oliver wouldn't agree with her methods but right now he was a two-faced asshole. One minute he wanted to burn her, the other he wanted to fuck her, and the confusion made Kayla want to die. She hated him to her core but couldn't help the way her body responded to his voice, eyes, and touch.
He was always there to pick her up when she broke down even if it was all a game to him at the end.
Kayla left the house with overwhelming emotions. She got home hoping to take a nap and forget everything that happened at the resort with Oliver and her parents after working on her computer till 2 am when she received a call from Rosa.
"Hello?"
"Kay… Kay... (Hiccup)… I'm sorry to call you…" the blonde girl over the phone sniffed. Was she crying?
"I tried to call Jack but he isn't picking and I don't have a lot of friends and…" she rambled but Kayla interrupted, "Rosa, where are you? Are you okay? Her brows crinkled.
"I'm at Alvin and Clyde's Park." Kayla frowned. The park was thirty minutes away. She pinched the space between her brows.
She didn't want to go anywhere but she just couldn't leave her alone at this ungodly hour no matter how much her brain urged her to hang up the call and go to sleep.
"Stay where you are. I'll be there as fast as I can." She comforted her friend, went to the location to pick her and brought her back home.
Rosa didn't come off as someone who cried a lot but her tears couldn't stop streaming down as Kayla wrapped her arms around her, stroking her hair.
"Could you tell me what happened to you? Why were you at that park?"
Rosa let go of Kayla, her lips shaking but the girl didn't meet her eyes or say anything. Her dress puzzled Kayla the more. She wore a brown fur coat draped around her shoulders, long black fish-net stockings with a purple fitted mini-gown.
Rosa didn't dress like this to class or when she saw her around campus. Still, the blonde-haired girl with smeared makeup and black eyeliner streaming down her face refused to talk.
Kayla sighed and helped her shower because of how soulless her eyes looked. Then, she picked out a nice set of pajamas for the girl because even though she had sold her clothes she still had so much left.
After, with slumped shoulders, and both eyes twitching she prepared a nice hot meal for the girl even though her body was shaking from getting exposed to the cold at this time.
Rosa ate the food hungrily and within a few minutes, she fell asleep on the bed, Kayla tucking her on.
Kayla rubbed her eyes and yawned as she lay beside Rosa. What could have happened to the poor girl? What made her cry and call her? They were good friends and all but if she was trapped in the middle of nowhere she wouldn't even think about Rosa in the slightest.
However, she had her problems weighing her down so for now she closed her eyes and tried to sleep, but her dreams were invaded by a pair of dark whiskey eyes thrusting his fingers into her as she was tied up to her bed with chains and Oliver forcing her to say his name.