Chapter Song(s):

Who Are You, Really?-Mikky Ekko


Milena
Mere hours had past and but I could still hear the distant mumble of conversation between my mother and this, Katilynn Styles. I’ve been home since half three this afternoon, but when my eyes wandered over to the periwinkle purple clock– courtesy of my mother, that sat on my desk it read nearly half seven. The evil woman who sat on my couch waving round her Louis Vuitton red bottoms was still in my house, and the smell of roast, gravy, potatoes, and beans wafted through the vents and into my nostrils to tease my stomach with what I wouldn’t have tonight.

The Styles family was bringing me more grief than I had deserved in the few encounters that I’ve made with them.

I lied back on my bed, flat on my back before going under the covers completely and tying the free ends to the bedpost. When I was much younger, my father and I always used to make forts this way; if he wasn’t busy that is. At least when we lived in Kent, he had the time to do those kind of trivial things with me. As soon as we moved here however all of his focus and energy has been on work. I honestly haven’t seen him in three days and when he is available it’s only a couple of hours here and there in which he uses to rest.

As I sit in the midst of my ivory fortress, I try to ignore the groaning sounds that my stomach makes. Perhaps both my mother and Katilynn Styles are cruel. Who willingly starves their child as punishment? Tucking my knees into my chest as I sit allowing my forehead to rest on my knees, I imagine what the food tastes like. Seeing as how my mother only cooked to impress company, I’m sure that it tastes better than normal.

I could have been mistaken as I go delusional from hunger pains, but the muffled conversation that came from downstairs seems to turn into a heated debate. I quickly unwrap myself from my fortress and crack the door to try to listen to what’s being said, but I can only catch the end of the possible disagreement followed by the door being closed.

“...And I’m sure we wouldn’t want him to find out would we Madeline?”

Getting the end of a conversation piece is like trying to solve a jigsaw puzzle without knowing what the full picture looks like. The end result is useless.

Katilynn Styles’ expensive shoes clicked along the cobblestone pavement of the driveway below my bedroom door before the cheeping sound of her car door unlocking was heard. I took it upon myself to move the cream colored curtain out of the way of my window to get one final peek at lucifers mistress in disguise. As if she knew of my inquisitive gaze watching her from afar, her stoney grey eyes made contact with mine as she stood next to her all black Lincoln. Part of me thinks that the car is the color of her soul.

Before she opened the car door to leave, she raised a perfectly waxed brow and the smirk that I saw on her face as I stomped up the stairs to my room returned on her red lips.

I’ve no idea what she and my mother were discussing in my unfair dismissal, but whatever it was couldn’t have been pleasant. From the way that both of the supposed adult women acted, I assume nothing coming from either of their mouths was anything but hateful words exchanged between enemies.

Another hour had past putting the time around eight thirty pm. Usually whenever I get into trouble and get sent to my room, I only stay in for an hour and my mum forgets that she even sent me there. Today, however, was a different case.

“Milena, what are you doing out of your room?!”

If my mother didn’t seem to be from hell before I was dismissed, she definitely looks as if she could be associated with it now. Her mascara ran down her cheeks in thick black stripes until it was smudged away by her chin from her trying to wipe away tears. I’m not one for crying. If I’m honest it makes me uncomfortable.

“I just– I wanted a water.”

“Well get it and go back to your room. You’re still in trouble.”

I walked past my mother and to the cupboard grabbing a glass, keeping my eyes on the ground. I don’t know what’s upset her, but its made her more prone to lash out at me than normal and here lately thats saying a lot.

I walked over to the refrigerator, pressing my glass against the ice dispenser and then filling it all the way to the brim with water. My eyes at that point had since been on my disheveled mother as she tried to make herself not look a sad clown from the circus. I kept the glass against the button for water for too long, causing it to overflow on the ground.

“Damnit, Milena! Look at what you’re doing!”

My mum shouted pointing at the water on the floor.

“Sorry.”

Clean it up, get your things out of the middle of the floor and then go back to your room and do your homework! I’ve had about all I can take of you today! I don’t want to see you until tomorrow!”

I knotted my eyebrows before putting the glass back in the sink. I wasn’t really thirsty anyway, I just wanted to see if I could possibly find out what was going on before I came down here in the first place. Katilynn Styles must have struck a nerve. I grabbed a paper towel to wipe up the water as my mum put what was left of the food that she made that I can’t have in to the refrigerator for my dad. I must have been staring at it too long for her liking.

“GO!”

She shouted so loud that it startled me causing me to pick up my rucksack, my school blazer and my winter coat to literally run up the stairs to my room and slam the door behind me.

When I once again tossed my things on the ground in my room, my rucksack fell open and my sticky notes and Latin book fell out. Picking them up, I sat in the middle of my bed choosing a couple of choice words for my mum: witch, bitch, evil, cantankerous cow, sad clown, mysterious..

When the final word scribbled out on the neon pink post it I held it up to eye level. My mother is a mystery but she had only recently become so, making me rethink my previous thoughts on those that try to keep a sense of secrecy about themselves. Madeline Hunt is definitely hiding something from the world, but if I can help it, it won’t be that way for long.

A knock was heard at my door causing me to jump. Everything is startling me today, but in this world full of snakes one can never be too alert. I hid the post-it of my motherly adjectives on the inside cover of my Latin book before I opened it to the chapter that we were working on in school. It’s rather stupid in my opinion. Yes, Latin is the root of all the romance languages and for most of English as well, but I see no point in learning a language that’s considered dead.

“Come in.”

I speak with a low drawl in case its my mother. She should know of my annoyance with her for being barricaded in my room for telling the truth at that. Harold is the purest of arseholes.

“I thought you might be hungry.”

I nearly jump off of the bed in excitement at the sight of food, but mostly because my father is home.

“Dad! I feel like I haven’t seen you in days.”

“Ah,” he chuckles before placing my plate on top of my desk and wrapping me in a hug, “it could be because you kind of haven’t. I’ve been working so late and I missed my best girl.”

“What do you do there with Alistair Styles?”

I asked him and noticed the smallest falter in his smile before he answered me.

“It’s complicated, and I’m sure you’re too young to fully grasp it all now anyway.”

He grins while adjusting his glasses and changing the subject. Too young? At any other time, he would have exploded into a pile of chemicals and complicated maths formulas until I went to sleep from being too bored to take anymore.

“You got into trouble today?” His question was more of an ‘I already know' statement.

“Unfair treatment and starvation.” I exaggerate the point by digging in to the plate of food my dad brought upstairs.

“Milena–”

“It’s true dad. Harold. Is awful…and he has a stupid name too!”

My dad chuckles, “He’s not so bad Mila. You don’t know him. You would actually probably get along. He seems like your type of person, and seeing as how we’ve been here a few days and you have yet to have any social interaction outside of this house, I say that maybe you should get to know him. His sister too. He's really a good lad.”

“How do you even know him so well? It sounds like you’re around him more than I am and we have school together.”

“He’s very active in his dad’s office. Now, how have you and your mother been getting along besides today?” He jumps subjects again.

“Is we arent an answer you’re willing to accept? Ever since we came here she’s been an absolute nutter.”

“That’s not nice to say about your mother.”

Once again I’m reprimanded for telling the truth.

“She’s not nice to me..”

My father reaches up his hand and runs it through my unruly knots before resting his hand on the back of my head.

“Your mother is just going through a change right now with the baby. Sometimes she’s very emotional and it seems like she’s angry, but she loves you. We both love you. We’ve all had to make some adjustments with the move, but soon enough we’ll all be back to normal and things won’t be as bad as they seem.”

I looked at my dad and nodded my head. He always has this way of making the issues that I have go away or seem small or silly to begin with. It’s probably abnormal to have a favorite but I honestly don’t care. My dad is my favorite and he always will be.
“Now, the food is a secret between me and you. Don’t tell mum, shh.”

He kisses my forehead before grabbing my empty plate and taking it out of the room. When he closes the door, I reopen my Latin book and make an attempt at the homework assigned for tonight.

Quid est tibi nomen?

Just reading it makes my head hurt.

‘Quid est tibi nomen?’ Translates to ‘What is your name?’

In Latin the simplest of sentences look hard and personally, my day has been hard enough already. I close the book and take off my clothes to get into bed. hoping for a less depressing and more active day tomorrow seeing as how there are a few things I feel the need to investigate.

Notes

Hi loves! its been ages since I've updated this but I have a new chapter for you that I hope you'll enjoy. I'm trying to get better with updating this as well as my other story So if you're enjoying this pleas leave me comments vote and subscribe!! Love you all Xx