Pristine's Problem | ONC 2024

14 | the heiress

Alan stampeded through the stairs, leaping through steps until he tripped, barely saving himself with the handle.

Please be there Pristine! Please be there Pristine!

A relentless chant played through his brain as his inner desire slowly peeped through the fence.

He had to admit it; he missed Pristine. He wanted her to be near, but most importantly, he wanted to safeguard her after knowing she had been telling the truth.

Reaching the end of the stairs, his breathing heaved, making him pause briefly to gasp for air. However, his heart pummeled him, indicating how he had already lost quality time to bind their broken relationship.

Alan darted across the wooden-tiled door, halting at his room's entrance. His heart throbbed pangs of uncertainty as it only conveyed one message to the brain: to see Pristine. Even if she avoided him or even slapped him for his negligence, he wasn't planning to rebuke. All his eyes needed was the sight of her, safe and unharmed.

A nervous rifle fired through his body as his fingers turned valiant enough to reach for the door. Without delaying a single second, Alan plunged the handle and entered inside his room.

"Pristine!"

"Alan!" she bolted in his direction and deluged him in a tight embrace. Warm tears dribbled through her skin, seeping through his shirt.This was unexpected for her itself – she imagined her to storm at Alan, slapping him left and right. But there she was, falling into his arms, hoping to never break apart.

Alan had trouble fathoming what happened, nonetheless, he remained mute as he stroked her hair and hugged her tight.

She's safe, and that's all that matters.

Stifled sobs escaped through their embrace as Pristine refused to part; she felt warm and safe in his hands. He might have been a stone-hearted idiot, but he was the only person who cared for her existence.

Soon Pristine released herself from their embrace, providing air for them to breathe. Brushing the residual tears of her skin, she stiffened her face, getting prepared to reveal what happened.

"I am sorry, Pristine," Alan whimpered, "You were right."

"Your sorry is not important, Alan. You need to know what happened."

***

"When Romine said that, Avril turned and we all saw Abigail appearing. She was horrified, Alan. She was on the verge of crying."

Alan patted her arms as Pristine took a deep inhale. She had been through so much, barely making it alive.

"What happened then?"

"Avril got distracted by Abigail, there was a metal bottle on the desk nearby. I picked that and banged his head. He stumbled – I think the bang made his sight blurry. I immediately grabbed Abigail and ran out of the room. Romine followed us but before she could get near, Adrius came out of his room, giving us ample time to come inside."

"What about Abigail?" Alan worried. The fact that his immature sister had almost seen Avril commit a murder brought him to shores of frustration. Things had gone completely out of hand, and now it was up to them to put an end.

"Abigail was stunned. She didn't speak a word, but then I explained to her vaguely, just repeating "don't worry" and "don't tell anyone about me". She gave a mild nod and then I let her go downstairs. I had to assure her that the creepy girl was no more there. She was so –"

"Alan!" A loud strike silenced their conversation. Arabella banged her brother's door incessantly; she had freaked out after seeing Alan's confused reaction. The boy had just ran to his room after seeing Romine, which made her brain raise suspicions.