~ྀིྀི{•Darkness meets the light•}~ྀིྀི | ✨~ྀིྀིSodani~ྀིྀི✨|

Hope? (1)

Third POV

The morning light shone through the curtains of the mansion. Everything and everyone was quiet, except for one young girl who was awake earlier than she needed to be, lost in thought. She didn't look calm or happy—she looked... scared. Terrified. Her eyes were filled with so much fear.

She turned onto her side and looked at her nightstand, staring at the clock. Something was bothering her—really bothering her—but what?

Sophia's POV

I suddenly woke up at 6:00 AM, even though I was supposed to still be sleeping. I tried to go back to sleep, but I just couldn't. The summer morning sun was shining through my window, right into my eyes. I felt a weird lump in my stomach that just wouldn't go away.

Some people would've just gone back to sleep or done something else, but my mind was somewhere far away.

It was move-in day for the college I was going to. They had big dorms where you lived 24/7. I thought about my parents' reaction when they first heard about it. What would they say? I thought they would say no—but they didn't.

So now I had small and big boxes filled with my childhood things, three large suitcases full of clothes, and another one filled with shoes. I also had a few bags with daily necessities and school supplies.

Everything felt a bit emptier without all the things lying where they used to be. I was actually relieved that I didn't have to stay here anymore. I was hopeful that I could escape their misery and never come back here again.

Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.

I turned off my alarm clock, and the time read 7:25 AM. I hurried to the bathroom to get ready. I wanted to look neat and presentable, but also comfortable. I put on dark blue low-rise jeans and a beige, long-sleeved off-shoulder top with ribbon bows. I added some light makeup—mascara, concealer, a bit of blush, and lip gloss.

Then I saw it.

I opened the concealer and covered something I didn't want anyone to see.

I heard some rustling in my bedroom and tensed up, but when I looked through the crack in the door, I saw it was just the men carrying the boxes to the car. I quickly finished up, cleaned everything, and made sure I didn't forget anything. I took one last look at all the empty spaces before closing my bedroom door.

Forever?

I quickly made my way down the stairs, hoping to leave unnoticed—until a hand grabbed my wrist.

"Sophia, you really think this is the end?" my dad said, looking at me with those eyes I wanted to rip out.

Third POV

Sophia froze. She didn't know what to say to her father. Then she quickly tugged her hand out of his grip and stared at the floor, her shoulders pulling inward as if she were trying to make herself smaller.

"S-sorry... I'm going to be late," she whispered, her voice barely there.

The hallway felt unbearably quiet. Even the ticking of the clock sounded too loud. Her father didn't answer right away. He just stood there, watching her, and that somehow felt worse.

Late.

"You're not late," he said finally. "You're leaving."

Sophia's fingers tightened around the fabric of her sleeve. She didn't lift her head.

"I just... I need to go," she murmured. "They're waiting."

"Who?" he asked sharply. "That place? Those strangers?"

She swallowed. Her throat hurt.

"I— I don't know," she said quietly. "The school."

Her father took a step closer. Sophia instinctively leaned back, her breath hitching, though she tried not to show it. Years of learning how to stay still, how to stay quiet, kicked in all at once.

"You think this is some kind of escape?" he said. "You think you can just walk away?"

Sophia shook her head, small and slow.

"No," she whispered. "I just... I have to go."

The words sounded weak, even to her. But it was all she could manage.

Her father scoffed. "After everything we've done for you."

Sophia's nails dug into her palm. She didn't answer. Arguing had never ended well. Silence was safer.

Outside, she heard voices and the closing of a car door. Someone called that everything was ready.

Her father looked toward the sound, then back at her. "You won't last out there," he said. "You'll come back. You always do."

Sophia's eyes stung, but she blinked hard, forcing the tears away. She still didn't look up.

"I'll... I'll try," she whispered, more to herself than to him.

"Go," he said coldly. "See how far you get."

That was all she needed.

Sophia turned and walked toward the front door, her steps quiet and careful, like she was afraid of being noticed. The mansion felt huge and empty around her, every footstep echoing. She kept expecting someone to call her back. To stop her.

But no one did.

Sunlight poured in through the open doors, warm and almost blinding. The men by the car glanced at her, but they didn't say anything. She hugged her arms around herself as she stepped outside, feeling exposed without the walls around her.

For a moment, she hesitated, glancing back at the house.

It didn't feel like home.

It never had.

Then she turned away and walked toward the car, her heart shaking inside her chest — scared, unsure, but moving forward anyway.

I hope you like it and that I will try to update weekly meaning on Mondays, Wednesday and weekends.🥹🫶🏼