sanctuary. [oscar diaz]

[15] i'll be with you from dusk till dawn.

warning: this chapter gonna fuck y'all up. the last chapter was nothing in comparison.
and violetta may not be your favorite person after you read this, just sayin. so be prepared.
okay, let the hurting commence.

--------
I'LL BE WITH YOU FROM DUSK TILL DAWN.

FIVES YEARS AGO
[APRIL 2013]
📍Cienfuegos, Cuba

Waking up at seven in the morning was something I never got used to. My 11th year was about to end and two years later waking up every morning was still a struggle for me.

"Señorita Acosta, son las siete y media. Rogelio está fuera," Theresa, my nanny, tried stirring me awake. She was gently shaking me and I swatted her hand away, turning over and brining the blanket over my head. "Por favor, Violetta."

"Fine!" I sighed, coming from under the covers and sitting up in my california king bed. "Estoy despierto. Ahora deja." I gestured to the door.

"Claro," she nodded before swiftly turning and exiting my room, closing the door behind her. I watched her leave before rolling my eyes and throwing my feet over the edge of the bed.

It's not that Theresa wasn't nice. She was. One of the few genuinely nice middle aged nannies I've had, but I didn't like her for one reason. She took Jimena's, my favorite nanny's, job. I still don't understand why my parents fired her four years ago. But imagine how I felt when I came home excited to see her and instead Theresa is in her usual chair. I had a fit and I still occasionally have fits.

I've tried convincing my parents I don't need anyone here to look after me. I was seventeen now and in less than a year I'll be an adult. I didn't need someone here keeping track of me. It's not like they could tell me what to do anyways. All they did was update my parents on my where-a-bouts and what I've been doing. Not that they cared.

It was a waste of money all around.

I quickly took a shower and began getting dressed. I pulled the brown, mid-thigh uniformed skirt up my legs and zipped it shut. I slid in the white collared shirt and buttoned it closed before slipping on my white socks and black flats. I blow dried my hair and braided it into two braids. I did a natural look for the day by only filling in my eyebrows, putting on mascara and applying lipgloss.

By the time I was finished it was nine. I had missed my first period, but I didn't care. It was better in comparison than missing half the day. I grabbed my backpack from the hook on my closet and walked out of my room. I looked down the empty, narrow hallway that was filled with guest beds and recreational rooms. I don't know why I keep looking down it like someone other than a maid or Theresa would be there.

I turned and continued down the spiral staircase into the foyer. I walked across it and into the kitchen where breakfast was waiting for me. I took my time eating in silence as I checked my phone. When I was done I left my plate on the counter and walked outside to see Rogelio parked in the circular driveway.

When he saw me he smiled. "Violetta, buenos dias."

I nodded at him in acknowledgement with a smile. "Hola."

I got in and he closed the door behind me, walking to the driver's side. He hopped in and put on his seatbelt before the car began to move and exited the front gate. My school was only fifteen minutes away, so I usually sat in silence looking out the window.

I saw pedestrians walking and people on the streets attempting to sell their merchandise. The bright colors and beautiful architecture always captivated me. I could never look away until we pulled up to the front of my school.