Lydia’s POV
I never thought of what it was like to be forgotten about. To not be talked to, to not be cared about.
My green eyes looked out over the winter covered forest that surrounded my home. The green leaves had fluttered to the ground, the time of year now being mid November. I never enjoyed the winter, the frigid cold air restricting me from swimming in the pond deep in the forest. My happiness, my escape from reality; or hell.
“Lydia, someone’s here to see you!” My mother’s voice shook me from my frozen stance.
For as long as I could remember, I would always look out my back window when I was conflicted or stressed. I had put myself in this spot every day for four months. Ever since I stepped foot in the house since the plane ride from LA, I would subconsciously find myself in this same spot, everyday.
“Lydia!” She called out for me again. I roll my eyes and they begin to sting from the new movement.
“God damn,” I mumble rubbing my eyes. I hated the effects I had after looking out for hours on end. It was always painful. I blink a few times, looking out at my room. It had barely changed since I left five months before.
My bed was a mess; my desk was cluttered with job applications and colleges wanting me to speak at presentations. Mother and I sat down after the trip and much to my displeasure, she’s making me take up some form of work.
She had suggested teaching at one of the local colleges, but I told you of how awkward it’d be teaching to people older than me. For once in my life, she saw it my way. But, that didn’t stop her from suggesting –more like forcing- other jobs.
I let out a quiet yawn, walking out of my room. I slowly walk down the stairs, looking around for who it might be behind the front door.
Lately and quite frequently, paparazzi have shown up at my doorstep. I would usually open the doors since my mother would be at work, and they’d bombard me with questions about Harry and I. Or rather, of what happened to Harry and I.
After the trip, Mother took my phone away, along with any form of technology. She said that she wanted to ‘cleanse my soul of all the pollution’ I faced in California. She said that she didn’t want me to be surrounded in all the bad things I faced, most importantly Harry.
“Who is it?” I whisper when I reach the landing.
“Go see,” she smirks at me, a haughty look in her eyes.
I scrunch my eyebrows, stepping towards the partially open door. I grab the handle, pulling it more open.
“Hey Beautiful,” a man with bright blue eyes smiles at me.
I pause looking at him. He barely aged a day since I last saw him. His messy brown hair was swept in different directions and the smile he held lit up stadiums. This was an allusion, a mirage. I wasn’t seeing him. He wasn’t really here. But, he was.
“Chace!” I actually jump on him.
“Whoa,” he laughs as I wrap my legs around his waist. “Chill out little Dude.”
“I’m not that short.” I chuckle, nudging his ribs. “What are you doing here?”
“What? I can’t come to see my favorite non-celeb?” He raises an eyebrow at me, closing the door with his foot, wandering over into my living room. “Hello, Ms. Sky.”
“Chace,” she mutters his name. I wouldn’t say the tone she used was disgust, but rather…displeasure? “Glad to see that you made it on time.”
“I’m a man on my word,” he forces an obviously fake smile. He sits down on one of the seats in the living ro0m, my body being practically glued to his side.
“What do you mean?” I ask aloud.
Chace’s eyes meet mine and then they flick over to my mother, “Well she invited me up here.”
My head snaps over to my mother, shock written across my face, “You what?”
“Don’t use that tone of voice with me, Lydia. You were depressed, I fixed it.” She holds a wide grin on her face.
You almost did, Mother.
“Thank you for letting me see someone for once.” I narrow my eyes at her, my glare cold as ice.
“You should be thanking me actually.”
“Why?”
“Honestly?” She pauses, waiting for something. “It’s like you don’t even pay attention when I speak to you anymore.”
“What would be the point? All you do is tune me out when I talk.” I seethe back to her. “How does it feel to be at the other end?!” I stand up to tower over her. Anger that was pent up for four months, finally being let out.
“You little witch.” She hisses, standing also.
Of course she wanted to say something else, besides witch. But we had a guest, and when we have guests we must act like professional ladies. Charming, isn’t it?
“I guess I got my personality from you then!” I yell back at her.
“Stop it, Lydia.” Chace’s hand coils around my wrist and he tugs me roughly back down to the seat. “This fighting won’t get you anywhere.”
“Like hell it won’t!” I fire back, my eyes fuming with rage.
“She wants to tell you something important, listen.” His eyes hold my own and I force myself to slowly calm down. Much to my displeasure, I sigh showing that I give in.
“What?” I ask in an annoyed tone. I lean back as my arm lands with a thud on the arm rest. Mother sighs through her nose, the noise becoming loud in my ears.
“I wanted to tell you,” she begins. “That I’m going away, for just a week.”
“What?” I jump out of my bones slightly. “Why?”
“Well, since in June you decided to rebel, I had to cancel my three month long trip to retrieve you.” Her voice turns cold as she talks more. “But, I am not going out of country this time. Instead, I will be in Chicago.”
“So? What does this have to do with me?” I ask, shaking my head a bit.
I was frustrated once again. Since June 23, she hasn’t let me out of her sight except for work and bathroom time. It was becoming awful when she would always call for me randomly throughout the day to make sure I was still in the house, my guess is.
“Since I cannot bring you along, you will stay here.” My mother rubs her hands along a crease in her dress.
“How do you know that-”
“That you won’t runaway again?” She cuts me off like the know-it-all she is. “That’s what Chace is here for.”
“What?” I ask, deadpanned.
“What?” She mimics ever so rudely.
“You’re seriously leaving me with a babysitter?” I ask like she’s stupid.
“Yes, I am.” She answers proudly. “Since you missed him so much and I have to go, I brought him here to watch you so you wouldn’t leave to see him.” She says, intertwining her fingers together to rest them on her lap.
But Chace wasn’t the person I needed to see.
“Fine,”
“Fine what?” She asks.
I look up at the uncharacteristically quiet Chace, “I’ll stay with him.”
“And you won’t leave this town whatsoever?” She asks, pointing a menacing finger at me.
“I said fine, didn’t I?” I answer back sarcastically.
“Don’t use that tone with me Lydia Sky.” Her finger is raised in a haunting manor. I advert my gaze from her’s, dropping my head.
“Fine,” I give in completely.
My mother straightens up her posture, “Good. I will go fetch my luggage and I’ll be off.”
“Wait!”I jump off the couch and follow her to the stairs, her already being five steps up. “You’re leaving today?”
“Yes, today.” She rolls her eyes at me. “Oh, and speaking of today. One of your work applications was accepted this morning.”
I jump a bit. One of my job applications? I had only sent two in, one for teaching at a college and one to run a student organization at a local high school. I prayed that it would be the one for the local high school that got accepted.
“Really?” I question. “Which one?”
She smiles wickedly at me, “The one for the university.”
My shoulders slacken in shock. No, I didn’t want this job! My mother had sent that one in because it was good pay and it would broaden my horizons. I didn’t need a wider range of options; I would have been fine working with kids my own age.
“You start tomorrow actually; they said they couldn’t wait to be blessed with your graces.” She flutters her hand in the air as if she were some stuck up royal person. Then again, she was stuck up.
“Fine,” I answer her.
“Is that the only word in your vocabulary, Lydia?” She taunts, disappearing up the rest of the stairs and into her room.
“God damn it,” I groan to myself, walking away from the staircase. I walk back into the living room to see Chace standing by one of the shelves that held old photos. “What are you looking at?” I ask, walking up behind him. I lean my head against his arm lightly, as he puts down a photo of me.
“You,” he tells me. “But only the cuter versions.”
I scoff at him jokingly and nudge his ribs, “Shut up.”
“I was only kidding.” He nudges me back.
“You know Chace, it would be so helpful if you brought my bags out to the cab for me.” My mother’s voice carries from the stairs where she’s seen hauling her few bags down.
“Will do ma’am.” Chace instantly stalks over to her, hoisting up her bags onto his shoulders. “The cab you said?”
“It would helpful,” she bats her eyelashes at him and I narrow my eyes at her. Was that flirting I saw? Ew. She turns back to me, her eyes cold as if reading my thought’s, and walks over to me. “I know this might be different from the past few months, but you can’t go out except for work now.”
“What about groceries?” I ask, worried.
“Chace will be doing that,” she tells me, her nose up in the air. “He’ll be watching over you, but as a friend. Remember that, Lydia.”
“I promised I would, stop pestering me about it.”
“All the bags are in the cab, he said to hurry up too.” Chace walks back into the house, his hair slightly damp from the early morning rain.
“Goodbye Lydia, be good to Chace.” She leans forward and gives me this awkward one arm hug that I don’t return. I, instead, pull away from her gruffly. Her eyes narrow at me in hate, “This is for the best.”
“I guess so,” I cross my arms over my chest.
“Goodbye Chace, good luck.” She nods walking out, shutting the door behind her.
And she was gone.
I stare at the closed door, Chace’s bags around the front entryway. She was gone. My mother wasn’t watching me. I had one week of freedom, away from the monster.
“What do you want to do, Sky?” Chace asks, his body somewhere out of my view. I turn around, to see him lounging on the couch, his feet kicked up onto the coffee table.
“Well, I’d rather run away to LA,” I pause, thinking of Harry. “But I think she had told you to keep me here, right?”
“Yeah, sorry kiddo.” Chace pats the seat next to him, and I saunter over plopping down quickly. “I know this must be difficult for you.”
“You don’t know the half of it.”
“I can only imagine. Your social media sites are blasting through the roof.” He cracks his knuckles subconsciously.
“What do you mean?” I sit up looking down at him.
“Well you have almost a million followers and you’re talked about everywhere.”
“Really?” I scrunch my eyebrows in confusion.
“Well…yeah. I thought you knew all that.”
“No, I haven’t had my phone or laptop since LA.” I answer back.
“That’s funny, she told me where she kept your stuff hidden.”
“I know where it’s locked up too, Chace. It’s no big surprise, it’s in her desk drawer.” I roll my eyes sat him, slumping down again.
“But she also told me what the combo is.”
My heart dropped as I looked at him. His blue eyes held a devious smirk and I knew that I would be able to get back to my life again; I would get back to Harry.
“What is it?” What six number combination could she have picked and still remember top this day? I’ve tried my birthday already, and also her’s. The only birthday left was my father’s and I never knew him.
“It’s 05-29-94.” Chace answers from memory.
May 29, 1994.
What was so important about that day? What was she remembering every time she spun the dial?
Before I can let out any air, I rush off the couch, stumbling towards the staircase. I run up the stairs, throwing myself into my mother’s study. I run to her desk and slide over to the locked tight drawer. I turn the numbers one at a time.
0, I needed to kn0w if he still cared.
5, did he even want me anymore?
2, where was my father?
9, did he even want me anymore?
9, Harry.
4, Ryan.
The drawer popped open, causing me to jump back in surprise. I stand still, seeing the drawer pitch black as it sits there, only open a few centimeters. Chace is up the stairs by now and I can hear him slowly walking down the hall, his footsteps echoing in the silent house.
I grasp the cool handle and tug open the drawer, a few things popping out at me. My phone, my laptop and an envelope sat lonely in the small space. I reach down, lifting up the small device I last had at the airport.
I press the home button, and it doesn’t light up like it used to. Dead, the battery is dead. I jump up, rushing passed Chace and into my room. I pull the charger up onto my desk and plug my phone in.
I walk away from it and go to my laptop, picking it up. I walk back into my room and set it down on top of my messy application filled desk. I plug my laptop in, letting that start up.
“Hey Lydia?”
“What?” I answer.
“What is this envelope doing in here too?” Chace calls in confusion.
“I don’t know, what does it say?”
“Important documents.” He answers.
“Oh, it must be like my birth certificate or something. Just leave it be.” I say, my phone lighting up a bit. It said 0%, great. “Do you want me to show you your room?”
“Yeah,” he walks into my room and leans against the door frame. “That would be great.”
“The flight from LA to Vermont is long, isn’t it?” I ask, walking passed him into the hallway once more.
I open a closed door to revel and very dull colored room. It held a small white desk, a chair for the desk, a bed and a night table. It also held a view of the backyard and a small closet adjacent to that window.
“This is it,” I wave my hands around the plain styled room.
“It’s great, thank you.”
“No,” I hold up my hand. “I will not accept a thank you from the person who is saving me.”
“From her?” He raises an eyebrow, sitting on the edge of the bed.
“Definitely.” I plop down on the desk chair, turning towards him. “So, thank you Chace.”
“No problem kid.” He smiles. “Oh, and about Harry.”
“What is it?”
“This might be tough to hear…but-”
“Spit it out Crawford.” I jump a bit. I can’t believe he was about to tell me something about Harry, this was exciting!
“He said he never wants to see you again.”
*****
Oh crap, he doesn't want to see her again?
This is bad.
Think of this as my Holiday present for all you lovely people.
So Chace is her babysitter? And the mother is gone?
But, Harry doesn't love her anymore :/
Or does he?
Find out in chapter 30:
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I LOVE YOU ALL MY LOVELY LOVES!!