It was the blinding light that tore through the window that woke Sarah up the next day. With a groan Sarah slowly opened her eyes but shut them close quickly. A massive headache soared through her head and most of her body. Sarah tired to figure out what happened but ended up with a blank.
Her entire body froze. Her eyes shot opened and she took a frantic look around. This was not her room. She looked at her covered body only to find herself naked underneath. Sarah's mind went in complete overdrive and hyperventilation. Paranoia and panic filled her mind and her body began to shake.
She felt something move beside her and her head whipped to the side. She saw Vivian's figure lying on the bed beside her with nothing but a small blanket covering her also naked body. She was lying on her back, a little tilted towards Sarah. She looked peaceful, with her dark hair covering her closed eyes and her mouth slightly opened.
Sarah took a shaky deep breath. Then another and another until her beating heart slowed to a normal speed. It was only Vivian. Vivian wouldn't hurt her, Sarah was sure of it and that alone relaxed her enough to start thinking clearly. But the more she calmed down, the more she started to regret it. She looked at Vivian a second time, only this time the pieces molded together. Her naked body. Vivian's naked body. Both in the same bed.
"Fuck!" Sarah swore and mentally hit herself. How could she have let that happen?
Slowly and very quietly, Sarah got out of bed without waking the other girl up. She made her way around the room and picked up her scattered clothes. She made sure to keep an eye on the sleeping Vivian everywhere she went. But she never woke up. By the looks of her misplaced clothes, Sarah assumed they had a wild night.
Once dressed, Sarah tip-toed out of the room and carefully closed the door behind her with one last glance inside the room. Vivian really looked peaceful with her entire body relaxed and soothed.
She pushed down the sudden guilt feeling that was slowly creeping in her mind. This was not the time to feel that way. Sarah continued to walk through the party debris, garbage and past-out bodies. She walked down the stairs and searched the rooms until she found her winter coat and stepped outside in the ever cold winter. They were approaching March fast and the weather was ever so slowly getting warmer.
'Now what?' Sarah thought. She didn't want to walk all the way to her house, especially with a cracking headache that made her eyes squint in pain. Maybe she could borrow Vivian's bicycle, if she had one, and bike back. She would give it back to her someday, naturally.
Sarah walked to the farm garage. It didn't look as if it had been plowed and therefore Sarah had to plow through the almost knee high snow so she could see through the window.
"Are you looking for something?" a voice startled her from behind. Sarah looked around and stared weary at an older woman who clearly took care of her body. Even through the layers of clothes, Sarah could see that the lady was fit, just like all the other farmers Sarah had come across since she arrived here. The older woman had black hair and dark brown eyes and was about half a head smaller than Sarah. She was probably five one, five two with a small but wide built frame.
"Can I help you?" the woman asked again when Sarah stayed silent.
"I need to get home, but I have no car" Sarah said.
"You live with the Murray's correct?" the lay said. Sarah nodded. "Come on, I'll drive you. I need to get to the village and it's on my way"
Still unsure, Sarah followed the older lady to a giant pick-up truck. Sarah had to hop on a step to be able to get in. Unfortunately the truck had not been running because it was almost as cold inside as outside, except for the wind. Sarah blew on her cold hands to warm them up when the lady sat in the driver's seat and started the engine. The truck roared to life.
"We'll wait a few minutes for things to warm up. I'm Thea by the way, Vivian's mom" the lady said with a warm smile and lifted her hands. Sarah swallowed the lump in her throat and shook Thea's hand with her cold and shaky one.
"Sarah" she replied.
"So you are the infamous Sarah. It is nice to meet you. My you're hands are cold. Here" Thea stretched into the glove compartment and took a set of gloves. She handed them to her and Sarah took them. "They'll be cold for now, but if you sit on them it will warm up faster than this damn truck"
Sarah gave her a ghost smile and did as she said. This was not her first time freezing but she was not about to say that.
"That was some party huh?" she said with her warm smile. If this woman was Vivian's mother, she wondered where her daughter got her foul mood from. To Sarah, it was weird to see someone look like Vivian but who actually had a nice personality.
"I guess"
"I have to tell you, I didn't expect you and Vivian to be friends"
"Were not" Sarah said quickly. She remembered how she woke up and started over. "I'm not sure what we are"
"I hope that girl didn't come to hard on you. I know how rough she can become to get a rise from someone"
"What?" Sarah asked in fear.
"At the party. Parties here can get very out of hand and Vivian is certainly no exception" Thea continued to talk, oblivious of the growing panic in Sarah's expression.
"Well, whatever you two are, that girl needs a good bang on the head"
"What?" Sarah asked in shock.
"A good hit, to straighten her up." Thea gave a little laugh and Sarah followed with a shaky one to hide her nervousness. "Are you alright honey? You look pale"
"I'm fine" Sarah bit her lip in anxiousness.
"She is so much like her father although he's really hard on her sometimes"
"I guess"
"You don't talk much" the lady remarked. "How do you like it here, anyway? Leanne and I don't really get along, but even I have to admit that she is the best at taking care of strays. No offense, sweetheart"
"None taken ma'am. This village is starting to grow on me" Sarah said with a smile. Funny enough, she actually liked Vivian's mom.
"It usually does. If I ask you not to call me ma'am, will you stop?"
"Probably not" Sarah said with a genuine smile.
"Thought not. Here we are" Thea stopped the truck in front of the Murray's mansion.
"Thank you" Sarah said. She removed the gloves from her now warm hands and handed them back to Vivian's mother. The older lady shook her head and smiled.
"No problem. Keep the gloves, I have too many to count on two hands. Have a good day Sarah" with that, she drove out of the driveway and down to the village.
Sarah walked inside with her feet dragging behind. All she wanted was to go back to sleep and forget last night altogether. She was half way up the stairs when Leanne caught up with her.
"So, it's a bit early for you to go to sleep" Leanne's humorist voice said. Sarah groaned and turned around and Leanne recoiled. "You look like hell"
"I feel like hell" Sarah said with a sigh.
"I got your text" Leanne grinned, clearly enjoying Sarah's uneasiness. "I was impressed by the lack of letters and yet still managed to understand your message. I was relieved to know that you would be sleeping at the Kingly farm. Congratulations, you just had your very first sleep over. And hangover, from what I can see"
"Thank you for stating the obvious. I need a shower"
"Did anything happen? Carly was babbling about some things but I couldn't get much of it"
"Nothing, it was just a one night thing" Sarah said tiredly and started walking up the stairs again.
"Did you use protection?"
"No" Sarah, turning around again. "I haven't slept with a guy since the last time I was -" Sarah caught herself before she could spill anything.
"Since you were what?" Leanne said suddenly serious.
"You know what, I am going to go upstairs and sleep before I spill my guts. Metaphorically, of course"
"You do that" Leanne said, once again in a happy mood. Now she knew that Sarah dropped her guard and talked more when she was tired and hungover. Sarah was getting better and yet, she still said things that made Leanne uncomfortable, especially when she said them so genuinely.
Sarah walked into her room and saw Sunny sleeping soundly on her side of the bed. Sarah removed her coat and fell face first in her pillow. Her head was spinning and it felt as if her skull was broken in half.
"Rough night?" Sunny said with a yawn. Sarah turned her head and smiled. It was still very early in the morning, especially since Sunday was sleep-in day. Another thing that changed in the girls behavior, especially Sunny, was their ability to sleep in. They used to wake up no later than seven every morning, but now, they relaxed enough for them to sleep longer nights without duties or nightmares.
"Yeah" she replied "Do me a favor and be a good girl. Don't go to parties until your twenty-eight"
Sunny giggle and adoringly put her hand over her mouth. "I'll keep it in mind"
"In the meantime, I need a hug" Sarah said and placed her head by Sunny's chest, making sure the top of her head was firmly pressed on Sunny's shoulder. Sunny giggled and wrapped her arms around Sarah's head and neck. It was the only thing she could hold in their weird position.
"Onee-san?" Sunny asked and received a hum in return. "I want to learn how to sing"
"Go for it, sis. We can afford hobbies now" Sarah mumbled before passing out for the rest of the day.
-
Things began to feel uncanny by the next Monday. Of course the party was the only thing on the students mind. Last Friday was the only thing people spoke of all day. It was certainly getting to Sarah who only ever wanted to forget that night.
The other students were beginning to see the change with their favorite pass time. The kids were slowly noticing the shift between both Vivian and Sarah from the given signs. At first, when Sarah and Carly passed Vivian in the school hallway, Sarah didn't even glanced at the other girl. She walked right past as if Vivian was not there.
Carly saw the lack of interaction between girls and frowned. She caught Vivian's eye but the girl turned around and continued her conversation with her minions. Carly was about to ask what happened when Gabe grabbed her waist and and kissed her. The blond girl lost all thoughts and eagerly kissed him back. They had become exclusive after the party and were proud to show it.
Then, during English class with Mrs. Carlos, the girls were forced to sit together but neither looked remotely comfortable.
"Alright, today you will be continuing your writing projects" Mrs. Carlos said and automatically, everyone looks at the two girls but they stayed silent. "Girls? No snide remarks or insults?"
"Not today professor" Vivian said with a sigh. She looked at Sarah who stared back for a few seconds before forcing her eyes forward and shook her head.
"Alright then, get to work guys"
Everyone began to whisper as they opened their books. Vivian and Sarah worked in silence, knowing exactly what they were expected to do. Vivian, however was trying to figure Sarah out. She was confused about the poor girl's reaction.
She had woken up alone last morning. She was surprised but was not shocked that Sarah left early morning. Vivian, on the other hand, remembered everything that happened the night before and for some reason felt guilty. She felt as if she took advantage of Sarah that night but had never felt that way before, with any of her flings.
Nim also found Sarah strange but knew better than to confront her. He stayed by her side the entire day for moral support but never asked her.
-
Morning soon turned to lunch and Sarah was still in her gloomy state. She was standing before the cafeteria canteen getting her spaghetti when Vivian forced her way through the line. She glared at whomever complained and they all shrunk in fear. Sarah rolled her eyes when Vivian grabbed a tray and stood beside her. They were quiet for a while.
It never happened to Vivian to feel so confused and lost. It was the first time that she didn't know how to start a conversation. It felt as if her words were lost in her throat and she couldn't get them out. Vivian finally spoke.
"It's your turn" she said quietly enough so that the eavesdroppers wouldn't hear.
"What do you mean?" Sarah said without lifting her head.
"The game. It's your turn to choose"
"Fine. The first one who stops thinking about it wins. OK?" Sarah snapped before turning around to walked to the cashier but Vivian wouldn't have it. She grabbed Sarah's upper arm and roughly turned her around.
"No not OK. This is unacceptable" Vivian snarled. She was in fact scared. Being afraid was something she had never felt before. Scared of losing the the thing that made her heart beat with adrenaline. Scared of going back to who she used to be. Emotionless.
Sarah thought differently and ripped her arm away. She leaned closer with a low snarled.
"No, it's not. Because I am pissed" she snapped angrily and Vivian involuntary flinched"Pissed at myself for letting my guard down. I am pissed that I allowed myself to be so stupid as to willingly drink myself to the point where I lost my memories. I've been drugged before and woke up somewhere else. Trust me, it was not something I was planning to experience again. I don't remember half of Saturday night and I wake up naked with a bruise on my cheek, not knowing how it got there or how I ended up in your bed. Not to mention a hickey on my neck, which you're lucky Sunny didn't see it or she'd throw a fit. The fact that, not only don't I remember what happened, but that I did it to myself is revolting. And that,Vivian, is unacceptable.
"So, I'm sorry your that your entertainment is no longer interested in your amusement, but I'm done. I don't want t to go back to Juvie and I certainly don't want to be moved to another foster home. So our little arrangement is over. Leave it alone"
With that Sarah dropped her tray full of food on a canteen table and walked to her usual table, leaving a stunned Vivian by the food line. Carly, who was sitting beside her, looked at her and Vivian in in confusion.
They both looked miserable, even though they tried very hard to hide their emotions. The girls were so stubborn about opening up, it was remarkable they managed to conversed at all. Most students couldn't see the difference in their mood, but it didn't pass the people closest to her. Unfortunately, no one who was surrounded Vivian noticed anything. In fact, they were happy that she had not been speaking Sarah.
"Hey is everything alright between you and Vivian?" Carly asked Sarah form her seat at the food table. Nim looked concerned too.
"Yeah, why?" Sarah growled and Carly raised her hands in surrender. She looked at Nim who shrugged his shoulders.
Something had definitely happened during the party and neither of the girls were talking.