The next week goes by in a similar fashion. Chloe and the girls get to know Blake more, although the stares of all the others do not seem to be going away.
Just three days ago, Millie came up to our table, sat beside Blake and tried to talk to him. He indulged because, as I'm beginning to understand, he's just a really nice person. She kept trying to get him to go sit with her, Sasha, Ryan and the rest of that whole group. He was just not having it and politely told her to beat it. Not in those words obviously. He's too well trained to do that.
"Can you believe the nerve of that girl?" Talia asked, rolling her eyes. Talia's personality was the most out there out of the group of us. But you wouldn't know that unless you actually knew her. It was kind of like a fun little surprise.
With her dark, honey-coloured skin and her curly black locks, she was beautiful. But, unlike any of Sasha's group, she didn't flaunt it. She was comfortable, and she kept to herself and to us, but she didn't need or want, the whole world fawning over her.
"I know!" Our little fashionista, Nava, responded.
Red-haired, brown-eyed, short Nava was a spitfire. She had the most energy out of everyone combined. And, she wasn't afraid of anything, which occasionally made her very dangerous to be around. But, everyone needs at least one friend to break them out of their shells.
After that, we all had a pretty good laugh. Millie looked a little bit dejected but didn't seem to notice our laughs directed towards her.
Now, when I sometimes look over to Millie, she is absolutely swooning over Blake. He doesn't even look at her. It just looks really desperate, and I honestly kind of feel bad for her. Other then her looks, she doesn't have that much else going for her.
Sasha is her so-called best friend, but from an outside perspective, she doesn't really care about Millie. Sasha just wants a flunkie, not a friend.
Sasha was also starting to get annoyed by Blake. The access pass to their "exclusive" group was solely one's looks, and apparently Blake has what it takes. I mean, obviously. Petty, I know, but this is highschool and there has to be at least one group of people like that.
"Did you know that no one has ever, I mean EVER, rejected Sasha's invitation to go sit at her table?" Chloe informs us at lunch.
"Except you, you mean?" I ask her.
"Well, she's dating my brother, and I think she genuinely likes him. So, it doesn't really count. She actually wants Blake." Chloe responds.
"Wants me? Like I'm some toy?" Blake chooses the moment to pop back into the conversation.
"Precisely," Chloe says with a slight eye roll.
"Remember what I told you when you came over three days ago? Apparently I was right." I tell Blake, knowing well that he knows exactly what I'm talking about. He's really been disconnected from teenage girls for a long time.
What's most surprising, is that even Ryan has been trying to befriend Blake for the last couple of days. He's asked him to sit with them, go to the arcade with some of the jocks and he's even gone so far as asking Blake to join the football team. Blake politely refused every single one of those things. Honestly, I'm shocked a teenage boy could handle those situations as he did.
Over the weekend, I went out with the girls, Blake following at a distance. We did gossip about him, but afterwards, when I saw him back at home, he made no mention of it. I know he heard all of our conversations because he had bugged me before I had left the house.
I know it's only meant to protect me, but the bugging and the cameras really are annoying and an invasion of my already very limited privacy. Next time, I'll talk about some of his annoying habits. After all, if he wants to listen, he'll listen to it all.
When I returned to school on Monday I thought that everything would be the same. I hoped. There was my first mistake.
When I got to the cafeteria the first question Nava asked me was:
"Do you remember Carolina York?"
What in the world? Why would she be asking me that? I resisted the urge to make facial expressions and look at Blake. I could tell he was trying to do the same. He was clearly succeeding better than me. But I've gotten good at not reacting to surprising things over the years.
When I shook my head, Nava moved on from questioning me to questioning Blake, who played dumb.
"Did you know they're saying that Carolina York has been alive for the last 12 years? It's just that no one has known where she was or what she was doing! Isn't this exciting?" Nava was practically squealing with excitement.
Nava is very interested in fashion. She has been since she was very young if the photos her mother shows us are anything to go by. Of course, she would be the first one to hear rumours about the Yorks.
Luckily I didn't have to answer anything because Blake stepped in.
"So who are the 'York's' exactly? And if they've been dead for so long why are these rumours just showing up now? I don't get it. I think this is just fake news." He says. "No offence, Nava."
"Yeah, I know. But wouldn't it be awesome if Carolina York was alive? She must be the most beautiful person ever! Oh, and by the way Blake, for your information, the York's are the most influential people in the Fashion industry. Even though they haven't been around for the last dozen years!"
For the rest of lunch, we finally manage to get Nava to drop the subject, instead of having Chloe talk about her little cousin's 7th birthday party that had happened the past weekend. She gushed over how adorable all the little children were while complaining about how annoyed she was that Ryan had brought Sasha.
"And she was constantly in the corner, talking on her phone! Like, even when we were singing 'Happy Birthday' and cutting the cake! It was a kid's 7th birthday, at least enjoy it and go back to your childhood for once!"
It was actually quite funny to listen to.
When Blake and I were leaving the school after classes were over, I caught the name 'York' on more than one person's lips. This was probably a problem. I'm sure Blake noticed it as well, it was actually probably the reason he was sent to be my guard in the first place.
We got into the car and were driving home. Suddenly I see a huge billboard that stated
CARA YORK! COME OUT, COME OUT WHEREVER YOU ARE! AND ACCEPT THE PUNISHMENT WE HAVE CHOSEN FOR YOU...
It was for me and I was terrified. Why now? Why was this happening?
I could see the anger in Blake's eyes. He started to drive even faster as we neared home.
As soon as we entered the house, Blake locked the door, made sure all the windows were locked and updated some of the security systems. I never thought anyone my age took their job so seriously.
I went up to my room to try and get some homework done. Also, I figured I'd stay out of the way until all the proper precautions were taken.
As soon as I enter, I plop straight down onto my bed. Only a bed can comfort the horrors I'd seen today. Then, I open my laptop screen and go onto the internet.
"Ah! What the hell!" I yell, throwing my laptop off my bed and onto the floor. By this point, there's a look of horror on my face, and tears leaving sticky trails on my cheeks.
The next thing I hear is three sets of footsteps running up the stairs and bursting into my room.
"Oh Lana, darling! Are you ok? What happened?" Maggie asks me, taking me into her arms, and hugging me tightly. Albert goes into my bathroom and gets me a glass of water.
"They...they... they want to kill me." I say in between tears.
"Who? Who wants to kill you?" Blake asks desperately.
"I don't...." My cheeks are all red now, and it's becoming difficult for me to breathe. I hiccup a few times and take three deep breaths, as deep as I could get them to be, before continuing. "...know."
"Alana, calm down. We'll figure this out." Blake tells me in a steely voice. "Now, tell me what you saw.
"On the internet... there was a website..." I can't finish my thoughts.
As soon as I said "internet", Maggie knew that it was time to put her computer skills to good use. Al switched Maggie out by hugging me so that she could go help Blake.
Over the next couple of hours, I sit in my bed with Al hugging me. Blake and Maggie go through all the websites to find where the threats came from. Every single page that was opened showed a message for Carolina York. Each one telling her to die or ways that she should be killed. Blake and Maggie contact people at Witness Protection to also try and help track down the people who have been sending me these messages.
I go to sleep with everyone in my room. I think I might only feel safe if they are all watching me.
When I wake up the next morning, only Maggie is still in my room, keeping an eye on me.
"Good morning sweetheart, Al's on the phone with the authorities and Blake was up until 4 this morning checking and rechecking the security. I finally pushed him to bed because he's your day guard and has to be around you in the morning. You don't have to go to school if you don't want to." Maggie tells me as I'm waking up.
"No, no. I want to go. If I don't, it will only look more suspicious." I reply and start to get changed. In truth, I don't really want to go to school. Don't get me wrong, I actually like it; it lets me feel like a normal teenager for at least the one aspect of my life, but I don't feel safe. Or comfortable. Maggie leaves me alone so that I could get changed.
When I get to the kitchen, Albert looks dead. "I'm sorry, Lana dear. No one could track down the origin. I tried, Blake tried, even Maggie! And a couple of hackers back at HQ. No one found it. Whoever these people are, they don't leave tracks."
12 years after my parents were killed, these psychos publicly reopened the case.
When I get to school I don't even notice when Chloe and the girls try telling me things. I only think about what I read and saw. I know the girls are questioning my change in behaviour, but I don't give enough damns to answer them.
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First Published July 18th, 2019
Updated July 14th, 2020
Updated September 9th, 2020