It was silent between Sophia and Luke as they pulled to a stop outside Sophia's house. Luke didn't want her to ride her bike by herself so, when he had taken her to his dad, he made her ride with him instead of on her own. He couldn't ignore the fact that he loved the feeling of her arms wrapped around him and the fact that he could feel the warmth through his jacket. It was a sign that she was still alive and with him.
Luke kicked down the stand peg and waited for a moment as Sophia uncurled herself from against his back and twisted her leg over the saddle to dismount. She hadn't uttered a word since the talk with his dad and Luke just hoped that she was thinking differently to how she did this morning.
"I'll come by tomorrow with my dad to drop off your bike, okay?" Luke spoke softly, and Sophia gave the smallest of nods as she stared at her house.
She didn't want to go in there. She didn't want to be reminded of what nearly happened. But she knew she had to face it sometime.
Taking a deep breath, she mentally prepared herself to walk to her front-door when Luke spoke once more.
"Um, Sophia?"
She turned and watched Luke get an awkward look on his face as he fished for something in his pocket before offering it to her. Sophia recognised the necklace which Luke had given her for her birthday.
She knew his reason for offering the necklace back to her: he was worried about her. When he had given her the necklace it was to celebrate her birthday, a sign of life. When she had given it back to him, it had also in a way meant that she was rejecting the fact that she was living, that she didn't want to have been born and was better off dead. The necklace was, in some sense, a promise that she would keep fighting.
Sophia gave him a small smile and gently took the necklace from his hand. The barely audible sigh of relief did not escape her ears. Without another word, Sophia turned and walked up to her front-door, but she only entered once she heard Luke's bike move off into the distance.
Tentatively, she stepped into the foyer and looked around. There was no sign that anyone had been here. Her father still hadn't come back, but she expected as much as she never saw his vehicle in the driveway.
Slow steps brought her to the staircase and she glanced to the side where the dining-room table was situated. Her gaze fell on the untouched food on the table.
Sophia suddenly stumbled backwards as a wave of emotions hit her and she held a hand over her mouth to stifle the sob that chocked her. The realisation of everything that just happened hit her with such force that her knees buckled beneath her and she sank to her knees.
Curling to the point that her forehead touched the floor, tears blurred Sophia's vision as she weaved her fingers into her hair while also clutching onto the necklace in her palm. The pain in her chest was so unbearable that she felt as though someone was repeatedly stabbing her with a knife.
"I-I can't do this anymore," she cried as she clenched her hands in her hair to the point it hurt.
"Please, I need your help. I don't have the strength to do this on my own," she chocked out as sobs wracked her body.
The sheer intensity of her emotions and the fatigue of not sleeping in days made her collapse on her side as she buried her face in her hands. She had never cried so hard before in her life and for once she didn't care if her father walked in. She just wanted to be happy again.
"Please."
-
Sophia groaned as the sound of a robin singing outside hit her ears. She blinked as she slowly opened her eyes and it took them a moment to adjust. She was still lying on the floor in the hallway, her body curled up in a tight foetal ball. She blinked again and could feel the dried tears on her cheeks. She slowly uncurled herself and winced as her back clicked in multiple places along with the sensation of a numb leg and arm.
Pulling herself up into a seated position, Sophia looked around as the memories returned to her. She remembered crying her heart out last night, the first time ever in her life and a feeling surrounded her, almost as though someone was comforting her and all the pain had ebbed away, as though all her life problems had just disappeared and she felt ten times lighter than she has her entire life.
The feeling was indescribable.
Sophia quietly pulled herself to her feet and looked around. For a brief moment, she wondered if her dad had come home during the time she was asleep, but the dead silence of the house answered for her. Gradually, her gaze turned to the sight of the food that she prepared four days ago and was still untouched. Although it made her crumble yesterday, today she felt nothing. Despite what the food symbolised, she felt lighter than she's felt in years ... and not in a physical sense.
Sophia frowned as she stared at the food. It was clearly too old to still be used as leftovers, but it also seemed like a waste to throw everything away, especially those lamb shanks. If only she knew of someone who had a dog ...
Sophia paused as an idea formed in her head. She knew of an animal shelter a few miles out of Ridgeview.
Sophia moved towards the kitchen window and sighed when she saw her bike parked outside. Luke had brought it after all. Quickly grabbing a small container, she began to pack all the old food into it and placed it in a packet before going to the front-door. She glanced in the mirror on her way out, and paused a moment to fix her hair. Considering the fact that she just slept on a floor for who knows how long, she didn't look too bad.
Sophia quickly made her way to her bike and placed the packet in the tiny compartment situated beneath the saddle of her bike. She climbed on and grabbed the helmet hanging on the handlebar. She placed it on her head and switched on the ignition. She closed her eyes a moment to savour the sound of the purring engine before making her way towards the animal shelter.
-
The sounds of barks and meows immediately hit Sophia's ears as she entered through the doors with the packet in her hand. A scraggly-looking man seated by the counter immediately straightened and repositioned his glasses before peering at Sophia.
"Hi, can I help you?" he asked, his voice a little high pitched.
"Um, I brought leftover meat ..." Sophia trailed off and showed him the packet in her hand.
The man's eyes instantly brightened. "Oh, thank you, any donation is most welcome here. Please, follow me."
Sophia nodded and followed after the man as he made his way down one of the isles which housed many different breeds of dogs. As Sophia glanced from side to side, a small little grey bundle caught her eye and she paused. She watched as a small little husky pup uncurled itself and yawned before noticing her. Sophia blinked when she noticed the brown and blue eyes of the pup and it stared at her for a moment longer before apprehensively making its way towards her.
Sophia slowly lifted her hand to the cage and she watched the pup look at her fingers for a moment before giving them a tiny lick. Sophia couldn't help the way her heart melted at the feel and the look of the beautiful pup.
"Gorgeous thing, ain't it?"
Sophia jumped and pulled her fingers away as she turned to stare at the man wide-eyed.
If the man noticed he startled her, he didn't let on as he gestured to the food in her hand. "If you want, you can give him a bit. Just make sure they're small pieces though."
"Okay," she said slowly and the man smiled.
"I'll be by the counter if you need anything," he called as he walked off.
Sophia sighed to settle her racing heart and lowered the packet of food to the floor before rummaging through its contents. She pulled off a few strips of meat and straightened, looking again at the pup who stared at her curiously. Sophia slowly offered a small piece of lamb to the pup and she watched it sniff for a moment before grabbing the piece of meat and gobbling it down.
Sophia smiled. "You have to be careful or you'll choke," she said and offered another.
She watched the pup swallow it hungrily. Although Sophia didn't know much about animals, she still knew enough to know that she couldn't overfeed a pup on rich foods. So, after a few more mouthfuls, she grabbed the rest of the packet and was about to walk off when she heard the husky pup whine. She turned and watched the pup giving her the best puppy eyes she's ever seen.
Sophia felt her heart ache. "I'll be back soon," she promised and walked towards the front desk.
"That pup really likes you. It's up for adoption if you want it," the man behind the counter said as Sophia placed the rest of the food in the packet on the countertop.
She thought for a moment over his words. She never once thought of having a pet. She was always too wrapped up in the problem with her dad and her constantly changing life-style.
"I'll have to think about it," she said.
The man nodded. "What's your name, by the way? I'll keep him aside for you just in case. You're the first person I've seen him approach."
"It's Sophia," she replied, although she wasn't sure if she could take on an animal.
"Sophia, let me jot that down before I forget," the man said and began scrummaging through the papers on the counter for a pen. "So-phi-a. Cool! And thanks again for the donation."
Sophia nodded her head and soon left the building, making her way to her bike. Only once she was on the road did she start to delve into the thought of possibly having a dog. That little pup certainly had touched her heart. Maybe it wouldn't be bad for her?
If her dad didn't like it then she'll just move out. She's earned quite a bit from her track running. It'll keep her sustained until she graduates.
But so caught up was Sophia in the thoughts of a dog that, at the last second, she noticed a small child run into the road chasing a ball. Sophia instantly slammed on breaks and her bike jerked to the side.
Her eyes widened, for although she missed the child, she flew straight into the windscreen of an oncoming car and the last thing she heard was the shattering of glass before everything went dark.
-
Cole sighed as he raked a hand over his short hair and ran it down his face. He was beyond exhausted. For four days he hasn't slept trying to deal with the problematic hacker and the panic that it caused his branch. Not only did he have to deal with trying to recover the stolen information, but he also had to make sure that this incident stayed out of the media's ears.
If they got wind of what just went down, they would've sent the whole nation into a panic.
But thankfully it had finally all been cleared.
Cole grabbed his jacket as he was getting ready to leave when he heard his phone ring. He frowned when he didn't recognise the number. For a moment he thought of not answering it at all, but it could be urgent.
So, with a sigh, he answered.
"Good afternoon, is this Cole Knight?" a woman asked over the phone.
"Yes, state your business," he replied curtly.
If this woman was from the media ...
"Mr Knight, I regret to inform you, but your daughter Sophia Knight was recently rushed into emergency theatre."
The exhaustion that Cole felt instantly evaporated as he stood straighter, his shoulders tensing. "What? Is she okay? What happened?"
"She was in a motorbike accident, sir. So far she seems stable. Her injuries weren't fatal, however ..."
"What is it?" Cole asked, sensing the dread in her voice.
"Your daughter ... is in a coma."