*********************************
I apologize for the chapters not being updated as quickly as usual- Wattpad has been giving me the hardest time. It will randomly not let me upload, so it's been of some inconvenience.
Enjoyy c:
********************************
Amber silently watched as the small bits of snow fell from the endless sky. It was hardly snowing, but the tiny fragments were visible as they flew down and clung onto the glass window. The window was the only thing separating Amber from the frosty outside, although if she touched the window, her hand would go numb from the cold. It was going to be a harsh winter if this was only December.
It was Sunday and Amber could barely wait for the day to end. She had locked herself in her room and had only went out of the room to eat meals. She was terribly scared and terrified. If she had been afraid of her mistress before, she couldn't describe her fear now. She knew it was awful to say, but she was scared witless. It was bad to say, because she didn't want to be under Luna. She didn't want to be degraded by her, or act cowardly towards her, but after what she had done, she couldn't see a reason not to be.
What if she found out about Hailey and their relationship? Amber couldn't seem to keep a thing hidden from her.
It was the afternoon, and Amber still had not eaten lunch. She wouldn't let Luna terrify here to the point where she went starving, so she made the decision to leave the room...only for a quick meal.
She cracked open the door and glanced around in attempt to catch any sign of her nearby. After receiving none, she took a brave step out of the room.
The house seemed eerily quiet, but Amber ignored this as she focused on making her way to the kitchen without being noticed. Her chest hurt like hell and it looked that way too. She knew Hailey wouldn't want anything to do with her breasts once she had a look at the area.
Amber chuckled aloud at her thought but her smile faded when she entered the kitchen. Eva sat at one of the nearby tables and immediately whipped her head around to face Amber.
Amber didn't want to see her; not after what had happened.
The girl clearly had other opinions in seeing her, though, since she jumped out of the chair to stumble over to Amber.
"Amber! Sir Joel told me about him and Luna's argument with you. That was so sweet of you to put yourself through that instead of me. You really shouldn't have."
Amber lowered her eyes. She didn't want to talk to anyone at all. She had been majorly depressed ever since the incident, and just wanted to be left alone. But since Eva was being her nice self and thanking Amber, she went ahead and took it.
"You're welcome," she said. "Yes, I should have done it. You didn't need anymore pain and I promised to keep you safe," she reminded her before brushing past the girl to the pantry. She scanned the food lined up on the shelves for something that would please her small appetite.
"So, what did she do to you?" Eva asked.
Amber squeezed her eyes shut for a moment. She didn't want to upset her. "Nothing too bad," she lied.
Eva slightly raised her light eyebrows. "Really?"
Amber nodded as she pulled out a bowl of applesauce.
"Something is telling me not to believe you."
Amber flung her arms in the air, but was sure to keep a hold of the applesauce. "Okay, I'm lying!" She sarcastically snapped. She knew she was getting defensive, because of course Luna did something terrible to her. All you had to do was know the woman to know Amber's punishment was brutal. But Amber wasn't in the mood for this. She simply wanted something to eat, so she could return to her hideout in her room as quick as possible.
Eva looked hurt, although her lips held a slight frown. "Amber, please tell me what she did."
"Don't worry about it," Amber told her quietly. She took a seat at the table after grabbing a spoon. She clearly wasn't going to get the chance to eat anything else as Eva wasn't about to leave her alone.
"Amber, why are you acting this way?" Eva asked as she took her own seat across from Amber.
Amber glanced at her before focusing back on her snack. "Luna wouldn't be happy if she walked in here to see us speaking," she informed her applesauce as she stared into it.
"Did she forbid you to speak to me or something?"
Amber returned her gaze to Eva. She was tempted to tell her that Luna had, just to get her to leave her alone. But she chose to do otherwise. "No," Amber simply responded.
"Then why are you acting this way?" Eva stressed.
Amber knew she was upsetting her, but she seriously couldn't find the strength to even be pleasant.
Because of this, she thought it would be best if she didn't answer. She proceeded to eat her applesauce. She could catch Eva's eyes watching her from the corner of her own. She figured if she blew her off for long enough, the girl would give up. But she didn't. She continued digging holes into Amber's forehead with those big green eyes.
Amber had enough, and although she wasn't finished with her applesauce, she jumped from her seat. She didn't say a word as she stormed out of the kitchen as loud as possible.
******************************
Amber was just as grumpy as she got dressed for school the next morning. She squealed as her shirt rubbed against her burns and cuts. After taking her pajama top off, she inspected her chest in the mirror.
It didn't seem to have healed whatsoever. Dried blood still covered the cuts because Amber was too afraid to wash it. She knew it would hurt like hell, so she was waiting until she would be forced to rinse it off.
The cuts which made out the word were deep and the burns were swollen. She instantly thought of Hailey and the fact that she would be dying to know what had happened. She couldn't possibly show her, could she? She knew she would want to take her to the hospital once more. Amber was only glad Luna hadn't realized she had gotten a cast for her finger while they were there.
She slid on her uniform shirt, being sure to not dare let it touch the word. Before she could do anything else, there was a knock on the door. Amber immediately thought it was Eva. Why was this girl so bothersome? Amber had healed her, so why did Amber's punishment matter so damn much?
She didn't have the chance to even make her way to the door when it was flung open to reveal Luna. Amber instantly cringed without thinking. She couldn't help but be fearful of the woman. She had so much power, and so much skill that Amber finally realized she could never defeat her.
She began to wonder if her father would be fine with what Luna had done to her chest. Did this make him happy?
Her thoughts were forced away as Luna smirked down at her. She had to know how nervous she was just by being stared at. Luna wore a loose and over-sized tank with a black skull. Her pants were a dark red, and to mimic the shirt, she wore black combat boots. Her hair was pulled into a braid to the side and in Amber's opinion, the whole outfit made her look like a teenager. But she liked the style at the same time.
She was beginning to wonder what Luna was doing in her room as it wasn't yet time to leave. Luna soon answered her silent question.
"We need to leave early this morning. I have a dentist appointment," Luna told her.
Amber slowly nodded and quickly yanked on her knee-high socks and shoes. She would have mentioned the fact that she had not yet eaten breakfast, but didn't take the chance of arguing with Luna. She decided she would be doing everything she said for quite some time until she built back the courage to stand up to her.
Once Amber was ready, she followed Luna down the stairs and into her black car. They eventually reached Dark Shadows, and when they had, Amber thought her lungs would break. She had held her breath almost the entire way and was practically panting for air. Was she seriously this scared of Luna that she didn't dare breathe? Or was it that she hated the idea of breathing the same air of a monster?
When she looked up, she found Luna to be staring at her as if she were nuts. Amber blinked then hiked her backpack over her shoulder before hopping out of the car. She slammed the door shut behind her as she blocked out the look Luna was still giving her.
Amber entered the school, and it was so early, that hardly any of the staff was even there. She crept down the dimmed hallways and felt like she was in some sort of horror movie. It was the perfect scenario: dark, empty hallways, evil stepmothers, abandoned daughter...Hell, her life could win best motion picture!
She chuckled at her obnoxious thoughts and decided to take a peek inside of Hailey's classroom. She frankly didn't wish to speak to anyone, and yes, that involved her girlfriend. But she knew she needed to, she knew Hailey was worried sick about her. And maybe she should be.
The door was open to her classroom, but when Amber stuck her head in, she only found another dark and empty classroom.
She let out a bored and annoyed sigh. What was she suppose to do now? She wasn't sure if Hailey was actually in the building or not, but her door wouldn't have been open if she wasn't. Amber thought about stepping inside and waiting for her, but decided that seemed stalker-like, even if they were dating.
Not knowing what else to do, she set on the idea with roaming the halls for a good hour. She silently cursed Luna for making her come so damn early. She had morning detention anyways, but she still didn't need to be here this early.
She had only been roaming for a handful of minutes when someone softly called out her name, almost causing her to wet her pants. Still terrified, she whirled around to see who it had been.
Hailey! The woman was half running and half walking her way to Amber. Amber must have been so deep in thought that she had not paid attention to the noisy boots which now clicked on their way to her.
"Hailey," Amber said with a smile, which was half out of relief. She didn't think she would want to talk to Hailey, but now that she was here, she was over-joyed.
Her teacher at last stood before her, and Amber would have kissed her as a greeting if they weren't in the middle of the school hallway.
"What happened after..." Hailey began in a low voice but suddenly trailed off as her eyes moved past Amber.
Curious, Amber followed them to see the principal on the other end of the hallway making her way towards them.
She slowly turned back to Hailey in a slight panic. She wasn't sure if Mrs. Welt was purposely walking directly towards them, or if she just happened to be in the same hallway.
What were they going to do?! Amber was terrible in these kinds of situations. She did not know what Hailey was about to ask her, but it could wait. They needed to figure something out!
Hailey was obviously on the same track as she leaned away from Amber to keep a clear and appropriate distance. She then cleared her throat and Amber caught her eyes as they kept darting toward Mrs. Welt, whose footsteps were now audible, indicating she was getting closer.
"Your...your test grade was slightly lower than usual, Amber. I was...I was surprised. Usually your scores are outstanding. Do you know what happened?" Hailey asked in a louder tone than the one she was using before.
Amber's hands grew moist and she attempted to glance at Mrs. Welt without moving her head, but failed as she saw no sign of the principle, although she continued to listen to her movements.
"Uh...yeah," Amber began, returning her eyes nervously to Hailey. The woman showed only slight signs of nervousness, but overall, she was a brilliant actress...unlike Amber. "I didn't quite understand the chapter lessons," Amber fibbed.
Hailey slowly nodded and Amber caught her fiddling with her fingers. "Ah, well why didn't you come and ask for help?"
Amber was searching for something to answer with, when suddenly Mrs. Welt came into view and stood close to the two of them. The woman held an excited smile on her lips, making Amber somewhat calmer.
"I'm sorry to interrupt, but Ms. Deprey, I need to have a short meeting with you sometime concerning the new lunch program."
Amber did not know what she was talking about but didn't care too much. She was just pleased her principle didn't notice anything suspicious.
Hailey made it clear that unlike Amber, she knew what Mrs. Welt was speaking of as she nodded her head. "Yes, of course. I'm free at four o'clock today."
Mrs. Welt's smile grew even bigger. "Great, meet me in my office then."
Hailey offered her a smile back, although it was nowhere near as wide.
Amber's heart sped up and she made the most innocent face possible when Mrs. Welt looked her way. Her eyes lingered on her before moving back to Hailey, then completely darting between the two girls.
"It's good to see you two getting along so well! Might I ask what you were speaking of?"
Amber began to grow nervous. Was she hinting at something?
"Oh, uh...Amber has been struggling with the previous lesson and I was offering her out of class help, that is all," Hailey told her.
Mrs. Welt nodded her head in approval. "That is good! I'm sure just a bit of an extra tutoring will help, Amber."
Amber forced a smile, wishing the lady would leave already.
"Yes, well, I was thinking we could get started now since we are both here early with extra time. What do you think, Amber? Do you have free time now for me to help you?"
As if going by a script, Amber nodded. "Of course, Ms. Deprey." It felt odd having to act so professional with your girlfriend who had authority over you, but she knew what the consequences would be if any of the staff found out about their relationship. So she could put up with a tad of awkwardness to avoid the trouble.
Hailey smiled. "Alright, follow my lead. I'll see you later, Mrs. Welt," she said as she began to back her way out of the conversation, clearly just as eager as Amber to leave.
Amber nodded her head nonstop as she glanced between Hailey and Ms. Welt. She slowly began to follow Hailey as the woman took steps back.
"Okay! Bye you two," Mrs. Welt chirped although she did not move an inch.
"As to you, Miss," Hailey replied.
With the way the principle was looking between the two, Amber grew frightened. She had to know something was up! She tried telling herself she was only paranoid, but with Mrs. Welt's facial expression, it told her she knew everything.
"Amber? Come on."
Amber shook her head. She had not realized that she had stopped walking. Hailey was ahead of her and Mrs. Welt was still staring intently at her.
Amber blinked and flashed the principle a smile before rushing to catch up with her secret girlfriend. She walked slightly behind Hailey and neither of them spoke a word in order to play it off. Amber couldn't hear Mrs. Welt behind them anymore, but was still afraid to glance back.
Amber darted into Hailey's classroom with a relieved sigh. Hailey chuckled at her as she shut the door behind them.
"You okay, there?"
"What do you mean? Were you not scared?!"
"I mean, it was a close one, yes, but we're fine," Hailey said with a casual shrug.
Amber slowly shook her head in shock. Did she not understand what their relationship could do to their lives?!
"Now tell me what happened after I dropped you off," Hailey said as she leaned against her desk to stand across from Amber.
Amber sighed. She still didn't want to talk about this. "Can't we...discuss it some other time?"
Hailey gave her a disapproving look. "What do you mean? Just tell me."
"She found out Saturday morning, okay?" Amber said with a hint of attitude. She didn't understand why, but ever since Luna had done that to her, she was the most grumpy and irritable person. She assumed her behavior and mood would be reasonable, but not to those she loved. Why was she acting this way? She didn't know, but Hailey was already getting on her nerves.
"Well, what did she do and say?" Her girlfriend stressed.
"Why does it matter?"
"Um...because I'm your girlfriend and I care about you?!" Hailey replied angrily.
"She just did something to me, I'm fine."
"Amber. I know you better than that. You're not fine. Why are you being so difficult?"
"Because I know you'll get upset," Amber quietly said. Her leg began to slightly shake uncontrollably as she held back tears. "I don't want to see you upset," Amber added even quieter as she looked away from Hailey.
Her words were true. She knew Hailey would die a little inside because of what Luna had done. But at the same time, it was a good thing that she would be upset. It showed she truly cared.
Hailey was suddenly close to Amber and her arms were loosely wrapped around her waist. "Amber, please...just tell me. I'll try not to get too upset, I promise. Okay?"
Amber stared at the woman. "But...I know you will."
Hailey's hand reached up to graze Amber's cheek and she swore it grew scarlet from under her touch. "Amber."
"Okay, fine," she said with a defeated sigh. "I don't know if I should tell your or just show you."
When Hailey didn't respond, she decided to just tell her since she didn't even wish to talk about this for very long. Also, if Hailey saw the damage, she would for sure break.
"Luna tortured me when she found out. She wanted to torture Eva and force me to watch, but I begged to take Eva's place. So she burned and cut me. She dug the word 'bad' into my chest."
Hailey took a mortified step back. "She did what?!"
Amber immediately looked to the floor and couldn't find any words to speak. This was so embarrassing.
"I thought she would do something brutal to you, but this..." Hailey trailed off. "Let me see it!"
Amber whipped her head up to look at her once more. There was no way. Maybe some other time, but not today, not now. After she had thought it over, she couldn't show her. Just telling her was already putting her through a bunch of misery. She cursed at herself for even offering to show her.
"No," Amber simply but firmly stated.
"What?" Hailey snapped.
"I don't want to hurt you anymore than I already have!" Amber fought.
"You're hurting me by not allowing me to see it."
Amber silently shook her head stubbornly.
"Amber!"
"There are so many reasons not to show you. One being that you'll think I'm ugly and you'll never want to touch me again!" Amber stressed as her eyes filled with water.
"Babe...no. You're beautiful inside and out. Please..."
Amber only let her head drop to the ground in shame. She was not a professional at showing her true feelings and telling her thoughts when it came to sensitive and negative things.
"Take your shirt off and let me see it," Hailey demanded.
"No!" Amber snapped as she glanced up at her.
Hailey looked like she was in the process of becoming furious, but Amber did not understand why she was so angry. She could understand why she would feel upset and hurt, but why mad?
"Amber, I swear that if you don't take that shirt off right now, I-"
"Hailey! Calm the fuck down!" Amber yelled. She would have kept her voice lower, but knew not many people where inside to really hear them.
Hailey's jaw tensed. "Then show me!"
Amber couldn't think of anything to say to her. If she refused, Hailey would only get more angry. But she didn't know how else to get out of this situation.
Before she found her solution, Hailey was extremely close to her. She began to roughly yank up her shirt, and Amber squealed as she slapped at her hands.
"Hailey!"
Hailey took a step back and folded her arms. She stuck her bottom lip out in a deep pout. "Show me."
Not seeing anything else to do, Amber sighed and slid off the uniform shirt. She had to do the action slow and careful so she wouldn't rub against the injury.
After she had fully removed the shirt, she watched to see what Hailey's reaction would be. The woman's eyes grew wide and her mouth dropped just as wide.
"Oh wow, Amber. Doesn't that hurt like hell?" She asked as she inspected it with her brown eyes.
Amber nodded. "Yeah, it seriously does."
"Amber, you need medication for this!"
Amber frowned. "I can't."
Hailey yanked her eyes off her chest before returning them to Amber's face. "I know..."
They stood there in silence, but once visible tears leap to Hailey's eyes, Amber groaned. She slowly yanked the shirt back on to hide what Hailey couldn't seem to take her eyes off of.
She slid her head through the shirt hole to find Hailey wiping at her eyes.
"See? This is why I didn't want to tell or show you!"
Hailey sniffled as she was making a clear effort to not sob. "I apologize for caring," she said with sarcasm dripping from the words.
"I know you care, and I appreciate it, but I'm the reason for your crying. And that hurts me inside!"
Hailey's lip began to quiver and Amber wasn't sure about how much more she could take. All she did was inflict sorrow on others; especially those she loved the most.
"I have to tell you something," Hailey said after a moment.
"What is it?"
"Luna called the school phone real early this morning. I obviously wasn't here,so she left a voice-mail."
Amber didn't know why Hailey stopped talking. "What'd she say?!"
"She was asking for me to call her back as soon as possible, saying that it was about you. The first thing that came to my mind was that she knew we were dating."
"No, I don't think she does," Amber told her.
Hailey nodded her head. "Yeah, me neither."
"Well, have you called her back yet?"
"Oh, yes, I did. She answered and said she couldn't talk long because she was on her way to the dentist, which I suppose is why you're here so early. But anyways, she went on to ask why I was so generous enough to heal Eva. She asked how I knew!"
Amber's heart stopped. She had to have expected this to happen. "What'd you tell her?!"
"I told her you came to me saying I was the only adult you felt you could trust. I told Luna you told me about Eva just to get it off your chest, but that I insisted I help fix her. I told her I was the one who wanted to help because I knew she would have gotten pissed if it was the other way around."
Amber felt the possibility of fainting. "Hailey...Oh no!" She exclaimed.
That isn't what she had told Luna! Now the woman was for sure going to murder her!
Amber began to frantically pace back and forth in front of Hailey.
"What?!" Hailey at last questioned.
"That's not what I told Luna! I told her you noticed I was upset and down in class and that you asked what was up. I told her I accidentally confessed and that you were eager to help!"
Hailey took a moment to think this over. "Well our excuses are quite similar!"
Amber groaned aloud in pure frustration. "Not at all!"
Hailey then appeared offended. "Hey, don't be blaming this on me! I only told her the first thing which popped into my mind because-"
"I'm not blaming you," Amber said in a calmer tone. "I'm sorry."
Hailey eyed her. "What are you apologizing for?"
Amber was about to tell her she was sorry for being such a bitch, just that her entire life was fucked up. She didn't get the chance to, though, as the classroom door opened to reveal Joshua.
"Uh, hey," he said awkwardly as he joined them.
"Hello, Joshua. Go ahead and take a seat," she said with a small smile before turning to Amber. "You too."
Amber let out a sigh and she did as told. She wondered if Joshua had heard any of their conversation. He might have, considering the fact they both were yelling.
As the two kids enjoyed their detention time, Amber looked Hailey up and down. She wore tight navy jeans with a long zebra turtle neck. She had long black boots and her hair was straightened; showing off all the colors it held.
The whole detention, Amber thought about Luna and what Hailey had told her. She knew she was going to get shit loads of rambling from her. She didn't know what she should tell her, she only knew she needed to come up with something before the school day was finished with.