Sofia's Curse

Victoria and Ian

This is stupid," Victoria complains as Chris squats to hide behind a trash container. "I don't know why I ever agreed to this!" she rolls her eyes, but still follows her brother's instructions and joins him to take cover.

"It's not stupid. It's the only chance we've got. And quit being such a spoiled brat, will you?"

Victoria's lips part in disbelief. "Me?" She shakes her head. "I'm just being reasonable. Waiting here until she comes is a waste of time is what it is. And you can beg to differ as much as you want but it isn't going to change the fact that we'll both freeze to death before she comes."

Chris pinches his lips in annoyance. "Okay, drama queen. And what do you suggest?"

She says nothing. Then she stands up, wiping her palms against her jeans and heads towards the gas station store.

"Hey!" Chris reaches out to catch her but it's too late, she's too far already. He picks up her pace. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm going to ask the clerk if he knows that Ian kid and where he lives. If not, I'll mention the last night's fight and I'm sure something will pop out in his mind."

"Mm-hmm" Chris snorts. "And you think he's just going to tell you."

"Well, Chris, it's better than waiting in the trash can."

"Next to it," he mutters through clenched teeth. "Stop walking!" he grabs her elbow and makes her stop. "He is never going to tell you who that kid is even if he knows, Vic. He's rich. People don't want to mess with rich people. Trust me. You're only going to make it worse 'cause then he might warn him and who knows what not."

Victoria relaxes and bites her lip. "Well, do you have a better suggestion? And don't mention the container!"

Chris straightens up. "As a matter a fact I do."

#

Victoria runs into the gas station store in panic. "Please! Help me!" she yells.

The clerk jerks his head back, as he had just been replenishing the refrigerator shelves. He is a middle-aged man with thick auburn beard and a spider tattoo peeking under his folded sleeve. "What is the matter?" he asks, his eyes wide in confusion.

"Help me, please!" Victoria rushes to grab his hand. "I think they followed me here!"

"What are you talking about? Who followed you?" the man looks concerned. "Do you want me to call the police?" he asks already on his way to grab the phone off the counter.

"No!" Victoria screams. "Please don't," she lays a hand on his shoulder. "I... I want my boyfriend to come pick me up. Ian. He's my boyfriend," she says and watches his reaction intensely, trying to figure out if the man knows him. "We were here last night," she adds.

The man nods and Victoria is relieved to see the man knows who he is. He must come here often. "You can use my phone to call him," he says.

"I..." Victoria bites her lip. A girl should know her boyfriend's number. "My phone is stolen," she blurts. "They stole my entire purse and I don't know his number by heart!" she turns, and tries to make weeping noises.

He awkwardly taps her back. "Don't worry. I'm sure we'll figure something out. Is there someone else you could call besides him? Somebody whose number you know?"

She shakes her head without turning. "My parents are out of town," she whispers. "You know Ian, don't you?" she swallows hard, waiting for his response.

At first there is silence. Then he sniffles. "Sure," he says. "He comes here to tank, but I don't have his number if that's what you're asking."

She sighs in relief. Chris was right. The man does know him. She slowly turns to face him. "Could you... Could you call 411 to get his number?"

The man frowns, brooding.

"Please," she adds. "I really need him to come pick me up."

"Sure," he says at last. "Long, isn't it?" he asks pacing towards the counter.

"Excuse me?" Victoria frowns.

"His surname," the man picks up the phone and looks at her. "Ian Long?"

"Oh," she mutters, admonishing herself in the inside. "Yes. His surname is Long," she nods and presses her hair behind her ear.

The man types in a number and looks up. "Do you know his address?"

She smiles shyly and shakes her head. "I'm sorry... I'm not much help, am I?"

"Don't worry. There aren't many Longs around here. Hello, could you give me a-"

Victoria turns and takes a deep breath as the man carries his conversation on the phone. Thank God, she thinks. Chris was right. The man knows Ian. Ian Long. Her boyfriend. And if he gets his number she'll have to talk to him. How should she even talk? What accent should she use? What phrases? Chris said they have the same voice. Maybe he won't notice it's not his girlfriend. A shiver runs down her spine. How is it possible that she shares so much with that girl? Somewhere deep inside, she hopes he won't answer the phone. Why did she have to listen to Chris? He always gets in trouble.

"Here," the man wakes her from her daydream. She turns and takes the little piece of paper he's reaching out to her. "This is the number. You can call him from here," he steps aside to let her walk in behind the counter.

Victoria bites her lip and slowly approaches the phone. She shuts her eyes briefly, praying Ian is not with his girlfriend at the moment.

She lifts the phone and tries to look nonchalant dialing the number on the paper. She smiles at the man. "Thank you," she mouths.

He nods. "No problem," but doesn't leave.

Damn, she thinks. Why did I get into this?

After three rings somebody answers. "Hello?"

She swallows hard. She doesn't recognize the voice. It is a male, so it could be either Ian, or his father, or his brother, or any other member of his family. She had been hoping a female to answer, so she could simply ask for Ian.

"Umm... Is Ian home?" she mutters.

"Sophie? That you?"

Victoria sighs with relief. It must be Ian. "Yes. I'm sorry, I didn't recognize your voice," she chuckles nervously.

"Are you alright?" he asks.

Damn, she thinks, I must sound off. "Yes, don't worry. I think I'm getting a flu, so my voice's a bit hoarse."

"Oh," he mutters. "No, I'm just confused 'cause you never call me on my landline... Is everything okay?"

"Um... Actually, I need you to come pick me up...if that's not a problem..."

"No, I mean sure, Soph. Of course I'll come. Where you at?"

"I'm at the Chevron gas station."

"Be right there, baby."

This was easy... "Thank you...Ian..." If he didn't beat up Chris, I think I'd like him, Victoria thinks.

"See you soon."

She hangs up.

"Is he coming?" the man asks.

She nods. "He's going to come. I'll wait for him outside," she smiles. "Thank you once again. I really appreciate it."

"You can wait here," he frowns. "You said you were followed."

"Oh..." she mutters, "I... I don't think they followed me... Besides, if they have, they left by now. I need some fresh air. I'll be close."

A customer walks in.

The man nods. "Okay, take care," he says.

Victoria nods and waves on her way out.

Ian is coming. What is she supposed to do next? She can't do this. She can't meet him. He'd notice she's not her. They hadn't thought their plan through. She has to find Chris. He has to come up with a plan to find Sophie that doesn't involve her pretending to be someone she's not.

She rushes to the container. Chris is still there, squatting.

"Did it work?" he asks, a big grin on his face.

"Like a boss," Victoria smiles.

"Told you it would," he stands up and looks around. "Okay. We don't know where he lives, he might be here any minute. I got to disappear. I'll be close, though. Don't worry."

"Wait... You're not suggesting I pretend to be her with him, are you?"

"What else can we do?" he shrugs. "You'll be all right. Work your magic, Vic," he winks, chuckling.

"But... They're dating, Chris! What if-"

"You're a big girl," he interrupts and gives her a tap on the shoulder. "You can handle it. I got to go hide!" he says and runs away before she could say anything.

"Damn you, Chris!" she breathes.

Ian is going to come and pick her up. She swallows hard and looks down at her shoes. She's wearing converse and they're noticeably old and dirty. If Chris is right about Sophie's appearance, Ian will definitely notice Victoria is not his girlfriend. She puts her hair in a ponytail to cover the misfit between their hair length, as he mentioned it, but she can't get a hang of a pair of fancy shoes now. Actually, she doesn't own one at all. What will happen if he notices it's not her? Her throat stiffens. She has never done something like this before. It is thrilling and dreadful at the same time and she isn't sure if she can handle it.

A honk startles her. She turns to find a silver range rover in front of her. Crap, he's here.

A window roles down and a boy with dark blond hair, wearing stylish Ray Bans peeks out. He has a fresh beard and she can see his perfect teeth as he grins. "Hop in!"

She stands frozen. Oh my God. I can't do this.

"C'mon, Soph!" he yells.

She knows she has to move. It's too late to quit now. She swallows hard and walks slowly towards the car, cursing Chris all the way.

"What happened? I was kinda worried, you never call on my landline..." he frowns. "Actually, you never call, period. Unless it's a booty call," he grins. "Is this a booty call? Please say it is!"

Victoria flushes. I will kill Chris. I will so kill him. She forces a chuckle. "Oh, you're funny, you," she awkwardly taps his hand.

He steers the wheel and drives to the exit. "So, what happened? Where do you want to go?" he glances at her. "And what in hell are you wearing?" he laughs. "Jeez, did you get robbed and had to pay a twelve year-old to give you her clothes?"

Victoria flushes again. It's out of anger this time. "You're such an i***t!" she yells.

He grins. "There's my girl," he taps her on the thigh.

She freezes. He doesn't remove the hand.

Her heart beat accelerates and she abruptly jerks his hand off. "Just drive me home!"

"Man! Somebody's cranky! You usually like my nasty jokes," he smirks and takes the right turn.

"Well, not when you're being such a snob! Not all people can afford a yacht, you know!"

"Sure, that's why your dad has two," he smirks, "Yet he lets his daughter walk around like a hobo."

Victoria narrows his eyes in hatred. "I really don't know how your girlfriend puts up with you," she hisses.

He laughs. "That's funny. Wait, are you calling me your boyfriend, Sophie?"

A thought comes to her mind. She could break up with him as a revenge for what he did to Chris. That reminds her. Chris! She looks into the side-mirror and is relieved to see a rusty red Mustang following them.

She can't break up with Ian, though. She doesn't know what his reaction would be. Maybe he'd throw her out of the car and then they'd never find out where Sophie lives. She is on a mission and she will do this. So, instead of breaking up with him, she just rolls her eyes. "Sure, how do you call yourself? An asshole?"

He laughs again. "Oh, all that sarcasm! What's in the air today?"

She looks at him. "Who else was sarcastic today?"

"My mom," he glances at her. "She thinks I have an imaginary girlfriend. That you don't exist for real."

She frowns. "So, I'm not the only one who thinks you should seek medical assistance."

He smirks and grabs her chin to kiss her.

Her eyes pop wide open and she jerks her head to the window. "Don't you dare!" she yells. She has never been kissed. She can't do this. Not with a person as mean as Ian. Not even for the sake of her mission.

"Playing hard to get!" he lifts an eyebrow. "I know how this game works," he winks as he pulls to the driveway and stops.

She immediately leaves the car and finds herself staring at a beautiful Gothic Revival style house with a steep roof, pointed windows, and a porch with spindle work and decorative shingles. It's not what she expected. This looks cozy and warm.

He climbs out of the car and goes around it to meet her. He stands in front of her, not saying a word. It looks like he's waiting for her to say something and she doesn't know what it is. It makes her angry.

"What?" she hisses.

He frowns. "You're not complaining?"

"About what?" she raises her eyebrows.

His forehead creases even more. "I thought you would be mad..." he shrugs and takes her hand. A shiver goes down her body. She pulls her hand away and then puts it on her hip. "I am mad," she says.

He lifts his chin. "But you're willing to meet her?"

Victoria furrows her eyebrow. "Meet who?" And as she says those words, she realizes he must've brought her to his place, instead of Sophie's. Damn it. She looks around subtly to see if she can see Chris anywhere near.

"My mother..." Ian replies confused. "Sophie, are you okay?"

Victoria detects Chris in the distance. Crap, he must think we're at Sophie's place. I must run and text him to stay clear. She presses her lips hoping she doesn't give her nervousness away. "Sure," she lifts a shoulder. "Okay, let's meet her," she grabs his arm and pulls him toward the entrance.

He beams "Really?"

"Yeah," she frowns, "Whatever, just walk."

He laughs. "Sometimes you act like a crazy person," he throws his arm around her, "but I simply love it today," he lances toward her and lays a kiss on her lips before she can protest.

She is left stiff and speechless. This didn't just happen. My first kiss and it has to be with this guy? I'm really going to kill Chris.

"Stop being so romantic!" she hits him on the chest and releases herself from his embrace.

He lifts his arms in defense. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry," he smirks. "But I gotta tell you, you smell so nice," he tucks his nose into the hollow of her neck and bites her out of a joke.

She slaps him instantly. "Stop that!" then covers her mouth when she realizes what she's done. "I'm sorry," she mutters. But he doesn't seem angry. To the contrary, he seems amused.

"Wow," he smirks. "You really are feisty today. But I'll forgive since you're going to meet my mom," he gently puts a hand on her shoulder and she knows she can't go away again. He would realize something's off with her. "Thank you for that," he says and Victoria gives him a small smile.

He caresses her cheek and, taking her hand, leads her into the house.

In the hallway entrance, there are many family pictures on the walls, a big round mirror, and coat racks.

"I'd ask to take your jacket, but you don't have one," he says apologetically, but there is also a tad of annoyance in his voice. As if he is angry she isn't wearing a jacket.

She frowns and he answers her unspoken question. "It's really cold outside, Soph. You gotta take care of yourself."

"Yeah, okay, dad," she rolls her eyes. What is wrong with him? Yesterday he beat up a guy with his g**g, and today he's concerned with the possibility of his girlfriend getting a cold?

"Don't be sassy," he admonishes. "I like it too much," he runs his finger over her lower lip and she feels like fainting. He sends so many mixed signals.

"I need to use the bathroom!" she breathes.

"Sure, it's the first door on the left."

She nods and pretends to be running towards the bathroom, when actually, she is running away from him. She shuts the door and leans on them, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. Then she takes her cellphone out of her jeans pocket and types a text to Chris.

*We're at his place. Will go to Sophie soon. Hold your horses. P.S. I will kill you*

She puts the phone back to her pocket and washes her face to freshen up. I'm meeting his mom. This is going to be so awkward.

She looks at herself in the mirror and shakes her head. Then she opens the door and steps out to the hallway. She hears voices from a room, so she follows them and finds herself in a kitchen. It is a vast space with many windows, and a big table in the middle.

"There she is," Ian says to his mother.

"Oh my!" the woman sighs. She beams and extends her arms as if she's calling her into her embrace.

Victoria is uncertain how to react, but the woman seems genuinely excited to meet her, so she stiffly comes forward and accepts her big hug.

"I can't believe I'm finally meeting you! I've heard so much about you!" she says, still grinning from ear to ear.

Victoria smiles politely. "Sure, um, me too," she glances at Ian so as to check if that's true. He mouths a thank you. So, it's not true, she concludes. Not much of a talker, after all.

"Did you, now?" she lightens up. "You're so beautiful, for God's sakes," she shakes her head. "You look like you've just escaped from the sss's!" she claps her hands together.

Victoria flushes. "Well...the closest I've been to there is the online bookstore," she smiles shyly.

Ian frowns. "She's joking, mom. She lived in Brazil for a year."

Oh! Taking someone's identity really is hard. You can't even tell jokes without being busted. "Yes, I have. I'm sorry about that," she crosses her arms, so as to shield herself from other questions. She just wants to go see where Sophie lives and find out all about her. Then another thought crosses her mind. What if she can find out about her now?

"What else has Ian told you about me?"

"Oh, honey, only the best!" she smiles. "Please, take a seat, join us for dinner."

Crap. "Actually, I just ate. But thank you so much, you're very kind, Mrs.Long."

Ian gives her an admonishing look.

What did I do wrong? she thinks.

"Oh, honey, I haven't been Mrs. Long for a long time now. Thank goodness!"

Really? I messed up again? "Oh, yes, I forgot. I'm so sorry!"

"Don't worry, honey. It's okay," she smiles. "You can call me Mona."

Ian looks distressed. Maybe his father was abusive. That would explain his violent behavior. "Maybe I could find some place for dinner, after all," she says and takes a seat.

"Oh! That would be lovely!" the woman exclaims.

Ian looks surprised. Happy surprised. Why does he have to be so attractive when he's happy? Damn it.

He joins her at the table and takes her hand into his. She knows she should remove it, but she doesn't. Not because she can't, but because she doesn't want to. And that both thrills and disgusts her. He beat up her brother, for God's sake. She should kill him. Instead, she can't stop thinking about how he brushed her lips with his. And the smell of his cologne in the air, playing with her nostrils. It makes her sleepy and relaxed.

"Here you go, honey," his mother says as she puts a plate of chicken soup in front of Victoria. "I hope you're not vegetarian."

"So do I," Victoria mutters and looks at Ian to see his reaction.

He laughs. "She's been acting like this the whole day. I don't know what's up with her," he shakes his head.

I'll take that as a no, she concludes and dives into the soup. She barely ate anything today and the soup looks delicious.

"Well, I like her like this," Mona says. "I know so little about you, honey."

Ditto, she thinks. "Maybe Ian can tell you a bit more," she tries to evade the conversation about a girl she is supposed to be.

Ian smiles and starts talking about Sophie. Victoria finds out she moved a lot, and has seen the entire world. She has to remind herself to look non-surprised as she is supposed to know all of those things. When he says Sophie speaks seven languages fluently, her jaw drops to the floor.

Mona laughs. "What's the matter, honey? Is he making this stuff up?" she chuckles.

Victoria shakes her head. "No, no. He's, um, right. I am fluent in seven languages."

"Really? That's amazing. Which ones?"

Victoria almost chokes with her own saliva. "Oh, you, know... The most famous ones..." she mutters and stuffs her mouth with bread so as to avoid talking. "English..." she says and remembers Ian said she lived in Brazil, so she continues slowly, "Portuguese..." she looks at him to check if she's on the right track. He doesn't say anything, so she continues, "French..." remembering she lived in Paris. She isn't certain how to move on, so she takes a sip of water.

"Spanish, German, Arab and Chinese," Ian finishes.

"Wow!" Mona sighs in awe.

Victoria shares her astonishment. "Incredible, right?"

They both laugh, thinking she's trying to be funny. Victoria smiles at them and loses herself in the meal again, to avoid talking.

After half an hour, they are well fed and Ian announces he will take her to her place now.

Her throat stiffens. Her place.

"Thank you for coming once more, Sophie. I really enjoyed it and hope we can do it again," Mona beams and gives her another hug.

Good luck with that, Victoria thinks. "Sure, I enjoyed it, too. Thank you for having me."

"Any time, honey."

Ian opens the door and as they step outside, he gently grabs her elbow to make her turn. She is suddenly facing him, and they are standing very close, only inches apart. She can smell his cologne and it's making her dizzy. He takes her chin with his hand and smiles. "Thank you for this," he whispers. "I thought you'd never agree. You keep surprising me every day," he looks intensely into her eyes and as she stares at his, she realizes they're hazel. The sun is making them greener than they were inside the house and suddenly she feels warmth.

How can she feel warmth around a boy as bad as he is? He slowly leans in and she knows he will kiss her. This can't happen. Not again, she admonishes herself, but as Ian's lips approach hers, all she can do is stand still and close her eyes. When he kisses her, she wishes to respond. No, she shouldn't. She knows she shouldn't.

But she does.

She accepts his kiss and responds intensely. It is such a liberating feeling. She feels a pang of guilt, but refuses to stop. She loses herself and forgets about all the reasons she should hate this golden boy in front of her.

Finally, he lets her go. He has a puzzled amusement written on his face. "Sophie..." he gasps, "who are you and what have you done to my girlfriend?"

Victoria freezes. Busted, she thinks in exasperation. I should run for the car, Chris should be close.

Ian shakes his head in disbelief and throws his arm around her. "You keep amazing me today, Soph."

She lets a sigh of relief. He was joking. He doesn't suspect she is not Sophie.

She puts her arms around his waist as they stroll towards the car. "Let me take you home now," he whispers gently into her ear.