THE UNMARKED GEM; A Girl Nobody Desired

Chapter 31: Enemy Within

Audrey left the shower humming to her usual tune, subtle, only understood by her. They had got home half an hour to midnight and in a record time of about half an hour, David was not awake to yell at her and Rose to make those funny facial expressions or act like she was worried about her staying out late. Lucas was sound asleep with a bottle of beer in his hands, according to Tina's keen and quick professional assessment it was not the beer that had done the knocking out it was actually something else, a powder she tested with her mouth and snorted it before sneezing like a goat. Audrey was not stupid, she knew what the white lady looked like. Anyway, she just wished he was okay before they both parted ways and went to their respective rooms.

After applying lotion to her body and changing into her pajamas she collapsed in bed, tucked herself in and mumbled a word of prayer before switching off the lights then shut her eyes, breathing heavily from that swift quick movement to the beside lamp and back, but sleeping wasn't that easy wasn't it? Naah, it wasn't. She tried so hard to focus but failed, her mind was clogged with memories of that party, a hundred of them and ninety-nine were about Mason Klein.

"Damn that son of a b***h!" She cursed out loud finally opening her eyes.

It was dark in her room, the rays from the security light right above her window were fighting so hard to penetrate through the silk curtains allowing a tinge of light in. She took her phone and earphones, perhaps music could help her concentrate and sleep, some Ariana Grande's "Breathing" and Miley Cyrus's "wrecking ball" didn't do the trick. She stopped the music and now the sound of the AC was getting louder, she tried to bury her head with pillows but it kept scorching her ears, it felt like her eardrums were being dragged on a floor full of broken glass. Not anymore, she couldn't take it, so she crept out of bed and switched it off entirely before coming back to bed.

"Let's try this again"

She tucked herself in lying on her back and shut her eyes trying so hard to focus on her happiest moments, with her mum, they made her smile, with her father not so much of smiles going around, then Tina. Oh, what a sweetheart, a blessing actually and then the cancer she was trying to run away from. This time she found herself licking her lips, that kiss was quick but memorable, or maybe it was just her who had longed for it. What had it been? A year or two, five? Ooh she couldn't remember, couldn't she?

Audrey turned and faced the wall. Sleep had evaded her like a plague and the entire feeling was novel. She usually slept like a baby and it was...on her phone an hour and a half past her bed time. Tossing was all she did, her bed didn't feel comfortable anymore and now all of a sudden, she was feeling so thirsty.

She sat up and yawned stretching her arms after switching off the AC she realized it was too cold, "Oh crap! One stupid kiss, what did he do that for?"

It still didn't make sense to her. Tina had said he liked her and then he acted as though he didn't and now the kiss? There was no chance he actually did; his body didn't show it as much as his words did and what was that random show of affection? Very confusing really if you asked her, why the games? She switched the AC back on and left the guest room for the kitchen to grab a glass of water. While there she realized that perhaps it was because of the bed, and nothing to do with that accidental kiss. Since she was a little kid she had slept in that bed. Armed with that new resolution she rushed back to the guest room and grabbed her phone. When she got upstairs it was dead quiet and dark in all the rooms. Except her dad's home office. Turned out she was wrong, he was not sound asleep snoring and worrying about making more money the next day, he was actually burning the midnight oil making more money for his family which to her was a sacrifice. And she felt bad about being a little uptight ...maybe more uptight. David had made enough to sit back and relax, sleep and get served like a king yet still he worked until the dead of the night to ensure she never lacked anything.

Perhaps an apology, a nice word before she finally went to bed was going to make him feel better and also ease her conscience which would have made her sleep better.

"Dad?" She called out and knocked then invited herself in.

To her surprise it wasn't David, it was Rose instead seated in his seat keenly going through a sheaf of papers, when she saw Audrey she looked as though she wanted to jump out of her own skin and disappear in thin air which could only mean one thing. She was either doing something she wasn't supposed to do or she had perfected her weird facial expressions.

"Audrey, you scared me"

"Sorry I didn't know you're here. Goodnight"

"Wait up" she said the papers falling from her hands, "How was the party?"

"Great"

"Okay, mummy is just doing some research on fashion and stuff. Why aren't you in bed?"

"Went to the kitchen to get some water and I saw the lights on..."

"You thought it's your dad? Don't worry, he is okay. You know he loves you so much that he can't stay mad at you for long... I’m not alluding you should be rude at him but Instead try to appreciate all his efforts"

"Okay" she said and turned around.

Rose wondered what was wrong with her look of confusion and single answer, Typical Audrey in case someone wasn't giving her time to think and especially when they gave her that bad energy feeling. Something wasn't adding up, uh-uh not at all and yet there were no clues. While she walked away Rose quickly put away the papers and poked her head to look and make sure she had left, that was some relief there. At least, she suspected nothing.

Exactly because roughly five minutes into tucking herself in her usual bed Audrey was sound asleep with her doll under her grip. Even Rose confirmed it. Lying there was the only thing, standing between her and happiness. The girl nobody Desired was now the girl nobody wanted, even her very own godmother.

"How weird can she be? Fat, ugly and now sleepwalking?" She asked and clicked her tongue with disdain before shutting the door.

Back in the room Audrey was still asleep until Rose's receding footsteps couldn't be heard anymore. She opened her eyes like a reptile. There was no sleep for her that day and not just because of Mason Klein. There was a chance she was living with a very dangerous human being under the same roof. Now that couldn't give her sleep.

****

The sun splashed its rays on Mason's face when the butler-already donning the sports kit- opened the curtains. He blocked his eyes with his left hand and groaned spreading the right one allover the bed as though he was looking for something, clearly it was missing and he struggled to open his eyes.

"Good morning young master, I'm sorry but you have to do your early Sunday morning routine"

"Where is she?"

"The girl? Ooh, she left early in the morning and I think" he walked back to the bedside desk and picked up a letter, "this might explain why"

Mason collapsed back on bed. He was terrible at epistolary.

"f**k!"

"Maybe she had an emergency you can't know until you read it"

"I just want to sleep"

"Sorry you can't"

"Okay, I'll read the stupid letter wait for me outside"

The butler had no right to insist and tell him what to do. But he remembered it was his own directive that he used any means necessary to make sure every Sunday after a night of partying he did some recovery exercise. Because as much as he loved partying and girls, fame and s*x he also wanted to be the best player every time he stepped foot in a soccer field.

"Okay, be quick it's almost eight"

"You have somewhere to go?" He asked walking to the bathroom in his boxers.

"I'm picking your sister from the airport"

"What? Maeve is coming home"

"Looks like I ruined the surprise"

"Trust me it's not a surprise. She is now coming to patronize me, argh!" He shut the bathroom door with a bang and grabbed his toothbrush, applied paste on it holding the note with his lips. He then rolled down his boxers and sat on the toilet brushing his teeth, emptying his bowel and trying to read that note scribbled in a not so legible handwriting, yet they say men can't multitask.

Dear Mason

Hey handsome, if you're reading this then it means am gone. Home, not dead you deep s**t. Thank you for the memorable night, call me when you wake up. I love you to the moon and back, as if my life depends on it, coz it kinda does.

Your one and only,

20.

He took a sigh of relief followed by a smile. Hard to tell if that was as a result of the bowel being emptied or the note but I'm aware about the note. He didn't want to read it because of the previous night’s events. The success of winning his bet depended on her cooperation and one mistake like his lips feeling glued to Audrey's was going to cost him. The terrible part however, it didn't feel bad like he wanted it to. In fact, the previous night he had rinsed his mouth twice and hoped no one had taken a picture of the two of them.

Mason flashed the note together with you know what after the entire bowel thing. Makes you wonder if he really cared about her as much as she did. He changed into his sports kit and shoes then put on a Marvin and gloves, it was time to work towards his goal again. The only thing that mattered, being the best and maybe not kissing Audrey again, speaking of which she was living rent free in his head. What had he gotten himself into?

"Try and keep up old man" he went past the butler running down the stairs.

"I guess the note wasn't that bad"

"You're too old to be creepy, I bet you were a worse player at my age"

"Quite the opposite"

They picked their water bottles from the kitchen and left through the back door. It was time to run physically and emotionally. In both cases a man can never ran away from their own shadow.