Heart Of Ice

Chapter 3

Samika's POV

I wake up to soft knocks on my door. I look out the window and it's still dark. I glance at the clock on my way to the door. I see it is 3 am and I open the door to see my mom.

Even after almost 24 hours at work, she still looks nowhere near tired. Her green formal dress is wrinkle free and her skin looks straight out of shower.

"Are you okay?" She asks as she walks into my room.

I don't answer as I close the door behind me. I follow her into the room and I watch her stand before my easel, staring at the snowboarder and the snow mountain painting that is half painted.

"Is this what you are working on now?" She asks and I don't answer, as I stare at my own work.

"This is beautiful. How many days does it usually take for you to finish a painting?" She asks ,making me turn around to face her.

"Why are you here mom? Are you done with all your meetings and finally remembered the fact that you have a daughter?" I ask her and her face falls at my words.

They might have cut through her, but I don't regret a thing I said. If any, I want her to feel something. Pain, preferably. But looking at her face, I don't know what she is feeling right now. For all I know she could be thinking that this is another part of s**t she has to deal with.

"Sam," she whispers and turns to look at me with a face that has the emotion of being vulnerable.

"I want you to understand that we have no choice" mom says again and I just want to scream at this point.

"There is always a choice, mom! Especially when your own family is considered. We have a never ending supply of money through various sources. We have luxurious bungalows and properties. We have everything any common man can only imagine in his life. Yet, we don't have time for each other. YOU don't have time for your own daughter. And I consider that the most pathetic" I say everything in one go, and then exhale once I am done.

It was like an active volcano spilling lava all of a sudden. That was how I felt while saying all of that.

"Where is dad?" I ask her after a minute of silence.

"He had another conference -"

"What about dinner?" I ask her

"Sarah told us that you wanted to cancel -"

"I wanted to eat out. So you both go ahead and carry on with your board meetings, conference calls and everything else instead of actually asking your daughter why she wants to cancel a family dinner?" I ask and I feel quite unbelievable right now.

There is no answer from my mother and I have no idea what to think of that. What to make out of that absolute silence.

My mom opens her mouth to say something but the soft noise of her phone makes her pull that out of her purse.

"Hello?"

"Oh yes. Yes, Miss Yang. Oh it must have slipped my mind. What time is it?"

"Mhm"

"Yes. Will reach out with that as soon as possible. You are a sweetheart for reminding me about this"

"Yes yes. Have a good evening"

My mom then looks at me with an apologetic smile but I just point the door to her. Without a word she just leaves and I am much more amused now than ever.

She really left? She actually left?

Umm.. okay.

Wow.

I did not actually see this coming but I guess we already reached it. I just sit on my bed and stare at the floor. If this is what my life is, then I want to run away. I really want to run away and never turn around.

My parents even ruined the definition of love for me. That is exactly why I never had a love story. I never dated anyone. Because according to me, that doesn't exist. Maybe my parents loved each other in the past. Maybe they still do, but I don't see it.

I quickly shuffle my wardrobe and shove a few clothes into a duffel bag. I decided if I am going to run away, then I will need more so I shifted to a huge trolley. I grab my passport and all other travel accessories.

I am not totally running away. Just for a while. I will be back when my mind is sane. I quickly scan my room one more time before heading out. I ask Sarah not to tell my mom or dad anything about this and if she did, I would make sure to use everything in my power to fire her.

I threw the bags in my car and yes, I meant plural. It started with a trolley but then a duffel bag and then a handbag and I don't want to keep going. For all I know, I could be on a road trip with such heavy luggage.

I start driving and I don't even think about what I want to do next. Right now, I want to be away from home is all I know. I keep driving out of the city until I reach the outskirts and I leave air through my puffed cheeks.

Am I doing the right thing or the insane thing? Either way, I don't want to turn back now that I have already made the decision.

I don't see anything around me at this point and I take a right when I see one. It is even darker with nothing but trees here. Now I am starting to feel like this is an insane decision. I want to turn around but I want to keep moving further too. It's like an inner battle.

I stop the car when I don't see the road going any further. There is a way but I don't think it's the right one. I have successfully lost my way. I unlock my phone lock and see I have been driving for almost three hours and my mom or dad did not even text me. Sarah did a good job this time.

I was about to take the turn and go back but I felt something on the car roof. A heavy weight because I can feel it inside. I double checked the lock system and even though it's locked, there is still a slight shiver right now.

I then see a brown wolf that is slightly larger than average wolves I have seen in zoos or animal houses. It looks at me through the glass shield and I gulp the fear I have in my throat.

The eyes look eerily familiar and if I am not seeing things, the wolf's eyes look like Nyle's. Not his real eyes but the ones I imagined him changing earlier today. I might totally be imagining things at this point.

I wait until the wolf runs away and I quickly take a turn and drive back, hitting the road again.

I drove back home.