Chapter 2

Ness woke up the next morning to the sound of her alarm clock beeping loudly. She sat up while rubbing her eyes; turning the alarm clock off before getting up. Ness put on her glasses, went over to her closet and got changed for the day before going back to make her bed. Once her bed was made she got her books together and put them in her bag before heading to the bathroom in her room.

She looked in the mirror and started her daily hygiene routine. She started with brushing her teeth, then moved on to brushing her hair, afterwards she washed her face and finally, she cleaned her glasses and the areas on her face that she missed due to her glasses. After her face was fully dried, she grabbed her bag and headed to the kitchen downstairs.

Once she got to the kitchen, she looked to the table to find that breakfast was already made for her. She sat down and began to eat. About a minute in, she looked up to see her father sitting across from her, eating his breakfast as well.

“Goodmorning, Ness.” He said to her gently.

“Goodmorning, Father…” She responded before setting her fork down, taking a small breath. She opened her mouth to say something but stopped once she saw her father doing the same.

“Ness, I want to apologise for last night. I should have handled it a bit better than I did.” He told her in a calm and gentle voice. Ness let out a soft sigh, somewhat relieved to hear him say that.

“I apologise, as well. I knew better and yet I still brought it into your business. And I fully accept any and all punishments that you give me.” Ness said as she looked down a bit. Her father gave her a smile, finishing his breakfast.

“I’m happy to hear you say that. Now hurry up and finish your breakfast, it's almost time for me to take you to school.” He added before slowly getting up, taking his plate to the sink. Ness looked down at her plate of half eaten food before standing up, leaving the plate at the table.

“Actually, I think I'll walk today. I’ll also be walking home.” She said blankly as she grabbed her bag before heading to leave. Her father blinked in surprise before quickly getting up and following behind her to the door where she stopped.

“Are you sure? It’s a bit dangerous for you to do that, you know.” Her father told her gently, trying to hide the slight anxiety behind his words.

“I’m sure. I put double ear plugs in today.” Ness explained with a smile as she pointed to her ears before moving her hair out of the way for her father to see. He was silent for a moment before letting out a defeated sigh.

“Very well. But if you even get the slightest feeling something is wrong then you will call me right away.” He told her concerned as he crossed his arms, Ness laughing softly at the worried expression on her father's face.

“Alright, father. I hope you have a good day.” She told him before leaving, closing the door gently behind her.



Melissa woke up to the sound of soft knocking on her door.

“Melissa, honey! It’s time for you to get up or you’ll be late!” She heard her mother call from the other side of the door. Melissa sat up and groaned softly before rubbing her eyes.

“Alright...I’m awake.” She said in a groggy tone before letting out a yawn, getting up and out of bed.

She didn’t waste any time looking for clothes, grabbing the first thing from each drawer before getting dressed. The last thing she put on was a large hoodie over her already heavy and baggy clothes, bending down to tie her shoes. She left her room and made her way to the bathroom in the hall. Waiting for her there was her father, smiling at her as she came closer with a stopwatch in hand.

“Alright, your five minutes starts now.” He said and waited for her to go in before starting the stopwatch.

While brushing her teeth she looked around the bathroom, seeing that the windows and mirrors were still covered. After brushing her teeth she turned on the sink and splashed water on her face before running her wet fingers through her hair, ignoring the large knots that had formed in her hair from the lack of brushing it. After drying her hands, she left the bathroom and turned to her dad, seeing his smile drop a bit.

“What is it?” She asked with a light voice.

“Oh, nothing. I just wish you would brush your hair. It would look so much nicer if all those knots were not in them.” He said as he regained his smile, walking off to the kitchen.

Melissa followed him into the kitchen and looked around, not seeing her mother.

“Did mom already leave for work?” She asked as she watched her father rush around the kitchen, grabbing an apple to eat for on his way to his own job.

“Yeah, she wanted me to tell you to have a good day.” He said as he grabbed his house keys from the table, looking back at his daughter with a bright smile, as if there wasn’t a care in the world.

“Have a good day, sweetie. When you get back home from school, food is in the freezer, all you have to do is heat it up. We should be back after you are already in bed.” He said with a cheerful wave before leaving.

Melissa watched him leave and let out a soft sigh, running a hand through her knotted hair once again. She didn’t stand still another second longer before grabbing her house key and leaving as well, locking the door behind her before she started her walk to school.

She quietly shoved her hands in her pockets and kept her head down as she walked. It didn’t take her long to get to her usual walking path, down dim alleyways and broken sidewalks on her way to school. Although she didn’t live in the best area, she knew no one was going to mess with her. Despite what everyone else thought of the area, the people who lived there were either young couples that had kids of their own or were too old to cause any troubles. She eventually got to her school and she let out a heavy sigh as she looked up at the worn building, looking at the other students also arriving before entering the building.



Ness walked down the sidewalks of the area she lived around. As she walked, she looked at the clean and new buildings, hotels advertising for businesses, and new shiny cars driving down freshly paved roads. She let out a small and displeased sigh, she was tired of seeing the same thing everyday and wanted a change. Despite wanting that change, she kept her eyes forward and continued her walk.

Eventually she made it to her school with a few minutes to spare. Ness looked up at the clean and shiny building before looking at the students getting out of their cars and students who also chose to walk, all of then going up the stairs to the main entrance.

“Another day in paradise…” She said to herself before going up those same stairs, making her way to her first class of the day. Once in there, she took her normal seat and looked at the few students who also made it early before taking out the folder to that class, reviewing the notes from last lesson.

A few minutes of review passed and the faint sound of the school bell ringing notified her that the rest of the class would be arriving soon. Ness moved her hand to her ear, letting out a quiet sigh as her fingertips brushed over the ear plugs that were compressed into her ears, muffling most of the outside noise.

Ness went through her day like normal, attending each class on time before anyone else, answering every question asked perfectly, turning in her work on time with little to no problem doing so. After the long seven houred day, Ness made her way outside the building with her phone in hand, notifying her father that she was on her way home.

She then remembered the punishment her father had assigned her. She let out an aggravated groan and ran a hand through her hair, remembering the words she told herself the other night. Remembering what she had told her father this morning. She put her phone in her pocket before starting her make her way home, walking down the same boring path she had walked down that morning.

As Ness walked, she saw a detour sign that led to a darker part of the city. She had never been to that area of the city before, but thanks to her classes, she knew that she would end up at her home anyway if she followed the roads correctly. She paused for a moment, looking at the road that lead down to the new and exciting area. She looked at a deep breath and started her descent down the road, somewhat nervous of the new trail.


Earlier that day...

Melissa walked down the hallways of her school with her head down, not wanting to make eye contact with anyone as she made her way to her locker. Once there, she quickly unlocked it and shoved her bag into it, knowing that she wasn't going to use it in the slightest. Just as she was about to close her locker, it was slammed closed in her face, a hand pressing down on it.

Melissa’s eye twitched as she turned to look at the boy who had slammed it closed, the boy trying to hide a nervous expression with a smug grin.

“What the hell was that for? Do you want to get your a*s beat?” She asked in a low and rough voice. The boy gulped and he moved closer to her.

“Melissa, you will go on a date with me tonight after school!” The boy exclaimed as the sweat on his head went down to his collarbone. Melissa scoffed and moved the boy harshly to the side, walking past him.

“I don’t know who you are but ask me when you aren't sweating bullets.” She told him before stopping, looking back at him.

“Also, the next time you do something like that, I’m going to make sure you can’t use that hand.” She warned, the boy gulping once again. The bell for class rang and she let out an aggravated sigh, starting to walk to the first class of the day.

Melissa arrived to her class long after the late bell rang, ignoring her teachers scolding as she took her seat. She leaned her head back a bit before looking out the window, counting each car that passed.

Melissa went through her day as normal, arriving to almost every class late seemingly without a care in the world. Each assignment that was handed to her made its way onto the floor, not given a second thought about it as she found different ways to keep her mind occupied. Whether it be counting how many times the light had flickered or counting every time the teachers clicked their pens.

At the end of the way, Melissa grabbed her bag from her locker before leaving the school building, making her way home. She kept her head low as she passed other people, not wanting to make eye contact and possibly be talked to. As she kept her head down, she bumped into something hard, hitting her head in the process.

“Ow! Damn it, watch where you're going!” Melissa yelled out in anger, looking at the person who she had bumped into. Her eyes went wide once she saw who it was.

Standing in front of her at that very moment was the main casino owner’s daughter, Ness petrov. Ness put a hand on her head for a moment, letting out a soft groan of pain before she looked at who ran into her, making eye contact with Melissa.