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Chapter Text

My legs wobbled as I made my way closer to the edge of the cliff. I took in a deep breath of air, hands trembling by my sides as I stepped closer and closer to the end of the cliff.

My heart hammered against my chest when I stared down at the rocky waters below me. If I jumped off that cliff right now, I would die from the impact, forthwith.

But wasn’t that what I’ve always wanted, to die quickly and without any pain?

I just wanted my life to end. I wanted to get away from this hellhole I’ve been sucked into. I wanted to go live with my parents up in nirvana, not in some orphanage where I was too old for anyone to want to adopt me.

They all prefer an obedient little child, not some seventeen-year-old teen like me.

I moved my foot one step closer, feeling myself stop breathing.

If I moved just an inch closer, I would be tumbling down that cliff.

You can do this, Kate. It’s what you’ve been wanting for years now.

I moved my left foot forward, letting it dangle in thin air as a tear escaped my eyes, sliding down my cheeks slowly.

Out of blue, I felt myself fly towards the side as I squeezed my eyes together tightly, preparing myself for the impact. Instead, I found myself crashing onto the dirt.

I opened my eyes, noticing that I was now thrown meters away from the edge of the cliff.

Hovering over me was a familiar beauty, one that was famed in our academy.

Victoria Chase.

The leader of reputed Vortex Club, something I would never be part of. She was well known as the academy’s most likable character, for her generosity and intellect.

Most genders drool over the sight of her, but I’ve never seen her with her arm wrapped with anyone. According to the resource, she was waiting for the right one.

Personally, I found the whole thing was just a facade.

“What the hell do you think you were doing?!” She shouted as I pushed her off of me.

My vision was still blurry from my tears as I wiped them with the back of my hand in exasperation.

“Wasn’t it obvious enough, dumbhead?” I hissed, standing up as I brushed the dirt off my coat. “Everything was going well until your grace interrupted me.”

Victoria chuckled,  holding her stomach. “Your grace? That’s cute.”

“Well do you think I would just sit there and watch you jump off a cliff? I even forgot my popcorn, shame.” She raised her arms, sending me a confusing look.

She’s being sarcastic.

I groaned, rolling my eyes. I began to walk away wordlessly then she followed me. I got aggravated and pushed her away from me with my palms. “You don’t know a thing about me! If I want to kill myself then I’m going to kill myself!”

I walked back to the edge of the cliff, as my hands' jittered by my sides. “I’ll give you ten seconds to walk away, or else, you’ll witness the carnage of my body at the bottom of that lake.”

Victoria bit her lips, not uttering a word and she was not amused.

“Fine. Is that how it’s going to be?”I snapped, “Congrats, Chase. You’ll be the witness of my suicide.”

I stepped forward, but before I could fall down, I felt a tug by my wrist. Victoria suavely pulled me backward.

“What the hell is wrong with you?!” I screamed, letting tears fall down my cheeks again. “Let me go!”

“No, I won’t.” Her voice was calm which confused me a lot.

I ripped my wrists out of her grip, “Why do you even care?” I sobbed, looking away from her. “You don’t even know me!”

“You’re Kate Marsh, the quiet girl who loves tea and art and sit with that menace of a dork, Max Caulfield in Photography,”  Victoria stated calmly, her jaded eyes staring right through my soul.

“Is that it?” I raised an eyebrow, scoffing. “Pathetic and Max is not a menace.”

She rolled her eyes briskly, sighing loudly. I swore I heard her whispering, “Max this, Max that. I’m not pathetic.”

Without hesitation, she pulled me forward so my chest was pressed against hers.

What the hell did she think she was doing?

“Get away from-”

“Give me ten days.” Victoria prompted, tilting her head side-way with a soft smile.

“What?” I spat, trying to get her body away from mine but her grip was strong for me.

“Give me ten days, and I can give you ten reasons not to die.” She paused, the color drained from her face within milliseconds before adding, “And if I can’t change your mind by then, you can go jump off that cliff.”

I pursued my lips, “You don’t mean that.”

“I do.” She replied almost immediately, stern dripping in her tone. “Do we have a deal?”

I chewed on my lower lip, hesitating, “I don’t know. I don’t wanna join your Vortex Club either.”

“Do we have a deal?” She repeated, ignoring my shilly-shally.

I gulped, staring into her exotic radiant green eyes. They looked so sincere and genuine.

Did she really want to save my life?

“Deal,” I mumbled in defeat and her grip on my arms became relaxed.

She took a flowery handkerchief from her luxury coat, reaching over to wipe my tears but I held her wrist before she could.

She gave me a compassionate smile, tucking the scented handkerchief into my palm before walking away.

It smells heavenly, just like her.

Day One.

The orphanage was always quiet and empty on Sunday Mornings. Most children, which I must say are years younger than me, go off with the nuns to church every Sunday morning.

I was given an option to go whether to go or not, but I’ve always preferred to be my own, just for the sole reason I was never the most religious person.

I sat at the long dinner table eating stale toast as breakfast with the only other girl in the orphanage that didn’t go to church as well. She sat across from me, ripping off pieces of hard bread and dipping them into a homemade strawberry jam that the nuns got us all to help make.

“When you do think a mommy and daddy are going to come to adopt me?” Her soft voice asked, brown eyes reaching up to mine with sparkles of hope dancing in them.

At only at the age of six, Amelia knew a lot at her age. She was extremely intelligent and knew more than the average six-year-old should. She knew that her mother left her on the stairs of the orphanage when she was a baby but it never seemed to bring down her optimistic mood.

She would always say that things happen for a reason.

“The right family will come and adopt you one day,” I assured, taking a sip of my tap water.

Amelia nodded, tucking a strand of her curly ginger hair behind her ears. “Okay.” She took her spoon and ate the strawberry jam out of the jar.

I held back a laugh, as I watched Amelia eat the jam messily. There was red jam all over her cheeks but she was still too innocent and young to care about how she looked like.

The doorbell suddenly rang, alarming the entire orphanage with its loud bells. I got up from my seat, as I made my way over to the front entrance and pulled out the french doors.

My eyes reached up to Victoria Chase, whose cheeks were pinched red from the icy weather outside. I frowned, chewing on my lower lip.

“Why are you here?” I hissed, pulling the door out wider for her to come inside. “How did you even find out where I live?”

Victoria stared up at the entire orphanage, noticing that it was rather spacious. Perhaps, she wasn’t aware that I was an orphan so she must have assumed that this was my house, that this enormous orphanage was my mansion.

“Kate! Who’s at the door?” Amelia’s high-pitched voice called from the dining room, echoing throughout the entire building.

I groaned, grabbing Victoria’s arm and pulling her into the dining room with me. Just when I thought Amelia couldn’t have made a bigger mess with herself, now she had jam in her hair and all over her shirt.

“Melia, how did this happen?” I asked her, rushing over with a napkin to dab her red-stained cheeks.

She didn’t pay any attention to me as her eyes cast over my shoulder, to the figure standing behind me.

“Who is this?” She asked in a tiny voice.

I dabbed the napkin in water, trying to get rid of the mess she made on her shirt. “She’s just some girl from my school,” I muttered, giving up on cleaning the six-year-old up.

“This is never going to work. Go upstairs and take a shower before the nuns come back.”

She nodded swiftly, giving Victoria another glance before rushing up the grand staircase. I shook my head, tossing the napkin on the table of trash. I started to clear up the table as Victoria helped me pick up the dirty plates.

“What do you mean by nuns?” Victoria asked, carrying the plates behind me as I pushed open the door to the kitchen.

I licked my lips, dumping out all the trash as she began to turn the faucet on to wash the dishes.

“You don’t have to wash them. I’ll do it.” I told her, picking up the sponge.

She stepped out of the way suavely, “So, what did you mean by nuns?” She asked again, getting slightly impatience.

“Nuns, as in our caretakers.” I scrubbed the dishes clean.

“Caretakers?” Victoria asked with a hint of confusion in her tone, “Don’t your parents take care of you?”

I glance at her briefly, shaking my head. “No, they’re dead.”

Something must’ve clicked inside her head because he looked around again, noticing the many doors on the second floor. “You mean, you live in an orphanage?”

I finished washing the plates, and I began to dry them with a dry cloth. “Yes, Victoria. I’m an orphan.”

Her green eyes sparkled with culpability, “Oh.” She paused, raising an eyebrow. “But we’ve gone to school together for many years. How come I never knew?”

“Because no one knows, except for Max and the teachers.” I sighed, placing the dishes back in the pantries from where they came from.

“Is this one of the reasons why you want to-”

“Die?” I cut her off, laughing bitterly. “You can say that. I mean, come on, Victoria. I’m turning eighteen in a year and no one is going to want to adopt a seventeen-year-old. I’m going to get kicked out of this place once I turn an adult, and what happens then? I can’t afford college or a place to stay in that matter. I’m going to end up on the streets and die slowly and painfully, might as well get it over with sooner than later, right?”

“You still have a year.” She pointed out, “You can get a job now and raise up for an apartment, then find a job and go to”

“It’s not as easy as you think it is.” I retorted. “You have parents to back you up and everything. It’s better off I die now.”

Her face hardened, her jaw clenched and her eyes sparkled with sudden fiery.

Why was this stranger so determined to save my life anyways? What have I ever done for her?

“No.” She sassed which made me cringe on my feet, “You’re giving me ten days right? I’ll find ten reasons why you shouldn’t die before that.”

I smirked, pushing past her to get out of the kitchen, “Good luck with that. Day one, so where’s your first reason?”

Victoria remained speechless, in return I gave her a skeptical look.

Amelia came running down the stairs with dampened hair and a new t-shirt on. “Sister Mary isn’t back yet is she?”

I shook my head, ruffling her ginger hair, “Not yet.”

She sighed in relief, giving me a tight squeeze from my waist. “Can we go get ice cream once they come back?”

I chuckled, kissing her forehead. “Sure.”

“She can come too!” She squealed, pointing one finger cheerily at Victoria.

I looked over my shoulder, watching a grin spread across her rosy lips.

“Well, reason number one, Amelia.” She stated triumphantly, crossing her arms over her chest and I felt my shoulders tense up.

Victoria was like the stars in the night sky, the little sunshine on a cloudy day.

And she’s art on street walls, making people look at her in awe before erasing and painting them over again.

Chapter Text

Day Two

When my mother was a young adult, she was already a prima ballerina. By the age of twenty-one, she was already getting lead roles in ballet shows, playing Odette from the Black Swan to Juliet of Romeo and Juliet.

Before my parents died in a traumatic car accident when I was seven, she taught me how to do the basic steps of dancing, although it could have been to my future sisters as well.

And when she died, I try not to give it up but sometimes, encouragement remained fruitless. Although I didn’t have the money to go to dancing lessons, I would train myself at home, working on my technique and flexibility.

I stopped when I was twelve, just because hope isn’t the friendliest sentiment that works well with me.

So when Victoria asked me earlier today what I’ve always wanted to be, I made the mistake of answering, “A dancer.”

She wouldn’t tell me at first where she was driving us to, but I knew immediately when I walked in and faced the empty stage.

The typical place where the Vortex Club’s brutes and sirens combined to mingle and squander another span of their lives.

For once, thank god, there was no sign of them.

Victoria leisurely put her arm on my shoulder, smiling proudly, “You’re going to dance today, rest assured, just you. Be glad, I had to spare you from embarrassing yourself with my fellow associates.”

“Associates? You mean, minions?” I scoffed and Victoria turned away from the stage to look at me before smiling amusingly.

“Real cute, Marsh.” She pinched my left cheek, and our eyes met, this time it was longer.

Then she blinked, her cheeks flushed momentarily before she moved on, dragging me down the aisle to get up the stage.

The blushing face of hers melts the cage within my heart as her beauty was incomparable.

The sparkles in her eyes played a game so well, even putting a glistening diamond to shame.

My eyes widened, shaking my head. “You’re not making me go up there. I haven’t danced in years!”

Victoria chuckled, a glint of mischief radiant from her features. “Well, it’s never too late to start again, yeah?”

She gave me one big push, as I stumbled upon that stage. The bright lights shined down on me, making it hard for me to spot Victoria in the empty crowd below.

I squinted, raising a hand over my eyes. “Chase, I don’t think this is a good idea.”

“For the love of God, just take off your shoes and twirl around.” She encouraged, making me cross my arms and glare at her.

“Let’s just go somewhere else, yeah?” I suggested as I began to walk down the stairs.

Before I could, she stopped me by hopping on the stage herself. She pressed a button on the remote that she had in her hand. In an instant, a song began to play from the speakers.

The song had a nice rhythm to it and it was definitely lyrical which was a completely different set of songs that Vortex Club would party to.

It felt like she was setting this song on purpose. 

 I promise you, this is not the end
We'll watch the sun go down again
Just stay by my side, my love, my friend
I promise you, this is not the end

“If you don’t dance anytime soon, I’ll make you.” She warned, taking her hand in mine.

I pursed my lips as she led me to the middle of the stage as the rhythm picked up its pace.

“Now, I don’t know much about dancing, but just follow my lead, okay?” She said.

That was obviously a lie.

Remembering a few nights ago, she was a wild vixen and partying hard.

I hesitantly nodded, feeling a familiar feeling of vexation in my stomach. My heart was firing rockets when Victoria placed two hands on my waist as I slowly placed my hands around her neck.

Needless to say, despite her good looks and how many parties she went to, humbly she was still a horrible dancer. She stepped on my foot many times.

I stared up at her eyes, as they sparked down on my dull ones. Her eyes ignited with something that I haven’t seen in so long - Hope.

Soon, I began to lose myself in the music. I don’t know when Victoria started to let go. I let myself go as I did multiple turns, something I’ve been practicing for years.

As I leaped across that stage with such grateful movement, I saw my mother standing by the stage, with tears in her eyes - tears of joy.

I only realized that I was dancing a solo when the music ended and found Victoria standing below the stage, smiling up at me.

“That was magnificent.” She finally said as I let out a deep breath of air.

“That really felt good,” I admitted quietly and I knew Victoria still could hear me. “I felt like my mom was there with me.”

“So dancing does connect you with your late mom?” She asked, holding out one hand for me to grab as she helped me climb down the stage before wiping the sweat across my forehead.

I licked my lips as Victoria kept questionably gazing at me.

“I don’t know,” I muttered, looking away from her.

In return, she walked forward and put one hand on my shoulder once more, a soft smile was already on her lips. “Just think about it, Kate. If you performed as well as you did just now, you have a whole future ahead of you. And perhaps one day, you can be a part of the Vortex Club.”

 I cringed at the club’s name which made me roll my eyes at her. “I’d rather not. I’m good being the school’s wallflower and enjoy teas with books with Max from time to time.”

I thought Victoria would drive me home but she insisted for the last trip would be at the beach, breathing in the nature as we waited for the sunset.

It was rather an odd request for her to ask me to read my favorite book to her as we wait for the sun to go down.

“Read to me your favorite lines of the book.” Victoria was lying on the blanket, staring at the sky as her hands absentmindedly played with the sands.

“Why?” I asked, my fingers were scratching the back of the book anxiously.

“Because you go somewhere else when you read. I want to go there with you.” She admitted, casting one arm over her face as if she was hiding something from me.

“Don’t ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody.” I looked through every few scenes in the book that I’ve had highlighted for over a week.

“Ah, the catcher in the rye. A beautiful angst classic with memorable quotes.” I can feel Victoria was smiling, although her face was still hidden from me.

Out of blue, she leaned on her side and just stared straight through my soul. “Wanna know what’s mine? I forgot how many times I’ve read that one. It makes perfect sense why someone like you would enjoy such angst. It’s admirable.”

“Someone like me?” I asked, my face growing upset.

“I’m not mocking you, hey, I did say you’re admirable and it’s already day two, you survived. I’m really happy with that.”

I blushed profusely, chewing on my lips, and turn my attention towards the sea, ignoring the chattering nonsense inside of my heart.

Victoria chuckled heartily, I swore I heard her mumbling the word pretty.

“That's the thing about girls. Every time they do something pretty, even if they're not much to look at, or even if they're sort of stupid, you fall in love with them, and then you never know where the hell you are. Girls. Jesus Christ. They can drive you crazy. They really can.” Victoria gave her favorite quote from the book.

And surprisingly, she didn’t blush this time.

“Don’t give up on your gift, Marsh.” She sat beside me and patted my back. “Sometimes, it’s not about the money. It’s all about talent. If you love dancing, don’t let go of it. Just like Holden, looking for his purpose in life and in the end, he found his own salvation.”

And I yearn for the sunset never had to end, it felt magical every second within her presence.

Chapter Text

Day Three

Victoria rang by the orphanage late in the afternoon, the next Monday after school ended. I wasn’t expecting to see her, but I wasn’t surprised either.

“Do you know this girl?” Mother Mary asked me after calling me down from my room. She tried her best to hide the shocked tone in her voice since I rarely ever get any visitors - I usually prefer to meet up with Max at our favorite tea shop sometimes.

My eyes locked with Victoria’s, she was giving me a bashful smile, “We go to the academy together, and we’re friends.”

That’s putting it mildly, real nice Chase.

“Oh.” Mother Mary smiled back at Victoria, which was really quite warm for a stranger. “It’s nice to see you with a friend, Kate.”

I chuckled nervously, “We aren’t necessarily-”

“If you don’t mind, Mother Mary.” Victoria shot me a glare before returning her attention to Mother Mary with a sweet smile - A trap of the Miss Charming - “I’d like to take Kate out for an hour or two.”

Mother Mary nodded, patting me on the back. I groaned, rolling my eyes as she gave me a small shove towards Victoria. “Take her out as long as you want. Kate barely ever leaves the orphanage, except when she goes to school or group assignments.”

Victoria grinned cheerfully, “I’ll take good care of her, I promise.”

With that, we walked side by side out of the orphanage and she was humming, too happily which was somewhat strange to me and got me wondering what was up on her sleeves today.

Mother Mary closed the door behind us as I looked at Victoria, “Where are you taking me today?” I asked, sarcasm dripping from my tone.

She ignored my sarcastic remark, telling me to get in her car. “I’m going to take you to a bakery.”

I frowned, blinking in confusion. “What are we going to do at a bakery?”

“We’re going to learn how to make triple chocolate cookies.” She replied nonchalantly, then a wink.

I squinted my eyes, raising my eyebrows which made her giggle, “Come on, Princess. Your carriage awaits!”

We pulled up at a bakery that was well known in our town. I’ve been here once before, but that was before my parents died. They once took me here on my birthday, and let me choose whichever cake I wanted. My future sisters would have loved this place.

I remembered to end up picking the tastiest and most chocolaty cake there was.

Thinking about the nostalgia and daydreaming if my family were still alive with my sisters almost made tears well up in my visions. I felt Victoria’s hand gripped softly in mine, just one look at her made my heart soar with easiness.

What kind of spell does she have on me. It’s somehow confusing.

“Victoria!” A lady called, with flour all over her hands. “It’s good to see you again.”

“It’s nice to see you too, Patricia.” Victoria pulled me forward, introducing me. “This princess is Kate Marsh, she’s one of my good friends.”

I noticed the way Patricia raised an eyebrow at Victoria suggestively, resisting a smirk to form on her lips. “Are you sure the two of you aren’t more than that? She seemed like the type that you would bring home to your parents.”

My eyes widened as Victoria turned beet red, stammering completely expelling her calm state which exposed her vexation. “Yes, I’m sure, mind you, Patricia.”

“That’s not what I heard from Taylor.” Patricia gave her a knowing smile.

Taylor? As in Taylor Christensen? She’s Taylor’s mom?!

Victoria cleared her throat, stretching her shoulders, “Taylor didn’t know what she was saying sometimes. Anyways, did you get all the ingredients out to make the cookies?

“Oh, of course, Victoria. I’m delighted so.” Patricia smirked. “Taylor make sure I made the date perfect for the two of you. She was starting to get worried that you were turning straight since you rarely asked girls properly on a date before.”

I muffled back a laugh as Victoria fumed beside me, but I hope she couldn’t hear the way my heartbeat thunderously in my chest. Her arm latched around my wrist, pulling me towards the kitchen. “Let’s go, Kate.” She muttered with embarrassment.

“Have you ever baked before?” She asked the moment we enter the kitchen area.

I shook my head, “All the nuns do the cooking back in the orphanage.”

“Alright.” She chuckled, “I’ve never baked either, so I guess we’re starting from scratch.”

I smiled slyly, “Great. So we start making the dough, right?”

She looked confused, staring at all the ingredients. “Right.” She muttered unsurely, taking a few eggs from the fridge. “Let’s start by cracking these.”

We cracked the eggs, occasionally getting some shells in the bowl. As I began to whisk the eggs and add sugar and salt, Victoria was trying to figure it out how to open the bag of flour.

 “Do we have any scissors here?” She asked, trying to rip open the seal. Just as I was about to hand her a pair of scissors, the bag of flour erupted onto her face.

She silently stared at me with disbelief, her face entirely covered with white powder. I bit my lips, refraining from laughing as I handed her the sharp item. “Still need them?” I teased.

She stood up, the flour dripping down to her cashmere, “You think this is funny?”

A chortle escaped from my lips as she began to come closer to me then my smile faded once she opened her arms out wide. “What are you-?” I started off.

She pulled me into a bone-crushing hug, rubbing her face all over my shoulder as I coughed from all the flour, pushing her away.

When I pulled away, noticing powder all over my hair and clothes. I glared at her, picking up the carton of eggs. “You’re going to regret that, Chase.” I tossed an egg in her direction.

The egg landed on her chest, cracking open and her face was priceless - as if she was expecting a baby chick would be popped out from the egg instead.

She took some baking powder out from a bowl, tossed it in my direction, and covered me entirely.

I glare at her once more.

This meant war.

Not even after a few minutes, we were covered in baking necessities from head to toe and we looked ridiculous.

I swore I heard the sound of the camera flashing while we had our war, but when I looked around there were only the two of us.

“How are the cookies going?” Patricia poked her head in. Her eyes widened at the mess, and her jaw dropped. “Oh, my lord!” She yelped.

I bit my lip guiltily, “I-I’m so sorry, I’ll clean it up later.”

“Oh no, honey!” She stared at me sweetly, “I’m not blaming you. I’m blaming Victoria here!” Then she snapped at Victoria, “How do you egg a sweet girl like Kate on your first date!?”

Victoria’s eyes shifted over to me, her expression turned bewildered briefly.

Then those perfect rosy lips formed into a perfect grin, “Reason number three, Kate. Baking. We should definitely bake more often.”

“Well, not in my kitchen!” Patricia groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose using her two fingers.

Baking with Victoria wasn’t so bad after all.

Chapter Text

Day Four

“Sorry about the mess,” I muttered, tossing one of my shirts off of the bottom bunk that I shared with another orphan. “I didn’t expect you to come again.”

Victoria’s rosy lips stretched into a small smile, “That makes it sound like you don’t want me here.”

I shrugged, “I don’t, honestly.”

She frowned with skepticism, “What?”

“I mean, I just don’t want you to see what kind of place I live in. I don’t want you to see that I share a room with other three orphans that are at least five years younger than I am.” I truthfully admitted, lying on my bottom bunk bed.

My roommates were downstairs, either in the dining hall finishing their homework or watching cartoons in the living room on the tiny televisions that only played black and white shows.

Victoria lay down beside me, I tensed up. I mean, I didn’t have a problem with her lying beside me.

It was just very intimate and the sentiment was still somewhat a foreign feeling for me.

Victoria’s presence had always brought divine reassurances that brought smiles last more than a day.

“I don’t mind.” She whispered, eyes locking into mine. My bunk bed wasn’t the largest out there, so our faces were pretty close. If I moved just a few inches, our lips would be touching.

The thought ran crossed my mind had left me blushing profusely which oddly enough made Victoria flush as well.

“I don’t know much about you,” I said.

“What do you mean?” She asked, her warm breath tickling my throat.

I gulped, rolling my body away from her so that I was lying on my back. I stared up at the bottom of the bed above mine, licking my dry lips. “I mean, I know you as Victoria Chase, the girl from the academy that everyone adores because of how nice she is to everyone.”

Then I smiled softly, “But, who is the real Victoria? Who are you?”

She shrugged, her expression was pale and blank. She cleared her throat, her eyes having confusion glint in them. “I don’t know.” She whispered, “I’m just Victoria, I guess.”

The confident Victoria that I’ve always seen disappeared.

There was a slight crack in her voice that wrenched my heart.

I was disappointed, why did I hope that Victoria would open up to me.

To someone like me, of course.

The Victoria Chase everyone saw on the outside was confident and carefree, but who was she under all of that?

Out of blue, someone knocked on the door, starling me. I jumped up from my bed, hitting my head on the bottom of the bunk bed above mine. Victoria’s expression turned to worrisome as her eyes cast over me.

I groaned, rubbing my head. “Come in.”

Mother Mary came in with a smile on her face, “Dinner is ready.” She told me, then her eyes shifted over to Victoria. “Would you like to join us, dear?”

Victoria’s cheeks turned bright red, shaking her head. “It’s fine. I was just going.”

Mother Mary chuckled, shaking her head as she insisted, “Nonsense! We have enough room for another guest.”

I punched Victoria gently on her shoulder, “Come on, the food here isn’t too bad.” I teased, earning a laugh from Mother Mary.

The two of us followed Mother Mary down to the dining hall, where all the kids were already seated. Victoria and I took the two empty seats beside each other near the front of the table.

“I hope you like roasted chicken.” Mother Mary asked Victoria, “If not, we have some leftover sandwiches from lunch earlier today.”

Victoria shook her head, giving the older woman a thankful smile. “Chicken is good, Thank you.”

I cut up my chicken into bits, as I took a bite. The dinner that Victoria was going o have here wasn’t the best, but the orphanage couldn’t afford to feed thirty children five stars meals.

After dinner, Victoria and I offered to help clean up with Mother Mary, while the other kids got a break from their chores today.

“Kate, I’ve been meaning to tell you something.” Mother Mary announced as she swept the floor. Victoria was washing the dishes, while I helped her dry the plates.

“What is it, Mother Mary?” I asked, placing a plate on the stack.

“I’ve known you for a good nine years, Kate. You’re pretty much like a daughter to me.” She started off, as I held in my breath, hands trembling.

“Your progress from school has always been beyond average and your teachers have confirmed it. We’ll have to let you go, next year, unfortunately. But we have saved up a fund for you to go to college.”

My eyes widened as my head snapped towards her, “Mother Mary, you didn’t have to-”

“Yes, darling.” Mother Mary smiled. “I had to. It’s been sad seeing many families pass up on you but they definitely missed out on an intelligent, obedient, beautiful girl.”

Her words made my eyes well up. My vision became blurry, as Victoria glanced at me with a worried expression.

“The nuns that have watched you grow into a beautiful young woman all agree that your intelligence would be wasted if you didn’t go to college. That’s why we saved a fund on you. It’s not a whole lot of money, but it should be enough for a semester or two.”

I choked back my tears, as I stared at Mother Mary with moist eyes. I gave her a weak smile that meant more than any smile I’ve ever given to someone. “Thank you, Mother Mary. Thank you so much.”

She smiled back at me, “No, Kate. Thank you.” She let out a deep breath of air. “I’m going to check on the little ones now. After you and Victoria finish doing the dishes, you two are free to do whatever you’d wish.”

Mother Mary stepped out of the kitchen. Victoria cleared her throat, getting my attention and as I turned to face her, I was greeted by such a gentle beautiful smile.

With her manicured fingertips, she tilted my chin up. My heart exploded into tiny pieces just like the stars up in the night sky.

“Don’t you see how many people love you?” She asked, green eyes engulfing mine. “Stay alive, Kate. For Mary Mother, she’s invested so much into you.”

Chapter Text

Day 5

Victoria didn’t come by the next afternoon. She usually came by an hour or two after school. Instead, she came by during the night time around ten to be precise.

The nuns have already seen enough of Victoria to know who she was. When one of the younger nuns called me downstairs, I found Victoria sitting on one of the couches while a bunch of smaller girls surrounded her.

“Are you Kate’s prince charming?” A toothless seven-year-old asked Victoria as she chuckled.

“I sure am.” I heard her say which made my ears perk up.

The toothless girl gasped, before bursting into a misfit of giggles, “But girls can’t be prince charming, they’re supposed to be queens!”

Victoria chuckled once more, ruffling the little’s girl’s messy blonde head of hair. “Even girls can be prince charming too, not just queens.”

I had enough of what I heard, as I popped out from behind the wall. I approached Victoria, dragging her away from the little crowd of girls. “Let’s go.” I muttered.

“Are you going to bring Kate to your magical kingdom now?” Another squeaky voice asked, making my cheeks tinged with red.

“How did you guys guess?” Victoria joked.

“Shouldn’t you girls be in bed?” Mother Mary appeared from the doorway, crossing her arms. Immediately, all of the girls hurried out of the living room, turning off the television on the way.

She gave me a wink before stepping out to follow the girls upstairs, she probably wanted to make sure they brushed their teeth and were tucked in bed.

I pulled Victoria towards the front lobby of the orphanage, crossing my arms as I stared at her accusingly. “The girls will bug me forever about you now.”

“What are you even doing this late?”  I sighed, pinching my forehead.

She smiled softly, “I want to take you somewhere.”

I frowned, as my suspicions rose. “You aren’t actually taking me to a magical kingdom, are you?”

She laughed, shaking her head she led me outside of the orphanage. She unlocked her car and opened the passenger door for me.

“No.” She paused, to get into the driver’s seat. “Just wait and see.”

I crossed my arms, staring outside the window as Victoria began to drive.

Moments later, I noticed that we were in the parking lot of the boardwalk just a few minutes out of our town. The lights were all lit up today, and my eyes were immediately drawn to the Ferris wheel.

“You took me to the boardwalk.” I gave her a skeptical look.

She nodded, her lips curled into a smile. “I used to go all time as a kid but I stopped a while ago.”

“Why?” I asked, staring up at her.

She wasn’t gazing at me, though. Instead, her eyes were dazed and distant as she stared at all of the flashing lights. I couldn’t help but noticed how much brighter her green eyes looked under all of the lights.

It was the type of emerald green that almost looked make-believe.

“Victoria” I gave her a light push, “Are you okay?”

She snapped out of her thoughts, her eyes dropped down to me. It looked as if she just remembered that I was right next to her.

“I’m fine.” She licked her lips, putting a forced smile across her face which made me perplexed by her answer.

She pulled me towards the rollercoaster that didn’t look too friendly. “You aren’t scared of rollercoasters, are you?”

I gulped nervously, staring at the cart that went upside down in multiple loops. “I’ve never been on one,” I admitted.

She grinned, pulling me towards the line that wasn’t too long. “Then this will be your first time.”

The gate opened up, as someone led us towards the cart, buckling us in. “I don’t think this is a-”

Suddenly, I lurched forward as the cart rolled on the tracks at full speed. My eyes widened, as my hair whipped behind my head from the intense speed. “Victoria!” I screamed.

I could hear her chortling beside me as we approached a crazy loop. My eyes squeezed shut, as I felt my legs go weak. “I’m going to kill you.” I screeched.

After what seemed like hours, which were actually minutes the cart stopped. I felt someone shaking my shoulder, as I slowly opened my eyes.

Victoria stared back at me, and I noticed that the silver bar that was set in front of us rose up. “Kate?” She was smiling weakly, “You’re okay, right?”

I stared back at her with a pale expression, as the conductor assisted us out. When we were back on the boardwalk and Victoria led me to the trashcan.

I sent her a deadpanned glance, slapping her shoulder. “What the hell was that?!”

Victoria raised an eyebrow, “You aren’t going to puke on me, are you?”

I grumbled, shaking my head. “That was horrible! I thought I was going to fall up there!”

She let out a low chuckle, “Come on, I want to see the pictures.”

My eyes widened as I felt my heart drop down to my stomach. She dragged me over to a little booth with little television screens. On the fourth box was a picture of me squeezing my eyes shut, looking completely miserable. She, however, was grinning at me letting her hands flop all over the place.

“I’ll take two key chains.” She told the manager, handing him a twenty-dollar bill.

The guy handed Victoria back two key chains with our faces on them, she handed me the blue one and kept the red one for herself. “This is for you.”

I couldn’t help but smile at our completely different reactions. It was hilarious. “Thank you, now I can remind myself every time I open the door that I completely freaked out the first time I went on a rollercoaster.” I sarcastically remarked, latching the keychain onto my small set of keys.

“I don’t know.” She smiled to herself softly, “I think you look pretty cute.”

I glanced up at her eyes, trying to find any traces of dishonesty or lies. But there was none and all I saw was sincerity.

My cheeks turned bright red. “O-oh!” I sputtered out. How lame was I? “Oh look! The ring toss! I love that game!” I rambled on, pulling her arm towards the ring toss that had a bunch of stuffed animals hung up around it.

Around midnight, I figured that I had to get back to the orphanage sooner or later. Mother Mary was going to stay up worrying about me if I didn’t come back home in an hour. She just wasn’t used to me staying out late.

“I should get going,” I said, holding a large brown rabbit in one arm which she had won for me at the ring toss.

Her smile faltered, “Oh.” She paused, eyes lingering up to the Ferris wheel. “Do you have time for one last ride?”

The Ferris wheel was the first thing that my eyes landed on when she took me earlier today. I knew I had to ride it, no matter what. “Yeah.” I agreed.

Since the Ferris wheel carts only had one seat, she and I had to sit next to each other. Our arms brushed as the Ferris wheel slowly went up and when we stopped at the top, I took time to stare down.

I could see everything from up here. I could see a little girl dropping her cotton candy and a bright neon green flip-flop that was left on the boardwalk.

My eyes averted from the boardwalk as they caught a flash of lightning through the dark clouds apparently hitting the sea. It may have been within split seconds but I swore I caught it poignantly in my head.

“I remembered Max saying about she had a premonition of a storm that will destroy the town and how she got herself a time power and save her best friend all over again.” I looked back at Victoria and in return, she gave me a weird expression as if I said something so ridiculous. The same look whenever she looked at Max.

“I don’t want to say bad things about her but what happened to her at class earlier was odd. She was super jumpy and rushed out the classroom like she was having some kind of a nightmare.” Victoria sighed.

“Still, don’t you think the end of the world may have been real? She said most of us will die if we didn’t escape anytime soon.” I smile sadly, considering that the end of a person’s journey - was not just suicide, it could be anything.

I remembered the way Max's tears streaked down her cheeks, her voice cracked. It brought me back to the day when I attempted to kill myself by the cliff.

“She said she failed to save me too.” The wind breeze through my hair as I looked away from Victoria. I felt her hands gripping onto mine when I continued. “I died as people watched me.”

It should have been a relief but it didn’t make me feel good even one bit. I felt mostly guilty, especially towards the people that had been showing love and encouragement.

“I don’t believe her crap but, I think gladly you’re still alive here with me, Kate. I mean that. Even if the storm comes one day to destroy what we had, I won’t let death come to you yet even if I have to stop Max myself.” Her eyes cast over mine, glinting intensely. 

“I already save you didn’t I?” She blushed, pulling away from her hands away from mine. “You smile a lot nowadays. It’s so pretty.”

She tucked her hair behind her ears so elegantly, her cheeks remained flushed as a whisper came out from my lips, “ Beautiful.”

Suddenly, the night sky exploded into a bunch of bright colors, creating a booming noise every time the fireworks exploded into the sky.

I loved it. It was so remarkable.

“Well, reason number five, cutie.” Her hot breath tickled my throat, “Max.”

And I wish from that moment on, I had Max’s time powers to rewind this date all over again.

Maybe, Victoria is in fact my savior after all and no storm can't ever prove that wrong.

Chapter Text

Day 6

The school was nothing different from the day before it. People bustled by me, occasionally waving at me while I gave them a smile in return.

A fake smile, I may add.

Everyone has always assumed that I was one of the average teenage girls at school, perfectly fine with no problems whatsoever. I mean, under my forced smile how could anyone possibly tell that something was wrong with me?

They couldn’t.

Under that smile was a bundle of dirty little secrets that no one would imagine was mine. I mean, who could ever predict that Kate Marsh was an orphan? Or that her parents were killed in a road accident?

Oh wait. This was the best one yet, Who the hell would’ve guessed that Kate Marsh tried to kill herself?

No one.

“Kate, what are you doing here?” A voice asked, startling me from my thoughts. “It’s lunchtime.”

I stared up at Victoria who was hovering over me. She was staring down at the pile of textbooks laid out in front of me.

“What does it look like I’m doing?” I asked. “Collecting all the literature books in the damn library to feed the hippos? No. I’m studying, dumbass.”

Even after I basically snapped and told her off, she still managed to let out a laugh.

What the hell is wrong with her?

“That one will be stuck on my mind for a while.” She paused, before pulling me up from my seat, “Come on, let’s go.”

I gave her a bland look as she pulled me out of the library. I looked back at my pile of textbooks that I failed to put away, but she dragged me away.

“Where are we going?” I asked as we went outside of the building, “We aren’t ditching school, are we?”

She chuckled, giving me a small smile. “Yes, we are.”

She paused, looking at my mortified expression. If Mother Mary knew that I cut school, she would be beyond disappointed. Never I ever cut school, get detention, let alone forget to do homework.

“Live a little, Kate.”

I loosened up at her words, as we began to exit the school gates. My shoulders relaxed, as Victoria led me towards the park just a few blocks down from our academy.

The park was always filled with kids from our school, thinking they were all that because they smoked weed by the corner.

Yet, today the park is nearly deserted.

“This is what I ditched school for?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

“You have high expectations, you know that?” She asked teasingly.

I glared at her, smacking her shoulder with the back of my hand. I laughed as I rolled my eyes, “You better find something that will entertain me because if you don’t, I’m going to sneak back into the school.”

She chuckled, grinning at me with amusement shining in her green eyes. “You’re really cute, Kate.”

My head snapped back towards her, as I did a double-take to make sure if I heard her correctly. When I gave myself a light pinch on my hand, I felt the pain.

I wasn’t dreaming.

Victoria Maribeth Chase called me cute.

I wanted to feel happy, but I just couldn’t. All I felt was anger and frustration.

What game she was trying to play with me? I made a deal with her. I didn’t agree to sign up for all of this flirting crap that she did to make me feel all warm and jittery.

“You know, Kate, when a girl compliments you, you’re supposed to thank them.” Her voice tingled with amusement, which only made me want to punch her.

She was making me happy, and I couldn’t stand it. It was wrong for me to be happy while my parents were dead.

I didn’t deserve to feel good.

“I want to go back,” I muttered, pushing past her shoulder.

From the corner of my eyes, I could see her face falling. Her hand latched onto my wrist, pulling me around.

When my eyes met hers, I held my breath. Her eyes were so full of emotions, confusion, anger, and pain.

“Wait, did I say something wrong?” She asked.

I shook my head, refusing to speak as I bit down on my lip.

She didn’t back down without a fight, as she titled my chin up with her fingers gently. “What’s wrong with you, Kate? Why the sudden change of mood?”

“You won’t understand.” I tried to make myself sound strong. But my voice only came out strained and weak.

Her face flushed with agony, causing my heart to ache.

“I won’t understand?” She repeated with dubiety. “I’ve understood this whole time!”

My face softened as I stared back at her. She actually looked really worried about me. I think she really does cares. Maybe she wasn’t agreeing to this deal because she wanted to be nice.

“I just feel.” I paused, letting out a deep breath of air, “Happy.”

She frowned, obviously confused. “Isn’t that a good thing?”

I sighed, “Yeah but I shouldn’t be happy. I mean my parents are dead and I’m an orphan. I shouldn’t deserve to be happy.”

Victoria pulled me close to her which made my eyes widen from the sudden movement. My body was pressed up against hers as she wrapped her arms around my waist.

She buried her head into my neck, breathing me in. “Kate.” She started off, “You deserve everything. You deserve to be happy.”