CHAPTER SIX - THE DOUBLE GAME

Everyone was waiting for faith to answer.

But her eyes were only on her grandparents.

“If I let him in, he will think he has won. And people who think they have won won't mind looking at their backs” she kept her face perfectly neutral.

Uncle Marcus was gulping water, emptying glass quickly.

Faith's mom's palm was sweaty.

Her dad was cracking knuckles loudly.

Elisha was mouthing words silently under his breath.

Then her answer came.

“It will be better. Having family close means the company stays protected, I would not have it any other way.”

Uncle Marcus exhaled slowly, his shoulders dropped half an inch.

“ Mom , Dad, Grandma, what do you think?”

They nodded slowly, exchanging a glance faith did not miss.

“Since it's all settled, we will be on our way now”uncle Marcus said.

Faith's mom looked at Faith, but she couldn't say anything, she just trusted her daughter.

Uncle Marcus and his son left.

“ Why did you agree to let him into the company?” Her dad asked.

“Trust me dad, I know what I'm doing”

They nodded.

Faith smirked.

***

<< FOLLOWING MORNING, HILL POP COLLEGE>>

Faith waved at her mom as she stepped down from the car.

“Take good care of yourself dear”

“Okay mom, I will”

She sighted Cassius and Lydia coming from the other end.

Something inside her went still

Warren approached her.

“Hey babe”

Faith whispers something in his ears.

“I understand, I will play along with you”

Then faith yelled “Don't ever try calling me babe again”

“I thought we were good yesterday, why now”

She ran close to Cassius.

“my love” The words tasted like poison, but she smiled through every syllable.

Lydia stared at her. “Are you okay, faith?”

“Of course I'm fine”

“Why didn't you bring food for Lydia yesterday?”

“I'm sorry I didn't know what came over me yesterday”

“What about Warren?"

“It's was a mistake, I was under a spell yesterday, please don't be offended”

“if you want me to forgive you, you have to kneel and apologize to me and Lydia Kowtow ten times”

She knelt down.

“I was wrong” her voice steady. She said it eight times without flinching, each word cost nothing.

Warren rushed forward.

Holding her hands “ you don't have to do this, he doesn't deserve it”

“This is not your fight” she pulled her hands away without looking at him.

“faith!!” His voice came out lower than he intended.

Cassius kicked him “bastard,”

Warren falls to the ground.

Faith wanted to help him up but she still knelt down. She kowtow the last time, blood was on her forehead.

“Don't forget to bring lunch me and Lydia”

“I will,” Faith answered.

Her heels clicked against the empty hallway, each step was steady and slow, the perfect composure until she found an empty classroom, she pushed the door open shut behind her.

Then tears came without permission, she didn't even try to stop it this time, she let it roll down her cheeks.

“They hurt me,” her voice cracked against the empty hall, “They torture me. The poisoned me, they step on my wound and laughed while I was dying”

Her knees buckled.

She slid down the wall slowly until she sat down on the cold floor. Knees pulled to her chest, exactly the way in her past life.

“I love them” that was the part that hurt me the most “I cared for them with everything I had and they used every single piece of me”

The thought about Cassius pressing his shoes on her fresh wound, how Lydia laughed echoed, through the empty room.

The dog food. The hot water, the poison they forced into her throat, the death of her parents without her knowing the cause.

A sob tore through her chest before she could swallow it.

She used her hand to cover her mouth. Then something shifted.

She wiped her tears slowly with the back of her hands.

She stood up, straightening her dress.

Walking around the empty room, she walked close to the mirror.

She looked at her reflection staring back at her.

The girl in the glass looked like someone who is not afraid of anything again, even death.

Because she had.

“You already died once for them” she whispered to her reflection.

“And that is enough”

She turned away from the mirror

Head high

Step steady.

A slow smile crept on her face.

“The game,” she said quietly to no one.

“Has just started”

And she walked away like nothing happened.

She met Warren outside the door.

“Did you just cry?”

Faith didn't answer.

Warren kept on following her.

“Keep your distance” her voice was quiet. “Walls have ears”

“But we are alone no need to act,”

“Even at that, just keep your distance, wall have ears, if you want to talk to me about anything, we can chat”

They parted Way's.

The video of faith was already trending online, how she was kneeling to Cassius.

After the second lesson it was time for lunch.

Faith rushed to Cassius, holding his hands.

“Let's go have lunch,” she said.

They both walked out of the class, then arrived at the cafeteria.

Faith was laughing at everything Cassius was saying, she touched his hands across the table, she leaned closer when he spoke. Every gesture was calculated.

Under the table Lydia's foot pressed against Cassius' own, Faith noticed, she shifted her chair slightly and pressed her heels down. Lydia pulled back.

Lydia stormed out of the room.

“Just let her be, she is just being too childish,” Cassius muttered.

The moment Cassius stepped out of the cafeteria Lydia moved fast.

Her fingers curled into his collar yanking back before anyone could see them.

She pressed her lips on his without warning.

He pulled back, pushing her off.

“What was that for?”

“Don't you love me anymore?” Her voice came out wounded almost childish “what's wrong with me kissing you”

“You can't just kiss me randomly” his eyes roamed around the hallway “What if faith see us”

Lydia's expression darkened “to hell with her”

She rose to her toes reaching for him again.

This time he didn't just push her back, he pushed her down the ground.

Her butt hit the floor hardly

“Don't ever try that again without my permission”his voice was ice “do you understand”

Lydia looked at him from the floor, tears burning down her cheek.

But you let faith touch you, feed you. You even smiled at her but you pushed me down.

He said nothing.

From the corner of the hallway a figure stood watching.

Faith.

She said nothing either.

She simply smirked.

Taste of betrayal one.