Chapter 7

Veronica's POV

For a split second, I stopped breathing...

This can't be right, can it? I mean, that simply cannot be... I've been gone for two years. I'd made it out alive... Sure, I've always wanted to face them and ask them why they did it. But I never dare to do it. 

I yearned for the good old days. But now I can only recall the worst.

Why me!? Oh, Lord! Why me !?!? 

Okay... Vera, take a deep breath... Now that you've taken a deep breath, what can you do? You've had run-ins with them... Consider a means to get away from them. What should I do? What should I do? 

"Hello, are you new around here, guys? I have never seen you before in this little town!" I came to a dead stop at the voice. Oh wow. She was incredibly sociable, which I had forgotten.

"We are here for two weeks, so we're not new. Aubrey here. All of these people are my friends. Our hometown is Paris. And you all?" Bree replied. She enjoyed interacting with others.

"I honestly haven't seen anyone come to Barbados in a long time!! My name is Andrea, and these are my incredibly stupidly doofus friends. Rayan, Jordan, and Ace"

"Well, at least you've seen us now." Is she going to introduce us? Nuh-Uh! 

Consider a different name... Vera, Valera, Valerie!! Yeah! That name does seem a bit familiar... Whatever the case may be, we simply need to find a way out!! I need to get out of this. 

"Alden is my boyfriend, and Alair is his sister. This is Allison, my best friend. And Nino is her boyfriend. That's my brother, Tyler, and this is my sister, Audrey. Oh, and she's -"

"Valerie !!" I nearly yelled... 

My heart was racing... So hard, I could hear it.

Shit! 

"Y'know I love to introduce myself, Bree, and I love being called by my middle name!" I said in a slightly squeaky voice as they all eyed me suspiciously. To be fair, my voice changed in 2 years, but who knows? What if it hasn't?

I looked and Allison and Alden with pleading eyes and slightly shook my head... Alden nodded while Allison sighed and giggled. 

"Hey," said, 'he' and waved... He loves his phone too much. 

Bree, Drey, Taylor, and Nino looked at me like I was Bonkers... I noticed everyone was looking at me like that... Nino whispered in my ears:- 

"Ya know him?" OMG! I said that out loud! Trust me to say that out loud, Shit Sherlock! I always do that when I'm not in my right senses. Everyone knew that. Even 'them'... And I said it in my regular voice!! 

I shook my head and said, "Sorry, I guess it was just kinda obvious he liked his mobile" I shrugged and said in that terrible squeaky voice. 

"Okayy... And yes, he does love his phone. He used to talk more. But, you see, 3 years, no... 2, there was this girl-" 

"Rea" Rayan said in a warning tone and squinted his eyes at her, while 'He' just glared at her. His name's Ace, so why am I 'he'ing him... 

I know... but, he used to love his mobile before I came to Barbados. Then he got over his addiction after I came along, and we'd all gotten close... 

He wasn't an addict anymore... until it happened, and even until after I left. I don't remember, but as far as I'm concerned, I don't know, nor do I care about how he got back his addiction. I mean- sure, I wasn't in touch with them. I never wanted to stay in touch anyway...

Andrea simply shrugged... While glancing at me, she whispered something into Ace's and Rayan's ears. Ace stared at her strangely, as if he was debating whether she was correct or not. Rayan glanced at me before saying something to her, to which she nodded. Then she retrieved and smiled sickly sweetly at us and swiftly stared at me as if scrutinizing me... she moved away quickly but I got it... Rayan then muttered something to Jordan and then to Ace, and Ace nodded. And then something was spoken to Rea- no, Andrea.

I put my hand over my mouth to check if I still had my scarf on my head. Yes, I did... Good.

 Andrea remarked that, during the entire 'awkwardly silent discussion' that everyone had, "Since we have been in Barbados for a while, how do you feel about us staying with you and showing you around? We have a mansion of our own with a few more rooms. Do you wish to attend? I assume you stay in hotels or something."

I was gonna speak up and say no thanks, but Als beat me to it. " Um, Actually I think we'd ra-"

 "Of Course!! We'll have a much better experience then !!" Bree squealed while Alair and Drey nodded excitedly. 

Alden gave them a stern stare before apologizing to me in front of them. They were met by Allison's headshake, and she gave me a sorry-looking face. Sherlock, shucks. No way is this possible. So much for my 2 1/2 years spent avoiding them. I beg you, Lord, grant me peace throughout these next two weeks.

"Oh, where are y'all from??" Jordan asked, eyeing us suspiciously. 

"We're from Paris! She said that already!! Let's go! " Alair said cheerily. 

They all appeared to have the same notion at the same time as they immediately glanced at one another. Rayan nodded in response as Jordan spoke to him in a low voice but not in a whisper. Ace nodded as he texted something into his phone and the two, Ace and Rayan, exchanged looks. I couldn't quite make out what he was mouthing to Andrea, but I recognized the language. As a result, I had a brief flashback to my memories...

She just nodded and slowly blinked twice or three times, and I'm quite certain he murmured, "Good Idea" to her in Spanish. Sherlock, shucks.

Are they planning something? Do they suspect my identity? I don't get it at all! Haven't they tortured me enough for a lifetime?

I should try not to think about them at all. It's always going to end with me feeling suffocated and helpless. 

I spoke swiftly enough for just my group to hear me say, "Give me a moment."

I promptly reached for my phone and sent my mother a text.

 In text 

Vera: - Hey Mother... We came to Colonnade Mall and just encountered... with them.

Mom: - OH Dear... Stay away honey, would you like to come back here??

Vera: - No Mom, I don't wanna hurt Bree and the rest, they're all so happy.

Mom: - Vera, why do you have to give up your happiness for everyone else??

Vera: - Mom, please, trust me. Bree just accepted their offer to live at their mansion.

Mom: - Our Mansion?

Vera: - Obviously. Theirs, ours, same thing

Mom: - No, it isn't the same thing honey... is it theirs or Ours. We're not the same. They hurt you, dear.

Vera: - I know Mom, but please, trust me with this one... I just have to get past 2 weeks of wrath successfully. They don't even know me! Then we're done... I'll be back and I'll never see them again, I swear.

Mom: - It's been only 2 yrs. honey, not a decade... you've only grown 4 inches and gotten famous and much more beautiful. But your voice and habits, likes, and dislikes are the same. U're still, Veronica Valdez...

Vera: - I told them I'm Valerie and I'm speaking in a squeaky voice, & I have a scarf 'round my head...

Mom: - Vera. You used to do that all the time to them there to prank them... You'd put a scarf around your head, stand in a spot where they couldn't see u through the peephole, and speak in a squeaky voice and you'd say your name was Valerie Valdez and that you were Veronica's cousin... R u sure they haven't recognized u?

Vera: - oh

I got off my phone and looked up at them... They all stared at me and smiled sickly sweet... Shit Sherlock ... Andrea had an expression of which I couldn't make heads or tails of. It was like an understanding and pitiful look... 

She immediately changed her expression to that terrible smile while Ace just put on his Stoic expression... and then silently looked back at his phone... I realized the contents of one of my shopping bags spilled... I bent down to pick them up... I noticed one of my half-eaten donuts in its transparent plastic box came out... 

Andrea looked at it, I noticed. Her eyes widened in recognition and sharply looked at Rayan. I realized that the flavor of my donut was the same one that all 6 of us (Andrea, Rayan, Ace, Jordan, Me, and him) used to buy together every time we came to Colonnade Mall...

 Our siblings, including my brother, and Andrea's brother, would take the Caramel Bliss... 

We'd take The Baked Funfetti donuts. Mine was always chocolate coated... I was the only one. 

(They weren't on the menu 3 years back and for me to convince the staff to add it to the menu took a lot of money and persuasion...I was the one who created that donut flavor and, in that shop, now it was one of the best-sellers... That time, none of the people there bought it much except me, so I'm sure the shopkeeper recognized me today. I was the only one who weirdly asked for caramed syrup on them.)

 And everyone else's was coffee-coated or vanilla-coated... So now I'm very sure they recognized me. Andrea quickly changed her expression as Alden and Nino & Tyler helped me pick everything up. I saw Andrea nudging Ace with her elbow in the stomach as she signaled to the donut box. He glared at her and looked at the box... 

He looked at Andrea and she nodded at his shocked and perplexed expression... She turned around and mouthed something to Rayan & Jordan and they looked at each other and slowly nodded... Then I'd quickly snatched the donut box and stuffed it in the bag before anything else could happen... 

"Shall we leave?" Rayan said in the same weird tone he used to talk in every time he felt suspicious. Like the time when I pulled the Valerie prank on them. Or when... That photo was spread. That godawful picture. 

Nope, I won't think about it! I shouldn't. I shook my head in an attempt to shake away my thoughts. OH Lord, I've gotten myself into some serious shit... They know who I am. And I know them too well to know that they know...

Why oh, why me!? 

Never mind, please don't answer that question, God.