Escaping the Castle

Chapter 17- Stay with me

Chapter 17- Stay with me

_______Ariel's Pov_____

It has been a week since Aunty Ayana has left for work and I miss her a lot. Uncle Henry has been taking care of me and he is the worst cook. On Monday, he burnt the toast and attempted to fry eggs, without cracking it open. For lunch, he made macaroni from the box but he never lit the stove. So when I realized this , I told him I would buy breakfast at Starbucks and buy lunch in the school. He agreed happily to this arrangement.

When I got to school, everyone was outside talking.

Once Dean saw me he called me over. I walked towards them and greeted them. We then walked inside. Elena was there but she didn't look herself.

"Hey Elena, what's up?" I asked smiling.

"Your face." she spitted at me and stormed away.

"What's wrong with her?" Sarah asked.

Dean shrugged his shoulders .

Something was definitely wrong with her.

It was the last week of school since we were in the second week of December and I didn't want my best friend to be upset with me.

So, I chased after her.

"Elena! " I shouted running towards her,"Elena, what's wrong?"

She ignored me and entered the vacant bathroom.

"Elena, tell me what's wrong." I begged her.

" It's my last week here." she told me sadly.

" It's our last week here Elena, school is closing." I responded.

"No, I don't want to go." she said with tears in her eyes.

"You're going to miss school that much?" I asked.

"My mom.... St.Lucia." she cried and I could not understand her.

"What?" I asked confused.

"Do...do you...k-know why ..... I left St.Lucia?" she asked me, sniffing in between.

"No, you never told me." I said sadly.

" In Saint Lucia, I lived with my grandmother and my little bugger." she said sadly.

"Bugger?" I asked confused.

"Yes, my brother. I like to call him my little bugger." she said and cleared the confusion I had.

"So what happened?"I asked wanting to know why she was crying.

" My mom used to take drugs so she came here to get rehab and got better. After a year, she got better and got a good job. After many years, she started taking drugs again. She quit her job and now my grandmother wants to take me back to Saint Lucia. I want to go but I'll miss all my friends here, especially you." she said sniffing and crying loudly.

"It's okay Elena. We'll figure out something so you can stay here. Wipe your tears away. Do you have your papers to stay here?" I asked her.

"Yes. I got them as soon as I came here." she said washing her face in one of the bathroom sinks.

After she was done, she smiled at me.

"What time is it?" she asked.

I looked down at my 'Guess' watch and realized we were late for class by ten minutes.

"We're late for class by ten minutes." I said shocked.

"Let's just go. Better late than never." she said.

******after school**********

Elena was still very sad and I tried to cheer her up. I hated seeing my best friend who is normally funny and a pain in my butt look so sad.

I watched as she entered the school bus and soon it was gone.

A few minutes later, Uncle Henry came to pick me up in his black 'Jaguar XFR'.

I entered the car and told my uncle good afternoon .I guess he realised I looked sad because a look of concern fell upon his face.

"What's wrong Ariel? You look sad." he said watching me through the mirror .

"My best friend is being forced to go back to her island, St.Lucia. I'm so sad. I wish she could stay." I said looking down at my lap.

"Ohh. I'm sorry to hear that Ariel." Uncle Henry said.

"It's fine. There's nothing you can do anyway." I said with hurt in my voice.

We soon arrived at our mansion. I quickly got out of the car. One of the maids opened the door. I greeted her and then dashed to my room.

I got out my iPad and decided to FaceTime Aunty Ayana.

After a few rings , she picked up.

"Hi Ariel! How are you?" she asked.

I could see her clearly and she looked pretty as usual. She was wearing a white tank top and black shorts. Her long hair was in a donut and her face had a light blush.

"Hi Ayana. I'm okay." I said with tears pricking my eyes.

"What's wrong Ari? You look sad." she asked sounding concerned .

"When are you coming back ? I miss you . My life is horrible. My best friend , Elena, is never coming back. She's going back to Saint Lucia. I don't want her to go. She...she doesn't want to go either." I said crying my heart out.

" Ohh Ariel, I wish there was something I could do. I won't be home until next year. The year is almost over honey. " she said sadly.

I cried even louder.

"Aunty , can Elena stay with me?" I asked her pleadingly. At least I would have some company for the months to come.

I saw her gulp and her eyes looked like she was thinking of what to do.

"Okay. She can stay with us. I'll call her mom . Ariel, I hope you know what this means. I will be adopting her and so she will be like a sister to you." Aunty Ayana said.

My eyes lit up and I wiped away my sad tears. Tears of joy decided to fall on my face.

"Thank you ! Thank you so much. I love you Aunty Ayana." I said with enthusiasm.

We soon hung up. I took my iPhone 5s and  was about to call Elena, but then I changed my mind. I would just surprise her with the great news on Friday.

I'm so happy she can stay with me.