Daria, chapter two: between ownership and obsession

 

Daria came back home feeling awkward after just visiting this rich family at their fancy place, she couldn’t stop thinking about exploiting their wealth in her own favor, so she decided to work there regularly… besides helping his girl in studying as claimed.

 

She texted Aria and negotiated her about this subject, she wanted a week of training so they can just verify her abilities and confirm her skills and the quality she emits… Aria asked her a short duration she can consult her father all about it

And then she will hit her up…

 

While she was checking her phone the door knocked,

Daria expected the person behind the door, she opened, and it was Craig

He asked her out… but she refused due to exhaustion, “it was a long day” she said…

He responded “no problem, can I kiss you at least”

She relentlessly received the kiss without even smiling back at his face.

 

She locked her door and started thinking about the consequences since she has been a part of a new family paralleling with this poor one she lives among

She thought to herself that this could be a good opportunity for her, just individually

But she didn’t think about Craig and others and that’s what was sort of confusing her and causing her irritating insomnia…

 

She woke up in the morning often to collect trash with the boys, and then head away to school.

 

While she was in the bathroom spraying the mirrors and wiping them from stains, some bullies

Just came in and inserted a gum in her hair wisps and kept mocking her

So before she just lifts up the bucket filled with dirty liquids

And throw it over them and get fired, Aria unlocked the door she was sitting behind and threatened the girls of publishing the video she recorded of them bullying Daria and she will immediately report them at the principle office

Hence each of them will fear being expelled.

They left the bathroom like dirty rats coming out from the sewers,

“I almost did something wrong now, thank God you already showed up in the exact appropriate timing” said Daria

And followed her sentence asking “how about your health? Are there any issues you found lately since you took the tablets?”

“Just bleeding heavily compared to usual, I have abdominal cramps, back pain, headaches and I suppose I have a fever” Aria responded

Daria promised her after she finishes her shift she will take her back to clinic and check up on her

When she finished she found Craig waiting her out of the facility, he talked to her confidentially

And he initiated the conversation speaking about education and asking Daria to teach him today in the library, and he seemed in a rush

Daria apologized for the unwilled rejection but she told him that he will be compensated for it afterwards.

 

She went with Aria to the clinic, the doctor measured her blood pressure and as part of symptoms she will have due to taking pills or due to the abortion process the side effects include high blood pressure, nausea, cramps, and bleeding, as well as diarrhea

So there’s nothing to worry about, it’s just a matter of time and she will be fine soon.

 

They went to eat ice cream together and then went home together to have some fun in the pool, and in Aria’s room that has a lot of makeup, outfits, dresses and many variables poor people never had an idea about them before, they lacked money to reach out these expensive sources.

 

Aria was wearing her suit and grabbed another one for Daria hence she wears instead of wetting her clothes, Daria waited Aria to do her rituals before diving into the pool, putting on creams, changing her pad, taking pills and painkillers, wearing a protection for her nose, wearing perfume and now she’s comically ready for seduction not for swimming at all,

 

Mr. Ian came in with dramatic slow steps,

“Are you born in water?” he directed his speech to Daria

She took off her headphones “excuse me?” she responded

He repeated the same sentence

She faked a smile, he has an awful sense of humor, but she will never embarrass him saying such a thing

 

He told her he’s accepting her to be recruited in home services, since his daughter asked him to, Daria felt less frustrated and regained some enthusiasm…

Then he followed with a question “what’s your origin, Daria?”

She confused and endured his rudeness,

Right before he rephrases his words saying “my bad, I meant where do you come from?”

She mentioned her old town she used to live in,

He nodded and then said “I think you are tiring my daughter she’s been looking fatigue lately”

She told him “every girl has this time of the month they’re so weak and in need of understanding, support and patience”

The father blushed and then he asked her about the job demand and why she required such a thing from them!

 

“He never stops asking” she murmured

He smirked and went silent in case she responses appropriately

She said “my parents died on a car accident and my money is almost running out so I need a job to provide me financially”

 

He gave a respectful glance and said “well then, I leave you with my spoiled sassy girl, enjoy”

“By the way, Daria, you can start tomorrow”

 

Aria winked to her and gave her a high five then dived into the pool while Mr. Ian was still observing Daria in curiosity

She put her headphones again and started chilling whereas music is playing and her feet are swinging into the water, giving tiny splashes on her clothes

 

 

 

Aria dragged her down all of sudden, as her screams echoed in the entire place

They had fun and then Daria left before midnight

She sprinted all the way back to home, feeling guilty for forgetting Craig’s demand

She knocked his door all wet and muddy

He opened the door showing a very devastating impression

“Don’t you think it’s late?” he sarcastically asked

She said “please, I had other priorities, if you knew how tiring was my day you won’t judge”

 

He said “no need, I’m not included in these priorities so why would I include you in mine!”

He slammed the door with anger…

“Please, Craig, I will make it up to you”

 

Thunderstorms began to be vividly heard, rains are pouring causing floods in the poor districts while schools and different organizations are allowing students and employees to be absent, everyone has a quarantine due to the forecast report

And the witnessed weird atmosphere.

Judy woke up to check her share of money earned by Daria

So Daria gave her a part of what she earned hiding the other,

Judy started to touch her from top to bottom until she found more bills hidden in her pockets,

She yelled at her, and made everyone yearn and step off their beds to see what’s happening!

 

Daria told her “you have no right to steal from me, you have no right to steal from us at all, who do you think you are?”

 

Judy brutally hit her up until she bled from her nose, others came in hurry to halt this monster from resuming injuring Daria

“I’m going to show you who I am”

She took a stick and tried to hit Daria with it, using the highest power she owned

And Craig came to defend, and was attacked instead of Daria

He held his mother’s hand the second time, and seriously looked into her eyes,

He said “you have power to control me, but you don’t have power over others, you heard me, mother?”

She left these crowds behind while they were trying to find a nearby pharmacy to buy the first aid kit to heal her possibly from any kind of infection that may cause her situation to be worse.

 

The owner of the building opened the door while they’re descending the stairs and told them I heard the fight, here…

And she gave them some bandages and sanitizers

 

Craig was laughing at Daria all the time, and told her “that’s the punishment for forgetting me today”

She laughed and promised her of an appointment she can be committed to next day

She told him “this time I’ll be attending the lesson”

 

 

Next day she woke up having bruises,

She went to school straightforwardly without accompanying the boys

She finished her shift and went to Aria’s home

And dedicatedly did full services, she repaired electricity, did plumbing

And helped cutting the woods in the garden

She even helped the maids preparing the meals for the family

 

Aria’s father came before his kid come back from school

And found the house filled with devotion according to the efforts exerted on it

“Daria, you are superb, I never thought that this place is a sort of vacant and in need of any additions!”  He said

 

“But isn’t this distracting you from the significance of the classes?”

He said again

 

She responded “no, I already asked Aria to bring the missed lessons for me and I will study them in leisure time”

 

“Do you have a leisure time, Daria?”

He laughed in a sinister way

Then asked “how about your old school? Wouldn’t you tell me about it?”

“Which school?” she said in terror

“The boarding school, honey, I heard a reputation that says, you were a reason why your roommate committed suicide in preparatory stage”

She recollected that day again,

She was going to her room, it was locked she tried to break the handle and try to access, because she saw her roommate “Sally” grabbing a razor and trying to cut herself, the scene was witnessed through the keyhole, Daria woke up other girls and then they asked a supervisor to break into the room with the tools he’s got

They opened the room, and a key dropped from Daria’s pocket, everyone looked at her thinking that she was the one who secretly did this to her roommate and locked the door pretending that it wasn’t her fault,

Because they had mutual hatred since the day they joined the school.

The security man called the ambulance and they transmitted her to emergency sector, they could help her that time, but later she wrote a farewell letter to everyone telling them that she’s bored of her life and bored of her roommate and she decided to end this suffer and kill herself

She jumped from the window while Daria was listening to music during sleep

She felt a cold breeze hitting her feet so she went to the window and because she found it wide open she looked down and found her roommate bones cracked on the floor, she couldn’t utter a single word, she couldn’t move, she found her letter written on her bed, she peed herself since she saw her name written in her letter

And she thought about the becoming circumstances and how dark they may get.

 

She was the first and only one accused but there wasn’t enough proof, the other families demanded this girl not to be among their kids anymore, and the principle couldn’t do otherwise.

 

Her parents moved her to another school apart of this, and she resumed normally without any problems, and right before they die on a car accident…

 

That was the story hiding behind Daria’s eyes

Mr. Ian said “I don’t care who you are, or where do you come from, but if you touch my kid or try to manipulate me to get a bit of my wealth, I will destroy you, I can show you how I own both people and properties, I can show you how my authority can overpower any other authority used in the community, I will show you how alone and fragile you are, and I will show you that people won’t be on your side because they’ll never be opponents for me, so be cautious”

 

She left the house, trapped by Aria, leaving with no words

She told Craig that she wants to go to an isolated museum, she wanted to smoke in a different place away from city noises and dirts all around

 

He gave her his permission and went with her, knowing deep down that she’s hiding something from him

“I didn’t mean to do anything…”

She cried and then told him what she couldn’t tell the father when she was questioned…

Then she asked Craig if he believes her

“Even without you mention details I believed your first phrase, starting with “I didn’t mean to do anything” and until you mentioned the full vision”

He said, and embraced her

 

For the first time in a while she felt warmed

They kissed over the roof of the building and burnt enough amount of cigarettes before they go to the library and she teaches him some fundamentals of every subject…

 

They went back home, but Daria felt stalked all the time, she didn’t feel safe though she was accompanied by Craig…

Next day she went to school to do her job, and then she went to her second job, kept rehearsing how to stay cooled down in front of Ian, and how to neglect his arrogance meanwhile she’s working

 

He came again to bother her apologizing surprisingly about his previous attitude

And told her “I have nothing against you, I shouldn’t act like this, I’m sorry, but I needed to warn you”

She nodded and resumed working showing no attention to what he said, this feeling she had last night was so uncomfortable, was so harsh to the limit she felt triggered and couldn’t sleep well in spite of the temporary distraction Craig could supply her with…

 

She finished her work and on her way back home she felt like someone was actually moving behind her, she thought she was delusional but she couldn’t distinguish then…

 

Craig met her at the edge of the street close to their home, and he stopped her to flirt and smoke with her a little bit… she seemed happy with him so much

Before the eyes of the beholder…

Aria’s father… whose new obsession is Daria…

It’s more than security this time… it’s more about Daria being interesting to him

Ever since Aria’s mom separated from him and split to another home with her boyfriend, since she broke the chains he was putting over her, since she vented the inhibition that was heaving her chest and escaped his oppression

He was in a journey of seeking another obsession to put his full control over…

And his new prey is “Daria”

 

The man already recognized that Daria lives in a slum with a group of people, which seemed more interesting to him, a bit sympathizing and a lot attractive

 

Judy was coming back from the local markets buying groceries and she saw this rich man who doesn’t match with the neighborhood

And she tried to impress him at any costs, he recognized her naïve attempts

And asked her about meeting Daria… carrying some boxes in his hands…

Judy’s eyes dazzled and she interfered and told him that she will deliver Daria’s belongings to her on her own

She seemed not trustworthy to him so he preferred giving them directly to Daria

As a way of an apology,

But once she heard from Judy she stopped going there, concluding that it was the end of her services, the end of her presence there, it’s a way the man expressed his worrisome about her… so she calmly left…

A week passed and Aria was contacting Daria daily as well as her father did…

And when her father paid a visit to her place and found Daria collecting trash with Craig and others, he called her and offered her a lift, to clarify his situation, and then he gave her the gifts he meant to send her and told her that this is just a way of appreciation not the opposite, he just reflected his point of view in a wrong way.

 

She smiled at him and before she leaves the car he asked: “was this your boyfriend you’re hanging out with?”

She felt creeped out as well as she was missing suspenseful moments that have a lot of tasty thrills.

But in general she couldn’t positively or negatively respond

He told her to resume work next day, also told her that Aria is spending the week with her grandmother in the countryside, when she comes back she will be joyful.

She just left calmly and went back to Craig who has no idea yet what is happening…