Hoax Read online

  Hoax

  By

  S.F.Rashid

  October 25th 2016

  COPYWRITE 2016 S.F. Rashid. All rights reserved.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, events or local is entirely coincidental. Movies and songs mentioned are owned by their right full respective. No copyright laws were intended to be infringed.

  Dedicated to all those people out there, who loves to write.

  And to my parents, family and friends, because of them this story took way too long to finish.

  Acknowledgement

  To Fionnlagh Ormiston, my editor.

  Thank you for your time, your humor and your wisdom. You made this story slightly better. And I’m glad to call you my friend.

  To Sayed Nadim ur Rashid, my instigator.

  Thank you little brother, for helping me with the cover and the story idea. And for irritating the hell out of me in process.

  * * *

  Prologue

  * * *

  She stood there, breathing hard and fast. Hands clutching the side of her gray coat. Her chest rising with every drag of air. Her heart beat increasing with every exhale. How, I love that sound! The sound of fear!

  Her cheeks flushed with warm blood. Her dark red hair disheveled. She inhales again. I can hear the blood rushing through her heart. Green eyes darting back and forth from me to the road ahead. She looks exquisite. Scared and beautiful. Like a perfectly rare steak. I involuntary licked my lips. She is mouthwatering.

  I advance. And she steps back. The shade of green in her eyes darkening. Then she turns, trying to run away.

  I don’t understand why they always try to run? Do they think they can run away from me? Do I look like I’ll let them go?

  I stand in front of her again. Her eyes widen. I press my hand over her mouth and another to hold her. She is small. She is soft. She is warm. And then she fights.

  I like her.

  I always thought that brunettes are my thing. But it looks like that changes tonight. Red heads aren’t that bad either.

  I smile, inhaling her scent. She smells sweet, but light. Like honey, perhaps? She stood rigid next to me. Silent and still.

  “Worth it” I whisper in to her ear, taking in another drag of her light perfume.

  She shivers. My smile brightens. I moved her hair out of her neck, making place for my fangs.

  She doesn’t move, not even flinched. Does my cold hands not bother her? I think, maybe…she is too scared to do that. Too scared to move. To scared to make a noise.

  I always like when they make noises. When they beg for their worthless trivial lives. It is the best part. Meal with a little entertainment.

  I smile upon her, showing her my fangs. That always brings a scream or two from them. But like before she stood still. No scream not even a whimper. Her face expressionless.

  Odd.

  It doesn’t matter though. I’m going to kill her anyway. Just without the show, I guess.

  Hoax

  “Work like you don’t need the money, love like you never been hurt, and dance like nobody is watching.”

  – Mark Twain

  * * *

  Chapter One

  Dreams & Reality

  * * *

  I was drowning.

  I could feel it. The ice-cold water around me, enveloping me in it, drowning me.

  Every breath I tried to take was just filling my lungs with more and more water. I tried to look around but the darkness that surrounded me made me blind. My vision was blurring, dark spots appearing across the little sight I had.

  I tried to reach the surface of this dark-cold sea. I tried to swim away. Tried to fight my way out but my whole body was numb as the cold water slowly pierced through my skin, piercing my centre and filling me with the cold and the dread.

  I understood that there was no way out of this. I was doomed to die.

  It was funny how everyone was afraid of dying. It wasn’t that bad.

  As I floated silently in there, death didn’t seem that bad. It was better than this silent.

  Someone laughed then. It was rough, loud and malicious.

  I could hear the laugh as it surrounds me. I turned to both of my sides, peering through the water but I can’t see anything, except the darkness.

  Wet – cold – silent – piercing – darkness.

  Then out of nowhere he appeared. I stared at him. The very area around him seemed to be penetrated in darkness that is except him. He lit in this darken sea.

  Fangs bared, his eyes red and glowing. He was coming for me. I tried to scream but all that came out was a gasp. My screams had died inside of me. I tried to swim away but before I knew he had gripped my arm. He was too fast, too strong. I never even saw him move and I know that he was hungry for my blood; I could see it in his eyes. I could see my death in them.

  A hoarse scream left my lips, bubbling up to the surface where no-one could hear me. His fangs ripped through my skin, his arms firmly holding me as I struggled but I couldn’t fight him, nothing I could do to save myself.

  My vision darkened. The last thing I saw before I drifted away was his eyes, his blood red eyes.

  Death came silently.

  * * *

  Her eyes snapped open. Her heart beating like a drum, she could almost feel it inside of her ear. She sat up, fumbling to take the cover of herself because her hands were shaking too much.

  Her whole body was shaking, violently. She managed to throw the cover off herself, revealing her chest rising and falling rapidly as she tried to control her breathing. She was drenched in her own sweat; her t-shirt clung to her body. Taking a large gulp of air, she sat still, fists clenched as she sat there, slowly calming herself down.

  Her hands still shook as they moved over her forehead, sweeping away the red hair that was stuck there. Slowly she lay down again, resting her head against the headboard of the bed.

  Heart still pounding away, unsettling her.

  Deep breaths. Calm deep breaths. In and out. In and out – she kept chanting as she stared at her ceiling full of bright neon stars.

  It took a minute, but it calmed her down a little. It always does.

  “I hate that dream” she mumbled to herself, eyes closed as she breathed. That dream was the reason why she was afraid of water, why she never went to the beach even though she lives in California.

  She turned to the side, coming face with the poster of a smiling Ian Somerhalder as vampire Damon Salvatore, blood dripping from his lips. She smiled, than sighed. No matter how much she loved him, having this dream was just way too repulsive. Being obsessed with vampires was a bad thing – no matter how good looking he was. She knew that now.

  Well, that’s it then – she said to herself, for the hundredth time – no more Vampire Diaries before sleep.

  She nods. It was good decision. It always was until the next episode airs.

  She sighed again. It was only 3.30am. The whole world asleep and here she was wide awake. She sat up once more. Her eyes drawn to the glow of her laptop, sitting in the table. She hesitated for some minutes, the nightmares still playing her head.

  Nope – she thought – not watching vampires again.

  She turned to her left, turning on the table lamp and picked up her copy of ‘The Southern Vampire Mysteries’. I can’t watch but I can read – she thought cheekily, rolling eyes at herself – No wonder I’m having this dreams.

  * * *

  A loud knock at the door woke her. She jerked up and sat up straight on the bed. The book fell from her lap, falling to the ground with a thump. She barely managed to open her eyes to peer at the alarm clock. It’s 6.30 am! She turned around, to
ssing a pillow at the door. But the knocking didn’t stop.

  Lucy you dead! – she thought angrily, pressing another pillow over her face.

  Lucy Wiig continued to knock on the door. She knew that the red head inside, hated it and that’s all the motivation she needed to keep on going.

  “I’m up! I’m up!” the redhead yelled. Only then did Lucy stop. She sighed happily before going further into the pillow. But a few seconds later, Lucy continued to knock again. She got up from the bed angrily and wandered over, cracking the door open.

  The thirteen year old blonde just smiled. “Good morning!” she said. The redhead simply glared. Lucy ignored her bad mood before turning around and walking toward the stairs. “Hurry up, Erina! I’m not gonna wait after breakfast.” Lucy called over her shoulder. She could hear the smirk in the blonde’s voice.

  She sighed whilst closing the door.

  This was how her morning starts in the Wiig house.

  Erina moved rather quickly after that since sleeping again wasn’t possible without being rudely interrupted. Dressed in a violet top, black jeans and her trusty old sneakers, she jumped down the stairs two at a time while tying her auburn hair into a pony tail. One could say that she was smitten over her hair, they wouldn't be lying.

  Lynette and Lucy had almost finished their breakfast when Erina reached the kitchen. She quickly grabbed a slice of toast and took half of it in a bite, sitting herself down next to Lucy. The young blonde gave her a disgusted look when she saw how Erina was eating. Which Erina ignored. She was in a hurry.

  Lucy finished her breakfast soon after, wiping her mouth with a napkin and looking at Erina with an arching eyebrow, which again Erina ignored and stuffed another slice of toast in her mouth.

  Even though Lucy was three years younger than her, sometimes she acts like she was the mature one.

  “Erina, are you ok? Did you sleep last night? You look pale.” Lynette asked, placing down a glass of milk in front of her. Erina grimaced to herself as she pushed the glass away. She hates milk.

  In answer to Lynette's question she simply shrugged.

  “Are you sure, honey? Were you reading again?” Lynette asked again, her brown eyes soft and sincere, head tilting to the side.

  Erina simply smiled and shrugged once more.

  ‘Shrugger’ Lucy muttered under her breathe. Erina smirked, biting into her egg. She could almost imagine the way that Lucy was scowling next to her.

  “She's always like this!” Lucy yelled, eyeing the redhead annoying. Lyenatte looked at the daughter.

  Erina poked the eggs around her plate. She knew Lucy wasn’t talking about her ‘California paleness’ – as Sara called it. She also knew that Lucy knew that she knew; which wasn’t that hard to know anyway. I think – she mustered, brows knitted.

  Lynette nodded at Lucy, not noticing her tone as she fixed her papers in a folder. Meanwhile Erina simply smirked at Lucy from her shoulders. It wasn’t childish, but it was fun. The blonde hated it when she smiles.

  Lucy simply rolled her perfect mascara-coated brown eyes – courtesy of Lynette – getting off her seat. “I’m leaving” she told Erina.

  Erina on the other hand took another bite of her toast.

  “Hurry up or you'll miss the bus” Lynette said following after her daughter, her own purse and keys in hand.

  Erina quickened her pace, finishing her breakfast off with a glass of cold water. She grabbed her satchel – brought it right after watching ‘Tangle’ – from the chair and tossed it around her shoulder.

  Lynette and Lucy both were waiting for her outside. Lucy didn’t leave her like she threatened she would. Erina smiled at Lynette in appreciation which made the older blonde chuckled. She then smiled at Lucy who simply scowled at her.

  The Lyenatte hugged both of them both, asking if she should drop them off at school.

  “No thanks, Mom.” Lucy answered, her eyes reflecting in her phone screen as she typed.

  Lynette’s face fell but she quickly masked it with smile, “Ok”

  This was a frequent question that Lynette would ask and Lucy would always answer the same. Lynette would try to look like it didn’t hurt her, but it always did.

  “It’s Okay, Lynette. You can drive us tomorrow.” Erina told her placing a hand in her shoulder. In an instant, Lynette’s face lit up and her smile brighten.

  “Okay, but call me if you guys need anything.” and with that the older blonde got in and started her car. The girls waved at her from the drive way.

  “What gives?” Lucy asked as soon as Lynette’s car disappeared into the curve. Her hands on her hips as she glared at Erina.

  The redhead sighed. “She just wants to drops us to school; spend some time with her daughter. The sky isn’t going to fall if we go with her once and a while” she said flatly. But Lucy didn’t hear a word, she never does.

  “Yeah whatever. Just remember that she’s my mom, Scarlet” and with that she turned, walking away.

  Erina shook her head at her. “You never let me forget” she mumbled as she walked behind.

  That’s Erina Scarlet. And this was her last normal morning.

  * * *

  Chapter Two

  Party & Problem

  * * *

  School was like it always was. The sea of students walking from one classroom to another. The teachers lecturing over the same topics as painfully slow as they possibly could. To make matters worse, everyone was endlessly talking about the upcoming senior prom; headache. To Erina that was school. Painfully slow, dull and boring.

  She hated it.

  She sighed dryly, taking a bite of her apple. “I just want this day to end so that I could go back home and finish reading my book” she mumbled to herself, sea-green eyes scanning the cafeteria floor for any of her friends. Where is everyone? Erina took another bite of her apple.

  “Hey” Sara shouted from across the hall, waving her hand franticly. Erina quickly chuckled a ‘hey’ back to her as she watched Sara prance over the room.

  “So” Sara sang walking toward her, “Today is Parker’s birthday!” she started slowly, placing her lunch in the table.

  Erina grinned. “I know, I wished him one when I saw him in English”

  “And?” the blonde questioned, suggestively rising her eyebrows, smiling.

  Erina tilted her head at the side, her brows knitting together. “And what?” she asked, confusedly.

  “Did you ask Lynette?” Sara supplied, sighing.

  Erina rolled her eyes. “About what? What was I suppose to ask?”

  “We’re supposed to go to the bar” Sara conspicuously whispered, leaning in to her.

  “Shit!” she cursed. “I totally forgot!” the redhead turned at her best friend.

  Sara rolled her baby blues, “Yeah, well that isn’t new” Then looked at her as if waiting for her to do something.

  “What?” Erina asked again, her half eaten apple forgotten.

  “Well” Sara huffed, “are you coming?” tapping her feet impatiently, hands on her hips, she waited.

  The redhead shrugged.

  “Shrugging? Really?” Sara rolled her eyes once more.

  Erina was about to shrug again but stopped mid way seeing the blonde’s glair. “I don’t know.” She said lamely, trying to figure out an excuse. “I’m really tired and I have gym later, than work.” Her fingers spun the half eaten apple, eyes fixated on it. “Then I've got to ask Lynette. But most importantly, I really don’t wanna go” she whined.

  Sara took a step toward the redhead, hands in fists. Erina sunk down into the table.

  Sara was known for being rather…persistent with her demands. Plus, she was also a tiny bit bipolar – at least that’s what Erina thought. “You are not going to bail on me. Do you get it?” Sara stated calmly. Erina just stared at her. “Call Lynette.” she continued, her voice clipped and frosty.

  When Erina made no move to do that, Sara moved further in to her personal space. The redhead was now st
uck between the glaring Sara and the pale green lunch table. Erina gulped, tried to open her mouth to say something but when those baby blue eyes turned ice-cold, it became kind of hard.

  And it was times like this, when Erina miss being friendless.

  * * *

  It was four years ago when she first came here in Dunsmuir – a small town in beautiful sunny California. Then her foster mother, Lynette, managed to get her admitted here in Dunsmuir High school.

  She was the new girl, the centre of attention, ‘The new toy’ as few quoted. But she was also the foster kid – which also meant she was trouble. ‘It was racist’ Erina said to Lyenatte more than once.

  A month went by and she still hadn’t made absolutely no new friends. She wasn’t complaining either. But it was hard to entertain herself 24/7 without someone else. And then one day at her science class, Sara Walters became her lab partner. Erina’s life changed after that, literally.

  Sara was 5’2’’, blonde and beautiful. Dating the captain of the football team, Parker Green. Erina was entirely convinced that she was one of those Mean Girls from the movie.

  But she was wrong. She was very, very wrong.

  By the end of the Project they were almost best friends. Sara was nice, loving and a little bit bipolar, stubborn as well. But then again, so was Erina. Although Erina was quite content just being stubborn. The redhead had no idea how they became friends at the first place. But she didn’t cared either. Erina just thought to herself at that moment, 'beggars can’t be choosers' so she sat back and shook hands with Sara Walters. She was just glad that she won’t had to entertain herself anymore.