"Stay away from home," Alix scoffed under her breath, "She can't send a letter like that and not expect me to check on her. I mean, does she not understand teenagers at all?" The question was directed at the taxi driver, though he was desperately trying to ignore the young girl's ranting. The girl bounced her leg irritably, as if enraged at the concept of doing what she was told, "You know what I think, Steve?" She asked the man, whose name might not have been Steve, "I think she regrets sending me away and misses me." She chewed her thumbnail, "Maybe I shouldn't go... That'd teach her..." While she plotted her petty revenge, she didn't notice the car reaching the driveway that led to her old home.
'Steve' coughed awkwardly and nodded towards the window, drawing her attention to the building, "We're here, miss." Alix gave a sarcastic grumble of, 'obviously'. She shifted towards the car door closest to the mansion, purposely ignoring the man's outstretched hand. It was only when he gave an over-exaggerated cough that she rolled her eyes and rummaged through her blazer pocket. She 'gently' placed the money in his hand with perhaps more force than was completely necessary but she didn't give it a second thought as she stepped out of the stuffy, bright yellow vehicle and into the fresh air. As soon as she shut the door the man drove off, as if it physically hurt him to be in her general vicinity.
"Rude," She muttered, watching the taxi disappear into the distance, "What's his issue?" Alix shook her head, running her slim fingers through her dark brown hair, before turning to the old building. She waited patiently for her mother to burst through the doors and engulf her in a hug, like she did before she sent Alix away. The teen tapped her foot impatiently, arms crossing over her chest, "Do I really have to walk all the way over there by myself?" She asked no one in particular, "She's the one who wanted me to come here."
After a few more seconds of absolute silence, she surrendered and made her way to the large oak door and knocked loudly. The only reason she could think of for her mother not coming to greet her was that she wasn't home at the moment. Even if that were the case, she wasn't concerned. Her mother had lodgers who would open the door. The resemblance between the mother and daughter was uncanny so they'd likely recognise her and let her in. She rocked back and forth on her heels, listening intently for any footsteps. Strangely, nobody came.
Alix knocked louder and waited a couple of minutes longer before shoving the door, mostly out of anger but also in the hope that maybe her mother had left the door unlocked. She almost toppled forward when the door opened. Despite her good fortune, Alix frowned, "That's irresponsible, something awful could happen to her..." She made a mental note to bring up her mother's bad security as she stepped in and kicked the door shut behind her. For some reason the sound of the door slamming shut felt somehow foreboding. The house looked the same as it did when she was a child. Minus the toys strewn all about the place. She took a brief moment to fondly remember all the injuries caused by toys left on the stairs. The atmosphere had changed however. It was likely caused by her mum's absence, Alix had never been left in the house on her own. Despite justifying the uneasy atmosphere, she still felt tense and unsafe.
She brushed this off and called out for her mum. She didn't hear a response, "Is she upstairs?" Alix pondered. Just as she was about to head up to the second floor, the double doors opened. The girl held her breath and stared at the room, trying to see who had opened the door. She saw no one. Common sense told her that the smart thing to do was walk back out and come back later, when her mum was home. She stepped back from the staircase and crossed the threshold, into the dining room.
"Hey. Buddy." She called out. Alix had only been in this man's presence for a couple of seconds and she already felt uncomfortable. He was bigger than her in every way and she didn't want to get any closer. She felt like she was being irrational but her instincts stopped her from stepping forward. She took a couple of steps back as the man turned to face her. She eyed him warily, he looked far too happy to see her. She could feel her lips curling downwards in a grimace.
He approached her. She edged closer to the door, ready to escape at a moment's notice, "I've been waiting for you." He told her ominously. His tone made the girl feel as if her stomach had dropped. She disregarded this and pushed on.
"Did my mum tell you I was coming? Where is she?" Alix interrogated, feeling slightly safer in the belief that her mum knew this man, "When can I see her?"
"Your mother has gone out. She won't be back for some time." Alix frowned at this, "She was wrong. She won't be coming back at all." His voice had deepened as he spoke, his overwhelming presence causing Alix to visible shake.
She could hear actual alarm bells sounding in her head as the large man rounded on her, firmly grasping her arm and tugging her towards him. Alix gritted her teeth and tried to wrench her arm back, stomping on his shoes violently. The strange man wasn't at all phased by this. This fact made obvious by the way he outright laughed at her as he released her from his iron grip. Alix rubbed the area she had been grabbed and backed away from him, preparing to fight back if he came near. Instead, the man continued to laugh and left her on her own. Alix breathed heavily and leaned against the table. She removed her school blazer, pulled her shirt sleeve up and inspected her arm. A purple bruise was already forming, contrasting against her pale skin. The girl rubbed her face angrily. She wouldn't admit it, but the encounter had shaken her and tears had gathered.
"Well, shit."