waking

4.Chapter 4 Her Naïve Old Self

The next morning, Naomi was up with the sun, ready to head back to the Edwards manor. She was curious to see how Rosalind would fare without her giving blood.

Chaos had erupted at the Edwards manor, and Victoria looked like a total wreck. Her usual polished, chic look had taken a hit with dark bags under her bloodshot eyes. Spotting Naomi, she stormed over and raised her hand to hit Naomi.

Naomi was quick, grabbing Victoria’s wrist in mid-swing; her eyes were icy, enough to give anyone chills, and her voice was just as cold. “What’s this about?”

“You brat, where were you all night? Are you trying to off your sister?” Victoria’s face twisted in fury as she spat out insults. “You’ve got some nerve blocking me! After all I’ve done for you, you dare stand up to me?”

Naomi pushed back hard, sending Victoria staggering. Victoria was boiling over with worry and fury, itching to go after Naomi, whose calm face was like a slap in the face itself. With Rosalind lying weak in the hospital, still not out of the emergency room, and Naomi acting like it was no big deal, the reality stung. If it weren’t for Naomi being a spot-on blood match for Rosalind, Victoria and Javier wouldn’t have bothered adopting her. They thought being taken in by them was Naomi’s big break.

“Naomi, you’re coming to the hospital with me right now for a blood transfusion,” Victoria declared, yanking out her phone to call Javier. “Naomi’s back, and she’s coming in.”

Naomi gazed at her with an icy look, a smirk playing on her face. “Cool, but first I need to pack my things.”

“Pack what? Everything you own was paid for by the Edwards family. You drag your feet, and I’ll make sure you regret it.” Victoria threatened.

Naomi brushed off the seething Victoria. Sure, she was brought up in the Edwards’ fancy digs, but she hadn’t forgotten how poorly Victoria and Javier had always treated her.

Back in the day, she hadn’t dwelled on it much, but after hitting rock bottom, it hit her: to the Edwards family, she was just a disposable tool.

Naomi and Rosalind were both into design. Naomi had talent, sketching original designs way before hitting college. She even had an online comic series. Rosalind, always playing the weakling, would swipe Naomi’s work, claim it as her own, and cash in on the licensing deals. She even had her eye on Naomi’s big end-of-year project.

Naomi could still remember, from her prior life, crying in front of the TV, feeling low as Rosalind got praise for Naomi’s work, scooped up awards, and played humble while Naomi was stashed away by Freddy.

Freddy had argued that since Rosalind won and Naomi was the younger, sturdy sister, the spotlight was rightly Rosalind’s. Naomi could have her turn at fame later, he’d said.

The night Rosalind won with Naomi’s designs, while Victoria, Javier, and Freddy were out living it up, Naomi was locked down in the Edwards manor’s cold, dark basement, left to deal with the chill and her hunger alone.

Naomi charged into her room and scrambled her stuff together. She snagged just her books and the design drafts she was still tweaking. Anything from the Edwards family’s fancy house? She didn’t want any of it.

With her backpack slung on, she raced down the stairs where a bodyguard tried to stop her. She gave him a deathly cold look. “I can show myself out, thanks.”

Victoria flinched from Naomi’s icy stare, taking a step back without meaning to. Shaking it off, she lost her cool. “Naomi, you little snake, you better straighten up!”

“If I’m a snake, you’re the head honcho, right? I mean, you’re the one who brought me up, so any shifty moves I’ve got come straight from you,” Naomi snapped back with a blank face. “Shouldn’t you be at the hospital already? If you’re any later, Rosalind might not make it!”

Victoria lifted her hand, ready to hit Naomi, but a mocking scoff from Naomi froze her in place. “Go for it. Hit me. Knock me out if you want to. Then let’s see who’ll roll up their sleeve for Rosalind.”

Naomi’s laid-back yet cutting tone made Victoria so mad she looked ready to explode. She mused, ‘How has Naomi flipped her attitude overnight like this? But right now, Rosalind’s crisis is front and center.’

*****

Over at the hospital. The minute Freddy spotted Naomi, he looked like a huge weight lifted off him. He made a beeline for her, gearing up to chide her, but the chill in her glare twisted his lecture into a pretend show of care.

“Naomi, where did you go last night? I tore the place apart looking for you; I was freaking out.”

“Really?” Naomi pulled her eyes away with a silent, mocking laugh. ‘Yeah, Freddy was scared all right—scared I’d bite the dust and leave Rosalind high and dry without her blood donor,’ she thought.

Freddy continued, “Don’t even think about doing something stupid, Naomi. If not for yourself, at least think of your sister.”

“Drop it,” Naomi interrupted him. “What are you, my boyfriend or hers? You act like her life is worth more than mine.”

“Naomi, when did you turn into ice?” Freddy’s eyes showed nothing but shock. “What the heck happened yesterday? How can you say such cruel stuff?”

“Oh, give me a break, Freddy! You go out with me and then hover around Rosalind like a lost puppy. We’re through,” Naomi said, her voice sharp and final. “I’m here just to break up with you. You’re so obsessed with Rosalind; you two deserve each other, loser.”

With those parting words, she spun around and walked away.

“Naomi, don’t even think about leaving.” Javier closed in fast. “You’re an Edwards, and your duty is to look out for your sister. Where do you think you’re off to? Get your butt back there and give her your blood.”

Javier’s face was a mix of control and contempt. To him, Naomi was worth next to nothing—a life they pretty much bought on the cheap. Without their charity, she would’ve been left to fade away in some orphanage. The way he saw it, giving blood was an honor they let her have.

Back in her old life, Naomi had been so naïve, completely clueless to her parents’ selfish motives until it was too late. She was away for just one night, and when she came back refusing to give blood, it was like shining a spotlight on the real Victoria and Javier.

She reflected inwardly, ‘Why did I ever bring the idea that they were tough on me out of care for Rosalind? I even made lame excuses for the cruel Edwards family and for Freddy, telling myself they cared deep down, just too caught up with Rosalind’s health issues. And all the games Freddy played? I thought it was my own fault and I should have just gone ahead and given blood right away. If Rosalind got worse, the blame would be on my shoulders. Man… If only I could shake some sense into my old self, so naive and completely tricked.’