How Things Changed Forever...

CH 6: On Their Own, Once Again.

A/N: Sorry for the alarm. Nothing new! I'd been editing and just split the last chapter as it had over 5000 words. 

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A young brunette hurriedly left the Metro Station as the last rays of the sun disappeared, walking as fast as her sore legs would carry her. Hillary was dressed in a blue satin set of plazo pants and a crop top. Her hair was slightly wet and in an updo. She wore small diamond-shaped Ruby stud-come-hanging earrings to match her usual diamond-shaped Ruby necklace.

She also felt fresher than she had felt in days, after sleeping in her own bed for nearly twelve hours. Not because she had been spending all her time at the hospital, but because her house had been attacked at three in the morning during the quarter-finals.

But she hadn't given herself to the attacker's whim then either. She had just taken permission from her mother, who was out of station, without stating any reason, to stay at the Granger's dojo for a weekend. Her mum had immediately agreed. After a day, her mum had met with an accident. So, she never had much time to get the glass panels and other furnitures repaired. To clean away the torn curtains and books. And since her mother was the Intensive Care Unit, she had been given permission to stay overnight at the hospital.

But she couldn't leave the house completely unprotected either, so she had reinforced the locks and had refitted all the broken glass over the house a day ago. And she had cleaned up the house, such that it looked as good as before, for the rest of the day, before collapsing into her bed, completely exhausted.

She was quite sure that the threats were all over, for The Beyblade World Championship was officially concluded five days ago with the Blade Breakers winning for the second time in a row. Moreover, all the threat calls, mails and stalking having abruptly stopped since then.

Even after that, she still flinched at every loud disturbance, still dreaded checking the mail box everyday in the morning, would automatically disconnect every unknown call she recieved and constantly kept turning back to check if someone was following her.

But what worried her the most was that she still hadn't been able to contact her father, because if she doesn't do it within the next four days, she would have no money to pay for the operation. And that was partially the reason why she was going to the studio, because if there ever was a time she could utilise her friends' financial aid, now was it.

And more over, a new friend of hers, Suzie Smith, a college student studying psychology and part-timer at St Luke's Hospital, had bullied her to speak to her friends about the threats, now that the championship was over. Hillary had chickened out at the last minute when she had come to the dojo two days ago. This was her second try and just as Suzie had warned her before, her situation had only turned more desperate.

She was sick of all this mess, wanted it to all to end as soon s possible, and to return back to her normal life. And most importantly, she could not handle it all alone anymore. She wanted a shoulder to lean on, to cry on, and she very much hoped that Tyson would be that shoulder. Hoped that the Blade Breakers would not abandon her in her hour of need, unlike the Blackmailer on phone, who repeatedly reminded her the opposite.

So, when she reached the reception only to find out that she had missed the show with a bare margin of four minutes, her confidence faltered. After repeatedly pleading with the two security guards stationed by set's soundproof doors, who in no uncertain terms told her that no-one was allowed to go inside after a show started, she took a seat in the visitors lobby, feeling dejected.

The entire universe as conspiring against her, she moodily thought. She wasn't necessarily unhappy about missing the show, she had just wanted to be with her teammates on such an important occasion, even if as an audience. Enjoy herself for some time, laugh without a worry, before breaking the news to them, to transform all their faces from relaxed and happy to shock, worry and anger, demanding why they hadn't been informed earlier.