Perks of having an Alter-ego. [POHAA]

chapter-3b Not everything you see is real.

"You know, if you're going to stalk someone, you should be less obvious. For starters, try not to stand in the middle of a field, gawking at your prey."
- Kristin Walker, A match made in high school.

Chapter-3b "Not everything you see is real"

"What do you want? If you try to harm me, I am calling the cops!"
I threatened him as I held my cellphone ahead.
Well, I think that was funny but not so funny because, I was practically trembling and was about to pee in my pyjamas.

"Oh! Go ahead Princess. People often...do underestimate me." He chuckled.

My mind reeled back to the incident when I was thirteen, when the super-villain Neon-blaze had killed the co-founder of Nova-Gen™ technologies- Brad Ollen, who was none other than Nester ollen's older brother. Upon that he had blown-up the entire tech-tower killing many people, that included my mom and dad as well as they worked there.

Finally a black Mercedes car pulled over, and my aunt stepped out. I turned back to see him. But, by then he was gone.
That was odd, what did he even want?

I immediately ran down the stairs towards the car, as she swayed and fumbled in her three inches long heels. I held her by her shapely waist which was hugged by a satin maroon sheath dress, more exposing than it was necessary. Her hair was straight and jet black, just as Barb's was and once, mine was.

I gave her my shoulder as she wobbled with her every step, her height was way more than that of mine which of course always made this an everyday work out session for me.
And finally I flopped her on to the couch and stood away to breathe​ some unspoiled air.
One of my many reasons to hate my aunt was this. Because every night, she reeked of pure-disgusting-alcohol.

Kiara Roy. Sigh!
What should I even say?
She is my aunt, my mom's sister. She had to become my legal guardian according to my mom's will.
But she never stood up for me as a parent. She paid my expenses and that according to her, my friends, is 'Parenting'. That's as simple as that.

"Is Barb asleep?" She asked in an unsober tone pointing her fingers, which apparently turned out to be nothing more than a limp wave. She exhaled a long breath and plopped her head behind to the couch.

"Yeah. I put her to bed."

Although a magma of disgust bubbled inside me to snap back at her, I clenched my teeth and let it go and I turned around to leave. But then I remembered 'IT'.

"Oh. And she had an attack today."
Even though it didn't matter much to her, I had to tell her since she was Barb's mother.
She slowly bent forward and rubbed her eyes,
"Is she alright?"

"Yeah. You know what? We should probably not leave her home alone. And I can't baby sit her all the time. Maybe​ you should spend some time with her, instead of hanging around with your drunkard friends."
As much as I didn't want to quarrel that day, there was that unusual darkness and anger that consumed me from inside and it had its toll.

"You don't tell me what to do. I am the boss here, I do what I want. Ohh.. don't even bother about Barb, I will definitely find a babysitter...and..and you..."
She fumbled to get up yelling at me. I held her again and guided her along the hallway to her room, she kept mumbling so many jargons which I didn't understand except for the word, 'Jia', which was apparently my mom's name.

I sighed and limped into my bed and burried my face in soft pillows, which felt so good after considering the things that I had to go through that day.
I stared into the night sky from my window as I toppled from one side to another to get at least a brink of sleep, until that one moment when my eyes felt droopy and dreams took over my senses.
*********************************

(Morning)
"It's getting late, you sloth!" Barb wailed as I planted a kiss on her fore head and pushed the straps of her tiny pink backpack with a picture of Repunzel on it (with her frog, of course), and turned around to lock the door.

My eyes widened to notice a yellow sicky-note beside the door knob which read,
'Be careful, kid!'
A chill went down my spine, I bit my lip nervously as I read further, but my trembling hand made it nothing less than difficult,
'Not everything you see is real'.

"What's that?" Barb looked up.

"Nothing." I crumpled it and slid it along my back pocket.

Barb hopped down the door steps squealing "Hiii Sam..."

As if on cue, Nick and his younger brother came out of their house with their mom.
Mrs. Oberoi was a nice lady and was my mom's friend. So she always had had liked me since the time I and Nick used to walk around playing and crying in our diapers. She was so kind, that she even invited me over for dinner every once in a while.

"Hey Lee. Good morning," she greeted, her crimson red lips widened into a huge smile; skin at the corners of her green eyes wrinkled. Her perfectly combed brown hair smoothly brushed her rose cardigan.

"Mornin' Mrs. Oberoi." I said as Barb settled into the backseat of the car with Nick's younger brother- Sam, after they did their signature fist bump with volcanic sound effects. Sam almost looked like Nick in all kinds of ways, be it height, personality and that signature arrogant face. I think, it ran in their family. He liked to hang around with barb and he was Ten.

Even though Mrs. Oberoi insisted me to carpool with Nick and Sam to the school , I always denied it; since I had left doing that long time ago after he broke my leg.

"S'up Lee!" He flickered his eyebrows, and opened the door of his black 'Zen' sports car, to place his backpack inside.

"Hey!" I wailed with a fake smile and went near him folding my arms, since his mom was watching us standing on the doorstep.

"If this is one of your sick jokes, I'm not gonna buy it, okay?" I flicked the crumpled sticky note into his hands.

"Whoa, whoa! Calm down."
He snapped, as he smoothened the note peeking into it.
But his eyes widened in shock as much as mine did a while ago, that validated his innocence a tiny bit.
But behind my thoughts, one name kept rivetting and that was 'Neon-Blaze'.

"Looks like you got a stalker!" He grinned.

"Whatever!" I rolled my eyes and walked away.