This day is officially the third worst day I've ever had.

Number one should be pretty obvious. And number two was when I fell in front of everyone in first grade and got called 'Monkey Panties' for the whole year because I wore my damn monkey panties and flashed when I fell.

When I get to Jessy's Ford, I thank whatever gods are listening for the fact that she's waiting for me.

"WHERE WERE YOU?" she yells.

I groan because of course the day can get worse. "I got kidnapped and then left to walk in the rain and then almost strangled to death and then saved and then had a chocolate milkshake and then finally got dropped off here. This day isn't even done yet and already I've had to slap two guys across the face," I rant.

Jessy stands there, blinking.

"Well," she says, "I'm not sure what to ask first."

"Can we please just get back home? This day needs to end."

Jessy finally sees that I'm not in the condition to get interrogated and instead we get into the car. I know by the pained expression she has when she starts the car that she noticed the red marks on my neck.

"I heard by Lara that you got carried off by Blake, but Lara's a gossip-bee so I wasn't sure what to believe. I guess that at least answers the kidnapping part. Was he the one that did that?" she asks and points at my neck. "Did he strangle you because you talked back at him this morning?"

"No. He kidnapped me because he's a perv and when I rejected him, he left me to walk all the way back. Okay, maybe I left him to walk all the way back. We were at the docks and because bad-luck is something that just comes with me, I ran into a couple of guys that were about to shoot this other guy..." I explain and Jessy goes quiet.

"I couldn't let them do that," I continue, "I couldn't let them shoot the guy. It just felt so much like when I let those guys shoot my mother... So after shouting at them, they chased me and strangled me. And here's where the bizarre thing comes in. Owen Rhodes and his gang shows up and saves me. But Owen, just like Blake, is a perv and when he made a move after dropping me off here at school, I slapped him," I conclude.

"That's a lot to take in," Jessy says and pulls out of the school parking lot. Unlike Blake, Jessy drives the legal speed limit when we make our way home.

"Yeah, well, welcome to my life," I sigh.

Jessy bites her lip, but keeps her eyes on the road when she asks, "Do you even know how much trouble you're in?"

"I'm getting the feeling that I'll find out soon enough..."

"You need to lie low, Amber," Jessy says, "that's how you survive high school. That's how you don't get involved with the gangs. You lie low..."

I nod. "You're right. From now on, I'll avoid Blake and Owen like they're the plague. I just have to get through this year and after that I can go to some art college," I say.

We make our way home without mentioning Blake and Owen anymore. Jessy gives me her scarf to hide the marks on my neck and mutters something about The Vampire Diaries before we head inside the house.

Aunt Tessa isn't home yet, but Uncle Anton is, because he works the night-shift at the hospital.

"Good day, young-ones. Did any of you learn something useful today at school?" Uncle Anton asks when we greet him in the kitchen.

Jessy grabs an apple and says: "I learned that scientists are developing an immune therapy based on blood cells from patients who have made 'miracle' recoveries from cancer. So basically, we'll have the cure for cancer soon."

"I said 'something important'," Uncle Anton sighs with an eye-roll. God, who's the one filling the teenager cliche's? He's a forty-something grown-ass man that feels like it's appropriate to roll his eyes at his teenage daughter.

And then turns to me, "What about you kiddo?"

I blink for a second. He can't know that I wasn't in school today. As cool as Uncle Anton is, he might not appreciate me not being in school. Or he'll tweet it. I really don't know what to expect from this guy.

"Uh... shaking milk automatically makes it a milkshake?" I try.

"Excellent, Amber! That's just excellent!"

Jessy is about to protest, but stops herself, because she knows it's a futile attempt.

"Now, Jessica, you have to help me figure out the clothing Jacuzzi," Uncle Anton says and leads Jessy to the washing machine.

I take that as my cue to head down to the basement and finish my art work.

The basement has become my sanctuary. My paints and brushes are scattered everywhere and paintings are stacked against the walls. None of them have even a bit of red. And neither do they have too much dark colors. I try to keep it bright.

I stroll over to the artwork I'm working on. It's a painting of a field of sunflowers with a random bed in the middle of it.

Maybe the bed's not random at all..

I pick out a paintbrush and start working on the details of the bed. The white pillows and blue cover needs to be brighter... I add purple for the dark shadows under the bed. At the exact spot I was hiding when my mother got shot...

I love you, Amber. I love you so, so much. Go hide under the bed...

If I didn't hide... If I tried fighting, recalling all those self-defense classes, maybe I could've saved my mom. If I just got out from under that bed... If I didn't stay frozen there hours after the intruders left.

I didn't call the police. One of maids that didn't get shot did and the police had to drag me out from under that bed.

Sometimes I feel like I'm still not out... I feel like I'm still hiding...

Even if I managed to stand up for that guy today, I'm still so scared on the inside... And maybe it's going to get me killed, but I have the feeling I'm not getting into trouble because of bad luck.

I'm getting into trouble because I'm trying to prove to myself that I'm not scared...

A buzz from my phone pulls me out of the darkness my mind is getting sucked into. I snap back to reality and realize I've painted the bed pitch-black.

When I unlock my phone, I notice I've gotten a message from an unknown number.

A chill goes through me when I realize that I haven't told anyone at school my last name. The only people that could know is the people in this house and okay, maybe my teachers.

Mr Wessils did call you Miss Marigold in English today, I remind myself.

I decide to text back.

The next text comes instantly.

Who the hell is this person? I don't rule out the possibility that it can be Blake or Owen, but I distinctly remember not telling them my last name. And Jessy isn't one for pranks...

I have half a mind to just block the number and continue with my painting, but lets be honest, nobody in their right mind can ignore a text like this.

Much less Curious Amber over here.

I text:

Once again the unknown number responds instantaneously.

This time, the unknown number doesn't respond and the amount of questions I have is blowing my mind.

More frustrated than I've ever been, I save the unknown number as 'Mysterious Fucker' and stuff my phone into my pocket.

Does this person want to meet me at the docks? Blake took me to the docks today so maybe it's him?

A gut feeling tells me I'm wrong.

And because I'm an idiot and curious and trying to prove to myself I'm not scared and maybe also because I really do have a knack for getting into trouble, I know I will in fact be at the docks at 23:00 tonight.

Why the hell not? Possibly getting murdered isn't a problem at all.

Hey,

What do you guys think about this unknown number? Who do you think it is?

And don't forget to vote and comment! It means a lot to me!

~ Holly Shmit