DARKSIDE

01 | The Hooded Guy

One Month Ago -

Walking back home after class at college was one thing that Nova had never done before. This was the very first time she had a broken car and had to go home without any transport.

The University of Cambridge wasn't far away from her house, but it wasn't very close either. A ten to fifteen minutes walk at most; which could simply be spent by just thinking about life.

She always wanted to apply for a part-time job, she thought as she saw a girl walk really fast while talking on the phone with someone – seemingly in a hurry. It was so that she could earn her own salary but the whole experience mattered more to her. However, her parents didn't see the point of their daughter working along while studying because they could provide her everything she could wish for – even more than that sometimes.

And 'more' could easily include a new BMW waiting for her in the garage by the second they knew she walked home at six in the evening. Perhaps that's the reason she never asked them. It was just the feeling she wanted to experience.

How does it feel to always be busy doing something and not just be in your huge house all alone with nothing to do but study – or watch Television? But Nova wasn't very interested in Television. Books were more like it, and that was why she always stayed home. Even when she used to live back in London, with her parents, she did nothing but go to school and come straight back home.

She smiled when she saw a girl walking with her father, eating ice cream and telling him all about her day.

At one point, she remembered, her parents assumed she had a problem in her school and went to check on her. People have always showered her with love and care all her life, you see, and Nova has always been very thankful and appreciative of them for that. Sure she had been brought up in a wealthy family, but her parents made sure that she didn't turn into someone that she would later regret to be.

Her mother, Isabelle Newton, was a social activist and father, Victor Newton, was a solicitor. A very well-known one at the things they did, both of them. And she was proud to be their daughter.

But she had to think about the new car which would be arriving the instant she told her parents about her situation. She could get the one she had fixed, of course, but to her parents, that wasn't even an option.

She didn't really plan to tell them in the first place. However, she was sure that Alesso, her maid, sure would. She was loyal, very loyal. She'd been serving their family for as long as Nova could remember. Which would be since Alesso was just a teenager; eighteen or nineteen perhaps.

Regardless of that, Nova always told her to take leave and enjoy her days with her daughter. But Alesso always insisted on staying and doing all the work that she was supposed to do which was to basically babysit a twenty year old.

Not telling her, however, was out of the option because she must've noticed the presence of the BMW in the garage. Or Gilliam; the gardner that her parents – Dad in this department – insisted on keeping might have told her. They must also have noticed her unusual lateness.

Sighing, she looked down at her dead phone and gazing up at the darkening sky, she realised that it was getting really late and that she should up her pace.

Deciding it best to just take a shortcut so as to not cause more trouble for her well-wishers, she took the turn to a very empty street. She hesitated when she noticed the number of any living soul lurking around – or lack thereof – but calmed herself down by thinking that nothing could go wrong. She should probably just take the normal route, but then again, she didn't want to be late and worry everyone.