Luca

Probability is defined as the chances of things happening. Some are more likely to happen. Others are impossible, or nearly so. Like finding a needle in a haystack. It may take quite a search, but in the end its not impossible.

Today can only be described as finding a needle in a haystack. No matter how many times I think about everything that occurred, it all seemed impossible. Or at least I never imagined it to play out this way. But it did.

In the weekdays I worked as a delivery boy for a local restaurant. Today I was making a delivery to the "richer part of town". It was at the forest's edge. Lots of beautiful land to own and far away from common people like me.

After making my deliveries, I noticed how close I was to Blair's home. How do I know where she lives? Well I "stabled" upon her information (home address. etc...) when I helped manage the school's computer archives the other day. I really wanted to ask Blair more questions. Yes it was a stupid idea, but for some unknown reason I had to see her. Like my path was already written, I just had to act it out...

I meant to follow up on Daisy's whereabouts, because things did not add up. Blair said Daisy found a job. But Daisy would have told me about it or at least tell her sister. In addition, no matter how many times I checked the cam videos, it never revealed how Daisy left after meeting in Blair's den. It was like she disappeared...

Since I was already this close, might as well drop by Blair's place and clear things out. And if all things works out, I might actually get Blair to tell me where Daisy would be working. I know she had an idea of Daisy's whereabouts, and so I drove to see her.

The car I used was lent to me by the restaurant owner. It was basically a broken tin can on wheels. You could feel the screws coming off as you drove. Each time the car hit a bump, it threatens to explode. And of course the AC was broken, so I had the windows down for air.

"At least the air was cleaner this part of town." I thought, continuing my drive down the beautiful empty road.

"FUUUCCCCKKKK!"

I pushed on the breaks as I heard that ungodly scream.

"What the hell..." My mind rushing with all the possibilities of such a scream. From what I learned, in the many movies I watched, the forest was a hotspot for horror. Maybe a ghost? Bigfoot? Monster? Government experiment? I chuckled. "Ya, right. What are the odds of that."

A more logical explanation would be that someone could have been hurt while hiking. Or in trouble. The only way to find out was to check. So I got out of the car and looked to where the scream came from. If someone was in trouble, then I would surely help.

I really hope I'm not making a mistake, I thought to myself.

The walked took a few minutes. I thought I was just imagining things, but there clearly was a faint sound at the distance. Like someone was in distress. Quickly making my way over, I came across the source. At the bottom of a hill, covered in dirt, was a girl. And she was... crying.

I debated on how I should go by this, ultimately decided to wing it and gently approach the "damsel in distress. And the closer I got, the more I realized how familiar she looked.

"No, it cant be..." I whispered to myself in great disbelief. "Blair..."

The girl froze, then ever so slowly turned towards me.

IT WAS BLAIR!

I had to take another look to be sure. This girl in front of me was crying. Something totally out of character from the arrogant and powerful young woman I saw trudging around school.

"FUCK OFF!" She screamed, turning from me and burying her face in her arms.

Yup. No doubt. This was Blair!

What are the odds of that! I was just passing by and happen to stumble across a depressed Blair. Finding bigfoot, aliens and ghosts having a tea party would have been above my list before this. I mean, this does not happen in real life. Only in our imaginations or made up tales where things just align so the story can flow. Yet here Blair was...

I decided to approach her. It was not the best idea - she did not seem like the person who would want help from anyone. Especially a random person like me. But there was no one else around and I was not the kind of person to just leave someone clearly in need of comfort.

"I SAID FUCK OFF!" She tossed dirt and leaves at my direction.

I paused, thinking it would actually be wise to leave. But, no. I'm not that kind of guy. Besides, I had a strong feeling urging me to stay. And so I did.

"Are you deaf!" She screamed at me. "FUCK, OFFFF!"

"No," I continued, giving her my most sincere look. I wanted her to know I was here to help. "I wont leave you. Not while you're like this."

"Like what? Crying? Broken?" She snapped. "But this is what you want to see right? The strong Blair in tears. Oh what a sight to behold!" She snarled, facing me with anger and pain riddled in her face. "Well take a look!"

I felt bad. Ya, in some way this was a sight to behold. Its not every day you see someone like her cry.

But I was not the kind of person to bask in others misfortune. Even if it was someone like Blair. I wanted to help where I can. And she needed help.

"Blair," I spoke in my most gentle voice. "I don't know what happened. But I'm not here to-"

"Just fuck off," she cut me off, though her voice lost its strength as she continued to sob.

I sat down next to an adjacent tree, not far away from her. Not in front of her - she did not want to see me - but just close enough that she knew I was here. "I am not going anywhere."

"Why," She turned to me with swollen, saddened eyes. "Why wont you just leave?"

"Because." I shrugged and gave her a smile.

She glared at me through teary eyes. Even sad she was scary.

"Because of my mother," I decided to answer truthfully.

"You don't have a mother." She mocked. Clearly trying to get me to leave. "She's dead! That's why you are a bloody orphan!"

"Ya, you are right..." I said solemnly, speaking softly. "...My mother died years ago."

Additional guilt riddled her already remorseful face. She clearly didn't want to be mean. Which added to my theory of Blair not being an ass by nature, only by choice. And at this state, she was her most humane.

"I don't remember a lot about her, but what I do remember is crying."

Blair shifted away from my gaze. Topics of family seemed too touchy for her...

"A lot of crying." I continued. "I was only a child back then. I knew something was wrong, but not what. And of course I didn't know how to fix it."

I spoke, not knowing why I was opening up to her. I just did. Like I was meant to.

"I did try helping... I hug her. Sang for her. Told her about school with a smile. Did everything a child could do to make mother happy and proud... But it never helped." I turned my gaze to the ground. "One day I came back to find my mother had stopped crying entirely. She got too tired of tears and the sadness," I breath in deeply to control my voice from breaking. "She decided to ended it all with a rope around her neck."

There was a deafening silence that followed. I turned my gaze back to Blair. She was filled with regret and remorse, totally broken. A look I was used to seeing. A look I never wanted to see again.

"I was young then, and clearly did not know what I was doing... That cost me my mother." I sadly smiled at her. Her eyes were still wet, but at least the tears had stopped pouring. "But I am older now. And I've promised myself that if there was anyone who needed aid, then I will be there help."

I cast my eyes to the ground. The memories flooding my head were igniting old wounds.

"Or at least try..." I whispered.

Blair didn't say a word, she too stared at the ground before her. We both did, sitting there for a while. Not talking. Not looking at each other. Just sitting and staring at the ground, letting time pass.

"Is that why you are so dedicated to finding Pixie?" Blair finally broke the silence.

"Pixie," I asked confuse.

"Daisy," she grunted.

"Daisy," I smiled. "Well ya. That's one reason why I am looking for her?"

"What's the other?"

"She's family." I smiled at Blair, who only frowned at herself.

"You really care for her?"

I nodded. Again, we both sat in silence. Letting time work its magic and alleviate the pain.

When she was ready, Blair took a deep breath and started to dust herself off. She tried to wipe away her tears but hesitated when she saw how dirty her hands got.

"Here," I said and handed her my handkerchief.

"What kind of boy has a handkerchief." She mocked.

"Tease me all you want, but at times like these they come in handy."

She rolled her eyes but accepted the kerchief, drying her eyes and slowly getting back to her normal self. "So what the hell are you doing here? Stalking me?"

I chuckled. It did seem odd that I was here at this very moment in time when Blair was at her lowest. The probability of that are slim to none. Like finding a needle in a haystack. "Ya, totally stalking you. I could not miss my chance to see a sobbing Blair."

She glared at me.

"Sorry," I nervously chuckled, then decided to just say the truth. "I was delivering some food. Heard a scream and decided to investigate."

I offered my hand to help her get up. She looked at it then up at me, deciding if I was worth it. In the end, she accepted my offer.

It surprised me how large her hand was. It made my own look terribly small while wrapped up in her long fingers. Big yet delicate. Then there was her weight. It took me great effort not to fall as I hoisted her up.

"Thanks."

It was at that moment I knew there was more to her than what met the eye. Yesterday I would have never even thought her capable to say "thanks", yet today I saw more than that. I mean she was crying in front of me! A sight I knew I would take to my grave. She may be more human in my eyes now, but I knew if a single word about today got out she'd kill me.

After dusting ourselves off properly, I offered Blair a ride back to her place. Again, she hesitate to accept my offer, but accepted in the end.

"You came in this thing," Blair said in shock as she saw our ride. Clearly she was used to prettier thing.

"Beggars cant be choosers," I chuckled and got into the drivers seat.

The large girl had trouble getting in. The passenger's seat was too close to the dashboard and the adjusting lever was jammed.

"You have to wiggle it."

"I am wiggling. I-" she got cut off as the lever dropped, causing her to pop back.

"You good," I asked, trying not to smirk.

All she did was glare at me as she struggled to put her seatbelt. "Couldn't you take a bigger car. This thing is damn tiny."

"Nah, you're just huge," I teased.

"Really, Sherlock?" She punched me in the arm, trying to hide a smile as she did. Though playful, the punch really hurt. It reminded me how much power she really had.

"And the car is not mine. Could not afford a junk like this even if I wanted to." I placed my key into the ignition. "Now lets hope the car wont explode this time."

She gave me a look which I could not help but laugh at. "I swear if that happens, I'll kill you."

"If that happens, we'd be dead." She rolled her eyes as I smirked. I could see that she had calmed down a bit, so I decided to push my luck, "So... why where you in the woods?"

Time seemed to stop as Blair looked at me. When I started to regret my question, her eyes got heavy as she sighed. Her gaze fell on the moving road as she leaned her head against her arm. In almost a whisper, she spoke, "Its my birthday..."

"Really," I said, taken aback. "Well happy birthday then."

"Its not so happy," she mumbled. Guess her birthday was one reason she was sad. But I knew there were other reasons. You dont just break down because of one thing. Its the accumulation of things that gets you. At least that is how it happens for me.

"Wait a moment." I reached in the back looking for something in the delivery bag I had with me.

"What the hell are you doing. Keep your eyes on the road!" Blair said, tensing up in her seat.

"Relax. There aren't many cars, not many of us live in this posh side of the town. Plus, worse case scenario is that we crush." Chuckling as I found what I was looking for. "Here."

"What's this?" she was taken by surprise as I handed her a small box,

" A mini cake... You know, since its your birthday and stuff."

She took it and scoffed. "You happened to have cake with you?"

"I'm a delivery boy," I stated. "Its my job to carry food around."

"So you're giving me someone else's cake?"

"No. That's mine. Took it for myself before I headed out. Between you and me, I looove cake."

Blair scoffed, but kept the box nonetheless. As we drove, she instructed me where to go. I knew where she lived, but she did not need to know that...

Now that I think of it, I might have been stalking her.

Before long we were at her mansion. I always knew Blair was a rich girl, but seeing her house made me realize how rich she actually was. The thing was damn huge!

"Guess we are here," I said and pulled to a full stop.

"Yes we are," she grunted, struggling to get out of the "tiny" car. Slamming the door quite hard when she made her way out. She must really hate tight spaces.

"Hey," I called out to her. "I really wish you a happy birthday."

"Thanks." Her eyes went down to the box on her hands. "And thanks for the cake. Will probably toss it out, but still..." I swear I saw her blush as she turned around. But na, she was not that kind of girl. It was probably the lingering flush from her earlier break down. "...The gesture was nice."

"Right..." I smiled. "Hey!" I remembered why I was looking for Blair in the first place. "If you happen to hear anything from Daisy, could you tell me? And if you happen to see her, tell her Ava and I miss her."

Her eyes twinkled with sorrow as she fidgeted nervously on the balls of her feet, contemplating about something. All of a sudden, strength got back into her eyes as she looked up at me, "Luca..."

She had this new resolve. As if she made a complicated decision. I knew whatever followed would be something of great importance.

"... Do you have a minute? I need to tell you something."