Michael_Olayemi_3708

Fifteen-year-old Mary appears to have a bright and promising life, but beneath the surface, she battles inner turmoil. Haunted by guilt over a childhood incident with her younger brother, Mark, Mary struggles with self-harm as she faces the growing pressures of family conflict, academic decline, and bullying at school.

Mary's life takes a darker turn when a manipulative new student, Ryan, enters her world. Drawn in by his charm, she hopes he can help her escape her pain, only to be betrayed by his sinister motives. Together with Mona, a jealous classmate with a vendetta against Mary, Ryan's deceit leads Mary into an emotional and physical downward spiral.

As her family’s financial struggles and emotional distance worsen, Mary finds herself isolated from the few sources of light in her life, including her best friend, Sophie. The story builds to a devastating climax when Mary overdoses, sending her into a coma. From there, The Dark Side explores themes of guilt, betrayal, redemption, and recovery as Mary fights her way back to the surface.

The broken path

Ryan and Mona sat in the back corner of the café, laughing quietly, certain their plan was foolproof. Ryan leaned in, smirking as he whispered, "If Mary shows up at school today, we'll corner her. She'll pay, or we'll release the video."

Mona giggled, proud of their cunning. "She's so naive. There's no way she can fight this. Once we have the money, we'll make sure she never talks about this to anyone."

Unbeknownst to them, their words hung in the air, loud enough to catch the attention of Sophie, who had followed them. Anger and determination surged through her as she processed the gravity of what they were planning. Sophie knew she had to act fast.

Later that day, Sophie knocked on Uncle John's office door, her hands trembling with urgency.

"Good morning, Uncle John," Sophie greeted, her voice tinged with worry.

"Good morning, Sophie. Is everything alright? You seem troubled," Uncle John asked, gesturing for her to sit down.

"I need to talk to you about something important," Sophie said, sitting across from him. "Do you remember the ceremonial event we had for the new students? You asked Mary to meet you at 3 PM, but she never showed up."

Uncle John's brows furrowed. "Yes, I remember. I've been concerned about Mary. I wanted to talk to her about her declining grades, but she never came. Do you know why?"

Sophie hesitated, then blurted out, "Mary is in a coma, Uncle John. She's in the hospital."

Uncle John's eyes widened in shock. "What? Mary is in a coma? How did this happen? Why didn't she come to me that day?"

Sophie took a deep breath and began explaining. "I saw Ryan and Mona with Mary right before she was supposed to meet you. I was hiding nearby because Mary had been avoiding me, and I wanted to see what was going on. They were talking to her, and after a few minutes, I saw Mary following them. That's the last I saw of her before… all of this."

Uncle John leaned back in his chair, his expression grave. "So, Mary didn't show up because of Ryan and Mona? This isn't the first time I've had my doubts about them. If they're involved in this, they must face the consequences."

"Uncle John," Sophie said firmly, "they've been scheming against Mary. I overheard them planning to blackmail her with a video they took during the ceremony. They think no one knows, but we need to stop them before they ruin her life even further."

Uncle John nodded, his jaw clenched. "We'll handle this, Sophie. Thank you for coming to me. I'll gather the necessary evidence and make sure the truth comes to light. Mary doesn't deserve this."

As Sophie left his office, a sense of determination filled her. She would do everything in her power to protect Mary and expose Ryan and Mona's deceit.

Back at the hospital, Mary lay in her coma, unaware of the storm brewing around her. But with Sophie and Uncle John uncovering the truth, there was a glimmer of hope that justice would be served and Mary's tormentors would face the consequences of their actions.

Chapter 34: The Truth Unravels