Prologue

    It is a very bright morning. The sun shone from the sky into the well-decorated room through the opened curtains. The birds chirped happily as they flew about in the sky.

    I kept turning around on my bed until I fell off. I groaned painfully as I stood up. Rubbing my eyes, I stretched and yawned lazily.

    I looked at the clock beside my lamp and realized how long I had slept. I was tidying up my bed when I heard a loud voice yelling my name.

    "Argh" I groaned, stamping my feet on the floor.

    "I'm coming" I answered back to whoever it is that was calling me.

    I finished arranging my room and then went into the bathroom to brush my teeth. After I was done, I rinsed my face and went to meet whoever it is that was shouting my name.

    I descended the stairs and saw my stepmother and sister sitting at the dining table. I greeted both of them and sat down opposite my stepmother.

    "What took you so long to get out of bed?" My stepmother asked.

    "I was arranging my room......" I was cut short by my stepmother who shouted at me.

    "Who told you to answer me and how dare you look into my eyes while talking?"

        "She's such a spoiled brat. She thinks because dad's around you won't be able to do anything to her" my sister interfered.

    I rolled my eyes at them and proceeded to dish out my food. They were about to say something but were stopped because of my father's appearance.

     He cleared his throat, looked at everyone and sat down. I smiled and gave him a side hug while he patted my head.

     My sister rolled her eyes at our act but didn't say anything. I'm close to my dad since he's the only one who acknowledges my presence in the house, and I'm a little bit close to my sister, but she also acts like her mother once in a while.

    "If you keep doing this, she'd get too spoiled." My stepmother remarked.

    "I'd know what to do by then" my father retorted.

    I laughed inwardly because my dad has a way of shutting my stepmom up. He still doesn't know what they do to me whenever he's not at home, but I've made a tough resolution which might be tough to carry out, but I'm not going back on that resolution.

    We all started eating after the morning drama had finished. After eating, my sis and I cleared the plates and took them to the kitchen.

    There are times when I think my sister loves me but acts that way towards me because of her mum and just when I am about to start liking her, she starts acting possessed.

    To avoid issues, I just make sure to stay out of her way. I dropped the plates, and I was about to leave when she dragged me back.

    "I need that black Porsche Dad bought for you. I'm going out with my friends and I need it." she explained

    "You can take your own or is it not the same Porsche??" I asked her

    "Please just lend me for today." she pleaded nicely 

    "I'm also going out today and that's the car I'm taking out." I informed her

    "Give me the keys while I'm being nice." She demanded

     You see what I'm talking about. She just switches from being nice to being wicked, I wonder how it's easy for her to do that.

     I just walked out on her because I don't have the strength to argue this beautiful morning.

      I went up to my room and pulled off my clothes. I dropped them into the laundry basket and went into the bathroom to take my bath.

     I opened the tap and poured my soap into the bathtub and went to wash my hair till the water filled up. 

    After I finished washing my hair, I entered the bathtub and loved the way the warm water made my body relax. I closed my eyes to feel the water and enjoy the moment. Then I heard the door knob of the bathroom click.

    I sprang out of the tub and tried to open the door, but it was locked, and before I could say, Jack, the lights went off.

    Fear gripped me. I felt suffocated and couldn't breathe. I kept hitting my fist on the door in case anybody heard or if the person was still there but nobody responded.

    As I continued hitting the door, my eyelids became heavy and my chest tightened. I couldn't breathe, my lungs felt twisted and compressed.

    Memories of what happened 12 years ago started flowing back into my head and I couldn't help but fear again.

*************

12 YEARS AGO

    Little Avina just came back from school and was happy to be back home not knowing what awaited her.

    She ran inside the house and met her stepmom watching TV. She ran up to her stepmom and hugged her.

    "How are you my darling" her stepmom carried her on her lap.

    Little Avina was shocked because every day she came back from school and ran to hug her, she'd either push Avina away or scream at her to get her filthy self away from her.

    She felt happy for the first time because she thought her mom has changed for good. She then came down from her mother's lap and ran up to her room to get changed as per her mom's instruction. 

    She freshened up then came back down to eat, did her assignment and was about to start playing games when her mom stood in front of her furious.

    She pulled her ears and made her kneel in front of her while she sat.

    "How dare you pack all the chocolate I kept in the fridge?" she queried, furious

    "I didn't take any since you instructed me not to touch it." Little Avina answered, sobbing

    "So now I'm the liar, huh?" The stepmother implored 

    She stood up and dragged Avina away despite her pleas and cries. The stepmom didn't listen and took Avina to the old storage room in the house and locked her up there. 

    The storage room was dark and dusty. Avina kept crying and begging but her stepmom already left. As she kept inhaling the dust and crying, she started coughing. As she was crying and coughing, she kept looking around and got very scared.

    She was locked up in there for a very long time. Her stepmother only remembered she locked Avina in there when her sister asked of her and her mother explained everything to her.

    Then the sister said she was the one who took it in the morning when they were about to leave for school. Still, she didn't release Avina after knowing the truth rather she said.

    "That'd teach her never to take things she's told not to take."

    Her phone rang interrupting her talk with her daughter and the caller was her husband. 

    "Hey sweetie," Mr Walker said from the other end.

    "Hey honey, how was your trip?" She asked.

    "It was good, and I'm on my way home now. What about Avina and Elena?" Mr Walker asked.

    "Ohh, Avina. She's asleep in her room" She lied.

"And Elena is with me."

    After she ended the call, she ran to the storage room to release Avina before her father arrive home. 

    She was shocked to see little Avina sprawled out on the floor, lifeless. With trembling hands, she hurriedly carried the little girl to her room and called their family doctor.

    Luckily for her, the man arrived before her husband could reach home. He told Mrs Walker that Avina passed out due to shock and it would take some time for her to wake up, that she need adequate rest.

    She thanked the doctor and saw him out. When Mr Walker got home, she cooked up a believable lie but he didn't believe it because he wanted to see his daughter since he was out of town for a week.

     He went up to her room and saw her sleeping peacefully, he didn't want to disturb her so he left clueless not knowing what happened to his daughter.

*************

  PRESENT TIME

    Could it be that her stepmom is trying to endanger her life again?? But she hasn't done anything to provoke her this morning.

    As her breath shortened, she prayed silently for someone to save her before it was too late.