Chapter 3

 My eyes were fixed on the gun for some seconds and then moved up to Steve's red face. 

 

     "Answer me!!!" He said cocking the gun. 

 

      I didn't know what to say, my head had gone blank after Steve had appeared with the gun. Several horrible memories came back to my mind. Memories of the times I've been tortured with the gun, memories that date back to when I was very little then to latest ones. 

 

      The charming golden lights in the dinning became blurry, my ears rang and the room began to swirl around. I felt lost and alone for a while before I was knocked out of that by the sound of a gun cocking close to my face. 

 

       Gradually the blur vanished and I regained my sight, only to find a shot gun directed to my forehead. 

 

       I staggered backwards until I was resting on the mahogany dinning table. 

 

       My mum was trembling with annoyance as she pointed the gun at me. "Answer the goddamn question or I'll blast your brains."

 

        "Please don't shoot! Don't shoot!" I pleaded.

 

      She gave out a short laugh. "Hill, I think you should know better by now. I don't care if you die or not, seeing your dead body will be nothing else but pleasure."

 

      I stared at her shaking eyes and deep down i knew she really meant it, so I did what was best for me. I spoke out. "No. I didn't feel anything." 

 

     Steve threw one of our glass vases away and yelled; "Why did it take you so much time to spit that out, Hillary."

 

      "I don't know...I...guess I was just...frightened, you know? By the gun." I said.

 

      My mum pressed the gun on my forehead with so much force that gave me an immediate headache. "If I find out that you're lying to me, you will be truly sorry."

 

      She dropped the gun on the floor and fell to the ground. She suddenly began to cry and yell outloud. Steve went over to her and comforted her.

 

     "She wants me dead." My mum cried. "She hates me just like her sister does."

 

    I watched her cry and yell curses at me. She cried louder and louder and accused me of certain things I had no idea of. 

 

     "What are you looking at?" Steve spat out. "Get out of our sight, before I use the gun on you?"

 

     I quickly ran out of the dinning room and up the spiral stairs. I stared from up until Steve's wicked eyes caught me. I ran into my room and slammed the door shut.

 

      I climbed my bed, covered myself with a soft blanket and awaited the worst.

 

       I laid there, trembling and weeping until it was dawn. After I heard the first cock crow by 5:45a.m, I decided to give sleep a try, and in a few minutes I found myself in dream land.

 

           The next day was a Sunday. I woke up with my alarm blaring madly. To my surprise it was 11:32a.m, and my alarm had been blaring since 6:30a.m, some minutes after I had decided to sleep.

 

         At first, I hurried out of bed and into the shower. In a couple of minutes I was out. I got into one of my large Cinderella ball gowns which was oversized and with a big scarf, i tied my hair like I was a Saudi.

 

        I didn't look at the mirror like most girls do, mainly because I didn't care about my looks, I couldn't recall the last time I had looked at myself in the mirror—it was uncalled for. By the way, I was extremely late to church, and that was something my mum never tolerated. 

 

     I dashed out of my bedroom and hopped down the steps to the sitting room, but they weren't there. I  went outside to check the patio, but they still weren't there. I returned back inside and checked their room and still nobody,  but they had slept there as their scent was still very sharp.

 

     Yes! That was another strange thing about me, I had an awkward sense of smell; I could even trace a person if I got a good sniff of that person. The last time I had told Steve and my mum, I had regretted it as they took offense in it and banished me into the dark, old basement for two days without eating. From that time I had learned to keep my lips sealed concerning myself. 

 

      In defeat, I walked down the spiral steps and into the kitchen. Damn! They must have gone without me.

 

    As I was about to open the fridge to get something to eat, I noticed a small paper pasted on the fridge. In it were boldly written words which said; 

      Hill, I want to apologize about Yesterday, I was really boiled up and out of my mind which led to me saying a lot of things I didn't mean. Hope you forgive me and get it out of your head. 

     Anyways, your dad and I are going out to someplace far and will be away for two weeks. We wish you the best and we pray that God bless you and that you remain the responsible and good child that you are.

       Stay safe and know that mummy loves you❤.

 

     I scoffed irritatedly as i read the last paragraph. Mummy loves me? Love? Love and I had nothing to do with each other. All my life I had known nothing but hatred and insanity from my two guardians. The only person who I had loved and cherished was my twin sister, Maribel, but she had also betrayed me and had left me for dead in this house. 

 

      According to what my mum told me, she had committed suicide but deep down I felt that was a lie. I felt a connection to her. Somehow I knew she wasn't dead, it was either she had escaped from this hellhole, leaving me behind to rot, or she had been captured by my parents and taken away to a faraway place—maybe the same place where they always went to every now and then.

 

      I had cried for months until I realised that she was never coming back again. Though I still cried occasionally but it wasn't as tedious as it once was but it was still hurtful. She had gone almost three years ago when I had just clocked fifteen. 

 

       I gave a sigh of relief and joy as the thought of them not being around for two weeks sweetened my heart. I opened the fridge and picked as many junk food as I could get, and I felt good, at least I was breaking the first rule of being responsible.

 

       The Sunday passed quickly but not without me doing a lot of fun stuff. I even drove out in one of my dad trucks—he had quite a number—to the supermarket to get more junk food and red wine, which was something I secretly enjoyed. 

     

        I slept happily and woke up to a sunny Monday morning. Today, I woke up immediately the alarm blared. I brushed and got into the cold shower. I enjoyed how the cold water sprayed on my soft even toned skin, it made me forget about my problems for that moment.

 

      Dressing up wasn't a problem for me, I opened my wardrobe and picked out the first things I saw, which was a baggy straight jean with a pale white top with no design on it. I picked up my backpack from my room and went to the kitchen to take some food and snacks which I take in school. Then, I took a few dollar bills and stormed outside. 

 

    I took my time in locking the house before taking off in my bicycle. I didn't take a truck because I wanted to enjoy the beautiful morning. I wanted to feel the mild morning sun on my skin and also feel the mild breeze blow through my long, wavy ebony hair which I let loose for the first time ever.

 

     The journey to school was quite long and I could have gotten there with the truck in 25 minutes instead I used almost an hour to arrive. 

 

    The first two periods of school went well. Then I had a free period. 

 

I went outside to the school compound, sat down on one of the benches and i watched the morning beds chirp excitedly, until... I got pied in the face. 

   

     I stood up in shock and frantically cleared the cold pie off my face.

 

      "Look at her." Janette laughed. 

 

   I got really pissed off, I was having a really good day before she and Clarissa just had to come to ruin it for me. 

   

   As it was also free period for most senior school students, I had a lot of prying eyes on me. Most of the students were laughing and taking pictures of me, they were probably going to post it on their socials, with the caption "pied in the face." Or "Summer Pied face." 

 

    After clearing the pie off my face, I glared at Janette and Clarissa. "Why did you do that?" 

 

   Clarissa chuckled and said babishly. "Oh sweetheart, as your bestie, I wanted to knock you out of your daydream. What better way to do that than blessing you with a frozen pie."

 

     The others laughed along with them, making me feel like an idiot. "I hate you." I murmured under my voice.

 

      "You said what?" Janette asked.

 

     I didn't respond, I just stood there helplessly.

 

       Clarissa walked around me and toyed with my hair. "You have such nice hair, Hillary. Why do you always braid and pack it like a stupid lunatic."

 

       I didn't respond. I just wished the ground could open and swallow—not me—them up, all of them.

 

       Janette chuckled wickedly. "Hold on, how are we sure it isn't a wig."

 

      "Let me see." Clarissa grabbed my hair and pulled it roughly, making me yelp in pain and embarrassment.

 

       "Oh sorry." Clarissa said. "It isn't a wig, it's truly your hair. Do you think it's pretty, Hillary? I'm sure you think it's pretty, don't you?"

 

       Janette giggled. "Of course she thinks it's pretty. Maybe next sunday, she could leave it loose and put on some of her pretty princess dresses and then she could look like Rapunzel."

 

     An outroar of laughter burst out, giving them more encouragement to make ridicule of me. 

 

     Clarissa still wasn't satisfied. "Honestly Hillary, your hair is really...really pretty." She signalled to some of the girls behind her, who came beside me and forcefully held me down. "But the issue is....I think your hair is too pretty for a loser like you." She looked at Janette and whispered to her, and to my surprise, Janette brought out a scissors from her backpack and handed it over to Clarissa who delightfully collected it. "Now, princess Hillary, let me give you the hairstyle that befits you."

 

          I tried to wriggle myself out of their hold but that came out futile and left me with some bruises from their sharp pointed finger nails.

 

       I shut my eyes and gave in to defeat but to my surprise, I heard a loud thud and screams following it. I opened my eyes as the grip on me was released and i was really shocked. 

 

       On the ground was Clarissa, yelling and holding her face, the rest were faraway and were running as far as their feet could take them. 

 

        Before me, was the blonde girl I had seen in my party two days ago. 

   

         She held out her hand, and  I had no other choice than to grab it. She pulled me up and hugged me. "Are you alright?"

 

       "Yes. Thank you...again."I managed to say. I didn't want to let go of her as I clung onto her. Apart from the fact that she had saved me again from being bullied by Clarissa and Janette, she smelled great...like Lavender. 

 

        At last we separated from each other's arms and she graced me with a smile. "Hope they didn't hurt you?"

 

      "No, you came just in time." 

 

   Her smile faded and her face became tamed. "I really want to tell you something."

 

      "What?"I asked curiously. 

 

      "Hmm..about what I said on Friday...I'm sorry."

 

      "Oh." I remembered the death threat. "It's okay. I'm sure you didn't mean it."

 

      She frowned. "I do."

   

  "What!!!" I said outloud, blinking my eyes more times than I needed to in a whole day.

 

      "I meant it, Hillary. But I hope we won't be in that situation where I'll be forced to inflict harm on you."

 

      My eyes were fixed on her. She had really meant what she had said. Oh my! What the hell is she? A saviour or a killer?

 

   She added. "But as long as you never say anything about what you saw, then we will be cool...we could even become friends. So what do you say, Friends?" 

 

      "Of course...friends." I smiled sheepishly.

 

     She gave me a brief hug. "OK, Hillary...I'll see you later, I really have to go back home...I only came to register my...younger brother. So ciao." She turned around and began walking away.

 

      I watched her walk away, her hips swaying beautifully. Then I remembered something. I shouted. "Hey, hey."

 

       She turned around.

 

    I cleared my throat. "I never got your name."

 

     "I'm Ava."