A DEBT

Tricia POV

I sat in my room, a bit relieved from the pain in my knees. My phone was with me. I opened a picture we had once took as families.

"Father!" I called touching our father's face.

My heartbeat hastened as I remembered how his mother loved me. Now I understand the reason she loved me so much. I had no mother so it was paramount that she took care of me neither does she have a daughter so she was bound to love me. She wasn't like her son.

"How could she love me, like that?" I asked myself, thinking of how we played often.

Father had tried all he could to reduce how we played, but Mother always told him, "Since Alex doesn't want to play, I would do that with Tricia."

My eyes grew tensed as I looked at how we stood. Alex by my side then mother holding Dad.

My eyes flew to the clock and I let out a sigh of relief.

Hours later, Alex was back with Cherry. He was drunk and staggered as he walked. Looking at me, he let out a spit to my face.

"I hope you've prepared lunch," Cherry said and I nodded.

She gently allowed Alex to sit on the couch while I left to bring their lunch.

"Tricia!" Alex called, and I looked at him. He was done eating.

"Your husband will be here tomorrow," he said.

I felt my head roll. I wasn't ready to get married. This felt strange to me, I didn't know if I should be happy or sad.

It felt so good to be away from the house, away from Alex and Cherry's trouble but I don't know what my husband was like.

Alex said he owns a small organization. Was that all he knew? I can't suffer all my life.

"Tricia, you are a good darling," Cherry yanked on my hair.

This gave me pain, but I chose not to cry as I just winked.

She touched my lip, then my chest.

"What if he hurts you?" She asked, smiling. "Kisses you rigorously, forces his way with you."

I just stared at her, my heart beating fast. She looked at my knees and laughed.

"Your knee hurts, and we have been told not to touch you until your husband comes." She licked my ear, then moved back looking at Alex. "But who are we to listen to such order? Your husband runs a small organization while Alex's friend communicates with a larger organization."

"Then why do I have to be sold? Can't his friends take care of it?"

Cherry only laughed at my question and then told me to clean up the area.

Obediently I obeyed, praying in my heart that my husband would be good to me, and not as they suppose him to be.

Hours later, I was done doing what was meant for me to do. Cherry gave me a weird look and gave me a work to do.

"Get this from the shopping mall."

I looked at the list she handed to me. It wasn't the list for the house but for Cherry's personal needs.

"These are your needs." I placed the list on the table, but instantly regretted when I got a slap from my brother.

"Get out now," he said giving me the list. "You must be back here within two hours."

I walked out of the house feeling weak. My steps were heavy as I held on to the list, and the money that was with me. The money didn't consist of my transport fare, so I couldn't use transport.

Whereas, my feet were heavy and I needed to be fast.

Without wasting much time, I waved down a vehicle.

In the shopping mall, I planned on what to do. There was no need to tell them how I spent the money, I was going to say that I bought what I could at an expensive rate.

I got all except two of the items on the list. My plan was to use the money that remained as transport fare and keep the rest with myself. That won't mean I am stealing.

I paid for everything then left.

Cherry gave me a suspicious look as I explained to her my ordeal. My brother frowned at this, but I told them that I was telling the truth. I didn't care if they believed me or not.

"Hold on," Cherry called. "I made some soup for you."

I looked at her and sighed.

"Thank you, but I am alright," I said.

I had thoughts running through my mind. Does she want to kill me with her soup?

"Take it," she said.

"That's an order," Alex said.

I nodded and took the bowl to my room.

"This is great. We are going to control her mind, tomorrow." I heard pinning my hear to the wall. "We will make her fumble money out of her husband."

My ears tickled as I heard that. They were planning to fumble money out of my husband. No matter how he is, I won't allow it.

My eyes went to the bowl that I kept by the side of my bed. My lips twitched.

"They chose to poison me with this soup."

I carried the bowl to the closet, poured the soup out, and washed the plate. After that, I walked out of the room licking my lip as I took the plate away.

"Come on, Tricia, I need you to obey us in front of your husband." I nodded my head to Cherry, watching her smile.

"How does he look?" I managed to ask.

"We will see him tomorrow..." I doubt if they know the man they sold me to. All they say is that he ran a small organization.

I looked away and continued what I was doing. Seeing that I wasn't concerned made her smile. I knew that she thought the poison worked on me.

She began telling me of how my brother needed to give me out just to pay his debt.