Chapter one : Life

Malisa's POV.

I sat down on my wooden bed, just staring at the wall.

Time is passing, seconds are becoming minutes, and minutes into hours.

I'll be Eighteen soon.

I wish I could change all of this.

Soon, I felt a presence in my room, it was My Mom.

What does she want now? ' I thought.

" Good day, Mom. " I greeted.

" Hm, what are you doing idling away? , Just because I asked you to stay away from the kitchen till you get married doesn't mean that you'll have to sit around doing nothing. " She ranted.

According to our tradition, an engaged girl is not allowed to enter the kitchen a month before her marriage to avoid injuries or bruises.

" But mom there's nothing else to do. "

" Really?, What about the drums of water that need to be filled? "

" That's the work of my younger siblings, Cyril and James, Mom! " I protested.

" So?, You won't do it? , Just because you are getting married soon doesn't mean that you are anything special, let me tell you, you are nothing. "

Sometimes I wonder if she was the one that gave birth to me as I couldn't understand how she could turn out to be so cruel to me.

" What are you still waiting for? , Get to work! " She commanded.

And I could only relent.

" Alright mom, " I replied as I immediately left the room.

I went straight to our backyard where I got my Clay pot and after I was ready, I set out for the stream.

The stream was a little quiet and peaceful today, unlike other days.

I was very glad that my so-called friends aren't there.

I dipped my pot into the water and fetched water.

I then carried my pot on my head and began walking home.

Only a few steps have I walked when I heard a bang sound and the next thing I knew was that my Clay pot began leaking as the water came out soaking my clothes.

" What the heck! " I Exclaimed and after inspecting my pot, I realized that it was an arrow that shot at it.

" What am I going to do now? " I thought.

I was aware of the fact that my mom won't take this lying down.

The last time something like this happened, I was starved for two days.

While I was still thinking of the dilemma I am in and how to get out of it.

My friends approached me with their clay pots.

' Speaking of the devils. '

" Hey, Lisa what are you doing here at the stream? "

" Why? "

" Oh, have you forgotten that you shouldn't be doing any hard chores to avoid getting scars? "

" So? "

" Do you want to be rejected?  , What do you think will happen if your future husband decides not to marry you? , Remember that he's pretty rich ah! , Who will marry you If he rejects you? "

' Rich my foot, how many hectares of land does he own anyways. ' I thought in annoyance.

" Thanks for the advice. " I replied her forcing a smile, I was still thinking of what to do.

My entire clothes had become completely soaked and the materials were sticking to my body highlighting my curves.

I felt naked and Uncomfortable.

' Darn it! '

Seeing that my  ' Friends ' were just staring at me with mockery I decided to walk away from their midst when one of them held my wrists.

" Leave me alone! " I protested.

" Where do you think you are going? " She asked Angrily.

" Home of course. " I replied casually.

" Naked? "

" What do you mean by that?  , I am not naked alright? " I defended myself, I was getting irritated by her Questions, all I wished for at that moment is to Soak in warm water.

" If you want to ruin the reputation of you and your family in this village then you can go ahead. " She smirked and then it Dawned on me that I can't go home like this.

' What am I going to do, now? '  I thought.

" Hm, well, I can lend you my wrapper if you want. " Kate one of my  ' Friends ' suddenly announced earning my attention.

" Oh, I'll be happy if you lend it to me. " I replied a little happy but I guess I Rejoiced too soon as her next words shattered all my hopes.

" But, you'll have to help me with fetching my water. " She replied in an arrogant tone.

"  Am sorry but I can't, my mom won't allow me to do that. " I replied truthfully.

" Oh, then bear with going home  ' Naked '  then. " Ria replied mockingly and soon the both of them walked away from the river after fetching their water.

' What am I going to do, now? '

I remained in deep thought thinking of how I could get out of my situation when I felt a tap on my side.

I looked behind and saw a little girl of about age 12, she was looking at me with curiosity.

" Hey... " I said, I guess I caught her off guard with my sudden greeting as she stuttered a little while Answering.

" Um... Hi. "

" Do you come here to fetch water too? " I inquired.

" No, I didn't I came here to vent. "

" Oh? , What happened? " I asked in a concerned tone.

" Well, my parents want me to go live with my uncle who recently lost his wife but I don't want to. "

" Why do you not want to? "

" The thing is, my uncle is a womanizer, he often tries to touch me where he's not supposed to. "

" Oh, did you inform your parents about it? " I asked.

" I did but they just didn't care, my mom insisted that I am lying, my dad even threatened me with Marrying me off to a very old man, I don't know what to do, I feel very sad and Depressed...I... " She trailed off as she suddenly started choking on her tears.

For a moment there, I completely forgot about my Worries and I started thinking of ways to help the girl.

" Hey, don't cry, it's gonna be okay, we'll find a way. " I consoled her.

" But how?, Mom told me that as girls we have no voice in a world which is ruled by men, she claimed that we are nothing but childbearing tools. "

" I know, my mom usually tells me the same too but do you believe that? "

" I honestly don't know anymore. "

" It's obvious, by the way, Why do you think your parents want to send you to your uncle's place? " I asked carefully.

" Well, they believe that I would be able to help him with taking care of his kids who are still young. "

" Oh, why don't you tell your mom to ask your elder sister to go with you?  , You should be safe like that right? "

" Hm, I think so but I don't think Mom will agree. "

" She'll because she has no other choice, you have to insist on the fact that you will be scared alone there and that you can't take off two kids yourself while still being a kid yourself. " I Advised.

" Oh, alright thanks for the advice. "

" You are welcome. "

" By the way, I think your clothes had dried now, you can walk home freely. " She suddenly said and then I realized that my clothes had dried, since it was a very sunny day the heat was able to absorb the moisture from my clothes quickly.

" Wow, I didn't realize this, thanks for the reminder. "

" My pleasure, and also thanks for the advice, Big Sis. "

' Big Sis? ' That endearment is kind of new to me, I have never been called that before but anyways there's always a first time for everything.

" Hm, What's your name? " I asked.

" Oh, my name is Mary. "

" Such a nice Name. "

" Thanks. "

" Okay, I have to head home now, bye see you later. "

" Bye. " She replied as I walked away.

When I got home, I met my mom at the door, she was holding a long thin cane in her hand, she was red with anger.

" Good ... Day ...Mom. " I stuttered a little.

" What's good about the day uh? , Where have you been since? And where's the water I asked you to fetch from the stream. "

" Am sorry mom, well... " I then proceeded to explain everything that happened to her, I excluded the part where I talked to Mary.

My mom was very annoyed after hearing my words, she wanted to use the cane on me but was stopped when my dad's angry voice was heard from the backyard.

" How dare you try to Use the cane on her?, What If she ends up getting scarred? , Will you marry her then? " He Roared Angrily.

" I ..am sorry. " My mom replied in a frightened tone.

" You better be... And you Malisa, go to your room now! " He ordered and I didn't need to be told twice as I scampered away immediately his voice landed.

~~~~~~~

Days passed by in the blink of an eye and soon, it's March 15.

Two weeks had passed by but yet I haven't found a solution to the problem at hand.

I was lying in bed early in the morning one day when suddenly my two younger brothers, Cyril and James barged into my room.

   Confused, I quickly sat up on the bed.

" What's wrong? , Why did you barge into my room like that? "

" Your room? , You must be kidding! , You have nothing here, have you forgotten about the fact that you are just a tool, a childbearing tool just like mom. " Cyril replied mockingly.

" I guess she had completely forgotten that she owns nothing, just because she's getting married soon makes her think that she's important, Let me tell you, Lisa, you aren't important, you are nothing! "

Listening to this, I felt my eyes sting, tears were threatening to fall but no, I'll never let them see me cry, I can't become vulnerable in front of them.

I wasn't that surprised to hear their harsh words as I guess that I have gotten used to it.

   They are right as It's a well-known fact in my village that women and young girls had no voice.

A woman's pride is her husband, Her husband is like a master while she's like a Slave to him.

She derives Protection and ' Respect ' from him.

No matter how he treats her, she has no choice but to just endure it in silence.

I could remember the last time I saw my dad Beating my mom, it was an unpleasant sight, I couldn't believe that my dad could beat my mom up with his leather belt all because she didn't make food on time for him but that shouldn't be her fault as my mom was pregnant then with my youngest sister and it's pretty normal for pregnant women to be lazy sometimes, but he didn't understand that.

  He flogged her mercilessly like a child, my mom's screams and cries echoed throughout the house but he didn't stop till she passed out after which he just kicked her to the side with his long legs.

As I watched the scene, I felt my eyes wet with tears.

I wish I could save my mom from all this torture but I couldn't, I had no voice as I am just a girl.

Husbands beating their wives when they do something wrong is pretty normal in my village as they believe that the man is the head while the woman is the tail so he could practically do anything to her as long as he doesn't kill her.

What surprised me most about the whole incident was that after my mom woke up after being unconscious for five hours, she immediately went to my father's room and went to ask for his forgiveness.

He forgave her, I guess and despite her not feeling well, she still tried her best to please him, in bed and other aspects.

   I never earned the love of my mom though I tried my best to it didn't work out, she just hated me for no apparent reason.

I once asked her why she hated me so much and as I always, I was ignored.

   " What are you thinking about, Bitch? " Cyril called out rudely bringing me back to life.

" Oh.. "

" Oh, what? "

" What do you guys want? " I inquired going straight to the point.

"   You just started using your brains. " James mocked.

I ignored him as I knew that arguing with him will be futile.

" We are hungry, we need to have our breakfast now before we head out to play with our mates in the field. "

" But it's just 6:30 am. " I stated.

" So?, We are hungry and that's it. "

" But what does your hunger have to do with me? " I asked.

" Stop acting dumb, Lisa! You are going to cook for us. "

" What! I can't cook for you guys, why don't you wait for Mommy to arrive from her meeting? "

As the day was a Saturday, my mom and all the women in the village had gone to the Square for a brief sermon on how to train their children properly especially the female ones.

" We can't possibly wait for mom to arrive, we need to eat now! "

" Why can't you cook for us, Lisa? , Have you forgotten about your place? , You don't have the right to choose, you'll do whatever we ask you to."

Though they were very rude, I still had a soft spot for them, perhaps it's because they are my siblings and we've got the same blood running through our veins, I want to cook for them but I can't, my mom will kill me if I do! , It's part of our tradition that when a young woman has been engaged, she shouldn't be allowed to enter the kitchen till she gets married to avoid being burned or scarred.

" I can't cook for you guys, Mom didn't ask me to and I can't go against her. " I replied Helplessly.

" What! are you implying that we should starve? " The duo roared bewildered, it was as if they weren't expecting me to refuse them.

" Think whatever you want, I don't care, leave me alone! " I stated annoyed.

  I was annoyed by their words though I tried not to show it, I am not their mate, I am 6 years older than them for God's sake! Even though they can't respect me they shouldn't treat me like a slave alright?

" You'll regret this. " Cyril vowed.

" Whatever. " I mumbled.

They finally left my room to which I was grateful for, I could finally sigh in relief but I guess it was too early to feel relieved as ten minutes later while I was trying to get back to sleep.

  I was awoken by a hot liquid Being poured on my body.

The liquid was very hot that I practically felt my skin burning.

I screamed in horror from the pain as it was very unbearable.

From the Heat of the liquid, it was obvious that it was recently heated.

This means that while I was sleeping peacefully my two brothers were devising a revenge plan against me.

  " How dare you! " I screamed at Cyril who was now laughing at me.

James on the other hand was looking at me with pity.

" Oh, What did we do?, We only poured water on you to wake you up from your slumber, Lazy fool. " Cyril  Ridiculed.

My body was still burning from the pain, I had a hard time concentrating, Thankfully it wasn't hot oil or I wondered how I'll be like the next day, my body would have become Unrecognizable.

" Am sorry. " I mumbled though I wasn't in the wrong what can I do? I only have to appease them to avoid getting into more trouble.

" Good, I guess you've got some sense, after all. "

" We'll let you be for now but if by the time we are back from the field and our food isn't ready then you'll have to answer to us. " Cyril threatened and soon they both walked out of my room, taking the Aluminum Kettle along with them.

With a ' Bang ' my room door was closed.

I was alone again as always.

Though I could still feel the pain, I had a lot on my mind to worry about apart from it.

I wonder what I was going to do?

I hope my skin doesn't get scared or I can't possibly imagine what will happen to me.

Luckily for me, My mom arrived two hours later from the meeting and so she prepared food for the family.

   The next day, I woke up and was a little relieved to know that my skin didn't scar, though it turned reddish it's alright, it's better than getting scared anyways.