Chapter 6: Mixed Emotions

"Why are you always outside, huh?" Stella was startled when she saw her father come inside their house. "I'm just here!" Stella answered and tried to walk away but Remus stopped her. "Why are you always walking away? I'm still talking to you!" Remus told his daughter, "I don't want to talk to you!" Stella answered and left.

It has been a week since Stella saw Brandon, she didn't want to see him always because she would just be reminded that she would get married to him. Someone knocked on the door and she was not expecting any visitors. She opened the door and saw Flora there. "Hey! Let's hangout! My treat!" Flora told her, and Stella immediately nodded her head. "Sure, I will just change my clothes!" Stella answered and opened the door for Flora.

Flora was waiting for Stella in the living room when the door opened. Daisha appeared and immediately looked at Flora. "Hi!" Daisha greeted her, and Flora stood up to greet her. "Hi, Daisha!" Flora said, and Daisha smiled at her. "Does Stella know that you are here?" Daisha asked her, and she nodded her head. "Yeah, she's just changing her clothes!" Flora answered, and Daisha went to Stella's room.

"Move faster, someone is waiting for you!" Daisha yelled, which made Flora startled. "Yeah, you don't need to yell!" Stella answered and opened the door. Stella looked at Daisha, who was standing outside her room. "You need to go home before dark!" Daisha told her, and Stella couldn't stop herself from smirking. "Are you going to dictate what I should do? You are just Dad. I don't have a life here!" Stella said and walked away. Flora followed her, and they went to a cafe inside their land.

"Are you okay?" Flora asked her when she noticed that Stella was quiet for a long time. "I hope that I wasn't born." Stella said, and Flora immediately tapped her shoulder. "Don't say that!" Flora told her, and Stella gave her a tired look. "I can have my own decision, Flora! All I can do is to breathe on my own. My life belongs to them and not me." Stella said, and their order was served. Flora held her hand, "I'm sorry!" Flora told her, which made Stella look at her. 

"You don't need to say sorry because I am sad." Stella said and got her spoon. "We should eat now!" She added and gave another spoon to Flora. They started eating and they talked about Brandon. "I can feel that he didn't like me." Stella said and drank some of her coffee. "Nah! You need to ask him about that!" Flora said, and Stella laughed at her.

"There's no need to do that! I will trust my intuition!" Stella answered, and they finished their meal. They were walking beside the road until they reached the woods. "Daisha said that you should go home before—

"I will not do that! I have my own life!" Stella cut what she was saying and they reached the spot where they used to stay. "How about your father?" Flora asked her again, which made Stella stop what she was doing. "I don't want to talk about them, Flora!" Stella answered, and Flora nodded her head.

They spent their time inside the woods, and Stella got the chance to get some sleep. When dark came, Flora woke her up so she could go home before her father did. "You need to go home now!" Flora told her while tapping her cheeks. "Fine!" Stella answered and sat on the mat that Flora brought with them.

They left the woods, and Flora accompanied Stella to go home. They reached Stella's house and they saw her father outside. "There you are! We need to talk!" Stella's father told her, and Stella looked at Flora. "Go home now, thank you!" Stella told her, and Flora nodded her head at her. "No worries!" Flora answered and tapped her shoulder. 

Flora left, and Stella decided to go inside when her father called her name. "We need to talk, Stella!" Remus told her, and Stella didn't have a choice but to entertain her father.

They were eating their dinner, and Stella was waiting for whatever her father would tell her. "Stay in the house tomorrow. " Remus warned her, "I will!" Stella answered and finished her meal.

The next day came and Stella told her not to leave their house. Stella was waiting for her father near the door. The door opened, and Remus came inside their house. "It is great to see you here!" Remus said and went to the living room. "What will I do today?" Stella asked her father and waited for his answers.

"You should prepare yourself because they will be here at any moment." Remus said, which made Stella startled. "Who?" She asked her father again, "Your aunties, uncle, and cousins." Remus answered, and Stella couldn't move in her place. She thought that her bullies would be here at any moment.

Stella didn't have a choice but to prepare herself, she was waiting inside her room until she heard their voices. She stood up from her bed and went to the door. "I can do this!" Stella answered and nodded her head. She left her room, and they immediately looked at her.

"Where is Daisha?" One of her aunties asked her father even though she was there. They looked for her sister who was not there. "She is busy nowadays!" Remus answered and instructed Stella to sit down. "So, what makes you busy these days, Stella?" Stella was startled when their attention went to her, she looked at her father but she didn't have any help from him.

"I am making our garden and I want it to be beautiful as my Mom used to have." Stella answered, and no one answered her. "You should waste your time properly!" One of her uncles said, and Stella looked on the ground while smirking. She shook her head in disbelief and looked at them again.

"I'm sorry for being late!" Stella was startled when she heard Brandon's voice.