Get back here!

“Get back here, you wench!” bellows a woman dressed in black and white maid’s dress as a girl with a head full of red hair as hot as a flame made her way across a great big yard with a little boy in her arms and another boy with the same hair trailing behind her.

“Hurry Dean! They might catch you.” Yelled the little one whilst in his big sister’s embrace. These three were Jade Hales Anderson, Jake Hales and Dean Hales. They were running away from what others would call a home but what they call a hell on earth.

Just behind them were the different house helps and a few guards chasing after them.

“You had better not let them catch you, Jade. Otherwise, that would be the end of your good life.” Whispers a lady as she stands at a window watching all the drama. To her left was another beautiful lady who looked a lot like her.

It was Dinah Thompson Hales, Jade’s step-mother. She was quite the lady as she was blessed with the looks of a siren. She was also the main cause of suffering for the three siblings and she relished in their pleas for mercy.

To her right was her daughter, Samantha Hales, who was just as beautiful as her mother and most certainly as wicked. An apple doesn’t fall far tree after all. Samantha was the eldest child in the Hale family as she was born even before Jade and she was older.

“Mother, why must they chase after those beggars? You should just leave them disappear so that we can have some fresh air around here.” She says as she eats a grape and Dinah turns to her and smiles.

“Oh, my baby is all grown up.” She says as she hugs her daughter.

“Samantha, I told you that everything on this earth has a predestined fate and this is just their fate. We must keep their whereabouts known. After all, she hasn’t fulfilled her duties yet.” She adds with a sinister look in her eye making Samantha shudder. She knew how evil her mother could get but there was nothing she could do. Samantha looked back outside the window, watching the three siblings jump over the hedge and disappear behind the wall of green.

“For your sake, I hope you never return.” She thinks as she returns to her phone and grapes.

*

“Finally, freedom!” screamed Dean as soon as they were far away from Oakville Heights where their house was. Jake was in tears and Jade was grinning like a Cheshire cat. They had managed to outrun the house helps and had caught a bus hat had brought them to Jake’s school and they were at the playground.

With the sun shining and a light breeze in the air, Jade had never felt the sweet taste of anything like this victory. She looked to her brothers who jumping around and she couldn’t feel any happier. She had not seen them as happy and carefree for quite a long while and she was starting to worry.

“Finally free.” She whispered and her tears dropped like rain as she remembered all they had endured in their own house. Dean and Jake, who were now on the monkey bars, turned and noticed her crying and ran and hugged her.

“Don’t worry, Jade. It’s all over now.” Said Dean as hugged her. Jake looked on and soon his tears were pouring as well.

“Big sis, don’t cry. I promise I will be good. I won’t bother you and big brother Dean so please smile.” He said as he wept.

Dean and Jade looked to their little brother and it was visible that they were both sad. Jake was an intelligent little boy but years of neglect had caused him to develop a little slower than other kids his age. At eight, he was smaller and shorter than most boys and this worried Jade to no end.

“Right, I have to care for my siblings. I can’t be here crying.” Thought Jade as she wiped her tears and lifted Jake into her arms. She kissed his forehead and gave him a big hug.

“Don’t worry about me, Jake. Your only job is to be happy and stay healthy. Alright?” she asked him and she could feel him hurriedly nod. Dean chuckled at his siblings before pulling them into a great bear hug as he smiled.

“Don’t worry you guys. We will be alright because we have each other. Things are going to be different now.” He said and Jade smiled because he was right.

Looking back on everything, she knew it was all in preparation of their now. Underfed, a lack of freedom and education, the three siblings lived in their mother’s house and were treated no better than common slaves. At eighteen, Jade was the bread winner for her other two siblings, making sure that they were in school, clothed and fed and safe. Things weren’t always that way though.

They used to have warm meals and were always smiling. There was a time when things were okay. This was all before their mother, Judy Amelia Anderson, died. She had married Lucas Hales when Jade was three years-old and had had Dean a year later and when Dean was six, Jake was born and the three siblings were very close. Everything was rosy until she one day succumbed to an illness and died. Shortly after, Dinah Thompson and her daughter, Samantha Hales, were brought into the house.

The fourteen-year-old Jade had just lost her mother did all she could to protect her brothers from the machinations of the evil step-mother but who would protect her? Her own father was nowhere to be seen and she had no idea of her roots. Her step-father only looked at profitable gains so he would never help her. He was even rarely at home so he was just a useless figure head of a father.

 No matter how hard it was, Jade had never complained and had always worked hard for her siblings. She looked to the sky and smiled.

“Mom, I kept my promise. I hope that you are in a happier place. For now, let me look after them in your steed.” She thought as they walked off into the sunset, ready to start their lives anew.

TWO YEARS LATER

“Dean! Hurry up and finish your breakfast. You guys are going to be late for school!” Jade called out as she hurriedly applied some light make up. She was trying to get to work early as Monday morning rush hours were always the busiest of the week.

It had been two years since the three siblings had left the Anderson mansion and life had gotten better for them. Even if they had first lived together in small dingy apartment together, it didn’t matter to them as long as they were together and out of the cursed presence of Samantha and her mother.

Slurping his noodles, Dean cleaned off his third bowl as he reached for the spaghetti bowl, getting ready for the fourth. Jade was always shocked by how much Dean could eat but never gain an ounce of body fat. When they had left, Dean was just fourteen years old and of a skinny build while Jade was eighteen and Jake was just eight.

Two years down the road and Dean couldn’t be recognized. At sixteen, he was 5’9ft tall and had broad shoulders. One could mistake him for an eighteen-year-old easily. Heck, he was a head taller than even Jade who was now twenty and had an enormous appetite. Even if money was tricky to come by, Jade made sure he always had enough to eat. Jake also looked better than before though he was still smaller than most kids who were ten.

“Ok, guys. Always have your key with you. Dean, pick Jake from school. I am working late today. I already have your dinner ready. Just warm it when you get back and remember to always smile.” Rattled Jade as she got her shoes and her bag and her keys.

Dean smiled at her and gave her a bear hug while Jake hugged her by the leg.

“Have a great day at work sis.” They said in unison that had Jade smiling. She pecked them each on the head before zooming out to catch the bus.

*

“Oh, what a boring day!” complained Sylvie, Jade’s work mate.

They were currently at a café, Sweet De La Sweet, where Jade worked as a barista and a waitress. Despite it being a Monday and two o’clock at that, it was more quiet than a graveyard.

Sylvie was one who lived for the thrill of life so she couldn’t work just anywhere and especially not an office. Jade just laughed off her remark and got back to cleaning as she anticipated customers.

“How can you even clean at a time like this, Jade? There is no one here.” She questioned Jade who had just finished wiping the last table.

Jade sighed as she wiped her brow due to the heat. She looked to Sylvie and just smiled.

“We can get customers at any time so the tables need to be…”

She didn’t even get to finish her sentence when some men in black suits filed in too the café and quite quickly it was filled save for one seat. The men all looked like gangsters and the two ladies were quite shocked and scared at the dramatic entry.

“Do you think they are gangsters?” whispered Sylvie to Jade as she hugged her arm. Sylvie was the older of the two but she always acted like child so much so that Jade was used to it.

“Hush, they are customers regardless as long as they don’t wreck the place.” Whisper yelled Jade as she handed a few menus to Sylvie before pushing her to go over to the men.

Jade watched as she walked to each table one by one and realized that one table in the middle of the café was empty.

‘I wonder whom it’s f…’ again, she was cut off by the jingle of the bell by door as an immortal stepped into their café.

He had ash gray hair and as thin as a stick but one could tell and guess that he had muscles hiding behind his small frame. Not wanting to get hooked into his beauty, Jade immediately ran to the kitchen as she tried to calm her racing heart. In all her years, Jade had never had such a moment no matter how handsome the person was.

“Am I finally going to witness my spring?” she asked herself before laughing at her own stupidity. Sylvie cut her moment short when she fired out all the orders and she got to work with preparing a handsome meal for the hungry customers.

As she and Sylvie delivered the drinks to the various, they were care free as they were used to a congested café. If only they had been more careful.

Crash!