Out of side don't mean out of mind. Nora lives a typical Cinderella existence; two stepsisters and a stepmother who despise the sight of her. Ace Woods, an epitome of extravagance, capriciousness, insolence, and disrespect finds himself in an unfamiliar continent of the world doing what he knows best; get his parent's attention. But an enchanted night, An awful event that occurred at Cinderella's curfew, scars a memory for as long as you can navigate into THE TRAGEDY OF THE AFRICAN CINDERELLA.
View MoreWelcome to unedited Black book 3 of the Woods series.
This book can be read independently. You can read it without adventuring into 'Married to a stripper'. I'll be extremely happy if those who haven't checked that book out do so.
I hope you enjoy my works.
Love you guys much much.
Your humble author Zagzahzlau.
~••~
The Sunday night was frigid against unarmed skin in Buea--the city of legendary hospitality-- located in the southwest region of Cameroon.
The morning's once busy roads were converted into night ghostly highways as inhabitants of the small city had sheltered their bodies beneath the coziness of their homes and heads rested upon the tenderness of their pillows, preparing for the activities of the day to come.
Only the high leveled hormone secreted teenagers and young adults could be seen dotted into the lit-up streets in fancy pieces of dresses engulfing little to nothing of their bodies, as some sauntered while others awaited for cabs to drive them to a new world filled with them--clubs.
The less privileged could be numbered as well as they oddly established a strong attraction with the public taps of the city.
Water was a major problem in that part of the city. However, the dwellers with money-embedded homes were free of it. Victims here were the less privileged who couldn't make it up to half of five hundred thousand in the next five years.
They owned the public taps, they owned the streets, they owned the odd hours of the days and nights but never did they own predictions and time.
Somewhere behind the four and three-floored-storey buildings, deep into the stony interior of the footpaths leading to several student residential areas, stood a gated compound containing a total of seven tenants. The gated compound was made up of houses with tiny cubic sitting rooms, two minuscule bedrooms which could only accommodate a bed as furniture, and a toilet. It also had three frayed outer kitchens built of soothe painted aluminum roof sheets; it owned a three-stone fireplace and/or a sawdust-filled cylindrical tin specifically used to cook heavy meals.
In that compound lived little Nora who had readied herself to go fetch some water primarily because there wasn't a single drop at home and secondarily because she wanted to be away from the only woman whose face was enough to have her belly contents thrown out--Her step mum.
The distance to the public tap was bearable but before leaving home she had made sure to keep every corner and item of the house sparkling to avoid being scolded by the lone woman who reciprocated her feelings of despise.
She had cooked some food, done the laundry, ironed some dresses, and mopped the gutted concrete floor earlier that day as she always did before the cocks crowed at five-thirty am.
All which was required was to have the navy two hundred liters plastic barrel filled, eat, then, she could call that a day.
Her first step out of the house was interrupted by a monotonous voice she had never appreciated even once since she'd known the woman.
"Where to?" her stepmom queried, with both hands resting on her thick waist and an angered wrinkled, inappropriately caked-up face. She never used the right shade and her brows never matched.
Her almost six feet tall, sagged body hovered over Nora's small malnourished one.
Martha donned a brand new white satin blouse tucked in a brand new costly looking variegated loin cloth. On her feet were a pair of thick-soled white sandals, all of which proved she had just returned from her Christian women's fellowship meeting.
"To fetch water," Nora replied with conspicuous fear.
Martha was a walking exemplar of 'mood swing'. Three-quarters of it had been dedicated to Nora and the remainder, to her very own husband--Nora's dad.
"Hurry up, you still have some dishes to wash and some corn to grind at the mill. It was even supposed to be done before my return. What have you been doing all day?" she posed but Nora didn't reply. "You are lucky I'm in a good mood today. Anyway, my favorite plate and saucepan are dirty, can you explain that?"
"Susan probably us-"
"Shut your filthy mouth up before I do it for you. How many times have I warned you not to put blames on any of my daughters?" Martha stretched her index finger towards Nora. "Let this be the very last time you do that," she used the finger to brutally push Nora's head. "Filthy nothing. Get out of my side, nyam!"
The woman jellied her way into the house as she hummed a familiar church chorus.
The public tap was herded as always. Noticing she was the last of the queue, she gently placed her empty jug on the floor and sat on it, staring at the night of a million stars.
It had always been that way, people fetching water at that time--8 pm--so they won't have to worry when the morning stole the night . Especially those who would have to wake up to reach their job sites and children preparing for school.
School.
Nora had been financially deprived of high school two years ago. She understood they weren't really from a wealthy family but her dad struggled with the little he earned from working at the Buea council after her mum left for the land of the dead.
Three years later, her dad moved on with this lady he had been courting for over a year. Just like anyone would expect, she moved in with two kids-- Susan and Rose.
Rose was older than she was by a year while Susan was younger by a year as well. Her dad was now responsible for the two girls-- as their stepfather. Slowly but surely, she drifted out of the picture as he spent his money on fees, food, house rent, and electricity bills while his second wife owning a local store, spent hers on none other than her clothing.
Her dresses and her kids.
Nora took her gaze off the sky to focus on half a dozen youngsters left. The sound of the water hitting the bottom of an empty jug alongside the chiming of crickets, the rustling of trees, and a couple of honks from a few cabs on the highway made up the night.
Her belly growled eliciting a head snap from one of the youngers across her.
She twisted her lip and snapped her head away from the pity-filled sight of the pair of eyes.
She could read the girls' face despite the night as it wasn't a new book to her; it was a book which had had all her ordeal written. A book that had sold more in her residential area than Julius Caesar had sold in the part of the country she was in.
The youngsters had crowned her with all sorts of names; from Watergirl to filthy to ugly to maid to Cinderella without a prince. All of which made her wonder if they could even remember her birth name.
Finally, the tap was crowd-free. Nora rushed to deposit her twenty-liter jug beneath the recently vacant flowing tap after which she turned to its former occupant to inquire the time.
"Twenty-four minutes into ten."
She thanked her before focusing on the descending colorless liquid glittering in the penumbra of the bugs mesmerized street lights.
Almost ten and she hadn't even made a round out of thirteen. She heaved a heavy sigh.
The night was going to be a long one--A very long one--which she was going to navigate through with an empty tummy.
The clock hit twelve when she made the thirteenth and final round, she dawdled to the kitchen whilst wiping her moist face with the tattered fabric clinging to her sweaty back like she had just been stamped with honey at said part. The one out of three she had ever had. She maintained the other two jealously, fluctuating them every Sunday.
She flicked the switch which instantly resulted in the kitchen illuminating. Nora scurried to the pot which hadn't moved an inch from where she had previously left it. With plate and dishing spoon in hand, and a salivating mouth, she opened the already cold pot which exhibited nothingness. Her eyes broadened, her body turned lifeless and her feet jellied. Again, just like always, she wasn't thought of.
A cold and hard surface abruptly embedded her pale and malnourished body. The coldness wasn't a stranger to her ebony and tender skin neither was the hardness. What was strange was the massive pain that slithered through her body once it came in contact with the concrete floor.
The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I ever had.
She repeated several times as she slowly but surely dove into oblivion.
Inspired by Emma Bale--All I want. "Hey," Ace turned to a brunette with ear-level short hair whose eyes reflected those of the rustling leaves. She was in a pair of sneakers and skinny damp jeans beneath a purple turtle-neck. A pang of familiarity immediately hit him but his mind was too foggy to think clearly. The girl slightly tilted her head concurrently with a faint smile. "Didn't know the wind would go as far as disrupting serene moments." "Huh?" She tilted her chin to the piece of paper in Ace's hold, "That's a piece of my journal." "Oh, trust me it didn't disrupt anything." She smiled and walked closer, "glad to hear that," she eyed the name inscribed on the tombstone, "Death is really something else, huh? Losing someone dear feels like losing a big part of you and your life you never knew existed. She was a good person, wasn't she?" She quickly turned to Ace who nodded sadly. "Funny how the world is: the bad prevail and the good perish." From the way she spoke, she mu
Lord Huron-- In the wind. "Mr. Woods, do you mind doing the outro?" Ace stared at nothing in particular for as long as he could remember before uttering, "My name is Ace," he said, his voice almost inaudible, "and that is the story of how I lost my fiancée exactly one year ago." April 19th, marked Nora exactly a year in the land of the dead, a year without the view of her pretty face, a year without her smile and placid nature of her voice, a year without her sweetly nagging attitude, a year since he last set eyes on her before shutting the hospital door, a year since he had avoided everyone and everything besides a visit to her grave which owned nothing but her clothes. On the day she left, it rained cats and dogs like it presently did. Even I will be mad at myself if I died. She had said. Was that a sign? "Thank you for sharing your story with us Mr. Woods," Mrs. Sterns, the fellowship coordinator appreciated. His mum had forced him to join the fellowship eight months ago
Zoe weez-- control. "Nora," Ace jogged to the frailty whose head was blanketed with thick layers of bandages. Her abdomen was concealed beneath a thin white hospital sheet. "How do you feel?" She smiled. The most genuine smile she'd offered since the gruesome incident. "A lot better." Ace reflected her grin, "I'm glad. Really," he kissed her lip, "the doctor said they weren't abl—" A knock on the door cut him off and in protruded his mother's head. "Can we come in?" He almost forgot about their presence. A nod was enough to have them beelining in. "Oh, and this is your...friend?" His mum quizzed, skepticism clearly donning her voice. "Uh...Yeah, her name is Nora," Ace nervously rubbed his neck. "Oh, Nora. Nice to meet you, deary," Zaphrina cheerfully grinned. "I mean it from the infinity depth of my heart. We don't see 'friends' like you every day." "Mum!" "I'm Zaphrina by the way, you can call me Zaph." "Nice to meet you too, mum." Zaphrina who was taken aback by the way
Lauren Daigle-- you say. "Mr. Woods," the doctor called an anticipating and pacing Ace who rushed to him in two strides instead of six on a normal occasion. It's been one frustrating hour since they'd arrived at the hospital with no bit of news on Nora's well-being. That alone chopped him to the core. "How's she doing?" He persistently grabbed the man's arms tightly. "She's fine, isn't she?" "She's conscious," the understanding doctor reassured. "You must be informed that she has a-" "I know that." Ace cut in, not wanting to hear the term which has been making his life a living hell of recent. "Ok. She has to be operated upon as soon-" "I know that too. That's why we're here...I mean," he sighed and ruffled his hair. "Just do everything you can to save her. Please." The man unnoticeably nodded in sympathy. "In the meantime, can I see her?" "Sure, Room 4. I'll send a team in a bit." Ace scurried down the hallway and halted in front of the door where he peeked through the squ
Chord Overstreet- Hold on. "Are you ok?" Ace asked after observing how nauseous Nora looked as the plane took off. She skeptically nodded yet, he embedded her hand in his. "I forgot to ask; how long will it take to arrive?" "Forty-eight hours." "Oh, God!" She shut her eyes in exasperation. Barely thirty minutes into the flight, Nora had fallen asleep while Ace rounded up on the magazine he was skimming through after which he drifted his attention to the white masses out of the window. No one knew he was returning home. Not even his closest member of the family who was Eloïse. But he was going to get to that as soon as they alighted the plane. He then wondered how things would turn out after Nora's operation; would she want to return or stay with him in his hometown? Would they be more than what they were or was it going to be the end of them? He sighed. How he feared to get devoted. It would probably be best if they parted ways. Nora's ruffle made him turn to his right, where
Lea Michelle -- Run to you. Watch out! Explicit scene. She loved the way he played with her folds and clitoris. It proved he was expertise in the domain. He repeatedly trailed kisses on her mouth, nipples, and belly. What could feel any better? He unfastened his belt and hurried out of his trousers so fast that she hadn't noticed. Ace hovered over her body, his eyes locked hers while he slowly slid her pant. The way she fought to hide her tunnel amused him and turned him on the more. A new aspect of his sexual life he just excavated since the majority of the girls he slept around with were connoisseurs. He plunged on her lips to loosen her up and when that happened, he rubbed her clit one more time along her wetland causing her back to curve as she let out a placid gasp when he slid a finger in. He thrust gently and smoothly while admiring the bomb of facial expressions she had in store. She bit on her thumb nail, a very seductive and boner-breaking gesture. She began releasin
"Go on, throw 'em stones." She wished she could. Fortunately for him, delight suppressed anger, and the urge to see his head hang on the mango tree quickly disappeared. Nora simply took a slow unexpected step towards him and engulfed his waist. She felt lightened since her confession. Even though that wasn't the end of the talk between her and her father, there still was that feeling of freedom somehow. At least she learned she was still cherished, that someone still needed her alive, and because of that, she had to fight. "Thank you." "That's it? Thought you were going to bring down this town on me." When she didn't reply as she enjoyed the moment, Ace who surprisingly stood stiff slacked and then returned the hug. "I seriously don't know how to thank you enough," she detached from him. "I know how," he smirked. "You'll have to fight for dear life first before I tell you." "I will. I have a reason to fight now," she faintly smiled. "I'll be leaving tonight for the embassy
"Finally!" she heard the voice say. "What are you doing here?" She scanned her environment to make sure Martha wasn't lurking around. "Waiting for you of course. I saw you hurry down the roadside. What's in your hand?" "I don't have time. I have to go," she walked away only to be followed. "What are you doing?" "Following you," he nonchalantly stated the obvious. "I want to know where you live, why you left that way, and what is wrong with you?" He already knew what was wrong with her as far as health was concerned so she presumed the question had to do with her behavior. Her decision. He already made it clear to her that he didn't see her the way she saw him. Action speaks louder than words, they say. What else did he want or better still, what will he gain from saving a life which wasn't cherished? "You see, that's why I said I do not have time," she examined her surroundings again. "I haven't denied explaining to you but now's just not right. Go back. I'll see you in the even
"Nora, No!" "It's a dare like any other. Just do it and get it over with." She drew closer, so close that her breast grazed his chest. "No need to make a big deal about it. Unless you're thinking of something more out of thi..." She narrowed her eyes. Ace's brow jerked. With the speed of light, Nora's lips were enclosed in a sea of warmth. Her eyes widened in shock, slacked, and then shut. He wanted to prove her wrong, that he wasn't thinking of anything but instead, he proved himself wrong. It was new, sweet, and magical. His lips felt soft, whiskey intoxicated, and desirable. It was supposed to be a kiss-and-go but turned out to be more when he began thrusting his tongue into her mouth. At first, she knew not how to respond to his penetration. It was all so new nonetheless, not a hard shell to crack. Her body began tingling in an unusually demanding way. It felt oddly good and she loved it. She yearned for his touch. As if reading her mind, he engulfed her waist to pull her cl
Welcome to GoodNovel world of fiction. If you like this novel, or you are an idealist hoping to explore a perfect world, and also want to become an original novel author online to increase income, you can join our family to read or create various types of books, such as romance novel, epic reading, werewolf novel, fantasy novel, history novel and so on. If you are a reader, high quality novels can be selected here. If you are an author, you can obtain more inspiration from others to create more brilliant works, what's more, your works on our platform will catch more attention and win more admiration from readers.
Comments