“Reli, I’m thirty-one,” he grounds out. He shakes his head and I watch as he turns and walks away.
For some reason, having him turn his back on me hurts.
I slowly sit back down on the step and wait for when everyone else is gone. I want to go upstairs, crawl into bed, and stay there for an eternity.
One
Reli
Birds chirping rouses me from my sleep. My throat feels as though I've swallowed a dozen nails and they've cut it open as they've moved down my esophagus. Opening my eyes, I'm relieved to be able to see; the blindfold is gone as are the bindings. The devil always looks after me when she's finished; she cleans me and pulls the covers over me. Doing that confuses me. She’s a bitch to me during the day, a devil during the night, and then takes care of me while I’m passed out.
My life has changed drastically in the two years since my father died. Everyone I knew and loved vanished from my life and I
was left to the mercy of my step-mother and her evil daughters. Most of the time I’m invisible. I’m not allowed out of the house unless Talia allows it and I’m grateful; most days I look like I’ve gone ten rounds with a heavy-weight boxer.
Gingerly getting out of bed, I walk to the mirror wanting to see the damage she inflicted on me last night. To my absolute horror, I have bright red finger marks on my neck. Glancing down at my wrists, they're marred with blackish-purple colored bruises. I finger my bracelet; it’s silver with a tiny heart. I adore this bracelet; it’s the only thing I have in this world that I truly value. My dad gave it to me; it belonged to my mom. He bought it for her when they were dating and she wore it every day until she died. Dad had given it to me for my thirteenth birthday. I cherish it. It’s my reminder of my parents.
My father always told me that looking at me was like looking at my mother. He loved her with everything he had, and I know how heartbroken he was to live without her. He would always tell me stories about their life together. He loved her blonde hair and bright brown eyes; he told me that she was his silk to his rough. She was carefree and loving. She was his soulmate.
Looking at my ankles, I see they too are the same as my wrists. What stuns me the most is the burn that is on my stomach; it was left by the wax she poured over me last night.
I jump in the shower, needing to scrub the remnants of last night off of me. It doesn't matter because it won't work. I'll still be dirty. I'll still be afraid because no matter what happens, the devil will be in my bed again tonight. Once I'm out, I hear a bell ringing. Great, it's time to serve the house. I quickly dry myself before throwing on my clothes. I rush downstairs and get breakfast ready. I need coffee; it's the only thing that can get me through the day. It's the first thing I do, put the coffee pot on.
"Yoreli!" Zella shouts and I fight the urge to ignore it. It will only lead to more pain tonight.
"Yoreli?" Anna cries; no doubt she's unable to dress herself this morning.
"Coming," I call out so that they'll shut the hell up. I've ignored them before and they've gotten louder and louder. Which annoyed their mother, Talia. The woman who, at night, is my monster.
"Bring me a cup of coffee; I'm parched," Zella demands and I sigh; just when I think I have their morning routine figured out, they change it up. They do it so that I'll always be at their beck and call, that they'll be able to berate me for not having their breakfast ready for them in a timely manner.
"Bring me a ham and cheese omelette," Anna yells and I instantly begin making it. Today has started off crappy; it's one of the worst mornings I've had in awhile. The girls are in rare form today. It must be the day to run Yoreli into the ground.
Ten minutes later I'm walking upstairs with a tray of food in my hands, my side hurting as my clothes cling to the burn. "Took you long enough," Zella growls, grabbing a cup of coffee from the tray. Her brown eyes are glaring at me; she’s already dressed this morning in a tight dress that shows off her curves. Her blonde hair is tied up into a high ponytail. She takes a sip of coffee, stares at me in silence before nodding her head and walking away.
I place the tray down on the dresser and take the plate to Anna, who's still lying in bed. Her thick, black, curly hair is messy and splayed on the pillow, her pale skin is a vast contrast to her sister’s, who has sun-kissed skin. "I could have starved to death."
I bite back the retort of I wish and pick up the girl's dirty clothes, needing to have them washed today; otherwise they'll pitch a fit.
"Yoreli, I'd like a cup of coffee too,” Anna calls out as I'm about to leave their room.
Placing their clothes on the floor by the door, I turn around with a smile plastered to my face and pick up the coffee I had made just in case she needed one. Anna is a feeble girl; she can't think for herself, she follows whatever Zella or their mom does.
"Yoreli, I need my dress ready for this evening. I have a date,” Zella informs me. A part of me twinges with jealousy whereas the bigger part of me is happy that she won't be around to inflict her bitchiness on me.
"Yes, Zella."
Her nose scrunches up in disgust as she glances at me. "When he arrives to pick me up, you are not to be in attendance. You are not part of this family."
I nod my head and walk backward. "Of course, tonight is your night. I'll have your dress ready for you." Quickly picking up the dirty clothes, I rush back downstairs, knowing that I have very little time before they call me once again. I put the clothes into the wash, knowing I need to get them done so I can have Zella's dress dried before tonight.
"Yoreli!" My body shudders at Talia's voice. "Coffee. Now."
“Coming," I yell back as I fill her coffee cup, grateful that I've managed to put the wash on before I was summoned.
I place her coffee cup down on her desk; she's dressed in her normal corporate attire, a pencil skirt with a fancy blouse. "Yoreli, Friday, the girls and I are going on vacation. You are not to go anywhere while we are gone. Do you understand?" She flicks her blonde hair behind her shoulders. Zella is just like her mom; everything about them is the same, including their deep brown eyes.
I nod. "Yes, ma'am." I had forgotten they were taking a vacation. I’ll have a week without them. I honestly don’t know what I’ll do while they’re gone. I’d love to go out of the house and get some fresh air where I won’t be worrying about them being home, but Talia has the house monitored; she knows when I leave and how long I’ll be gone for. Even when she’s away, she keeps constant tabs on me. I can’t breathe without her knowing.