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1367 Words
Nicole woke up gasping for air, jolted from a deep sleep. She was not only startled, but it felt like she was drowning—no wonder, as a bucket of cold water had just been splashed directly onto her face. And not just any water—it was freezing.
She shot upright, shivering, not just from the cold but also from the sharp pain in her face where ice cubes had hit her. Of course, they were ice cubes.
“Well, well, looks like the princess is finally up,” a mocking voice called out.
Nicole’s cousin, Lucy, stood in front of her with a cruel grin on her face. Nicole could tell she was the one who’d thrown the cold water. In her hand, she held a blue plastic dipper.
“I’m sorry, Lucy. I overslept. I was up late last night at our graduation party,” Nicole apologized, quickly getting up to rearrange her drenched pillow and blanket.
Nicole used to call her cousin Lucy, but after a while, she started calling her Luciferia—she was mean enough to be Satan’s sibling.
Lucy was four years older than her and the youngest daughter of Aunt Norma. After Nicole’s parents died in an accident when she was eight, Aunt Norma took her in. She explained back then that she had no other close family, and because she was her mother’s cousin, she had no choice but to take her in.
“Graduation party ours? You really are delusional, aren’t you? Just because you wore a fancy dress last night doesn’t mean you’ve earned the right to be lazy. Let me remind you—you may have graduated from that fancy school, but in this house, you’re still just our servant. Don’t forget that!” Lucy snapped.
Her voice was harsh, making Nicole drop her gaze in submission.
“I know, Lucy. I’m sorry. It won’t happen again,” Nicole muttered, even though she didn’t see why she should be apologizing.
“What’s going on in here?” another voice chimed in.
It was Lizabelle, Nicole’s older cousin, walking into the room. If Lucy was the youngest, Lizabelle was the middle child, and just like her sister, she was just as cruel. Nicole sighed, thankful that their eldest sibling wasn’t home; if all three of them teamed up, her life would be unbearable.
Nicole decided to ignore them, knowing they wouldn’t let the day pass without turning it into some kind of entertainment at her expense. She hurried to clean up her wet bed.
She glanced at the old clock on the wall, seeing it was almost seven in the morning.
No wonder Lucy was so angry—Nicole was late. She was supposed to be up by four, having already done the laundry, cleaned the bathrooms, and, most importantly, cooked breakfast for her demanding cousins.
Even though they were old enough to do these chores themselves, they still dumped everything on her.
Nicole couldn’t help but wonder—if she weren’t around, would they even know how to feed themselves?
“Well, well, the princess is finally awake,” Lizabelle sneered. “I saw your rich friend’s post online last night—you looked like you had fun.”
Lizabelle’s tone was full of sarcasm as she yanked at a few strands of Nicole’s hair, forcing her to bow her head.
“You think wearing a fancy dress and graduating makes you special? You’re still poor. You’re still just our servant. And most importantly, you’re still an orphan.”
Nicole winced, but she held her composure.
“Auntie, I never thought graduating would make me forget who I am. Leah and her friends invited me last night. I didn’t even try to wear a gown like theirs. I just—”
“Just admit it,” Lizabelle interrupted, her voice dripping with disdain. “You’re trying to climb your way into their world. You hang around rich people because you want to feel like you belong.”
Lizabelle raised her hand as if to slap Nicole. Nicole flinched, bracing herself for the hit.
This was how her family always saw her friendship with Leah—they thought she was trying to climb the social ladder, which wasn’t true. Nicole didn’t understand why they couldn’t see things differently.
“What are you standing around for? We’re hungry! Move!” Lucy yelled, making Nicole flinch again.
Nicole quickly responded, trying to stay calm. “I’m going now… you don’t have to yell…”
Before she could stop herself, the words came out. She immediately regretted it. Her lack of a filter had caused trouble before, especially with Aunt Norma.
“Well, look at you! Talking back now, huh?” Lucy mocked, lifting the dipper she had used to splash water on Nicole.
Nicole instinctively raised her hands to protect herself. She knew the dipper wasn’t large, but it would hurt if it hit her. She shut her eyes, bracing for the pain—only to hear the last person she wanted to see: Aunt Norma.
“What’s going on here?” Aunt Norma’s voice rang out, loud and stern.
Nicole swallowed. Aunt Norma’s glare was fixed on her, as usual. Even though it was her cousins who had started this, Nicole knew she would be the one who’d take the fall.
“This adopted brat of yours, Aunt! Just because she graduated, she thinks she’s better than us!” Lizabelle complained, like a child tattling to their mother.
Nicole muttered under her breath, “No wonder she never learns.”
She wanted to say it out loud but stopped herself. Speaking up would only make things worse. She had done nothing wrong, but her cousins still picked fights. And, as always, Aunt Norma would side with them.
Nicole sighed, resigning herself to the situation. It was always like this. The only time she had peace was when her cousins were at their jobs outside the city.
“Lucy, Lizabelle, go back to the house. I need to talk to Nicole,” Aunt Norma ordered in a cold tone.
The two cousins shot Nicole one last glare before reluctantly leaving.
Now alone with her aunt, Nicole stood still, feeling the weight of Aunt Norma’s stare. Her aunt took a slow step toward her, the air heavy with tension.
“Where’s your college diploma, Nicole?” Aunt Norma’s voice was sharp, her gaze even sharper.
“I—I left it with Leah, Auntie. I didn’t want it to get ruined or damaged here…” Nicole stammered.
It was the truth. She didn’t trust her diploma staying in the house with her cousins’ cruelty.
“I told you from the start, don’t go to college. I knew it would just make you arrogant. None of my kids even stepped foot in a university.”
Aunt Norma’s glare didn’t soften. Nicole frowned, trying to process her words.
When she finished high school, Aunt Norma had laughed at her dream of going to college. She had begged her for permission to study, but Aunt Norma had always said no. Eventually, Nicole had started to think that maybe Aunt Norma was right—that dreaming big was pointless.
So, when she received an offer for a scholarship from a prestigious university, Nicole had been overjoyed.
She had worked hard to earn a degree in aeronautical engineering—her dream.
Nicole had done it all to prove to herself, and maybe to Aunt Norma, that she could make it. And one day, she’d help them all too.
She lowered her head, feeling drained.
“So, you’re a summa c*m laude now, huh?” Aunt Norma scoffed. “I guess that makes you feel even more entitled.”
Nicole shook her head.
“Remember this, Nicole. You owe us for taking you in. Whether you graduated or not, you’ll always be our servant. You’ll work for us for the rest of your life to pay us back for everything we’ve done for you. Got it?”
Aunt Norma’s voice was filled with anger, and Nicole bit back her tears, nodding.
Only when Aunt Norma finally left did Nicole feel like she could breathe again.
- Writer
