The Poison.
1208 Words
Chapter 2
My hands trembled as I shook my head in fear. I dared not provoke my stepmother. “No. I just wanted to ask if I could have my breakfast or lunch?
“No, you can have it only after you finish your chores,” Emilia said before leaving. I wanted to yell at her for treating me this way. She wouldn’t tolerate anyone doing this to her own children.
Even with all the work Emilia had given me, I tried to keep my spirits up. Today was special—I was one step closer to freedom. Tomorrow, I will turn eighteen, and like every other teenager in Midnight village, I will shape-shift for the first time. It was going to be painful, but after everything I’d been through, a little more pain was nothing I couldn’t handle.
My father had already chosen a mate for me, someone I would marry when the time was right. His name was Jack Midnight, the son of our Alpha. He was every woman’s dream in the pack, maybe even in the entire world. I’d never been outside Midnight, but others were allowed to. We had a school, shops, and restaurants here, so my father saw no reason for me to leave. He was strict, and his rules applied to all his children. But somehow, Emilia had made him loosen them for her little witch of a daughter, Sarah.
“Hailey, are you still working?” Sarah’s voice jolted me from my reverie as I scrubbed the veranda. Speak of the devil, and there she was.
Her blonde hair was tied back in a neat ponytail. At twenty, she was tall and beautiful, though she was never my father's biological child. Sarah was from Emilia's first marriage, but my father cared for her deeply.
“Of course, Sarah,” I replied, though I knew she wasn’t blind. I was nearly finished scrubbing the floor with the sponge and soapy water. Beads of sweat dotted my forehead as I looked up at Sarah, who was dressed as always in a lovely pink sleeveless gown.
“I spoke to Jack,” Sarah said, “and he mentioned that his father is going to announce his bride tonight. Do you know who it is?” Her question stung, especially since she already knew my father's plans. To make matters worse, I was secretly dating Jack. Our time together was rare because of my endless chores, but I believed he loved me just as much as I loved him.
“I don’t know, Sarah. All I know is that I have to finish my chores before tonight,” I said politely, continuing to scrub.
“Fine, it’s not like I care,” Sarah said, though her jealousy was palpable. “Have you washed the clothes I left on the floor in my room?”
My heart sank. Had I forgotten more chores? I had little time to fill the cans with water, and the tap was quite a distance away. Midnight Village was far from modern; we still did things the old-fashioned way.
“Can I do them tomorrow?”
“No, I need them tomorrow. Also, I don’t want you to give lame excuses from tomorrow. It is a big day and mother is going to give you a lot of chores,” she replied with a frown.
“Do it yourself.”
“What? What did you say?” Sarah walked towards me with anger and I knew she was going to land me a dirty slap. I hadn’t recovered from his mom’s kick, so I quickly intervened.
“I will do it when I have finished scrubbing. Promise..”
“Better…,” she looked at me disdainfully and handed me the apple in her hand. “Jack sent it.”
Jack? Why would he send her to deliver an apple to me? Why did she take it in the first place? The Sarah I knew would never agree to it.
Something was off about it, so I rejected the gift.
“You don’t want to?” Sarah asked with concern in her eyes. I thought it was fake. She took out a letter and handed it over to me. “I met him at the entrance. He just gave it to me.”
Quickly, I took the paper from her and read through it. The handwriting belonged to Jack, so I was convinced that he had sent me this gift.
I ate it immediately without washing it because I was so hungry. The apple was not going to be enough, but I could manage and get the chores done.
I felt my tongue burn as I was nearly finished with the apple. My eyes reddened as I struggled to swallow the last bite. Something seemed off about the apple, but I was confused. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that I hadn't eaten since yesterday.
After finishing my chores and eating my meal, my body grew weak when I reached the bathroom. I threw up for twenty minutes before I could manage to take a bath.
Afterward, I pulled a black gown from my bag and put it on. It was old, but I cherished it. Before she passed away, Grandmother told me it was my mom’s favorite, and I made it mine as well.
“Hailey, will you get outside before I chop off your neck?” Emilia yelled from outside. It was easy to hear her screams since we lived in a bungalow. My room used to be a storage space, so I stayed outside the main house.
I combed my thick, long hair before dashing outside to meet them. Even though Emilia spent hours getting ready, she still looked the same. Sarah didn’t resemble her at all—clearly, she got her looks from her father.
“I thought you weren’t coming,” Sarah said, surprised to see me outside. I could see the shock spreading from her face to her entire body. I wondered what was so strange about me going to the village square with them.
“Why not?”
“Be… because you’re sick.”
“I’m not sick,” I said, gritting my teeth. What was she trying to do? Emilia could use this as an excuse to make me stay behind, all alone.
“Are you sick?” Emilia glared at me. It was true that my skin had gone pale after I finished the chores. My eyes were swollen, and my lips were cracked. I still felt pain in my stomach, tongue, and joints. Could the apple I ate have been poisoned? “If you’re sick, you’re staying back, little rat. I can’t deal with you tonight.”
“No, I’m fine.”
Emilia nodded and motioned for us to hurry. She held on to her fourteen-year-old son, my father’s only child with Emilia. Another one of my biggest bullies. He was a pretender, and I cared little for him. I avoided him like the plague.
We were almost at the venue when a sharp pain hit my chest like a bullet. I fell to the ground while people gathered around me, and that was the last thing I remembered.
- Writer
