Lady of Vengeance

Bella is disconsolate

"Then why papa does she act mean to me sometimes? I am tired of always trying to be on my best behavior and be on good terms with her. I'm tired of being her perfect daughter, I wanna make mistakes and not give a s**t. I feel imprisoned papa. I do not attend any party or pick arguments in class to please you and her. I wanna do them but I don't. Do mama even recognizes any of my efforts? Even just a little bit?"

Munroe pulled her into a hug patting her softly on her back.

Jake grabbed the knob of the door of one of the bedrooms upstairs in his Father's mansion and he pushed the door open. His guitar was hanging down his shoulders, he pulled it off his arms weakly glancing at pictures of his late nine-year-old sister Isabel drooping on the walls. It was her bedroom.

Jake pulled a picture of Isabel off the wall, he held it in his hands, stared at it and tears escaped his eyes, "sister..."

He went down memory lane of ten years ago, it was April 1st, an April fool's day. The weather was quite blustery, the sun hid beneath the clouds. Jake was playing hide and seek with Isabel. Jake was scurrying on the fields outside the mansion chasing after her, she giggled noisily as she ran, "you can't catch me! You can't catch me." She screamed.

Jake increased his pace and he grasped her dress and pulled her nearer to him tightly and held her in his arms, she was chubby, she felt so soft and warm.

"Thought you said I can't catch you." Jake slowly dropped to the ground with her and they rolled on each other. Isabel cackled noisily.

Martina, Jake's aunt approached the fields, she screamed, "hey kids, come on and have lunch while it's sizzling hot."

Jake and Isabel rose to their feet. Isabel was almost walking away, Jake grasped her hand pulling her backwards, he screamed, "no aunt I wanna play some more with my sister."

"But you kids might be tired and hungry."

Isabel pulled his hand, "come on Jake let's go eat."

Jake grudgingly waddled with her as they stepped inside and approach the dining table. Jake crouched besides Isabel, he grasped a tissue dabbing her cheeks and neck. Her skin was slightly moist by her sweat.

Martina poured scoops of fried rice on their plate and some spicy tuna. Isabel hurriedly grasped a spoon and munched a tidbit of the tuna, "this tuna tastes pretty good but I prefer some more salt on it."

"Take it easy on the tuna." Jake grabbed his cutlerry.

Isabel chuckled and she grabbed a tiny bottle of salt and sprayed it around her meal. Unknowingly, it was contained with hard drugs and not salt.

Isabel immediately dipped her spoon in her plate of meal and gobbled three scoops. She started feeling itchy in her throat and she coughed. Jake got quite nervous, "want some water?" He clasped a cup of water, handed it to her and she downed it.

Her throat was still itching horribly, her hand trembled and the glass cup slipped off her hands landing against the floor. Jake and Martina panicked seeing her gasping and they rose to their feet hurrying to her. Jake stood close to Isabel, he shook her hand, "Isabel are you okay? Isabel what's the matter?"

He specked some shrimps underneath the tuna and he flared at Martina, "aunt why are there shrimps in her meal? Isabel is highly allergic to shrimps. She can never take shrimps. What have you done?"

Martina trembled, her eyes drooped and tears escaped them, "I'm sorry I didn't know about her allergies."

"Well it's too late she's taken it." Jake screamed, his neck and cheeks reddened in anxiety. He held Isabel in his arms, "Isabel loo..look at me. Look at me Isabel." His heart raced fast.

Isabel's eyes rolled inside their socket, her body going rigid and she was trembling. Her eyes slowly closed. Jake glanced at her hand plummeting down weakly, she was motionless. Jake felt frightened, he shook her softly and she wasn't responding. Tears escaped his eyes, "Isabel....Isabel.....Izzy....Izzy....." He shed tears on her neck.

Jake jolted out of his thoughts. He sat weakly on Isabel's bed feeling a lump in his throat. He approached her wardrobe, pulled it opened and glanced at her dresses hanging. He had insisted her clothes were not disposed neither the sheets on her bed removed throughout the years. He visits her bedroom almost every day checking her stuffs and cuddle her toys like her Teddy bears reminiscing of their memories together.

**

The weather was icy, light snows flowed from the sky and the wind was subtle. It was Friday afternoon, a day to the weekend. Jake spotted Bella and Bianca seated across a table in Brittler High school cafeteria. The cafeteria was packed as usual. Jake's cheeks melted into a broad smile looking at Bella. He waved at their table as he headed over, he dropped his hand down slowly looking quite surprised that Bella wasn't waving back at him.

Her head was hunched, he noticed her face was grim and he approached their table. He crouched on the bench crouching besides Bella. He glanced at her tossing the meal on her plate side to side.

"What's the matter Bella? Don't you wanna talk to me? Can't you see I'm over here? Hello Bella."

Bella was still tight lipped.

Jake sighed, "what's wrong with Bella?"

"That's how she's been since she stepped into the classroom. She wouldn't talk to anybody and would not do anything. I've tried talking to her but she's been quiet. Maybe you should try to talk to her." Bianca sprang to her feet, grabbed her handbag and walked out of the table.

Jake tapped Bella on her arm, "Bella you're okay? Say something."

Tears escaped Bella's eyes, "she wouldn't talk to me."

"Who?" Jake raised his brows.

'My mum. She didn't even look at my face or hugged me or peck me on my cheek. She didn't even say to me honey how was your night? Hope you slept well? And she didn't cook my meal. I don't know what I'm upset about? That she didn't act that way to me or she hasn't been that way to me? I wanna do everything so we can be on good terms, " Bella sniffed, "I wanna take up a job to replace her jug so she can be atleast sweet to me. I hope that, we can hang as mother and daughter. I wonder when that time's gonna come. I can't wait."

"Bella...., " Jake held her hand and his eyes widened astounded that it was quite hot. He touched her neck and her face, "you are running in high temperature."

"I'm alright."

"Nah you are not. I'm bringing you to the school's clinic." Jake sprang to his feet, stretched his hand to hers, "let me have your hand."

"I'm good Jake."

"No you are not good." Jake grasped her hand, pulled her from her seat and he held her by her waist striding with her heading out of the cafeteria and approaching the stairs.