𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐶ℎ𝑒𝑓 𝑆𝑢𝑟𝑔𝑒𝑜𝑛.

Chapter two.

Diva gritted her teeth as she swallowed the pain that was going through her body, the scratch from rough surfaces that was caused by him made her bite her lips. She has been through this, and this is the last day she will let them walk all over her. Yes, the last day. Now that she will be turning eighteen in four days, the money that the old man promised her will be available for her to use, she will no longer need them for her university fees. His grip on her hair was so tight that she was sure after he lets go, he will be holding a bunch of her hair on his hands.

As he dragged her down, she watched as the rest stood by, her mother just folded her hands on her chest, Monica stood there her hands a kimbo, smirking evily at her and then Mercy was staring at her nails, blowing unseen dust.

"Do you think that just by cooking whatever you want and hiding in your room will make you escape the punishment?" Her father shouted, his face still focused ahead, "we told you not to cook meat when Mercy is around but you never listen. Did that old man not teach you to follow the rules?"

"Honey, just throw her in the dark room," her mother rolled her eyes, "just the sight of her disgusts me!"

"Mother, sis is used to the dark room, that is why she is no longer afraid," Mercy ran to her mother, gave her a pitiful look and touched her stomach,"I have not eaten for the whole day, and she just made the same mistake. Mum, does she hate me that much?"

Well, that was enough to add fumes, her mother walked over and stood infront of her husband, "honey, don't you think we are letting her off too easy."

Her stepfather stopped, released her hair and looked at his wife, "what do you have in mind?" He actually did not care how she was treated, to him, she waste one of the waste that whenever he is angry, she can be his punching bag.

"How about the family punishment? Thirty strokes, then throw her in the dark room without food, maybe by then she will learn how to do what she is asked to do!" She shrieked.

Diva just remained silent, she was still sitting on the floor, her right hand supporting her upper body and her legs were bent to the back. She lowered her head with her long hair covering her face, her body was stained with blood from fresh wounds and scratch marks. The whole posture made her look like a haunted ghost. It is not that she was afraid to look up, she was just not prepared of what she might do once she looked up and saw their proud faces. This whole family is like they enjoy the pleasure of being on top of others, especially those weak people who cannot fight back.

She tried to lift her left hand to hold her throbbing headache. From the moment Mister Rivera had gripped her hair it started to ache, and one thing she was not prepared for today, was the migrane. From the moment she entered this body, she has been having a lot of complications, including irregular migrane, and this was the worst time for it. Suddenly, someone tightly gipped her left wrist and forcefully pulled her upwards then yanked her forward and she made a sharp inhale.

All through the time she was being tortured, she did not even have the chance to scream, only painful hissing sounds, until she was thrown into the dark room, that was when she started murmuring, "medicine," over and over.

Not long after, the door creaked open again, and a shreak came from the outside, "Diva, even if I am a foster daughter, atleast they love me, but you, what are you?" She held roughly gripped her chin and lifted it the shoved it to the other side, "you are just a washed up rural girl, who came from nowhere and thought could be loved," the smirk in her voice made it known that she enjoyed the torture she was giving her.

"Medicine, medicine," Diva was slumped on the floor, she hates this moment, the moment where she felt weak and could not do anything, "please, medicine."

Laughter came from above her, "who do you expect to give you medicine? I am neither your maid or your nurse," she snickered, "don't you know everyone here is waiting for you to completely disappear? I wonder how you are still surviving."

Diva lifted her right hand and tried to reach for Mercy's clothes, but Mercy moved back and lifted her high heeled shoe, then stepped over her, "how dare you try to touch me with those dirty hands!"

On the other hand, Diva was groaning, her lips had turned pale and there was a trace of blood from the corner of her lips. She wanted this night to end, if and when she wakes up tomorrow, she will leave and never come back to this house. Her university fees was set aside by the old man. That was one of things that she loved him for, the old man always planned ahead. Sleep, was the last thing she managed to have that night, and to make matters worse, no one came to check on her and she didn't know how long she had been there until the doors were opened and two maids came with a bucket wiped her body and gave her some bread and milk, that was when she got the chance to speak.

With a raspy voice, she asked, "how long?" Was the only word that came from her mouth.

"Five days," came the answer.

Five days, she had been in this dark place for five days, the last thing she remembered was after Mercy left, she was dazed from all the pain she was experiencing, and the later, the door creaked but no one came, except from a slithering sound followed by hissing but she had no strength to fight it. Later, she felt the pain on her ankle, then later, her thighs, after this went on and on, she knew it was not extremly venomous or she was immune to its poison, becuase even though her body was immune to most poisons, after being bitten for that long, she would have died already, if it was extremely venomous. Come to think of it, she looked around the room, and did not see the snake, she looked at her left ankle and saw two marks, left by its fangs.

"There is someone waiting for you outside."