Arranged Alliance

The Start of Hell

Nora Duke

"What are you doing?" A shrill voice came that made me jump. I hurriedly pressed the letter on the envelope but a hand on my shoulder turned me around, I threw the letter under the bed and made eye contact with my stepmother, Sana. "What were you doing?" She asked, stretching her neck to see if I hid something. I pushed her away from me and sat on my bed.

"It's none of your business," I spoke. She looked at me and I knew how much she wanted to hurt me.

"What did you say?" She asked.

"What have you just heard?" I said. She came close to me and stared into my eyes.

"Don't play games with me, girl. I don't know what you were doing, but I know that for sure what you are planning I would never allow you to do that." She hissed at me. "What I told you was true, consider it or not." She straightened her position and, binding her hands behind her back.

"But I am not planning anything." I said innocently. She stared at me like I was another creature, then she started to laugh. I always hated her laughing. Her laugh scared me, her laughter would make my hair stand on end. While she was laughing, I always took her in.

She has brown hair, and in the sun sometimes it looks red. She had fox-like eyes that were a brown color. She has thin cheekbones that make her really beautiful. Her skin was white, she was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen, but also the cruelest person I had ever seen. Sometimes I see my mother in her and sometimes with Satan. Sometime she is light and sometimes dark. Sometimes she is soft and sometimes cold.

"That was a great joke, Nora." Sana said after having a fit of laughing. She came close to me and put her finger under my chin to raise my eyes that met her. "Who are you joking with? Huh?" She asked.

"From you." I said with a straight face. She smirked then her smirk fell. I hate these moments because whenever I muster up this type of courage I always end up in this type of situation. She stood straight and smirked and went back.

"My beautiful daughter," She trailed her finger from my forehead, "do you know why you are beautiful?" I didn't say anything, "because your mother was very beautiful." She said and I could sense the hatred behind her smile, her fingers trailed down to my neck and she stuck her finger in my hair. "You haven't seen her but I did." she twirled my hair around her finger. I can already sense the pain, "And she was one hell of gorgeous." She said, it was almost like she wasn't here but she was. Then her eyes snapped on me and my soul left my body, but I stood still, "But I am not going to make you what your mother was." She said, pulling that strand and then let it go. I was on the floor now, getting up. I was on my legs. I watched as she locked the door and came to me.

My worst nightmare of nightmares.

21 years ago

"Dad." I shouted from across the hall and ran towards him. He grabbed me in my arms and pulled me up and kissed me on the cheek.

"What was my princess doing?" He asked, walking into the living room. There was a nanny standing near the sofa. A mate came and handed him a coffee. I ran out of his arms and showed him the drawing I made. "Hmm, what is this?" He said, grabbing the paper from my hand. I bent my hands behind my back and started to rock my heels.

"It's a drawing. It's me, you and mom." I said, pointing at the family. His face fell hearing mom name. I was smiling with my teeth. He pulled me in his lap and stroked my hair.

"Nora." He called.

"Hmm." I started to play with his thumb.

"Do you know where mom is?" He asked. I looked at him and nodded. "Where is she?"

"She is nowhere. She is dead." His hand stopped stroking my hair. He would also be shocked at how a 4-year-old girl knew about her mother, but in school no one made me get me out of reality. He glanced at the nanny and her jaw was dropped. "She didn't tell me," I said quickly, still playing with his thumb. I looked at him, "My classmates told me. She didn't." I chanced at her. "I also heard on the news that she is dead." I said to him. He was looking at me and I wasn't his child. His grip loosened on me and I jumped off him. "I want to sleep," I announced, and he went up with me in the room and slept with me.

2 years later

"I do." My dad spoke and both of them exchanged rings. Her daughter was standing beside me. I was just sitting at the side table. I didn't talk to anyone, no one talked to me. After the wedding, we all went home.

5 years later

"Like mother, like daughter." She said one time. I looked up at her and showed her the letter. Which has written all the truth about her dirty deeds.

"What is this?" I asked her. She smirked and crouched at my level.

"Your truth." She said and she grasped the letter out of my hand and slapped me across the face. "Your life"

And from that day my hell started. The hell where my mother was once. My real mother.