Charmaine

Chapter 3

We are still scrubbing and I'm quite positive we'll be able to finish before aunty comes back. But then again, it's aunt Hilda we're talking about and I'm pretty sure she's about to burst in through the front door even though it isn't time for her to be back yet.

I look at the clock and see that we have 20 minutes left. That's more than enough time if we keep up this pace.

We're almost done cleaning when aunt Hilda comes in looking furious at the state of the kitchen. Her eyes darted around for a few seconds and landed on Anna who was on the floor with me, cleaning and she erupts in flames.

"Why are you here and your what are you doing on the floor covered in mud and holding cleaning supplies?"

"I'm helping Char clean mum, someone sabotaged her and left mud everywhere, it was only right to help"

Anna talks without an ounce of fear, but I can't say the same about me. In literally shaking because I know aunt wouldn't touch her child but we wouldn't hesitate to give me the beating of my life.

"You", my aunt said looking at me, her eyes filled with pure rage and hatred

"You turn my child to a slave?"

"No mum she didn't, I offered to help"

"Shut up" my aunt hissed at her and narrowed her eyes at me.

"Come here"

I hesitate, the biggest mistake I'd ever made in my life because the next second, I'm on the floor clutching my face with my hand. I don't even know what happened, all I saw was a flash and now I'm on the floor. I hear Anna screaming at her mom to leave me alone. I don't even have time to recollect myself because my aunt is already walking towards me and I can only put out my hands in front of my face to protect myself from her next assault.

Seconds pass and i still haven't felt anything. I bring down my hands a bit and raise my face, she's standing right in front of me.

"Stand up" she hiss

I stand up quickly, not wanting to receive any more beating. She's staring at me and I look away, not wanting to meet her eyes. She grabs my chin rather roughly and makes me look at her.

"First you try to cause a dispute between I and my husband, then you turn my child to a slave, whatever you're planning it won't work witch".

With that, she smacks my face hard, the metallic taste of blood fills my mouth as I hold on to my throbbing cheek. I look at her with tears in my eyes, It's not my fault any of this is happening. I never told Uncle Tim to stand up for me, I never told Anna to help me clean, I never wished for my parents to die, but they did and now I'm paying the price for something I can't control.