Not like Us

Chapter 11

" We are here. "

Bella looked at her father who was unbuckling his seatbelt. It was already dawn and cold. She was already wearing her denim jacket but the cold still went through her. Bella looked at outside the car's window and she saw a gardener watering the plants and flowers in the garden. The gardener took a glance but immediately went back to what he was doing.

" Does mom knew about this? " She asked. Her voice was hoarse. She just woke up. She was busy remembering all the road details that she did not notice that she already slept. Her body was sore and heavy, too, due to the excessive amount of work she had done yesterday.

Ten years after her mother and father broke up, her father never interfered on her mother's decision about her. Her mom was always the rules. But despite of that, he and her mother were just the same. They had forgotten her when they broke up. They lived their own lives and only spent a little time checking up on her. They were too focused building their own family while Bella was being shattered completely, alone.

" I am your father. I have the right. "

Hearing the word ' right ', Bella felt like she was just a thing to them being played around. She was being tossed side by side. Tossing her to the other side when they do not want her anymore.

He went out of the car and waited for Bella to do so. She looked at what was in front of her. It was another house. Someone else's home. When could she called a house her home?

She sighed and unbuckled her seatbelt. She went out of the car. Her father, again, felt a relief seeing Bella's not resisting or being difficult. He had gotten Bella's luggage. He smiled.

" Let us go in, my princess, " he said. Bella did not reacted. She just followed him as they went inside the big house.

They were already maids walking around the house and doing their own chores. Everytime the maids passed them, they stopped and greeted Bella's father. They looked at Bella and greeted her, as well. They knew Bella. Bella had visited the house a few times. Once every three months.

They went upstairs. Her father brought her into her room. He made sure that he would allocate Bella a room of her own to his home when he designed the house's blueprint.

" I already asked someone to clean this room and change the bedsheets and pillowcases. Please be comfortable, princess. "

Bella just nodded and took over on bringing her own luggage inside. Her father was just outside. Waiting for Bella to say anything.

" I will take a rest. Thank you, " she said and closed the door. She placed her luggage near her closet. She removed her denim jacket and lay down in bed. She took off her shoes, too. She looked at the side table. There was a picture of her when she was just a nine year old child. This was her first time coming in to this room. On the past, she never let herself into the second floor. She did not want to intrude someone else's house.

She felt there were sunrays hitting her face. She looked at the window and the curtains were open. She lift herself up to close it and went back in laying down. She felt that her body felt tired. She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

" Bella "

Bella felt a light shake on her shoulders.

" Bella "

The voice was unfamiliar to her. It was a woman's voice.

" Bella "

The shake continued.

Bella groaned. She wanted to open her eyes but it was too heavy. She felt her entire surroundings was very hot as well. She forced herself to opened her eyes. Her eyes were blurry and the room was spinning. She slowly sat up and a towel fell from her forehead. She stabilized herself and her eyes slowly adjusted. She looked at the person who was in front of her. It was his dad's wife. " What are you doing here and where is dad? " Bella asked. She could not imagine that her father would let her woman interact with her. They were always not in good terms.

" He has an emergency at work. He needs to be there. "

Bella looked at the wall clock. It was already eight o' clock in the morning. She averted her attention back to his father's wife. She saw that she was holding something in both of her hands. Her father's wife handed her a medicine and a glass of water. Bella just looked at it. " What is that, Rebecca? And, did I ever allow you to get in to my room? "

Rebecca's eyebrows raised. " You did not allow me but your father permitted me to. You are having a burning fever and basically, I am your father's wife. I own this house, too. I do not need your permission. "

Bella pushed aside the water. It fell from Rebecca's hand and the water spilled all over the floor.

" I do not need that, " Bella said as she lay down and covered herself with a sheet.

" Lyn! " Rebecca called someone. Few minutes later someone went in to the room. Rebecca was sitting on the couch parallel to Bella's bed when Lyn arrived.She was reading a magazine.

" What is it, ma'am? " Lyn asked.

" Wipe the water on the floor and bring her another glass of water. Just put it on her side table, " Rebecca commanded.

Lyn nodded. She grabbed a clean wipe on her pocket and used it to wipe the water on the floor. Rebecca put down the magazine on the couch. She stood up and took a glimpse on Bella before going outside. Lyn was finished with wiping so she followed Rebecca who was going down the stairs. Rebecca noticed that she was already following.

" Be sure to check up on her every four hours. Check to see if her fever cools down. Do not forget to bring her soup, too. Just call me when anything happens and make sure to not let Dustin be near her while she is sick, " Rebecca directed.

" Yes, ma'am. Have fun with your work. "

Rebecca nodded and grabbed her key and purse on the table of the living room where she put it there for a minute to check up on Bella.

She went out of the house and drove off.

Lyn prepared an egg drop soup for Bella. It took her ten minutes to prepare. She did not forget to bring her the water, too. When she arrived on Bella's room, she was still under the sheets. Lyn placed the soup and water on her side table. Bella was asleep. She placed her hand on Bella's forehead. She was still hot.

Lyn contemplated whether to wake her up or not. But the egg drop soup was best when served hot and she needed to drink her medicine to cool down. She sighed and shook Bella's shoulder.

" Ma'am Bella, " she called. Bella groaned and shove her hands away from her shoulders.

" I told you. I do not need you, " Bella said in a low voice. She did not have any energy to put force on her voice.

" Ma'am Bella, you need to eat and drink your medicine, " Lyn said. She did not want to be scolded by her employers if she failed to let Bella eat and drink her medicine.

Bella heard the voice and she recognized that it was not Rebecca's. She sat up, leaned on the headboard, and faced her, " Are you Lyn? " Bella asked. That was the name Rebecca shouted earlier. Lyn nodded. She handed the tray containing the soup to Bella. " You need to eat, ma'am. "

Bella was about to turn her down but her stomach rumbled and Lyn heard it too. She had not eaten a lot for dinner because she could not believe that her father went there to the province to fetch her.

Lyn flashed a smile when she heard that and immediately unsmiled when she saw Bella looked at her. She hurriedly handed the tray. Bella had no other choice but to accept it. She started eating. Lyn waited for her until she was finished.

They both looked at the door when they heard a soft knock. Lyn looked at Bella to wait for her command on whether to open the door or not Bella looked at Lyn, too, " Is that going to be Rebecca? "

Lyn immediately shook her head. " No, ma'am. Ma'am Rebecca got to work. "

Bella nodded. " You can open it. "

Bella looked at Lyn who stood up and went to the door to open it. Bella noticed Lyn's face brighten up. " Hello, young master! Good morning! " Lyn greeted. She opened the door widely and let the person outside enter.

A six-year-old boy with his teddy bear entered the room. It was staring at Bella. " Ate Bella? " The child asked.

Bella sighed. " Dustin, " she lowly said. She might be angry with her mom and dad but her siblings from both sides did not do anything wrong to her. The child went near her. " Are you fine? You look sick. "

Lyn followed him and slowly pulled him away from Bella. " Dustin, you can not be near her for now. She is indeed sick. She has a fever and now that you see your sister. You should go now to the kitchen. I'll prepare your breakfast. "

Dustin face turned sad. Dustin had a weak immune system. He could easily catch fever, cough, and cold from someone.

Lyn secretly pinched herself at her back. It was a bad move that she let the kid in.

Dustin nodded and Lyn directed her outside. Lyn faced Bella. " Miss Bella, you should now drink your medicine. "

Bella reached for the medicine and water on her table and drank it. Lyn got the glass of water from her. " I will be back at twelve, ma'am, " Lyn said and went out of Bella's room.

Bella got out of her bed and search for her phone in her purse. She turned it on but it turned off immediately. Great, I need a charger. Bella thought. Her mother did not brought it when they were packing her things.

Bella placed her hands on her forehead. The heat was already cooling down. She decided to went inside the bathroom and took a shower. That would help her ease the heat. As she finished her shower, she started picking some clothes to wear. It was still inside her luggage. She did not had time to transfer it to her closet. She picked a ripped jeans and a plain black sweater. She had no other choice to wear a ripped jeans than wearing a skirt. That would make her cold. She started combing her hair and applied some light make-up.

Bella brought out her purse. It had money and credit cards on it. She was already outside the subdivision. She sneaked out of the house and luckily no one saw her. She looked st her wristwatch and it was still thirty minutes past nine she still had two hours and thirty minutes before they found out she went out.

She saw a taxi and signaled to stop it. She entered the taxi, " To the mall please, " she said to the driver. The taxi's aircon was on. She hugged herself. It was still cold even she was on sweater.