By the moon, I swear

[A Day Later]

‘She is waking up,’ Amber heard voices whispering next to her before her eyes finally opened adjusting to the bright light of the room. Her head was pounding but at least the pain in had stomach had subsided considerably. With the drip on her hand and her clothes she quickly figured out where she was. ‘What happened?’ she asked turning expecting to meet her boss. To be sincere he was her only friend and had things been different; had they met before she was pretty sure they would have been close friends. The face that she met however terrified her. She could have sworn her heart stopped for a second. Beside her was her mum wearing a stone cold hard face. Amber knew that look. It was a perfect reflection of the look she bore a month back before the tragedy.  She didn’t know how her mum found her but she was sure her days as a free woman were finally over.

Spitting on the clean tiles before her, her mum rose up from her seat and dived for her neck strangling the breath out of her. Whomever said time heals all wounds was clearly mistaken. Her mum’s anger had gradually intensified and could be seen all over her from her sweat, taut muscles to the ice cold eyes. With her whole system on medication it was hard for Amber to push her off. It was funny how life on numerous times had been cruel to her making her want to take her own life and now that it granted her wish she wanted a way out. Her only hope against her mum was trough screams which could barely come out considering.

Amber closed her eyes praying to the Almighty to give her one more chance when two men ran into the room. It had been a while before she prayed and with good reason. But with the outcome of the prayer it made her wonder if it was she who forgot how to pray or the angel carrying her prayer delivered the wrong message. For God sent more doom instead of Calvary. For a second, a split second she almost let the anguish she felt overwhelm her. Her tears which she swore never to let out in public almost had their way.

‘Let me go. That w***e needs to die,’ her mum cursed while trying to wiggle out of the policeman’s clutches tears dripping down her cheeks. Her mum was a lot of things but crying just didn’t suite her. Even while her husband beat the s**t out of her she still never shed a tear. To be truthful Amber looked up to her in that department. The day her husband died she was in shock and pain and for a while Amber thought the woman would break down into tears but she didn’t. Maybe it was too much for her or maybe she cried afterwards? Anyway it was too late to tell and now she stood before her with those aliens dripping down her blouse. Whatever made her cry maybe sincere but Amber didn’t dismiss the fact that the woman could just be putting on an act to make her coming days eventful.

‘I need to rest now,’ Amber whispered taking one look at her boss before shutting her eyes. She wasn’t tired but the disappointed look on Gabriel was like a knife plunged deep in her own gut. It was the look she dreaded the most and part of her had hopped for several days that their time together up to the time she would leave would be beautiful. A wishful thinking among many others. She had to admit though a part of her just wanted to drive her mother over the edge. The woman had lived the best part of her life using her like a tool with no motherly affection in her. The only thing that made her better was that she kept to herself even when high not caring about them yes but at least she didn’t harm them either. Amber had hated her for the longest time but at that moment she felt no better than her. She was a murderer which was way worse than drug addict.

‘Don’t you dare close your eyes you wretched thief,’ she commanded stamping her feet hard on the floor. Her wails were loud enough to make even a comma patient break through. A familiar sound of a jaw crashing sprung into the air and Amber’s eyes flew open only to find the policeman caressing his jaw in ewe. Her mother had punched him and there was no remorse written on her face. She tried to grab Amber again but cuffs immediately took hold of her hands.

‘Woman control yourself, the policeman ordered in a firm voice while walking her out. Not giving up though her mum shouted curses in the air about how much of a w***e she was not only sleeping with her husband but killing him. She then said something to the policeman who then turned her to face Amber.  ‘You will never succeed in life,’ she said in a much more composed voice, ‘you have killed not one but two and you shall never stop. Your thirst for blood will be your undoing and the day you die I will dance on you grave. One more thing, stay away from my kids; they want nothing to do with you. Besides how could you claim to love them if you took the life of your own flesh and blood?’ With that she spat again on the floor before finally leaving the room. And for the first time in a long while, Amber let her tears slip through.

{JAIL}

The interrogation room that she was held in was empty cold with only a clock and two seats across a table. It was a soul less room as if constituting additional punishment. She heard screams and curses from the cells next to her and to be sincere it almost drove her mad. She had already spent a night in the withholding cells and it was nothing short of pure terror. The walls were grey stained with dirt and the ceilings leaking but that was the better part of it. The prostitutes that later joined her made her night unpleasant. At first they made comments and jokes about their clients and how much of a disappointment they were to them. Then their gaze shifted to her and they checked her out as if she was a ball of meat their eyes glazing with raw hunger. By that time Amber was crouched on the stone hard bed in the dark. They made their way towards her touching, pinching and caressing her. Their hands travelling from her shoulders to her buttocks. She tried to scream but her efforts were shattered down by a pair of lips crashing down hard on her. She fought back trying to push them away with all she had but even she managed to there was really nowhere to run. The concrete box was just too small for all of them. She screeched and rattled the bars shouting for help but it was like no one paid attention. A police came by to check what the ruckus was all about but on getting there he just ordered them quiet and neglected what was obviously happening. With a prayer Amber pushed all her fears down and turned to face her nemesis. They were going to spend the night together she might as well ready her teeth and nails for the war that was about to befall. The night was unthinkable and Amber was tired from the lack of sleep but fortunately the police who was with Gabriel got her out and into the interrogation room in the wee hours of the morning. It was then and only then that finally she had lay her head to rest even if just for a bit.

A lawyer was assigned to her by the state but he was bogus. After listening to what transpired that day he unbelief was written all over his face. Amber could tell the battle was over even before it began. The man even told her to plead guilty to lessen her sentence that that was her only way out. The lawyer left no later than ten minutes than he got in and Amber couldn’t help but slam her face into her hands and cry. There was really no way out for her. Her future was already doomed and condemned with no hope.

‘A cup of coffee for your thoughts?’ a voice interrupted bringing her to reality. Rubbing the tears off her eyes she glanced up to see the police who was with Gabriel smiling down at her before he took a seat next to her. She thought of declining his offer but her stomach growled so noisily that she unknowingly swallowed back a pool of saliva. She squirmed in her seat to trying to silence the rumbling to no avail. Her hand eventually betrayed her and reached out for the coffee and putting it on her mouth taking a sip. It tasted like heaven and nothing could compare to its sweetness. Maybe that’s what one felt when hunger took hold making food the constant obsession.

‘Thank you,’ she whispered drinking in the coffee then reached out for the pizza slice delving her teeth into it deep and fast. It was as if it was her last few breaths and the pizza was her wish come true. The policeman next to her was crunching his own happily. It was as if they were back to the restaurant as good friends who hadn’t seen each other for a long time sharing a meal together celebrating a happy reunion. ‘But why are you doing this?’ Amber was no fool she could tell there was a catch behind that nice gesture. The policeman didn’t seem bad at all but since she was taken into custody the others have treated her with nothing but coldness and to be sincere she deemed herself deserving. Yet since the word go when her eyes fluttered open in the hospital that specific policeman looked at her with so much warmth and care. He did not judge or resent he just looked at her as if she was someone worth protecting and a second chance in life. Or maybe he was a friend of Gabriel? That would explain a lot but still she was pretty sure Gabriel wanted nothing to do with her anymore not that she would blame him. She was already accustomed to hard life.

As reading her thoughts he said, ‘Yes I’m a friend of Gabriel and yes he asked me to look after you. My name is Amos. He still considers you a great friend and any friend of his is a friend of mine too. He’s my younger brother but no that not why I’m doing this,’

Ambers mind had barely registered that the two were brothers but what surprised her more was the fact that Gabriel still cared for her. The joy laughter and cheer from deep in her heart stained a smile on her lips. A smile that she wanted to put on eternally. She closed her eyes for a minute and drew in a lung full of the air imagining his sweet voice instead of the annoying ticking clock. Apart from her sisters, never had anyone stood firm by her. Never had anyone put her needs beforehand. Or remained by her side after discovering the cold hard truth. At least then she was hopeful that he would stand by her too when he discovered the whole truth. That she was no saint or innocent. It was amazing how Gabriel had enough faith in her and yet he didn’t even know the motives behind the murder she caused. For a moment she felt like if God’s whisper was in the room with her promising her of a better future. Then a questioned dawned on her interrupting her beautiful moment. ‘So then if not for Gabriel then why are you helping me Amos?’

Amos sat next to her silent for a while choosing his next words wisely. He wanted to help her to protect her but he didn’t want to scare her off. He didn’t know what set her off to do what she did but he was pretty sure a person like her would only react when pushed to her limit. When Gabriel first told him about her he had his doubts which were completely erased when he lay his eyes on her. All he saw was a demented soul seeking freedom and happiness and he intended to do everything in his power to help her and so help him God. ‘To be sincere I don’t have a definite answer to that myself. All I know is that when I look at you all I see is a girl incapable of harming anyone. I’ve in this profession a while to be able to differentiate between the good people and the bad and you are definitely one of the good ones,’

‘You don’t know how much that means to me. Thank you. My lawyer just informed me that my case is later today and high chances I’ll be transferred to the penitentiary today. Even so I’m glad to have at least five people who believe in me,’

‘Five?’ Amos questioned his eyebrows furrowing. Being a policeman he had done his research. Gabriel had approached him before and informed him of her case. He said she looked too young to carry the shoulders of the earth on her shoulders and had asked him to do some digging on his behalf. After meeting her from afar Amos agreed and had just began his research when she fell ill and was rushed to the hospital. ‘I thought you only had two sisters? As for your mother well, we both know which line she stands on,’

‘I see you did your homework; impressive. How are they? Did you see them….?’ Question after question erupted from her mouth. She had missed her sisters so much and would love nothing more than to see them. Not a day had gone by that she hadn’t dreamed of them or prayed for them for that matter. Life might have been cruel to her but she prayed every minute and every second of her life that it was better for them. From the look on his face though she could tell that he hadn’t seen them either. The hope she had in her died instantly but she still decided to answer his question. He deserved it. ‘My sisters’ candy and candela, Gabriel and you,’ she whispered in a firm voice.

‘I don’t know what to say. Thanks and I’m sorry but I haven’t seen them but you still can.’ Even before she posed the question he continued, ‘I’ve this lawyer friend of mine who has never lost a case. I talked to him about you and he promised to help. If anyone can get you through he can. Trust me.’ With that he stood to leave leaving behind an astonished Amber. She had nothing to say to him. She was dumb folded the day was not turning out the way she expected. It was turning out for the better. She wanted nothing more than to spring to her feet and jump for joy but she sat back and let the hope soak into her bones. As much as she hoped she knew it was a fifty - fifty chance. She had learnt long time ago never to have expectations as life pushed as hard as it pulled. All she could do was savor the moment and hope for the best.

On his way out Amos turned to face her, ‘you said five people believed in you but mentioned only four. May I ask who the fifth is?’

‘GOD.’ With that he left the room.

{Twenty minutes later}

‘I won’t beat around the bush. Your case is complicated but I can however get you out and have all your history buried but..,’

‘What the catch,’ Amber questioned the tall dark handsome man in front of her. He was dressed in a black suit that hugged his body tightly. To be sincere doing his body justice. The minute she had laid eyes on him she had trouble focusing. Everything about him drew her in from her looks to her expensive cologne that made her senses go wild. Anyway there was no denying that he was cute but she wasn’t into him. Such a shame she sighed inwardly. That was business strictly business she reminded herself before her senses going back to him. Everything about him stunk of wealth and for a rich man to take his time and visit a cage like that he must have a good reason.

‘I love straight forward people. Good now let’s get into what I get out of this. I will get you out of jail and in exchange you work for me. Do we have a deal?’

‘What kind of work if I may ask?’

‘No you may not. For now all you need to know is that I have the power to change your future. It’s up to you if you want your freedom again.’ Digging into his suitcase he pulled out a contract and lay it out before her. The contract was pretty vague. It only stated that from then onwards she would be working for him but didn’t specify on what. ‘You have ten minutes. If I walk out of that door the deal is off and you will never see me again.’ With that he began going through the case leaving her to her decision.

Amber didn’t know what to do. A lot of questions were rising up into her mind but she just could settle the weird feeling in her stomach that signing the contract would be like throwing herself into the fire. But she wanted to see her sisters so much that she would do anything not as far as killing but close.

‘I said you couldn’t ask me about the job but I didn’t say that you couldn’t ask me a question? What’s on your mind,’ the lawyer asked on seeing her confusion his voice rich of masculinity.

Amber began asking her questions her heart clenching tightly for her worst fears to be confirmed but either way she had to have an idea at least. ‘Does the job have to do something with prostitution?

‘NO.’

‘Slavery?’

‘Are we in the old ages now? No,’

‘Submissive? Because I can tell you right now I won’t do it,’

‘HECK NO.’

‘Maid?’

‘NO.’

‘Drugs?’

‘NO.’

‘Then what?’

‘That I can’t tell. Your ten minutes are up. So what is it going to be?’