Her Tortured Bear

Chapter 6

Miranda's POV

I looked at that bastard who made the announcement and wanted to throw all the knives in my reach at him. Honestly I knew that I could kill him with a single fork. Enough is enough. What the f**k had they thought that they were going to make me do my entire life? To give up everything that I wanted to achieve and live by their terms and rules. The boy who was sitting beside me looked at me with a s**t eating grin on his face and I wanted to slam his head on the table and then keep on slamming until I could see his face all bloodied over.

I could not possibly comprehend any single thing at all which might be happening all over the table and the sensation that all the eyes were turning in my direction made me feel even more aware about my current predicament. There was a high chance that I might have actually stabbed someone if Cadence had not chosen that moment to speak.

My heart and my brain was screaming for blood when Cadence suddenly spoke up.

“Mom and dad, can I take Mindy to the room for a few moments? I think she is so happy she has lost her bearings,” she said with a teasing note in her voice and everyone around the table laughed at her comments.

And I knew why she was doing it but she had to tell lies for even taking me away. Only Cad could see what had actually happened. The moment everything was going in my way they made it sure that I could not move or shift from here. She knew that his father was a bastard as well but she was helpless like me.

“But we are in the middle of our luncheon sweetie. I am sure she will be fine in a few moments. I can understand that this will be particularly shocking for her since she had no inkling about it from beforehand but this a joyous news. And every girl looks forward to this day of becoming a woman which she will be once she is engaged to Jackson. Now Jackson here, is a fine young man who is in college and we think that he will look after the family business once he graduates. And Miranda will be the perfect one for him,” said the rat faced bastard and I looked at my mother. I did not understand that what I felt for her any longer. If I had any ounce of sympathy for her because she was weak and backbone-less now all was gone. All that consumed me was rage and it fuelled my desire to murder the both of them.

It was apparently very clear that getting me married as soon as possible means that the vineyard would be under the control of another family as well, which I suppose is this Jackson’s. And then I shall be nothing but another reflection of my mother who is living an empty and soulless marriage despite of having no such issues. How could someone do this to their own flesh and blood I could not understand at all???

WHY ME?????

I wanted to scream in frustration but I could only sit back and force forkfuls of food in my mouth and smile if I heard my name being called. They wanted the perfect woman, I am going to show them the perfect woman. Huh!! They had put their hands in the wrong hole this time and every single one of these bastard was going to be bitten by the venom which was coursing through my blood. I knew that nothing could change the fact that my own mother had betrayed for the sake of a man who was not my father and also she had made me feel that I was nothing more than just a piece of paper which could be given over to anyone that they wished. In the name of the good that they were doing they were actually making sure that I did not run away.

HUH!! My father wanted me to fly, he had always told me that I was not the one to be staying back here for apparently looking after the vines. Yes they were always going to be a part of who I am and who I was going to be in the future but no…these people were not going to let that happen and I knew that in the core of my being.

“So Miranda, I think you and Jackson should get acquainted now that both of you are going to be engaged. I hope that you are going to have a nice time alone…so why don’t you show him around the vines?” asked the bastard and I looked up at him with such rage that if it was possible then he might have smouldered on the spot. But I hung a sugary sweet smile on my lips and said,” Would it be good if Cadence comes along with us? I mean, it would not be proper for us to be talking unchaperoned I think.”

And there were murmurs of satisfied comments all around the table.

“Of course darling. That is a very good idea,” said my mother and for even one moment I was thankful. This put a dampener on whatever plans that bastard might have had for that Jackson to do with me alone. I rose from the table and the boy named Jackson rose alongside me. Cadence also rose along with us and we gradually went out in the living room.

“I thought I would take you on a drive in my new truck but now it seems that we are stuck here with her,” Jackson said as we were getting our jackets and I immediately spun on my feet looking at him and glared. I was already angry and the way that he was speaking about my sister made my only suspicions get confirmed.

“Your name is Jackson, right?” I asked him and he grinned and then said,” Are you stupid or what? Didn’t you hear what your father said back in the dining hall?”

“Are you f*****g kidding me? You are going to marry her and the first question you ask her if she is stupid or not? And then you say that you are stuck here with me? What did you think that you could take her out on a drive in a lonely place and then you could get to have some fun, huh? After all you are already announced together, isn’t it?” said Cadence in a loud voice. Jackson looked at her as if he wanted to slap her for her words but I stood in front of her and said,” Listen, what-ever-the-f**k-your-name-might be, and I don’t care…but if you think that you are going to speak rudely to my sister and I am going to allow that then you are in for a very nasty surprise.”

“Oh yeah? What are you going to do?” asked Jackson as he sneered at me. We were out in the clearing in the back of our house and after a few metres the vines started.

I walked a few short slow steps in his direction and said,” You see I am a very strange creature with extremely strange taste. I have a strange liking for burning things down, maybe my step-father has not said all these things to you, or your father as well. Of course when he is planning a deal he would not do that, would he now? So I have this inclination of burning things, the doctors tell me that I am suffering from pyromania and there is no cure for it. The chances for my conditions getting worse are very possible, so next time you open your mouth before us and start spewing nonsense think that all they might find of you at the end of the day are your charred bones and nothing else.”

“Are you threatening me, b***h? f*****g crazy cunt!!!” shouted Jackson as I smiled gleefully.

“Oh no no dear…why would I do that now? You are going to be engaged with me so I cannot possibly do that right? But I am just telling you in case you know, some accidents happen and then it might fire out of control. You know these things happen and then there is no one to blame at all. Only the victims remain, some with burns and some absolutely burnt,” and while saying the words I could see a hint of fear in his eyes thinking that I was really a mad girl. Good!

“You are crazy psycho b***h. And you should be locked up!!” snarled Jackson but I could see that he was scared. And I was glad that I had been able to scare.

“Oh dear!! Is that so? But then I am a stupid chit, am I not? I wouldn’t know these things,” I said as I turned back from him and started walking towards the vines with Cadence holding her hand.

That boy was still standing there with an expression on his face which was more or less inscrutable.

“So you coming? Or are you gonna stand there like a statue?” asked Cadence as she turned back and looked at him. He spat on the ground and said,” Go to hell you f*****g bitches.”

“Suit yourself,” I said as we walked deeper in the vines going in the direction where Cadence had made her leaf fort.

“That was awesome…the way you scared him,” said Cadence with a smile on her face which could be said only as gleeful.

“Actually there was some amount of truth in the words I spoke Cad. I mean, I don’t know why but I had a sudden feeling that if he spoke something otherwise I was going to truly put him on fire and then I would smile watching him burn. I know I sound pretty bloodthirsty at the moment but there is something so beautiful about the fire, don’t you think?” I asked and Cadence looked at me in wonder and said,” Seriously Mindy, sometimes I love the way how your brain works. It would really be a beautiful sight. But today was one stray incident, how are you going to deal with this bastard your entire life?”

“Who is going to deal with him my entire life? Me?” asked I as she looked up at me and then did a double-take.

“What are you thinking Mindy? Tell me, when you don’t speak I get all sorts of ideas and I get definitely scared,” said Cadence and I smiled at her.

“Nothing to be scared about Cad. Nothing at all. I am not going to marry him. Your father was exceptionally lucky not to be stabbed today during the lunch but I cannot guarantee that the next time he says something nonsense about me or how I am supposed to lead my life I cannot guarantee his safety. And my mother…huh!! That woman is going to understand every soon what happens to her own self when she keeps on giving in to every single word that the man in her life says. I mean, how can she even think that without asking me she can get me engaged and then married to anyone that they want? What the f**k is wrong with them?” I asked as Cadence looked at me and nodded.

“What are you planning Mindy?” she asked again.

“Nothing. I am just going to run away,” I replied as we both started walking back to the house.