"Right well if I get the box..." Zoe mumbled as she and Alice jumped out their separate jeeps and walked towards Leopards Den. "God Alice, I can't tell you how much that man means to me... I'm so glad he's awake... thought I'd lost him." Zoe said quietly with genuine meaning.
"Hey, come on, Matt's always been a fighter, and I think you mean a lot to him too judging by the way he kissed you." Alice winked.
"Oh god... step sister bullying." Zoe chuckled. "I feel so guilty though y'know. I wasted so much time being petty and childish and I never stopped and thought about him."
"We all make mistakes Zoe." Alice smiled. "Embrace life now... I mean, you and Matt, make you guys work. You obviously love each other way beyond the realms of reason. I mean, I thought it was you who walked in on sickly displays of romance not me!"
"Hey!" Zoe chuckled, she only just realised they'd been stood at the same spot since she'd mentioned bullying. She glanced across to Louise, she seemed shifty... Zoe smiled and turned her attention back to Alice as Louise rushed inside the house. "Right I know this breaking off from Matt, but what the hell is she up to?"
"Dunno... she keeps looking at Danny weird though." Alice frowned. "Which reminds me I really need to go tell Danny and Rowan about Matt!" Alice quickly made her get away, leaving Zoe to get her treasured box.
(X)
"She's here!" Louise called to her mother who was stroking the precious box, she had a lighter in her hand flicking it on and off. "Her boyfriends just woke up, she's coming to get the box to help stimulate his memory." Louise explained. She felt a pang of guilt, she so did not agree with this but she had to do this. Had to. The consequences meant money. She liked money.
Mary sat on the bed, Louise uneasily by her side. They waited...
(x)
"That's great news honey!" Danny exclaimed as Alice told Rowan and Danny the news.
"Yeh! You know when he'll be home?" Rowan added.
"Not sure if I'm honest." Alice replied walking over and sat on Danny's knee, gently kissing a sleeping Lyndon.
"So where's Zo?" Danny asked stroking Alice's thigh gently.
"Gone to get some sort of box... I dunno." Alice shrugged.
"Listen, I'm gonna get off, give my best yeh, oh and Danny... thanks." Rowan smiled. Danny smiled back, and almost immediately Alice knew they had a secret.
"Aww brotherly love?" Alice asked giggling.
"Pardon?" Danny asked in confusion.
"You and Rowan have a secret." Alice stated.
"How do you know that?" Danny exclaimed before he could stop himself. "Damn."
"So you do have a secret, oh and just consider me all-knowing!" Alice chuckled.
"Hmm... You'll know all about it soon enough AA." Danny replied kissing her gently, he watched as Lyndon began to stir, he was due feeding anytime.
"AA?" Alice questioned standing up to go sort Lyndon's feed.
"You'll see." Danny winked proud of his logic.
(x)
Zoe ran her hand over her hair, she would say through but considering she had it tied tightly back that would have been difficult. She rubbed her chin gently as well before smiling. Matt was going to be fine.
She opened the door to her room, grinning like a maniac, she didn't notice Louise or Mary sat on her bed as she closed the door.
"Glad you could join us."
Zoe turned round slowly, she knew that voice, she detested the owner of that voice and her good for nothing rat of a daughter too!
"What the hell are you doing in my room?" Zoe growled, the coldness in her tone was evident, her blue eyes darkened to an almost black shade with anger. Even family knocked before they went in.
"We have a proposition for you..." Mary smiled.
Zoe raised her eyebrows, this she had to hear!
"You leave Leopards Den... You never come back... You find a lovely big house... let Alice know where you are... we pay you thirty four thousand rand." Mary grinned.
"Are you out of your mind, over my dead body!" Zoe exclaimed. "Get outta here!" She yelled.
"Don't be so hasty Zoe..." Louise added.
"Yes... see, we're not out of our minds, your boyfriend could be though... over his dead brain would you leave?" Mary laughed which caused Zoe's anger to rise, her fists clenched. "Now..." Mary revealed the box, Zoe gasped. "We have the one thing you need and one of the most precious things in the world to you... want to reconsider?"
Zoe was at a loss for words, she was torn. Matt meant everything to her, and she needed that box, but why did they want her out of Leopards Den? She just stared, anger rising, questions springing up in her mind.
"Just give me the box please." Zoe said calmly walking towards them.
"You going to leave?" Mary asked, "I'll post it to your new address."
"No way god dammit! Matt needs that!" She screamed but Mary and Louise just laughed.
"Poor poor Matt." Louise cackled. "Dunno why he's with a dirty bitch like you anyway."
Zoe's eyes turned to slits, she tried to reign in the temper. She'd noticed the lighter in Mary's hand.
"I mean, god... you're like the fucking low of the low... then again, suppose he can be a bastard huh? You'd know about bastards and all those son of a bitch rapists and wifebeaters."
"SHUT UP!" Zoe shouted.
"You'd know about murder too... you know... that kid you aborted, what a cruel bitch you are." Louise shook her head for effect.
"How the hell do you know that?" Zoe asked, that had thrown her completely, she had to be quick, she quickly noticed the lighter was in Mary's left hand, she was right handed. She just managed to mask her grin.
"What's up loverbitch not know? Or is it you're whore of a sister?" Mary asked, suddenly Zoe's head dropped, they didn't know much about her. She moved slowly towards them her hand held out.
"You giving in?" Mary asked as Zoe approached. Zoe's eyes fell to the lighter. She opened her mouth.
"Yeeeee'over my dead body." Zoe growled punching her right in the jaw and grabbing the lighter. Louise had the box and ran off, she was swearing abuse at Zoe. Zoe had left Mary dazed, she had her chance to do Louise first.
Zoe stalked after her before grabbing her by the collar, Louise began to call Zoe more names.
"Now now, I don't like people who swear... you know what my step dad used to say... oh yeh! If we swore we'd have our mouths washed out with soap. Now you have a mouth with the cleanliness of a gutter, let me see if we have some dettol!" Zoe grinned maniacally, she'd completely lost it, was out of her mind. She could take blows to herself but her family, Alice, Matt... no way!
She grabbed a bottle dettol hand wash, not quite the disinfectant she'd wanted but it would do. She dragged her out by the scuff of the neck as Louise continued to shout abuse. All the family hearing the commotion had walked outside, and Alice knowing full well who was shouting had handed Lyndon to Nomsa, as long as her wee man was safe she didn't care one bit what happened to her.
Zoe's tight grip was taking its toll on Louise as she began to lose her focus. Her hands loosened and Zoe ripped the box out her hands, she threw it to Liv.
"Guard that with your life Liv!" Zoe shouted, Alice walked out and gasped in horror, Zoe had lost it. "Now, open wide, this will only hurt... A LOT!" Zoe laughed. "Let's begin treatment of disinfecting your mouth of foul language?"
Zoe quickly squirted the dettol into Louise's mouth who began to form froth at the sides of her mouth, Zoe laughed as Louise tried to spit it out. Zoe grabbed the pipe as she washed her mouth out.
"Let me see, open wide... AHHH." Zoe pretended to look in her mouth.
"FUCK YOU!" Louise screamed as she spat in Zoe's face.
"Now you really are stupid!" Zoe growled grabbing some nearby Fairy Liquid. She looked at the flavour. "Hmm Lemons... you lucky thang, like that must be totally awesome!" Zoe mimicked her American accent as she put the liquid in her mouth. Louise frothed once more; coughing violently, Zoe once more washed her mouth out.
"Damn I'm out of washing up liquid." Zoe mumbled. "Oh well..." Zoe punched her in the stomach twice. "Now we'll tie you up here and then I'll teach your wonderful mother a lesson eh?"
Alice was frozen... she didn't know what to do. Sure she'd seen Zoe lose her temper, but this was a full blown flip. She'd seriously gone mental, lost her mind, her common sense, but Alice didn't dare to move, dare to step in. She just anxiously held Danny's hand as tight as she could. She was scared of Zoe at that moment in time... she reminded her of one person... one bastard who'd made her life hell... her father... in fact, it was so uncanny how alike they seemed, Alice couldn't help but wonder, how the hell they weren't related by blood?
She turned to see Mary staggering out.
"Oi bitch." Mary shouted, Zoe turned round to see her and laughed. "Where's my daughter."
"Ahh yes, well ma'am, I've disinfected her of all bad language, now side effects are she may experience a bad throat for a few weeks considering I've just burnt it with Dettol and Fairy Liquid."
Mary screamed and ran at her but Zoe just caught her with one arm.
"And you my dearest are next... no one speaks about my man or my sister in that way... you're vermin, and you know what I do with rats?"
"Kill them with one look?" Mary spat.
"Too easy... I drown em!" Zoe's eyes were livid as she dragged Mary kicking and screaming to the fountain. Alice stepped forward, she had to stop her.
"No Alice, not when she's like that!" Danny begged. "Please!"
"Danny she'll kill her!" Alice insisted as she ran away and down to Zoe who was torturing Mary in front of Louise. She was putting her underwater then pulling her out just as she was breathless.
"ZOE STOP!" Alice shouted.
"No way Alice, no freaking way!" Zoe growled.
"Zoe please!" Alice announced.
"STOP!" Louise shouted. "I'LL TELL THE TRUTH!"
Zoe kept her mother's head under water, Alice had turned to Louise, Danny had moved closer by. Dupe had a gun raised.
"She wants to get rid of Zoe, then Alice, then manipulate Danny and get Leopards Den... her plan was to kill Danny off so she'd get the money." Louise announced. "This was a way to get rid of Zoe."
Zoe dropped Mary, her mouth agape. Shell shocked.
Danny stood motionless.
Alice looked from Louise to Mary and then to Zoe. Her eyes too darkened, and a ice cold expression stretched over her face, Zoe's shock too turned to anger.
The question was... what the hell would the sisters do and what lengths would they go to, now the pair shared the same hatred.
A/N – Mental Flip Zoe... but will Alice be even worse?
I actually never planned this but I thought hey what the heck, make it fun!
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