Happy Thanksgiving everyone! BTW-Reviews are always appreciated ;-)
Chapter 18-
That caught my attention and I turned to look at her. Her once perfectly sculpted eyes were now just chocolate brown eyes with running mascara and eyeliner underneath. I saw the sorrow in her eyes practically begging me to stay. I ripped my wrist out of her grasp but stayed in the room with her.
Nina: What did you say?
Joy: …..mom, she….she wanted to sell the stable and the forest. She thought it would break you and….she liked the idea of some extra money.
Nina: ….why did you stop her?
Joy: You're my step sister. Why shouldn't I have stopped her? I know how much those horses and that terrain mean to you. I know that riding is your safe haven. It's your thing. And I know how destroyed you would have been if I had let her sell it.
I remained silent and walked back to the bench. My back was to her as I processed what she had said.
Nina: What about all the mean things you've done to me? You said you didn't have a choice. Explain.
Joy: Mom, she…she was jealous of you. Of how perfect you are with your beautiful hair and your dazzling eyes and your strong personality. She hated how you were more perfect than Mara and I.
Nina: …how does that justify everything you've done?
Joy: …Nina, turn around.
I turned around and stared at the large scar she was showing me on her side.
Nina: Joy…why-
Joy: I liked you, Nina. I really did. I thought it was wonderful to have a new sister. I really wanted to become friends with you. Do you remember the day of the accident? The accident with the knife in the kitchen, long before we hired Trudy and KT?
I cringed at the memory. Who could forget about the accident? Mara was 11 and it was just a month before Joy and I were going to celebrate our birthday. We were so excited to share a birthday party and everything. All I know was that everyone in the house was busy doing something. Joy and Caroline were in the kitchen together and Caroline was cooking while Joy was playing around. Suddenly, everyone in the house heard a scream coming from the kitchen. When I came in, Joy was on the floor with a knife in her side. It was fairly deep and she was bleeding crazily. She spent the rest of that week in the hospital.
Nina: …how could I forget? What-
Joy: It wasn't an accident. I didn't play with the knife. I didn't run and fall on it. I never touched the knife. Mom told me kindly to get away from you and I kept asking questions. She lost her temper and grabbed the knife.
Nina: …Caroline…she stabbed you?
Joy: ….I was too weak when I was on the floor to tell anyone what happened. You remember how mom begged to come in the ambulance with me?
I just nodded, too horrified to speak anymore.
Joy: She had been threatening me. 'Stay away from Nina. Make her feel like nothing. Or we can repeat this incident again. Next time, we can do it on Mara or on Nina.' She made me swear to tell no one and to make you feel hated to protect you and Mara
Nina: …I-
Mara: I saw it too.
We both turned around to see Mara shyly emerging from behind a row of lockers.
Mara: I'm sorry. I didn't mean to intrude. I just…I saw the accident. I was going to ask mom a question and I saw it happen. She doesn't know that I know anything…I remember that after that day, Joy avoided you as if you were the plague and….when your dad left….
Joy: She threw coal at me one night.
We both looked at Joy surprised.
Joy: She was angry that your dad left her to go find your mom. She hated you more than ever. You reminded her of your mother, of her sister. She came in to my room and told me that I had to crush you. And when I refused to do it, she pulled out a bag of fresh coal and threw it at me. No one was home at the time so no one heard me screaming. You were out riding horses and Mara was out on the balcony reading, if I remember correctly. No one was inside to hear me scream.
Mara: …I have a confession to make. Nina, mom and I used to stay together all the time. I was always by her side. When you came in, I heard all the negative things she said about you. I decided to keep my distance from you, just in case they were true, but as we grew up and I saw you get lonelier, I decided to forget what she used to say and to try and be your friend. And Joy….this whole time, I really thought you were just cold hearted. I really just thought you were a bitch. I….I'm sorry I judged you.
Joy nodded and gave Mara a small smile. We stood in a triangle, silence glances being shared between the three of us.
Nina: …she did this. All of this. She drove a wedge between the three of us.
Joy and Mara agreed with me.
Mara: We can't let her get away with this. She had no right to do this to us. We have to do something.
Joy: I agree, but what can we do? What can three teenagers possibly do against their only guardian?
Nina: …wait….I've got it
I shared with them the details to my plan, the details to the countdown on my wrist. I told them about the child care inspector coming in less than a week. And they were excited. We plotted until we had a perfect scheme to get Caroline arrested for child neglect or child abuse or whatever charge she'll have against her on two counts. Maybe even three counts. We all walked back home together, but we all knew that we'd still have to pretend to be the way we were before, Mara as my friend and Joy as my arch-enemy.