She couldn't breathe.
She couldn't think.
All she did was scream…
"Shh.."
A voice whispered behind her.
But the girl didn't hear it. Her screaming for her mother was nearly making the walls vibrate. Her tears were flowing and she dropped to her knees; hoping that her silent mother would respond. Oh, God she wished she would wake up.
"Shhhh..!"
The voice whispered a little louder this time.
Still no response from the girl.
"Shut up!"
The voice boomed.
The girl looked in the direction of the voice. And to her surprise, it wasn't one person. It was two people. Standing right there in the dimly lit doorway. She couldn't see their faces. It was too dark. All she saw were two shadows. One a little shorter than the other. It sent a chill down her four year old spine. Who were they? And why were they here?
"What…-" one shadow started. "What have you done…?"
The girl was stunned, but remained silent. What could she say?
"…Why did you do this…?" the shorter shadow asked.
The girl's tears began to flow harder. She looked towards her mother, then back towards the strangers which stood in her doorway. "I…I…" she stammered in between sniffles. "I..I don't ..-"
The taller shadow cut her off. "What have you done, Candi?"
"…Candi's been a bad girl…" the other chimed in.
"No!" The little girl finally spoke up. She managed to stand up on her little feet and clench up her fists. "I'm not! I'm not a bad girl!" she yelled; tears overflowing.
"…Candi's been a bad girl…" they sang is unison.
"NO!" the girl screamed.
"Candi's a bad girl…" They continued.
The girl covered her ears. "I'm.. not.. I'm not a ..bad girl.."
The voices then turned into hushed whispers. "…Candi's been a bad girl….
"I'm not! I'm not!….."
She finally opened her eyes.
Her heart was racing.
Her breathing was rapid.
Beads of sweat formed at her temples.
Sunlight was forced to enter her gray hues. She lifted up her hand to shield the sun's harsh raze. Where was she..?
"..Yeah, girl. I just picked her up from the airport. …..Nah, she ain't try nothin' slick….. Mhhm, she a quiet lil' thing, but if she try to do some-uh that crazy shit, ima' have to choke a bitch! Ha Haaaaaaa!"
The girl rolled her eyes and sat up as she listened to that screeching voice in the front seat. She remembered where she was at this point.
On her way to … what was it..?…Oh yeah…
Woodcrest.
A heavy sigh escaped from the pit of Candice's throat as she crossed her little arms in front of her chest. Listening to her aunt in the front seat was not the first thing she wanted to be greeted with when she woke up. Especially after she had that reoccurring nightmare. "Damn.." she mumbled as an all too familiar chill ran down her spine. She could still hear them. "Candi's been a bad girl, Candi's been a bad girl.." She shifted her weight in her seat and managed to look out the window at all the houses. The passed by in a blur of stale colors. It was obvious that she wasn't in DC anymore. Especially when all she saw was Caucasians.
Oh well. Niggahs brought too many problems anyway.
Even though she knew she could finally get some peace and quiet in this.. "Woodcrest", she still wanted this stupid case to be over with. All the paparazzi scumbags following her. All the angry scares. Who would've thought she'd be a cold blooded murderer before she even got her period.?
Oh, God she wanted this shit to be over with. She wanted it all to be over before things got worse.. Before.. people got hurt.
"Well, Well, Well…"
That voice interrupted her thoughts. Candice turned her attention towards the husky woman in the front seat. That husky woman being her Aunt Beverly, that is. Candice just knew a headache was on the way.
"..Looks like you done woke up!" she exclaimed as she eyed her niece in the rear view mirror.
Candice was silent.
"..I gots' me a few rules about mah house, now. Number One!" She put up her index finger. "Don't fuck it up. I ain't got time to be cleanin' up after no child. I'm too old fo' that." She stared at Candice through the rear view, daring her to say something smart. But Candice remained silent .
"Hmm..I don't like you…" Candice thought as she brought her eyes up at her aunt.
"Number Two! I aint gonna have that rap shit in mah house. Got it? We listen to Earth, Wind, and Fire! All day. Everyday!" She turned the corner on Timid Dear Lane.
"I really…don't like you.." Candice eyed the woman.
"And the most important rule.." she began.
"Here we go.." Candice thought.
"If you EVER try to kill me, you better make sure you get it right the first time. Cause if you don't.." she paused to look back at the 8 year old. "..There's gonna be another bitch on trial for murder!" she said coldly as she stared at the little girl with hatred.
Candice continued to stare; her expression seemed not to be amused at her aunt's threats. "Shouldn't you be watching the road..? She asked in the calmest voice.
"Wha-?" Suddenly the car started to swerve. Stupid woman seemed to forget that she was driving. Aunt Beverly turned back around quickly and grabbed the steering wheel, trying to keep them from having an accident. Candice cracked a smile for the first time that day. She clenched on to the seatbelt she was wearing and closed her eyes; ready for whatever was about to happen.
After a few more seconds of reckless driving, Aunt Bev finally managed to put the car into a complete stop.
"Hmm. Maybe next time, then.." Candice thought as she eased up her grip on her seatbelt.
Aunt Bev rested her head on the steering wheel; her heavy breathing seemed to echo throughout the car. "Damn.." she mumbled as she brought her head up. "That was.." she paused and looked around frantically. "Who is all these people?"
Candice looked out of her window and to her surprise, her aunt wasn't lying about the people. There were.. A LOT of people outside this house. It didn't take long for her to realize that said house was her Aunts.
A few camera's flashed.
People where pointing at the car.
And Candice… was pissed.
Candice knew who they were right off the bat. Nosey neighbors and paparazzi scumbag! A heavy groan escaped from Candice's throat as she slumped into her seat. How stupid could she be? Did she actually think she could escape them just because she moved halfway across the globe?
"Ohh shit!" Aunt Bev boasted. She quickly looked in the rearview mirror and checked her makeup. She then straightened her curly light gray hair that sat atop her head. "They bettah get mah good side!" she grinned from ear to ear.
…The fuck?
Candice looked up at her aunt. She was astonished. She actually liked this attention. That's just like a niggette. Always wanting to be seen some damn where.
Candice straightened her red strip of hair in front of her face. "You know what I know…" she paused to let the red hair fall to her shoulder. "..You better try to avoid the cameras.." she stated.
Aunt Bev seemed offended by her niece's comment. She stopped straightening her gray hair and looked back at the girl with a scowl. "Just 'cause yo' face is ugly as fuck, don't mean mine is!" she said coldly as she pointed her finger at Candice's face. "Look at that scar. You look like Chucky!" she laughed.
Candice looked towards the ground; having her hair cover her scar. It was obvious that she was a little self conscious about it. She just knew this… this bitch for a few hours, and already she hated her. She didn't give a fuck about it being her Aunt. Candice knew the only reason this woman too her in was for the publicity.
Which was stupid.
"..It's your funeral, then…" she mumbled.
Before she knew it, Aunt Bev hopped out the car; smiling and waving at the flashing cameras. She obviously didn't hear Candice's last statement.
Oh well. She'd find out soon enough.
Candice took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Here was the plan. She was going to jump out the car, walk quickly towards the front door, and not say a damn thing to anybody. Simple plan.
This… was gonna work.
Suddenly, Candice jumped out the car, and was instantly bombarded with flashing cameras and reporters.
"Candice! How does it feel being tried as an adult!" a woman shouted.
"Candice! One question! Why did you kill your mother!" another added.
Candice just put her head down, and ran towards the door. She ignored the questions. She ignored the people shouting her name. And most importantly, she ignored the residents of Woodcrest shouting rude comments towards her. She then realized that her stay in Woodcrest would not be a pretty one.
Finally! She made it to the front door.
She tried to turn the knob.
She tried again.
And again.
It was locked!… And that bitch had the key.
This… was not gonna work.
Candice looked past the crowd of people and spotted her aunt talking to one of the reporters. She couldn't hear what she was saying, nor did she give a fuck. Probably something about her "loving children." And how she "loves Candice so much."
Bullshit. Bull fucking shit.
Candice put her head down, and covered her eyes. The flashing of the cameras in her face started to give her a pounding headache, and she silently prayed that Aunt Bev would shut the fuck up and come the fuck on. "Please…Please.." she thought as she squinted up her eyes. Her head was killing her, and she was feeling a bit woozy.
The flashing.
The noise.
The insults..
She dropped to her knees.
"Say cheese!" a male photographer said as he bent down at Candice's eye level. He had a menacing grin and such a strong greed for money that he would do just about anything to get it. Even if that meant putting his hands on the young girl.
Without a second thought, he yanked Candice's hands from her face, causing her to fall on her butt, and flashed it right in her eyes.
She screamed.
Her reflexes got the better of her.
She knocked the camera right out of his hand.
And it shattered as it hit the ground.
"You crazy bitch! That was a $200 camera!" he yelled as he tried to gather up the pieces.
Every eye, and every camera turned in Candice's direction. Obviously anxious to get this "winning" shot of Candice getting rough with a photographer.
But what they got was something different.
"What's wrong with her..?" a woman asked.
"She looks sick!" someone replied.
Candice was sitting on the stoop by the front door. She was holding her head and her eyes were shut. She was in pain. Her head felt as if it were about to explode. "Someone...help.." she whispered. But her plea fell on deaf ears.
The cameras flashed in a more wilder fashion.
People began to speak frantically.
They were loving her pain.
"Damn, girl! What's wrong with 'chu?" Aunt Bev finally appeared. She pushed through the sea of people and put her hands on her massive hips. She stared down at Candice and shook her head in disappointment. "You act like you ain't got enough cameras on you. Now you wanna try to pull this slick shit. All that for some attention!" she rolled her eyes.
….Was she serious?
Candice was getting dizzy. She managed to look up and around. She saw everyone staring at her. They were loving it.
But…then she looked to her right. At the house next door. She saw 3 figures standing there watching her. 3 black figures, no less. She couldn't make out their faces, but she did see that the one in the middle was taller than the other too.
Why did they seem to stand out from the rest?
"AHH!" Candice shouted as a bolt of pain shot through her skull. She couldn't hold on much longer.
She started to feel weak.
Helpless.
Suddenly she finally gave out, and her little body was sprawled out across the ground.
"Damn! Did you see that? That shit was crazy!" Riley said as he stared at the little girl from afar. He watched as some old woman nearly dragged her lifeless body in the house.
"You think she dead?" Robert asked as he stared at the house, desperately wondering what was going on inside.
"No. She just passed out. Nothing serious." Huey eyed the reporters and other residents of Woodcrest as they tried to look though the windows.
"\Man, that hoe got some problems!" Riley laughed. "She over there passin' out and shit. And fo' what? Just 'cause niggahs was takin' pictures of her? What kind of shit is that?" he asked. "I'm surprised they aint over here. People love to take pics of Young Reezy! Just ask mah niggahs!" he pointed to himself. Cockiness expressed on his features.
"What niggahs?" Huey asked.
"Ay! I got niggahs." Riley crossed his arms.
"Where?" Huey replied.
"In the street…" he adverted his eyes.
"What street?" Huey raised a brow.
"Mmhhm. That girl is crazy. And she next door, too! Shhiiiiiit. She bettah not come over here and stab us up…" he paused. "Come on, ya'll! Go in the house! Lock all the doors and the windows!" he boasted, pushing the two grandsons towards the door.
"Aw come on, Granddad! That girl ain't gonna do nothin'!" Riley exclaimed as he yanked out of his grandfather's grip.
Suddenly, he got an idea.
"Ima go talk to her, then. Since you so scared." Riley said with a grin.
"Oh, no you aint!" Robert exclaimed as he turned towards the younger grandson.
"Yeah. Its best if you just stay away from her." Huey added.
"What fo'? I aint scared or nothin'! And if she do try sumthin', ima slap the shit out of her." he crossed his arms and grinned.
"RILEY!" Robert yelled as he grabbed his grandson's shoulders and shook them a little.
"AY! Get off mah gear!" Riley exclaimed.
"Listen!" Robert said as he looked at Riley right in his eyes. "You stay away from that girl, iight? Don't talk to her. Don't email her on the I-space. Don't look at her. Hell, don't even look at the direction she standin' in!" a vein started to pop out his head. "You mess with that girl, and we all gonna be in trouble. Got it?" he gripped Riley's shoulder harder.
Riley sucked his teeth and rolled his eyes. "Shit, man. Iight.." a pout was etched on his features as he yanked away from his grandfather.
"Good! Now come in this house and lock the door behind you!" Robert and Huey then disappeared behind the closed front door, leaving Riley outside.
Riley huffed.
"Maaan. I'm Young Reezy. I do what I wants to do, and I go's where I wanna go!" he said as he looked towards the "killer's" house with an evil grin.
"Besides.." he began to open his front door. "..This is my hood. And if anyone's gonna properly welcome her to my hood, it's gonna be ME."