Chapter 5:4
1765, May 4th
"Come on, just kill it."
I shook my head and backed away. I couldn't.
"Whatever; I knew you wouldn't do it."
I furiously rubbed away the tears trickling down my face and she started giggling. She put her hand on my shoulder and gave me a little push towards the dying animal.
"Are you just going to stand and watch it suffer? Some person you are, Mel."
"It's not me who's forcing someone else to kill a puppy," I spat and sniffled. The stench from the half-dead animal made it turn in my stomach. "Just kill it, please."
She gave me a smug smile before penetrating the skull of the poor little beast with a slim dagger. It finally died, but not before it gave up another whimper of excruciating pain. I felt the rush of nausea and put a hand over my mouth.
"How did you even find it?" I wondered as she dried her blade on the puppy's mahogany-colored fur. "It looks like someone bullied it into frenzy, and then let it bite a blunt weapon."
"You're very observant, aren't you, little Mel?"
I shrugged as she turned her gaze towards me. My dark blue eyes met her yellow and black orbs and she grinned widely.
"But I guess you always were," she said and hid her dagger in a bag. "It's a shame that you're seven years my junior; maybe you and I would have some real fun if things were different."
"Lilian? Melissa? Let's head home now!"
"Yes, Celia." Lilian gave me a little pat on the head. "We had enough for today, right, sister?"
I never thought about why my sister always called my mother by her first name. It had always been that way and I didn't even once put together two and two, to realize that my father, James Hamilton, had been married to another woman at first before having an affair with my mother, Celia Rawling. He was found out by his daughter and when she told her weak-hearted mother, the woman took her own life. My father decided to marry; he wanted to unite his new family and start all over again. After some lovemaking, they got me – and that's when the opportunity to move to the New World was given to my father. He was a rich businessman, famous for his quality silk, and my mother belonged to a grand family that owned the largest trading company in England. There were no economic problems but Lilian refused. My mother was a kind soul and even though my "sister" tormented her, she never even once considered giving Lilian away to an orphanage, nor discriminated her in any way. She even tried to bond with her, but to no avail; Lilian's mind was set.
She was a very pretty girl, with blond wavy hair that reached to her waist and never seemed to tangle. I remember that she used to let me play with it and taught me to braid it. Her eyes were odd though, as one was black and piercing as the night and the other yellow as a cat's. My sister was tall and slim, moving with an aristocratic grace, and was always complimented by people. She was kind to me – most of the time – but I could never really put my finger on her. Some days she was eccentric and impossible to reach, while she was a sweet, loving girl on others.
Lilian was a really special girl... that is, when I thought she was dead.