It was a cool evening. Director Collins stared at the beautiful sunset as her driver decelerated and eased the car into the garage. The driver pulled over, stepped out and walked swiftly to the other side of the car. He bowed slightly and opened the door lavishly for his boss.

Director Collins walked out lavishly and made her way towards the mansion. A gust of wind blew over her, filled with the stench burnt food "These girls are at it again. What did they burn this time?" she muttered as she approached the main entrance.

She pushed the door opened and wrung her nose as she rushed in to roll up the blinds. Everywhere was filled with the ugly stench and she could hardly breathe.

"Oh my goodness! Katrina! Theresa!" She yelled and coughed out uncontrollably. The two girls ran over from different directions. Theresa wiped her hands clean as she ran over while Katerina fumbled with her phone.

"Which one of you messed up my food this time?!" The director yelled.

"It's Katrina mum," Theresa responded.

"I know nothing about the food, I was busy at the laundry when she started cooking," Katrina protested.

"What?!" she yelled and struck Katrina hard on the face.

"How dare you! How dare you mention my daughter, you brat. Is she your cook or something? You have no right whatsoever to make her run such errands! You either get it straight or get lost!" she growled at her, trying hard not to deliver another round on her already red flesh.

"Welcome mother," Theresa ran over and pecked her mother while Katerina rubbed at her red cheek. She returned to the laundry and continued washing with tears falling over her face.

"Yikes!" Theresa yelled triumphantly as she walked over to the laundry. "Do you like my gift? I promised you one for your birthday today. Is one not enough for you want another?" Theresa asked and leaned against the wall.

Katrina remained quiet and continued to sob. "How dare you ignore me!" Theresa walked over angrily and landed another slap on Katrina's face. She pulled up her jaw roughly and lifted her up.

“Did I not tell you never to get cheeky with me? How dare you raise your voice at me?” Theresa gritted between her teeth as she landed a slap on Katrina’s right cheek once again while Katrina only glared at her

“Why are you glaring at me? You want to slap me back? You want to hit me too?” she added with an evil chuckle and Katrina just sighed

“Must you do this today too? You are really heartless” Katrina managed to spit out and Theresa laughed so hard that her belly hurt

"Mother took you into the orphanage when you were thrown out. Your own mother threw you away like a thrash but we took you up. As the director of the orphanage, mother even adopted you when no one desired you. I am doing this today to remind you that you are nothing but an abandoned trash! No one wants you! You stink! You should be grateful that my mom took you in and fed you when even your mom left you here on your birthday. I detest that you are sharing my space with me so you must pay me all through your life. Now answer before I make your life a living hell. Do you need more of my birthday package?" Theresa threatened.

Katrina only struggled to stand to her feet with the streams of tears clouding her face when she knocked over the glass soap jar on the shelf, filling the whole house with its shattering noise.

"What the hell was that?" Director Collins yelled and rushed over. She met Theresa clutching at her cheek as she approached the laundry. "Mother, Katrina slapped me," Theresa lied.

What?!" The director yelled furiously. She dragged Katrina along roughly.

"You should have answered my question in time. I took your silence for compliance. Don't you ever get cheeky with me. Enjoy a full blast of your day, Katrina" Theresa whispered with a wicked laughter.

Katrina was abandoned in front of the orphanage when she was three on her birthday as she was told. Her mother had dropped her in front of the gate very early in the morning while promising her that she would be back to pick her up soon but till this day, there was no one who had showed up to be her mother.

She is two years older than her and had hated her for as long as she could remember. Theresa had done a lot of evil things to her both at home and at school but she would never open her mouth to talk back because the last time she did, she suffered hunger for two good days.

Theresa had made people clap and sing over her about how she’s a pitiful and poor bird, she was so furious that day that she attacked her and punched her face. When they got home, she explained to the orphanage’s director with the hope that the mother would warn her child never to do such a bad thing anymore, the director almost smacked life out of her.

The slap the director gave her that day was still fresh in her memory and she was beaten to the point of fainting.

“How dare you touch my daughter’s face? You are not in the same league even though you live in the same compound so get your head straight” the director had roared at her and she shook in fear.

She was not sure if that was the best decision or judgment an adult could pass in that kind of situation but she was smart enough to grab the warning that she is to never touch her again.

She had to endure so many bullying incident and lived with it without speaking out or crying to anyone because no one was ready to help her and she had been in this misery for the past fifteen years, she’s now eighteen.

The angry Director Collins pulled her by the ear until they got to the sitting room without taking into the consideration, the extreme pain Katrina was experiencing. She threw her to the floor with an insane speed and Katrina struggled to not have her head bashed against the glass table in the middle of the room.

“Theresa hit me first, I did nothing wrong but she just hit me from the back suddenly” Katrina tried hard to explain with tears dripping down her swollen eyes

“I already asked her but she said she didn’t do anything of such, why did you hit her when she did nothing to you?” Mrs. Collins countered

“She did hit me! I don’t even have any reasons to lie against her. She hit me first and I didn’t even retaliate” Katrina protested

“Why are you doing this to me? I never hit you. You were the one that hit me out of the blues” Theresa cried hypocritically from behind

Katrina was tired of her attitude and lies at this point that she didn’t even care about what would be the outcome, she bit her lips hard before opening her mouth an stated firmly “I should ask you why you are doing this to me, you are making me the liar here when we both know the truth. I was doing the laundry when you appeared from nowhere and hit me from the back. You slapped me twice” and the shout from Mrs. Collins jolted them

“Why do you keep on insisting that she did when she said she didn’t? Are you trying so hard to become the victim? This is happening because you don’t have enough work to do and that is why you can even sit around. From today, you will be the one to sweep the compound, mop the house and cook” Mrs. Collins shouted at Katrina who could not believe her ears.

“But ma’am..” Katrina tried to protest and Mrs. Collins threw her out of the room

That was not the first time such a scenario was happening and it had become part of her as she was growing up in the orphanage. Times like this where she didn’t even do anything other than breathe but still get punished for it just because someone who loves to see her suffer is making a fuss.

Her birthday was indeed memorable with the events that played out, it turned out to be one of the birthdays she wouldn’t forget in her life. Never would she be able to put this behind her, she would always remember the pain, humiliations and torture both the director and her daughter had put her through.