TIME: 6:00am
"Arrrrgggghhh" Ella groaned half-awake, as she felt the first splash of a bucket of water meet her skin.
She shivered in cold as she turned sleepily on the cold hard floor which now held scoopfuls of water, streaking across the floor.
Her half torn clothes, disheveled and unkept hair were wet and dripping. The cold she felt made her arms hair tingle and her body almost freezing.
She struggled to open her weak eyes and squinted slightly at the morning light which penetrated through the store room window. she used her hand to shield away the radiant light from her eyes.
Ohh It's morning already.
she stretched sleepily, adjusted her position and made to continue sleeping when realization dawned on her.
Hold on, Oh God!!
it's really morning already!!!??
Damn she's so dead!
Her half closed eyes immediately snapped open as it met her step-mother's angry and fuming gaze.
Lady Albertina gave her a long glare.
She quickly wiped and adjusted her glasses to the view above her. The sight above her made her heartbeat accelerate. The anger her step-mother's face held made her swallow a gulp.
Oh God!!!!
She's in deep trouble!
why didn't she wake early enough huh? What's wrong with her?
Now she's in deep trouble and with the glaring look her step-mother was sending towards her, she knew she wouldn't be spared. She'll certainly be starved today. She hadn't eaten yesterday.
She had been starved and exhausted that she had to practically crawl to bed and not eating today will drain the little life out of her.
Waking up early had been a difficult task since she slept late but will her step-mother understand?
Her stepmother threw the now empty bucket of water she'd emptied on Ella at the side of the store room which contained to be used foodstuffs and threw Ella a cold, hard and despised stare.
One which Ella had acknowledged throughout the years to be a stare of hate.
"How many times have I told you to wake up early enough and do your house chores" She spat. Her voice and eyes held similar resentment which Ella hated to admit was for her. And her existence.
Ella knew she had to defend herself from her step-mother or face her wrath. Coupled up with yesterday's hunger and exhaustion, after school, she'd been so weak that she'd practically crawled to bed on an empty stomach after long hours of work at an ungodly hour when everyone else had gone to sleep. Besides what was there to eat?
There was nothing else for her to eat even after she worked so hard throughout the entire day without any help or assistance from her twin step sisters.
Even the dogs and her step-mother's most cherished cat got something to eat but she didn't. Her stepmother made sure of that. Even when she manage to eat something, it was always leftovers and remainants from the heap of dishes she is asked to wash.
How can a human being stay healthy when being starved or made to eat Leftovers?
Trekking under the hot sun yesterday at such tiresome distance after school was enough to make her sick and wanting the quick attention of a Doctor or medical personnel. But who was she kidding?
The last time she'd approached her stepmother for such request, she'd gotten such response that made her regret ever telling her about her illness.
she would have kept it to herself rather than received such response that was enough to make her run to a corner and cry herself to sleep.
Shivering with fever and an unfriendly headache that made her feel like she was carrying a heavy load on her head due to starvation and an arduous chores she was forced to engage in, she'd approached her stepmother to request for a Doctor's attention. Because she knew getting her step-mother's attention or care was a failed task.
"You're sick?" she'd repeated like she hadn't heard her the first time and a shivering Ella nodded eagerly, silently hoping that she would be given one.
"Then why are you telling me? Am I your mother? If you're sick then go to your mother's grave and tell her so she can get you some drugs" She replied nonchalantly as she readjusted her sitting position and dug her teeth in to the chicken lap she'd been eating before the intrusion. she ignored Ella completely without an iota of guilt.
Ella was hurt that she immediately wished for her parents at that instant. She had never grown to know what a mother's affection felt like. Immediately after her birth, her mother was only permitted by death to lovingly cuddle and kiss the tender infant she had given birth for only a few days. Afterwards, death snatched her away.
And her Father had been her strong hold after that tragedy. He had been there for her when she needed him the most. He was both and father and mother and acted like both until he thought he couldn't do it alone and needed assistance. or rather he thought the young infant needed motherly love and care or at least a female figure. That was when he brought in her step mother.
first as a nanny who would babysit her and when he thought Ella had gotten used to the nanny, he decided to marry her only for his daughter's happiness.
But again tragedy struck for the second time and death snatched her beloved father away from her. Fate couldn't be more cruel as death snatched her father away too. He died on one of his numerous business trip, through plane crash.
At such tender age of Ten, when she'd experienced such disheartening trauma of losing both parents. Before her father's dead, she had twin step sisters whom were both nine.
Slowly her step mother's true colour and began to unveiled and emerge from it's disguised mask. And from then, she'd been more like a slave to her step-mother and step sisters. she always wondered how a woman whom she had grown to love and who took care of her since infant after her mother's death could harbor such hatred for her. And for reasons which she dare not ask.
Though she'd expected a cruel reaction from her step-mother concerning her illness but she never expected it to be this cruel. if she had a mother, she needed only to sneeze and the next minute she will find herself in a hospital. She missed her parent's affection,love and care.
Overwhelmed by guilt and grief owing to such response she'd received, Ella left with tears in her eyes. She regretted bitterly why she'd told her in the first place and from then onwards she kept her illness to herself to avoid future heartbreaking response.
"Are you deaf?" Her step-mother's voice echoed snapping her out of her trance, almost deafening her eardrums. She flinched in fear.
She knew she needed to provide a tangible reason to escape her step-mother's wrath or face it.
Her stepmother hated to be ignored especially when she ask a question. It angers her.
she knew she had to give her reason for sleeping when it was time for her to get engaged in her morning chores before going to school. But how will she tell her it was exhaustion due to yesterday's chores and starvation without getting whipped or something worst than that. Her stepmother would find it insulting and besides she had gotten enough scars to keep and wouldn't want any right now. At least not on a school day.
Being an award-winning latecomer in all of Winner's high was enough award for her. she couldn't risk getting another award for being a clown or always going to school every morning looking like she got beat up by a group of thugs on her way.
"I'm sorry mother...I..." She made to speak again when a slap on her cheek cut her shut, warning her of using the word "mother".
Okey she'd almost forgotten to stop using that word because this isn't her mother. Her stepmother always reminds her of that with a slap. Although she had grown used to calling her that when she was younger and it became hard to stop. She marveled at how her nanny who showered her with much love and care could change so suddenly within a short span of time.
she groaned in pain, holding her bruised cheek with her palm.
Traces of finger prints emerged on her cheek and her step-mother's recently manicured nails had bruised her cheek as blood oozed and streaked downwards from the wounded area.
"Don't you ever in your entire wretched life Call me mother. Do I look like your wretched mother? if you want a mother go to the grave and meet her. I'm not your mother" she thundered in anger.
"The next time you call me your mother I won't only pull your ears. I'll go with it and feed it to the dogs. Have I made myself clear?" She barked as she pulled Ella's ear so hard. Her nailed pricked and pierced on Ella's ear making it turn red due to her light skin. she pulled it so mercilessly causing Ella to yelp consistently in pain.
"y..ye....yes" Ella stuttered and winced in more pain. Fearing her ears might come off by such intense hold and pressure. The tears she tried to hold back betrayed her as they soon rolled down her eyes as she sobbed.
Her bleeding ear was released.
"Good! Now get your lazy ass off that floor and clean up this mess. start your chores immediately because the next time i come in here and see you still sitting idly, I'll use you for Dinner".Her stepmother barked, shot her a cold stare and left.
Immediately her step mother was out of sight, Ella carried her weak self from wet floor shivering and soothing her hurting ears as tears rolled down her eyes.
What did she ever do to her? What did she ever do to deserve such inhumane treatment.
How could she be hated so much without a tangible reason?