Fifteen years ago.
A couple and a two years old child is seen in an old Mercedes car driving and chatting all the way.
Screech!!!
A body rolled over the car's windscreen to the back of the car.
Fear, shock and silence filled the car. In an instant the car zoomed off not caring for the victim.
A week later.
The couple is seen walking on a quiet alley. They kept looking back as it seemed like they were being followed. Soon a figure appeared in their front.
"You know your misdeeds. It's either you pay with the life of your daughter or you do a good deed to write off your debt." Not giving the couple a chance to respond the figure departed quickly.
The couple both looked at each other with the same thoughts going through their minds.
As soon as it was dawn. After dropping their child at the kindergarten they headed straight for the orphanage.
In the end they got a little girl only a year older than their biological daughter and headed home.
As the child grew up, she received no affection from her parents. They only favoured the other. Whenever she cried she was shunned, whenever she got hurt at school, while doing the dishes or slicing veggies no one paid her any attention. Thus making her bottle all her feelings over the years.
*The present*
Crash!!!
Soon thundering slaps followed.
Smack! Smack! Smack!
"What were you doing out last night. Your sister said you didn't even sleep at home and saw you sneaking in through the back door! How dare you!!!" Christen hollered at the girl sprawled on the floor looking disheveled.
Tears kept falling from her eyes. Again she had been falsely accused.
"What did I do to deserve all these?! I'm not in the wrong. I've been home since yesterday and nowhere else." Layla cried out in agony and frustration.
"How dare you! You dare raise your voice at me, your mother. Charles, Charles come see this thing you raised." Christen shouted calling her husband.
"I'm not your daughter! If I were you wouldn't have treated me this way all these years."
"Oh really then pack up and leave. No one is stopping you! At least you know your place."
"How many times have I tried running away but dad always brings me back for only God knows why. Hit me all you want but it would change the fact that I was home all through the night."
"Besides you dearest daughter doesn't even sleep at home. I heard from one of her friends that she had done an abortion. She's just seventeen!"
Smack!
"I dare you to speak ill of Jessie again and I'll sew your lips." She effortlessly landed a slap on her cheek once again.
"Despicable!" Christen stormed out of Layla's room and headed straight to her husband.
Charles seemed oblivious to the commotion going on as it wasn't a new scene. He crossed his legs while casually flipping through his news papers.
"Honey. Layla is at it again. She..."
"I don't want to hear it. I see you have handled the situation so why bother involving me?" He said.
"Um well good thing she'll be leaving for college in a few days." Christen said while clinging to her husband's arm.
"Mmm." Was his short reply.
Layla picked herself from the floor and headed straight for the mirror. She could see clear finger prints on her cheeks. Sadly she hadn't received any bit of love from the Christopher's family.
Her sister was constantly plotting against her with malicious schemes. Today's own was no different.
Layla took a quick bath and lay on her small bed in her cramped room. Staring into the silence she began thinking about her future, how she would be treated by her biological parents, if she was truly abandoned and lots more.
"I can't wait to leave for college. Just three more days and it would be over." She muttered under her breath.
Two days flew by in a blink of an eye and on the third day Layla had already packed up her luggages . She didn't have much compared to Jessie. Just a few worn out clothes and some shoulder bags. The only thing she cherished most was her bracelet. She had worn it for as long as she could remember, believing that it could lead her to her roots.
The most amusing part is that it still remained her size not to big or too small. It seemed like as she grew it also adjusted with her by itself.
She came downstairs only to meet her supposed family with bright smiles plastered to their faces.
"Oh my daughter I'll really miss you." Her Stepmom mocked.
"Sister please go and never come back besides your stay here was mistake and you were never welcomed here!"
"You this weird and evil child goodbye I have already transferred your tuition fees.I believe you can take care of the rest." Came Charles voice full of resentment but the smile never left his aged face.
Without a word, she headed straight for the door never turning back. She had already decided to make a name for herself and come back to repay them in their own coin.
She boarded a bus to Zoarah city where her college is located. As usual almost everyone on the bus turned their heads to look at her for seconds before slowly turning back to their original positions.
She arrived at her school and went through all the admission processes, from office to office all alone while other students had come with their parents.
She knew the kind of heart her step family had towards her so since she turned fifteen she saved up some money which could be last her a few months before she would have found a part time job. After completing her hostel fees she discovered that she wouldn't be sharing her room. What a stroke of luck!
"What a tiring day". She murmured to herself before sleeping off. Soon she noticed that something was looming over face but as soon as her eyes opened she saw nothing. Guessing she must have imagined something, she drifted back to her sweet sleep.
The following morning she had gotten dressed for lectures when she noticed scratches on her window. It looked like claws.
'Maybe it had been here since.' She thought before grabbing a towel and sanitizer to disinfect the windows. But as soon as she left for classes little did she know that a shadow emerged from the shadows of her room.
"Found you!" The creature said grinning from ear to ear.
Coming back home she landed on her bed not bothering to shower as she was really tired. A few hours later she opened her eyes staring at the scene in front of her.
'What's this?'
A pair of red eyes!