Chapter 3 The Crime

"Christabel, cremating your Mother was the only way we'd push the press away. You know, the less people present the better..." Uncle Tobias explained but he was interrupted by Clara.

I rocked on my heels a little. Getting uncomfortable with the tension that had built up in the air amongst the three of us.

"Fucking shit! I wonder why the hell you're explaining to her and yet she never even cared". She said rolling her eyes and shaking her head slightly.

As they say, the monkey doesn't see it's fault. It laughs at it's fellow monkey's asses thinking it's better off than them meanwhile they're all but the same.

"Cared? Look who's talking about caring! Do you call yourself a caring person? And yet you went ahead and proceeded with Mother's wake and cremation without caring of what I'd feel?". I asked. "Clara, you deprived me off the right to pay my last respects to Mother.. I'm I not her daughter?". I asked pushing Uncle Tobias aside so that Clara and I were now face to face with each other.

She chuckled again, a tear streaming down her cheek, "Her daughter?". Clara echoed.

"How many times do I have to tell you that you lost the right of being called 'her daughter', when you chose to leave her?". She questioned.

I narrowed my eyes at her.

"You're not her daughter". She added as she shook her head slightly. "You're just an asshole and all that you know is to.."

I slapped her. Twice!.

On both cheeks.

I had taken too much off her insults and disrespect.

I couldn't take it anymore. She had no right to talk to me in that manner.

Slapping Clara had been the only option to silence her.

She raised her head, another fresh tear streamed down her cheek as she looked at me. Her cheeks red from where I had hit her.

"Christabel. Why- why ha- have you slapped your sister?". Uncle asked almost in a stutter, coming in between us again and looking at her with concern.

Why was he siding with her?.

Was it my fault that I had school to go to?. Or did they want me to drop out of school so as to look after Mother and make them happy!.

"Uncle, I think the question should be, why is she talking back at me? Don't I deserve to be respected?". I questioned, pointing my index finger at her in accusation.

Uncle Tobias huffed a breathe in exhaustion as he pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head with an audible sigh.

"Uncle she just hit me two slaps on my cheeks. How do you expect me to respect such a moron?". Clara asked.

'Oh no! That does it!'. I thought to myself. I couldn't let her keep on insulting me as if I was a picture on the wall. I had to put her in her place and teach her a lesson.

I pushed Uncle aside again and punched Clara on her face, targeting her nose this time.

She lost focus and staggered backwards, trying to touch the affected area of her face thus dropping the vase that she had been holding earlier on the floor.

The vase fell with a cracking sound. Resulting to its breakage and the contents splashed all over the floor.

Clara looked at the floor unbelievably. Uncle and I looked down too. A streak of blood was visibly streaming down from her nose to her lips due to the punch she had just received.

I hadn't meant for the vase to break. It was all Clara's fault. She was driving me nuts.

I tilted my head to look at Clara so as to search for her reactions... Anything even her expressions.

"Oh my God!". She shouted. "Look! Just look at what you have done". Clara exclaimed as more tears streamed down her cheeks, a hiccup sound escaped her lips while she sobbed out.

Falling down on her knees, she tried to gather up the ashes ... our Mother's ashes... by sweeping the tiled floor with her hands.

Uncle shook his head from time to time and clicked his tongue in his mouth while he looked at what Clara was doing.

He was clearly upset with the outcome of our argument and insults but didn't say a word.

I'm sure he was going to reprimand me but for now, I cared less.

If Clara hadn't caused such fiasco, then all of these wouldn't have taken place. Whatever would happen now, I was ready for it.

Clara suddenly stopped as if something had come into her mind. Like a light bulb had lit up above her head. She stood up, her red swollen eyes locked with mine.

"It's all your fault!". She exclaimed through gritted teeth as she walked towards me in slow measured steps.

I raised a brow at her. Seriously? My fault?. If she hadn't started the insults, I wouldn't have punched her and she'd still be holding Mother's ashes.

I made no move.

Uncle Tobias came to stand in between us again. Clara took the flower vase that was close to her bedroom door that led to her room and hit uncle with it.

Causing it to break in break in pieces as she dropped it on the floor.

I gasped. My eyes widened with shock as I looked at what she had done.

What had she done?. She was indeed crazy!.

She had lost her mind!.

Uncle fell on the floor close to my feet with a thud. He had fainted.

I moved away a few meters away from Uncle. In case he was dead, I didn't want to be close to his corpse.

"You must pay for what you have done!". She added before she launched forward towards me, pushing me against the staircase metal rail such that one wrong move, I'd fall over to the ground floor.

My back hurt due to the pain I felt. Her long fingers wounded around my neck, strangling the air out of me.

I coughed out as I tried to gasp for some air. Her hands tightening the grip around my neck.

My lungs felt as if they were burning due to the lack of air.

Uncle was still unconscious. I could see his unmoving body on the floor through my peripherals.

There was no one else here at home so I had to save myself, if not, Clara would kill me.

I tried pushing her away but somehow, right now, she was stronger than I was. All of her weight was on me, her face squeezed with anger was right on top of mine and yet I could do nothing to defend myself.

This was my end. Black spots were filling up my vision. I was loosing my vision and next I would be dead. I didn't want to die... Not yet.

I tried to reach for a broken piece of vase that was a few inches away from my foot. Dragging it closer to where I could reach it with my hand, I tried pushing her away but she didn't falter.

I slapped her hard on the face, she groaned but due to my lack of air, the slap didn't have much effect on her.

Desperate for air, I stretched out my other hand trying to reach for the broken piece of vase that I had dragged closer to me using my foot.

Taking hold of it, my mind which was now fogged and couldn't think straight apart from freeing self so as to get air, I thrashed forwards, the broken piece of vase getting in contact with her neck.

She immediately loosened her grip on me causing me to fall on the floor, dropping the broken piece of vase and reaching for my neck as I gasped for air and coughing at the same time.

My neck felt sore. I actually wasn't sure if it was my neck or throat that felt sore due to the pain I felt.

Having filled my lungs with air, though I was still breathing heavily, I looked up to see Clara shaking while holding her neck.

Blood painted her hand as it dripped off onto her clothing and the tiled floor.

My eyes widened with shock. I hadn't meant to stab her on the neck. But wasn't she with the intentions of killing me?.

She was strangling me and I was almost on the verge of death.

What I had done was only for self defense and nothing else. I hadn't meant to do it.

Her eyes were on me, she didn't say a word. I didn't say a word either.

What was I supposed to say?.

"Christabel". She said almost in a whisper as she struggled to breathe and more blood dripping off of her neck.

I stood up as she staggered forwards my direction. I was afraid so I moved away from her.

The blood on the floor made her slide. Loosing control and my not knowing what to do, she fell on the staircase rail that she had been strangling me on.

She wasn't holding onto the rail and the floor beneath her was slippery due to the blood... Her blood.

She fell over. Dropping onto the ground floor which was where the dining room, living room and kitchen were. She stayed unmoved.

She was dead.