Chapter 3 MOTHER

The only beautiful thing in the Dante house was the picture of Amelia, Victoria's mother's sister, the rest of the things were bland and lacked style. The furniture was worn-out and the atmosphere was always bald. Victoria had grown used to this, it was her life and she had accepted her fate.

"Bastard" Claudia spat, pacing around the sitting room like it was her job.

"so what now? You're a murderer?" she yelled as she gripped Victoria's arm. The girl's gaze remained glued to the ground, one thing was to vow to never shed a tear because of the woman and another thing was to stand up to a psychotic bipolar Monster.

"why? Why did you try to kill him?" she said her tone dangerously low.

"look at me" she whispered "look at me dammit!" she yelled. Victoria tore her gaze from the ground and stared into the eyes of the woman she called her 'mother' she grimaced. disgusted as always.

"I work so hard, just to send you to school and you what do you do? Huh?! You turn into a stabber?!"

"What else would I be mother?" Victoria whispered. You always told me that I wasn't good enough, so why do you expect anything from me? Huh? Yes, I'm a stabber! Yes, I tried to kill him, and I would do it all over a-" Victoria was cut off as a slap echoed through the room.

The impact caused her head to abruptly turn to the other side, she bit her lip and wiped her tears.

"Slap me! Go on mother! Hit me! do it! That's all you can do! You could never stand up for me! And when I stood up for myself everyone had a problem with it?! Isn't that cynical?! You never loved me! no! you never tried to love me!" Victoria yelled her voice laced with pain and sorrow

Silence invaded the atmosphere, as Claudia burst into sobs, Victoria remained still, not startled by the woman's sudden change in mood, it's been sixteen years she was used to it by now.

"I'm sorry my love" she bursts into sobs tears pouring down her eyes, Victoria stared at the woman in front of her unmoved, she knew she wasn't in her right senses and probably didn't even know what was happening that's was why deep down;

Victoria loved her mother. Deep down she wanted to believe that beneath the monster her illness provoked, was her mother, who loved her a lot. It was moments like this that convinced Victoria of that thought, she always cherished moments like this, when she felt Ioved even if it was momentarily and probably fake.

She pulled the blonde-haired woman into a hug, stifling the sobs that threatened to erupt, "it's okay mom, it's fine, everything is just fine. I'm fine, you're fine, we're fine" her voice cracked with pain as she tried to believe her lie.

She relished in the moment, she was going to enjoy the warmth that was served to her on a silver platter, she smiled before releasing the hug, she looked into the woman's eyes cautious of her mood before spitting out the question that had plagued her for years.

****

"did you ever love me mama?"

Claudia paused, looking into her daughter's eyes, she didn't know whether to tell her the truth or just play along with the lie she had going for Sixteen years.

"tell me, mama, do you love me?" Victoria's vision blurred as tears threatened to fall.

Decision made. Claudia spoke. "I- I did I loved you before."

Loved? Before?

Those words convinced Victoria that the woman was out of it, she frowned as she began to walk away, sure of one thing -that woman had never loved her.

******

Victoria woke up.

Yesterday's events drained her desire to move.

She sighed.

Yesterday had been a long day. But on the bright side, she didn't have to go to that dreaded school today. she breathed in fresh air, A small smile played on her lips.

She stood up and slipped on her blue slippers before heading into the bathroom for a bath, she waited for the bath to get filled before entering it. she couldn't help but recall another moment that water seemed to remind her of.

"c'mon pour more on her!" Ria burst into giggled as a hole was used to soak Victoria in cold water

"maybe this will finally Cleanse her of her filth!" another girl yelled

"she is filth!" Victoria sat on the ground the cold water running nonstop, the fourteen-year-old was fed up, tired and emotionally drained, so she just stayed there taking in the words and allowing the cold water to sink into her skin

Victoria suddenly gasped for air, Her breath hitched. Apparently she had gone underwater at some point. she ran her hands through her hair as she stood up to take a quick shower instead. With a blue towel tied around her chest, she came out of the bathroom. she was about to apply her lotion when she recalled there were chilies inside. Mariana for some reason had taken it upon herself to add chilies into her cream on her last visit she knew how to manipulate her position as a 'cousin'

To the whole world, Mariana was an angel but in reality she competed with the devil. a cruel being she was, Victoria smiled as she threw the cream through the window, she would give her a slow death.

"Hey, what did that cream do?" a voice spoke from nowhere. A bit startled. Victoria looked out the window and her eyes met her predator, the one that would finish her off

Victoria was in no mood for sarcasm and the mere fact he had the school's ID made her blood boil.

"it's because it had your name on it," she said as she kicked it into the trash

"hey! sense of humor!" he said as he walked away.

She quickly changed and walked into the kitchen where Claudia had set up breakfast, ignoring the rare gesture, Victoria opted for an apple.

"I'm not going back to college mother," she said as she bit on the apple

"why?" Her mother said, not losing focus on washing the dishes

"Cause I'm fed up with them all," she said sitting on a chair and putting her comb down.

"who?" Claudia asked as he sat down her attention on the sixteen-year-old teenager in front of her, when Victoria refused to reply she spoke again

"is it those kids again? honey I told you don't take things personally, they are just kids, Mariana is your cousin she would never mean anything bad". Her mom said concerned.

"You also think I'm making it up?Huh?"

"Victoria..."

"No. You are right, I'm the wrong one, always in the wrong place at the wrong time, on a wrong day, and with the wrong people."

"you are right. But-" She began but stopped when she saw the look in the girl's eyes

"Victoria," her mother said, realizing her words were too cold.

"it's fine mother, let me endure this pain only I understand". Victoria stood up and walked out of the kitchen leaving the half-eaten apple behind She closed the door of her room, and slid down the wall,

Why can't they understand, I'm not speaking gibberish am I? I'm not crazy am I?

"I'm not crazy" she whispered as a tear rolled down her eyes

"I know what I've seen, I know what I've heard, I know what I've felt only I know. and I know ..." She mumbled to herself as she threaded her hands continuously through her hair.She paced about her room whispering the same thing with her hand still threading through her hair. She picked up a picture of her father.

"you don't think I'm crazy, do you? I know they are laughing at me. They have planned another trap."

"I won't I can't! no!"She said as she threw the lamp and it shattered

"I can't keep living like this! Not like this..." she fell to the ground and began playing with her hands.

She wasn't. but she looked crazy.

All because of this game they called 'fun' no one understood her.

She was alone.

Why was all this happening?

I'll tell you, it was merely the curse of beauty, the ill-luck of attraction, a pinch of self-confidence with a drop of uniqueness.

That's all it took to turn her life upside down.

Why her? why'd they pick her what did a sixteen-year-old do that was so cruel it deserved such a punishment called death.

Victoria suffered a lot till the day she gave up, was her revenge worth it? did the lives she took deserve forgiveness? Did she deserve such a death? All these questions will be answered soon.