Chapter 4
“TIFFANY, KALANI, SASHA! BREAKFAST! MOVE IT OR LOSE IT!,” their mother’s shrill voice screamed through the house.
Sasha rolled over as Kalani stirred. She had a mission to complete and it had already started. She curled up on her side as Kalani leapt up. Kalani began to shake her shoulders and she grunted, waving her off.
“Go get ready, I’ll wait.”
Kalani dashed to the bathroom and Sasha reached into her pocket for the contact case. She hurried to the small mirror to put them in before jumping back in the bed. She heard Kalani come back into the room and she rolled over to look at her. She froze next to the bed to stare at her.
“What in the fuck-”
Sasha sighed. “I’m ‘blind’,” she said, air quoting blind.
She sat on the edge of the bed. “What?”
Sasha pulled her down next to her and buried her face in her neck. She ran her fingers through her hair.
“Mom came to me last night and gave me an assignment. I am to kill the king and to make me less suspicious, she said I had to appear blind to make myself less of a threat.”
Kalani hugged her. “Oh, Aja. I am so sorry. Mom is such a-”
The door was flung open. “Such a what, you little cunt?,” Tiffany sang from the doorway.
Sasha climbed over her younger sister to stand between her and Tiffany.
“Leave her alone, Tiffany.”
Tiffany studied her face, before howling with laughter. “Oh, this is good. What are you blind now?”
Sasha forced tears into her eyes and lowered her head in submission. “I- I don’t know what happened,” she stammered.
Tiffany bent over with her hands on her knees, her entire body vibrating with her giddiness. “Oh, this is too good.”
Their mother appeared behind Tiffany and tapped her on the shoulder.
“What is going on, girls?”
Tiffany’s laughter was immediately cut off and she dropped her head. “Mother, Sasha is blind.”
She moved around Tiffany to approach Sasha. She turned her face all around before dismissing the other two.
“Get out and Tiffany,” she glanced at her, “do not lay a hand on your sister.”
Tiffany’s mouth dropped open and surprise flickered to life on Kalani’s face.
“I SAID GET OUT!,” she yelled.
They fled from the room, closing the door behind them. Her mother began to move the left contact around in her eye.
“You have to make sure your irises are fully covered or they will know you are not blind.”
“Yes, madame.”
She tilted Sasha’s chin up. “I am your mother, you know, and I do love you very much.”
Sasha took a step back, removing herself fully from her mother’s touch.
“With all due respect, ma’am, I would appreciate it if you didn’t try to change the dynamic of our relationship now. It is too late for us to mend it.”
“Come on now, Sasha, don’t be like that.”
“I don’t know what Councilman Slonsky told you last night after I left, but you don’t go from hitting me for choosing Tiffany as a tribute to wanting to be a true mother to me today without some strong persuasion.” She paused as she looked at her mother’s face. “If you are worried about whether or not I will complete the mission, don’t. I will continue to bring honor to our family, even though our family name does not deserve it. I know my job and I will do it.”
“Sasha, I do love you. I know I haven’t been the best mother to you and Kalani-”
Sasha snorted and balled her fists at her side. “You were never a mother to Kalani. I was her mother. I loved her and I protected her. I brushed her hair and I cleaned her skinned knees. I held her when she had nightmares and I am the reason she is still alive. What have you done for her?”
“I provided for both of you.”
She took a step towards her mother. “Then why did I have to hunt most nights to feed us? Why did I have to make our bed out of wood I chopped down and metal bolts and screws that I took off things I found in the trash? Why did I have to dumpster dive for clothes before I learned how to make them? And, please, tell me, why in the hell was Tiffany allowed to treat us like she has? So, please, stop lying to me. Save it, because I do not want to hear it.”
Her mother’s back straightened. “You want to know the truth?”
“I definitely don’t want lies.”
Her mother stepped closer to her to grip her throat tightly. “I hate you and your sister. You two look so much like your father it’s not even funny. I wish I had been able to kill you at birth, but your father knew that was my intention and he had me stripped of my powers after putting a protection spell on you. That’s why I have encouraged Tiffany to murder you, because your father had my mate killed, because he thought I was beautiful and you two deserve no fate better than what he did to my late husband. I never wanted either of you. Your father held me hostage for years until I was able to give him a son. You deserve to be 6 feet under right alongside that other little cunt,” she sneered.
Sasha’s eyes flashed at her, hidden by the contacts.
“Then why even keep us?”
“Because your father sends someone every week to make sure you two are still alive. If you two hadn’t been seen alive, his money would have stopped and he would have killed me and Tiffany. Our lives and our plan mean more to me than your deaths.”
She glared at her mother. “You are a shit mother.”
She grinned as her hand tightened further around Sasha’s throat. “And you, my dear, are an absolute shit daughter.” She threw Sasha and she hit the wall before sliding down the wall to the floor. “You have 15 minutes to be in the kitchen, before you are hungry for the day.”
She left the room and Sasha jumped to her feet to run to the door.
“KALANI! COME HELP ME, PLEASE,” she screamed in panic.
In less than 30 seconds, Kalani was sprinting down the hallway towards her. Sasha caught her in her arms and was knocked backwards at the force of the lunge Kalani had used.
“Oh my goddess, are you alright?”
“Shhh, Lani. I need to get ready, but I didn’t want to leave you alone with those snakes without me to protect you. Stay in here while I get ready.”
Sasha quickly showered before putting the sun dress on the bathroom sink on and letting it flutter around her body. She grabbed Kalani’s hand as she walked by, dragging her back to the kitchen. She pushed her into a seat, before taking hers. Her mother slammed a box of wheat cereal and a pint of milk on the table in front of them. Tiffany smirked at them over her three meat omelet and hand made hash browns. Sasha lifted the cereal to her nose, sniffing deeply, before checking the milk. She almost gagged at the smell of oleander in the milk. If one was poisoned, the other probably was, too. She set the box back and smiled at her mother.
“Thank you for breakfast, Madame, but we are not hungry and politely decline your offer.”
Her mother narrowed her eyes on her. “Have it your way.”
Sasha gave Kalani an apologetic look as their mother snatched their food off the table. She sat back with a sigh while they were forced to watch Tiffany enjoy her homemade meal. When she was done, their mother clapped their hands.
“Perfect timing. It is time to go to the school for further instructions for the day.”
Sasha stood and reached to the right, knowing that Kalani was on her left.
“Lani, can you help me?”
“Of course.”
Kalani took her hand to lead her to the school as Tiffany giggled behind them. Ten minutes later, Kalani put her in a chair, before sitting next to her. Sherri, Melissa and Raven sat around them, almost shielding them from the stares of the other girls. Kalani glanced at Sasha who nodded, before leaning towards Raven and whispering in her ear. Her eyes widened briefly, before she turned to Sherri to repeat what Kalani had said to her. Sherri told Melissa who sighed and leaned back.
“Well, at least we will die together,” she uttered.
Sasha frowned, knowing that if she had anything to say about it, they wouldn’t be dying. Not now, not tomorrow and not any time soon. She crossed her arms over her chest and let out a little growl as she scanned the crowd surrounding them.
“Kalani?”
“Yes, Sasha?”
“Are there people staring at me?”
“Yes.”
“I am well aware that I am now blind. I woke up like this this morning. The Goddess must be very angry with me, because I chose wrong for the tributes. So, if we could just move on and listen to our orders, that would be the best for all of us,” she said, raising her voice.
Tap, tap, tap. Everyone, except Sasha, turned towards the front to where the headmistress was standing at the podium, waiting.