Chapter 2 - The confrontation.
"I have never seen you as my family, you dumbass!"
"If we are not family, then let me go. You'll never see me again." I pleaded.
She gave me a murderous stare before she turned to the men who were patiently waiting in the background.
"Kill her!"
My sister wanted me dead. As she approached me with paid thugs, I huddled in a corner, trying to make myself as small as possible. My breaths came off as shallow and rapid. My brain was taking a little longer than it should to process the situation. My wide eyes filled with raw terror, watching the thugs speak to my sister.
Every creak and whisper amplified my fears, causing my heart to race uncontrollably. The weight of something terrible bore down on me, rendering me frozen in a state of terror. I was about to die. My eyes stopped at my sister, her perfect posture as she instructed them on what to do.
We were in this situation because she couldn't let go of the past. I watched her laugh with their leader so casually as if they were not planning my murder. The sight pierced my heart and awakened a complex array of emotions that I struggled to reconcile.
Anger was at the top of the list. I couldn't understand why she would go to these lengths to get rid of me. I was already out of her life. She was the one who came searching for me. I couldn't understand why I deserved this. I have never done anything to annoy her. I went out of my way to avoid her.
Do people flirt with their hired hitmen? Trust my sister to try and flirt with someone in such a situation. She never knew when to stop or when it was inappropriate. The whispers died down and the alley became disturbingly quiet. I raised my head to find their eyes on me. My sister’s eyes glinted with satisfaction.
She moved methodically, her gaze fixed on me, determined and focused. This was the Essie I have known my entire life. The smile held secrets, a calm facade masking her intentions as she headed towards me.
"You should have known your place," Her chuckle was light, too light for what she was doing.
Her brazen laughter only filled me with dread. She was going through with it.
"What did I ever do to you to make you hate me so much?" I asked, my voice breaking from my fear.
She paced around, her hands behind her back, a habit she had picked up from our mother.
"I suppose you should know why you are going to die. It's the least I can do," she said.
Her fingers rubbed the bridge of her nose.
"It's finally quiet, isn't it?" she asked.
I gave her a puzzled look wondering what silence had to do with this.
"Just the two of us finally. Can I be honest with you now?" she asked.
"Go ahead," I whispered.
"Semira, from the beginning I never liked you. You tried so hard to make me like you, but it didn't work. At home, you always cried because you felt bad for other kids in our school who didn't have a nice place to live or good food to eat. I couldn't believe it. It got me curious as to how you could hide your greed like that."
"W- what?" I asked.
"How long would your pathetic ruse hold up? It kept me up most nights," she said.
"What are you talking about?"
"Our parents gave you nothing, yet you never once complained. I could feel it in my bones, how pathetic you were. A life where you couldn't even say what you wanted out loud. You never even realized how people looked down on you and insulted you behind your back. How delightfully awful for you. Considering our relationship, let your older sister give you advice for the last time. Semira, in your next life, if you believe in that sort of thing, don't be such a goody two shoes. That just makes your life harder," she finished.
"How is being good a bad thing?"
"You made me look bad! Like I was an awful human being!" She yelled.
I didn't want to agitate her further. There was something fundamentally wrong with Essie. She played the victim role like she was born for it. How else could I explain her reasoning?
"I'm sorry if I ever made you feel inferior."
"Inferior?! Oh, please. You were nothing but an unwanted child. You never asked for anything but somehow you got everything I wanted!"
"I'm confused."
"Kazimir, does that ring a bell?" She asked.
"Kazimir, the son of the leader of our town?" I asked, "What does this have to do with him?"
"Kazimir is the leader of our pack. Not like you would know since you are useless. The moon Goddess was probably disappointed with you that's why she didn't give you a wolf," she scoffed.
"Moon goddess? Wolf? Are you insane!" I screamed in frustration.
The air grew heavy with tension as my sister stood, her eyes ablaze with a mixture of anger and disapproval. I fidgeted nervously under her piercing eyes. I must have said the wrong thing. Again.
"You deserve everything you are getting for desiring what was never yours!" She spat.
"I don't even like Kazimir!" I scoffed.
Her fists clenched at the mention of his name. Kazimir was a friend of mine. He was older than me, roughly the same age as my sister. Other than hanging out as friends we had nothing more between us.
"All my life he was the only thing I ever wanted," she explained.
"And you can have him!" I emphasized.
"Oh! I know I will, right after I get rid of you. Once you are dead, he'll naturally come to me for comfort, and I'll use the opportunity to make him mine." She chuckled.
Her harsh words hung in the air, each sentence dripping with the weight of resentment and jealousy.
"You can just take him now; I don't want anything to do with him or you," I begged.
Why was I about to die for a man I didn't even like?
"Letting you live will not solve my problem. You are my problem, Semira. Without you around, I'll be happy and content."
Despite the familial bond, the rift between us seemed insurmountable at the moment.
"I am still your little sister. Why would you do this? I left home to give you space. I thought you'd be happy after I left. So why are you trying to kill me now?"
"Dead bodies tell no tales!" She smiled wickedly.