⏳ 6:51 ⌛

⏳ 6:51⌛

A few minutes ago...

Ella looked up from her books and stood up. Her father had entered her room.

Mr Okafor, a stern man with an even sterner face pulled the sleeve of his suit. He observed, as Ella had hoped, that his youngest daughter was engaged to his satisfaction. However, he did not encourage her or commend her commitment to her studies.

"Daddy, good evening," Ella greeted.

"Where's your sister?" Mr Okafor replied curtly.

"She's in her room."

"Doing what?"

"I don't know, sir," replied Ella humbly.

After a brief silence, Mr Okafor said, "Tell her not to make my dinner. I won't be home tonight. I'll be busy, in the office."

"Yes, sir." Ella frowned when he left. Of all the things to do, she hated telling her sister things the most. She hissed as she pictured herself going to Doris' room to deliver their father's message only to be ignored or get snobbed at.

After a lot of grumbling, she went. No matter what, she preferred to do it in place of her father. She was scared Doris might anger him and things would get ugly, like last time.

Ella sighed and knocked on her sister's door. If only, she thought, mother was alive, they would not be this unhappy.

"Doris, daddy said you shouldn't make his dinner," went Ella in a dry voice. She was about to leave thinking her sister would ignore her as usual but she stopped and looked into the room.

There was her big sister dressed in a black crop top that revealed half of her torso. Under it was a pair of tight leggings that traced her contours vividly. She had an alluring shape and an extremely beautiful face. Ella did not perceive this beauty, and her nose wrinkled when she looked into her sister's eyes.

"What?" asked Doris who had been smiling at her phone.

Ella repeated her message and turned to leave.

"Will he return this night?" Doris asked.

"No. Why are you asking?" she added the question rather reluctantly.

Doris didn't reply. Ella's fist clenched tightly. She heaved a sigh and said, "Are you going somewhere?"

"Ella, leave my room. You can make your food and go back to your studies. I won't eat dinner tonight." With that said, Doris returned her gaze to her phone and didn't look up until Ella banged the door shut.

Ella muffled a frustrated scream in her shirt as she entered the kitchen. As was the habit, her tears gave voice to the choking sensation in her chest, and she made and ate her dinner in tears.

Whenever she cried, she pondered on her past which had not been perfect, but happy.

She cried over her mother whose death had left a great void in their family, and nothing else could fill it.

She cried over her father who had grown distant from them believing that it was the best way to train them.

She cried over her sister who had been her dearest treasure, her forever friend, her light in dark tunnels. It hurt her here mostly because they had grown up so close to each other only to become strangers much later.

Ella had nothing but the memories to hold on to. She feared she was forgetting them slowly. She gripped the memories firmly as she pushed some spoons of rice into her mouth. As the rice went in, tears flowed out.

"Daddy used to smile," Ella muttered as she wept, "mummy used to tell us stories and me and Doris always played together."

Now the story was changed. Daddy never smiled. Mummy was no more and Doris was acting strangely everyday. Daddy called it rebellion. Ella called it sin.

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"God help my family," Ella muttered continuously with thoughtfulness. She prayed mostly for Doris who she believed was becoming a bad person. Doris wore bad clothes, said bad words and did everything her father condemned.

Ella prayed never to be like Doris. She was afraid of her father's wrath. She was submissive in nature, but Doris was defiant. This wounded Mr Okafor deeply (Ella felt so) and the only reason he hadn't disowned her was because she bore his name.

"I wish she would be a good girl again. Then daddy would be happy and we would be happy," Ella muttered in a heart piercing voice and sobbed. To be honest, she wasn't sure if that would work. Probably, the death of her mother meant the end of happiness for them all, but her young heart craved for family love and joy and peace! She was desperate for something other than the hate and gloom of her everyday life. And this was where she called home! 😭

"God, help my family," Ella was still mumbling when she heard a door open. She wiped her tears hastily and listened as her sister descended the stairs and tiptoed to the living room. Ella held her breath as the parlour door opened.

"Oh, God," Ella whimpered and slowly went after her sister. She would do all in her power to stop her. She was scared of what their father would do to her sister. She knew she would also suffer for it but her sister's safety was first in her mind.

"God help me," she repeated as she went towards the door. She watched as her sister went outside the gate in the same dress she had been wearing earlier.

Ella said a prayer and went after Doris. Her heart heaved at each step. She felt scared, angry and frustrated all at once. She was wondering how much more of this she could take. She felt like screaming. Yes, she would scream at her sister. She would let go of the emotions boiling in her blood. She would treat her sister like how she treated her poor self, just to show that she had had enough.

"Will that work?" she pondered as she exited the gate and locked it behind her. She didn't feel too confident about her plan. Doris was two years older than her and therefore, stronger. Also, her action would be disrespectful. Wasn't that a sin?

She was losing her senses as she looked about for her sister. It was just after six in the evening. Yet, dusk was parting, giving way to nightfall.

She eventually found Doris beside a fancy red car which was parked at a lonely corner of the street. Someone, a man's hands clasped her and they appeared to be kissing.

Ella shifted to a furtive corner and watched them. Her mouth fell open. The scenario felt so unreal. It was as if she was watching a movie and the young woman before her was not her sister.

"Holy Mary, mother of God..." Ella prayed in her heart without knowing it. Her eyes, like the rest of her body, was transfixed by the spectacle before her. After a while, the man released her sister and said something to her. Doris laughed and the man bit her neck.

"Pray for us, sinners..."

The man, dark and handsome, opened the door of the car and Doris glided in. She was about to close the door when...

"Doris, no!" Ella woke up from her paralysis and ran to the door. She pushed it open and began to pull her sister's hand as though the car was death itself.

"Ella! What are you doing here?" cried Doris in shock.

"I won't let you. Daddy will not be happy," Ella cried.

The young man came out of the car and stared at them. Doris glanced at him and grew embarrassed. She pulled her hand away but her sister had a tight, almost desperate grip.

Two masked men came from nowhere and gagged the girls. Then they pulled them into the car. The girls had no time to understand the danger of their situation before the young man sped off with his new hostages.

"Oh God," Ella wept pathetically, but her words were made indistinct by the dirty cloth forced into her mouth. "Mummy!" wept she, careless of everything but her bleeding heart.

To be continued.