01 FRYING PAN TO FIRE

One thing I hated about mornings was my alarm clock. It rang so loud that I had no choice but to reach for it, grab it, and smash it against the wall. I was sleepy like that.

I had no idea how many minutes I stayed back in bed but I woke up to see Sebastian pulling my blanket away.

"Rachael, what are you still doing in bed? It's past nine," he dragged the blanket and I held the other end and pulled too. Soon it became a tug of war.

"I want to sleep," I whined like a baby still pulling the blanket until an idea popped up.

With Sebastian still pulling with all his might, I let go of the blanket and he stumbled backwards before landing with his butt on the floor. I smiled to myself before I decided to leave the room.

As soon as I walked out of my room, I met aunt Thelma standing in the hall with anger written all over her face.

"Why are you just waking up now?" she barked at me while coming closer. I took two steps backwards.

"I was very tired ma,-" she interrupted me with a slap across the face.

"You must be very stupid!" she shouted before blessing me with another hot slap. She began hitting me with all her might and all I could do was cry. "Who did you expect to do the house chores? You're useless!" she kept beating me and I tried my best to shield my face with my hands.

She pushed me down the stairs and pulled me by the hair into the kitchen. I cried and yelped in pain as I washed the dishes. She walked out angrily but not without threatening to deal with me if she'd return and found me still washing the dishes.

Sebastian came into the kitchen and we both washed the dishes in silence. We were almost done when Cynthia and Patricia walked in and dumped their plates in the sink without saying a word to us.

Sebastian was about to say something but I guess he thought against it and kept quiet. Sebastian and I had learned to put up with the cruelty and hostility aunt Thelma and her family had been showing us since we moved in with them four months back. They treated us like slaves. We did every single thing in the house while Patricia and her younger sister Cynthia would just cross their legs and have their servants do everything.

Aunt Thelma had taken my phone away before I even got to speak with Jay. I hadn't heard any news about Jay or his condition over the past four months and it pained me 'cause I couldn't do anything. Even if I was to use another phone to call him, I didn't know his South African phone number.
Another thing that bothered me was school. I didn't know aunt Thelma's plans regarding our education since school had started three weeks ago and Sebastian and I were at home.

All the money aunt Thelma was supposed to use in looking after Sebastian and I she used it to pay for Patricia and Cynthia's school fees. She had enrolled them into my former school; Empire High School. What pained me most was that I had no say in that decision. I knew how much going to Empire High cost, it cost an arm an leg and I was sure aunt Thelma was going to send us to a public school. I didn't want to go back to my former school anyway.

Soon, Sebastian and I were the only ones in the house. Aunt Thelma and her husband had left for work and her kids were at school.

Sebastian and I were in my room. He was sleeping soundly on my bed while I was reading a novel. Sebastian started mumbling something in his sleep. He started turning around and before I knew it, he screamed and jumped off the bed.

"I thought the nightmares stopped," I stood up from my desk and walked over to the bed where he seated at the edge.

"I guess it started again," he said while trying to catch his breath.

I sat next to him on the bed, "I'm sorry for what you went through,"

"It was my decision, no one forced me. You don't have to feel sorry," he said

"You saved my life," I put a hand on his shoulder, "you're my hero. I can't thank you enough for what you did,"

"I'm no hero Rachael," he stood and faced me, "I took someone's life. I killed a man who probably had a wife and kids waiting for him,"

"It was self-defense," I said to him

"Don't give me that crap," he shook his head in disagreement, "if it was truly self-defense, dad wouldn't have taken the blame,"

"He did it so you wouldn't be seen as a thirteen year old who's capable of murder," I said without thinking. It didn't take time for me to realize what I'd just said.

"But that's exactly what I am," Sebastian mumbled. He sat next to me on the bed once again but this time, with a sadden expression.

"Why did you take the gun in the first place?"

"I wasn't exactly thinking," he confessed, "I knew where dad hid his gun and I took it when I realized the men where armed. I never thought I'd shoot someone. I never even thought I knew how to use a gun. I just pulled the trigger,"

"You did it twice," I said, "you shot Mr. Ade first,"

"Yeah, when I saw that man aiming at you, I just...," he couldn't finish his statement before his voice croaked.

"Thank you," I whispered.

"Sometimes I wish I could go back in time and I wouldn't have killed that man but then I remember, if I hadn't shot him then and there, you would've been dead,"

I didn't know what to say to my brother, I was thankful but at the same time, I felt sorry for him. Ever since that incident, he started having nightmares. I hated the fact that that particular night still haunted his sleep. Sometimes, I wondered if we'd all be happy if I didn't go looking for my dad. Maybe my mom would still be alive, maybe Sebastian would be able to sleep peacefully at night, maybe my dad wouldn't have ended up in prison, maybe Jay wouldn't have gone back to South Africa, maybe I would still be going to school if I didn't force my dad back into my life and at the same time, ruining Sebastian's life by dragging him into my unfortunate world.

"What are you thinking about?" Sebastian asked after awhile noticing how deep in thought I was.

"School," I said

"I already lost hope in going back to school," he said, "I already missed two terms. Even if we were to go back-which I doubt, I'd have to repeat,"

"It depends on how smart you are," I said and Sebastian just smiled without saying anything else, "it's not fair though,"

"What?" Sebastian asked

"Life. Everything." I replied while looking at nothing in particular

"Yeah, I can't believe they never found that your friend, what's her name?" he tried to remember her name but I already knew who he was talking about.

"Amanda," I pulled him out of his misery.

"Yes. Amanda,"

"We don't know for sure, maybe they already found her. We wouldn't know since we don't watch the news or go out,"

"True. We've been here for almost four months and I don't know anybody in this neighborhood," Sebastian said and he was right. We were always locked in doors.

Our conversation was interrupted by the sound of the car we knew too well. Aunt Thelma was back.

"The witch is back," Sebastian mumbled

Sebastian and I ran downstairs and made sure we'd done everything that needed to be done in the house which included feeding the dog, washing the toilets, doing the laundry, preparing lunch, gardening, dish washing, mopping the floors, cleaning the windows, etcetera.

"Rachael!" aunt Thelma called me and I immediately ran out of the kitchen where I was making sure everything was in order.

Patrica and Cynthia were also with her in the sitting room still wearing their school uniforms. I could picture myself in the same uniform back when I still attended that school.

"Where's your brother?" she asked me as soon as I walked into the room.

"Sebastian!" I called and he came running downstairs immediately.

We both stood in front of an angry looking aunt Thelma. She didn't look happy at all and I was scared. She always had the habit of taking out her anger on my brother and I.

"I spoke with the principal of Empire High School today. He wanted to see me," aunt Thelma said.

We waited for her to continue but she opened her handbag and pulled out two brown envelopes. She handed one to me and the other one to Sebastian. I inspected the envelope well and there was nothing written on them.

"They're offering both of you a scholarship," aunt Thelma said before I opened the envelope and pulled out the letter inside.

It was a scholarship indeed.

"Wow," said Sebastian

"Something tells me your father's family is behind this, the Marshalls" aunt Thelma said, "you'll start tomorrow,"

She stood up and went upstairs. She wasn't happy that we were offered a scholarship but I didn't care. I really wanted to go back to school but I wish it was a different school.

If aunt Thelma was right, and my dad's family had something to do with the scholarship, I couldn't help but wonder why they didn't take Sebastian and I in. When I goggled my dad, I realized his family was actually filthy rich.

"This is amazing," Sebastian said.
"Shut up," Patricia said. I forgot my cousins were still in the sitting room, "who knew you could even read,"

"Mind your business Patricia," I said

"So you now have the liver to talk back to us abi? " Cynthia stood to support her sister.

"You must be very stupid Cynthia," I spat back, "I'm not your age mate,"

"You must be insane to think we're on the same level here," said Patricia

"Watch your tongue," Sebastian said

"Shut up idiot," Patricia said to Sebastian

"You're the idiot," Sebastian fired back which in turn earned him a slap.

Without thinking properly, I gave Patricia a worse slap and before we knew it, we were all fighting.

"What's going on here?" aunt Thelma shouted after she'd angrily stormed downstairs.