Just Listen

Chapter 19

After the ball everyone dispersed apart from Kamilah who asked her aunt to let her stay in the dorms for the night.

Uncanny got home just fairly after midnight. She took her heels in her hands to avoid waking up Javan. She was too exhausted to be dealing with him. She entered her house and went straight to the kitchen to brew some tea. She sighed as she felt the hot contents warming her body up.

"Welcome home, Bonnie..." at the mention of her first name; the cup she held slipped off her fingers. Crashing down on the tiled floor. Breaking into tiny pieces. Gasping in disbelief; she slowly turned around to face him. "How did you?" She whispered still in disbelief.

"How did I come about to know your first name? Well, sweetheart," he began, "I must say, your parents sure know how to make them pretty." Uncanny was tongue tied. "Why didn't you tell me Amandla was in the city, huh?"

The images of Javan abusing her sister in her head made her snap. "Leave her alone!" Javan tsked her. Fixing a strand of stray hair on her head.

"Or what?" He mocked her. Rage fueled her. "Watch your step now beautiful, we wouldn't want another funeral now do we? I mean, your other sister's death was quite sudden..." he sneered, kissing her cheek and she turned her head away in disgust. He left her alone and went upstairs.

Uncanny could not control the amount of rage that was boiling up. She took her car keys and drove off. Heading to Michael's house where she knew she'd find Amandla and Veronica. Amandla gladly let her sister in pleased to see her. Uncanny walked past her in pursuit of Veronica. She found her in the study. She charged up to her and gave her a hard, stinging slap without warning. "What the hell!" Veronica boomed.

"I should be doing a whole lot more for the mess you have created you ungrateful b****!" She yelled. Uncanny and Veronica had a heated argument.

"Why are you guys yelling?" Amandla asked, frustrated.

"Ask your sister." Replied Veronica.

Uncanny glared at Veronica before shifting her focus on Amandla. "I told you to leave." She seethed. "Why didn't you listen to me? And you-" she pointed towards Veronica, "Have made a grave mistake. If," Uncanny choked on her own saliva. Fear engulfing her. Tears oozing from her eyes. She slumped to the floor and cradled herself. "I-I, don't hate you Amandla..." her voice quivered. "All I did was try to protect you."

"Protect her? From what? You always have excuses up your sleeves, it's tiring-"

"You don't understand dammit!" She cut Veronica off with her sobbing.

"Then help me understand, I miss my sister. I jumped at the opportunity when Miss Veronica came for me.

"I've longed for you...but all you've done is mistreat me, our family. You left us." Amandla's own waterworks had begun. "Why Bonnie?" Hearing her own name in vain evoked more pain. A pain she could not handle. A pain of her past. Her sobbing became hysterical as she fought with herself.

Amandla felt her sister's pain, she reluctantly knelt next to her, she opened up her arms and made an attempt to hug Uncanny. Uncanny moved away briskly. "No! Don't touch me..." she yelled at her. She didn't even care that by stepping away and yelling at her sister, anguished her. Uncanny wiped away her tears, "I don't want to hurt you-"

"YOU ARE HURTING ME! IT'S ALL YOU KNOW. IT IS ALL YOU HAVE DONE! IT'S PROBABLY YOUR FAULT NANA DIED! YOU HURT PEOPLE!" Amandla finally broke down. Veronica embraced her, rubbing her back. "Why are you heartless, Bonnie?" Her voice came out in a muffled quiver due to her face buried in Veronica's chest.

"Who's Nana?" Veronica asked. Uncanny heaved a sigh.

"She was our sister. One unfaithful afternoon, we found her in a pool of blood...she-she had committed suicide." Amandla spoke.

"That's not true..." Amandla's head snapped towards Uncanny's direction.

"It is! She was probably sick and tired of you!" Veronica tried to calm Amandla down to no avail.

"Amandla, it pains me everyday that I was the cause of her death. But she didn't commit suicide. She was murdered!" Uncanny's own words stung her. Fresh tears threaten to fall. Both Veronica and Amandla stood in awe.

"What are you saying?"

"It's because of me that she was murdered."

"By whom!?" Amandla and Veronica asked in unison.

Uncanny could not bring herself to say the name of their sister's killer. "I can't tell you," her sniffles turned to muffled cries. "I had to protect you one way or the other. Leaving home was the only option before he could find out I had another sibling. I'm sorry!" She whispered-yell covering her face as she sobbed once more.

For the first time, Amandla saw Uncanny in a new perspective. She did not quite understand what happened, but she now knew that her late sibling's death was not a mistake. Someone threatened and probably still is doing it to Uncanny to make her so vague sometimes. Today was the first day she had ever seen her elder sister crying her heart out. After some time when all had calmed down, Amandla stood behind Uncanny. "I understand what you had to do to protect those you love. But, Bonnie, I'm not going anywhere. I'm here to stay. To stand. To fight. To be your strength."

Hearing her sister's positive declarations made her smile and choke on a sob. Uncanny cupped Amandla's face as if she were something delicate, fearing she would break. "That makes me so happy, but I won't allow you. If you want to help me, please go back home."

Amandla tried to speak up but Uncanny immobilized her with her glare. "Please stay away and you'll be safe. It would put me at ease knowing that I would have protected you, unlike Nana. I, I care about you Amandla, you're my sister. But you're not safe here."

Amandla scoffed, "You're forgetting we're blood. The same stubbornness you have I have it too. I will not abandon you nor my niece. So thanks but no thanks." She replied stepping out of Uncanny's hold. She went to her room and locked herself in.

Minutes passed, Uncanny finally gave up on trying to convince Amandla to leave. "Bonnie?" Veronica asked, folding her arms.

Uncanny lightly chuckled, "Bonang. My first name."

"I never knew that." Veronica's eyebrows furrowed.

"Your brother did."

After a moment of silence Uncanny stood a good distance from Veronica, "What happened to us Veronica? We were-"

"You happened." Veronica cut Uncanny off. Realizing her mistake, she put on her facade.

"Will you ever forgive me?"

"I can't, you hurt me and the wound is deep." She whispered.

"You forgave May!" Uncanny reasoned, clearly exasperated.

"I did." She smiled inwardly, looking over at Uncanny with longing and pity before she walked away.

"Wait, where's Kamilah?"

Veronica scoffed, "Like the hell you care. Good night, Uncanny. You'll let yourself out."

"I-" Uncanny began, having an inner battle. Veronica glanced at her with a weak smile before walking away and leaving her alone. After she had disappeared, Uncanny let out a breath she didn't know she held in. "I miss you..." she whispered to herself. Unfortunately, she didn't know that Veronica stood against the wall just a few inches outside the study door. She placed her hand on her chest, feeling it ache. Oh, my friend. What has happened to you? She thought to herself as she wiped away a stray tear. Rushing off before she was discovered.