Poisonous

Chapter One

               The quiet night seems peaceful as I make my way down the sidewalk. The walk home from work is becoming a normal thing for me, as I patiently await the call from the auto shop that I have entrusted to fix my car. A calm breeze brushes past me and rustles a bush nearby. The ringing of my phone is heard followed by the intense vibrating of my purse. I stop and quickly search through my purse and pull out the ringing device, scanning the caller ID that flashes Destiny. I press the answer button and quickly move my phone to my ear. "Nikki, I need your help", my younger sister Destiny's voice echoes through the phone at me. "With what", I tiredly reply, "There's no guarantee that I can even help you Des". "Please Nikki", she pleads, "It's my Geometry homework". "You do realize that you're supposed to be the one doing that yourself, right?", I prod. "I know, but I'm stuck on a couple problems and you're way better at Geometry than I am", she replies. I sigh and rub my eyes. "Fine, I'll be over in a few", I reply as she squeals from the other side of the phone. "Thank you so much Nikki, I love you", she says excitedly. I hang up the call and sigh. I wait a couple seconds before I dial the number for a taxi, only waiting a few minutes before it pulls up next to the curb and I hop in. "Where to ma'am?", the driver asks. "Masters Mansion on Providence Boulevard, please", I reply, earning a nod from the driver as we pull away from the sidewalk. I silently stare out the window and watch as we pass by street sign after street sign, until finally the familiar gold gates decorated with my family's monogram comes into view. Dread begins to pool in the pit of my stomach as the gate guard, Ken, pushes the button and slowly the gates inch open, allowing for the driver to make his way down the cobblestone driveway. I haven't been back to my father's house in weeks and had Destiny not called me I wouldn't have come back now. I groan as my father's mansion comes into view and the driver pulls around the center fountain and parks in front of the front steps. I quickly hand him the money and drag myself out of the back seat. I listen as the taxi makes its way back down the driveway and soon becomes a distant hum. The minutes tick by before I finally push myself up the stone steps towards the front door, pushing it open with ease. My eyes scan the entry room and I heave a sigh of relief when I realize that my father is nowhere in sight. The house sits in silence for a few seconds before a squeal is heard and I am wrapped in a tight hug. "Destiny", I choke out, "I can't breathe". "Oh sorry", she apologizes as she releases me. "Damn, you've been working out", I chuckle as I fix myself. "I kind of have to if I'm going to keep my title as cheer captain", she retorts as she smiles proudly, reminiscing on her accomplishments. I chuckle and nudge her, "So are we going to do some homework? If not, I'll just call another taxi". "No! Let's go", she says as she grabs my arm and pulls me upstairs towards her room. Two hours pass before we finish the remainder of her homework. "Those were easy, you could have totally done them yourself", I say as I stand up and stretch my legs. "I know", she replies quietly, "But I had to think of some way to get you home so I could see you". I stop stretching and look at her. Her head is down but I can still see her tears as they drop onto her desk. I quickly move towards her and cup her face in my hands, swiftly wiping her tears away. "Look I know I haven't been here in weeks, but just because I don't come back here doesn't mean I don't still love you", I reassure. "I just wish things were different", she sniffles, "If they were you would come home more often". "I know, but we both know that there's no changing anything", I say as another teardrop falls. A deep chuckle echoes throughout the room and pulls our attention to the doorway where our father, Lewis, stands, his eyes glued to me. "Still blaming me for your problems, Nikki?", he chuckles. "I would never dream of doing that father", I sarcastically retort. "Why are you here?", he asks, the annoyance clear in his voice, "Shouldn't you be studying?". "Shouldn't you be minding your own business?", I snap, "If all you care about is studying then why don't you study for me?". I sit there and watch as his face reddens at my remark, I've pissed him off now. "Now listen here little girl-".