The Cursed Queen

Unveiled(Part 1)

It had been nine months since she had died, two months of me following Kenan around, two months of him teaching me how to fight.

Leland was worse, he would freak out when Kenan and I did not call him dad. Every day was a new episode. Every night Leland slipped out of the house and returned with a palpable fury. Mary-Anne couldn't longer shield us....the last time she did she ended up in my arms dead.

The last few months of the year were spent running Leland's store and collecting his shipments. By the end of the year, Kenan sported a black eye and a broken leg in addition to his healing broken arm. The worst I faced was a bald head. Leland had forced me to sleep outside and I caught lice, he wasted no time shaving me bald.

I cried my eyes out that night. That was one of the only things that reminded me of my mom. Every day I was forgetting what she looked like. I begged Leland to find another alternative but he refused.

Life went in this cycle until my ninth birthday, Leland was gentler on birthdays but today was different. Kenan and I had been playing together all day and I had accidentally knocked down Leland's favorite portrait of Mary-Anne. Kenan was helping me clean up the glass shards when Leland came into the house.

"What is this?" He bellows.

I freeze while Kenan continues sweeping. Leland growls, stomps forward, and kicks Kenan into the glass. Kenan lets out a sharp hiss, I gasp as the glass slices his skin.

"I know you hear me talking boy, what did you and that dirty orphan do to my wife's picture" he roars

"Stop calling her that," Kenan says gritting his teeth

Leland shoves him again before spitting on him.

"You kids are mine I'll refer to you's how I want to"

"Stop " I screech

 I latch on to the burly old man's work pants. I scratch and claw at him! How dare he!

"It's not like you loved her! If you did she wouldn't have died. You killed her" I cry

Leland roars and tosses me across the small living room like a rag doll. I let out a whimper. My whole side flares like it's on fire.

"You dirty little orphan! Since you care so much, maybe I'll send you to meet little Mary-Anne. Did you forget who raised you dirty little leech!" he says as his face is reddening

He prowls towards me and once again I'm reminded of the little girl who was begging for her life on the streets. I try to move but I'm frozen in pain and fear.

Suddenly Leland hisses, and behind him stands Kenan who had just jabbed a large piece of glass in Leland's back. The old man whips around and reaches for Kenan but he quickly steps away.

"Grab the backpack in my room and run Yem, don't look back"

Leland yanks the shard out of his back and sneers at us both.

"No one is leaving this house "

Kenan shoves me towards the room and I bolt toward the door. I scan the floor and grab a tattered old brown backpack. I open the window as I hear Kenan screech in pain, I want to turn back.

"Run Yemisi" Kenan cries

I jump from the window and start running toward the inner city. I stand waiting for Kenan to join me but what I hear as I leave haunts me to this day.

Kenan's deafening screams pierce the air. I close my eyes and tears drip down my face as I prepare for the worst.

"Say Hello to Mary-Anne for me Kenan" Leland's voice rings out.

Suddenly, Kenan's screams have stopped and the world falls back into a deathly uncomfortable silence.

I continued running, after all, there was nothing left for me there. I had lost the only family I had, the closest thing I had to a mother and brother had died in that house.

I swore to forget this day and to start afresh. I didn't need a family, all they brought was pain and suffering. Just like Leland.... Just like my mom.