Wildfire

(30)

Mariana Montanari

Mirrors. All around me. A single light bulb reflecting everywhere, making it brighter than necessary. My muscles froze in fear. "Who are you?" I asked. My voice was laced with so much fear it was almost unrecognisable.

"Mary?" The voice replied. I could've sworn to god I've heard it before. I knew it was her. It was Francisca. But I wanted- I needed to hear it.

"I asked WHO ARE YOU!?" The voice chuckled from somewhere behind the mirror.

"You think this is funny?" I could feel my throat collapsing and I could see him in the mirrors again. And that damned belt.

"Oh it's hilarious, little girl." It was her. It had to be her.

"I'll ask again. Who. are. you." Breathe Mariana. Fucking breathe. "Don't be so impatient Piccola ragazza"

I punched the mirror. The only bulb in the room reflecting off of every piece. She wasn't behind this one. The other one. The sound of glass swishing around echoed. Again. No one. The third one. A camera. "STOP!" I screamed, it almost sounded like pleading. I threw the camera, shattering it.

I punched the last mirror. It was her. She was still as beautiful as I remembered. Nothing except a few fine lines and an older look. Don't. Fucking. Cry. Mariana. "I-its you...?"

"I was honestly impressed with what you did to your psycho father. But what you did to my sister... Tsk tsk, Mary." She walked closer, circling me. My eye stuck on a piece of shattered mirror stained red with my blood.

"Sister?" I never knew an aunt. It took me a second but the realisation knocked the air out of me. I looked at her and as if just to confirm it she responded with "Camila's girl. Weren't you?"

"Stop fucking calling me that!" I gritted out. This was my rock bottom. I was losing the composure I had built over years. "Look at your language... That's not something a lady would say, dolcezza"

Don't let the tears drop Mariana. Not in front of her. My nails dug into my already bleeding hands. "Why are you here!" After everything she had no reason to be here.

"Let's get a history lesson. Your beloved father lacked the morals which I had. The perfect balance. So I married him. Fixed him even. Until YOU ruined everything. You were born and he changed. He slapped me for the first time on the day when you were born. Probably because he wanted your twin brother that was never born. Because of you."

Inhale. Fucking. Exhale.

"Why go after Kenneth's mother?" I asked, trying to connect the dots.

"Joanna? Oh that has nothing to do with you. Augustus fucked her and left. He left with information about my sister. Enough to blackmail her to work for him or as you know it, Mary, run his club. I just wanted my sister's revenge. By now she'd be thoroughly tortured and her dearest son would've sold you back to me.

The paper I found in his office came back to my mind. I never told him About it. Never told him that he owned me and now he was gonna sell me. I tried to cover the devastation with anger.

"Why are you here?" I gritted through my teeth.

"I'm getting to it, dolcezza. I've got to give him credit for tolerating you for 8 years." She talked about my father as if she didn't literally choose to marry him."What do you want from me!" I screamed as I started seeing his face in the mirror pieces.

"You are just like him, Mary." A single tear escaped my hold. "Shut. Up." My voice was loud enough to scare myself. I'm not like him, I'm not like him. I'm not- her words snapped me out.

"Such harsh words to your mother." I scoffed. Did she really think she deserved that? "Stop calling yourself that. You married a psycho and then left him for acting like one. And left me with him."

"Oh I saved you." She said with fake concern. "From what? Being treated like a human?" I snapped. If I wasn't dizzy I'd roll my eyes so far that they never come back.

"From living on the streets. My sister tried fixing the mess of a woman you are, but you were so violent about it... Violent dogs are put down, Mary... That's what I'm here for"

I'm so close to throwing up on her face "You tried saving me by selling me to a whore house?"
"Dolcezza Don't be so dramatic about it. I needed some money so might as well put you to use."

She fucking sold me. My own mother sold me for money. My own aunt turned me into a whore.

"Dogs can be put down and lions can be hunted. You know who doesn't get either? Hyenas, bitch. I will kill you and fucking eat your corpse." I lost control. I was being controlled by pure rage. I stabbed a piece of broken mirror in her shoulder. Once. Twice.

"You know you'll go to hell. Feel safe until I join you down there. Because when I see you again Satan himself will seem kinder than me"

Glass in her stomach. Blood on my face. Even her blood tasted pathetic.
I stabbed her. Once. Twice. Till every piece of mirror shattered in my hands.

I don't know how long I'd been there but when I was done I had no energy to keep my eyes open or stay standing. I fell as the mirrors stabbed into me all over the place but it was mixed with all the pain from this week.

The blood loss was taking over. My mind raced to Kenneth. I failed him. The hold I had on my tears broke. I didn't have the energy to audibly sob but I didn't try to stop the tears. They flow and mix with my blood.

The burn is much more bearable than the pain of failing the one person who didn't fail me. I needed him. With the last breath in me I whisper out a low "I love you too, Kenneth."

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