Secret Life Of Bees Continued Unofficial

Chapter 4

The next day, was Monday. I skipped school. Instead, I drove to visit Dora. I figured T-Ray would be with his peaches and Dora would be at home with Mary Jane. Turns out I was right. ‘Knock, Knock’ went the door. The door creaked open a little, and I saw one of Dora’s eyes. ‘Lily, why are you here?’ she said. ‘I came to visit you!’ I said, faking surprise. ‘You should leave, T-Ray isn’t here.’ Relief washed over me. ‘Good.’ But before I could say the words, the door was about to slam on my face. I quickly stuffed my foot between the door and the wall. ‘Oww!’ I winced. ‘Sorry!’ Dora said, opening the door wide to look at me. But with that, I had a good look at her as well. More blue bruises were blossoming on the edges of her singlet, and there was a small bruise on her cheek bone. ‘Please’, I whispered. ‘Let me in.’

 ‘Lily!’ Dora burst out crying. ‘Don’t l-l-leave m-me here!’ She said between sobs. ‘T-Ray–’ ‘shush.’ I comforted her. ‘I know, I know.’ She wept on my shoulder. ‘But, how?’ she sniffed. ‘You’re forgetting who I had to live with for 14 years of my life.’ She kept crying on my shoulder. Once she slowed down to breathing, I propped her up onto the couch. ‘So where’s Mary Jane?’ I asked. ‘Oh, just sleeping in her room. My sweet baby.’ She smiled weakly.’ ‘She actually looks a lot like you.’ I was stunned. She actually did look like me. Like me, except with brown hair. Exact same eyes. Exact lips. And my lips came from my mother, not T-Ray. I looked at Dora with wide eyes. She looked at me, and started babbling. ‘Lily, I can explain. I –’ I put a finger up to her mouth. ‘Hold on. Let me take this in.’ I took a couple of deep breaths. ‘So, are you, or are you not, My mum’s sister? I thought Deborah was a single child!’ ‘She is! I mean, she was! I’m only her half-sister. I don’t know if you knew, but my mother divorced Deborah’s father and got together with my father. This was after that black woman left, so she wouldn’t know anything about it.’

That was a lot to take in. I have a half-aunty? This was really weirding me out. ‘Lily, are you alright?’ ‘Yes. I’m fine.’ I said in a trance. I looked at the clock. It was only 3 o’clock. T-Ray wouldn’t be home till 5. ‘Lets’ go.’ I grabbed her hand and pulled her to M.J’s room. ‘ Lily! What are you doing to me?’ she asked, frightened in my change of behavior. ‘I’m getting you out of here. We’re going to go back to Augusts’ house and you are going to stay there until we move you away from T-Ray.’ ‘No!’ she snatched her hand out of mine. ‘I can’t leave! T-Ray threaten to kill M.J if I leave, so I can’t!’ ‘Dora, listen to me.’ I grabbed her on the shoulders. ‘You and your baby will be in more trouble if you stay. It’s not going to take long for T-Ray to hurt M.J instead of you so you can do his bidding.’ ‘Her eyes filled with tears again. She stood silent for a few moments, deciding. Risk, or no risk? Then, ‘Let me pack.’ ‘I’ll help.’ I grabbed a bag and stuffed nappies, M.J’s clothes, bottles and some toys. ‘Ready?’ I asked Dora. ‘Ready.’ I held the bags and Dora took M.J and took them to my car. Once I put the bag in, and everyone was strapped, I roared the engine and flew off.