Killer Love

Chapter 1 "The family reunion"

“Coral, CORAL! Wake up” My sister Emily whispered in a strong tone while grabbing me by the shoulder and shaking me. I opened my eyes gave her a sharp look and turned around “Emily I’m not in the mood for your silly games, go back to your room.” I could feel that Emily was still standing next to my bed and as I imagined she was but this time she had a serious face and was stumping her foot. I took a deep breath and sat on the bed “What is it? And it better be important “I said as I took a look at the clock and it was 5:30 am. She smiled pleased and sat on the very end of my bed, she had her favorite white baby doll nightwear on she was uncovered, exposed without any robe covering her. Her long golden hair was covering her face as she starred down. “Oh Coral, I think I made a mistake by marrying Dante” she said as her green tear full eyes penetrated me.  “His touch repulses me, every time he kisses or touches me I feel … I feel so disgusting” she said as she stood up and took a look of herself in the mirror. She made a minor pause on her “drama” as she fixed her hair and her night wear. She fixed her look from the mirror to me and began to cry again. “Oh darling” she said as she lay in my bed with her head on my lap. “I can’t take it anymore; it’s been a whole year of me enduring this and is not fair. But I cannot tell mother” she said as she stood up again this time she kept looking at me. “If she discovers this insane changed of mind of mine she’ll cut my throat or worse” she said and of course she exaggerated. I stood up and took a deep breath and of course I was annoyed. This wasn’t the first time Emily has done this, “You always come to my room and start talking about how revolted you are by Dante but either way when you’re done talking trash about him you’ll end up in his arms as soon as you head to your room.” I said as I looked at her with a serious look. When I was about to continue she interrupted me without me even starting. She stood up and looked at me with dead serious eyes “Coral, let’s face it you cannot tell me what to do or give me any advice at all” she said as she walked in front of the mirror again she kept looking at herself over and over again as she spoke this stinging words “You’re unwanted, you’re marked and no decent man would ever want to deal with you” she gave me a devilish smile. “Compare to me, you’re nothing but a ghost or even worse you’re a nonexistent thing.” She looked at me with a victorious look.  “Now, why won’t you just sit down and listen to me like an almost normal person and stop opening your mouth to say stupid arguments” she stroll through my bed room and I heard the old wooden floor made squeak with every step she took. “You’ve never even been with someone you really  ...” She was about to say something that I did not want to hear nor I wanted to remember “STOP!” I said as I felt the tears come out. “Get out of my room Emily” I said between my teeth. She looked at me shocked her brown eyebrows were raised and it made her forehead wrinkled and she bit her lower thin lip but then returned her pale face to a calm look. She smiled at me and tenderly touched my cheek with her thin pale hand “What an ignorant little girl, you think you can escape what you are Coral? You’re despicable “She grinned at me and elegantly strolled out of the room and threw me a kissed before shutting the door. I was alone and with the sting of those words my sister said. I turned around to face the mirror, I remained motionless but something took over me. I felt a knot in my throat, tears came out and a started to strip my close off. I ran to my personal bathroom and got the water in the tub running. My hand where trembling as I opened the lower cabinet under the wash basin and took the Chlorine bottle out. I stopped the water from running and sat in the tub with the cold water. I grabbed a hard sponge and added a bit of chlorine in it and started scrubbing my skin.  My breast where burning red from all the scrubbing and the chlorine, my arms and thighs where wrinkled with rash everywhere. I sat there numbed, my skin burned but all I could do was sit there in the tub starring at the wall.

A hard knock woke me up, I was still in the bathtub and my whole body ached because of the burned skin.  I wrapped a towel around my body and walked out of the bathroom. The knocking got even louder “Coral Mary Millington open this door immediately” My mother said with her demanding voice. “In a minute mother” I said as I hurried to my closet to get my long red sleeve robe, I slid my arms through the robe and although it burned I hurried. When I tied a nice secure knot on my waist I opened the door, there stood my mother Margaret Millington. Her short gray hair pulled up with a bun and her long sleeve black shirt with her straight black skirt. She gave me a little pushed and rushed in to my bedroom shutting the door behind.” Why didn’t you join us for dinner Coral?” she asked me as she starred at me from head to toe. “I…” She interrupted   “Don’t say a word, forget I asked you... I really don’t want to know Coral, freshen up and clean your face is all red and grotesque... Disgusting is the right word.” I rushed in to the mirror and notice my face had to the effect of my little episode with the chlorine earlier in the morning adding me falling asleep in the bathtub.  “Clean up and come downstairs as soon as possible you father has announce he wants a family reunion. All members of this house are to assist, no excuses.” She got out of the room shutting the door behind her; I walked slowly to my closet remembering what happened earlier. How could I face Emily today? She said some pretty heavy words and started bringing some events of my past that I do not want to remember. As I analyze all of this I took out my long sleeve gray dress the dress is so long it covers almost every part of my body  including my ankle; mother gave it to me and I never thought I would use it. The dress was far from appealing but it was the only thing I had to wear that could cover all my skin damage. I  Put on my black moccasin and started walking downstairs. As I was leaving my room and ran in to the housekeeper Agatha, she was a big woman in her mid 40’s, she weight almost 190 pounds if you ask me. When I was little, me and my siblings and by siblings mean cousins, brothers and sisters use to run away from her we thought she was scary and she still is.  I walked passed her and remembered I need to get an ointment for my burned skin. “Agatha come here please” She turned around with a frown on her face “Yes Coral?” she never treats us with the same respect as she treats my parents and the elders in my house, it didn’t bother me until now. “Ms. Coral Agatha if you don’t mind. I need you to fetch me an ointment for burned skin and may a mention to keep this between you and me” She starred at me blankly although I know that look, she wanted something that would keep her mouth shut. I smiled at her “I would be pretty generous with you if you do me that favor” she smiled and when she was about to turn around she said “Don’t worry Ca… I mean Miss Carol “I smiled cheerily and gently strolled down the corridor. When I was about to go down the stairs I bumped in to Emily, she was rushing out of her bedroom and her face look like she was crying. Her eyes were swollen and her nose was red and runny, I looked at her confused. “Emily is everything alright?” She looked at me dead serious “Can a person wake up with some allergy here without people assuming something else?” she bumped my shoulder with hers and went downstairs; Dante came out of the room next and gave me a hypocritical smile. He looked accomplished and nervous at the same time, he greeted me and went strolling downstairs and stood beside his wife, my sister, in the library.  Everybody in the house who was a family and lived here where here, they all sat wondering what was happening that we were all gather. My cousin Gabriel stood up and cleared his throat “Certainly John” he looked at my father “There must be quite an announcement for you to make us all stop doing our duties to come to this family reunion” My father say on the chair of his desk and looked at him showing his dislike for Gabriel taking the first word on this reunion. He cleared his throat and started talking “Thank you Gabriel for asking, yes there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you all” my mother stood beside him and he looked at her before he kept talking “As you all know my mother died recently” he called the women who adopted him mother because that’s the only women he knows that has taken care of him, fed him and educated him. He doesn’t quite know who his real mother is and he never likes to talk about it and clearly we do not like to bring it up. Everybody acted shock and started showing their condolences to my father even though we all know we never quite knew her. My father never made her part of our family, I just remember her from photos and on occasions that she came to visit but my father would talk to her in private. “Now” he continued “She on her will left all her inheritance to me but on one condition that I receive in my house her grandson” Meaning his nephew but since there not related by blood he doesn’t  show him any warm treatment. “Since that is my mother last word I will not refuse even though her money means nothing to me because I have my own.” Typical John Millington pride, rubbing his money on everybody’s faces when he gets the chance.  I clear my throat and said “Well that’s great news father, we will finally get to know a little bit more a side of your family.”  He looked at me with a satisfaction smile, even though he was harsh he always showed a little bit of kindness on me than anyone on the house. Emily laughed hypocritically “Thank you Coral for your pointless comment. Now father when will this intruder arrive?” She said as she scowled me and fixed her glare to father. Father stood and looked at her firmly “ The only pointless thing I see or hear in this house is you and you better behave Emily when Francis arrives” Emily’s eyes started to watered and she pushed Dante aside and while running up the stairs said “ I do not receive any respect in this family” Father sat on the desk again after Emily’s little drama and continued “Please behave while he stays here, I do not know how long he will stay but I beg you to keep our image intact. Understand?” We all nodded in agreement and he stood up and said “Reunion is over everybody back to your duties. “ Father walked straight outside with mother and Dante stood beside me and smiled, “This will be pretty interesting don’t you think?” I looked at him emotionless and whispered to myself “Quite interesting I might say”