Hate

Chapter 3

“I beg your pardon?” the young girl threw, glancing at her aunt. “Who decided that I moved? My whole life is here!”

“Since I’m now your legal guardian,” Lisa began, “you come with us.”

“And if I don’t want to?”

“You really don’t have a choice.”

“I guess I have nothing to say about it? The decision is already made?”

Lisa nodded without replying. It got too ridiculous. Why did she have to follow? She wasn’t part of her family. She didn’t want to move with them. I don’t want to change the city! What will I do without my friends? She refused to put her own life on hold to please her aunt. She loved spending time with her friends. There was nothing wrong there.

“I don’t want to move.”

“Listen to me, girl, it was already planned before. Mario got a promotion so we return to live in our old town.”

“Great. I guess you already know everyone?”

“Of course, since we’ve lived there.”

“And why do I have to go?”

“Because I’m now your tutor. We had already planned to move before… Whatever. Everything was planned.”

“Can’t talk about it? The decision is taken without my consent?”

Her aunt sighed deeply before shaking her head. She replied that no discussion was possible Danielle decided to intervene again before a murder is committed. She turned to her sister and asked her to give up custody of the young girl. Lisa glared at her, saying she should mind her own business. Anika bit her lower lip. Should she do something before the two sisters kill each other? She didn’t want to. It wasn’t her business if they wanted to assassinate one another. She folded her arms across her chest, staring at the show before her.

“You only think about yourself, Lisa.”

“What do you mean? I still agreed to be her guardian!”

“This is also a question that I would like you to answer me! You can give up anytime you want! Why don’t you do it?”

“It’s none of your business!”

Danielle opened her mouth to reply something, but closed it immediately with a sigh. On a calmer tone, she just announced that their niece didn’t need to hear them quarrel. There were lots of things to do and they were losing time. Lisa said nothing. She turned to go in the kitchen. Danielle sighed again, rubbing her temples. She went to the salon, still silent. Anika’s friends looked at each other before getting back to work. The young girl regretted very much the presence of her aunts who had miserably ruined everything. She just had buried her parents. She really didn’t need to see her aunts kill each other.

* * * * *

Her friends left the apartment very late. The social worker walked them home, not wanting them to go alone. Anika didn’t want to be alone with her aunts, but she said nothing. It was still very late. She watched them from the window before hesitantly going to her parents’ room. She felt tired. She climbed on the bed and looked around. She found their bathrobes. She curled her father’s into a ball to bury her face in and she wrapped herself into her mother’s. She fought a long time against the tears before giving up. She sobbed silently, still wondering why this tragedy had happened to her. When she managed to calm down, she strained to hear the conversation that took place in the kitchen. At least they are still alive.

“There are so many things,” Lisa sighed. “What can we do with all this?”

“Rent storage to Anika’s name, something large enough to contain everything here.”