Living in a Troubled Life

mikmws

Chapter 9

“Don’t make me laugh with your lame excuse. Let me go or else

I’d be forced to make you release me.”

Right now I’m witnessing the scary auras of my cousins that could
devour anything that comes in their ways.

"No buts, Pree. Mom should know this. Let go of my hand"

"No, Oxus. I won't"

"Just. Let. Go"

"No! I won't let you do that!"

"WILL YOU JUST-"

"What's going on?!" suddenly I froze upon hearing my aunt's

voice.

This, perhaps, is the doomiest day of my entire life. This is

what I am afraid of. Aunt Lyn and his son, arguing because of me.
This is soo all my fault. First, Toper suddenly enters my room. I
don't even know how he opened my room because I locked it.
Second, he discovered my secret in hiding my arms. Third, Oxus
and Toper knew I had a bruise. Fourth, they, too, saw my picture
getting beaten by aunt Lyn. Fifth, aunt Lyn and Oxus are now
facing each other, having their fierce looks at one another. No
one wants to quit on their die-staring game.

"How could you do this, mom?!" at last, Oxus started their

conversation.

"What are you talking about?"

"What am I talking about?! How could you manipulate Pree

violently?! How could you beat her like she was a stray animal?!"

"W-what?!" This time, Toper is coming along with Aria who

obviously just came home and doesn't have an idea of what's going
on.

"Don't act like you aren't doing that to Pree, mom! I saw the
effect on her arm! Look!" then Oxus grabbed my arm. He rolled up
the sleeves in my right arm. They all saw my right arm, on my
shoulder part, the skin turns into greenish with violet and
blackish-blue color, filling up almost half of my shoulder. Aria
gasped but then covers her mouth. I don't know what my auntie
felt the time she saw my arm. She only showed us her poker face.
"So? How come that became my fault?" Aunt Lyn said.

"How come?! Mom! Don't you remember, YOU were the one who DID
THAT TO HER?!" Oxus shouted in his full anger force.

"You have no proof, my dear son. Don't blame me for the

clumsiness of your cousin"

"WHAT?! Don't you think mom, I will accuse you for this, without
having any proof?! Then WHO is this, if this isn't YOU?!" then he
showed the crumpled paper he's holding. That's when aunt Lyn
gasp.

"W-where... d-did... you get that picture?" she still managed to

ask even though she's still in shock. She looked at Aria who is
also in the state of shock. But she looked away when she saw her
mother looking at her.

"Doesn't matter mom! Just tell me, is this YOU?!"

"I-... I don't-"

"Why don't we ask our little sister, on who took the picture on
that scene? Right, Aria?" said Toper. We all looked at Aria but
she just shakes her head as if she's doing nothing.

"I didn't do that! I know nothing about that!" she protested.

"Hey, I ain't even delivering my question. You're too defensive"

"I-it's because I know that you're gonna ask me that question,
Toper!"

"Then what is my question?"

"If I know something about that question!"

"But that's not my question, idiot"

"Don't talk to your sister like that!" auntie exclaimed.

"If the two of you will tell the truth, then I'll talk to both of
you nicely" -Toper

"Me, either" -Oxus

"Are you blackmailing us?" -Auntie Lyn

"1% no, 100% yes. But maybe, if you don't, we'll do what we told
you" -Toper

"So, Aria, could YOU tell us how Pree got her bruise, and WHO
captured this?" Oxus ask- more like, commanded. She commanded
Aria to tell the truth. Aria glanced at her mother and she seems
talking to her through eye contact.

"I-it was when I'm asking mom to help me do my assignments when

P-Pree suddenly came to us and slapped me hard. So m-mom... s-she
go-got her baton and... and she hit P-Pree. Pree protested and
she tried to grab the baton so mom keeps on beating her... yeah.
T-that's what really happened"
"Are you sure?" Oxus askas if he's suspecting something. As if
he's not believing her.

"Y-yes!"

"Then who took the picture?"

"... I... I am"

"Why did you took some?"

"N-nothing!"

"Is that a necessary answer?!"

"U-uhm..."

"Is it true, Pree?" suddenly, they all look at me because of what

Oxus asked. I looked at aunt Lyn, she's as if telling me that
something bad will happen to me if I tell the truth. I also
looked at Aria, pleading that I should NOT disagree.

"Y-yes... Yes... It's true"

I think Oxus is starting to believe me. Or, ... do I?

"B-but still! Mom! You have no right to beat her! At the first
place, you're not her mother!" Oxus protested.
"Do you think, I should tolerate what she did to Aria?! Of course
not! As a mother! I should defend my child if anything, OR
ANYONE, tried to hurt my child, EVEN IF SHE'S MY RELATIVE!"

"Do you think, beating is the best way to defend Aria?! No!
You'll just make it worse!!"

I don't wanna hear this, nor watch this scene. But I can't.
Imagine this, your cousin who was once a quiet one, who thinks of
his own, not aware of the events happening, is now the one who
shouts in front of his own mother, and who keeps on insisting
that his mother should listen to him. I never thought that Oxus
can be like this. They kept on shouting with each other until
Toper hopped in.

"WILL YOU SHUT IT?! THE TWO OF YOU?!"

And we are all now in silence.

"Okay. Mom, Oxus got a point. For now, I am not allowing the two
of you, mom and Aria, to make any contact with Pree for a week. I
don't want you to touch nor to talk to Pree. If you want her to
do something, you must do it by yourself. Clear?" Toper
commanded. In an unfavorable manner, Aunt Lyn and Aria nodded.

"Go back to where you came from" then we went on different ways.
I went back on my room, Oxus went back to his own and the others
did the same. As I enter my room, I quickly look for my journal.

Hoo!! Atleast he didn't saw this!