The Resolution

ALASKA

DACIANA

“Get up you brat!”

Daciana felt a brutal blow to her shin, as she stood up immediately from the floor where she had been sleeping.

Immediately she opened her eyes, she was hit with a full blast of sun rays, flashing directly into her eyes hurting her orbs badly, and quickly she closed them again.

“Are you crazy? Come on get up you fool.” She heard the voice, which was none other than Bianca, her Aunty’s first daughter, and a typical witch just like their mother, say and bending her head so as not to get affected by the sun rays again, Daciana opened her eyes, and placed her hands over her head.

“Can you imagine this human? It’s almost 11 am and she’s still sleeping.” Bianca said, as Daciana heard her head churning widely as she tried to recover from the events of last night.

“And her sister is over there, sleeping too. After spending so much time outside, coming back late yesterday night, they still think they can sleep till whenever they like huh?”

This time it was Princess talking, Bianca’s sister, and looking up at them, Daciana watched as the two sisters both walked up to where Ruby was laying and then they started kicking her too.

She wondered where Diana was, their last sister, but Daciana knew that kind hearted Diana would never partake in the ills that her sisters did.

Checking herself, Daciana could feel her head was hurting, her limbs were hurting too as she recollected almost everything that had happened last night.
She and Ruby had gone to the stream yet again, to plot about their escape from this hell hound, and seemingly carried away as they had played a little bit, having the time of their lives, they had totally forgotten about the time, until it had gotten to late and in shame, fear and panic they had rushed back home, only to find their aunt Helene, waiting outside for them, with a coal stick in her hand.

She had pounced on the both of them, beating them mercilessly that even Ruby couldn’t even stand up for herself like she normally did.

Helene’s presence, always sucked Ruby’s energy and at such it had been difficult for her to use her powers yesterday to ward Helene off, but today it seemed she had gotten herself back, because snapping her out of her thoughts, Daciana heard Ruby say, “If anybody touches me again, that person would regret ever coming to this world.”

Daciana’s jaw dropped, so did the bullies Princess and Bianca’s jaw dropped open too, as they stopped frozen not knowing what to do or say.

Daciana looked at her sister, who was still curled up on a protective way, her eyes still closed still sleeping.

She had no care in the world.

“And who do you think you are…” Princess started to say, her hands raising up ready to strike but then she screamed, “Arghhhh…”

Her hands were on the air, she was trying to bring it down but she couldn’t, and Daciana and Bianca watched in horror as her face squeezed in so much pain.

“Ruby, Ruby please stop.” Daciana said, tears streaming down her face not because of Princess who was in so much pain – she certainly deserved it – She was scared, because of their aunty.

If Helene heard of this, then all hell would let loose and Daciana shuddered thinking of the horrific things and the punishment that she would melt out to them. “Please Ruby, please…” She continued begging, crawling slowly, despite her aching body as she tried to reach Ruby, who was still laying on the floor, unmoving.
Daciana could see her body shaking, as tremors after tremors passed through her, and it meant just one thing.

Ruby was more than angry, and she was also using all her powers on Princess.

Daciana could hear the murmurs, as Ruby quietly chanted words in Latin, in Greek and Spanish maybe.

Words that she had no idea what the meaning was, but she knew that it was the cause of Princess’s agony.

“Beg your sister please, beg her to leave Princess. We won’t tell mother what happened, we won’t…” Bianca said to Daciana, but another painful scream from her sister shit her up.

“Please Daci, please…”

Daciana was torn.

She had no idea what to do.

She was still crawling towards Ruby, and as soon as she reached Ruby who was still on the floor chanting, she placed her hands on her back to calm down, but she was flunged away.

The ferocity at which it happened, was so fast and daunting, as Daciana found herself back in the position where she had painstakingly come from.

Her belly hurt, her back hitting the ground with force, and it felt as if it wanted to break into two and as she tried to yell angrily at Ruby to stop, her throat seized and constricted painfully.

“You caused this!” She half yelled at Bianca as she added, “You and your sister, have finally made my sister angry and now you’re suffering the nemesis.”

“Please, please I beg you.” Bianca said, kneeling down, as tears began the descent down her cheeks too.

Daciana’s eyes widened in horror, as she clutched her belly suppressing her own pain.

She had never seen Bianca cry over petty matters, such as this one.

Helene’s daughters safe for Diana, were self accomplished bullies, brats and disrespectful humans.

They followed Helene wherever she went, and anyone who had a fight with their mother, they would join hands and secretly deal with the person.

Daciana had lost count of how many times she had overheard the three of them gossiping, and sharing their evil accomplishments together.

So seeing strong and vile Bianca, begging while her sister screamed in pain was a shock to Daciana.

“There’s… There’s nothing I can do. You see, she threw my hands away when I tried to intercede. I think she’s deep in her powers, and in the point of no return. Nothing can be d…”

“Arghhh!” Princess screamed again, much to their dismay, and Daciana who had been stammering words out before kept quiet, as she had no idea what to do.

She watched as Ruby continued to torture Princess, who was turning blood red and pale all over.

“Please do something, please…” Bianca kept begging, but there was nothing she could do.
Suddenly the door flung open, and in rushed Diana, who immediately froze in her steps when she saw what was going on.

“Oh my goodness!” She half yelled, and was about to say something again, when suddenly Princess’s hand dropped down.

Ruby was done, and glancing her way, Daciana saw as her body kept shaking badly.

“What happened?” Diana asked confused, looking around but Daciana was dazed.

She couldn’t talk all, instead her eyes were focused on her sister.

Ruby was exhausted.

The magic she had performed, early this morning had most likely sucked and drained all her energy, and despite everything going on Daciana felt a little bit of pity for her.

She wanted to rush towards her, but then her body was aching badly still, and she couldn’t even move a bit.

She momentarily forgot about Diana and her sisters, as she struggled to catch her own breath, calming herself down.

“When our mother comes back. She would deal with you so badly…”

Daciana was tempted to laugh, but she just didn’t have the strength too.

To think that the same Bianca, yelling at them as they proceeded to leave the room, was still threatening them.

Goodness gracious! These kids were really something else.

They banged the door loudly, as the three sisters left, and soon it was just Daciana and Ruby in the cold empty room where they slept.

Minutes passed, hours passed maybe, and Daciana was still by herself, lost in thought when she heard Ruby finally say, “After all this, do you still want to stay here.”
Daciana broke out in a sob, whimpering as she stared around, and at her body.

She didn’t know what to say, she was so scared.

“I’m sorry for hurting you earlier too. I was not with myself.” Ruby said in apology, but Daciana was well past that.

The only thing in her mind, which kept repeating itself over and over in her ears, was Ruby’s question.

‘Did she still want to stay here?’ She was afraid, she had her doubts but at the same time she still wanted to leave here.

She glanced around the room where they slept.

The walls were peeling off, water and dew rain from the night before leaking inside the room from a broken pipe, and the smell too was another whole different case entirely.

The room which had been home to horses and chicken before, had been converted to their room, and despite the stale smell and stench of horse and chicken dung that filled the air, they both managed to sleep there as they had nowhere else to go to.

This place was a dung hole, worse off there was no bed, as they slept on the cold floor, in their tattered clothing with no blankets whatsoever to cover them and save them from the cold.

Most times mockingly Helene would come at night and throw hay or slimy mud all over their body, and when they woke up, they’ll be filled with dirt all over their body.

Honestly speaking, Daciana was tired. She was just 19, yet she was going through all these.

She had never for once enjoyed her time here, and right from when she knew the difference from right and wrong, Helene had started to show her hell.

Not just her, but Ruby too and she needed to leave.

She was not thinking of the consequences anymore.

Ruby was strong, and powerful, she would fight off Helene’s attack.

She would try her to best too, to summon her powers if the need arose. She was not as strong as Ruby, but she would do her best too.

She was not even having a second thought about it anymore, and wiping at her face furiously, sniffling she said defiantly, and courageously, “I don’t want to stay here Ruby…” A sob broke out again, no matter how hard she tried to restrain herself from crying, she always ended up whimpering and she couldn’t control herself, “I… I… I’ll leave with you. Consequences be damned.” She stuttered albeit fiercely.

“That’s my girl. This is how I want you to sound always. Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.” Ruby said assuringly, rising up to seat in an upright position, and her back facing Daciana she said fiercely, “By tomorrow night, we leave! Let’s start packing!”

They had no clothes or luggages to pack, but Daciana didn’t want to argue with Ruby, and laughing slowly she said, “Tomorrow night, as the full moon drops we leave.”

“Deal?” Ruby asked, and nodding furiously, Daciana replied ,”Deal!”