Chapter 9

• I clutched my chest heavily watching my father's incomplete remains being put in the retort furnace. We might have been distant over the past years but he does his best as a father.
• The painful look on his face when he asked me to run kept haunting me in my dreams, I kept having dreams of him being ravaged by the beast, my aunt interrupted the moment placing her hands on my shoulder blade and wiping the tears on my face with a handkerchief and embracing me.
• "I am so sorry for the loss," she said, biting her lips and stiffening her cries to console me. Her amber eyes look so red and swollen, her pupils dilated from crying.
• She pulled me in for a hug as I broke down completely in her arms whimpering with mucus staining her silk black dress. The fabric is smooth and luxurious, and it feels cool to the touch. The sleeves are slightly puffed at the shoulders, but they taper down to the wrists. The skirt of the dress is slightly flared, but all that matters to me is my father's remains who was in the furnace.
• "Let's go home, we can come back later to collect the urn and have a befitting burial for him," she added taking my hands in hers.
• "No, I-I want to stay here", I choked out, the words left hanging in my throat amidst sobbing.
• "You can't stay here, Ivory", she relayed patting my back.
• "The cremation will take several hours, you can't stay here and you haven't eaten for the whole day ", she added wiping the tears that shimmered in her eyes.
• "No, please", I shook my head from side to side backing away from my aunt.
• "Please I just want to stay with him for a while, Aunt Marie" " I pleaded, sitting down on the wooden bench in the crematorium and staring at the lilies in a vase on the table.
• "Listen to me, please. I know this is hard on you but don't be hard on yourself, my sister is a lovely person and took care of me as the only sibling she has, she wouldn't be happy where she is if I am not taking care of you", Aunt Marie divulged glancing at me while I stared down on the polished concrete floor with a crestfallen look.
• "You can't seem to understand, I just want to be alone", I replied looking away as I locked eye contact with her.
• "It's fine, I understand", she said handing me a takeout, picking her bag from the opposite wooden bench.
• I looked around the dimly lit room, the air was slightly warm and it gave a faint smell of smoke, I heaved a sigh groaning at the thoughts of my Father's being turned into ashes.
• My eyes darted as I heard the sound of a silhouette clicking on the floor looking up to see the bitch and her scaredy cat trailing behind her.
• Clara was dressed in a black satin puffed mini gown hemmed with white at the shoulder which was exposed revealing the neckline pushing her boobs up. She put on a wry smile taking a long stride to me.
• "What the hell are you doing here?", I growled questioning with a creased brow.
• "Hey Ivory, my sincerest condolences to your father, I am deeply sorry for your loss", she said extending her hands to me which I ignored casting a dismissive glance at her and then to Jason.
• "You're quite the stubborn type, I have known you for that, I heard the terrible news and wanted to lay my last respect to him since I won't be there for the funeral, my bad", she added pointing to her chest and obviously showcasing the ring on her middle fingers.
• "I will be getting married to the love of my life and the preparation will take a whole lot of my time, we are deeply sorry for not being there," Jason interrupted holding Clara by the waist and caressing her cheeks and she giggled at the impact.
• "Yeah", she hummed rubbing deep circles on his double-breasted tuxedo suit.
• "Oooh--- sorry my bad, I won't be there as your bridesmaid", I chuckled with a sardonic laugh. Clara widened her eyes, squinting her eyebrows at my reaction to the news.
• "The Old man is finally laid to rest and free from the bondage of a witch and curse, such a pity", Clara muttered and scoffed motioning to Jason who kept her hands in his as they chose to leave.
• I had no ounce of strength left in me to reply to her anymore and deep down I knew what she was saying was true. I am a curse and a beast.
• "Ma'am, this is it", My attention was called by the crematory operator who gave me a vase-shaped urn made of ceramic. I caressed the urn handling it with care as tears threatened to roll down my cheeks.
• I picked my bag from the wooden bench completely forgetting about the takeout food my aunt gave me as I made my way out hailing a taxi home, I glanced at the urn not tearing my gaze away from it and I muttered countless apologies to my Dad.
• I reached home in no time with my Dad's relatives at the entrance of the house who came to console me, I rolled my eyes remembering how they didn't use to adore me when I was a kid like my other cousins.
• I had no time to deal with them right now entering the room to meet a solemn silence, paused at glancing at me like I was a trash.
• "The funeral proceedings will take place tomorrow and let me have the urn, we will bury the ashes" " my Dad's immediate younger brother, Uncle Mark said gesturing for me to bring the urn.
• "No way, no ", I backed away from him shaking my head and blinking tears away from my eyes.
• "Bring it to me now, Ivory", he said glaring at me, I could hear murmurs I couldn't fathom from my Dad's relatives who were seated with Aunt Marie seated opposite them with a cold look squishing her brows and scrunching up her nose.
• "Who the hell are you to me what to do with my father's remains, I have the right to hold on to it, you can go to hell for all I care", I cried out, stomping my legs and dashing towards my room before he could forcefully collect it from me.
• I shut the door locking it instantly, I could hear Aunt Marie's calling out to me but I don't fucking care, I just want to be alone. I hugged my knees placing the urn on the floor as silent sobs racked through my body
• I remembered his smile and his advice, he was my teacher, and he portrayed the duties of a mother, and he isn't just my father. He's my everything, I should have listened to him, I shouldn't have ventured into the forest. His agonizing cries kept ringing in my ears and still felt like it was yesterday. These thoughts ran in my head as my eyelids fell succumbing to the darkness lying down on the cold floor.
• I awoke to the loud banging on the door, bead of sweat trickled down my forehead as I had another nightmare of the beast with bloodshot eyes staring at me. I rubbed my eyes listening to the voice behind the door and realized it was Aunt Marie.
• I pushed the door open stood up from the floor and placed the urn on my pink desk, I waited for my aunt to make her way in who was glancing at my room decor, and smiled.
• "You're still obsessed with pink all these years, thought you would have grown over it", she said smiling dryly.
• The wall in my room is painted a light pink with pictures of flowers on the walls. There's a desk centered with a pink lamp lots of books, and a pink rug on the floor. On the other side of the room was a dresser with accessories in front of the mirror on the wall. And, there's a bookshelf full of my favorite books.
• She motioned to me to sit on the frilly pink comforter bed and I sat down staring at her face for what's next.
• "They're gone, they left a while ago after I persuaded them to let you hold on to your Father's remains and what you intended to do with it", she said and my eyes gleamed.
• "But on one condition, they said ", she added.
• "What's that " I questioned furrowing my brows.
• "You going to stay with me in Chesterfield", she relayed.
• "That's isn't the only reason, is it?", I asked feeling suspicious about the whole thing.
• She nodded, which I knew there was something those Old big fools were up to.
• "On the condition----- that the house should be will to them", she said staring intensely at me and the air stilled.