“It was my sister” He replied looking down with embarrassment.
“Laina?” Mark and Oliver asked in unison.
They were beyond taken aback. I mean everyone in the room except for me, obviously. I always had my doubts but I couldn’t just confront her without proof.
“How dare you put the blame on my daughter…!” Aunt Melissa shouted at her own son.
“I am speaking the truth, mom! I saw her locking the door that day. She told me Rose is evil and we should get rid of her!” Theo shouted back.
“I was a child back then. So, I accepted whatever my older and wiser sister told me, but not anymore. This time I decided to use my own judgement when she came back to stay with us, and in this short moment of her stay, I don’t think she did anything to be treated with hate. Instead, it was always us who started it, Rose only fought back as it was her right to do. Why would she tolerate our nonsense. Never once she started the fight” Theo fought for me which shocked me the most even more than his own mother.
“Oliver was right about her this all time. She is innocent. We were and are the culprits!” Theo added submerging in guilt.
My jaw could drop to the ground any moment.
“You are a disgrace!” Saying that Aunt Melissa turned around to leave but my mother’s next words stopped her on her way.
“You are a disgrace! This is what you taught your kids about my daughter! Kids were not old enough to think like that on their own” My mother blamed her in her face.
‘Damn! She is boiling in anger, Go Mumma Dragon! Burn them All!’ I cheered inside.
My father kept his hand on her shoulder to calm her down.
‘No, No Dad, don’t try to clam her down, its time for the civil war!’ I looked at my father in anticipation and he didn’t disappoint me!
“Where is Pete? I need to talk to him about this!” My father said almost making me dance in happiness.
‘That’s more like it! Gear up, its time to tear down the enemy!’ I thought imagining my parents in battle attire, with the metal armor on their chest and sword hanging on their hips.
Oh yeah! Where is my ugly a*s uncle Pete?
Oh now I remember, he got injured pretty badly when they tried to attack Elijah.
“he.. He…” Aunt Melissa was unable to answer.
“He went abroad for a business meeting” Uncle Levi replied in her place.
So, you get to visit abroad for a meeting by being a factory worker?
“He went abroad? Without meeting me?” My father questioned in suspicion.
Wrong question, dad! Ask him, how can he go abroad for a meeting when he is just a worker? Where is the common sense?
“Yeah, it was urgent, you see” Uncle Levi gave my father a look which I couldn’t understand but my father did.
‘Losers! Lying to our faces!’
My father shook his head, took a deep breath, and replied, “Very well then”
He didn’t look happy with Uncle Levi’s answer but he understood it.
‘I have to know what happened to Uncle Pete, Uncle William, and that villager David’ I thought and a devious plan came to my mind.
“Uncle William and Aunt Milly are also missing” I said knowing Uncle William was also hurt and Aunt Milly is a nurse. She must have gone with them to treat them.
“They went out yesterday to visit Aunt Milly’s family” Uncle Levi lied again without missing a beat
“Ah, I see” I replied not believing a word he said.
‘How sleekly he can lie! Wow! I need some training from these ba*tards’ I thought knowing how bad I am at it.
Even in the middle of the chaos, I observed my mom and dad exchanging looks. They always do that when they are hiding something from us.
“Where were you both? You both went missing the moment we arrived here” I asked my parents trying to catch them off-guard.
“Yeah, mom. I was going to ask the same” Mark added curiously.
“Um..” My mother was speechless but my father came in front of her as a knight in shining armor,
“We went to visit your mother’s side of the family” he said confidently and my brother and I exchanged looks in confusion.
‘Wait? They went there and didn’t take us? Then what was the purpose of us coming with them?’ I thought and I am pretty sure that the same question was running in Mark’s mind too.
Why is everyone visiting their wife’s side of the family? Is this kind of a festival here?
“And you didn’t invite us to meet them?” Mark asked disappointedly.
There you go, Markie! Finally, some common sense!
“Well, your mother and I wanted to make sure that they are ready to meet you” Dad was a bit hesitant while replying this time, so naturally, I decided to attack.
“That doesn’t make sense, dad!” I replied while shaking my head in opposition.
“Very true, sister!” Mark added fuel to the fire.
Both of us looked at them with raised eyebrows.
Before we could ask another question, my mother pointed out,
“Why are you wearing two T-shirts?”
.
Third Person’s POV:
“Why are you wearing two T-shirts?” Mary, Rose’s mother, asked in a curious tone, but in reality, she was just trying to change the topic.
“I was cold” Rose replied casually.
Mary wasn’t convinced and it was crystal clear to Rose.
“You said you were changing so why did you wear the new one on top of a dirty one?” She asked in an investigative tone successfully shifting the focus back to Rose.
‘Ughh! Mom! Just let it slide this time!’ Rose couldn’t help but think.
“I hit my head and it stopped working. How am I supposed to know!” She said with a pout which was enough to melt Mike’s, her father’s heart.
“That doesn’t answer my question. Why did you take so much time when you were not even changing?” Mary asked, she wasn’t convinced at all. She knew something was wrong.
‘She is hiding something’ Mary thought and her maternal instincts were working in full swing.
“You are being absolutely ridiculous! My daughter hurt herself and then you were screaming all the time. She just couldn’t think properly and wore this” Thankfully, her father came to her rescue.
‘Aww! My hero! Dad, I love you!’ Rose thought, dancing inside.
Mary nodded with a faint smile. The look of suspicion does not leave her face.
“Alright, let’s leave. Change into something nice. Take a shower, remove the dirty one, and then wear the clean one” Mary instructed
“Mom, I know” She said annoyedly.
“Okay then. We will leave. We have to investigate the matter with Laina and Melissa too” Uncle Levi said and only then Rose realized that Aunt Melissa was long gone.
“I will send some ointment and clean bedsheet” Aunt Stella added while looking directly at Rose with a motherly smile.
“Oh, thank you” Rose replied smiling back.
She patted her cheek gently before leaving.
“Rose, I am sorry for everything. Hope we can get along in future” Olivia said forwarding her hand for a handshake.
“It’s okay, Olivia” Rose replied accepting her hand.
“Have you forgiven me?” Theodore asked in a hurry and hesitation like he was missing the last train.
“Yes! You have done more than enough, Theo. I have forgiven you the moment you spoke the truth” Rose replied with a bright smile.
“I bullied you too much in the past. I don’t think I did more than enough” Theo was still embarrassed.
“The past is in the past dear cousin, and I am really grateful that you spoke up for me” Rose replied smiling in gratitude.
“No problem, sister! After all, we are drinking buddies now” Theo added happily.
“We must have a long discussion about that” She replied with an awkward smile.
“What about us? Did you forgive us too?” Mark asked instantly trying to get into the train of forgiveness.
“Nah, not you two. You were the only people I trusted with my life. You must work hard to earn my forgiveness” Rose replied, even though she had already forgiven them, she still couldn’t believe that they really left her alone.
“Rose, that’s not…!” Mark tried to speak but she cut him off,
“Get lost” She replied playfully.
One by one everyone walked out of the room leaving only Rose and Oliver behind.
“Rosey.. I am sorry..” Oliver said in a low voice.
“Leave me alone for a while, Oliver” Rose replied in a dejected tone.
‘Why didn’t you leave, Oliver? I can’t speak to you here. There is another person in the room’ she thought.
“Rosey…!” Oliver tried insisting.
“What? Are you staying for the show?” She asked while keeping her hand on the hem of her top.
Oliver cleared his throat and left the room after closing the door.
Rose locked the door instantly and stood with her back gently pressed against the door before taking a deep sigh of relief.
Oliver was standing with his back to the door as well and could hear her taking deep breaths. He was guilty and he knew he must do something to win her trust back.
He moved upstairs towards his room but stopped in the middle of the corridor when he heard Rose’s father, Mike speaking.
“What happened, Mary? Why are you behaving like this?” Mike asked, he was out of breath like he was running before.
‘What is wrong with them?’ Oliver thought in confusion.
“It is about our daughter” Mary replied in barely a whisper.
Oliver was even more attentive than before.
“What about her? Is she having some serious injury on her head!” Mike asked anxiously.
“It’s not about her head but about her life” Mary replied sadly.
“What?” Mike sounded surprised.
“She was not alone in that room. Someone was with her”