Black

Part 16 Nails to Your Coffin

Mrs. Callan and Amber got back from the graveyard. Mrs. Callan cleaned herself in the bathroom,  washing hands and face after coming from churchyard and went inside the kitchen to make breakfast. She took eggs from the refrigerator to make scrambled eggs and eggrolls that were Amber's favourite to have in the breakfast . She put water in the kettle to boil for black tea.

"I can't believe someone could've been this sick" she spoke to her daughter flipping eggrolls in the pan and poured tea in the mugs for herself taking a sip before putting sugar cube in the cup.

"Hmmm? Yeah" Amber stalked inside the kitchen helping her mother with plates on the table. She asked Amber if she wanted sugar cube to which Amber shook her head in negative. Amber carried her red mug of black tea without sugar cube and set at the table to have their breakfast.

"He didn't have any rivalry with anyone. Poor kid didn't deserve this" Her mother spoke between her sips of tea. Lord knows how many deaths of the closer ones she has yet to witness in her life. First mysterious death of her husband, suicide of her elder twin daughter and now son of her family friends whom she had sworn to take care of him.
"Your father..."
"Don't start now mother" Amber nibbled on her eggrolls with a curt mood. Mrs. Callan knew that his topic was a sensitive one, a taboo in the house since his murder and Amber's insomnia started at that time. Amber bit her tongue while eating and tasted tang of copper in her mouth. Her father wasn't the one her mother thought he's or what twins thought high of their beloved caring father. But behind his innocent act, he had committed a crime for 'her' death and it's sin that everyone had to pay for what he's done.

Amber finished her tea before getting up and putting dishes away in the sink. Her mother went back to her bedroom for shower. Amber washed the dishes, drying them and stacking them in the dish rack. She wiped her hands on the towel and passed the trashcan. She back treaded and stopped to look at the trashcan. She knelt down, making sure her mother wasn't in the living room and gathered minced meat in a bowl before running upstairs and locking herself in a bathroom. The white marbled floor was mud stained with brown footprints and the bathtub still had brown muddy water in it. She descended in the bathtub splashing water over the floor and took handful of minced meat chewing on it. Blood crimson lips tilted up at the corners in a patent smirk as she enjoyed her meal while sitting in murky water. Pearly teeth coated red, slivers of blood trickled down her chin into shirt. She wouldn't have wasted such effort of having his heart, would she ?

-
Jennifer wake up to the sound of someone constant talking in the adjacent room. It was Ryan's voice, that she could recognize everywhere and a child to whom he's whispering. It might have been Alan, his younger brother whom Elle had mentioned to take care of. She opened her heavy eyelids, touching her forehead. Her temperature had  died down, she noticed but the wearing effect of throbbing headache still lingered making her wince. She pulled aside the blanket that had kept her warm and touched the  plywood that felt cold under her soles. She saw, a bowl of water and washcloth on the table and had realized someone could've been attending to her none other than Ryan himself. She pulled her ebony messy locks in a bun at the back of her head and padded towards the room, where the voices were coming from. She rotated the knob of the door and pushed it open to find Ryan sitting next to a young child of around twelve, the baby fat in his cheeks was still present in his face. They both were playing Xbox with controllers in hands and were surrounded by snacks and drinks for refreshment. They turned to look at her groggy form, and the younger boy jumped up on his feet and ran to hug her waist.

" You're awake? I'd thought you're taking forever Brooke", Alan pulled away beaming up at her with the signature family smile that the both boys inherited from their mother, except for Ryan's one is more flashy and arrogant the one he used to give her much to her annoyance.