Shadow

Cruella De Vil

She walks gracefully, not a single wrinkle on her face and her body is in great shape, not a grey hair in sight, stiletto nude nails and red lipstick. My mother looks great, but the evil takes many different shapes and forms. "Mom look whos here" Lilly squeals. My mother's eyes run over my body and she forces a smile.

"Kyra, sweetheart, it's so very nice to finally see you love" her pronunciation perfect. "Hello, mother" I say reaching for a hug. She presses her hands lightly against my shoulders stopping me from making contact with her body. She does air kisses on both sides of my face and steps back. Bitch. She glances lazily over towards Don and then looks at me, but her eyes fix themselves back on Don quickly. Widden, she takes in all of him. I see her struggle not to scowl at him with a tight smile.

"Mom this is Don, my boyfriend" I enunciate. I smile and side hug Don, he wraps his arm around my shoulder and sticks his hand out. My mother looks at his hand and she lightly grabs his hand and quickly gives it a shake a gracefully places her hands in front of her. "It's nice to finally meet a friend of Kyra's" she adds. "I thought sent you to college to get a degree, not look for a suitor" she smiles. "And everyone thought Jesus was dead" I answer flatly. Her eyes narrow as she chuckles lightly. "So Don, what made you take such an interest in my daughter?" my mother shoots. "Her smile" Don answers squeezing my side a bit.

"How...sweet" she hisses. He eyes scan over my body as she takes in my attire. "I'll be the first to assure you that I taught my daughter to dress better than this" she laughs lightly. I click my tongue holding back my smart ass response.

Don't want a fight today. You've already got enough on your plate.

"I love it" he fires back. My mother raises an eyebrow at him and nods a bit as if to say 'Well played.'

"Oh, then you would have loved her style when she was in high school, she's always had a very wild sense of style" she laughs. "Though it seems she's put on a bit of weight since then. Lilly sweetheart, make sure your sister get's ahold of those carrot and cellar sticks" she calls to Lilly. I grit my teeth with so much pressure they almost began to grind.

This bitch. I should take one of my overweight fists and nail her right between her eyes.

"Like mother like daughter right?" Don answers.

I try and hide the smile on my face by biting my lip. "Oh, I like this kid" Uncle Max chuckles. My mother's face went stark straight and serious. "Well it was very nice meeting you Don, I do hope you enjoy the stay here, Kyra come I'd like you to meet the other girls" my mother snatches me. I reluctantly walk away from Don and towards a group of classy women. "I can't believe you brought such...such.... blasphemy here" she whispers harshly towards me. "He's not leaving" I tell her.

"What did I do to deserve such a disobedient child?" she mumbles placing her pointing finger and thumb on the bridge of her nose. "And you! You look like a hooker, a nose piercing, really! What's next a sleeve full of tattoos like your unorthodox boyfriend?" she mocks. I glare at her. "We are not here for you me or Don, we are all here for Lilly and William so for once in your life stop making everything about you" I hiss snatching my arm back. She steps closer, getting my face and I raise my eyebrow a scowl set deep in my face. I squeeze my hands into a fist to restrain myself from bitch slapping my mommy.

"Let me remind you of something Kyra. It is always about me. I gave you and your sister everything you've got. Hell, I gave her this marriage! So it is about me! You selfish, conceited little bitch. I know your just jealous you can't be like your sister, so you stoop so low as to bring in such an aggressively disrespectful man to your sister's engagement party. Let me guess, he gives you gives weed? You give him sex in return? You are so disappointing."

"Let me remind you of something mother, I'm not like you, I don't need to have sex with random men every night or force my daughter into marrying a jackass to have the satisfaction of seeing everyone else suffer just feel good. Really, it's pathetic and sad. So, before you go and talk shit, I think you should clean yours up because it's beginning  to smell" I snap.

My mother's pot of boiling rage was beginning to spill over as she tried her absolute hardest to compose herself in a ladylike manner, but her 24k gold mask was beginning to crack. Her chest heaved up and down and she slowly began to raise her hand.

"Tonya" A wise voice snaps.

"Grandma" I sigh. Turning on my heel, whipping my hair in mother's face as I walk up and give my grandmother a tight hug. "Hello baby, Tonya" my grandmother greets.

"Melinda" my mother grits. "I was having a conversation with my child" she adds. "And now your not, I'd like to meet this lovely young man Lilly's told me about" grandma ignores.

I just love how petty my grandmother is.

"Oh, William" my mother sighs.

"No girl, Don" my grandmother says walking away with me on her arm. "Thank you" I whisper towards her. "I saw you about to slap her, didn't want a fight just yet" my grandmother chuckles. I go and put my hand on Don's back and he turns around toward me and my grandmother. "Grandma this is Don, Don this is my amazing grandma, Melinda" I introduce.

Don hugs her kissing her check. "It's nice to meet you Melinda" he greets. "Such a gentleman, it's very nice to meet you Don" my grandma smiles. "Hey! Melinda so nice to see you again" William greets cheerily.

"William" my grandmother greets dully. " I'm so glad you could make it" William goes to give my grandmother a hug, but she stops him. "You nearly crushed me the last time you gave me a hug" she speaks. He smiles sheepishly and steps back.

"Mom, how's life treating you these days?" Max pushes William and hugs his mother. "It would be better if you came and visited me sometime" she scolds. "I know" he says. "So will you be staying?" grandma asks. "You know I don't want to" I answer.

"Just for two days, nothing serious, it's a big house you can avoid her, trust me I've done it since she was fifteen"

"We didn't bring any clothes" I tell her.

"You've got some old clothes in your room and Don can wear some of Max's"

This is going to be a very long two days. "You want anything to drink ma?" Max asks. "Got any gin in that flask?" she chuckles. He hands his mother the grey flask.

I go and stand by Don. "You wouldn't mind staying here for two days, would you?" I ask.

"I don't care, I'm just here to watch you, I can leave whenever I want"

"I don't want to be here, but If I leave my grandmother here with my mother her blood sugar is going to fly through the roof" I whisper.

"I think your blood sugar is going to fly through the roof" he mumbles. I swat his arm and he raises an eyebrow at me. "And my boyfriend really? You couldn't just stick with being my friend?" I scold. "No, it was a better cover for me" he answers. "You do know my mother is going to try and murder you with her heels" I remind.

"I've seen scarier"

"Not you haven't"