Sweet Satisfaction (Purple UGC Winner 2014)

Sweet Satisfaction - Seventy-Eight

Seventy-Eight

“Sister?” I whispered, turning to Emma. Uncomprehending. Horror-struck. In denial. I could feel my chest going up and down against Annabel and Minnie, who were gurgling in my tired arms, as the words sank in. Emma nodded, one hand to her mouth as she swallowed, the other gripping Mary’s hand.

I sunk further down. Emma… Emma was my sister? How could this be? She was Natalya and…. And… who was Emma’s father? I let out a gasp, head dancing. Mary’s screams penetrated my ears, and I watched, waterfalls cascading down from eyes that could only watch, frozen in time, eaten up inside.

“Mary,” I lisped silently, “M-a-a-r-r-y-y.” I felt a physical strain on my heart as I wailed out her name. Rose shifted backwards. She gave me one look, one look that told me everything. I couldn’t breathe. I bent over double, forgetting the babies in my arms. I shook silently, screaming inside. Mary… Mary… Mary…

She died spread-eagled, soaked in crimson. There was a hole in her heart. There was a hole in mine too.

Father looked up at Emma. Both of them had their hands stained with Mary’s blood; they had tried to save her. Emma had loved Mary, and was crying with love. I was crying with guilt, thinking of all the things I had planned to do to make it up to her, and could never do now. How could she be dead? How could this have happened? Her, Mother and my baby sister… all gone…

Father shifted over to Emma, and her started to hug her. Emma’s eyes filled with the strangest expression, as he gently put his arms around her. She was still looking at Mary, but her mouth was turned up as she cried. I glanced over at Natalya, who had one balled fist to her heart and the other to her mouth. Was it true…then?

This was all so confusing. And my former sole confidante, Susanna/Roxanna, the person I had trusted most in the world, had killed my sister. How could she do that? How could she have fired the bullet? Mary was just thirteen, she was just blossoming. Why had I jumped up to the wall, why hadn’t I jumped in front of the bullet to save her? I had promised Mother I would look after my sisters. And Mary was dead. And Mother was dead. I let out an ugly, strangled noise.

“My daughter,” Father swallowed, “You’re my daughter.” He looked at Emma. I blinked. It was true. Emma let out some kind of screeching sob, and he rocked her back and forth. Natalya and Father had been together? And he had shot her parents? And he didn’t know about Emma? Emma was my sister? All this time? I wanted to tear my hair out. Emma sniffed.

“That’s the last p—p-part of the –s-s-story. My mother, Natalya w-w-wanted the i-i-nheritance f-f-or m-me.”

“I believed she was the true Kingston Heiress. If Elsie could take it up, as eldest girl, why could Emma not?” Natalya cut in, “That’s why I had to kill Benjamin. And try and kill Elsie. And our plan was to finally kill off Mary too and the new babies, so Emma would be the only heir. Even though she was illegitimate, I felt like we deserved it, after you murdered my parents, and left me to have Emma alone!”

“I did not know they were your parents, we both know that! They were just the enemy spies to me! I still loved you!” I looked back and forth from Emma, Natalya and Father, trying to take it all in. Father… in love with Natalya… Emma… my sister. I smiled at her weakly as she looked at them fight and spit at each other, as Mary lay dead. My beautiful little sister. Dead.

Rose got up.

“I’m not Mary’s real aunt, but… how could you kill her?”

“It was an accident.” Susanna stared at the gun. I had quite forgotten the others were still there. That was the gun. The gun that killed my sister. Rose ran towards her. I could barely watch. I could barely listen. There was a loud, piercing crack…

…and then there was water, water everywhere. Susanna and Rose had managed to blast a hole in the southern wall of the little hut made of planks. It was the sea flooding in, its stench overpowering, soaking us all. I got up, still holding Annabel and Minnie, and was almost swept off my feet. Everyone else was scrambling up as icy shocks filled our shoes. I thought we were going perish as the water gushed in.

There were so many cries, yells and splashes. Annabel and Minnie were wailing. My legs wobbled. My head spun.

“Don’t open the door,” Rose yelled at Susanna, wide-eyed, “It’s high tide, so more water will come in.” So what we were going to do? We couldn’t walk out into the sea, but we couldn’t stay in here… and drown. Although, I didn’t care if I died or survived. My whole life had been blasted apart.

Natalya had climbed upon an upturned barrel and had wedged some of the boards open on the northern wall.

“Everybody, we can escape through here.”

“What about my mother and sister’s bodies?” I cried, fighting to stand up against the turbulent currents and to actually see them anymore.

Natalya bit her lip as everyone started to clamber through the gap. Father and King pushed me out the way. They were carrying Mary’s body over to Mother’s. My knees felt weak. My sisters were heavy weights. All I wanted to do was collapse. They looked up slowly. I was standing, by now, in waist deep water, with tears cascading down my cold cheeks, holding two babies in my frozen arms.

“Are we not taking their bodies?” I whispered, but I don’t know if they heard me over the gushing sound.

“Come on, Elsie.” Emma tugged my arm gently. I couldn’t struggle or protest. I couldn’t think for myself anymore. I was just moving.

That was the most heart-breaking thing I ever did, leaving their corpses to be swallowed by the sea.