Two Sisters

by Leen Elle

  Maybe things could start going well.

  Maybe…

  Chapter 6: Takeover

  I pulled out of the parking lot after my sister and I both said our farewells. We had agreed to meet every Sunday at the same coffee shop. I was already going through different plans in my head, but before I could put them to good use, I was going to take care of a couple of things. First, I'm was going to hire many maids, then, I'm going to hire a good cook because there was no way I was going to lift a single frying pan. I sighed with slight excitement. The mere thought of making Aaron's life miserable made the air that much sweeter.

  I drove past the tall iron gates, and parked the car in front of the beautiful house that was going to be mine. Oh yes, by the end of all of this, this house was going to be mine. I climbed out of the car and walked into the magnificent house.

  "Brilliant." I sighed. A young woman came bustling in. "You there, bring my bags in, take them to Aaron's room." I told her.

  "Aaron's bedroom? Whatever for?" She asked.

  "Don't ask, just do it." I snapped. Surprised at my sharp remark, the scurried out the door. Crap, what was her name? I snapped my fingers.

  "Anna!" I called, turning around. She spun to face me.

  "Yes, Jasmine?" She asked.

  I took off my sunglasses. "It's Mrs. Hale to you from now on." I didn't wait for her response as I ascended the stairs. I took my time marveling the smooth marble. I made my way to Aaron's master bedroom. I opened the door and stood at the doorway, taking in the view, reconstructing the image in my mind on how my room was going to look like.

  "Black, definitely fits my personality." I grinned to myself. I went to Aaron's large dresser, and fanned out my red hair, I fixed my make up, and clasped my hands together. "Delightful."

  "Mrs. Hale, your bags." Anna appeared.

  "Great, Anna, we're going to need trash bags, and lots of them." I said, taking a small box and opening it; inside of it was a golden watch. On the back there was an engraving: For all the delicious nights, Victoria.

  "Well, well, Victoria, it's going to be fun meeting you." I smiled as I held the gleaming watch in the sunlight.

  "Mrs. Hale, trash bags you say?" She asked, taking a black roll out of her apron. She opened up the bag.

  "Yes, Anna, and this is the first thing to go." I tossed the golden watch in the bag. Anna watched in disbelief as I tossed all of Aaron's possessions in the big black bags. I started off with all of the small things, then I built up to the larger things.

  "Go call these people, tell them I want everything that is circled here in the catalogue. Use this." I handed her a credit card. Anna disappeared as I started pulling out all of his drawers. I dumped all of its contents into the bags; socks, underwear, undershirts, all gone. I found a small address book and opened it up; it was filled from cover to cover with women's names and numbers.

  "Typical man." I said as I tossed that too.

  "Mrs. Hale, it can all be delivered today if you pay a large handling fee, as well as a shipping fee." Anna said, poking her head in the room; by then the master bedroom was nearly empty.

  "Pay it." I said. She disappeared again. I made my way to the bathroom and emptied it as well. I was hauling bags out of the room when Jade appeared on the landing.

  "Mom I'm-" She stopped as she saw the bags.

  "Hey, I bet school was a drag as usual?" I asked, going back into the room.

  "What are you doing with Dad's things?" She asked as she followed me in. She raised her eyebrows when she saw the empty room.

  "I'm just claiming what's mine. Come help me." I said. I half expected Jade to be overly confused, and refuse to help me; instead, she shrugged, she let her back pack slide of her shoulder, and approached the bed.

  "That's a good girl, now take everything off the bed, pillows, bed sheets, everything. After that, we'll take out the mattress." I told her. She gave a small laugh.

  "The mattress? Mom don't you think you're going a little overboard with this?" She asked as she opened up the bag wide enough for me to shove the pillows in.

  "No, I think it's the least he deserves." I said as I stripped the bed of its sheets.

  "Yes, I agree that Dad deserves that and much more, but he's not worth me busting my back just because of all the stupidities he's done. By the way, that address book of his, did you throw it out yet?" She asked.

  "Already did."

  "Dang, and I wanted to get rid of that thing myself." She said. I looked at her curiously. There was something different about Jade, she's definitely not what Jasmine had described. I crossed my arms and stared at her.

  "Well, don't you have a sharp tongue for a ten year old. You have a lot of brain." I told her. She stopped smiling and crossed her arms herself.

  "I think we both can take off the masks now, no one is around." She said. "Where's my mother, who are you, her sister?" She asked. I tried to keep my surprise leveled, but her piercing green eyes stabbed me deeply like knives. I sat on the bed.

  "What gave you away, my character?" I asked casually, there seemed no reason to come up with excuses now.

  "Duh, Mom wouldn't have the guts to do something like trash Dad's things. Not that I'm complaining, Dad had it coming to him. So who are you, exactly?" She asked.

  "Jennifer."

  "Jade. Now that the introductions are over, what are you doing here, where's Mom? I really don't like repeating myself." She told me. I smiled slightly.

  "Snappy attitude, where do you get it from?" I asked.

  "You, obviously, thanks by the way; it sets me apart from all the idiots at my school." She said, flinging her hair behind her.

  "Pleasure. Where's Jasmine? At my house, we switched places." I said.

  "Why?"

  So I told her, I told her everything from Jasmine's problems, all the way as to why we decided on what we did. Jade didn't show much interest, but it was obvious now that she made up that sappy character to please her mother. Underneath all of that sweetness, Jade was a clever ten year old girl that could think and understand like a teenager.

  "So let me get this straight, you both want revenge? Hmm…you know, you're going to need help. Kendra for example, one of Dad's many mistresses, she's very faithful to him. However, she's dull and so she doesn't think Dad would go around and sleep with other women. If you expose Dad, then I'm sure she'll want to join you; she has amazing access to money and power." She explained, digging into the a trash bag and pulling out the small address book.

  "How do you know that?" I asked.

  "Please, Jennifer, you think I wouldn't use my sweet innocence to my advantage? Trust me, this woman is capable of doing anything to get back at Dad." She tossed the book and I aimlessly caught it.

  "Interesting." I said.

  "So what are you planning exactly?" She asked, as she watched me flip through the little book.

  "In time, you'll see." I said, smirking.

  "I think I have a pretty good idea, great minds think alike you know."

  I liked her.

  "So, the garbage truck arrives at our house in a few minutes." Jade said, we both grabbed a few bags and dragged them outside. As we watched the truck crush the bags, I took out my cell phone and called for the lock of my room to be changed.

  * * *

  "Black does seem to suit you." Jade said as she helped place the silky black sheets on the new mattress. I aligned the pillows.

  "Yes, I thought so too, those perfumes, place them over there." I said. We were placing the finishing touches to the room, all in time before Aaron got home. I sighed as I dropped on my bed.

  "Dad will have a fit, don't mind me if I appear to be tearful, it's all part of the act." She explained.

  "Don't worry, I've had loads of practice."

  After finishing up the room, Jade and I decided to take a quick swim in the pool. The temperature was delicious. I had longed to wear my black bikini, but I never had the luxury to take a break in my old boring life. The sun was setting, a
nd I watched Jade make amazing dives from the diving board. It wasn't long before I joined her.

  "Mom would never do anything like this, she was always too busy cleaning and cooking." Jade said. "Don't get me wrong, I love Mom very much; that's why I'm helping you." She said, diving underwater.

  "True, that's why I'm doing this also. However, Jasmine would always be too scared to take a step out of line. I wonder what the cooks are making today." I said. After a few more minutes, we wrapped ourselves in a towel and headed inside. I dried myself and tossed the wet towel on one of the couches as I made my way to the kitchen. Just then we heard the front door open and close.

  "Ah, the fun begins." I said as I drank from a water bottle. Jade giggled as she ducked out of sight. I heard her small footsteps head upstairs, leaving me alone, well, the cooks were there too, but I didn't count them as much.

  "Anna, go prepare the bath for me." I heard Aaron's voice from the hall.

  Anna sputtered. "Mr. Hale, your room, um…your room…"

  "Tell him his room is the small guest room down the hall, and that one doesn't have a bath." I called, taking another drink from the bottle.

  "What is she talking about? Is that Jasmine?" Aaron asked, his tone of voice changing into disgust and annoyance.

  "Yes, sir." Anna whimpered.

  He walked into the kitchen and stopped at the sight of me. I turned to the cooks.

  "Add some whine to that, it'll give it more flavor, so I've heard." I said. I was responded with a sizzling sound and flames going up in the air.

  "Who the hell are they?" He asked, looking at the cooks, his eyes, however, averted back to me, and they were not on my face.

  "What? Did you loose something over here?" I snapped coldly. His jaw clenched.

  "What about my room?" He asked. He didn't wait for an answer, he stormed upstairs. I waited for about thirty seconds until there was a loud bang. The cooks jumped as a yell came from upstairs.

  "Why the hell is my room locked!? Jasmine!"

  "Temper, temper." I shook my head. He came down fuming. He harshly grabbed my arm and pulled me forcibly upstairs.

  "Let go of me!" I shoved him off me. He looked livid.

  "You better not have done anything-!"

  "It's all in the trash! Go to the nearest city dump and you'll see! Unless it hasn't already been incinerated!" I shouted. He was taken aback by my sudden outburst, but he regained composure.

  "You had no right! I'll throw you out the streets, see what it's like!" He shouted. He started to ram his shoulder into the door of my new room, so I pushed him off again.

  "Stop it, I think I deserve your room at least! After all the crap you've put me through!" I shouted, or at put my sister through.

  "You deserve as much, you think I enjoy being here with you! You ruined my whole life, everything I wanted to do was ruined because of you! You listen here, the only good thing you ever gave me was Jade." He said, trying to lower his voice.

  "No one asked you to come after me in the first place, why didn't you leave me alone?" I asked him, growing angry.

  He gave a scornful laugh. "Are you serious? Obviously I wanted to sleep with you, but trust me, I never wanted anything with you. To be quite honest, I was going to recommend you to a couple of friends. Not that you had much to offer."

  "Is that so, don't worry yourself, babe, man you may be, but brains you don't have." I laughed. "How's it going, filling old daddy's shoes? Not going well I assume? Failure as always?" I asked.

  "You damn bitch!" He glared at me viciously and made his way towards me. I slapped him before he could lay another hand on me. He looked at me in shock, and I gave him another good smack for good measure. He stumbled backwards and hit a small table, and crashed to the floor. I went to him and straddled him.

  "You listen to me, now. I'm done with bullshit, you come near me like that again and I'll taser your ass. I'm in charge here, now, you have any problems, you come to me. Jade is under my care, and whatever I do is no longer your business. Two years it has been, two years since I stopped being your wife, now you watch your back. Also, I think I'm in my right to do it again." I told him.

  He looked confused. "What are you talking about?"

  I slapped him again. He gave me a malicious glare.

  "That."

  I released him and took the key from a nearby vase and unlocked my room. I went in, but I looked at him once more before closing the door.

  "Don't worry about your clothes, I'm sure four or five of your lovers have an extra shirt or two for you in their closets, check your many hotels, too." I shut the door, but not before catching the frustrated, bewildered look on his idiotic face.

  Chapter 7: Sanctuary

  It's been a few days since I had arrived here with James and his son, Jaime. I still stumbled around like an idiot, making a fool of myself here and there, but I'm finally glad James was starting to get used to my presence. He still thought I was Jennifer, of course, but when the tension was finally released, we were left to deal with the sudden awkwardness we get just by being in the same room together. Jaime still seemed to be trying to avoid me, but I've been trying really hard to get closer to him; nothing has changed between Jaime and I, it seems like Jennifer had left him with an everlasting scar in his little heart.

  I also had to get used to a few things, like sleeping next to James for example. The first night was rather disastrous, since I scooted away from James too far, falling off the bed every hour. James would wake up, getting rather annoyed every time a small thump from the floor disturbed him. He had hissed at me to get into bed right, or he would have to chain me to the headboard. In the end, I finished on the floor again, with an irritable James dragging me to bed, as I protested profusely.

  I got the hang of it.

  The warmth was like nothing I've ever felt before. Even if waking up in a stranger's bed was unnerving, the mere feeling of home filled my heart with gentle sweetness. I softly let out a small sigh of content as I watched the sunlight sneak in through the blinds. The dust motes danced in the air as I gave a small yawn. I subconsciously rolled over and my hands and arms brushed against hard, smooth skin.

  The air got caught in my throat as James' sleeping form loomed over me. I slowly withdrew my shaky limbs from his chest. I gave a small sigh of relief and carefully made my way out of bed. I stopped and looked back at James, his bare chest rising and falling gently. Waking up to him every morning was still something I had to work on. My eyes fell on his hand and I saw his wedding ring still firmly on his finger.

  "Whoa…" I whispered as I approached him cautiously. He still wore his ring? I hadn't noticed it before. How could he? Wasn't it a curse for him, so much like my own? Every time I wore my ring, I could feel it burning my skin, reminding me of a bond full of lies made before God. James married Jennifer, and was finally exposed to who she really was; just like Aaron and I, but I chose to follow the weak path, forever being Aaron's unwanted shadow. James, however, remained faithful, even after all the horrible things Jennifer has done. James chose to move on, while I sunk deeper into my self pity.

  I touched his hand and ran my finger over his ring. A deep longing filled my heart. Ever since I was a little girl, I dreamt about living in a small house with a loving family. I planned out my wedding and made a list of my future children's names. I imagined my small house in a friendly neighborhood where I would make life-lasting friends. I saw myself growing old, rocking on the front porch, watching my grandchildren, waiting for my departure from a fulfilled life. This was my dream, well, half of it. Jennifer stole that dream and milked it clean of all its benefits and then trashed it. A beautiful life, and she shattered it.

  James was trying to hold on to the broken pieces of his family; the one Jennifer destroyed. Well, no longer will he have to pick up the pieces on his own, I'll help him gather every shard of his broken life.

  I absent mindedly traced the muscles of his arm, feeling sorry for myself, when there was a sudden movement. Ja
mes' arm shot out and grabbed my wrist firmly.

  "James!" I gasped. He blinked when he saw me and then finally relaxed. He fell back into his pillows, releasing the pressure of my wrist, but still not letting go.

  "Christ, Jennifer, you startled me." He sighed, rubbing his eyes. Greatly aware of the heat radiating from his hand, I pulled my wrist away.

  "I'm so sorry! Here, go back to bed." I tried to push him down as he tried to sit up. It was like pushing against a wall, I was so weak.

  "No, I'm awake now. Ah, what were you doing by the way?" He asked. You would think jumping out the window would be a promising idea.

  "Huh, oh…er…" I was a horrible liar, and James dealt with lying teenagers everyday. We were both very aware of what happened. He looked at me questionably and I stared down like an idiot.

  "Um…" He tried to speak.