I entered the lounge, closing the door behind me without a sound. I inched closer to my family, keeping my eyes open for Christo and his soldiers. I stopped behind the couch and bobbed down.
“Don’t say a word,” I whispered. “I’m here to help.”
They didn’t respond.
“I don’t know whether you’ve been told, but I’m Sophia, your daughter,” I breathed out, “so don’t scream or make any sounds when you see me.”
I walked around the couch, unable to stop my own scream. The people framing my brother weren’t my parents. Their hair was dyed and their throats were slit … a macabre reenactment of what had happened to my parents seven years prior, the memory returning with a horrifying clarity.
SOPHIA
Christo had murdered my parents!
I collapsed to the floor, too overwhelmed to do anything else. My mind was in chaos while my heart was broken—my world completely shattered. Their throats were slit. My Papà and Mamma gone because of me, only my brother alive, Lucan bound and gagged. This was my fault. I could see that. It was because I couldn’t stay away from Frano—even for my parents. And now they were dead because of my selfish desires.
RITA
I knew the people in front of me weren’t my parents. They had died seven years ago because of me. Frano had said they’d moved to another island. Maybe the Donatelli had instigated the lie, filling everyone’s heads with untruths, because without a doubt I knew they were dead. And although Christo had been the one who’d taken their lives, my persistence in seeing Frano had led to it. Christo had told me I was his accomplice in their murders, because he’d warned me enough times about what he would do if I didn’t obey him. I remembered everything now, especially that dark day. It had started off no different from any other day, only its ending changing my life.
SOPHIA
Jagger wouldn’t leave me alone. He was following me home on a bike he’d swiped from some other kid. I picked up speed on my own bike, trying to get back before he caught up with me. He’d confronted me after school, demanding that I tell him the truth about Frano. When I didn’t say a word, he started yelling that I was a cheating puttana. Kids had stopped to stare at us, so I’d grabbed my bike and took off, desperately needing to escape him. But Jagger wouldn’t give up. I’d kept on riding, terrified of him, because he looked like he’d lost his mind, his eyes crazy.
As soon as I entered my property, I jumped off my bike and ran for my front door, praying that Jagger didn’t follow me inside. I barged inside and headed for the lounge, stopping in surprise. My parents and brother were sitting on the couch, watching TV. I didn’t know why my father was home, but I was grateful, because he would protect me.
“Papà!” I called out.
He didn’t answer.
Jagger shouted at me to come outside. Panicked, I ran around the couch, then stopped dead in my tracks, what I saw making me scream. Before I knew what was happening, Christo appeared at my side. He grabbed me and forced me towards the front door, Jagger bursting through it a moment later.
RITA
My eyes remained locked on the macabre reenactment of my parents’ deaths.
Christo came up behind my brother and placed his hands on the dead people’s shoulders. “Like my work?” he asked.
Lucan stared up at me, with tears streaming down his sweet face. He’d looked at me in the same way seven years ago, his innocent eyes pleading for me to save him. I hadn’t back then, because I’d been too weak and overwhelmed to do a thing, but now…
“You didn’t answer me, schiava,” Christo said. “Do you like my work?”
I raised my eyes to him, the smile on his face wide. He was much gaunter now, not the muscled master of my nightmares. But he looked just as wicked, if not more so.
No! I was my master’s nightmare.
I didn’t think; I acted. I leapt onto the couch, using one of the dead people’s legs as a springboard. I threw myself at Christo, aiming the knife at his smiling face.
Episode 14
Coming Soon
About the Author
Marita A. Hansen is from New Zealand. She loves writing, creating art, watching and participating in football, and running. She ran her first marathon in 2012 and is now planning on completing many more. For more information on Marita check out these links:
Author Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Marita-A-Hansen/113130742120676
My Masters’ Nightmare Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/My-Masters-Nightmare/167338690126962
Blog Site:
http://maritaahansen.blogspot.co.nz/
Goodreads’ Author Page:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5129673.Marita_A_Hansen
Artslant Page:
http://www.artslant.com/global/artists/show/74433-marita-hansen
Twitter Name: @MaritaAHansen
Other books by Marita A. Hansen
Behind the Hood
Graffiti Heaven
Behind the Tears
Behind the Lens
Don’t Peek (The Diaries of a Teenage Girl)
My Masters’ Nightmare Season 1, Episode 1 “Taken”
My Masters’ Nightmare Season 1, Episode 2 “Discovered”
My Masters’ Nightmare Season 1, Episode 3 “Betrayed”
My Masters’ Nightmare Season 1, Episode 4 “Poisoned”
My Masters’ Nightmare Season 1, Episode 5 “Escape”
My Masters’ Nightmare Season 1, Episode 1-5 (The My Masters’ Nightmare Collection)
My Masters’ Nightmare Season 1, Episode 6 “Consequences”
My Masters’ Nightmare Season 1, Episode 7 “Connections”
My Masters’ Nightmare Season 1, Episode 8 “Questions”
My Masters’ Nightmare Season 1, Episode 9 “Crucified”
My Masters’ Nightmare Season 1, Episode 10 “Stalked”
My Masters’ Nightmare Season 1, Episode 6-10 (The My Masters’ Nightmare Collection)
My Masters’ Nightmare Season 1, Episode 11 “Consummation”
My Masters’ Nightmare Season 1, Episode 12 “Confrontation”
Overwhelmed
Ricardo
My Masters' Nightmare, Season 1 / Episode 13 Page 8