Chapter 13

Slowly I opened my eyes the next morning, I was baffled beyond compare, cause I had really thought that I would have been dead by now and the creature would have finally caught me and eaten me alive, but no , I was still alive living this damn miserable life ... I wearily stood up and I could see young maidens with their little pot fetching water from the lake and I immediately realized that I was already in another kingdom, Some had already gathered round me with a kind of confused worried expression written all over their faces, some were trying to touch me to see if I was alright and I immediately took caution of my baby, I told up...

"Where am I, I said looking at them with a confuse frightened expression...

"I beg your pardon, we don't mean to frighten you...Are you alright?"

One of the maiden said looking at me with a worried expression...

"Am fine I said looking at nowhere in particular, "I just want to know where am I, I repeated...

"You are in cloister, A kingdom not that far from peace blossom which was my kingdom, She said and I nodded...

"Do you want something, Are you hungry? Another maiden with sparkling dark black eyes said... and I immediately realized that I was starving terribly, if only I had eaten something the previous day, I wouldn't have fainted, I needed to eat to because of my child, I couldn't let my child starve because of me, I ought to start taking care of myself especially because of my child...

"Am so very much hungry, Can I please have something to eat, I don't have any money to pay nor any valuable thing to offer but I would be very grateful if I am at least offered water to drink....

"It's okay, You don't have to offer anything to us, we really wouldn't accept it, Come, you must be starving, Melissa she called and I could see a young smaller maiden coming...

"Take her to our house and if mother ask, say she is our guest, am sure mother would treat her well, I don't forget she eats and get taken care of, She said now facing me again smiling,

"Go with her, you would be safe" she said and I felt so happy, The happiness that I haven't felt in a long time...

"May the lord bless you so much" I said...

"It alright, she said calmly now returning back to the lake to continue fetching the water...

And that was how it happened, I was taking into the house by the young girl who I assumed to be her sister, At first I was scared to enter cause it was a new place and I didn't know how her mother was going to react but her sister assured me and as soon as I entered, I was warmly welcome by her mother, who immediately listened to what the young girl said and she pitied my condition and immediately accepted me warmly with food and clothing, I felt at home, I felt peace and that all my sorrows were finally over... it was one of the best time of my life and I got to know how sweet they were, Their family was so lovely and I eventually made friends with the woman's daughters especially to the younger one, I was so fond of her, she was like my own child, I simply loved her and wish my child, if it were to be a girl would be like her... But a time came when her older sister asked me about my name and how I got to be found on the lake, Her mother was also interested in knowing my story, To cut the matter short, everybody was interested in knowing what had actually happened and what I could see was their stares, which made me so anxious, I needed to say something but I wasn't going to say what actually happened, I wasn't going to tell them that I was banished and my sad story, Hell no!, That was my past and I needed to start living in the present , I had decided I was going to start afresh, Have a new identity and start over again from the beginning, I had decided after a long thinking that I was going to simply forget the past and James for good and maybe just MAYBE my life would be alright...

"My name is Isabelle, and the day you saw me, I was robbed and everything I had was stolen, I said lying but they didn't know that that was not the actual truth and they believed me and started addressing me as Isabelle, Finally Alexa was finally dead for good, there's only Isabelle now...

I found comfort and peace living in their house and they treated me like family as if they knew me all their lives and it made me think that good people are not all gone in the world, there were still good people somewhere in this world all you have to do is to find them...

I was once surrounded with bad people who hated me and treated me like garbage but now it seems that my fate was changing for the better and for the good, But at last, I was wrong as usual, I was damn wrong, so wrong that I didn't even see it coming, I should have realized and thought this through but I was blinded and I thought was ever going to go wrong but however it did...

The woman's husband wasn't around when I was staying in the house, I was informed that he was away for business stuff he was done with the business work and came back and he was not happy and I mean not happy, infact he was furious to see me who he tagged as a stranger in his house, he argued and fought with his wife and sixteen year old daughter because of me saying he was not going to bear the burden and add extra expenses in taking care of me, I could see his sixteen year old sister crying as they fought , I couldn't bear the sight of her crying, I couldn't watch her cry all because of me, I was heartbroken and sad, I wasn't going to allow their family to fall apart all because of me , if their father didn't wanted me here, to stay in their house then fine I was going to leave, I was going to go far away, cause I wasn't going to let their family fall apart because of me, I concluded with tears on my eyes, I didn't pack anything or take anything along cause I didn't wanted to make their father more upset with me...

I came downstairs with my once again broken heart to meet them still arguing about my presence in the house with the woman almost tearing up, I felt shattered, I wasn't going to stay in the house not anymore...

"Am leaving, I said looking at nothing in particular not wanting to see the reaction on their faces...

"Very well, you can go, thank goodness... said her husband Harold

"No say that, Harold, at least have some sympathy... Look at her, she's hopeless...

"Don't talk to me in that tone, woman, he said frustrated looking at her...

"You are not going anywhere, She said without minding what her husband said...

"I never knew that you would turn out to be a monster with no feelings, if I know that this is who you would turn out to be, I wouldn't have married you, She said tearing up..

"Wow, bravo, just amazing, it because of this girl, you are speaking to me your husband in that tone, Tell me what has this girl did to you that you care so much about her, Huh tell me, as she done you any favors, No, she hasn't, all she's good for is adding more expenses to my house...

"If it is the expenses, then I would be solely responsible for them...She said...

"It not the expenses, it's the girl, she must leave and that finally, he said and with that he left angrily to his room and I could see his wife bowing her head down crying, I felt horrible, she slowly raised her head up looking at me then coming towards me...

"Am so sorry for this, but look you don't have to leave if you don't want to, he can't make me do what I don't want to or I would talk to him and I know that he would soon definitely listen, he would understand, I would make him, he would....

"Look thank you for everything you have done for me, I would forever be grateful, You don't even realize how much you have helped me and I would never be able to repay you for anything for what you have done not even money can repay all that you have done for me...But I can't keep on living here, Your husband doesn't want me here and I can't and I don't want your family to fall apart, I can't stand it, I don't want to create a rift between two couple and I can't stand seeing your daughter cry, it makes me to break completely, so I just can't live here,and please don't try to stop me cause I be offended, please just let me go I said tearing up...

"It's okay, don't cry my dear, I understand but where would you possibly go to, where would you...

"I would go to my aunt's place, it not too far from here, she would be so ever glad to see me ...I said lying in order for her to let me go..

"But I didn't know that you have aunt, you once told me that you were alone, that you were...

"I did... I did say that be.... because I was use to your company, I .. please just don't worry about me, I would be fine, you don't want me to be upset with you right? I said hoping she's finally convinced with my lie and finally let me go, I could see her looking at me as of she was studying me to find out the truth and I had to keep on smiling when inside my heart is breaking piece by piece...

"Okay my child, you can go but at least take some clothes with you and this too she said handing me a few gold coins...

"I can't, I...

"Now you don't want me to be angry do you?She said with a pleading look... making me to have no other choice but to give in, taking the clothes and the coins...

"Wouldn't you stay for the night, it late and dark outside...She said

"I would be fine, okay and besides my aunt's place is not that far from here, i said lying, I was always afraid of the dark and I don't think that I would be able to be actually"Fine", I was so afraid, but I was more terrified about what her husband Harold was going to do to me if I didn't leave and spend one more night there, he might just actually kill me and my child out of anger, he was a psycho, he was capable of anything, I can't risk my life staying one more second in this house cause it wasn't safe anymore , I needed to leave but I wasn't going to tell his wife that, so I had to lie, I could see her going into the house and bringing a little lamp..

"Here, have this, you would be able to see in the dark now, just get to your aunt place safe and sound, okay she said tearing up again.. I too could feel tears on my eyes she treated me as if I were I child and it makes me remember about my mother, this woman was just amazing and all I did was to hug her ...

"Thank you so much" I said tearing up..

"I would leave now, okay... I added

"Okay my child, she said wiping her tears and with that I left, I left the house that I had fallen in love with, I left that wonderful family, I left everything, I could feel my heart breaking as I turned back and could see her giving a weak smile waving at me, I too gave her a little fake smile and finally left...

I guess my life wasn't meant to be lived happily, I guess I was cursed and wasn't meant to find true happiness and even if I did , it wasn't meant to last forever, I wiped my tears as I walked through the lonely ally with all the houses been locked up cause it was late so everybody must have gone to bed, I was heart broken, and I walked to nowhere in particular, I had become a wanderer and I wasn't going to forgive the prince, nor the king and definitely not Stephanie for this...

I held my stomach in pain as my baby was happily playing there , My legs were weak and I needed to rest, I laid down putting some clothes on the cold ground in for me not to catch a cold and have pneumonia, I laid down after putting some of the cloth on the ground and some for the pillow and blanket... It was freezing out here and if I didn't do what I did,I was going to fall extremely sick...

As I was finally about to fall asleep, I could feel that I was not alone and somebody was standing behind me, Very close to me, My heart flew to my mouth, Who could that possibly be, I wondered with my heart racing....