Chapter 2

"M-mme?..." Tjatiwa called tentatively.

She felt as if all the air was being sucked out of the room as she waited for her mother to turn around.

Tjedza Ndabalime, her mother, Mrs Khuphe. The woman she loved and worshipped, but could never obtain favour from, was right in front of her. She hope against hope to see some affection when her mother turned around.

"Who is your Mme?! I do not have a daughter like you! You witch!!" Tjezda growled, as she whipped around to face her estranged daughter.

A cold shiver slithered down Tjatiwa's back and she felt like her feet had been plunged into an icy river.

'So, no miracle' Tjatiwa lamented internally as she stood, back straight, head low, hands balled into tight fists.

"Look at me you filthy thing, I am talking to you!" Seethed Tjedza, her almond eyes narrowed into thin slits.

"So you have learnt to steal in this house iwe?! Now that your chest is so big you think you can touch my property in my HOUSE!" She yelled at the bewildered Tjatiwa.

"Answer me before I gouge your evil eyes out!"

"Mme- ma-ma'am I- l haven't. I didn't!" Tjatiwa stammered in shock.

Her brain was muddled, tears stung her eyes, she couldn't figure out what was going on.

"Eh heh, so I am a liar now heh?! Now I have turned into a liar hatenti" Tjedza said in a dangerously low tone.

She was livid, and Zvaita was at a loss. She was not acquainted with this side of her mother. She was used to a woman who was cold, indifferent to her and never acknowledged her presence at all. She had gone from being invisible, to being negatively visible in a split second and it was jarring. She stood there, stupefied, hoping to, at least, be enlightened about the object of her crime.

"Tjatiwa I always knew you were an evil child...but this? Stealing??" Tjedza gestured, her finger pointing at an indiscriminate direction .

"No, no, I never thought you would be this nasty. What do you lack in this house? WHAT DO YOU LACK IN THIS HOUSE?!CHIII?!" Yelled Tjedza, her composure unraveling completely. Her hazel eyes bulged out , the veins on her neck and forehead swelled up distorting her stunning face. She looked like the she would drag Tjatiwa to the pits of hell.

"Mother ..."

"SHUT UP!".... "Shut up! I am not your mother! You wouldn't steal from me otherwise!" Hissed Tjedza, trying to regain her well maintained dignity. She had never raised her voice in this house.. till today. Today, this child had driven her to the limits.

"Hand it over" Tjedza stretched out her slim arm.

"Give it to me and I'll give you a lesser punishment Tjatiwa.. You know how important it is to me." She choked. She was on the verge of a breakdown, but she held her tears in.

"Mo- ma'am, I-I I d-didn't s-steal anything. I-I swear." Tjatiwa stammered out. Her eyes were red with unshed tears. She was in utter disbelief at the unfolding events.

"W-what is missing ma-"

PAH!!! a slap sounded, reverberating throughout the living room.

Tjatiwa's world spun as she staggered backwards. The burning pain came a few seconds after that. The dam that had been threatening to burst, split wide open and her tears gushed out. Before the could completely grasp what was happening, another brutal slap landed on her unprotected cheek sending head first into the banister. Her ears buzzed, but before she could process that attack, she felt a burning sensation in her scalp. Tjedza had grabbed her by her hair and was dragging her towards the centre of the living room.

"Mme! Mme p-please!" Zvaita begged, oblivious to the blood that started oozing from her forehead. All she could feel was the terrible pain in her scalp as if it would be torn from her skull.

"Mother..mama... Ma'am.. I'm... I'm s-sorry" she pleaded. She tried to pacify her mother, who was clearly about to commit her first murder.

She felt a release and she reached up to touch head. A few small clumps of hair fell out, but at least the dragging had stopped. Tjatiwa straightened her back again but did not raise her head.

"Tjatiwa, show me that you are sorry. Give me back my necklace or I swear to god, I will chop your thieving hands off." Tjedza said evenly. She closed her eyes trying to contain the beast that had been unleashed earlier.

A new wave of fear struck Tjatiwa, her back was drenched, her nerves were crawling. She had never stolen anything, not before, not now, not ever! But how would she explain this without triggering another wave of attacks.

"Are you listening to me muloyi?" Asked Nakai, her voice almost inducing a nervous breakdown in Tjatiwa.

"M-madam, Mrs Khuphe... I promise you I never stole anything... I don't ... I would never.." Tjatiwa said incoherently. Her lungs struggled to intake as much air as needed by her rapidly beating heart. The supply and demand scale was vastly imbalanced. Her knees felt weak, but she still managed to remain on her shaky feet.

A brief silence ensued, making Tjatiwa's skin prickle.

"M-maybe I- I can h-help look for..."

Before she could finish, a savage punch landed on her cheek, sending her stumbling backwards. She tripped on the Persian rug beneath her feet and fell backwards onto a glass table, effectively ending it's decorating career. Glass shards flew everywhere. Tjatiwa scrambled to get up, oblivious to the pieces of glass that embedded themselves into her back,hands, knees and feet in the process.

Things had gone from bad to Level 18 hell kind of worse.