Mirabeth (2)

Writer's POV:

"Don't call me that, don't you dare call me that, you used me didn't you, the both of you used me. When you had no child of your own, you saw me as priceless but the moment your wife conceived, I became useless, how hysterical!"

"Listen Mirabeth, you don't have to react this way. I was only trying to get used to the new changes, that's all. I still love you and I always will, forgive me, forgive your father please."

"I need some air, I feel suffocated."

She was about to leave but he held her hands.

"Please don't go, this news will affect your mother greatly, it may even affect your sibling. So please come with me."

"Let me go, I won't tell her anything. I am not that selfish, I just need some air."

"Please Mirabeth."

"I won't say a word to her, so just let me go, please."

Mirabeth pulled her hands out forcefully from his hold and ran as far as she could. She had no idea where was going, she just kept on running.

She ran for hours till her legs became wobbly, she sat on a rock and gathered her thoughts, after five minutes, she made my way to the cottage.

'I have to face this for mom's sake, at least her love never lacked, this is just a small sacrifice, compared to hers. I can do this.' She reassured herself. 'It was already past nine, mom must probably be worried. I will just tell her that I ran off to the theater because of a performance I had to audition for. It's a passable excuse, plus it's believable.'

When she got to the cottage, the whole house was scattered, all the vases and glasses were shattered, the tables were broken, the whole place was ransacked.

'Were we robbed?' She suddenly grew scared and decided to check in the room for my parents but she heard my mom's voice coming from the backyard.

"This is not fair, our daughter hasn't been home for hours and I am worried sick yet you think we chose to lie to you. You came into our house and ransacked the whole place, without giving us a chance to explain ourselves."

'Who could mother be talking to? I need to find out.' She was about to intrude on her mother when she heard a familiar voice.

"This wasn't the agreement I had with you and Donald."

'That voice, Roger, that's his voice, what could he be doing here? What kind of deal did father make with him?'

"We will find her, we promise. Just give us some time." Donald pleaded.

"What time? I have given you both enough time. You told me to come pick her up by eight but we delayed for an hour to give you both time to prepare yourselves but she is suddenly nowhere to be found. You either tell me where you both have hidden her or else if we find her ourselves we take her and we still keep the money."

"No this wasn't the deal we had, if you take her without paying us how we will cater for our unborn kids. We only agreed to sell her to you for that purpose, so if you take both her and the money away, we gain nothing. Please give us some time." Donald continuously pleaded.

'Am I being bargained for? This is unfair, is mom in on this, mom couldn't have accepted such a deal. But he clearly said, "This wasn't the agreement I had with you and Donald." That means mom agreed, that's why she was always apologizing. She has been apologizing for selling me off.'

Mirabeth wanted to scream so badly but she couldn't because it would alert them. She covered her trembling lips with my hands and let the tears flow out.

"Then you have to come with us to the woods, Donald. You will search for her alongside us, but if we find her before you do, you know the drill."

Those were the last words she heard before she ran as fast as she could. She kept on running, and running but her legs gave up.

'No not now, why did I run so much earlier, you have to run Mirabeth, you need to Run.'

No matter how many times she assured myself she couldn't get her legs to move. She fell to the ground and rested on a tree. She stayed there for a while until she heard voices coming from a distance.

"You go left, you go right and Donald follows me up front."

As soon as she heard those words she stood up and hid behind a large tree.

Her legs were weak and underneath her legs were sore from running barefooted earlier. She couldn't walk or run, she just had to hide behind a tree. It was already dark so this could last for a while until she got a little bit of strength.

She could hear her dad's voice calling out for her from where she sat.

"Mirabeth, Mirabeth, come out Mirabeth. I know you couldn't have gone too far, you always run when you are trying to ease your anger, I am sure you ran earlier, your legs are probably weak by now and you couldn't have gone too far. Just come out from wherever you are, save your mother and I from all these suffering. We have raised you for sixteen years. For sixteen whole years we have clothed you, fed you and loved you like our own, this is the time for you to repay us, we need this money to raise your siblings. I need to give them a good life, so please come out."

'I can't afford to stay hidden behind this tree anymore, I need to go, if he comes any closer, I will be found, I need to get out of here.'

Mirabeth gathered her dress in her hands, she took a deep breath and started running again. She hadn't gotten far when an unfamiliar voice rang out.