[i][/i]
So this is my first short story on nairaland. Please read and enjoy.

IT breaks us.
IT makes us monsters.
IT reveals a side we always hoped we never had
IT leaves us scared
IT makes us feel abandoned
IT crumbles our resolve, our faith, our hope
IT puts off the burning flame in our heart
WHAT IT DOES TO US IS MAKE US WHO WE NEVER WANTED TO BE OR SOMEONE EVEN WORSE.



CHAPTER 1
Victoria and Emmanuella rambled on excitedly they were telling each other the variety of food they were going to make sure they ate as soon as they were posted for their service. Victoria, the older of the twins had always wished she could go to the north, she had always wondered what made those Hausa girls so beautiful while Emmanuella on the other hand could not imagine herself in any other place than the East, back in school she had made a friend who was from Enugu state, he always kept her entertained talking about the different soups akpu could be eaten with.
“I will wear hijab and snap, don’t worry I would send you the pictures” Victoria laughed on typing on her phone. Before Emmanuella could give her a sarcastic reply, their mother’s sharp voice brought them running out of their room. Both girls had their mouths hanging open at the sight in front of them, traveling bags scattered on the floor, their mother sat crying and screaming. She kept repeating the same thing over and over again.
“I can’t do this anymore, enough is enough!!” . Their father stood staring at her with what could be seen as pure hatred. Victoria was the first to speak.
“mummy, are you okay?” she asked cautiously stepping forward, Emmanuella followed closely behind. They were used to the sight but not the pain they always felt when they saw that look on their mother's face. There was always a fresh new wound opened up in their hearts just like there was a fresh new wound on their mothers face everytime their father beat her.
Wiping off the tears their mother cried weakly. “Ibeji mi, help me, he wants to kill me. .”
Both girls helped her up cleaning her tears , pleading with her to stop crying. she held on to both girls and cried more violently. she kept whispering " I just can't do this anymore. "










CHAPTER 2
Flashes of past events rushed back in seconds as their mother went on and on about how bad her marriage had always been and how much she had to endure and pretend all was okay to make sure the twins had everything they needed to finish school. Both girls were going down Memory Lane, recalling multiple times they had heard shouting and arguing in their parents room. Times when their mom would be a victim of their dad's anger, times when he would beat her mercilessly and when they stepped in to protect her, their father would yell and abuse them,call them all sort of names and accuse their mother of spoiling them. Victoria remembered a day that they had come home for the holidays from their second term in their ss3. They met their mom sick in bed with bruises all over her face, she told them it was an accident, but they both knew, they knew that accident was their father's fist.
He beat her all the time, he beat her mercilessly especially when she confronted him about his mistress. She confessed she had thought about leaving but she could not leave her children in the hands of a step mother while she was still alive and she could not sponsor them through school she barely had a job besides their father would never allow it, he was too rich and powerful to let her go away with his children. Emmanuella’s eyes were focused on the glass table that sat in the middle of their huge sitting room, their dad was rich and influential, their house looked like a mansion, everything they could ever wish for, they had. Everything they had ever wanted was provided in the snap of a finger. Emmanuella had always wished she could have a sane family, a happy, rich home with parents that loved each other and loved them both equally but she knew that was never possible . Their father was not the kind, happy, jovial, hardworking, loving man people thought he was. He always gave people a false impression about his true identity, made them believe he was an angel when in reality he was a tyrant, a monster. Nights when their father would come late or not come home at all,they always knew he was with his mistress leaving their mom in their big empty bed alone.
Both girls we're angry and full of hate, every single time they wished they could do something, fight back but their mother kept telling them he was their father and they were meant to respect him. Even when he beat her so much, their mother was still a faithful, loyal and submissive woman and sometimes they hated her for it even though they knew she was enduring all that for their sake. They had felt so bad when they had to travel out of the country for their university studies, both girls felt like they were betraying their mum leaving her alone in the lion's den but she had assured them everything was going to be alright. It never was.
They understood what she was saying and they agreed with it,it's what they wished she had done earlier.
“ my daughters forgive me, I am so sorry I didn't tell you earlier, so sorry but I can’t stay here anymore, I just found out your father has a child with his mistress, that’s just the limit, I have to leave” their mother continued voice barely above a whisper.
“where will… .” Victoria got only two words out before their father came storming into the room looking for his car keys, the moment he found them he walked out of the house ignoring the black storm on his house. He ignored the stares his daughters gave him, their heartbroken, angry disappointed stares. Right then and there they swore to make him pay. Pay for treating their mother like some kind of rugged furniture, they swore to make him pay for putting their mother through hell.






CHAPTER 3

Emmanuella smiled contently to herself, her phone displayed good news. She read her credit alert out loud to herself. It was just too good to be true. It was a risk, investing in a business she was not completely sure about yet two years later and it all worked out, paid her back in millions. Already she was subconsciously thinking of how she could celebrate, not having friends was gonna make it hard for her to decide. Maybe she should have actually taken a break all those times from work and try to make friends but she was too overwhelmed with her goal. Work hard till she needed him no more. That she did, her credit alert was a testimony. She picked up her ringing phone
"hey vicky" happiness was evident in her voice.
"what has got you so excited? " her sister asked over the phone
"well, nothing really,i'm just happy that's all" she didn't mean to lie to her twin but things between them had changed a lot since that dreaded day. Vicky spoke to her less and was always in a bad mood. When they had gone their separate ways for their Nysc programme, they spoke to each other less than three times a month. Vicky was too distant. After their service, Ella had gotten a scholarship to study abroad for masters, she knew her twin sister was happy for her but she just didn't seem to enthusiastic when she had mentioned it. She didn't seem all that happy too when she announced to her that she was offered a job in an oil company abroad. She had expected her to be so excited when she said she was given a year to tidy up things in Nigeria before she moved to Michigan, at least it meant they would spend time together for a little while before she left but Vicky had only given her a small smile and a nod. She didn't think telling her about the millions she had just received since she decided to to invest in stock exchange a few years ago. Somethings where better left unsaid.
"Anyway.... " Vicky dragged "I want you to meet me at rainbow hotel in an hour. Can you make it? "
"sure, I'll be there" Ella replied instantly. She missed hanging out with her sister.



Ella was not pleased at the sight in front of her, who the hell was George? The guy that sat across her looked like a gangster among many other things. How could Vicky say that this guy, with the sluggish attitude, Scary aura, droopy eyes and mischievous smile was her boyfriend?. She tried to come up with different excuses for her sister in her head until she thought her head was going to explode. In a flash she stood up and asked her sister to escort her to the bathroom .The moment the door shut behind them Ella gave her sister a hard stare.
"who the hell is that? "
Vicky sighed, obviously annoyed,"I told you already, he's my boyfriend " she emphasized the boyfriend part giving Ella a headache.
"what does he do for a living?" she pressed on.
"He's into business " Vicky answered nonchalantly. "is there a problem? "she looked directly in Ella's eyes daring her to talk.
Ella gave up. "I don't like him Vicky, he's not good for you" she reached out to hold her sisters arm. Vicky moved a step backwards avoiding contact.
"how do you know he's not good For me? How do you even know what's good for me?" Vicky's voice was getting higher, she was angry. Ella tried to talk but she shut her up by raising her hand " all I know is that he is nothing like dad and that's all I want, besides" vicky had a menacing smile on her face "I think you are just jealous because you are all alone" she said it with so much spite and anger. "you know what? This was a mistake, good bye little miss perfect. " she stormed out leaving Ella close to tears.
Ella stood staring at her image in the half dirty half clean toilet mirror. She and Ella were twins alright but they were nothing alike. They were fraternal twins. Vicky had always been the daring, outspoken, in control twin while Ella had always been the timid,shy introvert. Ella knew her sister's behaviour was meant to be her major concern but she could just not let go of that statement and it kept echoing inside her head 'because you are all alone'and for the first time in the past years, she truly acknowledged it, she truly acknowledged the fact that she was alone. Tears streamed down her face as she stared at her lonely figure in the mirror.



CHAPTER 4
"mummy, Good morning, how's aunty? " Ella greeted her mum over the phone, they had kept in touch since she had moved to her older sister's house. Her mum seemed to be doing alright, she guessed she was moving on just fine and for that she was truly happy for her. "I'm fine Emmanuella, your aunty is also fine" her voice sounded grim.
"Mum are you okay? "she was getting scared, her gut told her something was wrong.
"I'm at the police station, your father's son was kidnapped"


Many phone calls later, Emmanuella crashed on the couch in her office, her mother was back home. Safe. Ella dreaded what she had to do next. She picked up her phone, she scrolled to the one number she had hoped she would never have to call again. She willed her heart to beat at its normal pace, the beep went on and on, she thought he was not going to pick When she heard a gruff hello from the other line. She felt her breath seize and her heart skipping a beat.
"Emmanuella are you there? " so he knew who it was, he had her number all this while and he never even bothered calling. Anger took over and in no time she was back to her senses.
"you had my mother arrested " she stated coldly.
"it was just a questioning Emmanuella and I don't have time for all these" he said, she could sense his temper rising, every little thing always got him angry most especially when it was either her and her sister or her mum. Ella rolled her eyes. He could get angry all he wanted but her mum her and her sister were out of his reach. He didn't frighten her anymore. she thought back to when she had asked her mother to sue him but her mother had refused completely saying she wanted no such thing. She preferred to save her family from all that disgrace and just move on. Ella wished it was that easy for her too.
" what did they demand for? " she didn't need to say the kidnappers before he understood.
"25 million naira" he sounded sober. Like he was actually sad. Ella did not care, not even a bit.
"So? " She asked
"so what? " He asked back.
"So why haven't you paid the money to get your son? " she asked, bile rising up to her throat as she said 'your son'. Deep down in her heart she knew that boy deserved no part of her hostility but she just couldn't help it.
"my business has not been to good lately, I don't have that kind of money"
Ella was going to hell, she knew it too, how could she be happy about that. Her father just confessed he was broke. She never thought a day would come when her father finally sounded like the victim. She cleared her throat trying to keep the laughter from her voice "so what are you going to do now? "
"I don't know but it seems like someone is out to get me" he said finally cutting the call and just like that all humor died down, a bulb lighting up in her head. She knew who the kidnapper was she just hoped she was wrong.

CHAPTER 5
Ella knocked on the huge black gate that stood in front of her. She squeezed her palms together to keep them from shaking. She checked the text message Vicky had sent to her one more time. she was at the right place. Just thirty minutes ago she had walked out of her office praying earnestly that what she had in mind was completely wrong but here she was trying to confirm her suspicions. Vicky had not been too happy to receive her call, they had not spoken since their last meeting at rainbow hotel. She had to convince her sister she wanted to come over and apologize, Vicky grudgingly sent the address to her. She had told her to ask of George the moment she got to the gate. A short dark man in blue uniform and bathroom slippers opened the gate giving her a scrutinizing stare.
"who you dey find? " the way he spoke his pidgin sounded so natural. Ella guessed he was very fluent at it.
"I am looking for George" she said trying her best to sound decent, she didn't want it to seem like she was throwing her English in his face. People tended to misunderstand all the time besides she was very terrible at speaking pidgin.
"Okay ,enter" he opened the gate for her "go that side, count 1,2,3,4. That na oga George room. "he said pointing to the other end of the compound.
She knocked on the mahogany door slowly, she was still trying to convince her mind that it was all just stupid suspicions but the moment the door opened she could hear her mind ask her sarcastically are you so sure about that? . In a very rough sitting room, adorable decor though, sat her sister in between two guys smoking like a pro, she actually puffed ringlets of smoke, something Ella had only seen done by pro smokers back in school. She knew that smell too, it was what the same smell. Weed. The guy that opened the door had a wrap in his mouth too. He looked at her with a bored stare. She cleared her throat
"uhm I am here to see Vicky, I am her sister" he just nodded his head and left the door open. It was easy to notice he was already high. She stepped inside carefully, Vicky gave her a lazy smile. " little miss perfect is here to apologize, do you want to go on your knees or what? "
Ella jerked her head to the side signalling her to come closer. . The other guys didn't look too bothered about her presence, George sat by Vicky his eyes closed. He had a wrap in his mouth. The other guy on Vicky's right was fast asleep, head tilted back while the guy that had opened the door for her sat rolling wraps with all concentration. Vicky rolled her eyes before leading her sister to an empty bedroom .
"speak"she ordered.
"Vicky you smoke? "Ella asked, her voice was filled with worry.
"I drink too" Vicky said smugly. "did you come here to criticize me some more or are you here to actually apologize? " she asked .
" no of course not. It's just that daddy's son was kidnapped. " Ella watched her sister's face go from a small smirk to a full on grin.
" really? That's interesting " she said giggling. Ella was scared, too scared to bring up the elephant in the room
"so I see he's already calling people and he's probably worried sick" Vicky continued still giggling. Finally Ella decided. In one breath she asked
"you didn't do it. Did you? " her breathing had literally stopped. She was holding her breath
"of course, sister I did, it's payback time". She laughed out loud. Ella swallowed the spit in her throat, it was suddenly so hot in the room. She felt tears behind her eye lids but she willed herself not to cry..
"Vicky this is not the right way to make him pay" she tried to reason with her sister. Vicky gave her a blank stare.
"then tell me. What's the right way? "she asked.
Ella sat on the edge of the medium sized bed that sat in the middle of the room.
"I don't know" she was almost crying "I don't know too because trust me Vicky I have thought of ways to make him pay too but then Vicky we would be no better than him in fact we would be worse." a tear dropped from her face.
Seeing tears fall from her sisters eyes finally got a hold of her heart, she sat by her side not saying a word just pondering on what her sister had said.. After a few minutes Ella cleaned her tears and asked
" you asked for twenty five million. Why? "
Vicky looked at her sister,she was also close to tears. "I needed the money"
"dad is broke Vicky, he can't afford that kind of money, he has involved the police" she said looking straight at her sister
"they can't find us. George has it all planned"she said confidently
"he has called mum. Did you know? they took her in for questioning, I have spoken to dad, who do you think would be the next person they would look for and if they don't find you in your house how long do you think it's going to take them to trace you to George's house. " panic was written all over Vicky's face. To be honest she had thought her dad would never suspect her but if he had taken their mum for questioning he would definitely come to her next.
" and if they come here. You definitely do not want them to find you in such an environment " Ella went on and then it clicked. Vicky knew what her sister meant by such an environment. There was weed every where, that was a crime on its own. What then would happen to her if they found out she was involved in kidnapping too. She looked at her sister pleadingly, every effect of weed gone. "what do we do? "


CHAPTER 6

Ella thought about how much their dad had ruined their lives. All may have seemed alright with her but the truth was that she was empty inside, hollow and hurting. She was a young successful lady, she was beautiful and hardworking, every man's dream and yet she had no man. She was alone. She had nobody not because she wasn't approached but because she was so scared of making the same mistake her mother did. Being with someone like her father.
She and her sister had both wanted their father to pay so badly but only Vicky was brave enough to carry out her plan while she was still the same old scared and shy Ella. She had to admit some ideas had crossed her mind too but they all seemed too brutal, too obvious or just too scary, she thought she was going crazy. Despite how wrong her sister had been to kidnap a little boy Ella had to give it to her sister, she was a woman of her words. She swore to make him pay so she snatched probably the most important thing to him. She really could not blame her sister for becoming this way, for smoking, for drinking, for becoming mad for revenge. In truth they had both lost themselves. Vicky had become an out of control person and she had become someone that no longer believed in love.
She helped the little boy out of her car. He said his name was Jerry. They pushed the doorbell and waited. Few minutes later Ella sat in what used to be their sitting room, their home. They had changed the curtains and what used to be their favourite colours of throw pillows was gone. Every other thing was pretty much the same. Ella knew she was meant to miss the place even a Little but her skin was pricking her and she just couldn't wait to get out of there. She felt like she was betraying her mum by stepping her foot into their father's home. A familiar scent of perfume wafted through the sitting room, she braced herself for an encounter she knew she was not ready for. The moment he came into the sitting room, Jerry jumped off the couch Ella had placed him on and ran to his father, sorry their father, clutching his leg. Ella looked the other way, watching a reunion between her father and his son was not something she could bear. She heard footsteps sluggishly approach the sitting room, she looked up to see a heavily pregnant woman hug Jerry with tears in her eyes. He was her father's wife. She decided right then that she was done watching this reunion. Seeing that woman was enough eye opener for her, it was like bucket of water was thrown in her face. Her father never cared and he was never going to. He had gone on with his life like he had not used his hands to push his family away. She finally understood their place in his life. No place.
She cleared her throat "well I can see you are happy to finally see your son again, will just be leaving then. "she stood up and picked up her handbag.
"wait. How did you find him? " her father asked sternly. She scoffed, he thought he was still talking to his teenage daughter, he had no idea what he was in for. She went closer to him, he was taller than her but she could still stare at him in the eyes with just a little tilt of the head.
" why does it matter? You already have him" she said once, not blinking, her voice devoid of every emotion. Her father stared back at her blinking multiple times. She knew he would never have expected that shy, timid Emmanuella stare him down and reply him with such hatred. Oh how he had no idea how much she had changed. He stammered a little before he asked
"How do I know you weren't the one that kidnapped him? "
Ella just smiled, keeping her cool. "I never said I wasn't "
Her father was shocked. Words eluded him even his wife who had seemed so engrossed with her little boy gasped. Anger took over his features " Do you know I could have you arrested! " he shouted.
She didn't even flinch, still looking at him straight in the eye, she replied "go ahead, I'm sure you would feel better putting your own daughter behind bars or wait wouldn't that be a problem for your reputation? " she tilted her head to the side. " I am leaving now, enjoy your home but just remember, you were the one that caused all this. You brought it all on yourself." with that she walked out of what used to be her house, what used to be her life, what used to be her biggest sorrow. She walked out on all that had made her become a lady that did not believe in love, a lady that Was hungry for vengeance. She walked out on what turned her sister to a kidnapper. She walked out on that thing that had so much control over their lives. She walked out on IT.





EPILOGUE

Vicky stared at the back of her sister's head. The recent events of the past weeks were replaying in her thoughts. She had never been more grateful for anyone in her life. She was just a broken lady when she met George. He was everything her father was not. She knew he was a rough, carefree and a dangerous person but that was exactly why she wanted him. It was better that his flaws were out in the open unlike her dad who was a chameleon, with George she knew all the worse things to expect and everybody knew what he was capable of. If George ever said he had another lover it couldn't hurt her in fact she would even expect it and that was the exact reason she was not surprised when George had threatened her life when he found out Jerry was missing. She didn't want to even ask her dad for any ransom, she never wanted a dime of his money, it was George that needed the money. She let Ella and Jerry escape from the back door that day, George and his friends were pretty stoned, they didn't find out till the next morning.
Now, they sat on a plane to Michigan. Ella had assured her that their dad was not going to press charges. She sounded pretty sure of herself so she didn't question her. They were leaving. Leaving IT all behind. They were going to start afresh and in a few years time their mom was going to join them.



. The end.