More than a game episode 15

More than a game
→→→ Beyond jilting ←←←
By Kemmy B. Gabriel (BB)
🀄 Book fifteen 🀄
⚡ Hans’ standpoint ⚡
I couldn’t believe my ears, what I was hearing. Mom was sending Iris away just like that? Without informing me, she already booked a very expensive treatment with the woman she planned to send Lee to. As much as it was a good news, I was sad because I wouldn’t be able to see Iris again, talk to her and have her cling to me. I was offended, annoyed by what Hailey and Lee did, taking her to mom without letting me know, it hurts. I was sitting in Melody’s ice cream, Eden and Reece sitting and licking their ice cream cone. It had been five days since they saw mom, Iris was leaving in an hour but I wasn’t going to see her off, I was greatly offended by her agreeing so easily to mom when she didn’t agree to me. It felt like a slap in my face.
‘Dammit Eden! This s-cks!’ I exclaimed, throwing my spoon away. I sighed and face palmed myself, I couldn’t quite figure out why I was so depressed by her leaving, couldn’t pin the reason for it. Eden looked at me as he continued to lick his ice cream, staring at me with his small black eyes. ‘Don’t look at me like that, I have every right to feel depress and frustrated…’
‘Actually, you don’t,’ my head snapped to who spoke behind me.
‘Melody! You’re back!’
‘In the flesh,’ she winked at me.
‘Mommy, it’s Melody Bree,’ a kid squealed. She chuckled and looked at me apologetically, sometimes the people in the store goes wild to get autographs from her. They all, most knew she owned the place and that was why many came, well, the second reason many came, to get to see her in person. She was technically nicknamed “dove” because of her humility and hospitality.
‘I’ll be back,’ she walked to the child, smiling like she always did. I looked back to the door for Bluey, she was never far behind. Indeed, Bluey laid on the doorstep, yawning as she swished her tail lazily. I stood up from my chair and walked over to her, smiling widely at my second best animal.
‘Hey girl,’ I sank my fingers into her hair, car-ssing her hærd skull. She purred and turned on her back, showing me the other place she wants me to rub too. I chuckled, went on my knees and rubbed her belly. She kept purring, squirming a little from the pampering. After two minutes of enjoying the feeling, she turned on her stomach and arched her back in excitement. ‘Awwwn, you had your back dyed blue?’ I asked a little bit puzzled on why Melody would dye her back blue.
‘Reow,’ she shook her body, still purring.
‘No, you didn’t dye it?’ She nudged my hand, that means yes. ‘How is that possible?’ She tilted her head, that meant mind your business. ‘If you weren’t going to tell me, why show me?’ She raised her tail and looked at me like I was the biggest idiot in the planet. ‘Stop talking fool, got it,’ I chuckled. ‘You don’t have to lie Bluey, I don’t mind if Melody had your back’s s₱0ts dyed blue…’ She rolled her eyes and meowed. That meant “anything you say jidiot.” Such a snobbish animal. ‘Did you show me to show off so you can insult me?’ Her eyes brightened, I chuckled and ruffled her hair. ‘Naughty little sweetheart. Hope you took care of Melody when she was away?’
‘Meow!’ She meowed angrily. I raised my hands up apologetically. That angry meow probably meant “have you been the one taking care of her since she was a baby?”
‘I’m sorry,’ I furrowed my brows. ‘How come you are still alive at this age? You ought to be dead by now… How old is Phoenix? Sixteen and Melody is three of four month older than him…’ She jumped on me, pinning me down by my shoulders and snarling warningly. ‘What did I do?’ She growled. ‘Okay, I’m sorry,’ she snarled again. ‘What else do you want from me?’ I snapped. ‘I already said sorry, full stop,’ she got off me, sitting down on the floor and curling her tail under her feet. I sat up and rubbed my head which hit the floor along with my spine. ‘Thanks for breaking my back sweetheart, you did a great job.’ I said sardonically.
I stood up, dusted my p-nts absent mindedly, my mind wandered to Iris and how she would feel if I didn’t see her off to the airport. I looked down at who was touching me. Bluey was rubbing herself against my stomach. She was tall enough to reach my stomach and that’s saying something because I’m 6,7 and that’s tall. Bluey knew something was wrong, she wanted to comfort me.
‘Sorry girl, you can’t help in this one, you can’t talk very well,’ she shook her head and looked over at Melody. Bluey ran off towards Melody who was taking pictures with a couple or something. She roared at them, ordering them to step away from her number one priority. The couples stepped away with fright, holding on to each other.
‘Stop terrifying them Bluey,’ Melody scolded. ‘Now what is it you want from me?’ Bluey caught Melody’s hand gently between her teeth and pulled her over to me. Melody was the only one who could really understand Bluey well, like they talk to each other like sisters. Their bond is extraordinary. Bluey pushed her to sit down. ‘Okay, chill,’ Melody laughed. She adjusted herself into the booth and crossed her legs. ‘Now why aren’t you going to see Iris off? Even I did.’
‘When did you get back?’ I asked cleverly, diverting from the question. ‘Did you cancel your tour?’
‘I got back yesterday and no, I didn’t cancel and it wasn’t a tour, I keep saying that. I went there to model for three products and along the way I decided to throw a concert, full stop.’
‘So, are you going back?’
‘In two days times, yes,’
‘Two days!’
‘I know, but I do rest so don’t make me feel bad. I’m taking a little tour, going to do a debut in Kenya and Lydia and then throw a concert at Zambia, Libya, and host a public signing in South Africa, it wouldn’t take more than two or three months to return.’
‘Wow Mel, that’s too much, don’t you rest?’
‘I do, I rest but when you have my life, you get use to it. I have been living this way since I clocked seven so no big deal. Back to my question, why won’t you see Iris off?’
‘Shit,’ I cursed. ‘I was hoping you wouldn’t revert back to that question.’
‘Talk Hans, are you upset?’ She looked into Bluey’s eyes. ‘Does it have anything to do with the fact that you wanted to be the one to cure her? You feel like as long as you couldn’t help Lee, you need to help Iris. You have become obsess with her, or starting to and deep down you feel like helping her would finally make you feel like you have achieved something huge, something unique but it’s not. Hans, Iris isn’t a trophic, why do you keep seeing her that way? You are being selfish and you know that is bad. What if she does fall in love with you? What will you tell her? Would you give her back your love in return? I’m telling you now that what you were doing is wrong. Iris need love, yes, but she deserves better than to be looked down upon with pity and seen as a trophic. Don’t be blind to her beauty, don’t be…’ She paused and looked at Bluey again. ‘Yes, Iris isn’t a trophy but a friend. Think deeply into you Hans, think about it, is it right or wrong?’
‘Wrong,’ I said sadly. ‘I have achieve something great for my age but seeing Iris was a way to feel like I saved a life, to feel more responsible and to earn father’s trust, his deep trust. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have taken advantage of her situation, never should have exploit her trust in me, I need to apologise.’
‘Yeah, keep waiting, she will come to you first,’ she had to add a sarcastic reply. Grabbing my leather jacket, I ran out of the shop with Eden and Reece not too far behind.
Once again, I got advice from a cat, a big wild cat. Bluey was right, I shouldn’t treat Iris in such manner, she had gone through too much to take what I was doing to her. Eden and Reece quietly jumped to the backseat, I crossed my seatbelt over my torso, shut the door of my car and started the car. I drove off very fast, rocketing through the traffic at a legal speed. I was very close to the airport. I had to see her before she leave or she would be very sad, she had grown attached to me, very attach and that will really break her heart. The devil decided to punish me, I got stuck in a traffic that wouldn’t be free for the next three hours, I had to get there. I hit the steering wheel multiple of times to vent my anger but that wasn’t helping.
‘Ook ook,’ Eden said, stretching my phone over to me.
‘What use is that?’ He unlocked the phone, tapped my contact app and scrolled up until he found Iris. Yes, Eden can read, he’s one of a kind. He tapped her contact and dialed her number. ‘Right, she won’t pick up…’ The line connected, I snatched the phone immediately. ‘Hello, Iris?’
‘Yes,’ she said softly.
‘Are you at the airport now?’
‘Yes, my flight leaves in few minutes,’
‘I’m very sorry, very very sorry Iris, I’m stuck in traffic and I can’t come…’
‘Okay, bye.’ She hung up. I knew she wouldn’t believe me with the kind of attitude I gave her for the past two days.
‘What to do, what to do…’ I hit my head on the steering wheel. ‘Think Hans, think…’
Run… A voice whispered.
I quickly removed my seatbelt, opened the door and dropped my phone. ‘When the traffic subdues, the cops will come for the car, show them my phone and call Hailey, okay?’ Eden whooped. I got out of the car and slammed the door shut. It was a good thing I was wearing trainers and a hood. I ran, running as fast as my feet could carry me, running with all my strength to get to her. I ran and ran and ran, through the heavy traffic, the clear road, just ran until I got to the airport ten minutes for her to leave. I looked at her flight, hadn’t gone yet, hopefully, she was yet to sit in the plane. Running forward as I searched for any sign of her or Hailey or Lee, I p-nted, I ran four and a half miles to get to the airport in an empty… Ice cream filled stomach.
‘Stop crying Iris!’ I heard Lee shout. ‘What did we tell you about Hans only pitying you? He’s a weirdo…’ I ran to the direction of the voice, tracing her loud shrill voice. Finally found them, I was going to pass out any minute from now. Mom was standing there talking to someone. She wore a white floral gown, brown hat and shades as she talked. Iris wore a red tunic or whatever that thing she is wearing is. I ran to them, gathering all my little energy, I smacked Lee in the head.
‘Ow! Hans how many times have I warned you to stop… Hans? How come? What are you doing here?’
‘Hey,’ I removed the hood, smiling at Iris. ‘I’m here,’
‘Why are you huffing and puffing, sweating and looking like someone that is about to pass out?’
‘I ran here,’ I gasped.
‘Ran!’ Hailey and Iris exclaimed. ‘All the way from home?’
‘No, traffic, four and the half miles,’ I said under my breath. ‘Can’t breathe, water,’ Iris searched her bag frantically for a bottle of water. She stretched it to me with trembling hand. ‘Thank you,’ I opened the lid and gulped down the water like I just returned from the des**t. I sighed when I was done with the water, gave the empty can to Hailey.
‘Feeling better?’
‘Yeah, thank you Iris.’
‘Why did you run so much?’
‘I couldn’t let you leave without me, at least without saying goodbye.’
‘I thought you were upset?’
‘Yes, I was, but not anymore. I’m sorry for behaving the way I did, it was childish and unreasonable, totally immature…’
‘Why? Why were you upset?’ I couldn’t tell her, I wasn’t going to tell her. I shrugged.
‘I don’t know, either because I didn’t want you to leave me alone or I was afraid you won’t be able to stay without me or these elephants…’
‘E…’
‘Leave him Lee,’ Hailey cut her off.
‘Or it could be both, I’m sorry, really sorry,’ I squat in front of her, taking her hands and clasping them with mine. ‘Promise me that when you come back, you will come back different, smarter, stronger in every way. I know the original Iris ought to be cold, strict and very mature, promise me you will be the version of you that you need to be; you ought to be.’
‘I plan on being that and more, there is one thing I want to know however, one piece of information I want you to confirm for me. This information will either help me get better, or become more bitter.’
‘What is it?’ She looked at Hailey and Lee. I looked over my shoulder unto my sister’s faces.
‘Please?’ Hailey nodded in understanding but Lee tilted her head in confusion. Hailey took Lee’s hand and pulled her away while mom quietly walked far with who she was talking to. I looked back at Iris, curious to know what she wanted to find out. ‘What is the genesis of my problem?’
‘Pardon?’
‘You said it, that the genesis of my problem is…?’
‘You overheard that,’ I sighed.
‘Please, don’t lie to me Hans, please.’
‘This information, you won’t love it,’
‘I’m ready to take in anything,’ I nodded, lifted myself off my crouch and sat beside her with our hands still entwined. ‘Come on Hans, I don’t have time.’
‘Your father is Doctor Philip Bartholomew, right?’ She nodded. ‘And your mother is Janet Hathaway, am I correct?’
‘Yes, that is her.’
‘According to what your foster mother told me, Janet and her used to live in the same house, right before Janet said her boss wanted her to marry and bear children for him to take his inheritance. According to her, his grandfather was one of the richest, powerful and well respected man in England, part of the royal family but not the direct heir to the throne, inline for it, but not the heir…’ Her mouth fell open. ‘Now your great grandfather Tobias McMillan had only one son and seven grandchildren in which your father is the third. No one really understand or know what he was looking for, but he declared that the first out of his grandchildren who bore twins will have his wealth pass down to the first born twin and will bear his last name. Your father being a scientist, married your mother to get what he wanted and all she had to do was carry the baby. The children weren’t going to last and…’
‘I know that part, he carried out different experiment to make us survive, I know. The experiments is a reason I was born crazy.’
‘And then they told your grandfather that you died after birth, showed him a dead body to prove it and presented Violet to him. He rejected her, told them that because you died, Violet wasn’t the twin he was looking for, that got them really angry and that was where the hatred for you generated from. As for why they fought for Violet, your grandfather told them that if he doesn’t find who he is looking for by the time Violet turns eighteen, he would return for her. That was why they wanted to be the only parent to enjoy the wealth, they had no idea at first.’ Iris was crying.
‘So I was abandoned and hated because of money?’
‘Your father have been trying to get you back, right?’ She nodded. ‘That is because he found out that what your grandfather was looking for wasn’t the eldest twin, but the crazy twin with the royal birth mark on her body. The experiments didn’t make you mad, you weren’t mad, just different and a little bit glichy, just like he was. It was part of the signs of the true heir, weirdly but yes, he was the crazy one of his twin. You would have overgrown it at five if they didn’t make you an actual psycho with the way they treated you.’
‘So he is looking for me because he now knows I’m the heir to my great grandfather’s wealth,’ she whispered yelled. She sank her teeth into her lip and grinned, nodding her head.
‘Iris?’
‘Is it possible to contact my great grandfather?’
‘Yes, do you want to?’
‘Not just yet,’ she said through gritted teeth. ‘Thank you Hans, for everything but now I have to go.’
‘I hope you return soon,’
‘I have a new purpose, I will be back sooner than any of you expect. Those two ruined my life because of…’ She sniffed and wiped her tears, looking straight ahead. ‘I’m not going to cry, thank you Hans.’ She stood up and waved at the girls.
‘Don’t do anything stupid,’
‘Trust me, I won’t.’
‘Stay safe?’
‘My great grandfather is Tobias McMillan, right?’ I nodded. ‘Not a name I expect but okay,’ her hands were still in mine. ‘Another question, if I was to stay with you, would you have ever loved me?’
‘Honestly, I don’t know.’ She nodded and slipped her hands away from mine.
‘You will when I return,’ I chuckled at her determined speech.
‘Don’t be too sure Iris,’
‘Don’t be too sure Hans,’ she looked at mom who was calling her. She looked back at me with a smile, a different smile. ‘Until we meet again Snuggly wuvily cutie bunny pie…’
‘Urgh, Unicorn,’ I whined. She laughed and ran off, throwing her bag over her shoulder.
‘Bye Hans! Bye my sisters from another…’ Mom cleared her throat. ‘Sisters! Bye mom, love you!’
‘Buy me ice cream when coming back!’ Lee shouted.
‘Ice cream, really Lee?’ Hailey asked unbelievably.
‘Is it your money? Mind your business…’
‘Hailey and Lee, stop fighting, okay?’ Iris laughed. I snorted, they had been fighting since they were four. ‘Take care of my mother for me Hans,’
‘You hear that Hailey, she said you should start worsh¡pping me and do everything I say because you are my servant.’ Lee said pompously.
‘I made a vow to ignore you today, tomorrow I will have time for you,’
‘Face it, you don’t have the energy to stand this angel, your queen,’ Hailey ignored her. ‘Don’t ignore me when I’m insulting you, talk back!’
‘Lee, cut it out.’
‘But mom, she’s so stupid,’
‘But mom, she’s so stupid,’ Hailey mimicked.
‘I do not sound like that,’ Lee scoffed.
‘Yeah, you sound like… Ow!’
‘Ow!’ Mom yanked their ears and wring it. I looked back at Iris, she was gone.
•••••••••••••••••••• Violet ••••••••••••••••••••
I swayed around my room giddily, I was finally here in New York and ready to show them all that Violet Bartholomew is in town, wherever I go, I overtake and conquer. My quest was to become the queen of Dark Empire and date Hans, nothing was going to stand in my way, not even his sisters. I always get what I want and those two things is what I want, and if anything ever tries to block my path, I will cut it off in anyway possible. I did that to win all the ribbons and trophies I have, even as Miss Beautiful. Just in case father’s grandfather don’t call me back, I will get a place in the house of The Kendrick.
I jumped on my feet and skipped out of my room to father’s new office, smiling widely. ‘What do you mean by she left New York and you can’t find her? You told me she was here!’
Who?
‘I don’t care how you bloody do it, just find out where Iris is?!!!’
Iris? I thought Iris was in a psychiatric hospital. Did she escape?
‘Don’t tell me that! I paid you for the job, get to it and find out where that good for nothing lunatic is!’
Yup, definitely Iris.
I pushed the door open. ‘Dad?’ Dad hung up and turned around. ‘Iris escaped from the hospital? I thought the last time we spoke, you promised me you would inject her to death, I don’t like sharing a birth date with a mad woman.’
‘I was told she was moved here, that is one of the reason I am here, to have her injected so I can finally breathe well.’
‘Okay, tell me where she is buried, I will really love to gloat at her grave,’ he nodded, muttering something to himself. On my sixteenth birthday, I asked for her death. The thought of having a mad sister somewhere had haunted me for so long. What if someone finds out and use it to ruin my reputation? What if she becomes a threat to everything I have spent years building. No, she needs to die. Also, I wasn’t sure if we were identical, and she had always been the brilliant, intelligent and clever one, even for a psycho. She was also prettier than I was, far more beautiful and I feared what she would look like now.
Iris needs to die and even if I find her first, I’ll kill her myself.
To be continued.
😱 Shit! Bad luck is about to spread, a demon is here. Such wickedness is possible, hope you know that.
🌺🍃 Authoress Kemmy B. Gabriel 🍃🌺