Her

Laura dropped the book she was reading as a very harsh knock collided with her door.

"Laura! open the door this minute!"

Samantha exclaimed from the other side of the door.

Samantha was the first child of Celina, the young widow whom Laura's father, Chief West had married when Laura was still a baby.

Celina was already with a daughter whom she claimed was West's child after a brief affair they had had in the past before he got married to Laura's mother and Samantha was three years older than Laura. A year and few months after their marriage, Celina had given birth to another girl, Mirabel.

"I said open this door and come out now!"

Laura stood up and slowly walked to the door as Samantha kept pounding on it. She took a deep breath and unlocked the door, slowly opening it when Samantha yanked it open and her hand flew up in the air and landed on Laura's cheek.

Laura wasn't expecting this and she jerked back in shock. Tears filled her eyes.

"Samantha what was that for?"

"Shut the fuck up!" Samantha snapped.

"What have I ever done to you?" Laura cried. "Why do you hate me this much?"

"Well you want to know?" Samantha smirked condescendingly.

"Nothing! I just hate you! You disgust me! The sight of you repulse me! In fact, get out of my sight!"

"Uh, this is actually my room."

"Whatever!" Samantha exclaimed angrily, but then an evil smile suddenly played on her lips. "Anyways, since you've decided to lock yourself in, I might as well help you with that."

With quick moves, she removed the key from the inner lock and smiled victoriously as Laura gasped.

"It wouldn't be a bad idea to lock you in here for the rest of the day, would it?"

Laura's eyes widened, "Please Sam, not again, please."

"Why are you begging me?" Samantha asked mockingly. "Weren't you the one that locked yourself in here since last night? I'm not even sure you had dinner."

"I'm sorry about that, I wasn't in a good..."

"Save that for whoever wants to listen, because I don't. See you tomorrow." Samantha said and made to close the door.

"Samantha don't..."

Laura tried to lunge at her to prevent her from closing the door but the older girl picked up a bottle nearby and waved it in front of her.

"If you try to come any closer, I will smash your head with this and you know I would."

"Samantha no, please, I beg of you, don't do this..."

The door slammed in her face and she heard the key turn in the lock.

"And, do not expect any food for you today." Samantha shouted from the other side and Laura gasped. "Girl bye."

"Samantha please! I have a test in school today!"

But all her pleas fell on deaf ears. She finally slumped to the floor and cried her heart out, wishing and wishing that her mother had lived. If only she had lived, her father would definitely not have married her heartless stepmother.

Minutes later, she got up and walked to the bed to pick up her phone, then texted her best friend Lizzy, that she wouldn't meet up with the test that day.

Tears rolled down her cheeks as she laid down on the bed. She didn't know what to do. Few times, she had reported her stepmother to her father, but the woman and her daughters would strongly deny the accusations and would sometimes put the blame back on her. Her father of course, would always believe his wife because she acted like the perfect mother to her, whenever he was around. And when he traveled again, the woman and her daughters, especially Samantha would punish her in one way or the other for telling on them.

She had considered suicide many times before, but had known that it wouldn't be fair to her dad who loved her a lot and looked upon her as the only link to his late wife for she was an exact replica of her mother.

"It's not fair, why me?"

But even she knew that there was no answer to that question.