3: GRANDMA

I was starving and dehydrated when I was found the next day. The maid heard my weak cries and informed my grandmother. Grandma came running as soon as she heard. “Why were you in the closet?” She hugged me tightly, checking my body to see if I was hurt. “Quick, get her some water," she ordered the maid. Grandma hugged me again with tears pooling in her eyes.

“I am OK, grandma. I was playing, and I got locked in," I lied. Grandma knew my grandfather was not fond of me, but she did not know about the beatings. Bianca and Sinister gave me strict instructions that if I told people, then I would be taken away to go live in the group home. I did not want that. Plus, Grandma had been complaining about forgetting stuff lately, like her keys, business appointments, and birthdays. But the scariest thing was when I heard her talking to the doctor, and he told her she had something called early onset Alzheimer's. It sounded serious, but she promised me that when she left for good, everything would be OK. I didn't pay much attention to that, I thought she would always be with me. I guess I was just a naive kid.

“I have been asking about your whereabouts since yesterday, and your grandpa told me you left with your mother.”

I rolled my eyes. Bianca probably spent the rest of yesterday with one of her many sugar daddies. Not that she needed one. She had all the money in the world. She just required the rock on that special finger.

“Umm, I came back early, grandma," I lied once more. Grandma had a heart problem, and I refused to add to her stress. She and her husband had been at it for the past couple of weeks. Apparently, the devil had been spending millions on his many side pieces and Grandma found out and threatened to take his name off the accounts, something young me didn't understand either.

I let her take me to my room. “I don't understand why you spend your days in this horrible place.”

“I like it here, Grandma," I sighed, lying to my Grandma again. She kissed me on my forehead.

Sinister hated seeing me on the first floor, especially when he had guests over. He did not like to explain to them I was his granddaughter, so he moved me into this awful attic. Grandma thought I only stayed in the attic during the day so I could read and have some time to myself. She would blow a gasket if she knew I lived there now. Sinister told me grandma's heart would explode if she did and then she'd die and it would be all my fault. I was terrified and I tried my best to act happy around her so she didn't suspect a thing.

“I will send some food and juice for you." She stroked my cheek. “My beautiful girl.” Grandma kissed my forehead once more and I smiled.

Grandma was my everything. She always knew what to say to me, unlike Sinister, who would tell me how ugly I was and that I was a no-good bastard, who should have never been born. When I was much younger, Grandma would take me everywhere, on vacations just the two of us. She bought me the most expensive clothes, Sinister's niece was so jealous that Grandma treated me so lovingly. My mom also envied our relationship. She said Grandma used to do those things with her too.

But Sinister not only hated the fact that Grandma loved me so dearly, but he also hated me because my father was a black man. I had never met my dad. They told me he died when I was a baby. Sinister told people that my mother was raped and that's how I came into this world, but Grandma said my mother fell in love with my father, and she ran away with him when she found out she was pregnant with me. Sinister hunted them all over the United States, and he found them when I was two months old. He dragged my mother back home to Palm Beach, and then she heard of my father's demise four months later.

Grandma said my mother lost a piece of herself on that day. Now she was a materialistic zombie. She cared for nothing or no one but herself. Money and power were what she worshipped. I did not hate her, but I did not love her either. She did not hurt me physically, but she did so mentally. She would turn a blind eye whenever Sinister would beat me. What kind of mother did that?

Grandma was my true mother. She was the light of my life. The poor woman was clueless about the beatings I endured. I remembered once she saw a bruise on my arms and when she asked me what happened Sinister entered the room and told her it was time for her meds. Grandma was in and out of sleep for the rest of the week. Sinister told us that the doctor said her Alzheimer's was getting worst.

On September 11th, 2004, I came home early from school. Bianca was drinking in the driveway and the atmosphere of the manor just felt more gloomy. I saw Sinister talking to a man in a doctor's coat. “Just make sure that this never gets out!" I heard Sinister bark at the man. With shaky hands, the man took something from Sinister. He looked at the paper and let out a huge breath. “That's a lot of money, Dr. Kramer. Do we have an agreement?" Sinister questioned.

“Yes Mr. Hemington," the doctor nodded, stuffing the paper in the side of his bag. “The coroner will be here shortly."

I gasped, who died? I asked myself. The doctor went in his car and drove off. Sinister went into his pocket and took out a pack of cigarettes. He lit one and began to puff like a madman. I watched him smoke the cig down to nothing then his eyes flicked and found me, standing there watching him. His eyes went dark for a second, then he smirked, flicking the cigarette bud on the ground. He held my gaze like he was silently warning me, then I blinked and he disappeared around the side of the house.

I hurried up the steps past Bianca and I ran into Maxwell, our driver. His eyes were puffy, it seemed like he was crying. “What happened?" I asked. He furrowed his brow like he was searching for the right words to say.

“It's Miss Kathy," he sniffled. “I'm sorry Miss Pebbles, but your grandmother passed away."When those words tumbled from Maxwell's lips it was as if my entire universe stopped. “Heart failure. Her poor heart just couldn't beat no more."

I fell to my knees, bawling like someone just threw me into the pits of hell. My skin burnt, my head felt heavy and my heart felt like it too just didn't want to beat anymore. I looked up to the sky, it was like the sun was mourning too as the sky got dark as inky clouds rolled over the face of the sun. My eyes caught something in the window on the second floor. It was Sinister. He was just standing there looking at me through the window. He had a look of triumph on his face that I didn't understand at the time. Maxwell took me in his arms, so I could cry on his shoulder. He took me inside before we were soaked in the rain. I wanted to see her before the coroners took her away, but Maxwell said it wasn't a good idea.

At the funeral, they had an open casket and again I couldn't control my tears. Sinister didn't show up at Grandma's funeral. He told them that he couldn't bare to see his love in a coffin. But the truth was he was out of the country with one of his young things. I held my breath when they lowered grandma to the ground. That was it. I was never going to see my grandmother again.

I was so weak from crying, I didn't know when I reached home or how I even got onto my bed. I looked around the room and I just couldn't help but cry. I held the stuffed animal that grandma made special for me and I just sobbed. I cried until I couldn't any more and then I fell asleep.