Mate by Fate, Bound by Love

Lena's Pov

"Lena! Get down here this instant!" I heard the voice of my Uncle's wife calling me.

My heart began to beat irrationally as I started to think what I must have done wrong this time around. I began to make a mental note of all the things that I was supposed to do and check them in my mind.

(I had washed the clothes, fetched water, scrubbed and cleaned the bathroom, I had mopped the floor and was in the kitchen making breakfast.) 

It came as a surprise to me to hear my Uncle's wife calling me in such a manner.

With haste and without thinking about anything else, I quickly dropped the spoon that was in my hand that I was using to stir the pot of stew on the fire and dashed out of the Kitchen. 

The sight that greeted me when I got to where my Uncle's wife was made me gasped in horror. All the clothes that I had just finished washing and hanging on the line were lying on the floor, wet and dirty. It was as if someone had deliberately dragged them out of the rope and threw them on the floor, then the person went ahead to step on them with his or her feet. 

"What happened?" I asked in shock with my hands covering my mouth. 

"Really? Are you the one that is supposed to be asking me that question or I should be the one asking you?" My Uncle's wife asked.

"But, I washed these clothes and hung them to dry some few minutes ago before I went to the kitchen to make breakfast." I explained as I went to the clothes and started raising them one by one. 

I was heartbroken. Just when I thought that I was almost done with my work for that morning, someone had deliberately decided to be wicked to me. I sniffled as I struggled to fight back the tears that were already gathered in my eyes and were threatening to spill out.

"Ahhhhhhhhh!" A loud scream came. 

I could recognise the owner of the voice and I raised my head to see my cousin Lauren running towards me.

"You wrench!" She cursed at me as she gave me a dirty slap. 

Shocked by the unexpected assault, I held the spot where she had slapped me. She had slapped me with so much force that I had to struggle to keep my balance and in the process the clothes I had picked up fell to the ground again. 

She stooped down to pick a white dress from the floor and showed it to her mother.

"Look mother, see what this useless wrench had done to my white dress that I was going to wear to the mating ceremony tomorrow!" She screamed.

"Ah, what have you done?!" My Uncle's wife asked. 

I was not surprised to hear them blaming me. It was not my fault and the rope did not cut, it was still standing strong so someone must have deliberately removed the clothes from the rope and threw them on the floor. 

"But it's not my fault ma, this is the handwork of someone who hates me, someone deliberately did this." I cried out.

"You good for nothing child! I always knew that you were jealous of my daughter, but I never knew it was up to this extent. I will make sure to teach you a lesson today!" My Uncle's wife said in anger.

"Please ma, it was not intentional, I did not do it." I begged. 

"Shut up! You will be dealt with today and nobody will be able to save you." Lauren mocked.

“Holy s**t!!!”

It was then I knew that Lauren was the one behind the fallen clothes. She had deliberately done it just to make sure I was punished. I just stared at her with disdain.

"Lauren, go and get me a very good cane." My Uncle's wife said to Lauren.

"With all pleasure mum." She replied and went to look for a cane.

At that moment, I knew I was done for, because she will never let me go off the hook so easily. I mentally prepared myself for the punishment to come. Just as my Uncle's wife was coming towards me with the cane in her hand, the fire alarm in the kitchen started blaring. We looked up to see smoke coming out from the kitchen window. 

Damn! I shouted. In my haste to answer my aunty's call, I had forgotten to lower down the fire and I was so engrossed with the fallen clothes that I had forgotten that I was actually cooking before coming down.

My Uncle's wife, who I also call my aunty, looked at me in surprise and shock. Without another word, she ran inside the house followed by her daughter, my cousin and I ran after them too.

We entered the house to see that my uncle had already put out the fire. He had been reading in his study room while all the commotion outside was going on and  so he was able to quickly put down the pot from the fire and switch it off before any of us that were outside could come inside. 

I shivered violently as my uncle moved to where I was. He looked at me with so much hatred and gave me a resounding slap. The slap was so painful that I screamed and fell on the floor. 

"Even if I sell you a thousand times, it will not be enough to buy back this house or even rebuild, you cursed child." My uncle said it was venomous.

"Please uncle, I am sorry, it was not intentional." I tried to plead with my uncle but my pleas all fell on deaf ears, it was clear my uncle was ready to deal with me.

"Guards!" He called and some of the guards in our house immediately ran to where we were.

"Yes sir!" They answered in respect. 

"Take this useless piece of nobody out of my sight and lock her up in the dungeon!" My uncle ordered. 

I gasped in shock, no way! Tomorrow is the mating ceremony. How was I going to find my destined mate if I am locked up in the dungeon? 

"Uncle I am sorry  please don't do this to me, I promise I will be a good girl!" I shouted as tears began to spill down my face. 

"Take her away this instant!" My uncle ordered and the guards started dragging me away despite my pleas for mercy.

I looked at my cousin's face and saw an evil smirk on her face and then I knew that she had been the architect of my misfortune today.

***************************************************