อาถรรพ์เงาวิญญาณเฮี้ยน

I nervously tug at the beautiful dress that I was wearing. It gave me Cinderella vibes. It was the first time I wore anything pretty and put on some real make-up. I never got the point of dressing up for high school when what should we be doing was studying hard. My step-sister Heidi will never agree with me since she would rather lather up her face for hours than study for a few minutes.

I was tall for a girl and I sometimes towered over short boys. But Heidi on the other hand was a curvy type. My best friend Charlie once referred to Heidi as Kim Kardashian and me as Zendaya. Though Kim has a big booty it's Zendaya one would call cute. Zendaya is much cuter than me and looked nothing like plain looking me. The only common thing between us was we shared African heritage from my mom's side but my dad was white.

I don't remember my mom much I was a small child when she died. My father married Ella a few months later. He said it was to look after me. But it was me who looked after my dad, Ella and even my step-sister Heidi. My father is a small-time businessman who rarely has any time to do anything else.

I was worried about today I have to walk in front of the crowd for the wedding. But I wasn't getting married today Heidi is. I was merely a bridesmaid whom she has grudgingly added only because her best friend was down with chickenpox. The dress wasn't altered so it was very short because her friend was petite, I, on the other hand, was a troll.

The wedding itself was a grand affair after all the C.E.O of Wellington Inc Dane Wellington is getting married to my sister who has zero qualifications. She is a college dropout and has never worked for a day in her life. But she is still the apple of the eye of my father. I on the other hand was a college graduate working as an accountant for Wellington Inc.

Speaking of my employer Mr Wellington who is a business mogul and rightly called a shark by his competitors had decided that his days of partying with pretty girls are over and decided to settle with just one who was my sister. My sister claimed that she was swept off her feet by Dane who proposed to her on a cruise and wanted to get married right then and there.

I doubt something like that happened. Primarily because Dane didn't seem like the type to profess undying love for someone. In all the few months I have known him he was impersonal, cold and curt with me.

I never heard him apologise to someone and if something offends him he will look at you sharply and intimidate the hell out of you. I guess he will be alright with my sister who was spoiled and conniving.

About my sister, she is a snake who attacks when you don't expect her. At first, I thought that it was only jealousy and ignored her, but when she spread a rumour that I had STD she ruined my chance at going to prom with someone. I was embarrassed and sad, and couldn't muster up enough courage to go alone and spend the time working on my college essays. I know rehashing this can't make any difference but soon she will be married and gone which was my saving grace.

No more double-checking my work assignments and shampooing. She had previously swapped my presentation with a porn video and even changed my shampoo into a hair colour. The presentation didn't get out before my people which was lucky for me. But the hair colour stayed for quite some time. But soon everything is going to get changed.

My father generally ignored her actions while her mom instigated her to do more. The mother and daughter were in the competition who could hurt me the most and it was the daughter who won mostly.

It was no pranks but pure malice from her and those actions couldn't be excused as minor mistakes. Even when she grew up she still took everything from me the only difference was that before it was dolls now it was boys. She ruined my dates when she couldn't seduce my dates. I always prayed that she get married soon. My wish was now granted.

However, my stepmom was an issue but she was rarely home. She attended several parties and when she comes home it was usually as a drunk. She made me do all the chores and I would happily do them. My friend Charlie calls me Cinderella because of my stepmom and sister. But I never even got to dance much less a prince.

"What are you looking at ugly thing? Where's my daughter?", asked a screeching voice. I was taken aback but I regained my composure soon.

" I don't know Ella. Did you check the washroom?", I asked her a little bit frightened. I got slapped on my face once by her when I was ten for dropping her wine glass. The fear never really left me when it comes to her.

"I have looked everywhere. I know it must be your fault that she is missing. You were always jealous of her", she said disgustingly.

" I will go and look ", I murmured and speed-walked outside my room nervously. I heard the click of her heels as she was following me. Her face looked so painful trying to pull an expression but too much Botox must have killed it off. I sighed and opened the room which looked messy and saw her branded gown lying down crumpled. I went near and saw paper folded near it.

I retrieved and opened it to see its contents. It was a short one that looked like written in a hurry. My stepmother peered at it beside me. Her heels were doing her good or she will never reach my height to read it.

Dear Mama,

I have decided not to get married after all. I suddenly remembered how you said having a kid messes up your whole body. I didn't like the gown too. I only asked for a ruffle and they didn't even get that right. I'm going on a vacation, the wedding was stressing me out. I will be back after a month. Give my love to Dane

Love

Heidi

"Oh my God!", shouted my stepmom. I was completely numb due to shock. I knew she was callous but pulling the bridge underwater on

someone she claimed she loved was even crueller.