1 Slap

With a start Abigail Meng opened her eyes, and saw her so-called sister Sara standing over her, withdrawing her hand. In that moment, she felt the pain that could only be from an openhanded slap to her face.

The moment that Sara noticed her eyes opened, she screamed "That is just a taste of what you deserve you b*tch."

Abigail opened her eyes even wider, startled at the words before realising that today was both her and Sarah's eighteenth birthday. At that moment she realised where she was and knew that despite her wishes last night on the shooting star, nothing would change in her life, even as she became an adult. Her life would be just as it had been for the last three months, pure misery with no hope that anything would change but with nowhere for her to go.

As she sat up, Abigail moved her legs slightly, and she saw a glint of evil in Sara's eyes. As Sara started to topple to the ground, she screamed out "Why did you kick me to the ground sister. I have done nothing to deserve this," before starting to sob.

Around thirty seconds later, into her tiny hidden bedroom, came running their parents Adam and Chelsea. Seeing Sara on the floor, their mother quickly gathered the now sobbing Sara into her arms while saying to Adam "You need to discipline that brat, how dare she hurt her sister who has never done anything wrong."

As he finished speaking Adam reached over and quickly threw off the bed covers before dragging Abigail out of the bed. With a firm grip on her right wrist, he slapped her using his right hand before throwing her to the ground, while saying "Your sister has not done anything wrong, how dare you hurt her."

After landing, and rubbing the wrist that had been grabbed and used to throw her to the ground, scoffing, Abigail forgetting about the consequences of contradicting her parents and attacking Sara, without a thought said "Sister? What a joke, she is just the baby that you wrongly brought home from the hospital…"

Loudly, Chelsea spat out "She is the true princess of the family, and I hate to say it your sister. Not someone who is nothing. She knows how to behave, respect her parents, and is a bright conscious student. You on the other hand, are ignorant, and I wish you had simply died rather than being the child I gave birth to. How dare you contradict me, you piece of trash. The only reason you are here is because the old man demanded that you be brought back. No one, not even that so called adoptive family of yours even wants you."

Chelsea hugged Sara tightly, before giving her a kiss, and turning back to Abigail, and saying "Now get yourself out of here and into the kitchen. You know that we do not like waiting for meals, so get it ready quickly, and make sure that you make it extra special because it is your sister's birthday."

Abigail sat there stunned for a few seconds, before Adam kicked her and said "You heard your mother. Go and make a special birthday breakfast for your sister making sure it is what she likes."

In that moment, Abigail wanted to retaliate against the three of them, but she remembered her discussion she had with her adoptive grandmother on the day her so-called parents at the behest of her biological grandfather came and collected her from the village and family she had believed was hers. She urged her to take every opportunity that coming to the city would give her and most importantly the promise that she had extracted which was to never react to provocation and be a dutiful daughter.

These three made that promise hard to keep because when no one was around, they reverted to the bullying, abusive and harassing people that this little incident was a taste of.

Closing her eyes, Abigail resisted the urge to sit in this box of a room, and cry because of the situation as her wishes from last night had not come true, and quickly got up, and in the tiny bathroom attached to the room, opted to forgo the shower and with soap and a towel washed herself before quickly dressing in working clothes, while laying out her school uniform, and backing her school bag, so that she could quickly change and head to school. How much better would it be, if her parents allowed her to stay in the school dormitories and not return to this hell, but that would not suit them and their princess.

Hurrying down the back stairs, Abigail quickly entered the kitchen, where the chef and other staff were waiting for her. They all looked at Abigail and smiled.