Three Devil-horned Brats

12 May 2058, early in the morning

Thando!" I heard Miss Maria call my name from down stairs, "Get up! You're going to be late for school."

I turned my neck to look at my clock. 7:13 am. Shoot! Alarm clocks are good for nothing.

I jumped out of bed and rushed to the bathroom to take a shower. I sighed out in relief as the warm water splashed all over my bare body. I wished I could stand there forever, naked, without anyone's judgement for once. My body quivered as I felt the familiar burn in between my breasts as the water poured on me. My stab wound.

It was still in the process of healing. I recalled how I retrieved the wound a few years ago. And no, it wasn't Amara who stabbed me just like in my dream. Amara would never have done that. She was too much of a feather. The events of how I was stabbed repeatedly replayed in my head every time I looked at the wound. And the more those events replayed, the more my soul cracked like glass. The thoughts scared me, so I quickly got out of the shower to avoid over thinking, like usual.

When I was done preparing myself, I walked downstairs to the dining room where my sisters were already seated at the dinner table. Yes, I had sisters. Three devil-horned sisters with rocks in the place of their hearts. There was Ayanda, the oldest one amongst us. She was turning 25 in a few months, but she still acted like she was only beginning primary school.

"Look who decides to finally show up." She said, smirking at me

I said nothing to her. Entertaining her words would only make her talk more. It was too early for her racket.

"Let her be, Ayanda. She probably had a wet dream of Amara." Nobomi, the second oldest, joked. My eyes twitched when she said Amara's name

Nobomi was just as rotten as Ayanda. She was a cocky 20 year old who wore unprescribed glasses to show off her "intelligence". It has been a thing since she finished High School. When our mom saw that she received an A+ in P.E, she immediately gave Nobomi the crown of "smartest kid in the Dlamini family". Even Dorcus got better grades than her.

"Come on now. I wanna eat. Get to your seat already, Thando." Dorcus whined, slamming her spoon repeatedly on the table

Yes, there was Dorcus. The greedy and bossy Dorcus. She was only a year older than me, yet she treated me like a pest. She was a lot more popular than me at school. All her friends would walk all over me and pretend as if they were the innocent chicks. I hated her. I hated all my sisters and my mother. That family was nothing but a bunch of Barbie dolls. They were all fake. Throughout the years, I took the time to discover that there was more to Barbie than her smile and inspiration. It was the fact that she was made of plastic. She was nothing but a plastic doll, telling young girls lies to their faces. She never told girls that women could be so cruel, and she certainly never told girls how to survive the horrible life we are living at that moment.

"Sit down, Thando." Miss Maria gestured me to my seat. I dragged my feet to the chair and sat down in front of an empty plate

"Will Mama be joining us, Miss Maria?" Ayanda asked

"I'm afraid not, my dear. Your mother has to fulfill her duties as the Queen."

"Of course." Nobomi rolled her eyes

Having a mother was one thing, but having a mother who was the queen of South Africa was another. Ever since male extinction, the president title was no longer used. Instead, there was a queen. A queen who ruled over South Africa, the citizens being her servants. That queen, Queen Dlamini, was my mother unfortunately. The woman who left Miss Maria, her personal assistant, to raise me and my sisters; the woman who killed my father.

"Nevermind. Dish up and eat now. You're going to be late for school." Miss Maria said, leaving all of us alone at the table.

I put a sausage and egg from the big plate filled with assorted breakfast options, placed it on my own plate and started eating. When I took a bite of the sausage, something sharp dug into my gums.

"Ow!" I interjected, dropping my fork and grabbing everyone's attention

"What is it this time, Thando?" Dorcus asked with a mouth full of food

"Something poked me!" I stuck my fingers into my mouth and pulled out the sharp object. I just couldn't believe what I was seeing.

"A toenail! Seriously?"

"Thando, I thought mama told you to not bite your nails." Nobomi said, 'intelligent' as usual

"This isn't my nail. I found it in the sausage. So much for excellent food production work by women." I pushed my plate aside and folded my arms

"You should learn to be more grateful. Not everyone has the opportunity to eat such great food like you." Ayanda said

"Great food? I had food poisoning twice last month. This is straight up poison."

"Poison? Did someone put poison in your food?" Nobomi asked, widening her eyes in shock

"No, Nobomi. Nobody poisoned Thando." Dorcus assured her, calming her a bit

"Listen, Thando. If you don't want to eat, then just don't. Stop complaining the whole time." Ayanda stood up and took our plates to the kitchen. As usual, I couldn't say anything to win the argument.

I grabbed my bag and left, without saying goodbye to anyone.