Your Mother Is Dead

Grace sat in class while staring at her phone, but Raymond still didn't respond to her message.

"Miss Chen, do you not need the classes?" the teacher asked once she noticed Grace had been staring at her phone.

"I am sorry," she quickly apologized.

Today they were having a joint English class, and Nora sat at the far end, staring at her with envy.

"Next Monday marks the beginning of your final exams, and as always, if you don't make the exams, then you won't be attending prom."

"Prom?" Grace's eyes lit up.

She had never attended prom, not because she never had a date but because Nora didn't want her there, and if Nora didn't want something, then her mom would make sure to get rid of it.

"Now the men must be asking ladies to be their prom dates," Steph snorted.

"And as always, our school is the only college organizing proms in China, so use it when referring students here."

They burst out in laughter.

The class was over, and everyone kept talking about Prom, but Grace's mind was occupied with the final exams.

She had to study hard and have good grades as always. Nora walked past and bumped into her; her books dropped.

"Oops, I didn't see you standing there," she winked at her before she left.

"Such a b..."

Grace was about to pick up her books when Ken hurried and helped her. She snatched her book from him and walked down the hall way when he followed her.

"Grace"

"What do you want, Ken?"

"I understand why you are upset with me; you have every right to be. But please don't end our friendship."

"Our friendship ended the moment you judged me. I am sorry, but I don't need that in my life."

"I am sorry," he apologized with a sincere tone. "For everything I said, I am sorry."

Grace sighed; they were best friends. The people who stood by her, so she couldn't be mad at him forever, she said, "I have to go somewhere now."

"Where you stay?"

"No, to my parents," she said, she planned to go there before going back home.

Ken nodded with a smile. "It's good; you should all talk."

"Steph says I shouldn't go, but you don't think so. Guess Steph was just overreacting."

"She always overreacts."

Grace chuckled; she didn't go through the main entrance because she didn't want Mr. Li dropping her off at her parents.

"Let's go through the field," she suggested, and Ken seemed to understand her.

After they walked through the long field, they came out at the roadside, and she stopped a cab. "I will go now; hopefully I will find some information about my mother."

"I will call you tonight so you can explain everything that happened, okay?"

"Of course, I really missed you, Ken," she smiled at him before she got into the cab, which drove away.

***

Minutes later, the cab stopped in front of Chen's home. She walked to the door and rang the bell. "It's no longer my home; I can't just walk in."

Her head was high; she wasn't going to flinch and act scared in front of them.

Soon the door opened, and it was her stepmother, Sarah.

Sarah smiled at her and said, "You are here."

Her smile left Grace shocked. "Come in; your father has been waiting."

Grace now contemplated: why was the woman not scolding her?

"Are you coming in or not? Is our home suddenly too low for you?" Sarah asked in an impatient tone.

Grace walked in. "It has always been too low for me," she thought.

Her gaze swept over the place; it was still the same. "Where is my father? He said he had something to tell me about my mom."

"That whore," Sarah hissed.

"Go find him upstairs; I can't believe you still set your legs in this house after you ran away."

"Because I am not scared," she answered honestly.

Sarah clenched her fist. "I will return to the kitchen as I have a lot of chores."

"Oh, you clean now?" Grace asked sarcastically; she was their maid and did all their chores.

Now they had no choice but to do it themselves.

Sarah frowned at her before she left for the kitchen. She went behind the door and took out the stick she had kept. "You bastard, you have a sharp tongue, huh?"

Grace got to her father's bedroom and pushed the door. He sat on the bed while going through some files.

"Grace," he said, standing up and walking to her. "You shouldn't have come," he said.

This left her confused. "You asked me to come."

"Yes, because I was stupid; now you should leave."

"I am not going anywhere if you don't tell me about my mother. Did she reach out to you?"

Grace scolded; why was he playing with her emotions?

"Your mother is dead," Sarah said from behind her. She stood there with a stick, seeing the stick, Grace took a step backward. That stick was personally made for her; it was her torture.

"My mother isn't dead."

"She is"

The tension became hot. "I will leave now." That stick brought out so many bad memories, and seeing that it was just them in this room, her fear awakened.

"Leave? Who said anything about you leaving?" Sarah asked, her eyes filled with evil.

"You think you are smart? I will disfigure your face so much that no one will recognize you."

"We have been soft on you, and that's why you ran away from home. Don't you think you owe us your life?"

Tears rolled down Grace's cheeks. "I don't owe you my life, and I won't let you hurt me."

"You still have the guts to talk back?" Sarah used the stick to hit her legs. "Ahhh," she cried out.

"What did you say? That I now do the chores?"

She hit the stick on her waist, and she fell to the ground. Her dad stood there just staring at her.

"You know what happens when you scream, right?"

Grace bit her lip; if she screamed, then her strokes would be tripled. She was used to such situations; she could only endure the pain in silence.

Sarah raised the stick and kept hitting her with it. "Please stop," her voice quivered as she wrapped herself on the floor like an earthworm reacting to a human touch.

"You brought this to yourself; how dare you run away from home, huh?"

Sarah didn't stop hitting her; she was so angry when she was reminded of how her daughter had to do the chores because Grace wasn't around.

And how Grace had replied her rudely, "Sarah." Mr. Chen took the stick from her when he noticed Grace was completely weak; her body was bruised.

"Leave me" Sarah frowned and kicked Grace with her heels.

"Lock her up; let me see how she dares to escape again."