??? More than a game ???
→→→ Beyond jilting ←←←
? Book fourteen ?
? Iris’s standpoint ?
I flew out of the be-d with a scream when someone screamed, falling on the floor with a thud. I jo-lted up in confusion, looking around completely flvstered. Where was I again? Oh yes, Hailey’s. I screamed again when someone screamed, I stood up with the speed of lightning and ran out, running out of the room, down the stairs and out of the front door. I looked up once I was out, my mouth dropped open. Hailey and Lee were tied together, crying as they were dangling down the roof of the house. Well, Hailey wasn’t crying.
‘What the…’
‘I beg you Hans, I’m sorry, it won’t ever happen again…’ Lee wailed.
‘I swear Hans, once I get out of here, I’ll kill you!’ Hailey shouted furiously. ‘I do not deserve such treatment you arrogant little face towel! Get me out of this!’
‘You are ma-king everything worse!’ Lee shouted.
‘Worse? How dare he tie us together and hang us down my house!’
‘Your house?’ Lee snorted. ‘How is this your house?! It belongs to three of us, what is the your doing there?’
‘You know this is your fault, right?’ Hailey asked. ‘First, you refused to let Iris stay with me, and then you hit his head with a frying pan.’
‘I panicked!’
‘Well guess what, your panic and selfishness just landed us here. Our blood will run into our heads and flood our br@ins.’
‘What br@ins? You mean my br@in, not yours Hailey, you don’t have a br@in…’ Still tied and they are fighting. I ran back inside to find my way to the roof. It took me five minutes but I got there. Phoenix and Hans sat relaxedly on a soft cotton candy like chair, drinking as they discussed about a girl they met or something. I st©pped to listen.
‘Are you sure you don’t want to deal with Ivan? He is going too far with this thing, how could he bring Merissa back? How dare him.’
‘I honestly don’t care about Ivan or what he is doing, at least not anymore. At first it was anger urging me to get back at him, but now this thing is beyond jilting two idiots, paying them back. Iris nee-ds more than this, she nee-ds all the attention she can get so she’ll get over this madness. I really want her to be okay, I want to see her smiling like this everyday, not being scared to be herself or be alone. Iris’s case isn’t as complicated as I first saw it, all she nee-ds is enough love, care and affection so the voices in her head would st©p. I really want Iris to feel better and when she’s finally better, I’ll deal with her father.’
‘Her father? What does her father have to do with this?’
‘I did an investigation on the case, got information from Iris’ mother and she told me the genesis of the problem.’
‘What is the genesis?’
‘Iris is the h…’
‘Hans! Hailey is b!tt!g my ear!’ No, don’t st©p talking, I nee-d to hear why father and mother hates me. Should I ask him?
‘We better get them away from each other before we are f0rç£ to attend a funeral.’ Hans chuckled, standing up with his wineglas-s.
Iris is what? Tell me!
‘You don’t nee-d to know,’ Sweet said calmly. I ran back to the room to pretend to be asleep, wondering what he was going to say. I stayed in the be-d, the curiosity was getting to me, killing me inside.
‘Oomph,’ I gr-unted. I sle-pt off, someone hit me with a pillow. I opened my eyes in time to see the pillow descending on me again. I quic-kly rolled out of the way, instinctively picking up the other pillow and hurling it at whoever was hitting me.
‘Oomph,’ the person gr-unted, falling on the floor with a thud.
‘Hey! You don’t get to hit my sister, only I do!’ Lee shouted and then a pillow hit the back of my head. I fell face flat on the be-d. Lee attacked me with her pillow, hitting me repeatedly and Hailey joined. I laughed as I tried to maneuver over to fight them too. Seeing that I didn’t have any means of escape, I launched at Lee’s legs, dragging her down to the be-d. I quic-kly gr@bb£d a pillow and whacked Hailey with it. Hailey fell on t©p of Lee, I squealed and took another pillow, hitting then both continuously.
‘Okay, okay, we give up.’ They laughed. I plopped myself back on the be-d, the soft bouncy foam throwing me up and back into the be-d until it slowly subsided.
‘Good morning girls, sleep well?’
‘Hans tied us up and made us fear death,’ Lee said un-der her breath.
‘He has gotten stronger emotionally and mentally,’ Hailey added. ‘No longer the boy we used to bully.’
‘What would you say we pl@ya prank on him? Remind him who his big sisters are?’ Lee asked mischievously.
‘Nay,’ I disagreed. ‘You are all bigger than pranks, let’s do something else.’
‘Like?’
‘Snub him,’ I grinned. ‘If there is one thing I know how to do, is snub, I’m a born snob.’
‘We?’
‘Yes,’ I sat up. ‘An enemy of my sisters is a target for me.’
‘Awwwn,’ Hailey cooed. ‘Group hvg!’ Hailey easily tackled me back to the be-d, laughing at her funny her voice sounded when she shouted. Lee joined the hvg, sniffing my hair.
‘When is Melody coming back?’
‘I’m not sure, but soon, very soon.’ Hailey replied.
‘I know!’ Lee squealed. ‘Let’s go to the amusement park, have fun just as three sisters, huh?’
‘I don’t mind, I like the idea, Iris?’
‘Will Hans come with us?’ I asked poutingly. ‘I want him to come.’
‘Do you want to take advice from a girl who have had enough d@t!ngexperience?’ Hailey asked, getting off from the be-d.
‘d@t!ng?’
‘You are starting to get attached to Hans. I know you feel like he will always be there for you but if you keep ma-king him see you like this sick psycho girl he must save, he will never love you the same way you are starting to. I know Hans, right now, all he is feeling for you is pity and desperation to heal you, not love you. The moment his mission is complete, he will relax and you will get hurt because you will be the only one with the heartache, right Paige?’ Hailey asked Lee. Lee smiled and dragged herself out of the be-d too.
‘She is right,’ Lee agreed. ‘I really love you Iris, we both do and we know that the only one who can st©p the voices in your head is you. Don’t let Hans’ feeling for you be base on pity only, st©p showing him your weakness and fear. I know, he is easy to talk to and very reliable, but it is better you cling to either one of us than him. You should make him love you, not pity you…’
‘I don’t love him,’
‘You will,’ Lee said sharply. ‘And if you keep leaning on him, your feelings which ought to be a precious thing would become obse-ssion. Hans is smart, yes, but his new static is wrong. Switching you from Violet to him will be more dangerous than he thinks and that is why you must be strong and prove to him and everyone else that Iris Hathaway isn’t the weak, breakable and the ugly girl her parents says she is, show him that you can be very strong with or without him or these color obse-ssion…’
‘But nob©dy likes me, no one,’ I sobbe-d.
‘What p@rt of we love you don’t you get? Do you always want to be this girl believed to be hated? The girl living un-der the shadow of her sister and now moving un-der the cover of my brother?’ Hailey asked.
‘No,’ I shook my head, hvgging my knees. ‘I am hopeless.’
‘Do you really want Hans to love you as a sister?’
‘He k!$$£d me,’ I blunted out.
‘We saw, and that is what we don’t want to happen. Hans affection can’t come from lvst Iris, we want him to love you because you are a good person.’
‘Even when I’ve killed?’ I asked humorlessly. ‘I’ve killed Hailey, I have.’
‘Did you see the person die? Confirm he or she really died?’ Lee interrogated.
‘Only the first one, he tried to r@p£ me. I kill any man I sleep with,’ I whispered.
‘With what?’
‘A knife,’ I whispered again.
‘And where did that knife come from?’ Lee asked, folding her arms with a unconvinced look.
‘I don’t know, it just appears in my hand all the time,’
‘Hallucination,’ Hailey said plainly. ‘Remember Iris, you nee-d to be…’
‘No,’ they looked at each other contemplatively.
‘Nothing is getting into her head, she believes but her fear won’t let her admit it. I think she nee-ds a mother figure to convince her since her own mother died. Perhaps, her sick mother wasn’t much of a mother to help Iris heal, if she was, Iris wouldn’t be like this.’ I kept my head buried in my knees. They were right, mom was nice, never mean to me never had time for me. Maybe they were right, I never had any friend or family member to accept me, that is why I am still like this. Almost two weeks with people that love me, I was starting to heal, all I nee-ded was love and affection.
Not just that, you make yourself feel worse by doubting yourself and feeling like Violet is better than you… A voice whispered in my head.
Maybe if I wasn’t so Violet obsess, I wouldn’t be acting totally crazy even though I am. ‘Iris, dress up, let’s go out.’
‘Iris, I know you can hear me, tell me, can you really trust this girls?’ Joe sneered.
‘The question is do you want Hans to be your new obse-ssion and later get a heartbreak?’ Sweet asked, glaring at Joe.
No, I don’t.
? Hailey’s standpoint ?
I pu-ll-ed the car over at the garage, we were here to see mom. Mom had this natural energy that soothed the soul, made one feel at peace. She was also easy to talk to, open up to and the perfect mother figure Iris nee-ds. Iris wasn’t completely insane, just misun-derstood. I got to un-derstand that at the club when she cling on to Hans ti-ghtly. Yes, she had br@in issues, but not enough to make her like that, all she nee-ds is love and affection. I guessed her foster mother loved her but never gave her the attention, thereby giving her hallucination more time to take over.
‘Where are we? This mansion is so hvge,’ Iris gushed out in admiration. Lee chuckled, I simply took off my seatbelt. ‘What are we doing here?’
‘To see someone important,’ I smiled. ‘Come on,’ I opened the door and stepped out of the car, inhaling the ever warm blo-ssom wind in the compound.
‘Hey Mr. Dork! Hey Mrs. Dork! Hey Mr Mrs. Dork!’ Lee skrie-ked, waving at the workers while Iris stood behind her still gawking. I walked to the front door, Theo, my mother’s personal guard stood there with his block called a face.
‘Good morning Miss Kendrick,’ he greeted with a bow.
‘Where is my mom?’
‘Your parents are both inside and your father strictly instructed all workers and staffs to stay outside until they are called back in.’ That only meant they were fighting seriously again.
‘I guess we have to go back…’ Lee palmed my face, pushing me to the side and out of the way. Theo smartly got out of the way before he got pushed too.
‘Dahlia! Big sis is here!’ She skrie-ked as she ran in. Nevermind. I followed her in, forgetting Iris was with us. I followed her up to the second foreroom, trying to keep up with her pace.
‘I am not going to let that happen Bloom! You better cancel that p@rtnersh!pwith that man who-re or this house wouldn’t be enough for the both of us!’ Wow, dad was furious. I stayed rooted at the door with Lee, both staring in with a little fear. Hans and Phoenix were just like dad when furious, I just don’t un-derstand the power they carry. Hans might have gotten angry one or few times, but never serious anger; intense fury, so I had never seen him like dad. The little I see is enough to make me respect my old age.
I’ve always admire mom, the way she handled dad, how she switched from personalities to personalities to suit his state of mind. When she nee-ded to be a baby, she knew how to, when to be a strict boss woman, she knew that. If it was to be someone else, the marriage would have broken a long time ago because father is the most ha-rd headed cold man I have ever met, beside Richie. So, mom sat down with legs crossed, back rested on the chair with a sweet smile on her face as she stirred her glas-s of white wine between her f!ngers. Her smile was so beautiful I was f0rç£d to t©uçh my face, why wasn’t my smile this beautiful? Lee had her smile, that smile that always got her anything and anyone she wanted, so did Phoenix. Hans just took everything from dad, what happened to me?
‘What were you thinking accepting such p@rtnersh!pwith that well known wife snatcher! Have you forgotten how many he has stolen?! What is your problem Bloom?! Sometimes you can act like your br@in and s-en-ses have been used for sacrifice, like you traded everything for beauty… Now see! That same beauty is what that sheep wants to steal from me!’
‘Okay, are you done throwing a tantrum now?’ Mom asked chucklingly. Dad glared at her. ‘Sit down Alisdair, it’s my turn to talk.’
‘Sit what? Explain what? How you are planning to let yourself get snatched by that man who is no way as good as I am,’ dad was alre-ady losing the strength to argue. When he is angry, leave him to yell all his heart out and then say the right words to calm him down, that was mom’s strategy.
‘Alis, I have been married to you for two decades, have five beautiful children and have never cheated before, when will you learn to trust me?’
‘I trust you, not him.’
‘If you trust me, you will be able to look beyond your over protectiveness and possessiveness and know that even if he tries anything stupid, I would remind him why I am not to mess with.’
‘Must it be him?’ Dad whimpered. ‘Especially now I’m going on a journey,’
‘Do you want me to tattoo “property of Alisdair” to my forehead so everyone would know?’ Mom asked jokingly. Dad chuckled and sat beside her.
‘That isn’t a bad idea,’
‘Awwn,’ mom pouted, switching to baby mode. ‘You really hurt my feelings with those words, I’m disappointed.’
‘I’m sorry, I don’t know why I always yell before thinking when it comes to you and a man. Maybe it’s because you are still too beautiful at your age and you only get more beautiful…’
‘Just like me,’ Lee chirped. Their eyes rolled over to us. ‘Hi the wo-mb that bore me! Hi the sp-erm donor!’
‘Lee, shouting in my house,’ dad scolded.
‘What were you thinking accepting such p@rtnersh!pwith that well known wife snatcher! Have you forgotten how many he has stolen?! What is your problem Bloom?!’ Lee shouted, imitating him. Mom laughed while dad rolled his eyes around.
‘Nice to see you again girls, what are you doing here?’
‘Aren’t we welcome in our own sp-erm donor’s house?’ Lee asked grinningly.
‘Call me that again and I’ll cut your ton-gue,’
‘Mom, dad is threatening me again.’ Led whined.
‘Alis, st©p threatening my daughter.’ Mom warned.
‘Of course, you will always support them,’ dad said derisively. He stood up, still glaring at Lee. ‘No Christmas package for you.’ Lee g@sped and pouted.
‘Mom, dad don’t want to give me my package,’ she cried.
‘Alis, she is your daughter, st©p ma-king her feel bad.’
‘She called me a sp-erm donor but you said nothing,’
‘But you are,’ mom muttered. Dad glared de-eply at her.
‘Don’t mind Lee dad, you know she is the rotten egg,’ I bu-tt in, pla-ying the angel. The daddy’s girl always gets the biggest pres£nt.
‘And the perfect egg always taste like roasted as-s with boiled pee sauce,’ Lee sm-irked.
‘Nuh uh, no, you two won’t start this madness in my house, out,’ mom snapped.
‘But she started it,’ we chided at each other.
‘Out!’ I grumbled and turned around, glaring at Lee with a promise to continue the fight. I remembered Iris, she was mannered enough to remain downstairs. Lee and I walked back down, Iris was crawling on the floor with Dahlia ri-ding her like a horse while they laughed.
‘Onward Sheriff Iris!’
‘Neeeee!’ Iris neighed. Lee squealed and cl@pped her hands.
‘Me too! I’ll be a donkey!’ She joined them, crawling on the floor too.
‘Who is this? Is this Iris?’ Mom asked from behind me. I turned around and looked at her confuse face. ‘She looks a lot like Maxwell’s daughter, Violet.’
‘You know Violet?’ I g@sped. She looked at Iris, her eyes zoning out as she thought de-eply about something. ‘Mom?’ I tapped her. She looked at me and smiled.
‘Iris darling,’ she called, leaving my back to meet her. Iris st©pped pla-ying, her face turning pink with embarras-sment. ‘Stand up,’ mom urged her. Dahlia got a off her. ‘Hans have mention you a lot, I’m his mother.’
‘So sorry ma’am, I didn’t know I was…’
‘St©p trembling,’ mom said softly, holding her. She helped her up, pu-lling Iris to her feet. ‘You can call me mom,’
‘Mom? But…but…I’m not fit to call you…’ She coughed, she was having an attack again. Iris stepped away from mom, gr-abbing the n£¢klace in her hand. ‘I have to go, sorry ma…’
‘Come here,’ mom pu-ll-ed her back, forcing her into a hvg. ‘It’s okay, don’t be scared, you are not alone,’ mom whispered. I was confuse, how did mom know?
? Iris’s standpoint ?
I sniffed as I held my cu-p of tea in my hands, looking at it, not Hans’ mother. She was so nice to me, hvgged me ti-ght and whispered words mom should have. My tears had gone dry, nothing more to cry. Why was she being nice to me? Wasn’t she seeing how crazy I am?
‘Iris,’ she called softly, placing a hand over my shaking ones. ‘Look at me,’ I raised my eyes to look at her beautiful violet eyes. ‘I want you to listen to me, I want you to listen to no one but me. I am aware of everything, Hans never hides a thing from me, he is a sweetheart but his new idea will only hurt you. Hans can never love you back, he will feel nothing but pity for you and that is wrong. The reason why your mother and father never liked you wasn’t just because you were insane, but because you didn’t have any firm decisions. You did whatever you were told, go wherever you were pushed to, still do it now. Just look at yourself Iris, look at your life, are you happy?’
‘No, but I don’t know what to do, I get scared whenever I try, there is no one to love me. I have always been alone, no one. Even now they are here, it feels too good to be true. It scares me to know that when I close my eyes that they are there but if I open it, they might leave. I am afraid to let them see who I really am, they would hate me if they ever know who I am, everyone hates me.’
‘Iris, how many people are you friendly to? You don’t make friends, how are you to know who loves you? Iris, you have to learn to put yourself out there, be a new you. Do you always want to be the you that is loved out of pity, or loved because you are Iris, not Violet?’
‘I really want to but I don’t know how,’ I sobbe-d.
‘If you can trust me, I know someone that can help you, she will treat you if you give her a chance.’
‘A hospital?’ I squeaked.
‘No, a house, she lives in Mumbai and is very specialize with the mind. Do wish to be okay again?’ I nodded eagerly, I really wanted to be normal again.
‘Good, I will talk to her and get back to you, okay?’ I nodded. ‘Now get clean up and go have fun with the girls while it last.’
‘Thank you, thank you very much mom,’
‘It’s okay,’ she ruffled my hair. I smiled and drank my tea. I would do anything to get better and prove to Joe and Violet that I can be loved as Iris.
? Violet’s standpoint ?
I went throu-gh my gallery, admiring the new pictures I took when I went out with my friends, it was amazing. My phone vibr@ted, a message. I tapped it, it led me to my message box. It was from my friend, Hannah.
“Oh my God Violet! Hans Kendrick now have a girlfriend!”
‘What!’ I skrie-ked. I quic-kly went online, his Tweeter page where I follow in everything he does. He uploaded three pictures with a caption I didn’t like. I couldn’t see her face because they were k!ssing, she was dancing with her back turned to him and then laughing with a sideview face.
“Wonderful night after a ridiculous but good game. My beautiful unicorn, one more mad woman added to my collection of double stupidity.
# fallinginlovedee-per”
‘No, no, no, no! No! He isn’t suppose to d@t£ so soon!’ I threw my phone away and ran out of my room to dad’s office. I barged into the office and angrily ban-g my hands on the table.
‘When are we going to New York so I can start attending Dark?!’
‘Calm down Violet, in three days time.’
‘Good, there is someone there I nee-d to meet.’
To be continued