Chapter 4
Lucy was all fired up. That night she snuck into my room and, like always, pinched me awake.
"Don't make a sound," she said.
I did exactly as I was told—not a peep came out of me. I just stared up at her with my big, innocent eyes.
Maybe it was my obedience that gave her the nerve.
Lucy let out a chilling, sinister sneer.
"Get up. Take off your clothes," she commanded.
I got up like she said, but I refused to take off my clothes.
William told me that a girl should never give up her boundaries, no matter what.
Lucy was losing her patience. She whipped out a sewing needle. "Remember how this feels? If you don't take off your clothes, I'll stab you until you learn."
I tilted my head, and those awful memories came flooding back.
Once, I'd come down with a bad fever.
Dennis and Matt took Zoe on vacation, dumping me on Lucy.
I was so sick I couldn't even get out of bed.
For three days, she gave me no food, not even water.
I nearly starved.
Burning with fever, drifting in and out, I'd just start to doze—then she'd jab me with that needle.
That time, I almost didn't make it.
When my brothers came back, I told them what Lucy did to me, but Dennis slapped me hard.
Later, I found out that while I was suffering, Lucy had been calling them every day, crying about how I was making her life hell, how I was beating her up, and she even faked bruises on her arm.
That was when I realized—even Lucy meant more to them than I did.
"Scared now? Ready to behave?" Lucy scoffed.
Her fat face was twisted.
William once told me that people like Lucy, always keeping their heads down and hiding their true selves, would turn downright vicious the moment they got a taste of power.
He also said, when dealing with someone that nasty, I didn't have to show any mercy.
In the next second, I grabbed Lucy's hair and slammed her head against the wall. Then I took her hand and stabbed her in the thigh with the needle.
Her screams echoed through the whole villa.
"Hush. No noise," I told her. "You know what happens if you wake the neighbors—we've got the water cell for that."
She clearly didn't get the message.
Frowning, I grabbed her hair and dragged her out of my room.
Dennis and Matt came running downstairs, jolted awake by the commotion.
"N-Nina, what are you doing?" Matt's face went ghostly pale.
"She's too loud. I can't sleep," I said flatly. "Where's my knife? I'm gonna cut her tongue out."
Matt felt a chill run straight up his spine, nearly freezing him in place, but he managed to block my way.
He blurted out, "There's no knife!
"Nina, let me toss her out for you, okay? She won't make a peep once she's outside."
I tilted my head. "Is that so?"
Matt coaxed and pleaded until finally he pried Lucy out of my hands.
He threw her outside, and just like that, the noise was gone.
I went back to my room, climbed into bed contentedly, and fell asleep.
Soon, my soft little snores filled the room.
Everyone else just stared at each other, wide-eyed.
The whole villa was dead silent, like a graveyard.
*****
"Dennis, do you think Nina will go crazy and beat me up like she did to Lucy?" Zoe asked.
She was so scared that she couldn't sleep a wink. Dennis stayed by her side the whole night.
But Dennis still refused to believe I'd actually lost my mind.
After all, when they sent me away, I was perfectly normal.
"Dennis, do you think Nina's just pretending?" Zoe asked quietly.
She'd voiced exactly what he was thinking.
"Let's find out," he replied.
Matt had stayed up all night watching over me. Now, with dark circles under his eyes, he stepped out and caught Dennis and Zoe plotting together. For some reason, that sight made his blood boil.
"What are you two scheming?" he snapped.
Dennis shot him a frosty glare. "Stay out of it. If Nina is just pretending to be insane so she can hurt others, I'll ruin her for good!"
Matt was about to say something, but Zoe cut in first, her eyes brimming with tears. "People say the insane can't be blamed if they kill someone. Nina hates me so much. What if she's just pretending to be crazy so she can... kill me?"
Matt felt a cold shiver run down his spine. Knowing how messed up I am, it wasn't like I couldn't do something like that. In the end, he just shut up.
Dennis gave Lucy some curt instructions.
Suddenly, I pushed open the door.
I stepped out, and when I saw them, I offered a sweet smile.
"Morning," I said softly.
The four of them visibly shuddered all at once.
Matt asked in a tentative voice, "Nina, do you remember what you did last night?"
I tilted my head and smiled. "I think I had a lovely dream."
Matt's face went pale.
Lucy's legs nearly gave out from fear. She quickly did as Dennis said and brought out the steak.
"Nina, come eat," Dennis called out.
He actually smiled at me.
I pinched myself, making sure I wasn't still dreaming.
"We're having steak for breakfast today. Do you like that, Nina?" Dennis asked.
I nodded. "I do."
Not that I ever had the right to refuse.
The steak sizzled hot on the plate.
My mouth was watering.
I was starving, and it smelled so good.
But no one handed me a fork.
I looked at my brothers with wide, innocent eyes.
"I heard steak tastes even better if you eat it with your hands," Dennis said.
He kept his eyes glued to me, not letting a single twitch of my expression slip by.
Zoe and Lucy suddenly realized what Dennis was planning, and they shared a knowing, creepy grin.
Matt opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end, he just stayed quiet.