"TAINTED HEARTS" by Noah Lee
© 2003 by Noah Lee rosemaidenstombstone@yahoo.com
STORY LAST UPDATED ON 22/01/2003
This story contains characters created by V.C. Andrews.
PROLOGUE
I had heard a crash from my sister's room. I had awakened with a start. I heard my mother and father calling her name and rushing here and there. If it had happened to me, I'm sure that no one would come into my room to see if I was okay.
Suddenly I heard her screaming. I couldn't take it anymore, so I decided to see what was going on. I had walked into her bedroom, and saw a patch of blood on the floor. I looked at my parents, and they looked just as shocked as I was. "What is it?" my sister sobbed.
I had to laugh. For I knew what it was, if only she had been paying attention in class. "It's your period, stupid!" I yelled at her. "Wanna know why you don't know?" I asked. "Because you weren't paying attention!"
That was enough for my father. "SHUT THE HELL UP, VICTORIA!" He roared at me. I didn't cry nor move an inch.
Then, as if she had just bloomed, my sister looked up at me. "What do you want, Megan?" I snapped at her.
CHAPTER ONE: WHY CAN'T I BE YOU?
It was typical of Megan to say this because, well, she did it on a regular basis. "Why?" I asked, curious to know her reason this time.
"'Cause I wanna know," she said in a snappy tone.
"Well, I don't care." I wasn't going to fall for her stupid games
this time.
"Please?" she whined.
I pointed to the door that had white paint spills on it. "See it?" I asked her.
"Uh-huh," she said.
"Here's what I want you to do: go up to the door, open the door, walk out of the door and finally,
leave me alone. Got it?"
She nodded, smirked and walked up to my closet door. "Wrong one, Megan," I said. "It's the other door. The one you used to barge into my room in the first place."
She looked at me. "I knew that." And in a flash, she was gone.
I groaned and fell back on my bed. Only I couldn't sleep. "Megan," I growled to myself. Now I wouldn't be able to do anything good today because I would be tired. I got up and went downstairs. No matter how early I would get up, my father was always up before me. It was weird.
"G'morning," I said to him, and went into the kitchen to make some toast. I ate quietly, and saw my mother come into the kitchen, too.
"Megan bothering you again?" she asked me.
"You've won a million dollars," I said dryly.
"You shouldn't let her get to you," she said. "You're responsible enough to know when to stop arguing with her, but you never do."
I had to laugh. "Well, Mother, it is Megan who keeps it up longer than she has to," I said. "And when she gets going, she never shuts up."
This time my mother laughed. "Yes, that's true," she admitted.
Then, as if the queen herself had stepped into our house, our father had pulled a seat out of the table for "fashionably late" Megan. "Good morning," she said sweetly, as if nothing had happened.
"The queen has arrived," I mumbled. "And what a surprise, too, she's late."
"Victoria!" my father snapped at me when I went to go upstairs to change. (And because I "made fun" of Queen Megan), "You show respect for your sister!" At that moment, I thought that I was going to scream. Why didn't he like me, too? I didn't do anything to him that displeased him, and I worked harder than her, too.
"One day," I threatened to him, "you will respect me. You will!" And with that, I ran up to my room and sat down on my bed. In a few minutes, I got dressed and hurried downstairs to catch the bus. Just as I was coming down, of course, Megan was coming up. "You're going to be late," I said.
She laughed a thin shrill. "So what if I do? Daddy says he'll drive me
any day." She laughed again and went back upstairs. Oh, how I hated her right then.
Once, just once, what I would give to be like Megan for a day. But I knew sooner than I wanted to that it wasn't going to happen.
CHAPTER TWO: ALWAYS SECOND BEST
Somehow, Megan had made it downstairs in time for the bus. "Wow," I said sarcastically, "you actually made it on time."
But somehow, my words got confused in that tiny brain of hers and she thought that I was complimenting her! "Thank you," she said as if she was winning the Nobel Prize.
"Sure, anything," I said, hoping she would shut up and leave me alone.
Sometimes when we'd get on the bus, there'd be a seat saved for each of us. When there wasn't, I got stuck sitting next to Megan. As I walked on the bus, just as I feared, I would have to sit next to Megan. "Oh, God," I grumbled underneath my breath, "I can already hate today."
"What's your prob?" Megan asked once I sat down and folded my arms underneath my breasts. She and I both knew what was wrong, but she just loved saying 'prob'. I couldn't understand why. It was just an abbreviation for 'problem'. But, I knew that Megan lived to annoy me.
"Well, you see," I started, "there's this little bitch that I have to put up with every day. She is very annoying, but I think that she has problems." I smirked. "Whatever should I do, Doctor Megan?"
I was being sarcastic again, and to my surprise, Megan actually caught on. She wrinkled her nose at me and faced the window. "Oh no," I said, "I'm so scared."
"You should be."
"You idiot!" I yelled. "How stupid can you be? Is pushing my buttons
that fun so you have to do it all the time?" She didn't answer and I was getting aggravated.
"Answer me, Megan!"
She smirked at me and then turned away. "Little bitch," I grumbled under my breath. But I could see that she didn't care what I said or thought. Why should she? It was my word against hers.
Even though I went to school with Megan, today was choir day. I would get to sing a solo in front of my parents, and then they would both be so proud! Well, at least, I hoped that they would be proud. No telling what my father would do.
First period was Algebra, then History, Geometry, Physical Education, Biology, English, Lunch (which I had with Megan), Technology, regular Math, and then while Megan went home, I stayed back to practice for the concert we were having next week.
I was going to show everyone what I could do, something that Megan could only dream about…
CHAPTER THREE: ALL MY HOPES AND DREAMS, RUINED
It was finally the night of the big concert. I was actually jumping around more than Megan. As soon as I realised that, I stopped immediately.
No matter how many times I checked the clock, or asked "can we go,
please?" it was always hold on a 'sec', another one of Megan's shortened words. I guessed that she must have had a lot of free time on her hands, because whenever she was very happy, she called me Vicky.
My new nickname had to start tonight. I was changing out of outfit to outfit. Nothing I had seemed to look good on me. Megan, as usual, had to put on the
worst outfit for the occasion. She came into my room while I was trying to see if my pearl white blouse, charcoal grey skirt and crimson jacket would match.
Of course, it looked what Megan would call 'doofy' on me, so I had to dig through and find something else. Megan came to my room, as usual without knocking, and she had that stupid smirk on her face.
"What now, Megan?" I moaned. Couldn't she see that I was busy?
"Oh, Vicky!" she moaned.
"Don't ever call me that again!" I screamed at her. When she was younger, she used to call me Vicky. Now, she just did it when she was happy. But she didn't seem happy. I felt like smiling. Megan unhappy was one of the best days. Usually, she would just leave me alone.
"You've gotta help me!"
Good God. "Why should I help you?"
"'Cause I'm your sister!" she wailed.
How pitiful. "You were fine a few seconds ago. What's wrong with you?"
"Come look!" She pointed to her bedroom door.
"What, is the door gonna attack you or something?" I teased.
"It's in my room!" she shrieked.
I rolled my eyes at her. In her room? I guessed that it was a bug or a mouse or something. "Oh, whatever could it be?" I asked, half knowing and half wanting to know.
"I - it's horrible!"
"What is?" I was getting fed up and I still needed to find something to wear!
"Come look." She gestured for me to follow her. I sighed and went into 'the doom room'.
As I walked through the doors (notice the 's' while I only have a door), I saw something that took my breath away. There, in the midst of my sister's messy room, was…
"A dead human body!" I shrieked and grabbed my heart. "Megan… what the hell…?"
"I told you!" Megan cried. "I told you!"
I tried to back up and leave the room, but I tripped on something and fell back. Suddenly, I heard Megan's doors close. And lock. "Megan, do you have a key!" I screamed.
Megan started yelling for help. I ran to her window and waited. Five minutes later, I saw my father ushering my mother into the limo. "Wait!" I yelled and tried to open Megan's window, but it was also locked.
"Oh, God!" I cried (well, not with tears, but I was moaning). "It was bad when I got locked up in this - this hellhole, but I'm going to miss the recital!" I fell back on Megan's bed, which I quickly realised that she had jumped on because it had sunk in.
"Don't have a baby, Vicky-toria."
I glared at her. "You would say that. You don't have a big, important solo that could get you out of this dump, now do
you?"
She cowered in front of me. "Sorry," she said.
I looked at her and for the first time in a long time I felt the need I had to say something other than yelling at her. "I'm sorry, too," I replied.
I looked around her room. "So what have you got to do around here?"
CHAPTER FOUR: SUSPENDED?
"Hey, Victoria?" Megan asked me that next day. "Can you help me with this paper? I'm having trouble on it."
"Huh? Oh yeah, sure." Ever since I had missed that one-way ticket out of here, I had been slowly losing confidence in myself.
Megan handed me her paper. I put my glasses on it read it, but it all looked like a bunch of scribbles. "Megan, what is this?"
"I dunno. Some stupid report."
"Thanks for your help. I meant what it says. I can't read a thing!"
"It's cursive, duh."
Some cursive. I squinted to see what she was trying to say, but had no luck. "What do you need help with?"
"Writing it."
"No! I mean what is it about? I can't help you if you have no topic."
"Oh, uh, some essay about the short story we just read."
"Which was?"
"It's in my bag. I think it was called 'The Coming'."
"Oh, I read that. Is it a book report?"
"Uh huh."
So I guessed that I was getting at the point where Megan was going to ask me to do the whole thing for her, so I did. And I got in
so much trouble.
"Will Victoria Hudson please come to the office?" I knew what was going to happen. I wrote Megan's book report and I was going to get all of the blame for it.
Not too shabby, Megan, I thought, blaming all of it on me.
I groaned as I walked down to the main office, a little nervous and angry that I was the one going down - all alone.
I walked up to the counter, put my name on the register and waited until I heard someone say, "Hudson, Victoria." Finally. I walked into the principal's office and took a seat.
"You're Victoria?"
"Yes." I also wanted to demand where Megan was, too. She was also in on it, but I bit my lip.
"We're going to have a 'principal-to-student' talk, if you know what I mean."
Of course I knew what he meant, but I just nodded.
"…and so, Miss Hudson, I am granting you three weeks in-school suspension. Starting on Monday."
"Three weeks?"
"Yes, three weeks. I'm very disappointed in you, Victoria. I can see that you are a very bright student, but you are proving me wrong every time I see you." He looked at me with a weird glimpse in his eye. I couldn't tell what it was, but it frightened me a little.
"Victoria's got suspended, Victoria's got suspended!" Megan sang throughout the hallways and when we came out of the school.
"Shut up, Megan," I pleaded, but she didn't, of course. Now I was all bent over with the sins of my sister and I. I couldn't wait to hear what my father would say to this…
CHAPTER FIVE: MY PUNISHMENT AND DOOM
I was right. My father almost had my head. Why was I the only one to receive punishment for what Megan asked me to do? I was forever shackled to the boughs of bad luck.
"What the HELL were you thinking, Victoria? You know that your sister has to do these things ON HER OWN!"
"But-" I started.
"Don't say ANYTHING! For two months, you will give everyone a break and do EVERYONE'S CHORES. DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR, VICTORIA?"
"Y - yes," I stuttered. "Crystal."
And so I was to start tonight. I had to set the table, serve everyone's food and clean up after them. I wasn't allowed to eat anything tonight. I was starving.
So I came up with a plan. I told Megan that I would be her slave for two months (which I all ready was, but what did she know?) if she brought me food every time I couldn't eat. She happily agreed.
It was probably the best idea I had come up with. Or so I thought. Two days each week I had to watch everybody else eat, and two nights each week Megan would sneak food up to me. It was working like a charm - until one night.
I heard my father talking with Megan. I sneaked over to the stairs to get a better view and hear of what was happening.
"Where are you going with all of that food, Megan?" my father asked.
"To my room."
"Why?"
"'Cause I'm hungry."
He was getting annoyed. "Why are you hungry NOW? You ate a huge dinner!"
"I'm still hungry!" she whined.
"Sure you are," he said sarcastically. "If you're so hungry, I want you to eat ALL of that food - right in front of me."
And what Megan did, that little bitch, was: "But, Daddy! I'm really, really full! Victoria threatened to kill me if I didn't bring her some food!"
"VICTORIA!" he screamed. "GET DOWN HERE, NOW!"
I walked down the stairs. "I didn't do anything!" I protested.
"The hell you didn't," he snarled, and walked out of the room.
I glared daggers at Megan. "You little spoiled asshole, I'm gonna KILL you!"
Megan cowered and took a few steps away from me. My father came back into the room. I could tell he had something behind his back.
"Starting tomorrow," he snarled at me, "you will have therapy lessons. UNDERSTOOD?"
"Yeah," I turned away. "Whatever," I muttered under my breath.
I saw something coming directly towards me. I couldn't get out of the way quick enough. I saw black and white, spinning all around me…
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