ELORA
After yelling at Ari, I turn angrily back to the direction of our house. There isn't any way, I'm going to look for a job again. Not with this mood. If I do, I might end up causing havoc. I groan. I can't believe my sis supported that Zoey of a girl when she knows so well that I wasn't at fault. She knows Zoey can be annoying so well. She knows how much of a poked nose she is. I walk past some people, and they keep staring at me like they've seen a ghost or something. I murmur angrily, glaring at some and ignoring some.
A girl stares at me strangely and I groan. "If you don't stop staring at me, I'll pull out those eyes of yours" I threaten. She looks away quickly and I sigh. I shouldn't bother about people staring at me. I should bother about Mom. "What will I tell Mom now?" I thought. Maybe I should tell her, I couldn't get any job? I thought. Nah!! That isn't a good idea.
I get to the house and open the door quietly. I peep into the house. Seeing that the room is empty, I smile. I tiptoe into the house and I'm about to climb the stairs. I hear a sound and pause. "Lora?" Mom calls and I groan. I turn slowly in her direction, head down. "Elora?"
I raise my head and giggle nervously. She's just a meter away from me, holding a shopping bag. She glares at me and I chuckle "Mom!, Are you heading out?"
She ignores my question and folds her hand beneath her chest. "Tell me, what did you do this time?"
I giggle nervously. "Nothing. I only went in search of a job and when I couldn't get any, I decided to come back home and take a rest" I pray silently that she buys my lie and let me go
"You went job hunting with your hair scattered?"
I place my hand on my head, adjusting the hair. It must have been scattered during the fight. "Oh, Zoey!!" I murmured
"Answer me!!" Mom yells, making me jump slightly
"Nah. I actually... I... I scattered it while coming home". I just hope she buys the idea. She stares at me suspiciously but says nothing. "Are you heading out?"
"What does it look like? That I'm sleeping?"
I giggle. "I'll head upstairs" I make an attempt to move but she calls me back
"Elora, if you dare take a step there, I'll pull out your eyes and give them to dogs"
I raise an eyebrow. Like seriously? "You're joking right?"
She glares and I maintain silence. "Now, listen to me. Make sure you do the dishes, clean the kitchen, and prepare dinner before I come back" I roll my eyes. Dinner? By this time of the day? "You will also mop the rooms and dispose of the dirt. You will wash my clothes and iron them....."
I widened my eyes. "Is the work not too much for me?"
"I don't think it will be. Not for a person who had the strength to fight!!"
I gasp. Did she know about the fight? No, I don't think she does. If she did, she wouldn't have let me into the house. I quickly compose myself. "I didn't fight anyone, Mom"
"I never said you do". I sigh. She doesn't know. "But your insolence attitude made you jobless"
I roll my eyes. "I ain't jobless mom. It isn't like I want to"
She hiss. "You ain't jobless? Please tell me where you work?"
I roll my eyes. "I get it. I'm jobless but it's not my fault"
"It's my fault, then"
"I..."
"Just shut up and get to work"
I groan. "The works are much"
"They ain't. It's for your good"
I scoff. Is she for real? My good?. I raise an eyebrow. "How?"
She furrows her brows slightly and scoffs. "Don't you know a jobless person is the devil's workshop?". I furrow my brows. "And you're jobless"
I roll my eyes. "I...."
"Get to work!"
"B-but"
"Shh..."
I stomp upstairs angrily and drop my bag into a simple shirt and shorts. I pack my hair into a ponytail, rolling the hair around it. Checking myself for the last time, I turn in the direction of the door to start the work which is already looking like the one that will take ages to end.
**
I stretch myself to the side, whining slightly. I'm just two hours into the work and I'm already looking stressed out. I finished washing the clothes one hour ago. I have also done the dishes. Right now, I'm cleaning the kitchen. I dropped the mop I was holding and walked to the refrigerator to get bottled water and a glass cup. I quickly open the fridge and bring out the water. I pour some for myself and gulp it down. I pour out another glass and push it down my throat.
I check the time and it's just 3:30 pm. I roll my eyes. I will just take a bit of rest. Like ten to twenty minutes and then continue my work. I pick another bottle of water and with the same glass, I head for the living room. I sit down on the couch and drop the water on the table. I lay down, closing my eyes. I'll just take a short nap and get to work.
**
The bear runs after me as I try to increase the space between us. "Lora!!" I turned slightly to see who was calling me but I saw no one, only the bear running after me. He finally catches up with me and raises me.
"Help!!! Help me!!!" I yell. He jerked me vigorously and I felt so dizzy. "Help!"
"Lora!!!, Elora!!!". The bear throws me across the bush and I close my eyes. I land on the ground with my butt and flaunt my eyes open. What? I'm sitting on the floor? I look around and realize it's only a dream
I groan. "And how long have you been sleeping?" I hear Mom's voice. I raise my head to see her staring dangerously at me. I giggle and stand up quietly from the ground.
I dust myself. "You're back?"
"That doesn't answer my question. How long have you been sleeping that you haven't prepared dinner"
My eyes switch. "Dinner? It isn't up to ten minutes that I decided to lay down here and rest"
"Did you check your time?"
I picked up my phone to check the time. It's 7:05 p.m "What!!"
"When did you sleep?". I scratch my hair and entangle some around my hand. "Answer me!!"
"4:00 pm, I guess"
"You guess?"
I giggle. "I was just so tired and decided to take a nap. I never knew how I slept off"
She smiles sweetly. "Just the same way you won't know how you'd sleep without food"
I raise an eyebrow. "No dinner?"
"Not just dinner. No breakfast, no lunch, no brunch, no supper, no snacks, not even appetizers. Nothing!!!. Until you learn to be responsible!!"
"But..." She ignores me and takes some steps
"I can call the cops on you, you know" I murmur inaudibly
"You'd better start calling them now, 'cause you will starve!!" She yells and I groan. I thought It was inaudible
"Inaudible, indeed" my subconscious mind mocks. I roll my eyes. I'd better follow her or her threat will come to fulfillment. I ran up the stairs. "Mom!!"
**
I roll on the bed, it's 9:00 a.m. already and I'm yet to have breakfast. Mom isn't home and the kitchen is locked. She did follow her threat. Despite all my pleading? She said it will last for a week. That means no food for a week. Like who does that? I groan and sit up. I'm so broke right now and I need to eat. Where can I go?
I giggle. "Yes!!" I yell happily. Ari!!. I will go visit Ari. I'll just stay at her place for that week until my punishment is over. I move closer to my wardrobe and pick out a few clothes. I place them into a small bag and change into a white-shouldered bodice top and black ripped-off trousers. I wore my black boots.
"I should call her first," I thought. I place the phone on my ear. "Hey sis"
"Elora?"
I roll my eyes. "Yeah, it's me"
"Is everything, okay? How is mom?"
"Everything is fine. Are you home?"
"Yeah"
"I'm coming over. Hope there's food. I mean already prepared food?"
"Punishment again?"
I giggle. "Yeah"
"How many days this time?"
"Unfortunately, it's a week"
She chuckles. "What did you do?"
"I slept off when I was supposed to make dinner and threatened to call the cops on her".
She giggles. "Lora..."
"I should be there in a bit, bye" I rushed the words and cut the call. I don't want any sermons right now. I head downstairs and drop a note for Mom, on the dining table. It reads:
'Mom, don't bother calling or looking for me. I'm off to Ari's place. And will be back when my punishment ends. While I'm away, take care of yourself. Signed- Elora'
I giggle and clutch my bag to my back. I step out and groan. I should have asked Ari to come pick me up. Now I'll have to find my way there!!!