Xue Jing was in the kitchen preparing cups and spoons for them for the ice cream her best friend, Su Na had brought.
"Will you have some too, Su?", Xue asked her from the kitchen with a loud voice. Xue Jing was so happy to have Su around. Even though she knew that Ren didn't like the fact that Su was around, Xue Jing didn't care at that point. She enjoyed her friend's company.
There was no response from Su.
Xue's brows creased and she walked out of the kitchen into the living room where Su and Du were.
Xue Jing met her friend staring at her daughter that who she had returned to her chair. She looked at both of them because of Su's look towards Du.
"Su? Is something wrong with Du?", Xue asked, not moving from where she stood meters away from the living room, and some yards away from the kitchen's door.
Su's response was slow. "No...", she finally said.
"I was asking if I should bring a cup for you for the ice cream", Xue said as she looked at Su with a puzzled look.
"Yes, please", Su replied. She finally turned away from Du Jing and walked to one of the sofas in the living room. The way Su sat down was like someone had poured ice water all over her body.
The voice Su heard from Du... the clarity of her speech stunned Su. She wondered if maybe, just maybe, she had imagined it and Du hadn't spoken like that actually.
[Maybe it is all in my head], Su Na thought.
She watched as Xue returned to the living room with all the cups and spoons. They were about three cups on the tray that Xue Jing carried.
"Can Du feed herself?", Su Na asked.
"Um... yes and no. But you should feed her the ice cream. You both should bond, you know", Xue said as she winked and wriggled her eyebrows.
Su smiled but it was one that her eyes didn't reflect. "Okay", she said.
* * *
I loved how I felt inside. It took all my strength to hold back the laughter that threatened to burst out of my mouth.
The look on Marlena's face (because it annoys me to call her 'Aunty Su'. Like hell she's Su), when I told her to leave me, was priceless to me.
Marlena has it coming for her.
I am sure she thought that she could just move on after her atrocities in her past life! I laughed inwardly. Marlena was mad to think that.
No! No no no... she has to pay for what she had done.
I bet no one brought her to book when she murdered me. It had hurt my soul that my father was so engulfed in the fact that he had gotten a son. A son at my own expense. A son that came when my blood was spilled.
I denounced him the moment I witnessed all that. I am sure it is why I lost connection with the man who was supposed to be my father, the man supposed to get to the root of my disappearance.
King Tymon had just neglected the fact that his daughter, the princess of his kingdom was missing because of a damned son.
My mind drifted to that awful time. Most times, I couldn't stop it. I still felt the pain in my neck as that man slashed through. I still felt the betrayal I felt.
[Oh, Marlena!], I thought. She really got me, she got me real bad.
[Fate is super funny!]... Who would've thought that I would meet her in this life? Maybe that was why I was finally reincarnated.
Now, I watched as my dear mother told this murderer to feed me the ice cream.
[Argh!], I thought. I couldn't wait to grow up more than this... Du's body was super limiting. If I could feed myself properly, I wouldn't be facing the torment of Marlena putting ice cream in my mouth.
I wanted to shout to my mother to check if the ice cream was poisoned somehow.
[You can never tell what Marlena wants], I thought.
But then, I remembered that poison wasn't her forte... she would just win your trust and stab you in the back... or better still, cut your neck wide open.
I watched as my cute mother poured the ice cream from the large container into the different cups, and handed 'Marlena' hers and mine.
I nearly puked.
"Where is Ren? I have been so engrossed in Du that I haven't asked about him. Did he go out?", I heard Su ask my mother.
[Wicked soul], I thought, [He is in the room because of you. He doesn't want to your fa-ace...], I san in my thoughts.
I had to stifle a laugh because if I would have let it out, Mother would have wondered what was wrong with me. My little right palm held my small lips.
Mother delayed replying to her friend.
"No, Su, Ren didn't go out. He is inside"
I looked at her face when she heard this reply from my mother. I could see the different emotions cross her face. [Haha], I laughed.
"Alright", 'Marlena' finally said.
Su Na accepted the cups of ice cream from my mother. She took a scoop of hers, then walked towards me with the cup that was meant for me.
"Hey, baby! I heard you love ice cream", she said as she sat on the chair that was beside the little chair my mother had bought for me.
[Yes I love ice cream, but only if you allow me to smear it into your eyes], I thought.
I smiled a wicked smile but she had missed it because she was about to fetch some ice cream from the cup.
"Say ah!", she said.
I focused my gaze forward as if I hadn't heard her.
But unknown to Dear Marlena here, I was preparing a surprise for her. I had to quench this happiness and comfort she was feeling at the moment. I had to turn the ice cream in her mouth to bile.
As I discovered that my mother's attention was on her cream and the television program that was being aired, I turned to Marlena and said, "Is it poisoned?"... in a very low voice and I had purposely made it sound like a growl.
Su's eyes widened... it looked like they would fall out of their sockets soon.
Slowly, without blinking her eyes, she turned to my mother that was across the room. "Xue, did you hear what Du just said?"