Khalilah heard light knocks on her bedroom door, and that's when she squeezed her eyes open, she hadn't slept so deeply in weeks, it took her back to when she was a child but she still wanted to sleep some more. The knock came back again but this time it was louder.
"Ugh!" She groaned getting up from the bed, who was it so early in the morning? She wanted to sleep some more, she wobbled towards the door and she turned the door knob and her eyes met Cherry's grey eyes.
"Hey sup," Khalilah muttered sleep was evident in her voice, and she rubbed her eyes. "Good morning, Miss Khalilah, Madam Rose requests your presence downstairs."
Oh my goodness! She forgot she was supposed to say good morning first, Cherry might think since she is a city girl, she has no manners.
"Pardon me Cherry I'm just a bit tired. I'll clean up and come downstairs." She said with a small smile and Cherry nodded before leaving immediately.
"Good morning Grand-mama." She said as soon as she climbed down the stairs; Rose-Anne looked at her and smiled. A broken type of smile, and Khalilah wondered what the problem was, there was a band-aid on her cheeks and one at the sides of her head; her eyes looked dead too.
"Khalilah breakfast is ready." She said in her sweet calm voice and Khalilah frowned.
"Granny…" She called before she held Rose-Anne's face in her hands, checking out her injury. "How did you hurt yourself?"
Granny Rosie stepped back a bit and she touched the band-aids on her face.
"There was a blackout at night and I tried to maneuver from my office to my room, but I fell and knocked my head on the stairs." She explained with a nervous laugh, Khalilah was far from believing her grandmother because she also noticed some purple bruises around the corner of her eyes.
She doesn't believe this story of falling, it seemed more like she was beaten. Or is it self-harm? Khalilah felt the strong need to keep a close eye on her grandmother.
"Please be more careful!" She sat down on the chair next to Rose-Anne, she smiled again, Rose felt warm from inside.
They had breakfast and they also discussed the cake shop; Rose-Anne told Khalilah, that she had already asked Robert to come take her to the shop so she could see just how they do things. After breakfast, Khalilah helped Cherry take out the dirty dishes when Robert came to pick her up, she was more than excited to stop whatever she was doing for Robert.
"Grandma, aren't you coming with us?" She asked curious, it was kind of suspicious that she wanted Robert to take her there instead and not let her in the car with her.
"I'll stop by later, there is someone I'd like to meet." Khalilah nodded in understanding, she knew she had a lot of businesses, so she respected that.
Khalilah hugged her grandmother and kissed her cheeks.
"Have a nice day, baby." Her smile was just like sunshine, and Khalilah smiled back too, this was different from the relationship she had with her mother…it was welcoming, and she felt tears stir in her eyes.
"Have a nice day too granny!" She yelled as she skipped outside and waved at Robert who was waiting for her in the van.
"Good morning, Khalilah. I trust you slept well." He asked as soon as she opened the door, she jumped on the seat and strapped the belt on.
"Yes, I did, what about you?"
"My night was good as well." The rest of the ride was silent Khalilah didn't want to keep asking him personal questions; he must have noticed that she liked him, and so she didn't want him to feel pressured around her.
"Good morning, welcome to The Ear-Hart cake shop." Mr. Stevens said as soon he saw her. "I'll be in charge of showing you around, miss..."
He trailed off, looking her dead in the eyes, a minute or two passed before she realized that he didn't know her name.
"I'm Khalilah Earhart." The first time she saw this man, was when she was seven years old, she is still surprised she remembered his name.
"Miss Earhart please come with me." She hurriedly hastened her steps to meet up with his fast strides.
"Please have your seat madam." Anita, Leonard's secretary ushered Rose-Anne to the largest sofa in the room. "Mr. Earhart will be here in a while."
She nodded letting her bag sit while Anita excused herself and in less than a minute, Leonard came in with a broad smile.
"What brings you here Rosie? You rarely visit me." He asked cheerfully, as he came to sit directly opposite his little sister, rubbing on his protruding potbelly.
He's getting old, the wrinkles around his eyes aren't hiding that fact.
"Sadly I've been very busy with work and the cake store." She answered confidently, although he wasn't very convinced. But it's not like he visits her either, so she doesn't feel so guilty.
"Whatever brings you here must be very serious." He started and Anita came back inside with a tray containing mugs and a porcelain kettle. She dropped it on the table and after serving them some tea, she left.
"Yes, it is, Leonard. I want you to pay attention to me because I'm serious." He sipped from his cup, before letting the cup sit and then he stared straight at her, not once breaking eye contact.
"It's about my granddaughter, Khalilah." She paused as she removed her sunshade to reveal the bruises on her eyes and head.
"Where did you get those scars, Rosie? Don't tell me that Khalilah brat did that to you." His eyes narrowed in anger, he looked like he was about to destroy someone or something.
She sighed and wondered why Vina painted her daughter black to all of them, she called her daughter a nuisance, when in fact the girl was very kind and sweet, and despite how young she was Vina wanted to sacrifice Khalilah instead; Rose-Anne shook her head, Khalilah reminded her of my beloved husband, he was calm and sweet just like the girl.
"She didn't do this to me, it was Master Olive. He is nearly not as kind as his father I tell you." He sinks into the chair, listening attentively.
"If he is asking for Khalilah, just give her to him already." He said as he picked up the cup and drank more from the coffee. "Do you plan to make him wait and then he would decide to kill all of us?"
"I'm afraid I cannot give Khalilah to him." She deadpanned and he flared up.
"What!?" He growled. "Do you hear what you're saying?"
"Yes, I do, if he could do this to an elderly woman he wouldn't think twice about a poor kid like Khalilah." She raised her voice a little bit higher, there was a bit of silence. "I don't even want to imagine all the things he would do to her."
"I know how you feel Rosie, we all felt the same way when our little sister Roxanne was sacrificed. But it's different this time; after Khalilah, we'll never have to give our offspring to those beasts anymore. We are free and this freedom is all thanks to your husband, do you want to ruin it?" She remained silent. "Plus she is a troublemaker, you wouldn't even think about her once she's gone."
"I am afraid there is more to it than what Vina said, Khalilah is a very considerate child and I don't think she deserves any of this. She's too young for what awaits her." Rose-Anne sighed; she wanted to take the yoke off Khalilah as soon as possible. "We don't know why Vina hates her daughter so much to spread such rumors about her, just the one night I spent with her I figured she's a very warm child."
"The other children are kind and they don't deserve this as well but what can we do about it? Lord Olive is already pissed we change the sacrifice, how do you think he will feel when you tell him you'll give him someone else again? What do you think he will do?" She knows this much is true but she also feels terrible about it. Khalilah is the youngest of all the grandchildren she had, and she had been treated like an outcast right from the time she was born, if they did this, Rose felt Khalilah would feel like she was abandoned. "At least we could give him someone older, we haven't even told the poor girl anything yet, we put Khalilah in the dark for too long, how do you think she will feel when she finally finds out? I will do anything Leonard, help me."
"I'm afraid your request is absurd, there is no way I'll endanger the rest of us all because of a good-for-nothing brat." He hammered and she felt anger surge through her, how could he talk about Khalilah that way? "Rose if you respect your daughter's wishes to give Khalilah to Lord Olive as the final sacrifice, then do nothing and let him take her, don't tell her anything because she might run away considering just how stubborn she is."
"But..." She was interrupted sharply.
"But nothing Rosie, it's not your fault." Leo declared gravelly as he reached for his cup. "For the sake of the rest of our family, she has to go."