CHAPTER ONE
Isabella's POV
Someone pulled me by my hair and forcefully kicked me towards the living room. I could feel the rough touch. It was my stepmother. She was at it again.
"You little bitch, you have done it again." She snickered, her lips widening into a deadly smirk. I tried to get up but she kicked me back to the ground and unusually, my father who sat on the sofa, remained seated and acted nonchalantly.
"That's Nadia on the Television Conference. You're being reported to the whole universe and everyone will know what you are. I'm ashamed of you!" My father spat at me and walked away from the living room. My heart melted and fear crept into my skin. My father would never talk harshly to me if I hadn't done anything wrong.
I squinted my eyes to confirm the texts written on the screen.
"Plagiarism report: Isabellea Rune's failed attempt to steal the original works of Authoress Nadia..." My stepmother turned off the TV and fixed her piercing gaze on me. She laughed at how I was stammering.
I couldn't believe this. When did Nadia become an Authoress? I singlehandedly wrote this book and paid a publisher to publish it in order for me to make some sales. What was going on? I gritted my teeth as I tried to process my thoughts.
"Can you see how foolish you are? You are so jealous of your sister and all that could pop to your head is plagiarism. Pathetic little bitch." Natasha, my stepmother, kept railing insults.
My actual mother died many years ago and my father had to remarry. If he considered my choice, I would rather have to live without a stepmother. Natasha has been the pain in my ass since the very first day she moved in.
My mind rolled back to how Nadia was confidently defending herself on the TV about owning the copyright to the book I wrote myself, and I felt murderous but there was nothing I could do to this. Nadia was just a carbon copy of her mother, Natasha. She's my stepsister, yeah, the evil one.
"Don't raise your voice at me. If you need any evidence to support this claim, I will gladly show them to you!" I raised my voice back at Natasha. This was one of the few times I'd done that. She's pushed me to the walls and I could feel my heart aching.
"Can you even listen to yourself? My daughter wrote a book and you decided to print your name on it. Didn't she reveal your secret to the world now? I'm so proud of her. Something no one can say about you!!!" She pointed her fingers at me and I felt my heart stinging with bitterness towards her.
"This is my book. You don't get to step on my feet and—" My voice was so loud to the extent that I didn't hear the sound of the door opening. Nadia was back and she welcomed me with a resounding slap to the back of my neck.
"Are you stupid? Are you nuts? Is it my mother that you're speaking rudely to? Where's your place in this home?!" She raised her frog voice at me, threatening to deliver more slaps to my chin. There was a large scowl on her face and she laughed at me in derision when she noticed the sudden fear on my face.
"Just look at this thief trying to claim ownership of my well-written book." Nadia said and deliberately broke into tears. I could feel my heart palpitating and something in me, something loud, screamed at me to murder the two of them, but that's where it ended.
I felt the heavy hit of an object at me. Before I could catch that, another one fell on me. It was my father. He was throwing my luggage at me and Natasha with Nadia was happy, so much happy that she helped father with my load.
"What are you doing, dad?" My eyes were crust with tears as this was all sudden.
"The cops will be here anytime soon. You're a total disgrace to this family." He said, his voice laced with contempt as he ordered me with his deep tone. "Get out of my house."
"No, dad, you can't do this. You can't listen to them. What—" I replied, and Nadia threw a stone at me, peeling my skin.
"Ouch, that must hurt. But you've gotta feel the same thing I felt when I realized you took all my books and registered them under your name!" She screamed back.
"Dad?" I muttered as my eyes were full of tears. I was scared. Scared of everything. Scared of how to start afresh. There was no mother right here. She's gone forever. My father was sending me out of his house based on some accusations. I had proofs of writing the book.
As I slipped out one of the rough drafts for a proof, my father pointed his fingers at me and ordered Natasha and Nadia to shut up.
"I hereby disown you as a daughter. Don't refer to me as a dad anymore. I never knew I was training a thief all these years. You don't get to feel what I felt when I heard my name being called together with yours," my father thundered, his eyes gleaming with fury. "And, see, whenever you get to, make sure to change your surname. I'm no longer your father."
I lowered my gaze and stared at my luggage, sadness clouding my soul. What a remarkable day this would be.
"What are you still doing inside here?" Natasha queried with her frog voice.
"Perhaps she needs help to get the loads outside. I guess she's too weak to do that." Nadia said and pulled up my loads, flinging them outside. She pulled me by my hair once again and kicked me out the door. I grabbed the door before it could shut. I wanted to seek the mercy of my father once again
"Father, I have nowhere to go. Please give me the chance to explain myself." I pleaded, my heart feeling bitter and confused.
"I will resort to violence if you don't leave. You know what I can do, Isabella. You've done much more than I can tolerate." He said, and as he rushed towards the doorway, I quickly pulled my luggage and ran towards the driveway. I still had an old Camry that I could get in.
I stuck my loads to the trunk and got into the car. My head dropped to the steering wheels as I wept loudly. I heard Nadia's voice from the window side, hurrying me up to leave the environment.
"You're even lucky to own a car." She spouted with bitterness. My father was a very wealthy man but I hadn't really enjoyed the benefit of being his first daughter, just because my stepmother always clouded his vision.
I tried to talk back at Nadia but my voice failed me and she burst into laughter, showing me the hardcopy of the book titled "When We Meet Again."
"You think it's yours?" She mouthed. "Prove it. You fool. It's mine. Mine now." And she smirked confidently. I shifted my gaze away from the sight and I drove away from this place, heading towards nowhere. Luckily I had a phone and soonest enough, I looked up many places one could get an apartment quickly. I could spend my last funds to solve that.
And according to my research, it seemed like the outskirts of the town was my only option. The town was a silent one, very silent, and therefore was a good choice as I needed to cool down to process my thoughts. Towns were't usually quiet and this curious me would find out why this town called Willow Creek was always quiet.