Olivia and Herod rode a BMW six-cylinder turbocharged machine car alone. Olivia had requested it, for she did not want her new family to know her dark side. “Are you sure about this?”Olivia asked. Herod kissed her hand as he operated the steering wheel with one hand. “ It will be fine. I’m just worried she won’t like me.” Olivia’s face morphs into a smile. “She will. You are lovable.” She began to feel submerged in hazy nostalgia as she sat on the front of the vehicle. Olivia had been married to Erick Redwing, a crafty criminal, and had three kids, Jack, Ivy, and Samantha. She was a pink-collar worker. Years later, she asked herself why she had married such a man. She blamed teenage hormones that aroused her desires for him. Teenage girls always loved the bad boys. Olivia regretted ever allowing him to bring a loaded gun into the house. It brought darkness into her house. Samantha, her youngest, murdered her older sister, Ivy. Olivia found them in her room. Jack stood frozen on the stop. Samantha was crying. She was trying to fit parts of the brain into Ivy’s head for her to come back to life. No child deserved to go through that. She was 5 years old while Jack and Ivy were 12 and 9 years old, respectively. After that day, no one was ever the same again. Samantha was like a walking zombie with no emotions other than anger. Erick was arrested for having a loaded gun in the house. She got a divorce and never saw him again. Olivia was advised on taking Samantha to therapy. Knowing therapy was expensive and far away, Olivia took her daughter to a mental hospital. As for Jack, he locked himself up and had anger issues on top of that. She didn’t have money to send him, so he stayed at home. By chance, she got a job as a nanny for a troublesome girl the same age as her dead daughter in the Gunter family. She raised the girl with love and affection until the girl called her mum. The girl never knew her mother. Her mother died while giving birth to her. Herod Gunter became curious about Olivia, for she had tamed his daughter. Magic happened; they fell in love and got married. Olivia never told Herod about Samantha. She had hoped to be given to an orphanage. Her face reminded her of Ivy, for they were identical. Fair skin, erratic red hair. Eyes were the only thing different. At the age of 10, Sam and Olivia cut off ties with the hospital. She was surprised to get the email. She was thankful Herod understood her. Olivia knew she had to take responsibility for her actions.


Samantha Redwing sat near the oak tree, waiting for the signal. She smiled as soon as she heard the signal,3 knocks on the concrete wall. Her friend, E.P., had come. He had taught her Morse code. She responded in the same way. “I did what you said, E.P. I may leave today,” Samantha told her friend. “Red, if you do get out, I will find you,” E.P. said. Knowing it would be impossible to meet, she asked curiously, “And if you do?” “I will marry you. I will give you riches, power, and love that you deserve.” Samantha laughed indulgently at his comment. “You doubt me?” he asked. “No, it’s funny that I've already gotten 2 marriage proposals. Eros also proposed to me.” E.P. growled. “Fuck that asshole!” he continued, “I will kill him and all the assholes in this hellhole for the shitty things they did to you.” Samantha smiled to herself. She was happy that at least one person in the whole world was on her side. “If I never get out of this place, what will you do?” Samantha asked. “I will break every wall and get you out myself.” He answered. Samantha was satisfied with his answer. She was happy that she ‘met’ E.P. He was her only friend. They had never met physically, but they didn’t care. They were just 2 people who helped each other when they needed it and got their hearts fused along the way. “Samantha Redwing!” the male nurse called her from afar. “I’ve got to go.” “I will meet you in the outside world.” He told her. The male nurse led Samantha to Sister Elizabeth’s office. A thought popped automatically into her head, as inevitable as the logic of 2+2=4: she was getting out that day. She smiled roguishly at the thought. Sister Elizabeth was a smiling, motherly woman with a thick accent. But that didn’t fool Samantha. Her grey eyes reminded her of ghosts. She entered the room. “You called for me, Sister?” Samantha asked. She noticed the backs of two people in the ergonomic office chairs. Sister Elizabeth sat on the cream leather sofa chair on the other side of her oak desk, examining some files. Her office was huge, light, and airy with large rectangular plate-glass windows set deep into the wall. Sister Elizabeth was dressed, as usual, in a nun’s outfit which looked one size too small for her stocky frame. She recognized her mother by the erratic red hair. The man she didn’t know. He had blonde hair. Herod Gunter turned with a smile to meet his step-daughter for the 1st time. Olivia turned with uncertainty to greet Samantha. Her face was expressionless, but her eyes scared Olivia. It had a glazed look like something outside a nightmare. There was a terrible crushing feeling in Olivia’s chest, as if she were being scooped hollow. As soon as Samantha set her eyes on her mother, in a flash, anger-molten lava flowed through her intestines. There was something terrible about the silence after seeing her mother. Herod laughed to release the tension in the air. “You must be Samantha. I’m Herod Gunter, your stepfather.” Samantha's emerald eyes glowed, as if something funny had been said. “Ah! So the bitch married a rich asshole. It’s going to make my work easier.” Samantha thought to herself. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Gunter.” “Drop the formalities. Can I call you Sam?” he asked. Olivia stared at her long-forgotten daughter and felt that she should never have come there. She feared what was to come after their encounter. Olivia knew Herod would never agree to being heartless to her daughter, but her instincts told her something was wrong. The male nurse had packed Samantha’s things when she was called. As she boarded the BMW, she remembered what E.P. had asked her on her 12th birthday. “What do you wish for?” “Revenge.”She had answered. A sinister smile morphed on her face as she left ST. Mary Mental Hospital.