The Fallen Shadow

As Avery ran into the safety of her room, her heart pounded loudly with fear, anger, hurt, betrayal and many other negative feelings she couldn't understand but the one feeling she could relate with was a strong desire for revenge. 

For a long time now, she had stopped looking up to her mother for emotional support and attention because Karen gradually seemed incapable of showing her love although she still seemed to care for her a little. 

Avery mistakenly took this as the best way Karen could express her motherly affection under the circumstances they both lived in but now she knew that Karen's poor show of care for her was actually borne out of guilt; the guilt of conspiring with her long time lover to murder her father. But everything seemed so wrong! 

Why would her mother stoop so low? Why would her mother marry a man she wasn't in love with when she already had someone whom she was in love with? 

Did she, Avery deserve to be fatherless? Did she deserve to be treated in this manner? To think she had actually been excited about the news of Karen getting married again to another man! 

Many thoughts kept crashing through her mind resulting to a blinding headache. 

No one could answer the never ending questions, no one could soothe her pain and alleviate the deep fears threatening to overwhelm her. She cried herself to a troubled sleep and even while sleeping, tears kept rolling down to stain her pillow. 

 She feigned illness when Karen came to wake her up the next day and indeed she did not only feel unwell; she looked it too. 

Her eyes were red and swollen from all the crying. Her hair dry, uncombed looking unkempt and her face so pale. In just one night, she had become a shadow of herself. 

"Avery, what's wrong?" Just for a minute, Karen seemed surprised at seeing Avery in such a state, in the next minute, indifference showed all over her. 

"You never listen to my advice to dress up warmly when going out!" She nagged "Do you see the result? When will you ever listen? You have to stay in bed today. No going out for you young lady! I shall get breakfast and some medicine for you" 

Ava replied perfunctorily.

While Karen went to get the food and medicine for her , Ava closed her eyes and returned to her thoughts. 

Any stranger seeing Karen would think she truly cared for her daughter but Avery now knew otherwise. 

It was plain as day that Karen and Fred tolerated her for their own selfish reasons and she needed to find out what those reasons could be. 

What would be her fate when they've gotten what they wanted from her? 

Would they murder her as they did her father? 

She had to find out what was going on. 

Her desire to know the truth gradually kindled. She resolved that if her mother could be so cruel to conspire against her father and wreck her own daughter, Avery's life for her selfish desires and benefits then she, Avery, would show no mercy. She would show no mercy to either her own mother or Fred! 

With her new found resolve, Avery arose to wash up and eat the dry looking bacon, salty poached eggs, veggies and a glass of lukewarm milk and drank the medicine placed beside the food.

She wasn't afraid of being poisoned because she knew she was still of good use to Karen and Fred; till whenever she would no longer be of use remained to be seen. 

Karen had ordered her to remain in bed for the rest of the day so she took out books that Mrs Emma , the librarian had kindly loaned her and started reading. 

Unknown to Avery, another argument was brewing downstairs between Karen and Fred. 

"What is wrong with her royal majesty?" Fred asked with heavy sarcasm "Why can't she come down to take her food herself?" 

"Avery is really ill. I told her to remain in bed while I took her food to her" replied Karen. 

"Karen, have you ever served me breakfast in bed before? You give Avery all the attention in this house while I'm treated like a doormat" Fred nagged angrily. 

Karen sighed tiredly "This is unbelievable! How can you be jealous of Avery when you of all people know why she must remain with us till she gets old enough to be on her own" 

"My love, my business is not thriving like before. Cost of goods have risen through the roof. I need to stock up my inventory as well as settle debts, I have incurred. How do we survive if we have to wait till 4 years time when Avery would be old enough to claim her inheritance?" asked Fred. 

"My love, you can still make a turn around in your business. I have faith in you but please don't encourage dark thoughts towards Avery. After everything we've done; we can't risk loosing it all" Karen pleaded softly with him. 

This became the new pattern almost every other day in the house now. 

Fred would come home lamenting over his business, the debts he incurred and lack of money while Karen would tiredly continue to beseech him to remain patient till when Avery would legally be of age to inherit her father's wealth.

As it involved different documents that would require Avery's, Avery's uncle and Karen's signatures, there was nothing they could really do except survive while waiting. 

The back and forth arguments on a daily basis took it's toll on Karen. She became stressed, irritable and started loosing weight. 

Meanwhile, Avery's quest to discover the truth was already put into motion. 

With a newfound sense of determination and purpose, Avery began to secretly save what little money she could from pocket money given to her by Karen, hiding it within a small compartment in her room. 

She spent hours poring over books and maps dreaming of a life beyond the confines of the bleak and depressing place she called home. 

Her next line of action was to sneak into Karen's room, the next time she found herself alone in the house so she could get hold of letters, documents or just about anything that might help her unravel the truth of her father's murder.