Chapter 1
I watched my father prepare for his business trip hastily, putting on his black suit while my stepmother knotted his tie for him. As Harriet did, she kept calling on the maid to bring father's morning coffee, she was to loose her temper on the poor maid when there was a delay in performing her orders.
"Oh, that filthy thing! What's taking her so long?" She muttered inaudibly as she made hastened steps to the kitchen, with her enormous green ball skirt dragging itself on the floor behind her. Sometimes I wonder how she doesn't die of heat in those balloons she calls clothes. Besides, we are in the 21st century, who goes around, dressed like a Victorian era porcelain doll?
Harriet returned sooner with the coffee and helped father to sip it, by placing the tea cup on his lips wanting to feed him, but after the first sip, he collected the tea cup from her and drank the little he could before dropping the leftover in the tray, sitting on the stool beside him.
Father hurriedly got up from his chair the moment he glanced at the wall clock, it was past seven and his flight was eight. I grinned mischievously as I watched, he'll never make it to his flight, all thanks to me. That's what he gets for gifting Luna, my older sister a car last night, gifting Amber a Lamborghini, kid's car though, but it's still the same thing. He bought his two daughters individual cars and excluded me, he even acted like I didn't exist when I complained about it. He enrolled Luna in a prestigious school and left me to remain at home doing nothing, yet he expected me to act accordingly to his own wills. Puff! Hale no!
"Goodbye Darling, safe journey." Harriet said as she kissed him good bye, watching him leave with Amber in her arms. The driver drove out of our huge compound. On a normal day, the drive to the airport would have taken just twenty minutes but they won't reach the airport you know? Cause the car will break down in the next five minutes.
"Esmeralda try to be useful this morning, help me find the letter I was going to send to my mother." Harriet said as she settled down to feed Amber.
I would have helped, in my honest state of mind, I would have helped but I just needed to get back at her too for supporting all the mean decision and actions my father made towards me. If there is a statement I hate seriously, it's being told to try to be useful, it makes me show you why I am always better off abandoned in my coffin. Now don't think I won't help her, I'm going to help her find the letter, just in the right way. By setting it on fire.
"Sure Harriet, I'll find your letter for you, the letter that goes ablaze in the 30seconds is your letter." And just as I said it, a letter in between a book on the book shelve went ablaze.
"Oh my!" Harriet gasped as she hurriedly placed Amber on the rocking chair, ran to the book shelve and slapped the book down to the marbled floor, before the fire could spread to other books. I watched her and the maids quench the fire. By the time they'd successfully put out the fire, both the book which was Harriet's favourite and the letter were severely damaged. She shot me a deadly glare of hatred.
"You little witch, what have you done?" She howled.
"Being useful by helping you find your letter, stepmother, sorry I mean Harriet." I said sarcastically.
"You are the worst person to ever be created." Luna was suddenly in the family room, interfering in the matter. I turned to her, eyeing her from head to toe.
"Is it so?" I asked and she nodded. "I'd have said something, but you're not worth a reply. What is this witch (pointing at myself) suppose with this useless moron?" I said and she screamed off and ran back upstairs all the way to her room. I laughed heartily. I must admit messing with my family is very much entertaining.
"Now I have to write another letter." Harriet hissed as she went back to her seat very frustrated. Amber had made a mess of her custard, her hair was conditioned with the custard and it made a fine beauty face mask for her as well. I chuckled inwardly. I can't blame the poor kid, she must have seen Harriet do her early morning skin treatments routine, applying all sorts of God knows what all in the name of maintaining her porcelain face and skin. Madness. Just as she was caring for Amber, changing her outfit and cleaning her up, father came in looking disturbed.
"Charles you're back, why are you here? What happened?" Harriet hurried to meet her husband halfway.
"I missed the flight." Gasps of shock filled the air.
"How? The drive to the airport from here is only twenty minutes"
"The car broke down and I could not even find a cab."
I kept a straight face, professionally suppressing the roar of laughter building up in me. But looking at my father's face and seeing the sadness, I couldn't hold it anymore. I bursted out laughing crying at a time. Harriet folded her arms across her chest, watching me intently.
"Esmeralda, you had something to do with this, didn't you?" Harriet queried. I stopped laughing and wore a more serious look.
"No I didn't. Why would I?" I said blinking and rolling my eyes. Though father was quiet as he watched me, he was surely raging like a bull within.
"Oh Esmeralda, I know you too well. You've always been the one causing problems for this family. Do you always have to let this witchcraft spirit in you take control of you?" I remained quiet, I was really pleased within myself.
"Do you know how much I just loosed because of your evil spirit, you misfortune bearer?" Father spurted out, looking at me disgustedly.
"Why should I care about the amount you're loosing? After all, it's not as if you were going to spend them on me. Take is a my gift for you buying my sisters a personal car and excluding or should I say treating like an out cast. In fact, I hate no I despise each and everyone of you." I spat. Without waiting for him to reply, not that he was going to. I headed straight to stairs. I've had enough of them this Monday morning.
"What's that smell?" I heard father say.
"Oh, Esmeralda almost set the whole house ablaze, thank God I was here. God knows what she's going to do next. She's getting out of hand..." Harriet kept talking but her voice faded the farther I went. I hate them all, trust me.
I entered my room and settled down on my bed. Starring at the whole interior decor, it was far below comparison with Luna's. Hers was a bright baby pink room, with decorations and luxurious furniture. Mine here, is a dull grey room with brown well, luxurious furniture but you know luxury is different from luxury. Pardon manners please, I should have done a little introduction.
My name is Esmeralda Stephan and I'm eighteen years old. My father Mr Charles Stephan a multi billionaire, my late mother is Mrs Regina Stephan. My step family, stepmother Harriet Stephan, my older half sister Luna Stephan and younger half sister Amber Stephan. My name Esmeralda was given to me by my mother before she passed a way, her reason was simply my catchy emerald eyes. I am what people call a witch, because I have the ability to do things normal people can't do. Me being a witch is the main reason my family hate me but my father hates me more because he loosed my mother to death at my birth, he thinks it's my fault. As if I care what they all think of me, I hate them all equally except for Amber, she's a toddler and knows nothing, I'd be a fool to hold grudges against a child.
You wouldn't believe it if I told you that ever since Amber had been born, I've not been allowed to hold my little half sister. Can you imagine that? While Luna attends a really prestigious school here in Washington, I'm always at home. Not that he didn't enroll me in any school, he did but I always got kicked out.
All the way from first grade, my colleagues at school have always been mean, bullying me for my red curly hair and bright emerald eyes. And the truth is either I touched them or not, either I said something or not, the fact that they hurt me and make me cry, they will surely pay for it. Nobody makes me cry and go scout free, although sometimes I do wish something happened. Like in the tenth grade, a girl in my class had called me bush eye, tomato sauce head. I had only wished she'd go bald and blind, I didn't say it out loud, just within and it happened but she claimed I attacked her hair with a blade and poked her eyes with my fingers and that is how I got kicked out of my last school, I should be in the eleventh grade now but dad is fed up about me being kicked out of school every time. In my little spent life, I have attended seven schools and all kicking me out for attacking a fellow student, which I never did.
"Beep!" Came my phone's notification, I reached for it beside my pillow. I checked it. It was a message from the Young Witches Guidance Association (YWGA) a platform I had found on the web a couple of months back. I'vebeen texting them for ages, without getting a reply but luck is on my side this morning.
"Hello, this is Loretta, your guardian, how may I be of help?" I read out to myself.
I replied by typing "My name is Esmeralda, I'm a young witch, struggling to control my powers. I have tried severally to tame my spirit but the more I try, the more destructive I'm getting. I need help before I end up wiping out the whole of mankind." Wipe out the whole of mankind, what makes me think I'm powerful enough to do that? I don't know where all these thoughts come from. I'm crazy, I finally concluded within, dropping my phone as I laid on my bed. Another notification popped up, I hurriedly checked it. It was Loretta replying, I didn't expect it to be that fast.
"Oh dear. If you're loosing control, it's because you're taming the witch in you. You have to release her, let her breathe." She typed.
"You mean I should just let the spirit rule me? I doubt if my whole family is going to see the next dawn if I let her out in just ten minutes. Besides, my family hate me for who I am, they've excluded me in everything. Starting from outings, to parties even my own birthday that is if they ever remember I exist. My soul is crying for revenge and I don't want to ruin things more than it has gotten. I just want to get out of here, go somewhere people of my kind are and live without being judged for being a witch or called a misfortune bearer. Just help me get away from home, I'd appreciate it. The air in this mansion is suffocating, it's choking breath out of me, I need a new air for breathing." I replied with a voice message.
"If you want to leave home, I can help you with a school of magic, where young witches and wizards learn to control their powers and also learn how magic works." She replied with a voice message too.
"School of magic? That will be splendid. How can I get enrolled in one please?"
"I have seven schools here. I don't know if they still have vacant seats for new students, students rush into these schools you know. Both born witches, initiates and those who simply love magic. I'll get back to you later, after my search is done and let you know." She said and then she was off again.
I never thought there was a school of magic and yet students run there unlimitedly, how come I never heard about them? While I'm here struggling with my powers, some people are learning witchcraft and getting themselves initiated, bravocious wow!
"Esmeralda!" I heard my dad yell my name from a distance with his storming steps approaching my room. "Now what!?" I thought within. He threw the door open and stormed in, his eyes red and burning with anger.
What did I do wrong this time?
"Why on earth did you set my computer and library on fire?" He asked looking mad.
"What? Me? I didn't do anything." I flared back instantly. Of course it wasn't me, how will I even think of doing that when I had more things to worry about?
"So who did? Esmeralda you're the only one who causes trouble in this house." Harriet said behind him. I eyed her angrily, I'm very well assured this is Luna's doing. While I'm an open witch who ruins things by magic, she's the secret witch that doesn't need magic to work effectively. She must have done this to shade me again. At most times, Luna is the one who does crazy things but I get scolded for it, because I am the world known witch the biggest villain and she's the demonic sweet Angel who is so perfect.
"I regret the day you were born Esmeralda, if I had known this is what you'll become, I'd have had you thrown into the sea just immediately you were born." He said and stormed off with his porcelain doll following as well, after she had ensured she closed my door.
I slumped into my bed buried my face in my pillow and cried dearly, if only father knew how much his words pierced my heart, he'd mind the things he said. I felt my bed engulf in fire and the wind storm hit the windows and maids screaming as I cried but I didn't stop crying, I couldn't stop crying.
