Read Online I Am Her Revenge by Meredith Moore - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Meredith Moore
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and I fill my own eyes with regret and fear and misery.
“Are you all right? We were worried.” He steps forward, then looks back at the secretary. She glares at me.
“I’m so sorry,” I wail. “I was feeling homesick, so I went outside, and I got lost. And it was raining so hard, and I didn’t know where I was.”
I hide my face in my hands and let my body shake as if I’m quietly sobbing.
The headmaster stays where he is, held by the force of the secretary’s glare, but I can feel the sympathy radiating from him. “Don’t cry,” he says, helpless. “It’s all right now.”
“Shouldn’t she be disciplined for going off school property?” the secretary asks, her voice cutting through Harriford’s sympathy.
“Now then, I’m sure it was just a mistake.”
I lift my eyes, watery with false tears, and nod. “I won’t do it again, I promise!” It’s a promise I’ll break, of course, but I certainly won’t be caught again.
He nods furiously at me. “There, see?” he tells the secretary. “No harm done. Now go warm up. If you feel feverish or anything, the school nurse will help you.”
“Thank you, Headmaster Harriford.” I attempt a smile through my tears, then glide out of the room.
Mrs. Hallie meets me at the entrance to Faraday, concern etched in every wrinkle of her face. “Are you all right, darling?” she asks, placing a hand on my shoulder.
I resist the urge to shake it off and nod. “I just need to warm up. I’m sorry for the trouble I’ve caused.”
“No trouble, dear. I was just worried for you.” She looks at me more closely, and I try to keep a remorseful expression on my face. “Hurry along and shower,” she says finally. “And let me know if you need anything at all.”
I force myself to smile at her. “Thank you so much, Mrs. Hallie.”
I claim one of the empty shower stalls and stand under the hot water, letting it wash away the shivers.
It won’t wash away my memories, though, which have been coming at me all day. Especially the one of my eighth birthday, when I realized that my world was much darker than I had imagined. That day, I found three stray kittens hiding in the bushes in the front yard. They were so tiny that they almost didn’t seem real. I ran to fetch Arthur, sure that he would know what to do. He took one look at the kittens and hurried inside, sneaking a carton of milk out of the fridge and a couple of bowls from the cabinet. He set the bowls of milk in front of the kittens, softly coaxing them to drink. “You can’t tell your mother,” he warned me. “We’ll take care of them together.”
He helped me carry them up to my room, where we hid them in my closet. But Helper must have been watching us, because not nearly an hour had passed before he told Mother. She stormed into my room, pushing Arthur aside without a word. I clutched the mewling kittens as she towered over me. Slowly, she reached out a hand, and I only had the strength to hesitate for a second before handing her one of the helpless creatures. I remember she kept her eyes on mine as a knife flashed in her hand and she slit the kitten’s throat. I remember the gurgling scream the kitten gave as its life flowed out of it. I think I’ll remember that scream for the rest of my life.
By the time Mother had killed the last one, tears were streaming so thickly down my face that I couldn’t see her gray eyes glaring into mine.
“Remember this, Vivian,” Mother said, her voice calm and cold. “I will kill anything you love.” Then the ice left her eyes and she reached out, cradling my chin in her hand. “I will not let love destroy you,” she said softly.
After she left, Arthur hugged me close and let me cry until I had nothing left.
I knew even then that she did what she did to show me how painful love could be. I knew it was a lesson I needed to learn. A lesson I would never forget.
I shut my eyes tightly against the memory and step out of the shower. Back in my
“Are you all right? We were worried.” He steps forward, then looks back at the secretary. She glares at me.
“I’m so sorry,” I wail. “I was feeling homesick, so I went outside, and I got lost. And it was raining so hard, and I didn’t know where I was.”
I hide my face in my hands and let my body shake as if I’m quietly sobbing.
The headmaster stays where he is, held by the force of the secretary’s glare, but I can feel the sympathy radiating from him. “Don’t cry,” he says, helpless. “It’s all right now.”
“Shouldn’t she be disciplined for going off school property?” the secretary asks, her voice cutting through Harriford’s sympathy.
“Now then, I’m sure it was just a mistake.”
I lift my eyes, watery with false tears, and nod. “I won’t do it again, I promise!” It’s a promise I’ll break, of course, but I certainly won’t be caught again.
He nods furiously at me. “There, see?” he tells the secretary. “No harm done. Now go warm up. If you feel feverish or anything, the school nurse will help you.”
“Thank you, Headmaster Harriford.” I attempt a smile through my tears, then glide out of the room.
Mrs. Hallie meets me at the entrance to Faraday, concern etched in every wrinkle of her face. “Are you all right, darling?” she asks, placing a hand on my shoulder.
I resist the urge to shake it off and nod. “I just need to warm up. I’m sorry for the trouble I’ve caused.”
“No trouble, dear. I was just worried for you.” She looks at me more closely, and I try to keep a remorseful expression on my face. “Hurry along and shower,” she says finally. “And let me know if you need anything at all.”
I force myself to smile at her. “Thank you so much, Mrs. Hallie.”
I claim one of the empty shower stalls and stand under the hot water, letting it wash away the shivers.
It won’t wash away my memories, though, which have been coming at me all day. Especially the one of my eighth birthday, when I realized that my world was much darker than I had imagined. That day, I found three stray kittens hiding in the bushes in the front yard. They were so tiny that they almost didn’t seem real. I ran to fetch Arthur, sure that he would know what to do. He took one look at the kittens and hurried inside, sneaking a carton of milk out of the fridge and a couple of bowls from the cabinet. He set the bowls of milk in front of the kittens, softly coaxing them to drink. “You can’t tell your mother,” he warned me. “We’ll take care of them together.”
He helped me carry them up to my room, where we hid them in my closet. But Helper must have been watching us, because not nearly an hour had passed before he told Mother. She stormed into my room, pushing Arthur aside without a word. I clutched the mewling kittens as she towered over me. Slowly, she reached out a hand, and I only had the strength to hesitate for a second before handing her one of the helpless creatures. I remember she kept her eyes on mine as a knife flashed in her hand and she slit the kitten’s throat. I remember the gurgling scream the kitten gave as its life flowed out of it. I think I’ll remember that scream for the rest of my life.
By the time Mother had killed the last one, tears were streaming so thickly down my face that I couldn’t see her gray eyes glaring into mine.
“Remember this, Vivian,” Mother said, her voice calm and cold. “I will kill anything you love.” Then the ice left her eyes and she reached out, cradling my chin in her hand. “I will not let love destroy you,” she said softly.
After she left, Arthur hugged me close and let me cry until I had nothing left.
I knew even then that she did what she did to show me how painful love could be. I knew it was a lesson I needed to learn. A lesson I would never forget.
I shut my eyes tightly against the memory and step out of the shower. Back in my
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