The Seventh Curse Bearer

TEN: Prison **( Episode rewrite!)**

I woke sitting on my bed whilest hugging my knees in desolation. What had just happened? I had been assaulted yet everyone had pretended that it was something insignificant except for Mariah and Cain. Everyone had acted as if me being molested by this young man was nothing and I had unkindly disturbed them from thier peaceful sleep and dreams of diamonds , money, who knows probably what the arrogant rich wealthy family dreamt of!

They had shown me in my rightful place in their mansion. I was nothing but a commoner, a middle class woman who deserved to be treated the way I had been treated. Cain's mother's reaction had not surprised me at all but I was deeply shocked that many of her family members followed her way of things.I got into the shower and cowered in a coner thinking he would walk into the room at any moment and do the awful deed. I washed my self eagerly willing to erase the imprints he had put on my body. The filth of his hands. I felt dirty. s****l assault did not much affect me at that certain point given my past life. I was young.

Only sixteen years old when I lost my innocence. I was naive and happy when I was called that very night the sultan returned from one of his conquests in a far away kingdom and all I remember was the fancy dress with the see through veil around my waist. My whole body was heavily adorned in ornaments as I was slowly escorted to the king's chamber. I was afraid to be honest. My initial thought was I would talk to the king and tell him I did not want to live as a harem woman. That I had ambitions, i had dreams and wanted to persue them. I would be obliged to remind him that that's what life was all about and he was king and his duty was to make sure all citizens had freedom of thought, action and equal rights. He would free me from my duties in the harem and I would study law and politics. My dream. But little did I know this king would show me my rightful place. That of a slave who would serve him all his life and would be destined to die at the moment of his death. In my ancient culture, when a king died, all his slaves and harem queens and concubines would self sacrifice to accompany him into the afterlife. They would have no use anymore because their master would be deceased. They were either thrown into a brew of fire, or slain.

He showed me my body was his to take. He showed me my life belonged to him and owed my existance on earth to his father's mercy because if he wanted, my mother would have been forced to abort me. He ran his filthy hands all over me. He held mine and motioned me to follow him. He the ripped my veil off exposing my naked frame and I stood shivering infornt of him. I was very young and he was older. I was scared but it happened anyway.

"Come in!" I answered to a knock that had gone on for longer than ten minutes. I head not heard it because I was deep in thought .

"Nancy you're not yet out of bed? Sweetie I know what happened shouldn't have. You should get ready and well go see what madam has decided to do about your case. That man is actually my brother in law Amir!" She said.

"Hes really not a good man and if there had been any notion that he was soon to arrive then I would have warned you to stay away from him."

"It once happened to me as well. He broke into my room when I was asleep but he wasn't able to molest me because Cain showed up at that very moment." She wept with me and helped me get ready .

We went down stairs as she hugged me I was struggling to cope with my misfortune. I had kept my virginity all the two and some thing decades but now, I had lost it to a man I neither knew or loved. All eyes were on me including the perpetrator's. The r****t. He stood there looking at me as if to burn through my soul with his cold stare.

"Nancy come with me!" Cain's mother dragged me up stars to hef office. She sat on the table.

"How many times have I asked you not to stand in front of me when in my office? Do I have to ask you to sit every time? Who are you? I know my son assaulted you last night and it will not go ignored! " she said coldly but her voice was low sweet and calm.

She feigned a smile. " So , how much do you want!" She asked not even looking at me. She was twisting her wrist watch.

"Excuse me?" I asked

"How much do you want for this matter to stay secret between the family? One hundred thousand dollars? Two hundred? Or maybe one million?" She looked at me with glee on her face but she wasn't smiling.

"I'm sorry ma'am but you cannot buy my silence. Your son assaulted me and he deserves to be punished." I wanted her to know she couldn't buy everything with money. She had insulted me by not wanting her son to be punished for her deeds. I had fear fear for her. I respected her but there was a limit to everything.

"I know women like you Nancy! I know you common middle class women love men with money. And I really know from you I can buy anything with money. You should feel proud and honoured that I actually have a proposition that can fix this error my son made. If you were someone else I would have gotten rid of them." She looked me in my eyes but i did not feel any fear for her.

"Every poor woman wants money? Who say everyone is as shallow as of that? Is that what you rich people think." I said to her looking directly in her eyes. I was enraged with her.

"Miss Nancy how dare you tail to me like that? Do you know I can have you killed at any moment? I have so much power i can harm you, I could choose not to offer you this money and intead you'll be found lying in a ditch or gutter somewere,....dead. Is that what you want?"

'No! No! No! No! I was screaming in my head as she pulled a pistol from her desk's drawer. She was dead serious and I really thought I was going to be killed. I realized my mistake at that very moment. I should have just done what she wanted. I should have just taken the money because she had enough power to annual age my entire existence. I gulped. "No! Ma'am!" I heard my self say in a shaky voice.

"So much rage in such a little girl!" She said as she walked towards me holding my xcheeks together with her hand. She then smiled and went back to her desk. "Look the other way!"

I did as I was told and I heard some thing like numbers being punched into a machine. It must have been her safe which was engraved in the wall on the right. She then dropped what sounded like rubber blocks on her table. It was stacks of money. She was counting it. " One hundred thousand, two hundred thousand, three hundred thousand!" She went on until she reached the amount She thought was fit to compensate the deed her son had done to me. Apparently, I was worth one million. "One million dollars! Keep it safe and I never wanna hear my son's name come out of your mouth. You are responsible for the gossip as well. I don't want to hear anything about what happened last night. Are we clear miss Nancy!"

I reluctantly took the money while a tear dropped down my eye.

But I was too late. I thought no one cared about me or my pain or well being but I was wrong.

Downstairs, I would come to learn that the police had come and arrested Amir to everyone's horror. Nothin could be done. A complaint had been filed and witnesses had confirmed of Amir's presence in my room. Even security cameras had caught him. I was shocked to learn that I had no privacy in my own room. There was a camera in there too and I hadn't even noticed.

"Who did this? Who did this to my son." She then walked up to me and placed her hand on my throat but said nothing. She leaned into me and whispered so that no body else would hear us.

"I thought I told you to stay away from my son! I thought I paid you so what have you done!"

"It wasn't her mother, it was me, your other son Cain!"

Cain's voice rung above hers so that every one could hear what he was saying. Every one went quiet.

"Shocked, mother? I know you paid her to keep quiet. You tried to hide your son's mistakes like like you always did but money can't buy everything. At one point, a criminal has to be punished for one his crimes. " Cain said. I head never seen him like this.

"What this, you actually bribed that poor girl to cover your evil son's mistakes?" Cain's father raged. Mrs Alnilam seemed intimidated by him but she still bore the same high esteem for her self.

"Father I dint do anything! Please don't let them take me away! This woman trapped me."

"Shut up! We know rich boys like you think you have the right to sexually abuse anything with two legs and get away with it. But not today!" One of the police men said as they dragged him away.

His mother gave me the death stare then she attempted to leave. "Wait mother!" Cain stopped her.

"Nancy, bring the money she bribed you with and give her back." He asked me.

I did as he wanted. I borough the one million in a black bag. He then counted it while everybody looked in awe at so much Money stacked in one hundred dollar bills.

"What an ungrateful looser, she actually refused so much money. Low class girl, she could have feed her entire family back home and she could have started her own small life but she wants the whole dang fortune." Malacca said to Natalia who smiled and agreed with her. The two snobs filled me with disgust. I was so angry that I approached then and shouted.

"Oh Malacca what did you say?"

"Calm down Nancy!" Cain said calmly

" Low class girl? I might not have as much money as you but i values in me. What about you Malacca? Who says I need anyone's money to start my life. Who says money is everything? What's wrong with you people."

"Nancy, you don't have to listen to everything She says. Just clam down and relax. Amir is gone now and he will get a deserving punishment!" Cain stressed.

I didnt sleep that night over what had transpired. I was anxious but relieved. Cain had done so much for me. He had sent his brother to jail all because of me. Cain's mother didn't talk to me. She went to see her son multiple times even though he had been in prison for a short while. Only one day.

I was oblivious to the horrors that lay ahead the next day. We were called early in the morning to come downstairs. Some money had gone missing in the house. A robery had occurred. The police had been called and everyone was being searched. I had no reason to fear. I was very confident because I had not swollen any money.

Our rooms were searched and I was horrified when the green bag with the money Mrs Alnilam had given me with the first bribe to seduce Cain was found. Of course, how could I have forgotten about that.

"Is this the money ma'am?" The police man asked. "Yes its the same exact bag!" The money was taken and checked and it s as proven the bills had been issued by Mrs Alnilam's bank.

Everyone was around to witness my down fall. My shame. My embarrassment that even Mariah did not want to believe me ecxept for Cain.

"If she says my mother bribed her for one olf her selfish reason then I believe her." Cain said unwilling to listen to his mother.

" My son, You believe this stranger over your own mother!"

"Yes mother, I believe a stranger more than my own mother. And she is not a stranger. To me, she is a friend and family. Because its not the blood that runs in your veins that binds you to family but its love, its kindness and its selflessness and you have shown me none of those things mother except that I have your blood in me. Other than that we are nothing alike." He said. I never realized how much Cain was hurting inside until that very moment. His mother never loved him. That was a no brainer. Anybody could tell. But his ,other loved his son Amir more than the other. Amir was the ideal son pampered and idolized, while Cain was the unwanted and unloved one. Hated and detested.

He even called me family yet I had betrayed him with the potion. I had enforced the forces of free will and nature to change destiny's course but still it was a positive purpose. I was saving his marriage. All I wanted to do was to get rid of Malacca and make everyone happy.

"Son so you be live I bribed this woman to seduce you and take you away from Mariah just for Malacca. That's sounds ridiculous. This is not some to romance telenovella were you get these silly plots. This is real life Cain. Why would I bribe a woman to seduce you to take you away from a woman you were going to divorce in the end."

Mariah stared at me. A tear dropped down from her eye. I sought to know what she thought of me, to tell her I did not agree to this bribe, I wasn't a willing participant, but I found my self at the police station behind bars. My fate was sealed. The news was interesting that day. I saw on one of the tv's at the police station as I was locked up clinging to those bars in desperation. "Touchè Mrs Alnilam, Touchè. " I found my self saying these very words.

The news said. ' the home of billionaire Mr Alnilam has been robbed by a young woman whom he had taken in from the streets. The young woman has also been accused of trapping his son Amir Alnilam in a s****l assault case. The woman is said to have been a con woman who was chasing after the family's wealth."

I dozed off in a hazy state unwilling to listen to more accusations about me. So much said in a short space of time. So much lies. I hugged my self and fell asleep. The frost people to come and see me were Cain and Mariah. Cain was trying to negotiate my bail and Mariah came over to me.

"Nancy I don't care if she really bribed you. I know that woman very well. I know you risked your self to perform a spell to make Cain love me openly so i dont believe you would have bad intentions. " she innocently gazed at me. "I took one look at you Nancy, the first time Cain brought you home and I knew you were a good person." She said. How did she know I was worried about her trusting me for taking the bribe.

Cain approached us. "Nancy, you're going to be okay. They refused us bail but I will get you out of here. I promise."

Jail was a place I never thought someone like me; simple innocent, would end up. There were many intimidating convicts and criminals. Luckily , Cain had requested that I get my own cell. It was only two days into my prison and I was breaking. I was falling apart. I was a claustrophob and could not bear being locked up in a small space. I craved my freedom. I wanted to run wild. If my felidae instinct was somehow provoked, then it would be the end of me. I would transform behind bars. I would probably be killed for everyone's safety and my body would end up in a lab with scientist conducting studies on it. The world would have seen the mysteries in existence. I put aside that thought. Vainly.

Then luck came on my side. Mrs Alnilum came to visit me and as usual, it was to black mail me. I wad tired of her bullying me. I wounded why she had to do that. " Tired of jail time yet!" She teased, smiling. "Well I have a proposition if your willing to accept" .

"What do you want and how can I trust you?" I asked.

It seems like you're not doing to well in here. If you don't want I can leave and you'll stay longer until you're granted bail. But you could just ask Cain to withdraw the assault case's complaint and I will withdraw mine!" She gazed at me with mischievous eyes to see what I would do.

"Okay!" I head my self say. Some can endure such a thing as death, pain, an injury to the emotions or mind but me, I had become a woman apart just by spending two days in prison.

I found my slef asking Cain the next day to withdraw the case.

"Please!" I pleaded. "I cannot spend another day in here, I need to get out!"

" Just hang on Nancy. Don't you have any faith in me? Amir does not deserve to go free so I would advise not to withdraw The case but if you insist then I will. After all its your well being that matters most."

"Cain never withdrew the case despite me pleading and begging. Some unbridged motive was driving him to face his own brother and mother in this game of justice. A lawyer was gotten for me and the court date was arranged. Amir was provenguilty and due to our justice system i was obliged to marry my r****t in order for him to escape his punishment.

"Yes I'll marry her!"

"No he won't your honour!"Cain shouted.

"Sit down Mrs Alnilum junior." You're not obliged to speak unless requested to do so by the judge!"

"Im so sorry Nancy, I should have withdrawn the case when you asked me to, now you're being forced to marry this awful man!" I wept. I was not angry with him. I was just sad. I was taken back home, their home, the mention which would become my new permanent home. I had tried to write someone else's Destiny now destiny had played a cruel game on me.

I found that aweful dreaded day drawing nearer. Mr and Mrs Alnilam threw an engagement party for my wedding which was to happen in a few more weeks. Many people attended. Even the media. I was the center of attention, the object of jealousy and gossip.

"You have won the lottery girl!" one of Cain's friends insisted. "You don't know how many of us wish to be in your place right now!"

I cringed at the thought of them wanting to marry Amir just because of his wealth. Amir him self moved around chatting with al lot of people. He wore a white suit with a black collar. He was the spitting image of Cain except their personalities were a miss match.

I was nervous. The party ended and I wanted to go up to my room only to find that everything had been moved, but to where?

"Where are my things? " i asked one of the servants

"They have been moved to young master Amir's room, miss!"

"What!" I exclaimed to my self. I sought to find the most decent answer, the reason to this attorocious act.

"Dont worry, you're engaged to Amir now , you will sleep in his room from now own." Her voice echoed from behind my back.

"Mrs Alnilam? But why!" I asked.

"You too are engaged. Aren't you? He better get used to you now because he is be stuck with you for life."

" I can't, we aren't married, I won't."

Cain walked in the corridor at that moment. "Mother how dare you? Many will stay in her room as long as she wishes. She won't sleep next to that r****t! Not tonight mother. You cant always have thing your way. Her opinion matters too because she is going to be your daughter-in- law. She's practically family now"

And that's how it came to be that I was moved back into my room until my wedding day. Which was due to occur in two weeks. The days dragged by. Time was as slow as a turtle. I dreaded that very day, slowly approaching. I did not love that man, but I knew I always had a way out! Divorce. Mrs Alnilam did not even want me as part of her family to say the least. Amir despised me. He did not want anything to do with me. Now I was the new Mariah in this game of love, I was unloved by my fiancee except the feeling was mutual.

One week to my wedding I walked past Malacca out side as she stood facing the gardens while chatting to Amir. I noticed them and made sure to remain discreet and not to be seen.

"Amir, if you really want him back, then you have to do everything we want!" Malacca instigated him.

"I have already prone everything you asked of me! I r***d her like you wanted. What more can I do! You want me to kill her? I can't do that! " He stressed with his hand on his forehead.

"No body is asking you to do anything of that sort Amir! You were my plan B after failing to kidnap that silly woman. You did good. You have to abide by what I say if you want him back! " She said and left him crying while slidding down the garden fence with his back to it, falling into a squart.

So Malacca was behind this. I was disgusted. She was we man as well. How could she have asked someone to do this to me. But I didn't care any more. Who was 'him' that Malacca was referring to? Amir had been blackmailed using someone as a pawn.

The day prior to my wedding, my dress arrived. My family to be was overwhelmed. I was the same. Unfeeling. "Try it on." Mariah insisted. All the young girls and women accompanied me to my room to do so. They were all excited.

" Nancy I know the circumstances aren't at all good but you'll learn to love him. Mariah insisted. But I ignored her. I did not want to talk about him at all.

"Nancy I'm happy you're going to be officially family." Cain's younger cousin said.

I smiled at her but said I said nothing else. I barely slept that night. I was my big day the next day. I was tbe center of attention. The news of my wedding had spread even the media had been invited. I had never officially married before. I got up in the morning and prepared for my day. So did the groom.

***

Nothing but silence dominated the venue. The hall was dressed in porcelain white. Lace and pearls stood out on the perfect antiques that lay adorning the furniture. A few rich old ladies sat in clusters sipping tea and drinks whilst fanning them selves. The wedding was grand and rich. More and more guest were arriving. The venue aqas filling up quickly.

" Not even your father or one of your relatives can come?" Mrs Alnilam had asked me the previous day.

"I have one in mind!" I had assured her.

So there I stood sweating beneath my giant dress that looked like something out of a fairy tale. I waited for her.

"Where is she, I called her and informed her that she can't be late! Not on my day!"

"What does your sister look like?" Mariah asked as she and Natalia helped each other adjust my veil.

At that moment, Cain walked I with my sister Kimberly . I had not seen her in a really long time. She ran to me and gave me a warm embrace. "Kim, how are you.!" We hugged tight like we had not seen in ages yet it had only been a few months. I had relayed my ordeal, my new life and misfortunes on the phone. We cried. She looked liked she had aged years in a few space of months. Dad was probably maltreating her. Cain smiled. I I'llintroduced her to everyone and she was happy to meet them all.

By the time I walked my runwary audaciously with Cain uncompanying me, with me uneargerly wanting to meet and marry my groom. The hall was full with life. Festive music haunted the atmosphere. The young, the old, the rich and the middle class gathered in several hundreds, to witness this event. People came dressed to kill. The rich thought to flaunt their possessions, fashion and bling. I stumbled a little due nervousness but Cain was there to support me with his arm around mine. I climbed the steps of the alter once we stopped. There he stood in a neat white suit. Amir. He looked down and did not want to make eye contact. I looked around. His whole family was present, even his father. He looked happy. He was smiling but his wife Mrs Alnilam was unmoved. I got nothing form her except cold stares as she blatantly fanned herself even though the hall was plagued with many air conditioners. I was freezing. I felt a little cold breez on my neck. The priest stood dressed in his robe while adjusting his glasses. The wedding proceeded till it came to the 'I dos'.

"Nancy Agrivah! Do you take Amir Alnilam to be your lawfully wedded husband and promise to cherish him till death?"

"I do! " I heard my shaky voice struggle to rise above whispering voices.

"Pardon me?" The priest asked.

"I do!" I was louder this time and applauds rang out in the venue hall. Some traditional women ululated, which was common in my culture.

Then the priest moved on to Amir.

Amir Alnilam, do you take Nancy Agrivah to be your lawfully wedded wife and promise to cherish her till death do you apart.

"I ....I ...I I'm sorry but I can't do this. " He moved back and let go of my hand. And took a step down form the alter. "Sorry Nancy I cannot ever marry you!"

I didn't know what to feel or how to feel it. All I can say was I was overwashed with mixed feelings. Embarrassment, happiness, sadness. I dropped my arms to my side fighting back tears.

Gasps of shock rang through out the venue. Then gossip. Cain's grand mother fainted and some of her family surrounded her. Even Cain who opposed to the marriage was shocked.

"Why Amir, why do you not want to marry Nancy?" His father asked. His mother looked shocked and afraid at the same time because if we didn't, his prison cell would waiting for his return.

"Because I'm not in love with her!" He retorted.

" But you violated her, why go back on your word. You said your self in court that you would marry her!" Cain insisted in annoyance.

"Don't embarrass us like this Amir!" It was one of the few times Mrs Alnilam ever reprimanded her son for anything. Her voice was heavy with disdain.

"Many people have arranged marriages and end up loving thoer spouse, plus you rapped her, so how can you not do this much to make amend like you promised! " His sister Natalia said.

Awful gossip escaped the mouths of his close relatives. "What an awful man, he rapped a girl and does not want to go through with his promisw to marry her." One said to the other.

Other were heard as well by my sharp felidae ears. " A molester. r****t! Monster! She probably trapped him, gold digger!"

"Stop! Just shut up everybody, be quiet! " Amir shouted. He then looked in the direction of his family.

"It's not Nancy but its me." Do you want to know why I don't want to marry her? It's because I love men! There I said it fam. I'm into men. I'm not attracted to women at all! "