Ethereal

ethereal

By: Millicent Segwane

Copyright © 2019 by Millicent Segwane

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be photocopied reproduced, distributed, uploaded or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the author.

Author Contact details

-  MillicentR.Segwane@gmail.com

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PREFACE.

Marian lived 7 years of her life in a mental institution, when she finally comes out, she wants nothing but revenge on the people who put her there and prevented her from searching for something/someone that means the world to her.

Marian hates all aspects of life but a good Samaritan ignites that lively spark in her, making her cherish life to the fullest.

What happens when her birth fate finds her and shocking revelations are put before her by a complete stranger?

Will she give away the special light that she has and forfeit her life, in turn saving all humans (Including her adopted family) or will she keep it in order to spare the life of her unborn baby? Find out in the Ethereal.

CHAPTER 1

Seven years ago.

"I n the loving memory of our dear father, husband and brother, Kaden Meyers" The pastor says as I hear a few sobs from various people around me. I decide to just look around and I soon regret my decision when I receive pitiful looks from everyone present.

I offer a fake smile and turn away, I hate it when people pity me. Being pitied makes me feel like somehow my pains and struggles are put on display for everyone to see. I hate naked emotions...Nakedness was the downfall of the great, take Adam for example and besides, if I wanted to be pitied I would have said so, not likely...but I would have spoken up.

Most of the people that are here are just a bunch of nobodies to me because I have never seen or met them in my entire life or heard my parents speak of them...The more reason for me to get mad, I hate fake caring, if I was my father, I would definitely haunt them after this whole burial.

My thoughts as to why I find most of the people here irrelevant are cut short when I hear gunshots.

Startled, I look around trying to see where the shots are coming from and I spot men dressed in black suits covered in balaclavas, walking from behind the trees and some of them, from behind some tombstones. The men make their way towards us (all the people gathered for the burial).

The men take slow steps towards us, making their entrance even more dramatic than required, if you are going to do something, at least walk like you mean business and not just showing face. Typical movie things...they could have thought of something original but no.

True to their survival instincts, people start running to their cars completely forgetting about the service that was supposed to be taking place...No surprise there.

The pastor stays put and he looks at me questionably as the men come closer and closer, I am sure the pastor is wondering why I don't look like someone who is about to flee from the scene.

Marian? What is going on? Who are these people? Pastor Ken asks, I ignore his question as I scan the area for my mom and sister.

My mother looks around and after registering the situation, she wastes no time as she runs all the way to my father's coffin that has not been led down yet. My sister takes out her 9mm gun and she runs after my mother and before I know it, I am surrounded by the men in black.

I really do not have the energy for this, but for the sake of just wrapping things up, I reach for my back and I take out my 9mm gun and start pointing my gun at anyone who dares to come closer.

Jesus Christ! The pastor says in shock as he takes in the weapon that is firmly held in my hands...Sorry pastor.

Mom, Mia, take cover! I say instructively.

My mother nodes trusting that I have the situation under control, after that, she wipes away the tears that had been flowing from her eyes and she pulls Mia by the hand and they walk all the way to the car that is on the other side of the cemetery.

I am a well-trained assassin and Mia just has the average knowledge of how to use a gun, so having them take cover will help me wrap up these intruders in a hurry.

Well well...Hello A voice says from behind me and I immediately revert my attention from my mom to the man standing a few inches away from me, dressed elegantly in a tux.

Padrino...What are you doing here? I ask with a hardened tone, I had a feeling that he might have a hand in disturbing my father's burial.

Did you really think I would let my dear partner go without a proper farewell from my side? You should know me better than that Ariana He says while laughing and I almost vomit at the sound of his laugh.

Partner? If you were such partners then why did you kill him? I say calmly, I will never let any outsider see me sweat.

Ariana-

Do not call me that! I say with my hand firmly gripping on the gun.

You spirits of evil! The pastor says out of nowhere and Padrino looks at him as if realizing that we are actually in the presence of the man of God, Padrino wears a bored facial expression clearly irritated by the sight of Pastor Ken.

Luke get rid of this Padrino says and before I can even take a good look at this ‘Luke’, I hear a gunshot and I watch the pastor’s blood splash all over my father's beautiful white coffin.

As my emotions start to operate on a high, I hear loud screams from the cars that are still around, screams of our guests, unwanted guests...Where were they going in the first place?

Gentlemen Padrino says while eyeing my mom’s car, then me.

While I am still trying to decipher their conversation, I feel two men hold both my arms tight and I see four other men stand by my mother's car blocking the exit.

Padrino what are- I try to say while trying to break free from the hold these two men have on me.

Marian, my dear Ariana...You know how they say, dust to dust? Ashes to ashes? This man deserves bullet to bullet He says and his men cock their guns.

What is that supposed to mean? I ask.

Gentlemen begin!

The four men start shooting at the coffin over and over again.

Stop it! I shout at the top of my lungs while I try to break free from the well trained bastards.

As I see bullet after bullet going through my father's coffin, tears start flowing from my eyes and my vision becomes blurry while I struggle to make any clear speech, after a while I hear a loud bang from the side and I look, my mother came out through the windscreen and she is now bleeding excessively, she runs to my father's coffin, the four men look her direction and start shooting at her.

No! Mom! I shout.

My mom ducks the bullets and rolls all the way into the grave that was dug for my father.

The right side door of the car bursts open and the guard on that side falls to the ground, Mia cocks her gun and shoots all four men at once catching them off guard. The rest of the men now walk towards my sister ready to shoot.

To my surprise they drop their guns and pick Mia up and she starts kicking and screaming so loudly, trying to break free.

Trey! Jerome! Sam! Put her in the coffin with her father! Padrino says as he walks away angrily.

Let me go you filthy twits! I struggle again to break free so that I can stop them from burying my sister alive.

One man walks to my father's coffin and opens it but he freezes, as if in shock.

Uhmmm boss? The man says.

What? Padrino says as he stops in his tracks and turns.

Uhmmmm...There is no body

What!

Present day

M arian! Marian! I feel someone shake me and I open my eyes immediately.

I am currently seated on a chair in my psychologist’s office. She is seated across me, holding her notebook and I look at her still recovering from what I just saw...It felt so real.

You zoned out...again Dr. Swiss says and I shrug, it happens a lot.

Why do I have to keep reliving that day? You are supposed to help me forget it, not relive it I say.

I stand up and I walk towards the window that reveals the beautiful garden outside where other patients are busy enjoying the nature and I envy them, I have been cooped up in my room ever since I got here, to me the outside world meant darkness but as time goes by I cannot help but think that I could really use some fresh air.

You have not accepted the death of your father Marian Dr. Swiss says and from where I am standing, I can tell she has her eyes fixed on me.

That's because he is not dead I reply in a monotonous tone, I really hate having to repeat this statement over and over again.

You sound so sure...Why? She asks for the millionth time.

Padrino's men did not find his body

Does that make sense to you? You could be imagining things.

No

Then how do you explain his corpse? The same corpse that you all saw before they closed the coffin? She asks and I sigh.

There is no way that I can explain how they all saw his corpse because I refused to see it.

As far as I am concerned, this could have been a set up by Padrino, his a conniving bastard who is capable of playing cards with people's lives.

And your mother, have you forgiven her?

She can burn in hell if she wishes to

See? You have not accepted

I turn away from the window and I look at Dr. Swiss blankly, waiting for her to make me feel like I am crazy.

See Marian, you have been here for seven years now She says.

No kidding! And even after all those tests you people still think I am insane!

You believe a dead man is still out there, you resent your mother for marrying a year after your father's death

See! I say with a smile.

See what? Dr. Swiss looks at me questionably.

I love it when you understand me like this doc! Progress! Finally! I say as I throw my hands in the air and Doctor Swiss gives me a confused look then she shakes her head.

Not much progress, your mindset has not changed how-

It has!

However...your sister wants you released from this hospital, but I will have to see if we cannot finish your treatment at home She says.

At ho-wait Mia is out? I ask as I walk towards her slowly, registering the news of my sister's release.

Yes, on parole

That was earlier on, when I had my last session with Dr. Swiss.

I ended up in a mental institution seven years ago, a few days after the judge had declared my big sister Mia guilty of killing four of Padrino's men.

How messed up is that? Padrino kills a man then walks away free, Mia defends her family and she gets sentenced...I have lost faith in our justice system.

I started going crazy thereafter, trying to hack all government systems that would lead me to my father, which was easy to do because of my exceptional technological skills and all the nearest access I had to the systems.

My father worked for the FBI before he died, he was supposedly shot while trying to arrest Padrino's partner Andrea. After I told the FBI what had happened at my father's funeral and how his body was absent, they refused to go looking for his body, as some of his co-workers claimed to have seen him getting shot and some to have seen him before they closed his coffin.

I asked my mother for help thereafter seeing that she was and still is the minister of justice, I was hoping that she would help me, but the odds were against me, she was too busy moving on with her life to even look for a dead man.

I was bothered, even if he was not alive as I believe he is, they could all have tried to find his body instead of brushing the matter away as if we just lost a mere brat’s doll.

I finish packing the rest of my stuff, after I zip up the last bag I hear a light knock by the door and turn to find a person waving at me and my smile appears again, for the first time in seven years, I have smiled twice in one day, all because of my sister Mia.

I last saw Mia seven years ago, if she was not arrested I am sure she would have tried her best to keep me out of a mental institution and help me find our father.

I take in her looks expecting to see a roughed up jailbird but much to my surprise she looks even more radiant than ever.

Her blonde hair is tied up in a bun, she is dressed elegantly in a blue ladies suit, wearing high heels, while holding a pair of keys in her hand.

Her skin looks as radiant as ever and her nails are all done and if you take a closer look, you can spot the layers of make-up on her face.

When did she get released? Did she get back to work? I will be sure to ask her later on.

Marian! She says, opening her arms to welcome me with a warm hug.

Mia!

We hug and let go of each other after a while.

You look great! Madam Princess of Gilderia, should I take a bow for yours truly? I ask.

Mia tenses up as if what I just said offended her, I would ask her why but she speaks too soon.

You look too thin Ari what have they been feeding you? Mia asks.

Rabbit food I change my voice to indicate the abuse I had to endure.

Oh no we can't have that girl! When we get home Solange is making you real food We laugh and finish off packing then head on out.

We drive out of the city and after a few hours of driving in the middle of nowhere we reach a quiet town.

Mia? I ask as I look around this town.

Yeah?

Where are we going? I ask, even though I have been locked up for seven years, I sure know the way home.

Home, Mother bought a new house around this small town to uhmmm...protect us She says and with the tone she is using, I sense a lie in there.

Or hide us I decide to put the truth out there.

Linda Corte, minister of justice yet her only two kids ended up being murders and making news headlines on all things negative, nope she definitely wanted to hide us.

"Do not be like that, she made it really nice for