5

The Devil in Angel Clothing

Somewhere around Bradford:

8 PM:

A woman came down from the stairs at a faster rate and went to meet her daughter who was watching a movie from the big telly in the elegant sitting room.

"Arabella did you help me and see my inhaler?" Mrs Julia asked her seventeen (17) soon to be an eighteen (18) year old daughter.

"No mum."

"I have searched everywhere but cannot find my inhaler." Julia said and then her eyes widened. "I just remembered I have an extra one I kept in my drawer for emergencies." She added and turned to leave then stopped. "Aren't you going to bed yet? Aurora is already-"

"I am not Aurora mum, I need to watch some TV then I will go to bed." Arabella interrupted her mother.

"Okay, make sure to switch off the TV once you are done." Julia said and climbed the stairs.

Once Arabella was sure her mother was out of sight, she stood up from where she sat and brought out the blue inhaler she was sitting on and held it to her face. "My plan did not work so I will throw you out tomorrow then will look for the second one she spoke of" She told herself and smiled and stared around the living room. "Soon, I will become your owner."

____

Opening the door that leads to Aurora's room, she noticed Aurora wasn't sleeping and entered the room.

"Aren't you sleeping Aurora?" Julia asked.

"No mum, I couldn't. Have you seen your inhaler?"

"Nope but I just remembered I have a spare one in my drawer." Julia answered and sat down on Aurora's bed.

"Mum, tell me a bedtime story."

Julia smile. "I will tell you an Indian tale." She told Aurora and continued, "Long long ago, there was a big demon in a village. That demon does a strong penance (punishment inflicted on oneself as an outward expression of repentance for wrongdoing) and gets the boon (a thing that is helpful or beneficial) from lord Shiva that who so ever head he places his hand should turn to ashes. With that boon he kills all whom he doesn't like and finally thinks to kill even lord Shiva in the end." Julia pause and continued. "Then a the sages come and request lord Vishnu to rescue. Lord Vishnu came in the form of Mohini, a beautiful lady and danced for the demon who got carried away and danced alongside with her. She touched her head and makes that demon place his hand on his own head and turns him to ashes."

"Wow."

"Moral of this story is that, thought of destruction and using the brains into destruction finally lead to his own destruction." Julia said and both she and Aurora said together. "That is why both knowledge and strength should be used only for good."

"Thanks mum." Aurora said and yawned, closing her eyes to sleep.

Julia kissed her forehead and left the room.

______

Two days later Arabella and Aurora clock eighteen and Julia gave each of them their gifts, a wrapped box. Her husband who was in the military died during a shoot out between them and a group of bandits. She on the other hand was a lawyer. Even though her husband died when the twins were bearly 10, she managed and catered for them. They were all in the sitting room.

"Happy 18th Birthday to you my lovely Angels." Julia said. "Open your gifts and see what your mum got for you." She urged them.

Aurora was the first person to open her box and saw an expensive golden wrist watch. "Aww, thank you so much mum." She said and hugged her mother.

Arabella opened hers next and gave out a loud hiss. Hers was an expensive silver wrist watch with diamonds decorated around it. "I don't like anything that has to do with silver colours, I like gold, why didn't you get me a golden watch like you did to Aurora. This just proves you hate me."

Julia stared at Arabella in surprise. "But on your last birthday when I got a silver shoe for Aurora you cried bitterly that you prefer the silver shoes than the black ones I got for you."

"I changed my taste mum." Arabella replied rudely.

"You can have mine Arabella." Aurora offered hers and Arabella roughly collected the golden wrist watch from Aurora, took her silver wrist watch and walked out angrily to the stairs to her room.

"I will get you another one, okay, just ignored your sister." Julia told Aurora.

"Next time mum just asked her what she likes so this won't repeat itself again."

Julia nodded her head.

____

Later that night.

"Let's play hide and seek Aurora." Arabella told her twin sister who was at the kitchen washing their used plates.

"As you can see I am washing." Aurora answered. "Once I am done, I will play with you."

"Okay, let me help you out then." Arabella said and joined hands in washing the plates.

Soon, they were done and Arabella took her twin sister outside the duplex.

"Stay here and close your eyes, once you count one to hundred (1 to 100) come and look for me inside."

"Okay Arabella." Aurora said and closed her eyes and started counting one (1).

Arabella smiled and went inside the house. She climbed the stairs and quickly stopped to grab something from her room before heading towards her mum's room.

Julia, who was busy arranging some documents on her table, smiled when she saw Arabella.

"Are you here to apologize for your behaviour young lady?"

"Yes mum." Arabella said in pretence and neared her mother.

Julia smiled and focused on the documents and Arabella used her distraction for her own gain. She quickly covered the distance between them and put a rope around her mother's neck and helped it tightly.

Julia, who wasn't expecting such an attack, was caught off guard and she tried to free the rope from her neck.

"Now, everything will be mine and I will buy whatever pleases me without having to wait until my birthday." Arabella said and tightened her hold on her mother, blocking out air. It was as if she was possessed by an evil spirit but she was not.

She released her hold on Julia who fell down to the floor and started grasping and fighting for air. She started crawling towards her drawer, and opened it to take out her inhaler, but it wasn't there.

"Oh, are you looking for this?" Arabella said sheepishly, showing the white inhaler to her mother who was pleading with her eyes for Arabella to give her back her inhaler. "I had to throw away the first inhaler and thanks to you I got to know about your spare one."

"Arabella what are you doing?" Aurora's voice came in surprising Arabella a little. She had finish her counting and came inside only to hear noises.

Arabella quickly hides the inhaler and the rope from her twin sister. "I don't know Aurora, I just saw mum struggling."

"Why are you with mum inha-" she didn't get to finish her statement when Julia's voice interrupted her.

"Li-" Julia tried to say but was cut off as she tried to fight for air. "Ca-ll 9-1-1." Julia said slowly, losing the fight.

Aurora did as instructed and used Julia's phone on the table to dial 911.

It was picked at the fourth rang, "Hello, it's an emergency please come to house 123, my mother is struggling for her life, please." Aurora said to the receiver.

"Calm down, we will be there in a jiffy."

Aurora ended the call and went to kneel beside her mother.

"They will be here mum." Aurora said, touching the cold body of Julia.

"Aurora." Arabella said with a pity face and keel beside Aurora. "I didn't mean to hurt mum, I wanted to give mum her inhaler before you walked in, please do not tell that to the police. I don't want to go to jail, please." She said and started crying.

"Please don't cry Arabella, I don't like when you cry. I won't tell the police that, okay?"

Hugging her, "Thank you sis." Arabella said with a smile and continue to cry.