Smoke and Mirrors

Vanessa

When Vanessa got back from the store, her mother's room door was still closed, and everything was as she left it, so she didn't even bother to check her mother's room again. She sprinkled the carpet cleaner throughout the living room hoping that it would assist with lifting the pee smell before mopping and vacuuming again. While she grabbed the cleaning supplies she considered what she wanted to cook for dinner; she decided to stick with her favorite meal, grabbing a bell pepper, onion, ground beef, hard taco shells, shredded lettuce, shredded cheese, a tomato, and salsa for tacos.

After she finished cleaning, she washed her hands, pulled a knife from the drawer and a cutting board from the dish rack, so she could dice the onions, bell pepper, and tomato. She turned on the gas burner, grabbed a black iron skillet, set it on the stove and drizzled some olive oil in the bottom, before throwing the onions and bell pepper in; once it started to sizzle, she sprinkled some salt and pepper into the vegetable mix and gave it a stir with a wooden spoon.

Vanessa started dancing at the thought of eating tacos; she loved tacos. It was the only meal she could eat literally every day all day. She turned Pandora back on then crumbled the ground beef into the skillet with the vegetables and added some more salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder.

"I can't wait to eat," she said aloud, stirring the meat and veggies with the wooden spoon until the vegetables were soft and the beef had turned brown. She took a strainer from the cabinet, strained the grease from the beef and vegetables, rinsed the skillet, and put the mixture back into the skillet with some water and a taco seasoning packet. While it simmered, she placed six hard taco shells onto a baking sheet and slid them into the oven with a set temperature of 275 degrees Fahrenheit.

After about five minutes she figured the shells were warm, so she took them out and placed them on the back two burners to allow them to cool off. It was getting late, and she knew she still had to study; she turned the flame down on low, so the tacos could cook a little more while she showered.

Vanessa felt dirty from all the spring cleaning and couldn't wait until she could wash her body and hair. She grabbed her towel, rag, Dove soap, Shea Moisture Shampoo for Curly Hair, and headed to the bathroom. Every time it was time to shower, she wished she had her own bathroom in her room, but unfortunately the two bedroom only had one. She didn't mind sharing a room with Amire' because he rarely was there, but stepping out of the shower into the hallway while Vegas also stood in the hallway was awkward and uncomfortable for her. She wasn't sure if he had a key, but he would be there often even when her mother wasn't. Vanessa's gut told her he was bad news; she just wish she could convince her mother.

She set the temperature to warm, pulled the shower curtain back and stepped inside. Standing under the warm water, she ran her fingers through her curly sandy brown hair. Once she lathered it, she rinsed the shampoo out and used the rag and Dove soap to cleanse her body, scrubbing her arms and hands. The soap rinsed from her body down the drain, and Vanessa reached for her towel to dry and tied her robe around her.

When she opened the bathroom door, she noticed her mother's room door was slightly cracked.

"Ma," she called out, but got no response. "Ma," she called out again, still not getting a response. That's odd, she thought to herself; she was certain her mother's door was closed and not open, not even cracked a little bit.

"Amire' is that you?" Still not getting a response, Vanessa prayed to God no one was waiting for her like on all those horror films she had seen. Her heart was beating fast, and her adrenaline began to pump.

Tip toeing to her mother's bedroom door, Vanessa quietly peeped through the crack and examined her mother's room, not seeing a soul, she closed the door back. Freezing in her tracks, the hairs on her back standing up as she saw the shadowy figure approach her from behind and cover her mouth with his hand.

Terrified, she kick, punched, and tried to scream as her attacker bound her hands behind her with his belt. She could tell the rag he covered her nose and mouth with was soaked in some type of chemical, because the strong fumes she was inhaling was making her weak and light headed. He tied a bandana around her mouth to muffle her screams before tossing her on the bed and using the extension cord hanging from her bed rails to tie her ankles. Her attacker untied her rob then forced himself inside of her, raping her repeatedly. Vanessa was in excruciating pain as she cried to herself silently, praying to God her mother or brother would find her soon.

The last thing Vanessa remembered before passing out was her attacker falling on top of her, covered in sweat and blood.