Chapter 5 What Changed

The Bright's living room.

A young girl of ten sat on the cushion chair in the room. She was laughing her heart out as she watched the movie airing on the television. She packed a mouthful of snack in her mouth and increased the volume of the television set.

Another lady who seemed to be in her mid–thirties entered the living room with a frown on her face.

"Sephina, what are you doing at this time of the night?" she queried, her hands placed on each sides of her waist.

Without taking off her gaze from the television, Sephina replied with a question.

"What does it look like I'm doing?"

"It's midnight Sephina!. A good child ought to be asleep by this time. For God's sake, youre going to school tomorrow. Don't you........"

"Just shut it and keep your nagging to yourself. I don't need those. You can go to sleep. I'll sleep when I feel like." she spat at the lady in front of her who was old enough to be her mother. The woman slowly turned around and made to leave, but was interrupted by Sephina.

"One more thing, how many times would I tell you not to call me by my name?. You're just a maid here and you've got no right to call my name from that naggy mouth of yours. Next time you want to call me, you refer to me as 'young miss!". You hear me, 'young miss!"

"Ive heard you miss." the woman felt hurt. Being a maid wasn't her choice after all. On several occasions had she tried speaking to Mr Bright, Sephina's father to let her stop working for him, but he didn't agree to her request with the excuse that he loves her stay around his family as she acts like a motherly figure.

"Sephina!" a male voice shouted from behind.

"Oh!. You're here Jackson" she uttered with negligence and continued watching her show. Jackson stopped the maid from going and switched off the television immediately.

"What's it Jackson?, what?" she stood up on her feet facing her elder brother.

"Now, apologize to ma'am this moment." he thundered.

"Apologize for what?"

"For your misdeed. She's old enough to be your mother. Can you talk to mum that way?"

"But she's not my mum and can never be."

"Really?!"

"Of course, she's a maid."

"It's alright Jackson, you don't have to annoy young miss. I'll take my leave now."

Jackson immediately fell on his knees and apologized on Sephina's behalf.

"Please ma'am, I seek your forgiveness for however way she might offended you. She's still you g and ignorant."

"Oh no!. You don't have to kneel, I'm not angry with her, I just see her as being childish." she raised Jackson back to his feet.

"Thank you ma'am. I'm sorry once again" he repeated and the woman left immediately.

Sephina huffed looking at the woman's back going away from her sight.

"You're not supposed to be named Jackson at all because you behave like nothing but a jerk. A total jerk!. Your name should be Jerkson instead. Why would you support someone who is not even related to you in any sense" she eyed him coldly and made to switch on the television again, but was stopped when Jackson outsmarted her and took the remote control first before her.

"Go to sleep. Mannerless fool"

"He's right Sephina, you have to go to bed." Mr Bright interrupted as he entered the living room.

"Dad," she pouted her mouth like a baby.

"Go now" her father authorized without looking at her face. Angrily, Sephina left and stormed to her room hissing as she left.

Jackson wanted to go scold her for hissing, but his father placed his hand on his shoulder.

"Dad, you've spoilt her far beyond imagination. You won't understand now, but I pray it's not too late for you to understand when it's time."

"You can go to sleep too" Mr Bright said sternly and Jackson obeyed without saying anything more.

Sephina didn't obey what her father said and went to her mother's room instead.

"Mum!" she pretended to be crying as she made her way in without knocking.

"Oh!, my baby what's wrong?" she asked.

"It's Jackson. He's scolding me so bad."

"You don't have to worry about him. Just let him say whatever he wants okay?"

Sephina smiled sheepishly and nodded her head laying her body on her mother's bed.

"I'm sleeping here tonight mum"

"It's alright. Feel free to"

Mrs Bright finished her clean up and laid beside her daughter whose eyes were halfway closed.

"Sephina," she called lightly.

"Hmmmn....."

"Did you give the peach to one of the twins?" she asked rubbing her hair slowly and soothingly.

"Of course, I did mum. I gave it to Karla."

"And did she eat it?"

"Yes, immediately."

"That's my good girl" she patted Sephina's head.

"But mum, why?"

"What do you mean why?"

"Why would you suddenly tell me to give them something when you told me to stop sharing my things with them. Perhaps do............"

"Shhhhhh!" her mother shut her up placing her finger on Sephina's lips.

"Go to sleep. It's late" she whispered into Sephina's ear.

"Alright. Good night mummy"

"Goodnight baby. Sleep well" she covered her daughter's body properly as Sephina turned to her other side backing her mother in the process.

Mrs Bright stared into space after her daughter fell asleep and suddenly smirked after remembering her daughter say that Karla ate the peach.

"It's high time I paid them a visit." she mumbled inaudibly and soon dozed off.

*

*

Aster found it difficult to close her eyes and sleep after returning to her room. Not after she got to know that her sister's illness earlier in the day had to do with Sephina.

Sephina is their paternal cousin and they had been really close. Like very very close. At least before the death of their parents. She had played with Aster's siblings and slept severally in their house as they couldn't leave one another out of the love they shared. Even, she had requested to attend the same school with Karla and Darla so they could see one another every passing day.

However, everything changed when Mr and Mrs Alan died. She suddenly became distant to Aster's sister's and caused several trouble for them in school. She turned something else overnight hurting them so much.

Aster had tried all her best to make them forget about Sephina and focus on thier studies even though they it was hard for them. Though, they still communicated, but not like they did previously with one another.

Now hearing that Sephina gave Karla peach brought back the memories to Aster.

*What changed?.* she wondered.

Thinking continuously, she couldn't stop thinking of the possibility that Sephina wanted to hurt her sister.

*Is it intentional?* she asked herself but couldn't come to a conclusion.

"The doctor said it was an allergy. How did she come to know about it if it really was an allergy?.........." she thought all over and over.

"Well, I'll just wait for the report tomorrow. I just have to wait for a few more hours to know the truth. If it's what I'm thinking, then I guess this is what dad means by never trusting anybody. I hope not anyway." she thought ceaselessly till she finally slept off.