The day of Celty"s 16th birthday arrived and the family had a small celebration."Happy Birthday Celty!" Ellie greeted Celty with a smile.
"Happy Birthday Sis!" Murakami and Culti greeted her at the same time.
"Happy Birthday Celty! My little girl has grown so fast. It was like yesterday when I was still carrying you on my back." NaranNarman looked at her lovingly.
"Thank you Father! Thank you Mother! Thank you Brothers!" Celty happily replied. Today was a happy day for her because it is the first time she celebrated her birthday with her new family.
"Well then, blow the candles and make a wish." Ellie lit up the candles on the birthday cake and ushered Celty to make a wish.
Celty closed her eyes and made a wish. Her wish is for her family to live a happy and peaceful life together. After she made her wish, she blew on the candles. That night, sounds of laughter and well wishes prevailed their home. If someone were to see it, they would describe their family as an example of a "picture perfect family."
Morning came and the time for Celty"s father to leave has finally come. He kissed his Wife and daughter on the cheeks and patted his two sons on their shoulders.
"Make sure to properly lock up at night. Don"t let strangers inside the house." NaranNarman was worried that something might happen to his family while he was away, so he kept on reminding them to be careful.
"Hush dear. We"ll be safe. Don"t worry too much." Ellie carefully fixed his necktie in place.
"That"s right father. If someone were to try to harm our family I"ll make sure to beat him up!" Murakami a.s.sured his father.
"If he survives my brother"s beating, I"ll make sure to clobber him to oblivion." Culti smiled an innocent smile that is enough to make older women give him hugs and kisses.
"You"re such a worrywart father. We"ll be safe so you can be at ease when you handle our business overseas. You can count on us!" Celty patted her chest to decrease her father"s anxiety.
"Alright. Just be sure that all of you stay safe. I"ll make sure to send you emails whenever I"m free. The internet connection over there is a mess." NaranNarman sighed.
Celty"s father alighted his carriage and waved his family goodbye one last time. Celty watched as her father"s carriage disappear from sight. This is not the first time she bid her father goodbye so she got used to it.
Celty went back inside their house and headed directly to her room. Ellie and her two sons were still outside as if making sure that Celty"s father won"t be coming back for good.
They gave each other a knowing smile and finally entered the house.
"Finally he"s gone." Ellie breathed a sigh of relief.
"We"ve waited so long for this day to come mother." Murakami gave her mother a devious smile.
"Shall we start?" Culti excitedly rubbed his hands together.
Ellie looked approvingly at her two sons and nodded her head. "We"ve waited long enough. Time to make a few changes around here."
"Wait!" Culti made a gesture to get their attention.
"Let"s play it safe and start our plan tomorrow. You never know, that b.a.s.t.a.r.d might come back if he forgot something important." Culti said with a serious face.
"Fine. One more day won"t make a difference." Murakami gave a soft snort.
"Indeed. We better play it safe so that there will be no mishaps." Ellie patted Culti"s head and praised him for his foresight.
The day pa.s.sed by ever so quickly and morning arrived once more.
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In Celtyrella"s room…
Celty woke up early. It"s a habit that she developed over the years of being an independent girl. She leisurely did her morning stretches and prepared for the long day that is ahead of her.
A loud bang was heard and the door of her room was forcefully opened. It caught Celty by surprise and she almost sprained her arms while doing her stretches.
"Oh, so you"re awake? You saved me the trouble of waking you up." Ellie walked up to her.
"Good Morning Mother!" Celty cheerfully greeted her stepmother.
"Ah yes. Come with me!" She grabbed Celty"s hand and forcefully dragged her.
"Wait! Mother What"s wrong!?" Celty was surprised by Ellie"s action. In her eyes, her stepmother is a kind and gentle person. This is the first time she handled her this roughly.
"Less talk and more walking!"Ellie snapped at her as she continued to drag her to the master bedroom. It is the room where Ellie and Celty"s father spend their night together.
Celty was feeling scared because her stepmother seems to have changed overnight. She did her best to keep up with her pace in order to lessen the pain that she"s feeling on her wrists.
The two reached their destination and Ellie opened the door. She didn"t stop and headed towards the bathroom with Celty in tow.
She opened the faucet and waited patiently for the bathtub to be filled with water.
Celty was still in shock at the sudden turn of events and didn"t know how to respond. She just kept quiet and waited for her stepmother to explain the current situation.
When the bathtub was filled with water, Ellie nudged Celty closer to it.
"Bathe properly. I want you to scrub every nick and corner and make sure you"re squeaky clean do you understand?" Her voice carried a strong will that will not accept "NO" for an answer.
"Y-Yes mother." Celty had no choice but to nod her head.
"Call for me when you"re done." Ellie smirked at her and left the bathroom.
Celty looked at the bathtub and wondered if she"s still dreaming. Everything that happened seemed so unreal that she"s having a hard time digesting everything that transpired. The only thing that proves that everything she experienced is real, is the throbbing pain that she"s feeling on her wrists.
She sighed and started to bathe. The cold water sent shivers down her spine, but she bit her lip and washed properly. Just like what her stepmother asked her to do, her body was squeaky clean when she left the tub.
"Mother, I"m done bathing." Celty wrapped her body with a bath towel. She was drying her hair using another one when her stepmother appeared.
"You sure took your sweet time~ " Ellie glanced at her and nodded her head. "Follow me."
They arrived in the bedroom. Ellie gestured for her to come inside. Celty timidly entered the room and she found her elder brother Murakami holding a whip and candle. There were ropes scattered all over the floor as well.
"Oh, so you"re finally here." Murakami gave her an appraising look.
"Not bad, not bad indeed." Murakami nodded his head in appreciation.
"Did you prepare everything I told you?" Ellie spoke from the side.
"Yes. Everything is prepared for my dear sister. I"m sure she will love it." Murakami giggled.
Celty"s pupil shrank when she saw the things that are lying on top of the bed. Never in her life did she think that something like this will happen to her.
"W-What"s going on!?" Celty finally started to realize the seriousness of her plight.
"It"s too late dear. The moment your father left you, your fate was sealed." Ellie gave her a mocking look.
"Yes. Just accept your fate sister dear. I promise that you will enjoy the new life that we have carefully prepared just for you." Culti appeared behind the door. He was carrying a cardboard box.
He gently placed it near the bed and walked back to the door.
"Well then, shall we begin?" Murakami licked his lips in antic.i.p.ation.
"The two of you make sure she doesn"t escape do you understand?" Ellie reminded her two sons.
"Yes, mother. We"ll make sure that she won"t be able to escape even if she grew wings." Murakami walked outside the room.
Culti followed behind him and closed the door. The two of them blocked the door from the outside to ensure that Celty will not be able to escape.
"Ready or not…here I come dear." Ellie walked towards Celty with a smirk.
"G-Get away! Father! Save me!" Those were the last words that escaped Celty"s lips before oblivion fell upon her.
To be Continued…