Across The River

Chapter 1: The River

Nyla looked down at the river and sighed. The stream's continuous flow seemed endless, but her reflection stood unwavering in the translucent liquid.

"Ugh! Just my luck!" Nyla kicked a pebble into the river and watched it travel through the maze of stone that lay at the shallow beginnings of the stream. She suspected that her mother was furious by now. She didn't mean to travel so far into the woods, but when she noticed she had, she was already lost in the bewitching beauty of the landscape.

"Maybe she'll laugh it off!" She placed her hands on her belly and a deep grumbling laugh escaped her belly. Then she dropped her hands in defeat. "Ny you definitely forgot who your mother is." She slumped on a flat rock and crossed her arms. After sitting for a while in thought she stood and walked along the rocks with her arms spread apart, one foot in front of the other.

"Of course she wouldn't" she laughed. As she walked along the rocks she imitated her mother's reprimanding tone. "I worked so hard for what I have and all you do is sit around and cause trouble!" She giggled, but the laugh was filled with hurt and sadness.

Nyla decided the best way to make her feel better was to get as jovial as she could get. So Nyla started to jump and skip along the rocks that lay at the border of the stream. She eventually became bold enough to actually skip along the rocks that lay in the stream. Suddenly she felt her body twirl over the very first slippery rocks that started to signal the flow of the stream into the river, but still in a laughing fight Nyla hadn't noticed she was falling until she opened her eyes and saw the rock that flooded her vision with hues of black and red.

_____________________________________________

"Sasha, Alicia! Have you seen your sister! I have been looking for that girl all morning!" The buxom dark skinned woman placed her manicured fingernails on her wide hips.

The first to answer was Sasha. She sprayed herself a second layer of skin with the Victoria Secret perfume she fancied. "Ugh! That girl is NOT my sister, and as for where she is. Don't know and definitely don't care." The girl primped herself in the mirror, more interested in applying heavy coats of makeup than the conversation.

"Alicia!" The woman called again, her breast heaving as she turned to the other girl.

Alicia lay sprawled across the bed in an all too small negligee, with the phone attached to her ear. With a quick eye roll she placed the phone down and replied. "The family dog went for a walk. I don't even know why you guys stress anymore. She'd just love it if the house went up in flames because of her absence!"

The woman, turned with a pout heading down the corridor. Celeste hated how the twins talked about her daughter, but at the rate that Nyla was going they had a reason too. She would obey wholeheartedly when Celeste would threaten that dumb animal of hers, but now that the four legged mongrel was gone, Nyla had become even harder to control. If only she were like Sasha and Alicia! Her current husband's twin daughters were not the most perfect children, but they were easy to buy off. In a way she saw herself in the little brats. She shuddered at the thought of any real motherly relationship with the two.

At the end of the corridor the stairs spiraled down into the foyer. There she saw the man who had swept her off her feet with the promises of immense wealth.

Richard James Tyler IV was an immensely wealthy Haitian man in his 50's. When they had met he fell in love with the classy and sexy Celeste instantly. She was enough to have on his arm, but she also was a smart and vicious woman. He smiled at the woman, but she only pouted as she approached him.

"Darling what's wrong?" He held her in his arms then felt the first groans against his shoulder.

"That girl is just too cruel." Celeste held tight on too her husband.

"What has she done now?!" Richard knew how bad Celeste's daughter Nyla was reacting to their marriage, so he tried to give the girl anything if she would behave.

Celeste pulled herself from him and crossed her arms against her massive chest. "She ran away again. She's so difficult, she just hates that her mother's found a happiness with someone other than her father!"

Richard sighed and cut his eyes. Celeste sensed his worry over her and her daughter and decided she wouldn't let that brat ruin what she established with him.

"Honey let's go upstairs." she said already climbing the stairs.

"For what?" Richard's breath was labored and he already knew what his insatiable wife wanted as he watched the sway of her hips.

_____________________________________________

Somehow Nyla had gotten to appoint where she lie on her back floating, as the river carried her. She tried to open her right eye, but the red liquid would pour into it, so she stopped. Looking into the sky with her right eye, she heard the nothingness that was the morning. The peace of the woods was enchanting and although she knew that a peaceful death was coming for her... she cried.

"Solomon, you were supposed to tell daddy I was alright" she whispered into the air. "Now look at me. I got my hair dirty and bloody, and it hurts all over."

The gash above her right eye was deep, and although she was in pain for as she struggled to stay afloat, she was soon numbed, and so was the rest of her body.

"Daddy..." she cried out in a small whisper. "...it's so cold here...this morning was warm so I wore the sundress you gave to mommy... but I'm cold now daddy."

Nyla's right eye glazed over and although her eye was open, all she could see was a strong light. She smiled and accepted the heaven that held Solomon and her father.