A Sister's Power. Cydney Rax

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СКАЧАТЬ going for a drive. We took a nice little joy ride and before I knew it, we ended up here.”

      “Oh, I see.” Coco’s face was emotionless. Then she watched the rear window roll all the way down.

      “Hey Auntie Coco.” That was Natalia. At eight years old, she was the oldest. Sid was six.

      Coco waved at both of her nieces.

      Burgundy continued. “I promise this won’t become a habit. But is it okay if I leave my girls right now so they may hang out with their auntie and favorite cousins?”

      “How long we talking?”

      “A couple hours maybe. Three or so?”

      “I guess it’ll be okay. I have nothing special planned. I was just going to cook dinner and—”

      “Yayyy.” Before she knew it, Natalia had popped the locks and was at Coco’s side, and squeezing her hand real tight. “I want some cookies. Remember how you promised me the day my daddy died that you were going to bake me some cookies? But you didn’t. You lied to me. And—”

      Coco yanked her hand from Natalia’s grip.

      “What did you say, Natalia?” Burgundy asked.

      “I was saying—abet Co-cooo, whadda u-doing. Dob it.”

      By then Coco had clamped her hands over her niece’s lips. That’s because Coco knew that Natalia was there in her parents’ house the night before Nate died. Even though Nate wasn’t around to tell his side of the story, in Coco’s mind it seemed like one person’s death could cause more deaths. Hers, or anybody else’s. And she did not want that.

      Burgundy gazed at Coco in wide-eyed confusion. Her daughter was still mumbling and trying to yell through Coco’s hands.

      Natalia’s screams sent tingly vibrations against Coco’s palm.

      “Why are you covering my daughter’s mouth? Can’t she talk?”

      “Of course, she can,” Coco told Burgundy. But her hand remained flatly pressed against Natalia’s moving lips.

      “I’m just playing with her. She talks so much. Always yapping nonstop.”

      “Let me go,” is what Natalia tried to scream, but Coco prevented her from speaking.

      “Sis, you’re too old to be acting like a kid. What’s wrong with you,” Burgundy asked. “Why won’t you let my daughter talk? You trying to hide something?”

      Tears sprang to Coco’s eyes.

      “Um, you know that girl has tons of energy. She’s probably ‘bout to talk my ears off. And my babies are still asleep and I want it to stay that way for as long as possible. But anyway, looks like you’re in a hurry, so yeah, I will gladly take the kids.” Coco removed her hand from Natalia and smiled at her.

      “Don’t be mad, niece. It was just a little game I wanted to play.”

      “I don’t like those kinds of games,” Natalia said.

      “I don’t either,” Burgundy replied.

      “No problem. I won’t do it again. Game over,” Coco promised.

      After Burgundy was assured that the children would be safe, Coco waved goodbye and let Natalia and Sidnee inside of her house.

      “I don’t mind y’all being over here but you’re going to have to mind me. If you push me over the edge, I will have to make you behave just like I do with my own kids when they act up. You got that?”

      Natalia nodded then ran off.

      Coco headed to the kitchen to get started on her Sunday dinner. As soon as she placed a pot of chicken in the oven, she went to search for Natalia.

      She found the girls in the backyard. Natalia and Sid were seated on a metal swing set that Calhoun had purchased and assembled several years ago.

      “Oh, this is where I find you girls. Why am I not surprised?” Three seats made up the swing set; plus there was a sliding board along with a hanging trapeze. Coco decided to sit on the other empty chair.

      “It’s been a while since I’ve done this type of thing. It’s kind of fun,” she said, as she gripped the grass with the tip of toes. She stepped backward as far as she could go, then allowed her feet to let go of the ground. Coco felt the chair move forward and she got lifted up in the air, clumsily at first due to her weight.

      “You’re too big for that swing, get off,” Natalia told her.

      “And you’re too young to be in grown folks’ business. Stay out,” Coco retorted. She was self-conscious about her size and felt insulted. “Don’t think I won’t spank you for being bad.”

      “I never get spanked. I’m too old for that. Plus, I don’t do anything wrong.”

      “Oh really? You mean to tell me that your daddy never took a belt to your behind? Because as quiet as it’s kept, we know you like to act like you all perfect and goodie-goodie, but Natalia, nobody is that good. Not you. Not me, and not your creepy daddy. Get what I’m saying?”

      Sidnee gasped then suddenly took off running.

      “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Natalia finally answered. She kept swinging higher and higher as if she did not have a care in the world. The birds were singing and fluttering nearby, but a group of dark clouds started to loom above them and caused the large backyard to look gray and lifeless.

      “Let me tell you what I’m talking about. You’re my niece and I love you. But there’s something going on. It has to do with your daddy and the night that he died. And see, it’s like this. The police might want me to answer a lot of questions about what happened to your daddy. And I’m supposed to tell them everything I know—”

      “I don’t want to hear you talk. I just want to swing. Will you go and finish cooking my food so I may play by myself?”

      Coco knew she was pressuring her niece, but she didn’t know what Natalia knew about her father’s death and the way he died.

      “Wow, I can’t believe you. That smart little mouth of yours is gonna get you in trouble one day.”

      “I’m not getting smart. I don’t want to play with you right now.”

      “First of all, if you’d stop being so rude and obnoxious.”

      “Spell obnoxious.”

      Coco hopped off of her swing and sharply grabbed Natalia by the arm. She twisted it hard enough for Natalia to yelp. “Stop it. You’re hurting me.”

      Coco covered the girl’s mouth until she quieted down. Then she let go.

      “You promised my mommy that you wouldn’t put your hands on my mouth. But you just did. And it hurt. And I’m going to tell her.”

      “The only reason I did that is because СКАЧАТЬ