CHAPTER 1
It was a normal Sunday morning.
The kind of Sunday that makes you believe the world has forgiven itself. The sun had come out early, but not in that harsh, punishing way it does in the middle of the week. This one was different. It penetrated hideously, in that bright, almost stubborn way, throwing its light everywhere, yet the air underneath it still held a strange coldness. You could feel it on your skin , warmth on one side, cold on the other. The atmosphere was well lit, almost too lit, like someone had turned up the brightness of the whole world. The sky above was so calm, so painfully calm and blue without a single threat of cloud, that anyone who looked at it would say, today is going to be a great day.
I was on the balcony. The balcony that backed the road. My favourite spot in this house. From there you could hear everything and nothing at the same time. Cars passing, a distant boda, kids shouting somewhere, but it all felt far. I had a thin throw over my shoulders and I was just basking. My back was to the road, intentionally. I wanted the sun to hit my back directly. I wanted that warmth to sink into my bones, into the small of my back, into the tension I had carried all week. And it was working. The warmth was penetrating my back slowly, gently, like a hand. It was an awesome feeling. The kind that makes you close your eyes without realizing you have closed them.
My mind got carried away. For a few seconds, I wasn't thinking about bills, or work, or Penny, or Melissa. I wasn't thinking about anything. I was just there, a girl on a balcony, being held by the sun. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. My shoulders dropped. My jaw unclenched. In that moment, I allowed myself to be soft. To be at peace. To be just Alby, not the protector, not the strong one, not the one who always has to fix things. Just a woman enjoying a Sunday.
Then my phone rang. Loud. Sharp. Shattering everything.
"All I Ever Need" by Austin Mahone. My ringtone. It was so loud against the quiet morning that I flinched. My heart jumped before my hand even moved. I fumbled for it, annoyed at first that someone would interrupt this small peace I had stolen for myself. Then I saw the name on the screen. Penny. My sister. I answered on the second ring.
"Alby you need to come over to my house now, I need you please," That voice. I will never forget that voice as long as I live. It was not Penny's voice. Not the Penny I knew. The Penny I knew was loud, bubbly, always laughing even when things were hard. She was the parrot of the family, the one who would talk and talk and make you laugh when you wanted to cry. This voice was... weak. Broken. Like she was speaking from the bottom of a well. Like every word cost her pain. Like she was whispering because she didn't have the strength to speak louder, or because she was afraid someone would hear her.
Chills ran down my spine. Instant. My blood went cold despite the sun on my back.
"Penny? Penny what's wrong? Penny?" I was already standing. The throw fell off my shoulders and I didn't even notice. No answer, or maybe a faint whimper I couldn't make out. Then the line went dead.
I sprang up. I don't even remember how I moved from the balcony to the bedroom. One moment I was outside, the next I was flying up the stairs. I didn't miss a single step. My body was on autopilot. Fear does that to you. It makes you faster than you thought you could be.
I had to be there for my sister. I have always had to be there for her. She was like a mother to me, not just a sister. When our parents left us, when the world turned its back on us, it was Penny who held me. Penny who cooked when there was almost nothing. Penny who told me stories at night so I wouldn't cry from hunger. Penny who made sure I went to school even when she didn't. She was the only family I had. No aunties, no uncles that truly cared, no other family members. Just us. Just us against the world. And if she was calling me like that, it meant the world was trying to crush her again.
I rushed into my bedroom. My heart was already pounding like a drum. I looked around, my hands shaking. What do I wear? What do I need? My brain was shouting, GO NOW, GO NOW, but my hands were trying to be logical. I grabbed my sports bra. I don't know why that detail matters, but it does. I knew all wasn't okay. I could feel it in my gut. And I needed to be comfortable. I needed to be ready for anything, to fight, to run, to carry her, to carry her baby. I couldn't go there in something tight or uncomfortable. I needed to be able to move. I needed to be Alby, the fighter, not just Alby, the sister.
Minutes later I was ready to go. I had thrown on the first thing I could find, tied my hair back roughly, didn't even look in the mirror. I grabbed my car keys from the dresser, my hand shaking so hard the keys jingled loudly.
I rushed out of the house, locked the door with clumsy fingers, and ran to the car park. My car was there, waiting. I jumped in, my breath coming in short, sharp bursts. I started the engine and reversed without even properly checking. I didn't care.
As I drove out of the gate, I looked up at the sky one more time. It was still calm. Still beautiful. Still lying about what kind of day it was going to be. Because for me, this was no longer a great day. This was the start of something dark. Something I had tried to keep away for years. But I had to go. Penny needed me. Melissa needed me. And I was coming.
© 2026 THIRST FOR REVENGE by Bobo Creatives
All Rights Reserved.
Originally published on Soma Stories @Bobo Creatives.