A Special Kind of Twisted

By Onyinyechi Anne Udoh

A Special Kind of Twisted is a poignant and very beautiful triangular love story of Zarah Harrison, who is on a self-destructive crusade. She has her plans ready, and all her ducks are in a row, prepared and ready for it all to end. The perfect time is all she awaits.

David Duke, blinded by the desire to solve the mystery of Zarah Harrison, overlooks the underlying reason for why he bothers. She is toxic, and he knows that, but he cannot stop himself.

Madison Harrison seeks closure and inner peace.

Can they see beyond the obvious? Can they allow their emotions free reign and stop interrupting with their heads? Can they look deeper into their inner selves to allow the needful into their hearts?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Partridge Publishing Africa
• Release date: Sep 22, 2016
• ISBN: 9781482876215

Onyinyechi Anne Udoh

Onyinyechi Anne Udoh is an English education graduate of the University of Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria, with a diploma in linguistics from the same university. She is also the author of the amazing motivational Eating Your Onion. She facilitates part-time with CBN South-South Entrepreneurship Development Center, Calabar, and currently lives in Calabar with her husband and two children.

Book preview

Copyright © 2016 by Onyinyechi Anne Udoh.

ISBN:   Softcover        978-1-4828-7620-8

              eBook            978-1-4828-7621-5

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Toll Free 0800 990 914 (South Africa)

[phone] (outside South Africa)

www.partridgepublishing.com/africa

CONTENTS

Dedication

Acknowledgments

Reviews

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Epilogue

Other Books By The Author

Available online and other book stores

[e-mail]

[e-mail]

www.onyiiudoh.com

Follow the author;

www.facebook.com/onyiiudohbooks

www.twitter.com/onyiiudoh

DEDICATION

R ichard Udoh my husband. Thanks for loving through my twisted nature and bringing out a more amiable me. Love you lots, Sweetheart.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

M uch thanks to Bola Bello and Edwin Udoh, my longtime friends. Christine Edet, my wonderful editor and friend. This couldn’t have come together without their help. I thank them for believing in me and seeing who I really am and for making out time from their busy schedules to read this work. The success is ours; I am appreciative and will forever be grateful.

My love always goes to my heartthrob: my husband. He and the children are God’s special blessings in my life. I thank him for understanding, loving and supporting myspecial twisted self. I am deeply indebted to him and the children, without whom I could do but little.

Linda C. Onyeador, its awesome having you as a sister. Thanks for your patience, love and sacrifices. You are the best.

Special thanks to my friends and family, who continue to surround me with love, prayers and support, I cannot list everyone by name, but you know who you are.

To the Write Right team and Partridge Publishers, I say thank you.

I return praise and thanks to the great author of all, God Almighty. Thank you for this special gift of yours and I pray never to trifle with it.

REVIEWS

T his is a strong story written with love and detailed attention to the characters. This is something that we are all up against; the will to find peace, the desire to be something more. Very few of us actually have the satisfaction of achieving that.

This novel was an amazing piece of art reflecting that even if you are a little crazy, it doesn’t mean that you will not get what you want. If you are twisted enough to try, you will get it.

RabiaTanveer for Readers’ Favorite

‘A special kind of twisted’ is a reminder of the essence of true friendship, Love and forgiveness. The fact that God’s grace is greater than our sufferings, amazing messages that we all can relate to.

I was captivated by the strong and appealing characters in the story and its good sense of humour, got me laughing a few times, which I liked….a lot.

It’s a demonstration of what changes can happen with love, care and belief.

Bello B.

This is a refreshing and breathtaking story of ordinary people coping with ordinary life. It is perceptive and shrewd.

Edwin Udoh

This story reaches out and grabs a hold of you. The weirdness of its characters is its strength because they remind us that we could be misunderstood, feel alone and helpless and yet be lovable. The story reminds us that it takes a special kind of strength to love and be kind to people who do not deserve it. And in the end, love conquers all.

Christine Edet

Chapter 1

Z arah sat on the back steps of The Stones Family Restaurant, where she worked. How time had flown, yet she still felt as helpless as ever. Her life had been on a steady decline on the human race ladder. Economically and in every other way, Zarah was at zero level.

On that night, like every other night during her break between the hours of 8pm-9pm, she sat watching the silhouette of homeless street cats scavenging for food.

Look at them roaming freely, sleeping anywhere without fear. No bills to constantly harass them. They are really better off than I am she thought.

As she stared, she became consumed as usual, with the anger which had become part of her since she left home. The anger increased in depth with each year that passed. That was the only thing that drove her on. The only yearn in her heart for the future. The anger had become Zarah’s twin sister. Zarah constantly reached out to ‘her’ at the slightest indication of joy in her heart, just to be sure ‘she’ was there; the remembrance of what she planned to do and must do - murder. Yes, murder.

Madison that epitome of all the cartooned wicked stepmothers put in one. How she made me suffer unpardonable hardship for years now without hope of things getting better. I cannot wait to put enough money together to travel back home and do what I must do and end it all. Zarah continued her musing to herself.

She had planned and re-planned this particular murder. She wanted it quick at the same time she wanted it slow. She ultimately wanted to see her suffer, beg for her life. Madison deserved to hear Zarah tell her how she had planned killing her without mercy. She could not seem to arrive at a conclusion on how to end it all. If only she had been able to watch Viola Davis’s ‘How to get away with murder’ when it showed. She had no one to ask the details of the movie because no one could know what her interests and plans were. Besides, she did not talk to anyone. She only had her demons as companions.

Oh God, I am tired of all this! Can’t I just have a decent life? Just a life where I can pay my bills, afford my meals with ease, laugh again with friends, buy better clothes than these rags I wear and live somewhere better. Just something better, nothing fanciful. She cried to herself exhausted by all the thoughts in her head.

Having lost her mother at the age of five, she became her father’s world. Mr. Sam Harrison, a multi –billionaire made sure Zarah lacked nothing. He filled her world; he balanced her life so well that she had no remembrance of her mother. Sam had not remarried until Zarah was seventeen. He had felt she was old enough to be on her own and would soon go off to college. He was not obvious about it but Zarah had known he did not want their world shared with anyone else. So when Madison came into their lives, she could not understand her father’s decision and that made her suspect Madison of manipulating her father like the cartooned stepmothers. Her hatred for Madison, ‘that half squared faced Russian’ was clear from the onset. She made Madison realize in all ways possible that she did not need nor want a mother. Madison stayed clear of her, taking little notice of her existence. They coped well, lived separate lives until that unfateful day when the cold hands of death snatched her father away. The memory of that day always set chills down her spine; she had just started her third in Business Accounting/Management. She could never understand how her healthy father, who ate breakfast with her and kissed her goodbye before leaving for Harrison Towers, was said to have dropped dead just like that two hours later in his office. She suspected foul play, she suspected Madison, and Madison’s actions afterwards did not help matters. Madison cut her off everything, even when she’d swallowed her pride and went to her for help, Madison had denied her help.

Can I have a word with you? Zarah had asked Madison.

Who, me?

Hmm.

What is it then? Madison asked nonchalantly.

I need help.

"Help, what kind of help?

I want money.

Money, for what?

I have to give you a list before I get money from you? Zarah had asked sarcastically.

No you don’t, and I don’t see why you have to come to me. After all you never wanted nor needed a mother.

What! I… never mind. Zarah had turned and left.

Oh, how Madison had made her suffer reduced her to less than a rat. She should have known. Russian blood whether half or not remained very wicked. Yet Madison never missed any church service. Zarah had never been a fan of church going, she had never thought much about it. She had gone a few times in the past but not anymore. She could not understand how God allowed someone like Madison come into church, pray to him. Why had he not struck her with thunder or let the grounds open up and swallow her as it had happened in the Bible. No, she did not think there was a God. All the talk was mere fallacy, designed to keep people well behaved and have them come back to church day after day and give offerings. After all, pastors got to eat, they do not do any form of work, she thought with sarcasm and a bitter laugh.

Zarah groaned as the thought of food reminded her of the pang of hunger in her stomach. She had not eaten since morning except for a cup of coffee a regular costumer had bought for all the restaurant staff at noon to celebrate his pay rise at work. This got her frowning and conscious of time and her surroundings. It was a rude shock to notice a man standing close to the