Sinister Stepmother (Part 1)

It started out as a typical day for Samantha "Sam" Benson and her mother, Jessica Benson, as they were at their local bank making a deposit--the amount being Sam's latest paycheck. At that moment, Sam and Jessica found themselves in terrible danger, as a quartet of masked robbers infiltrated the bank, with the leader, an Australian accented female, demanding all of the money from the bank's vault. She even stared down several of the customers, though she singled out Jessica and threatened her at gunpoint, even going as far as teasing and hurling threats to Sam as well.

Their terrifying ordeal ended when a group of police officers finally made their way inside the bank, but while they captured the henchmen, the female leader got away. Sam gave her mother a big hug, and the experience increased her already immense appreciation for life and family, and she spent a lot of time with not only Jessica, but also her father, Darren Benson, as well.

One day, however, Sam was waiting on Jessica to return home, as it was Sam's day off and they had many plans together. On that day, she heard the phone ring and Darren answer, and afterwards, a shocked Darren approached his daughter and uttered the following.

"Sam...she's gone."

One Year Later

The year that passed following the car crash that claimed the life of Jessica Benson was a trying one, as it was just Darren and Sam during the entire time. Not a day went by without Darren missing his wife of 22 years, while Sam, aged 19, missed her mother immensely. Everything reminded Sam of Jessica; even watching cartoons had her thinking of her mother. Sam and Jessica often watched Looney Tunes together, and Sam was watching the one cartoon they loved most: Bully for Bugs. Seeing the bull on her TV getting outsmarted by Bugs Bunny made her smile a bit, because it had her remembering how Jessica often laughed while watching that particular short.

Sam's main concern was Darren, as she spent a lot of time with her father because she didn't want him to be alone. However, Darren gave the following revelation to his daughter on that day:

"I don't know how to tell you this, but...I've met someone. Actually, I've been seeing her for about three months now, and I didn't know the right way to tell you because I was afraid of how you'd react."

Darren feared that Sam would react negatively, but to his surprise, it was the opposite. "Wow, Dad!" Sam exclaimed, "that's great!"

"So you're OK with this?" asked Darren.

"Dad, of course I am," said Sam. "It's been a year, and I just want you to be happy. Plus I'm kinda looking forward to having a stepmom. So when do I meet her?"

"Actually, hon," said Darren, "she's just outside. She just wanted to meet you so badly." Sam watched as Darren went out the front door, and later came back with a blonde woman. "Delia, this is my daughter Sam. Sam, this is my girlfriend, Delia."

"Nice to meet you, Delia," said Sam.

"Nice to meet you, too, Sam," Delia replied, though Sam suddenly became alarmed as they shook hands. Sam recognized that voice, mainly the accent: it was Australian. "Where are you from, exactly?" asked Sam.

"I was born in Melbourne," replied Delia, "but I moved to the States when I was 18." Every word Delia spoke had her reliving the bank robbery. Australian accent, piercing blue eyes, her hair was a different color--went from brunette to blonde--but there was no mistaking it in Sam's mind: Delia was the same woman from the bank robbery a year prior. With all of the facts adding up, Sam ran off to her bedroom, with Darren following his daughter.

"What's wrong?!" asked Darren.

"Dad, that woman is a criminal!" exclaimed Sam. "She's the same woman from the bank robbery that Mom and I witnessed." Sam's proclamation was met with disbelief from Darren.

"Sam, I know this is coming all at once, but..."

"Dad, I'm telling the truth!" said Sam. "She's dangerous!" Sam's words of warning were rebuffed by Darren, who later apologized to Delia and stated that both he and Sam had been grieving due to the loss of their matriarch. Hours later, Sam met with her best friend, Maxine Gray, and informed her what was going on regarding her father and Delia.

"OK, so let me get this straight," said Maxine. "Your dad is dating the same woman who attempted to rob the bank where you and your mom were?"

"I know that accent anywhere," replied Sam. "I never forgot it; it's in my nightmares."

"Wow, Sam," said Maxine. "We need to do something before your dad ends up marrying her." Sam was very relieved to hear those words from Maxine, as it confirmed that her best friend believed her. The young women were leaving a diner where they had lunch, when a random man began attacking Sam, while uttering the following statement:

"I've been sent to kill you."

Just as the man was about to pull out a gun, police arrived and detained the man, as a witness had seen what had occurred and called the authorities. As the officers arrested the man, the lead detective approached both women, while concerned for their well being.

"Detective Brett Bartlett Rodgers," the lead detective said to Sam and Maxine. "Are you ladies all right?"

"We're OK," said Sam. "Thank goodness you arrived. I'm Samantha Benson, this is my friend Maxine Gray. That guy just came out of nowhere."

"Well, Miss Benson, Miss Gray," Rodgers said, "he's in our custody now. You two be safe."

The following day saw Sam seeing Dr. Allison Lee, a grief counselor who she had been speaking to following Jessica's passing. Sam mentioned the ordeal she and Maxine went through the day before, but the conversation later turned to Darren's relationship with Delia.

"Samantha," Dr. Lee said, "do you still have antipathy towards your father's new girlfriend?"

"Well, it's easy when the woman is a criminal who endangered my mother's life, among others," replied Sam. "I just wish my dad would listen to me."

"I'm certain he does hear you," said Dr. Lee.

"It doesn't seem like it," Sam said in a low voice.

"I just think you and your father need to talk things out," Dr. Lee said before ending her session. Sam left the office rolling her eyes at Dr. Lee's advice, and continued to think about the session and her situation as she was driving home. She was so deep in thought, that it took someone bumping into her car to bring her back to reality. It wasn't until she was bumped a second and third time that Sam became panicked and sped up, with the sinister driver pursuing her. Sam turned into an alley, but the driver followed her right inside, and to Sam's surprise, the driver of the car was none other than her counselor, Dr. Lee, who exited her car with a gun in hand.

"Sorry, Samantha," the evil Dr. Lee said, "but I've been sent to kill you. Consider this our last session." Unbeknownst to the villainess, she had been tracked by police, and Sam sighed in relief as she saw Detective Rodgers and his officers emerge and arrest Dr. Lee.

"Miss Benson," said Rodgers, "we have to stop meeting like this." Sam was too deep in relief and shock to respond; she was still trying to process that, for the second straight day, there was an attempt on her life. Even crazier, it wasn't a stranger this time, it was someone she knew: her own therapist. Just as Dr. Lee was being taken into custody, Sam noticed a note falling out of the villainous therapist's purse. She took one look at it, but kept it to herself as Rodgers and his officers left with Dr. Lee. Once they were gone, Sam took a second look at the note, which said:

"Eliminate Samantha Benson, and you'll receive $1 million -- Delia."

"I knew it!" Sam thought, "Delia's behind this!" Sam kept the note as evidence of Delia's villainy, as it proved that she was behind both attempts on Sam's life. Even so, how will Delia react to seeing Sam alive? And how can she get her father to realize how evil Delia is?

Thank you for reading my story all the way through! If you liked it, feel free to click the heart below, and if you really loved it, feel free to leave a tip (if you want)!

Click here for Part 2!