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My next move. (173)
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
FIRE CRACKER Where is Alice (174)
“Won’t you at least say something today?” I heard Emily’s voice for the millionth time and they hit like the first. Her eyes sparkled with tears and she stared at me in expectancy, her green orbs begged me to speak — to say something. But I did not.I had not spoken a word to anyone since that day. Even though it had just been fourth-eight hours, it seemed to be taking a toll on Daniel and Emily but I was fine with it. I was used to not speaking for days or hours because I was either kept in the closet as a child or gagged so the neighbors would not hear my screams. I pushed those thoughts to the back of my head and glanced at Emilia who had a tear rolling down her cheek. I did the same thing I had done for the past 48 hours, I reached out and squeezed her hand. To somehow offer her some sort of support. Maybe reassurance. Because in some odd way, I understood why she was freaking out. I would react the same way if someone I cared about was acting like that — completely mute. We c
FIRE CRACKER You won’t die on me (175)
Shouldn't I be asking you that? Isabel quipped at me with a straight face and she matched my gaze, I let out a soft chuckle and decided I would entertain her mediocre antics before showing her, her place.I'm not the one who lived with her for twenty-three years now, am I? if there is anyone who should know something, should it not be you? She added and I shrugged.I don't know why people lie even though they know the truth, I spoke in a calm tone, a complete contrast to the fact that my hand was currently in her hair, tugging on it while she bore holes into my skin with her piercing gaze. Charlotte knows where she is, and if charlotte knows, then you know as well. Isabel grumbled in another and tried to slip away from my grip, but I was sure that the fear of falling into that pool made her resist.It was at this point that I began to wonder if she could swim. I found it funny because if you can't swim, why leisure on the edge of a pool as deep as this one? I could feel her breath qui
FIRE CRACKER I actually did it (176)
Three days ago I would have imagined myself being responsible for something as horrific as this,I was a lot of things: impulsive, exaggerative, sarcastic, witty, and maybe sometimes rude. But I had never been capable of hitting anyone intentionally. That was until three minutes ago.Whether it was the uncomfortable sirens from the ambulance or the way my insides twisted in knots as she was wheeled away, unmoving and unconscious — I had no clue.All I knew was that there was a part of me that enjoyed this, that savored this moment and was hungry for me and I was a little hesitant to feed it.The sound of a loud collision filled the living room. My neck was snapped to the side and I locked eyes with Mrs. Amber when I looked up. She had the look that Alice always wore. The one that was filled with disappointment and anger.Her anger and frustration were justified. So were the yelling and arguments that we were floating in the living room below me. I was standing at the farthest top of t
FIRE CRACKER Me or Alice? (177)
I knew it had been a while since I locked myself in the room. I had my head ducked in my knees and I was leaning on the door frame I had slid down. I bit my lip to prevent a sob.No, I would not cry, I was not weak. I forced myself to my feet and took slow attentive steps toward the mirror in my room. As a child, I was fond of staring at the mirrors, it turned into a habit though because I always had a new wound or scar each day. One that didn’t leave no matter how much I scrubbed or washed.So instead of running to the bathroom to get the steam off or wash away the dirt that I felt was on me each time, I would carry out the short walk of shame towards the mirror and face the one person whose existence terrified me — Me. I was always scared that I would live long enough to see days like this. These days were the ones I dreaded as a child, days when reality would push me to lose my humanity. The same hands I had used to help Leon was the same one I used to push her down the steps. A
FIRE CRACKER Daddy? (178)
“That is not it at all,” His voice as he spoke. I scoffed, the tone sounded too familiar and shook the foundation of the memories I had bottled up over the years.It faintly reminded me of those times I had asked Alice why she was so distant and why she could never love me, this tone had been soaked and coupled with her emotionless eyes.“You know what?” I asked and walked toward the door, my legs sloppily moved and I clenched my jaw. “I’m sick of this,” I admitted in a strong tone. “I’m sick of this back and for and all of your lies,” I continued. “You are just like Alice you are perfect for each other,” I confessed my face contorted in pain, and my eyes stung. “I hate you, Elliot! I hate you so much!” I cried. “I hate that I waited for you for twenty-three years only for you to choose the woman who ruined my life over me!” I snapped. “I hated that you never did anything — That you never do anything!” I cried.I banged my head on the wall in the room. “And I freaking hate myself for
FIRE CRACKER I can’t do this (179)
"Explain" Was what came out of my mouth next.Alexander had to give me answers. Because one of these made any sense. I knew that he hadn't much luck with women and he was not the kind of man who have a wife and live alone or to even gets married.He was smart and responsible, sure and those were amazing qualities but he was never husband material and most definitely not a family man. So what was he doing here, in my room, with a little girl who had just called him dad with all the emotion in the world?"Well, I—" He began and licked his lip, I started the girl down, She was wearing all the shades of pink in the world and no one could tell me otherwise, she had plump lips and pretty dimples that made me smile but all that affection disappeared when I made direct contact with Alexander.She seemed to notice the tension in the room though because she got closer to him and clung to him tightly, her gaze hardened but she only seemed cute and chubby to me, she was trying so hard to be prote
FIRE CRACKER You and babies? (180)
"Okay?" Alexander whispered and we locked eyes, in that heated moment, his hands snaked to the back of my head and he leaned in, I didn't push him away, not because I was weak or because that moment I felt we had connected as parents of a child I just knew.Rather, the truth was that for the first time in my entire life, I felt I belonged somewhere, that I had something that was mine, that I had 'our' child as he had referred to and it gave me a sense of peace and belonging. The kiss was happening before I even realized but we pulled away almost immediately when a voice broke through."Ewww," Bella said and scrunched up her nose, Alexander chuckled and I quietly laughed. He walked over to her and picked her up, I took a few steps towards them. Bella stared at me with such curiosity that I could almost feel the intensity hit my skin in waves, her eyes tackled me before she glanced at Alex. "We finally see mama?" She asked again, obviously exhausted at this point and I cooed. "Yes, I
FIRE CRACKER You messed up (181)
"C'mon drink up, I promise, it's not poisoned," Rye said when I hesitated, I smiled softly. "I assume that you hate me for hurting Leon?" I asked with a straight face and put the cup of brown coffee down after taking a sip,"Suprised, yes. Hate you? No." She clarified."What are you surprised about?" I pressed on with a furrowed eyebrow and brought the coffee to my lips again.She took a huge gulp of her hot coffee and my eyes widened a bit, "I just thought you were different," She spoke and glanced at me with disappointment in her eyes. I was frozen in my seat.Did people expect anything from me in the first place?"I never thought you expected anything from me," I voiced out my thoughts and she perked up at me. Her green eyes were sharp and bore holes into my skin, it took me a moment to remember that they were harmless and I relaxed."You are a lot more than you give yourself credit for Danielle." She comment and took what I assumed was the last gulp of her coffee, "what some more
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5 years later. “What happened here?” I sucked in a sharp breath as I glanced around what was supposed to be the children’s room but seemed like a battleground. World war three happened here. “It was him!” Bella cried in her high-pitched voice, I cringed at her tone and glanced in the direction of her voice. My heart skipped a bit when I could not find her, but if the mop of blonde curls that peaked out from beneath the bed was anything too go by; I was definitely on the right track. I took tentative steps toward her and crouched down to her height, “Baby, what’s going on?” my voice trembled slightly with worry but that was not the only thing threatening an anxiety attack from me at this moment. It was already 10:00 am and I wasn’t even dressed — forget about dressing up, Tyler wasn’t even around to handle the kids and he promised me. Today was my big day and he promised he would fill in, but as always, he just runs off with his burger. Bella reluctantly reached out to me and
FIRE CRACKER Is it too late to say goodbye?
You know how you can spend your entire life walking on the wrong path. You can feel like you have it all figured out even though you are just starting and struggling to be a good version of yourself. There are some memories, that don’t die when dawn comes barging in. Some dark times that even the sun can’t chase away. My point is: They are too many things out of our control and the last thing you want to do is get stuck with the guilt of not fixing or doing things that were never in your control, to begin with. As I ran my hands through my soaked scarlet hair, a lone tear crawled down my cheek and I swallowed sharply. I bit hard on my bottom lip as I thunderstruck and pierced my skin. It was almost scary how three years had felt like decades, how much I had linked to come here, all the promises, the guilt, everything that had built up to this exact moment. I wiped my tears which were mixed with rain. I found to hear the hesitant footsteps from Rye, but I did not turn. My fists cle
FIRE CRACKER Finally? (196)
“There’s still time for us to run.” I glanced at Emilia as if she had grown two heads, but she had a serious expression on her face and I knew that she was freaking out deep down.So was I.“Run to where exactly?” I decided to humor her risky thoughts with a raised eyebrow, her stance deflated and she let go of my hand. We were outside the church now. It was crazy how much time had passed and how things were happening so fast.Until two weeks ago I was at Alice’s grave. Now I was walking down the aisle. I frowned and breathed. “When did Rye say she was going to get here?” I asked Emilia, the blonde seemed to be too engrossed in starting anything but the church that waiting for her. Her blonde hair had been styled in a perfect bun and Isabel had performed magic with her makeup. Her dimples were visible and she wasn’t even smiling. Emilia took a hold of my hand again, a small smile broke out on her plump lips.I held my breath as she stared me dead in the eyes before she broke out into
FIRE CRACKER Burning soil (195)
“This was the last place I thought I would ever come,” The words rolled out of my mouth and left a bland taste in my mouth, I could feel the heat from the ground tear my skin apart, and my eyes stung with fresh tears and my fists clenched.If anyone had told me, years ago, or even a month ago that I would do this, I would have laughed in their face and given them a fitting reply, yet here I was, tears pouring down my cheeks with a void in my heart that I was not sure time could heal.“It wasn't supposed to end like this, Alice. This wasn’t the plan. This wasn't the freaking plan,” I whispered and I could barely see from my clouded vision. “You always hurt me when it was alive and I always used to think that I would be happy when you died...” I trailed off and wiped my tears.“I’m not Alice,” I admitted. “I’m not happy at all ad it feels like my heart got ripped out. You took a part of me with you and it space you left stings a lot.” I swallowed and sucked in a sharp breath. I ran my
FIRE CRACKER Happy birthday (194)
Tyler chuckled and his hand went to his neck for a nervous moment. “I don’t think you have realized it but… Alexander is in love, and it’s not with you,” I blinked in confusion.Tyler laughed at what seemed like my facial expression. “Alexander is madly in love with Lee.” My eyes widened and I immediately clicked the dots.Lee’s strange behavior ever since Alexander came into the house, her sudden change of heart, the reason she begged me to stop the wedding, why she was so devastated during the shoot-out, why she kept her gaze on Alex, and most of us, why she was bosses with taking care of Bella. “But she’s just a child and he- he’s twenty-five or something! This isn’t right!” I informed him.“She’ll be eighteen in a few weeks, by then she will be an adult, right?” Cole asked in a calm tone.“Well yes, but…” I trailed off and walked past him, I turned and continued. “She’s still a child, he’s five years older than she, and I don’t know, I’m just not comfortable with the idea.”“It’s
FIRE CRACKER Let’s start again (193)
"Are you okay?" Tyler was standing at the doorwhen I came out, I nodded and walked past him. "Where's Gemma?" I asked with a straight face and glanced around the place. "She left," Tyler informed me absentmindedly. "She asked for a divorce." He added."Why? Did she finally realize that you are nothing like you claim you are?" I spat at him and he shrugged."She was pregnant for someone else," He continued. My eyes widened and I shrugged. "Oh wow." I chuckled. "You sue to surround yourself with the best kinds of people," I informed him and he relaxed on the wall"You don't seem okay, do you want to get some rest?" He asked and I rolled my eyes at his fake concern."I want to leave. Why did you bring me here?" I demanded in a sharp tone."You fell unconscious, I had no other choice," Tyler admitted bashfully and ran his hands through his hair. His lips were pursed into a straight line and he kept his gaze firm on me."Want some coffee?" He offered and walked towards what I assumed w
FIRE CRACKER You hurt me! (192)
"I never thought you would come here." I heard a voice as I sat on the closest rock.From the view I had, the lake was breathtakingly beautiful, it had been months since I came here and I was dying for a breath of fresh air."Do you remember the last time we came here?" the voice continued on a steady pitch, I rolled my eyes at the tone and turned away. "Danielle, you are going to have to face me at one point or the other." Tyler finally confessed in what sounded like a defeated tone, I scoffed at his words. "There's nothing to settle." my voice came out strained. It had been one entire month since Alice was murdered and Aiden died at my hands. The memory still sends chills down my spine and for many days I refused to leave my home because I was terrified of the outcome, I sucked in sharp air and glanced at him."You ended this, remember?" I added in a soft tone, my eyes stung with tears but I blinked them away. Tyler sighed. He broke the small distance between us and sat beside me
FIRE CRACKER Life isn’t fair (191)
I lunged at him. With all the force and anger I could muster at that moment. This was the moment I had waited for so many years. Three long years — I lived with that guilt and pain for three long years. I was broken, I had to deal with the pain and nightmares and the intense feeling that I could not protect the man who did nothing but love me. The only thing I had consoled myself with back then was that I would avenge his death.And only when I had avenged his death, would I visit his grave. Today, I would fulfill that promise.Aiden lost balance in shock, the gun went off immediately. My eyes widened when we hit the ground. I was basically on top of him, dangerously close with the gun between us and my breath hitched.My heart raced and it took me a few seconds to register the fact that the bullet had not hit me, rather it was stuck in Aiden who was bleeding from his nose.I must have taken too long to connect all these dots because the next thing I knew was hands around my neck, c
FIRE CRACKER I will keep that promise (190)
"Aiden," I growled and he smiled. He had a fun held up straight to my face and I was almost thrown off by the audacity of the man. Here, in broad daylight, he was pointing a gun at me, a smug grin plastered on his face as if he had just been given hot coffee on a stressful morning."Danielle" His voice was calm and held no remorse at all, his eyes narrowed at me and rested on Alice's body which was behind me. I watched as Aiden's grey eyes darkened for a bit before they returned to their previous form."For the first time in my entire life...I'm sad I was right about something." The words were not directed at me, rather it was where his gaze rested. Completely fixed on Alice. "If you cared about her, you would have stopped this a long time ago." I shot a glare at him, and he scoffed and stared at me with a piercing gaze. "It's because of her, I did this!" He snapped and shot one of the medics, I stumbled on the side of the van, my eyes went wide and I clenched my fist."That's a li
