Part 6

Brandon's Pov

Walking over the middle of the bridge, I'm waiting for Fred to come. Cold breeze touching my face makes me feel refreshed, away from the city's hustle bustle and away from my real dark world also.

I come here often, whenever I feel like avoiding everything and to spend some time with my loneliness.

God knows if the work which I have given him has done or not. I should have gone there by myself as it was such an important and dangerous as hell kind of deal.

But again Fred is best in his work and I have no doubt in this.

Life is such a bitch it never gives us what we really want. It always had some weird plans for us.

I have everything, I get what I want....... but where is the peace of my mind....where I lost it long ago. I still can't find it.

Sometimes it feels like I'm. ...then again all those hard walls around myself are created by me itself.....and I can't break them...after that happened years back.....My dark past which made me what I am today.

"Why am I going to that dark lane of memory again?" I sighed, getting frustrated by all the thoughts. I really need to stop thinking about my past. I need some distraction. 

That girl with green eyes.

From past eight months, I've been thinking about that girl whom I saw at the window.

I couldn't see her clearly but whatever I could that was unforgettable and stole my breath and had been captured in my memory.

She was wearing something white and black, I don't remember or I never noticed. 

I still remember her trembling hands on her face, her wide terror-filled eyes.

Those beautiful eyes are haunting me.

Stop, I shouldn't get affected by a mere girl. I don't have any place in my life for someone, well not at least for a dead person. 

But still, somewhere in my heart, I wish I would have met her in person. 

I wanted to see her face, wanted to hold her and to keep her near me, stealing her from the world.

Stop Brandon....

Stop

I think I should forget her and focus on the work for which I was here.

I'm happy about the new deal. It was to be done else I have to come into action for them that would be the last thing anyone would want.

.......

Sitting on the couch in the middle of the small living room, Claire's mother was crying hiding her face in her hands. Her slow cry echoed in the room. 

Matthew saw her crying on entering the house, he was coming back after completing his shift. He was looking all exhausted and tired after his late night shift. 

He left his old good job when they left their city and is now doing a double shift to meet his family's needs.

He hears his wife's crying sound, he immediately drops his bag and runs towards his wife. 

“Lauren, what happened??” He asked, sitting beside her. 

She upped her lashes and cried out in his arms. His heart got engulfed by the only fear in which they were going through every moment. 

Claire

He broke their hug and asked her, still trying to be calm. 

“Claire,...how’s she???” he asked. His heartbeat was getting fast as he was losing his calmness. 

She didn’t say anything, she was just shaking her head while her eyes filled with more tears. 

Matthew immediately got up and turned to go upstairs to Claire’s room, but he stopped hearing her. 

“We are losing her..” he turned and saw his wife's flowing tears. His eyes too got wet realizing the depth of her words. 

He sat beside her keeping his head low. He knows everything and he feels so helpless. 

“why all this had to happen with our Claire.....why” 

“I..I can’t see her like this broken mathew. I can’t” 

“My heart ached every time I looked into her eyes, her blank eyes squeezed my heart,” She said crying her heart out. 

“I know Lauren, I also miss our old Claire..., happy, full of life but now she has become all quiet...sometimes I even missed her sweet voice,” He said. 

“Mathew do something please before we loose her completely,” she said, gripping his hand tightly. 

“Nothing will happen...she is here with us to save. Nothing is more important to us than her safety" he said, trying to make her understand. To keep her safe they are doing everything, they have already left their everything behind and got sifted in a new city without telling anyone to know.

"We should be thankful to God for giving our daughter back to us, or you know anything could have happened that night....we..we..could have lost her..." He said with his trembling words, thinking about that dreadful night of their life when everything got changed in a blink.

"She is here with us, alive but she is not living her life anymore. After that day in the hospital she lost her every hope but what Jason did... broke her completely." She said looking straight, her tears have dried now but a mother's heart was tearing apart seeing her child's misery.

"Don't take his name....just because of him today our daughter's life has been ruined completely." He turned angry suddenly at the mention of Jason's name.

"To take revenge on him, that Bratt kidnapped Claire....and after all this, what he did....he just blamed our daughter and left...." He felt so angry and helpless at the same time. 

They are talking when they didn't realize Ken was standing there hearing their conversation, with a sad expression on his face like them.

"Dad, we have decided that we will not talk about it ever, we shouldn't bring those memories again in front of Claire," He said, bringing them out of their thoughts.

His mother whipped her tears before he could see them but he had already seen them. 

"Mom dad, don't do this please....you are the only support to Claire.." He said kneeling in front of them and his mother's tears fell out again. She starts sobbing.

"I'm really missing my old family, my old happy Claire, full of life and love...she is not our Claire, ken....you have seen her, right....Claire was never like this..." She said while crying and Matthew tried to console her. 

Ken couldn't bear it any more so he hid his tears. He walked out leaving them, he thought to talk to Claire.

He opened the door of her room slowly. Her room was silent like no one was there, but he knew where she must be.

He entered and turned to the attached balcony of the room and found her sitting there on the spin chair. Her back was facing her. He took some slow steps and saw her eyes were closed. She seems to be in deep thought. She was looking pale, her glowing face has been missing somewhere for the last eight months.

Ken didn't like Claire, his heart ached on seeing his bubbly sister turning mute and separating herself from everyone.

He misses her.

He swallowed down the forming lump in his throat thinking about her vulnerable condition when he saw her on the hospital bed.

He cleared his throat to gain her attention and pulled a chair for himself and sat beside her.

She hasn't acknowledged his presence.

"What's up, Clairee berry.." He said and ruffled her hair to annoy her.

She opened her eyes and sat straight, realising him in her room. He smiled expecting her annoyed face like always but his smile faded soon when she didn't say anything. 

She used to yell at him or run behind him to spoil his hair always, but she used to....not anymore.

His eyes welled up soon but he blinked to avoid them.

"Ahhh...Claire, let's go downstairs, Mom is making pancakes with chocolate syrup and the kitchen has already filled with that strong aroma....come" he got up grabbing her hand but didn't get up.

"I'm not hungry, ken...you go" She denied simply, with her pale and emotionless face.

" It's dinner time already, you know Mom will get mad if you try to skip your meals," He said insisting her again. He wanted her to join them and spend some time together, like old days.

"No ken, please go. I'll have my dinner in my room" she said.

Ken leaves her hand getting slightly angry.

"What's your problem Claire?? What are you trying to show us??" He hissed.

She didn't react, she was still the same.

"You are not the only whose life has changed completely. We are also trying to adjust here. We are at least trying, not like you who has stopped functioning after that accident.." He yelled. Now he is getting frustrated due to their current condition.

She fisted the cloth of her dress tightly on the mention of her accident.

"Can't you see our suffering Claire?? Mom's tears every time she looks at you with hopeful eyes, Dad's misery...he is going into depression in the guilt of not being able to do anything.....Can't you see Claire, we are....."

"Yes I can't see because I have lost my vision"

His words died in his throat hearing her scream. And next moment he regrets.

His eyes widened on realizing what he had just said.

"Claire...I.." He said slowly but she screamed again.

Her blank eyes filled with tears and she got up.

"You are right ken, I can't see anything because I'm blind now. I can't see what my family had to go through in these eight months just because of me." She was breathing heavily. Her pain was coming out in the form of tears.

"I can't see how you and Dad are trying to collect money for my operation and I couldn't see when we had left our home because of me...I couldn't.....because  .... I... I'm blind..." She said, squeezing her eyes tightly.

"I have lost every light of my life...everything" she sobbed when her feet gave up and she fell on the floor. 

Ken hugged her and rubbed her back to soothe her pain. He was blaming herself for making her feel this way. 

"I'm sorry Claire, I didn't mean to hurt you. Please don't cry.. I'm sorry.....everything will be fine" he said while his tears have also made their way to fall.

Both brother and sister cried, hugging each other. 

She cried on his shoulder, only she knows how she felt every moment in the darkness. 

She tries to forget those memories, wanting to turn out all this into a nightmare. But no, it's her cruel reality.

"You are useless blind girl, good for nothing"

"Completely useless"

She can't forget those venom full words.

That night, she lost her eyesight in her accident while running from Brandon's men. And after that, her family left their home to keep her safe from Bratt and from Jason. They didn't want Claire to get more hurt between their rivalry. 

Ken wanted to teach them their lesson but his parents stopped him saying they can't lose him. They are normal people, they have nothing to do with that dangerous man.

They were thinking they got successful in keeping their daughter hidden but they didn't have any idea that her fate had already been written when her eyes got locked with his dangerous blue eyes.

......

..