CHAPTER TWELVE846Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMCr3TmWJk3
(Ashantee’s PoV)
“Leon?” I called from the living room.
We were playing monopoly. Sprawled on the carpet for almost two hours now. None of us want to give way to the other. When suddenly, the phone rang and Leon went to answer it. He had been talking to the phone for three minutes now and I tried to listen but he kept his voice down.
“Leon who is it?” I called again.
Suddenly, I heard Leon’s footstep. Hurrying towards me.
His eyes were red and he was acting weird. “Come, Ash.” And he gave me a hand.
I stood up and took his hand. He gently lifted me up and sat me in his legs. He ran a hand down my hair and he didn’t speak for a whole minute.
“Leon?” I asked, even the nine year-old me could feel that something was wrong.
“Ash, you know mom and dad loves you very much right?” He asked.
I nodded with a big smile on my lips. “Yes! And Leon loves me too!”
“I do.” He answered with a pained smile. “But Ash, mom and dad won’t be coming home.”
I gave him a puzzled look. “When are they going home?’
“They won’t be. Not anymore, Ash. They are in heaven.”
“And can’t we visit them there?” My young mind have refused to understand everything he was saying.
“I’m afraid not, sweetie.” His voice was comforting but I could feel the sadness he felt.
I pouted at him. Not being able to understand what he was talking about. Why would my parents leave? Why would they leave me and Leon? Don’t they love us anymore?
“But I’m gonna miss them, Leon.” I cried. “Don’t they love us anymore?! I don’t want them to leave!”
Leon hugged me tightly. He was shaking and I could feel him crying.
“It wasn’t until the burial that I finally grasped what happened. When I finally realized that my parents are not coming back anymore.” Seth’s hold on me tighten when I choke on a sob.
I don’t know why but this is the first time I’d talk about this to anyone. Only Liz knew what I’ve been through with Leon because she was there ever since we were in middle school. She was my best friend and I was very thankful for her undying love and support.
And Seth’s presence was incredibly soothing. And my heart welled for him. Welled for his unquestionable care for me and I couldn’t ask for anyone other than him. He doesn’t say anything. Just listened to my story and supported me. Now, I understand the saying that said you don’t need to speak to help because action does speak louder than words.
“Leon took over my dad’s company and he ran it perfectly. My dad’s business partner stayed to support him and not to mention all the great friends he met. Sadly, like all great things, Leon was gone too soon.”
“Leon!” I rushed home but he was no where to be found. Dejected, I figured out maybe he was being kept in a business meeting. I understand his reasons but I couldn’t helped missing him at times like this. I wanted to tell him that I’ve got into the hockey team I’ve always wanted to join.
I was ready for high school.
I threw my bag on the sofa and sprawled my whole body on the carpet. Rolling for what seems like a hundred times due to glee and pride of being accepted in the DevilSaint. And not just that, Liz, our neighbor and my best friend since they moved here in this block when we were in middle school, went to the try out with me and we both got accepted.
What could get better than that?
Someone knocked on the door. Frowning I stood up to get it. Leon would never knock. He have his own set of keys. And I wasn’t expecting anybody. But thinking that it might be important, I opened the door without second thoughts.
In front was a man. A huge man. He towered over and even if Leon was here I was sure this man was bigger. Leon was tall though he was a bit skinny. A trait that ran in my mother’s genes. But this man was a skyscraper. And he had broad shoulder and muscled arms.
“Who is it?” I asked, my voice choke on fear.
“Where is your father?” He growled at me.
I squeaked in fear and took an involuntary step back. “He- he’s dead. For years now.”
I tried closing the door but he forced his way in. Pushing the door with all his strength and I flew to the side. Banging my shoulder on the corner of the shoe rack. I fell limped to the floor, unable to feel anything other than the pain that invaded from my shoulder.
“Do you really think that hiding behind a kid can make me go away!” He shouted inside the house.
I stood up and tried to push him out of the house. “But he is dead! My dad is dead and you’re disgracing his memories by barging here!”
The man looked down at me and I stood frozen in fear under his angry glare. He swatted me with his left arm and I was pushed to the table that was holding a flower vase and it shattered on my back. Whimpering in pain, I tried to crawl away from him. But he pulled my left foot towards him and he leaned down on me.
“There’s no use hiding your dad from me, kid.” He spat. “Where is he?!”
I shook in fear and pain. I cried for him to let me go but he kept on asking me to tell me where my dad was. “I told you, my dad has been dead for years now! If you want to see him go to the cemetery!”
And that was the wrong answer because he gave me a slap. I cried louder, hoping someone or anyone would hear me. But I knew that it was useless. Because of our land, that was bigger than normal, we were isolated from the other houses.
“Please!” I begged. “Stop!”
He growled at me and picked me from the floor. He pinned me to the wall, lifting me up to meet his eyes. I kicked. I thrashed. But he was definitely stronger than me.
He made a move to punch me but someone punched him first. I landed with a thud on the floor when the man was forced to take a step away from me due to the force.
Someone knelt in front of me and I flinched. “Ash, sweetie. It’s me.”
“Leon?” I cried and hugged him with all my might. My body felt so sore and the wounds from the vase was starting to sting.
“I’m sorry I didn’t got home early, sweetie.” He apologies. Then, he picked me up and he made a ran towards the front door to escape my attacker but the man was already on his feet and he pulled Leon by the collar of his jacket. Leon went down the floor and I flew just inches away from the door.
Leon kicked at the man but he wasn’t strong enough. The man straddled him so that he couldn’t escape and rained blows on my brother.
“Leon!” I cried, as I tried to crawl towards them.
“No! Ash! Run!” He shouted between punch.
I couldn’t stop the tears that was flowing down my face. This unknown man was beating my brother and it was my doing. Because I opened the door without asking who it was first.
“Leon!” I managed to get to them and I tried pushing the man off my brother. But he didn’t budged. He swatted me away like I didn’t weight anything. “Please! Don’t! Don’t hurt Leon!”
I couldn’t recognize my brother due to the swelling and blood that was covering his face. And when he stopped fighting, my heart had stopped beating. I sunk to the floor. Begging the man to stop. Begging him not to kill my brother. But he continued to rain punches on my brother’s unmoving body.
My eyes blurring, with the nonstop tears, I saw the piece of wood from the broken table. I quietly took it and sneaked behind the man. I raised it above my head and pushed it down his with all the strength I have left.
Blood ran down his head. He stood up to face me but he fell to the floor with a loud thud. Kicking him twice, I made sure that he was unconscious before I ran to the phone and called the police and ambulance.
When they arrived, I was hugging my brother. I pulled his head towards my chest and cried. Begging him to open his eyes and tell me that everything will be alright. To tell me that he would be alright.
But he never did.
Men tried to take him from me but I thrashed at them. Why didn’t they arrived earlier? Why did my brother had to suffer in the hand of a man I didn't even knew? Why did I have to lose him just as I was getting up from my parents’s death?
Two warm hands pried me away from Leon. And I could hear Liz’s parents’s voice but I couldn’t understand what they were saying. All I know was someone was taking Leon from me. I thrashed at the hands holding me. And when I managed to get free, I ran towards Leon with my own wounds forgotten. But before I could reach him, the door of the ambulance closed and it started to move.
I sunk on my knees and cried like I never before. I screamed at anyone who tried to get near me. I saw the ambulance vanished from my tear-stained sight and sunk lower to the floor until darkness consumed me.
“I woke up in the hospital a few weeks after the incident.” I explained. My voice was so low that I wasn’t sure he could hear it. “My body was still sore from the beating but the broken bones were almost healed and the cuts were already closed. My bother was cremated and I wasn’t there to say my last goodbye.” Then, I gave a bitter laugh. “Maybe that’s why I still couldn’t accept his death and continue to call him.”
He hugged me for a while minute, his presence was comforting me in a way I never thought possible. Retelling the tragic death of my brother always hurt like hell to the point of where I could do nothing but cry. Though, with him holding me, the memory still hurt but I feel like I could actually survive.
“I have taken a couple of clubs in high school to keep me distracted. So that even for a fleeting moment I would forget the tragedy of my past. But,” I added a bitter laugh. “it didn’t work. There was no day I didn’t call Leon. No distraction was enough.”
Then, I asked myself. Is Seth just another distraction?
“Who was the man?” Seth asked gently. Giving me all the rights to answer or not. And since I was telling him the tale I might as well finish it.
“Can you believe it? It was one of my dad’s old enemy. Apparently, my dad bought his small company when it went bankrupt. But the fool couldn’t accept it and went insane. He was inside the Mental Hospital when my parents’s accident occurred and no one bothered to tell him. So, when he got out, he went straight to our house to demand to my dad to return his company to him. I guess he hasn’t fully recovered from his mental problems.”
“What happened to him?”
Another shadow crossed my eyes. “He died.” I felt Seth stiffened below me but it was gone in a breathe. “Apparently, my remaining strength was enough to cost an internal bleeding and he didn’t survived the surgery. I wasn’t taken to custody since it was self-defense and I was a minor. But I still feel bad. I didn’t meant to kill him. I just wanted him to stop beating my brother.”
“Shss..” He whispered in my ears. “It’s not your fault. It will never be your fault. You were just a scared kid. Do not blame yourself.”
“Thank you.” I breathe.
“For what?”
“For listening to my tale and not judging me.”
After that incident, Liz’s parents took me in, making me and her closer to each other as a sister. Though, I left their house when I was in third year. I wanted to experience independence and they were so understanding and helped me in anyway they could. They wanted to look for a new house for me but I didn’t want to sell my family house so I moved back in.
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