Linked

29: blast from the past.

When I opened my eyes, I found myself in the last place I wanted to be in: my childhood home.

I was sitting on my bed and I was facing a wall that had all of my academic achievements. I had even received valedictorian. Then I noticed that there were workbooks and textbooks sitting on a nearby desk.

Slowly, I got up from the bed and walked over to the door that I knew lead out of my bedroom and into the living room. My fingers wrapped around the doorknob but didn't turn. For some reason, I had a feeling that something bad would happen once I left this room.

I shook my head and opened the door anyway.

Like I had predicted, I was brought into the living room. Sitting on an old and broken down couch was someone very important to me. He was using his phone, which was a flip phone, and he would glance at the TV from time to time.

The living room was neat, but it looked messy at the same time. The paint on the walls were pealing off and the windows were cracked. Duck tape was the only thing holding the glass of the windows together. The lights were off and vanilla scented candles were lit all over the room.

The man sitting on the couch looked up and smiled when he saw me. "Soleil! You done studying? I get that you're on break and you want to use all the time you can to study but you should let loose and have some fun every now and then."

I recognize that outfit he was wearing. It was the outfit he would wear whenever he had to work at the weed farm. He must have just gotten back from work. He looked absolutely exhausted. The dark circles underneath his eyes did nothing to hid it. And I could tell that he was faking his smile. I used to yell at him for doing that.

"What's on TV?" I asked, sitting next to him.

"Some celebrity gossip," he answered.

I turned my attention to the TV so I could see what he meant by celebrity gossip.

On the TV, the reporters were talking about a fashion show for the latest collection of Clothing Line. They had also mentioned how the fashion show is both a birthday celebration and the celebration of Sol Eguiluz inheriting Eguiluz Enterprise.

"Must be nice to come from money. You wouldn't have to work your ass off in 5 jobs just to earn less than minimum wage," the man sitting next to me mumbled.

Our parents had completely abandoned us. Dad left when I was born, leaving my brother and my mom to take care of us. Then my mom became friends with this one guy and he's currently her boyfriend. She lives with him now and takes care of his kids as if they were her own. Meanwhile, her own kids, my brother and I, are struggling to support ourselves.

My brother sighed and turned to face me. "I know that I won't make it in this life, but I know you will. You're very smart and you're getting a college education. You're also not hanging out with Pharaoh and his gang anymore."

On instinct, I placed a hand on my stomach. When I was in high school, I dated a gangster named Pharaoh. No, I should say I had a sexual relationship with him. There was no love. He got me pregnant but then he forced me to abort the child. I had originally named the child Moon since I wasn't sure of the gender yet and I had discovered I was pregnant during a full moon.

"Lei Lei. I want you to be like him." My brother was pointing at a picture of Sol on the TV. "You don't have to be a celebrity, but I want you to be rich and successful. I also want you to build a kingdom so your kids and their kids will never have to worry about money."

This conversation sound familiar. I've been through this before.

I began to put two and two together. The TV was talking about how this is Sol's birthday fashion show and it's also a celebration of him getting Eguiluz Enterprise. That means that this is the night that Sol was killed.

On that night, I remember I was watching the news with my brother. But something else happened that night. What happened? Why can't I remember?

Suddenly, gunshots flew threw the windows and immediately, my brother pulled me into a tight hug.

"Lunes!?" I yelled.

"It's okay. Everything will be okay. Relax, Soleil," he kept on telling me.

I buried my face into his chest and closed my eyes, praying to whoever is up there to make whatever's happening stop. The sound of gunshots was echoing in my ear, making it hard to ignore.

Then, the sound stopped.

"Lunes?" I slowly asked.

My big brother Lunes was still holding onto me. I shook him, telling him that everything's over. He wouldn't budge.

"Lunes," I said, pushing him off me.

Instead of sitting up, he fell off of the couch. I jumped and I quickly knelt down on the floor. "Lunes! What's wrong!?"

I was about to turn him over so he would lay on his back instead when I saw that his shirt was bloody. There were holes that looked like bullet holes all over his back.

"No...no..." I whispered, turning him over so I could see his face.

His eyes were still open, but they didn't look exhausted like they usually did. They looked dead. Then, I put my ear to his chest so I could listen for his heartbeat. I gasped and sat up when I heard nothing.

Lunes Keita has died by drive by shooting right in front of my eyes.

"Why...why did you protect me!? Why are you always sacrificing every thing for me!? You're dead now, are you happy!? What the fuck is wrong with you!? You're the worst brother ever!" I yelled as I sobbed.

I was pissed off, but I wasn't pissed at him or the shooter. I was pissed off at myself.

Why did I let him block the bullets from him? Why did I let him pay for my college tuition? Why did I leave him here while I'm off at a college miles away from here? What type of sister am I to let him give up his life for me?

I should have been the one who died that night.

...

When I opened my eyes again, I found myself in a hospital bed.

"How...?" I mumbled as I took off the ventilator that was over my mouth and nose and sat up.

Through the white translucent curtains covering the window, I saw that it was nighttime.

The hospital room door slid open, revealing Sol. "She's awake."

He was still standing in the doorway when Suji and Ortega ran past him as they entered the room.

"Soleil! OMG, Soleil!" Suji cried as she collapsed on the floor. "OMG, I just-"

"She's alive!" Ortega yelled.

I rubbed my head. "Wha-what happened?"

"You've been out for a month," Ortega said, suddenly serious.

"Sure, like I'd fall for that again," I said, rolling my eyes.

"No, he's actually telling the truth," Suji said as she stood up.

I blinked. "I was out for...a month?"

Sol closed the hospital door and shoved his hands into his pockets. "We have to talk."

I studied Sol from where I was. He's not in hospital clothing or anything and he looked perfectly fine. Okay, so then why am I in the hospital when we're the ones who share pain?

"Ariel turned himself in...Jasai's resting in peace now...and..." Suji was nervously rubbing her arm.

"Paparazzi," Ortega's voice cracked.

I blinked. "Paparazzi?"

Sol smiled at me, although I noticed that his smile was strained. He's faking his smile. "So...people can see and remember me now..."

...

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