Reflection

Chapter 11

It was as though I weren't there. My parents were drawn to each other, captivated by each other's presence.

"I tried, Rose. I tried, but..."

"I know." My mom cupped his face. "I had to go, save Antonia while I could."

"What was it? What made you run away from me?" Peter plead.

"Ephie," my mother's voice cracked at the admission. "She wanted to wear a red blouse, but it was dirty. When she returned home from school, the white shirt I had sent her to school was soaked in red. I asked her how she had dyed it. She looked me dead in the eyes and, as though she were detailing the weather, she told me she killed a neighborhood cat and used the blood to dye it."

Peter's head sunk into my mother's lap.

"She is broken, Peter. She was born broken," my mom whispered.

"She is our daughter." He weakly lifted his head. "She came from us. How could you just give up on her when she needed you the most?"

"Do you think we can save her?" My mom asked.

"If I had never met you, I would say no. But you saved me. You could save her, too. You have to give her a chance."

My mother stood, pulling Peter up with her. I was the ghost in the corner watching the lives of the living.

"Sit with me, my love," my mother cooed as she pulled Peter to the velvet enrobed love seat. Their hands did not part; they were entwined. "Tell me about Ephie."

"She has your wit, quick and sharp. She is smart, sometimes too smart for her own good. But since you left, there is a sadness that seeps in and reveals an innocence that is easy to overlook." Peter's face had a small smile as he spoke of his daughter.

"And Nicholas?" My mother prodded.

"Oh, Nick, he is disciplined and careful like me, but loyal and caring like you. He did more for Ephie than I ever could. They bonded when you left." A laugh tipped his lips before he added, "thick as thieves, one could say."

My mom let out a giggle. "Oh, Peter..."

My mom laughing that her children were bank robbers broke me.

"Stop it. Stop acting like the world is not over. There is no coming back. You are all criminals, and now I am a criminal. You stole my life!" I was screaming like a child. My throat ached at the stretch I demanded.

"Antonia," Peter, my father, rose from the loveseat and finally became untangled from my mother. "My dear, sweet girl. You are home," he cooed.

"Home? Home? This is not my home! New York is where I live. My home is in a reputable job. My home is with my honest boyfriend!" I argued.

"Boyfriend?" He rose an eyebrow at me, then turned to my mother. "She has a boyfriend?"

"Yes, a bit of a pancake, but harmless enough," my mother callously shrugged.

"Harmless," my father chuckled to himself. "Not a word that would define a great love."

"What? Am I supposed to become infatuated with a felon that will spawn Satan's child?" I contended.

"Do not speak of your sister in that manner," he admonished. "You haven't even gotten the chance to meet her, but you know Nick. You know in your heart this is where you belong, where you both belong."

"No. No. This is not my life. This is not my family!" I pushed passed him to my mother. "Mom, we have to leave. They can't hold us here."

"Well, we could," Peter mused from behind me. "But we won't have to, not while your face is still on the run."

Ice coursed through my veins. My mom's eyes slowly closed as her head slowly nodded.

"Are you threatening me?" I barked as I turned back to Peter.

"Quite the opposite. I am offering help. I am happy to offer this help. All I ask is to get to know my long-lost daughter and..." His eyes fell on my mom. "Recoup what was once lost."

"We don't need their help, Mom." I was pleading, grasping at sand that was slipping through my fingers with every passing moment.

My mom stood and paced to the bar again. This time, she poured a glass of red wine.

"Antonia," she began. "We have the luxury of time in these walls." She offered me the wine. "Let's just take a moment and breath." I met her eyes and saw my mother. The mother I had always known: calm and collected. She nodded to the glass in her head in a silent urge to partake.

I took the glass and gulped a large mouthful. "We're not safe here," I hissed in a hushed tone.

"We are safe here as anywhere for now," she soothed as her hand coursed through my hair.

My mind began to feel fuzzy as her hand continued to comb through my hair.

"Sit, Antonia. You are so tired." She ushered me to the loveseat and took the glass from me.

"I am so tired all of a sudden," I murmured.

"It's been a trying few days. You must be exhausted," Peter offered as he neared. "Your mother is right. You are safe here. Just rest now."

"What was in this?" Peter murmured as he tapped my wine glass.

"Just a sedative," my mother explained as she set the wine aside.

"You... you..." by the oncoming sleep was scrambling my words and thoughts.

"Just rest, dear," my mother cooed again.

"You were always quite the pharmacist," my dad smiled.

"Some things never change," my mom agreed. "What are we going to do?" My mom sighed.

"We are going to figure this out together. I have you back, and I will not let you go again," Peter answered.

"Why didn't you come? I know you could have," my mom asked.

"When I woke up alone and realized Antonia was also gone, my first thought was the worst. And you are right; it was easy to track you. When I  found you it was clear that you had chosen to leave and chosen to leave with Antonia, it crippled me with pain. There is no greater agony than that inflicted by the ones you hold closest. I went to New York so many times intending to drag you back; drag you both back. Each time..." Peter's words halted.

"Each time what?" My mom prodded.

"Each time, you thwarted me. The vision of you with Antonia. You were happy," he noted. "You had a life I could not offer."

"I did," my mom concurred.

"But the last few years..."

"When Antonia was grown, my life focused on her was gone; the loneliness snuck in," my mom confirmed.

"It was like your loneliness drew me to you more. I found myself sneaking off to watch you more and more. It was Ephie that followed me. She had grown curious as to where I was going. Nothing gets by her," Peter explained.

"And she saw Antonia," my mom guessed.

"She did. She immediately knew who you were. Nick had never been shy to speak of Ephie's missing twin. I am sure that once Ephie announced she had seen her twin, Nick went into big brother mode and sought out Antonia to protect her."

"Is he? Is he protecting Antonia?" My mother pressed.

"Of course. What else would he be doing?" My father pressed.

"I don't know. Something just feels off," my mom sighed.

"Darling, Rose, you are safe. Antonia is safe. Let me sort this out," Peter soothed.

Their words succumbed to the haze of my mind then. Only the peaks of words penetrated my sedated head.