What If He Didn't Die?

Chapter 18: Irony of the night

(Flashback Contd...)

I only stopped running when I finally stood against the Brown Resident again. This place that had only ever felt warm like home to me, now only felt like a slaughterhouse with the blood of innocent people spilt everywhere. It wasn't built on bricks, it was built on bones and everyone who lived there was a murderer, including me.

When I entered the place, I expected to see empty grounds and the murderers asleep, but they were all awake. Sitting there as if waiting for me. I laughed inwardly at the irony.

I walked in and stopped in front of the three of them, all eyes on me. I wanted to ask them the questions that were killing me, but was I even expecting to hear?

Did I not already know all the answers?

I looked at my father, who was wearing a not-so-bright look on his rich face but I couldn't see my dad anywhere anymore, I saw a murderer.

A ruthless murderer.

I turned to my sweet mother. The woman I'd adored all my life. Was it even possible that she knew this and let this happen? No, it wasn't. She was as pure and unaware of what a monster the man next to her was, as I was until tonight.

My brother, who had been so excited to soon take the position of my father, what would he think? What would he go through when he'd realize what our father had been building up all his life for us?

"Easter," The man, who I now was ashamed to be the daughter of spoke first. "where were you?"

That was something I didn't expect to be asked. That was at the bottom of the list of things I cared about at the moment.

"And don't you tell me that you were at Bella's, Easter, because that's a deadass lie," Eric whined in a frustrated voice before I could even start forming an answer in my head.

"Language son." My mother interrupted.

The residents of the Hall of lies talking about me being a liar, wow, that was a first. I decided to play along.

"What if I tell you I was at Bella's, dear bro?" I retorted. Eric's face hardened.

"Then I'd break the fact to you that I got too drunk celebrating the night with my friends and accidentally crashed at Bella's to find that you'd been lying into all our faces all this time."

This hit me right in the face. Although it was very little of a shock after all that I'd come to know that night, it moved me, maybe because I didn't expect something that small facing me any sooner.

"Woah. So you realised you got lied to. That's a shocker isn't it?" I laughed amusedly, maybe the alcohol was still not out of my system.

"Easter, where have you been all this time? Every night, where do you go to?" My mother asked in a pressed voice, trying very hard to stay calm.

I smiled sweetly at her, like a child. "Mmmm. Well, let's see..." I said pretending to remember, my right hand curled in a fist to rest on my chin with a finger tapping on my cheek.

"Let me help you out." Eric interrupted, his tone as harsh as I'd ever heard. "You'd been lying to all of us, only to sneak to the club where your cheap lover boy works as a bartender. Correct me if I'm wrong."

That should've shut me up, but instead, I burst out in laughter. Maybe, I really was still drunk. Or maybe that was just how all the events of the night had treated me. Maybe, I was losing my mind. Anyone would.

"Easter!" My mother hollered when I couldn't control myself.

"Oh, oh. I'm sorry. I am extrem- so- sorry. I just-" I kept laughing. "I'm impressed you caught my lie." I pointed out.