Darkness Returns | Darkness #2

6.

Two days. 

Camilla has been gone for two days.

Dominic is furious. I am devastated. Easton is irritated. Asher is confused.

Even Aiden misses her. He's walking around the house all day, searching for his twin sister. He's never been very needy of her, thought of her as annoying most of the time, but now he looks lost. 

He's not meant to be an only child.

Dominic is raging all of the time. He is, just like us, clueless on how anyone could have taken her with them. But it's not like he cares. He's gone to three different enemies to make sure she's not in their hands. She wasn't, and he almost got killed.

Now here I am, bandaging his stabbed arm with him rolling his eyes at the time waste and a bouncing leg. "Come on, Nicky, you have to calm down," I try to talk to him. "We all miss her, but you getting yourself killed won't help."

He scoffs, looking away. "So what should I do then, Daisy? Let go of her? Let her die? She's my child, and she shouldn't experience a past as traumatic as mine. Fuck this. I'm going to our uncle."

I grab his unharmed arm, pulling him back. "No. You're not. Just think about me, please. What should I do when you're dead? What should we do without you?"

His eyes are cold and distant as he yanks his arms out of my grip. "I'm sure your two other husbands can satisfy you enough."

Shocked, I blink at him. He sees that as an opportunity to leave and so he does. The front door slams closed, making me flinch. 

"Easton!" I shout. "Asher!" Someone has to stop him. Please.

They run to the kitchen, worried sick about me. Tears prickle my eyes as I point through the window at Dominic's car starting. "He's going to your uncle."

Immediately alarmed, Easton lets go of me and runs out of the house. I hear him shouting things at Dominic, who doesn't listen and takes off.

"You fucking idiot!" Easton yells after him. Asher wraps me tighter against him, comforting me. Easton storms back inside, grabbing the keys off the table. "I'm going after that fucker. Don't worry, little love, he'll be back in ten minutes."

God, I hope it. Losing one member of my family is bad enough.

I see Easton leave with the fastest car he owns, right after Dominic. Asher tucks a strand of hair away from my face. "It'll be okay, butterfly. In the meanwhile, I think we should go get Sebastian. The boy was walking alone on the playground just a few streets away this morning."

Sighing, I nod. It'd definitely make Aiden feel less lonely, and Seb would be safe. "Let's go."

I call Aiden, who doesn't listen. My life is not working with me today. 

Asher goes upstairs with me, to Aiden and Camilla's room. We find him on the floor, surrounded by all of Cam's Barbie dolls. "And she will be back with a pink princess dress. And a little crown. Camilla is a secret princess, I think. Would that make me a prince, mister Duffel?"

Mister Duffel is his teddy. It's a large, brown dog, which he carried everywhere until he turned four. He said he got 'too big' for him then, but I see now he still has his heart full of his teddy. "Papa always says mommy is a queen. But I don't see anyone bow when she passes. Maybe she's a secret queen?"

My heart tears apart. Asher gives me a little wink before opening the door completely, revealing ourselves to the little heartbroken boy. "Hello, little one. Do you want to go get—" "Camilla? Yay!" he cheers, jumping up and running to us.

He's too small to understand what's going on. Aiden is smart, very smart, but this is not something he should figure out. "No, not Camilla. Sebastian. He's staying with us for a while."

He shrugs, seeming less excited with that. Ash picks him up and carries him downstairs, having to experience the heartbreak of hearing Aiden ask where Camilla is with a small voice.

"She's staying with Ada for the week. do you know Ada?" Asher is quick to lie. Aiden nods, still frowning when he's put in the car. "But—Camilla said she'd never leave my side? She said we will always go to the same parties?"

I give him a long hug. "It was a princess party, sweetheart. There was a no boy rule." He saddens, nodding as his eyes fill with tears. "Oh."

Asher and I share a look, and I swear we could both break down right there and then. But we have to stay strong for our little son, who just wants his sister back. 

With silence all through the drive, we finally arrive at the playground behind the school. No one is here, but I know Seb's dad lives in one of these houses. So we get out, determined on having Seb living with us. The little guy deserves that.

Aiden, contrary to what we'd thought, doesn't run to the slide but stays close to me. He grabs my hand tightly, looking around. It breaks my heart again.

So I pick him up, putting him on my hip while I'm talking to him. "What's wrong, sweetheart? You don't want to play with mommy on the slide?"

He shakes his head and I'm surprised when I hear him sniffle. "M-mommy? Does Camilla hate me?"

I tuck him close to me. "No. No, she does not. No one can hate you, Aiden." He nods and sniffles again. "I want to play with her."

Asher sees I'm having difficulties with keeping a straight face so he takes over his son, talking to him in a soft voice. Aiden nods a few times, clearly getting happier. 

I look around, searching where to begin when I see something in between the bushes. I walk closer, seeing shoes. Dirty childlike shoes.

The branches are hiding what I know I'll see. I gasp when I push them away. The little boy Sebastian is passed out, dropped in a bush. He has a bleeding wound on his forehead. 

It is clear his dad did this. I call Asher over, not knowing what to do. At least Seb is still breathing. 

He leaves Aiden on the swing, which the kid does not like, and jogs over. He frowns at the sight. "What the fuck."

I nod, agreeing. He picks Sebastian up, slowly and steadily, making the boy groan and shift. Seb opens one eye and looks at us. 

He bursts out in tears.