All the lies I've been told

The incident

A couple of hours went by. I've been in a lot of meaningless smalltalk, just nodding and pretending it interests me. I'm miserable, and I need to get out of here. I managed to sneak away from a long conversation about our resources. Which was about the same as every year.

In order to get some air I went to the balcony. Standing there, looking out at the cornfield behind the mansion I found myself wishing for tomorrow. A quiet day in my room, maybe I'll spend the day with Jonathan if he has the time or perhaps help Mr Smith with his tasks around the house.

When my hands started to freeze in the cold autumn air, I decided to get inside again. Walking through the empty hallways without servants felt weird. I dragged my hand along the wall. Then suddenly I started hearing sounds.  As I got closer, the sound got louder. And I could hear voices, some familiar, some not. I stopped.

The voices came from my fathers office. Inside I could hear my dad and my brother arguing.

"I can't let you tell her" It was my dad, his voice was firm and angry.

"We have to tell her," Jonathan exclaimed. The door was slightly open and I walked towards it, just enough so I could see into the room. In the room stood my father behind his desk, his fists on the table. Besides him stood my mother. "Jonathan, you don't know what you're doing. Think of it. This will only end up hurting her." She said,

Jonathan stood in front of my parents, closest to the door with his back turned to me.

He looked down. "She deserves to know," he said under his breath.

"Speak up, son." My dad demanded.

"She deserves to know!" He said loudly, not screaming but still enough to make me jump a bit.

"ENOUGH." A third voice said, one I hadn't noticed before. The man from before stepped forward from the dark. It was the same man I spotted Jonathan with earlier this evening.

"Get control over your son Campbell. I can't have a man this irrational in the business. You all obey me." He pointed out. "Understood?."

"No," Jonathan answered.

"Fine." The man said. "Tell her."

Jonathan looked up in confusion.

"Tell her, and I'll shoot both you and the girl."

My mother gave out a little gasp and shook her head. She looked up at my father who still was focused on Jonathan. She took his arm which made him look at her. With tears filling her eyes she whispered:

"Please." And shock her head.

With despair my father looked at her, closed his eyes and looked away.

My mother quickly turned to the man.

"Calvin" was all she could let out.

Calvin..

"You wouldn't shoot" Jonathan said as an answer to the man. He was so sure of it that he didn't even hesitate to say it, he knew the man wouldn't shoot them. He needed them.

The man turned around facing the wall. He let out a big sigh.

Jonathan took it as a victory, he started walking towards the door, to where I was watching them in agony. That's when our gazes met, he saw me and he realized I've heard the conversation. He stopped to look at me. At first he was surprised but then his eyebrows lowered and pulled close together, the corner of his mouth drawing downwards. And in his eyes the only thing I could see was suffering as he looked at me.

"I was hoping it wouldn't come to this. '' The man whose name now was revealed said, still facing the wall.

He turned around, gun pointing towards Jonathan.

The first thing I noticed was the sound of the gun shot, making me freeze in place. I then saw the blood slowly spreading on my brother's shirt. I opened my mouth as I realized what just happened. My own brother, my best friend, had been shot right through his stomach.

He looked down at all the blood covering him and then up at me. He fell backwards.

I heard my mothers scream of torment as he hit the ground. He laid there, on the ground, blood still spreading. She ran towards her son as her voice started cracking. Still screaming and crying she picked up the body that once belonged to my brother. She sat on her knees hugging his lifeless body and stroking his hair.

Then she started screaming again. It was the worst sound I've ever heard, it was the sound of a mother who just lost her child. I was too terrified to react, I just stood there watching it all happen. My father was still standing at his desk, but his eyes were filled with grief as he looked down at his only son laying on the ground, dead. Although he might not have shown it, he truly loved him.

"Get the girl," Calvin ordered.

A fourth person, to which I had not seen before because of the placement, stepped forwards and nodded.

It was Mr. Smith.

As Mr. Smith opened the door I nearly fell backwards, I was still in shock. His eyes widened.

"What are you doing here?" He whispered angrily.

I couldn't answer, I couldn't even talk. My lips refused to form words.

He took my arm in a tight grip and dragged me away from the office.

He took me by the shoulders. "You have to get out of here."

I didn't answer.

"You can't be here. Do you understand?"

I still didn't answer.

Mr. Smith started to become stressed. He shook my shoulders "are you listening to me?" He said which brought me back from my trance.

"You need to run! Get away, and never come back. They will be looking for you, you need to hide." He explained as he did wild gestures with his hands.

I started walking away slowly, stumbling on my steps, looking back many times in confusion.

"RUN" He screamed and I started walking faster.

"RUN!" He screamed once again even louder this time.

I started running, I ran as fast as I could. I ran out of the mansion, ran through the backyard, over the street and into a cornfield. I kept on running, stumbling my way forward as branches and leaves hit my face. I ran until my legs couldn't carry me anymore and I fell down into the muddy ground of the cornfield. I got up on my knees and looked up at the night sky.

I screamed.

When my voice couldn't let out any sound anymore I started to cry, I cried until I had no tears left. I laid down in the mud, shaking. With the cold air and the silence of the night surrounding me as I fell asleep.