D E S P O T I S M

2

"C'mon, James, cut the nonsense," Dad groans, rubbing his wrinkled forehead in distress. "Start acting like a grown-up already."

"Yes, you heard him." I back up my dad's words as my eyes still linger over uncle James.

"You too, Ella," Dad lashes out, yanking my gaze to his scowling visage and leaving me feeling disillusioned.

"What?" I throw out innocently, and uncle James huffs again.

"Oh, please don't make that face. You heard me, Ella." Dad barks out sternly, his waning patience palpable in every word. "This isn't your playground, we're not here for no picnic. Be that in your mind."

"Yea... You heard what your papa said, little missy." Uncle James sneers, and I shoot daggers at him with my gaze.

I let out a sigh and ask, "Hey Dad, you still mad at me?"

"Well, what do you think? No parent wants their kid to end up in a hellhole like this."

"Why did you bring me here then?"

"Because you were groveling behind me."

"Ahh geez...," Murmuring, I flop back in my seat with a huff, crossing my arms in dissent.

"I heard you drop down on your knees and cling to Damon's leg to be a part of this project, Ella. Why the fuck would you do that?"

I sit quietly as dad's scolding voice rushes at me, yet I keep my eyes outside, silently watching the world go by. It's not that I have no words, rather, it feels as though he would not understand if I spoke up. I was doing my utmost to keep my tone in check at that moment. I'm trying not to argue, even though this stuff is seriously bugging me. I gotta show him what I am capable of without relying on him. So it is best not to lose contr-.

"Yo, that's a great dedication." Uncle's jeers ring out in my ears.

Fuck world peace.

My jaw falls agape and I eye my uncle, "Cut it out, will you?" My eyes drift over to my dad, and I keep going. "Yes, I did, Dad! Cause Damon's the big boss MD man, and you straight up booted me from that project I was hyped to work on. Go ahead and judge all you want, but I begged Damon to let me in on this project 'cause I really wanted in. And on top of that, I have done nothing wrong and got every right to do it, 'cause you basically swiped my idea."

"Accusing me of stealing your idea?" Dad furrows his eyebrows.

I flash a sly, innocent grin. "Yeah, pops. It was my idea, so it's not fair that you tried to axe me from the project."

Uncle James swivels his head towards dad with a mocking look and says, "Well, your little girl's now a pro at playing the game. You should be bursting with pride."

I roll my eyes and face forward.

"It is not about ideas, Ella." Dad says, sounding calm but tired, "It's about whether you have what it takes to make it happen. The way you carry yourself makes it tough to work with you. I just don't think you're ready yet."

"I am, Dad!" I disagree. "That is why he let me in here."

"You are here because you are my daughter," Dad says firmly, socking me in blue. "He had come to see me the same day to let me know what you're after. What were you thinking? I wouldn't have a clue about this?"

"Oh, my god..." I shake my head in disbelief. I was numb all of a sudden by his words. I pause for a few seconds, isolating those words he just mentioned a moment ago. "You don't think I'm good enough?"

"What?" Dad's mouth hangs slightly open, as if he is about to say something but can't find the words.

I turn my head and look over my shoulder, searching for an answer from him with my eyes. But all I get in response is silence. Dad shifts uneasily, his mouth opening and closing as he searches for the right words to say, yet no coherent words escape.

"Tha- That's not even what I was saying." He squirms.

"So, what were you actually trying to say?" I cross my arms, maintaining eye contact with him, bracing myself for a confrontation.

"Ella, this place is teeming with hazards, and I-"

"Cut the act, dad. I know you're worried, but don't try to play the 'father card' on me." I say. "Then, why did you decide to do it on your own?"

"Because I've dealt with worse, but you haven't, that's why."

"Pops, it's high time you stop babying me like I'm still a little tyke."

Suddenly, a peal of laughter fills the car, breaking the heavy air and causing both dad and I to pivot towards its source. Uncle, with a twinkle in his eye and a cheeky grin, let his belly jiggle with amusement.

"Y-You tw- You two" Uncle laughs again. "You two should have sorted this shit out before leaving Dallas.

"I couldn't agree more," I say to my uncle and then shoot a glance at dad before slamming my back to the seat and facing forward. "But unfortunately, someone was too stubborn to sort this shit out."

I click on my tongue and keep going, "It doesn't seem like there's a big issue here as people are making it out to be. Just look at how well we were treated by Nehemiah."

"Cuz, that's just what he does, you know?" Dad says, "It's his job."

"Not only that." Nehemiah finally breaks his silence. "Your documentary will bring hope to future generations, I'm confident about that. They definitely deserve it."

"I've heard people saying that there are dead bodies on the roads every day," I say. "I mean... C'mon. It's probably just some exaggerated rumors, you know."

Nehemiah lets out a throaty rumble, drawing everyone's attention. I can tell he's feeling frustrated with what I just said, but I still believe those days are long gone. Z13 is no longer Z13 anymore. I can't imagine what it was like back then.

"Dan..." Uncle gives a heads up, his tone was low and menacing.

"It's not like the old days anymore!" I throw my hands up. "So, haven't we been here for like two hours now? And nothing's happened? No... That's why I am telling you, you guys need to chill a littl-"

What the...

Nehemiah slammed on the brake and stopped the car abruptly, catching me off guard and cutting me off mid-sentence. I swear, I banged my knee somewhere. I lift my head to say something but stop dead in my tracks when I see his eyes narrow and focus far away. He swallows hard as he leans forward, and his hands' grip on the steering wheel gets tighter as if his knuckles are about to snap.

"Jesus christ..." Uncle murmurs.

"What in the world was that?" Dad grumbles.

Still, Nehemiah did not answer.

My gaze follows Nehemiah's, coming to rest upon a gruesome sight: a body, mercilessly hacked in two, lying motionless. The two pieces of her body are about a foot apart. I can feel my breath hitch in shock and horror. A deep gash marred her face, stretching from the corner of her lips to her earlobes, a cruel testament to the violence inflicted upon her. Patches of her skin were missing, leaving behind a mosaic of dark blue and red bruises. The remnants of her once-smooth flesh told a story of unspeakable violence and pain. And her eyes... It was wide open, frozen in a look of terror.

I feel chills running down my spine, and I scream.

//