"So, who's my father?" I wipe my tears and look at the old man desperate for answers.
"I don't know," Mr. Keiver shakes his head. "I don't know."
"I- I-" I run out of the old house with nothing left to say. Unfortunately, on a hunt for answers, I gained more questions. I didn't feel angry, all I felt was confused and unstable. I felt like I didn't even have a foundation anymore. My life is an explosive lie. Even when dealing with my deranged mother, I could always lean on the memories of my father for support. Now, I can't lean on my father, because I have no idea who he is.
I manage to stumble back to the Reddman residence, and the slaves see my puffy cheeks and red eyes, but they look away. I barely crawl up the stairs to see my bed empty and neatly made. I drop onto my bed, and my exhaustion finally consumes me. For those few hours that feel like minutes, I could finally relax in my mind of secrets and lies.
••••••
"April," Eric shoves me awake.
"What, what?" My eyes snap open. "What happened?"
As my eyes adjust to the light, I could make out more details. For example, the tears streaming down Eric's eyes.
"My-" Eric's voice cracks as he sobs.
I could feel tears forming on my own weary eyes, "Eric, please, tell me everything."
"My dad's dead," Eric chokes out. "Sadie says she saw someone creeping around our house. Then she followed them until she saw the person go into dad's study. S-S-Sadie thought the person was just a business visitor but when she didn't hear anything for about fifteen minutes she knocked and went inside to see Dad with a knife in his chest and the window open."
"Oh my God," I wrapped my arms around Eric's shivering body.
"I hated him," Eric gripped my arms trying to right himself. "I hated him, and he loved me. We never made amends. I never made it right with him. Now he'll die thinking I hate him."
"Shh, Eric," I held him to my shoulder. "He knows you love him. He always knew." I stroked his hair, for what seems like forever. He went from choked sobs, to dry rasps, to stilled tears, to sleep. He trembled through his nightmares, but I understood. I understood the monsters that kept you awake during scarring moments like these. I understood to have a father in one second and be alone the next. I knew the pain better than anyone.
Sadie finally came home during the middle of the night. I could hear her crawling up the stairs with the little energy she could wield to keep moving. "Eric," She shouts up the steps. "April!"
"In here," I whisper-yell, and hear Sadie bolt to my room.
"Eric," Sadie's face is a waterfall of tears. "I don't know what to do now."
Eric slowly stirs to consciousness, and looks up at his sister. He sits up on my bed and stares at her. Sadie bends on one knee and looks pitifully into his eyes. I could see the depressed communication traveling through them. Only one glance can say so much. They envelope each other in the most passionate sibling hug I've ever seen.
It's now, that I realize how much I envy their love. If I had Eric when my dad passed, who knows how different my life would be? I probably wouldn't even be where I am now, because I would have someone to stay for. I would be kept in the comfortable ignorance of my disturbed family line. My memories of my fake father would be intact and I could have the luxury of only having to worry about my mother for the day. However, no, I don't have what they have. I'm left here to think about the similarities between this day and that first day my dad wasn't there anymore to welcome me.
"Deja vu," I mutter under my breath.
"Huh," Sadie breaks apart from her brother and looks at my through her worn eyelids. "Did you say something?"
"No," I lie. "What do you want me to do?"
"Find Christian," Sadie demanded. "I told him about-"
There was a silence in the room when she mentions the tragedy.
"He just stormed off," Sadie finished. "I want you to make sure he's okay, please April."
"Of course," I reassure her. I look down to realize that I slept with my clothes on. So, I climb out of bed and walk away, determined to find Christian.
••••••
"Christian!" I yell through the night.
"April, I'm here." I look through the darkness to find Christian leaning against a wall across the house sitting on the concrete.
"I killed him." He was flooded in tears.
"Christian," I wiped the tears off his cheeks. "What are you talking about?"
"Onyx," He cried. "Onyx said he would kill him. Said he w- would kill Reddman."
"His name is Onyx?" I question. Christian starts gasping quickly.
"Christian," I run my fingers through his hair to calm him down. "Christian, please. I need an answer. Just tell me his full name, you can do that right?
"No, I did it," Christian trembles uncontrollably. "I killed him. He may have been mean, but he sheltered me. Through everything, he made sure I was safe, fed, and comfortable. I wasn't his guest, I was his son. After everything, I killed him! April, I'm a murderer!"
"SHUT UP!" I slap Christian across the face.
"Wh- why did you...?" Christian looks up at me, finally noticing that I'm there.
"You were having a panic attack, Christian." I pull him towards me. "C'mon let me take you home. I'll talk to you in the morning."
As we walk back to the house. There's detectives clad in black swarming the place.
I could see Sadie standing in front of them all, clutching her little brother behind her.
"... I found him in his study, a knife plunged in his chest. The killer already made his escape before I came. No trace of him anywhere. I didn't know what to do, so I awoke a friend of mine, Christian, to help me look for the murderer. Afterwards Christian disappeared, and I couldn't find him so I decided to look for the killer myself. I scoured the streets but I didn't find him. I then went back to comfort my little brother in this rough time." Sadie somehow kept her head up in the wave of microphones and questions she managed to answer. "That's enough questions. Please, get to work finding the cold-hearted killer."
"A killer." Christian whispers in my arms. So quietly, that the only person who can hear his distress is me.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Hey. So, we got a name: Onyx. Where do you think he stands in April's life? Do you think he's the father? I won't tell you if you're wrong or right about that just yet.
Follow. Comment. Vote. Share
-- Helen
YOU ARE READING
Inferno
FantasíaAll you have is your fire, and the place you need to reach. Don't you ever tame your demons, always keep 'em on a leash... April Annenberg was as normal as normal could get. When she finds her life isn't as boring as she always thought it was, will...
