HIDDEN (Hide Or Die)

Chapter 42

KYLE'S P.O.V.

"Kyle? Kyle!"

I heard Mom call, and then I heard footsteps running noisily up the stairs. I could bet that by the time she got up from her chair and started running to me, her mind had already concocted terrifying images of me dead and spread out on the floor.

Yes, my mother has always been a drama queen; and usually, I made it a point of duty to remind myself to avoid saying or doing anything that might elicit such a reaction from her, but with the image in front of me, I didn't have the time or willpower to push her feelings to the front lines of my thoughts; at the time, I just needed her to give me answers.

"What...what is it?!"  Mom's usual silvery voice was laced and distorted by fear, her words stumbling out in disjointed fragments as she barged into the room with everyone else close behind her, and soon all their wide stares wrapped protectively around our figures.

"Kyle? Hey, what's the matter, baby? "Are you okay, boys?" I felt a lump form in my throat as I returned their gazes, tears threatening to spill from my eyes.

"Is this...oh, please tell me...is this...his?" Mom's brow furrowed in confusion at first, but upon glancing towards Andrew in search of a silent explanation, she saw him turn to stare at something behind me and her eyes instinctively followed; soon after her pupils dilated, her face turned as white as sheets, her entire body froze like ice, and before my very eyes, I watched shockingly as panic began to set my mother's nerves on fire.

"Kyle, I...I..." Fidgeting, Mom's gray eyes strayed away from mine and her lower lip slid into her mouth and instantly was held hostage by her teeth.

"Ma?" My heart sank deep as I watched her intensely.

"I...I...never intended for you to find out this way." Her breath came in quickly and shallowly as she slowly began to approach me as if I was a wounded animal needing calming, and for the life of me, I couldn't comprehend why she was suddenly acting this way.

"Ma, why did you bring us here?" She came to a halt, her nostrils flared, her eyes lowered, and then she slowly turned away from me.

"Because I know it's the one place where they won't look." Her voice was whispery and cracked as if she were preparing for a rainstorm, and it made my heart sink even deeper.

"What's wrong, Ma? What exactly is this place?" I knew I wasn't prepared for any response she was preparing to give to me, but it didn't matter at this point. I mean, what more harm could her words possibly do to my already battered heart?

"It's a place that constantly reminds me of my endless failure." Mom sniffed and limply fell to her knees, hugging it tightly as she sobbed.

When Andrew saw this, he rushed to her side, crutching down to her level, and protectively wrapped an arm around her, trying to comfort her, whereas I couldn't even will my body to move a muscle.

"I'm not sure if you remember this Kyle," Mom spoke through her tears, "because you were only nine years old at the time, but there was a period when I left you home alone for an entire week." My face concocted as the dreadful reminder of those seven days immediately haunted my sanity.

******

Flashback (Eight years ago)

Kyle was nine years old at the time, and his mother had instructed him to stay at home as usual because she needed to go to work to make money to sustain the life they currently had, and that she would return in the evening and they could spend the rest of their time together, as she always did.

Kyle wasn't happy with his Mother leaving him home alone every day, but he was wise enough to understand why she had to do so and the consequences of breaking her 'stay-at-home' rule once more. He had promised his mother and himself that he would never make the same mistake again. So leaving the house was definitely a no-no.