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Chapter 17

(Aron)

The wind moves the curtain slowly, it's cold but calm, soothing and peaceful. I was lost in the trance of those white curtains till something snuck past them and into the house. No, not something, someone. It's Mss.Hunter, what is she doing here? I thought she ran away? She looks around frantically before she notices me, her eyes go soft and she gives me a small smile. The same smile that got me through so much, that helped me find my best friend. She whispers his name, I suppose wanting to know where he is, I point to the play room where I know he probably is. She nods and sneaks as quietly as she can towards the other side of the floor. I want to follow her but something stops me, it's a gut feeling that if I leave, I loose this trance. If I leave I won't be able to stay in the peace that I oh so rarely get, so I stay. I stay and keep watching the white curtains move and dance to the song of the winds.
I don't know how much time passed before I heard that scream, I didn't recognize it. It sounded familiar to her voice, but I had never heard her scream before, I wasn't sure. I ran to its direction to see Alex and Mr.Hunter murmering.
"What was that?" Mr. Hunter turned to me with a crisp face.
"My phone Aron dear."
"What?"
"I know, I got scared too." Alex said with a bored face.
"I don't understand"
"Don't worry Aron, papa was just watching a scary movie on his phone and his volume was very high, nothing to worry about."
"Oh, alright. For a moment I thought it was Mss.Hunter"
Alex and his father both snap their necks turning towards me, but both with a very different expression. Alex with a glimmer of hope, but his dad with hidden anger.
"Whatever do you mean boy?"
"Yeah Aron what do you mean?"
I stammer contemplating what I should say next but Alex's face full of hope keeps me going, "I just saw Mss.Hunter a while ago, I think she was coming to meet you Alex."
"You did? She was? Where? When? Is she okay?"
"BOYS!" we jump at the loud and firm voice, the anger isn't hidden anymore. More controlled rather.
"Need I remind you two that Mss.Hunter had run away a week ago? She left you Alex, because she could not handle you and she left me because she had no love left for me. It is as simple as that so I assure you, there is no way nor reason that she would return. Don't be mistaken in the future Aron but I'll allow it for this time. I'm sorry but there's simply no way she stepped a foot in this house."
"But I saw-"
"Perhaps a day dream or a fragment of your wild imagination! I'm told children of your age go through those while handling grief, even if it is for a mother that isn't yours." That statement was enough to shut me up so I did. I didn't bother defending myself because, I didn't have anything to say.
"Right then, now that that's cleared, why don't you two boys run along."
"Come on Aron, let's go to the home theater."
I follow Alex to the theater and we're quiet for some time till he speaks up, "did you really see mama?" I contemplate for some time before Mr.Hunter's words strike me.
"No probably not, sorry Alex."

I wake up with a light gasp, they're so much..... clearer now. And these small details, they're coming back. Although considering my subconscious I don't know how much of these are actual memories and how much are just dreams.

"Morning."
I look to see Alex setting down a brown paper bag probably containing food, "Morning."
"You sleep okay?"
"That depends, does dreaming about your mother come within your terms of okay?" He gave me a skeptical look before replying
"Aron, that sentence makes me wanna beat you up."
"Relax I didn't mean it that way. I would never."
"Alright, so what did you dream about?"
"You remember that time in your house where we heard someone scream and we ran towards it?"
"Yeah, I thought it was mom. But dad said it was just his phone."
"That's the thing, I thought it was her too,"
"I remember. You said you saw her?"
"Yeah, honestly I'm actually very sure I did see her, she asked me where you were and I pointed to the playroom, sometime later I hear her scream and then you're dad tries gaslighting me into thinking she was never there. I don't know. I could be wrong but the details are right there, something about that memory feels so off."
He doesn't say anything for some time but then he says in a low voice
"You think he did something to her?"
"I don't know Alex. Do you think he could've?"
He goes quiet. And that means a horrible yes.
Before I can say anything though a hurried knock comes from the other side of the door, both of us snap out of our thoughts and Alex goes to open the door. The moment he does, I spot that short brown hair and that cute cheeks of hers, she looks up at him and gives him a small smile that I wish was for me.
"Hey rose" rose? Why's her name rose?
"Hey Alex, hey Aron." I give her a chin up, mainly because I genuinely don't know how to react to her anymore.
She comes in the room holding a brown paper bag which I assume like Alex's, contains food.
"Okay so what happened yesterday?"
Before Alex can say anything I do.
"I wanted to ask that first."
She looks at me and nods before reaching to her pocket and taking out a USB drive. I frown but I move towards Alex's desk and switch his laptop on. When she connects the drive I see the option to play some video footage, she clicks on it only for my brother to appear on the screen. He's in her room, this is probably when he set up this bullshit. He's checking on his phone to see if he can see himself, once he realizes his camera works he hides in the corner of the room behind a small wardrobe, right then Celestine comes out of the bathroom and sits on her bed, I still have my eye on Alan cause I can see how he's staring at her. It's so..... creepy. It's disgusting and I genuinely want to fuck him up for looking at her like that so bad. How the fuck am I even related to this asshole? Celestine pauses the video and turns towards me, "This is how I knew that he's the one who set the camera up. I watched the footage, he was there almost the entire fucking night. And on top of this he's probably seen my aunt too. This is...fucked up, no. It's beyond fucked up. "
"I know, I agree and I am... so fucking sorry. I mean, I knew he was bad but I genuinely never thought he was.... well. Whatever the fuck he is."
She nods understanding my words and a long sigh comes from Alex
"This is hard evidence and on top of that I have that voice recording. But it isn't enough. Knowing him he'll find a way to sneak out of trouble."
"Then we dig his grave so deep that he has no choice but to die." Her voice was harsh but emotional. I could feel the rage she had and I fully supported her.
"So what's the plan?"
"We're going to take him down completely. And we need your help for it. You're our double agent Aron" double agent? Taking down my brother once and for all? Getting justice for Celestine? Fuck yeah.
"I'm in."