Christopher | ✔

Chapter Ten

The house was quiet, all lights off and a smell of burnt food engulfed us. I stepped over a flipped couch, motioning to the others to stay at the threshold, eager to get to the bottom of this. I was more a coward as I wondered if I should call out for my sister or Nina, afraid that I would get the answer I didn't want. Where the girls caught up in a robbery?

"Candace?" I called out, flipping on a light switch, giving the room a better glow. There was no reply as I edged closer to the stairwell. "Nina?" I tried as well. The same response... Silence.
Well the area did look deserted so I figured they'd gotten out unscathed. Besides, when an instruction is given to someone like Candace, they usually do the opposite.

I sighed as I climbed the stairwell, still looking for signs that they were still there and stopped when I heard some whimpering nearby. I edged closer to the hallway closet as the crying got louder.

"Hello?" I called again, cautiously placing my hand on the knob, turning it with fear. And to my relief, there was Candace, hugging her legs to her chest with red puffy eyes.

"Oh Zoe!" She wailed as she threw herself at me, shaking in excitement that I'd arrived. I stared at her in confusion, looking around the closet to see if she had any company with her.

"Where's Nina?" I asked, turning my head around frantically. Candace sobbed as she held her head in her hands.

"He's evil. He just came in here with such a rage, I couldn't imagine he would act like this!" I frowned at her.

"Who's he? I asked. She seemed to be mentioning that pronoun quite a lot. She paled at the thought of revealing the culprit to me, making it all the more intensifying. I needed to know who caused all this wreckage and havoc.

"It was Chris," she whispered, sobbing as soon as the word left her lips. My brows furrowed together to understand the three words that were just uttered. Did she just say that it was Chris who overturned all our furniture? It couldn't be him. He wasn't like that.

"Where's Nina?" I asked, removing myself from her grasp as I turned to search the rest of the house. I was about to enter one of the rooms when suddenly, a loud crash came from downstairs. I rushed down the stairs, bent on solving this brutal mystery. I breathed a sigh of relief when I realized it was Nina emerging from behind kitchen counter, but the hinges of my jaw slacked as I noticed how badly her face was beaten. "Nina!" I called as I ran towards her, holding her face in my hands. By then, the others where inside, Emmett already grasping for damp towels to dab her with.

"What happened?" Darlene asked, as she stepped over broken glass and pieces of fluff from inside a pillow. Emmett dabbed Nina's forehead first, causing her to wince in pain, as the water moistened her fresh wounds.

"He just went crazy," Candace replied, as she watched Nina with eyes filled with guilt. Why did she feel so remorseful?

"These wounds are too deep. We need to get her to some medical clinic," Emmett suggested after countless times of draining a rag filled with blood. We all agreed on the suggestion, and quickly helped Nina to the car, where Gabriel and Caleb stood waiting. Their faces filled with horror when they noticed how brutal Nina's bruises were, and undoubtedly serious. I too, was scared for the scars it would live. Poor child, she went through a lot.

"Oh God!" Darlene cried, causing everyone to stop and stare at her. "The child! Her baby... is it... is it okay?" She was panicking over a situation that everyone had overlooked. I'd completely forgotten that Nina was pregnant.

"All the quicker to get her to help," Emmett mumbled, as he helped her into the car, and all of us piled in.

"You're pregnant?" Candace asked, bewildered. Once Nina nodded, she broke down in tears. "I should have done something," she kept on mumbling to herself. "Instead, I hid there like a fucking coward." For the first time, Nina said something.

"You'd have gotten hurt too." And she reached out to place a reassuring hand on her shoulder. I hadn't realized I was smiling, seeing the two of them get together, like old times, when things were nice and cosy.

Long were the days, when Nina didn't disappear, when Candace wasn't a whore, when Darlene didn't keep secrets from us, when Gabriel wasn't troubled, when Caleb wasn't gay for one person, when Emmett didn't develop his anger issues yet, when my mother didn't have a potential abuser as her boyfriend, and when I didn't have a fucked up life. I sighed in sadness, knowing that we'd never get back to the way we were, and enjoy the serene moments of innocence and the childish laughter we shared. Those days were long lost, never to be retrieved, only to exist deep in our memories.

The drive was quiet. It wasn't uncomfortable since everyone was lost in their thoughts... Nina probably lost in her pain. Being occupied lets time fly quicker than usual, and within what seemed like two minutes, we were pulling up at the town's medium-sized clinic. Nina wasn't too serious for a hospital, only a few stitches here and there would satisfy her state. From the time we walked, no one questioned us, they simply rushed her to a room to be attended to. Everyone was seated while Emmett paced the floor, his auburn-brown hair sticking in all directions. Eventually, his anxiety got the best of him, so he suddenly walked up to us, looking troubled.

"Caleb?" he called, causing the startled and suddenly timid boy to look up in confusion. It probably took him a lot to prevent a blush from forming on his cheeks. "Let's go get a drink." Caleb nodded slowly, turning to face me with a frown as he got up. "You girls want anything?" Emmett asked.

"We'll be fine," I replied, and all the others nodded in response. So they walked off, Caleb trailing behind Emmett, and I was almost scared for him. Who knew what stupid stunt he'd pull.

"What are we going to do after all this?" Darlene asked, scratching her bright red hair. She looked as tired as hell. "I mean, how are we going to explain this to your mother?" I placed my head in my hands.

"I don't know."

"She's going to believe us, right?" I sighed and turned to face Darlene.

"I don't know."

***

Hope you liked this one! I actually made time and published this little bit just for you. Please comment and vote, especially comment and don't forget to share the book! Love you all, and vote well... There's a dedication waiting for you!

Taja D'amore.