" Love will always be a lesson, let's get out of its way. "
04
* Trigger Warning *
She was at home one evening, eight years ago, when she heard a smashing sound from upstairs. Her dad had only just stormed in about five minutes ago, looking totally pissed. She hurried to check out what was going on but on getting to the landing, she felt a body collide with hers making her fall to the ground.
It was her mother.
Her dad was right in front of them. He was holding a gun and pointing it straight at his wife while the woman screamed. Kris was too shocked and scared to move. She sat there and watched as everything happened in slow motion.
A tear dropped from her dad's eye and his finger on the trigger tightened. A loud bang! filled the air, cutting her mum's pleas and sobs midway and her mum's body fell onto hers.
As Kris slowly peeled her tightly shut eyes open, one after the other, she met the tear-stained and now bloody face of her mum. She raised her wide eyes to meet her dad's whose hands were shaking as he dropped the gun and crashed onto his knees.
Kris was in shock.
Blood was pumping in her veins, hard. All sounds rushed out of her ears and she was in utter silence, stuck in a dark, terrifying world.
Anyone who entered would probably faint from the sight; a dead woman with a bullet hole right in her forehead on a teenage girl's laps with a grown man across from them, head in his hands, sobbing hysterically. In the middle of both parties was a gun.
The situation seemed to be on pause as nothing changed— no movements, just the sound of a sobbing man. As sirensu started to fill the background, it seemed to set everything back in motion. The kneeling girl rose to her feet abruptly and ran down to the kitchen, out the back door.
A minute later, the police busted through the front door, light flashing from torches as the scene was scanned. The lights fell on the still sobbing man and they rushed towards him, guns in hand. He was cuffed and dragged away. To be locked up.
Kris was running far away from home. She could not bear to be in that house for a moment more. She could not stop running as the horrible image only invaded her memory. The sun was beginning to set but she was still running.
____________
Kris' mum was the epitome of a two-timer. She had gotten married to Kris' dad while being married to someone else. She never divorced the first before getting married to the other. Her visits to her other husband in Holland were under the guise of her long business trips twice a year.
As Kris was escorted out of the visiting room — where she had spoken with her dad through a glass panel — she was engulfed into a hug by her paternal aunt, Cordelia who had been sobbing all day. She was to be staying with her and even better, Aunt Cordelia lived fifteen minutes away from her previous house.
This was the only good thing that had happened to her in the past week; she still got to see her best friend in the world after all. Her best friend who had been by her side all through her stay in the hospital after she was found lying by the roadside. He never once looked like he was disgusted by her.
Days passed after the incident and her father's arrest but she was still shaken. However, life decided to add another complication to her life when she got another shock of her life — her dad had committed suicide. He had loved her mum so much but acted on jealousy and bitterness.
Kris could barely speak no more than five words for weeks except with Carlisle. He was the only one she felt free with. In a matter of time, he got her smiling and then, laughing again.
_____________
As Kris stood in the airport, eyes welling up with tears, she said a little prayer in her heart. It had been two weeks already since Carlisle walked out of her life and she had heard nothing from her love ever since.
Her heart yearned for him and a little flicker of worry lit up in her mind.
What if he had gotten into an accident on that day? What if he drank himself to a stupor and tripped off the top of the cliff? What if...
The what ifs were doing no good at all as her knees started bouncing in agitation. She tried to calm herself down and think in a less scary way. It could be a minor thing; Carlisle never got her message. He could have turned his phone off and never listened to her voicemail.
The announcer soon started calling for the passengers boarding the plane to Manchester. Next was her flight; the plane going to London. She was biting down on her nails with her eyes tightly closed.
Minutes passed...
"All passengers getting on Flight 114A05 to Heathrow, London, please get on board."
This was the end.
Kris took in a deep breath and picked up her hand luggage. She tightened her coat around her body and braced herself for the new chapter in her life.
"Kris! Kris, wait up!"
Never in her life had she had a feeling so strong. Like the first time it occurred to her, the feeling of love bloomed in her chest and everything seemed anew. Two hands on her shoulder whirled her around before the familiar lips met hers in a soft and gentle caress.
"Don't think I'll let you go without at least saying something." A smile flitted across her lips and the tears filled up her eyes again at his words.
"Carlisle, I-I'm so sorry," She whispered as one of his hands held her face. "I decided that I've put you through enough, Carlisle. I'm doing this for you and this time, I mean it with all my heart. I'm leaving for rehab, to be a better person and I swear I will be. But I need one last favour from you," she murmured the last part with her eyes downcast.
"What is it, Kris? Anything for you," he whispered back.
"I want you to free your heart, Carl. I want you to open its windows wide so the right light can filter in. I want you, Carlisle, to fall in love."
He held his breath then and slowly released it again. His eyes welled up, this time, with tears of his own.
"I honestly don't think I'm capable of that, Kris, I don't know if I can ever fall in love again but I want you to try someday. And when you come back, know that your best friend is waiting, Kris. I'll be here for you. I promise." He placed a peck on her forehead, letting his lips linger for awhile.
"Carlisle? Thanks for loving me," she whispered.
He leaned in to give her one last kiss before whispering on her lips,
"It's been an honour. See you later."
*****
This marks the end of Prisoner. Thank you so much to everyone who has read to this point. It was just something that popped into my head while I was asleep.
Kindly check out my other short stories— Conventional Me, The Next Stop, One Last Christmas and Upside Down.
Thank you!
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Prisoner || [completed]
Short Story"I am a prisoner to my addictions. I'm addicted to a love that's so empty and cold." The word 'toxic' might as well have been invented from the nature of Kris and Carlisle's relationships, but considering all that had gone down in their pa...