Fallen (editing)

Chapter 31

NO. NO. NO.
I fall on to my knees, gently touching Pops' face.
"Pops? Hey, Pops."
The knife burns. I can feel it getting redder, darker, happier.
I clench my fists, looking at his face.
Soot stains his hair, red burns on his neck.
Everything he did for me rushes into my mind, overwhelming everything else.
Us getting drunk.
Him teaching me English.
Him getting me to school.
Him cleaning my wounds.
Him being a better father than my real one.
I choke back tears and grab a sheet next to me. I shake it out and set it over Pops' body.
The man puts a hand on my shoulder.
"I'm sorry. The police are looking for whoever started this fire."
I start walking away but he follows.
"People are saying they saw a giant spider or bug or something. Crazy, right?"
My shoulders shake. "Yeah, crazy."
You did this, Father. You killed them. You killed Pops and Ash's sister. You did this.
I stay silent, biting the inside of my cheek. The taste of blood fills my mouth.
I see Dimitrio's figure on the roof of building and he gestures towards something.
I look to where he's pointing and spot Ash. Her blonde hair is muddy and pulled into a messy bun. Her clothes are torn and burned.
I walk over to her and kneel next to her.
She cries softly over the the body of her sister.
She doesn't notice me next to her, her eyes closed and flooding with tears.
I put an arm around, pulling her close.
Startled, she freezes, pushing away.
Then she looks up at my face.
She lets herself be pulled in, tucking her head into my shoulder.
"She's gone. Cece's gone."
I hug her tighter. "I'm sorry."
She cries harder, soaking my shoulder.
"She was all I lived for. I would've ran away ages ago, but...... I couldn't leave her. Who was going to protect her? Who was going to look out for her? Who was going to make sure she didn't get hurt? Who? My parents sure as hell weren't. All they cared about was where their next drink was coming from."
Her voice is hard and bitter, like she can't get the words out fast enough.
"Always beating their kids for no reason. Always leaving their 5 year old daughter home alone with her 3 month old sister. Always leaving the door unlocked so strangers could come in. Getting arrested and sent to prison.
Getting their children sent to disgusting friends of theirs who would 'take good care of them'." She stays silent for a bit, her breath coming out raggedly.
Ash takes a deep breath and pulls away from me.
"I'm sorry. You don't need to hear this."
She starts to stand but I grab her wrist.
"No, no it's fine. You're fine."
She pulls her wrist away, rubbing it.
"What's wrong with your chest?"
"What?"
She stares at me. "Your chest. What's wrong with it?"
"I-I don't know what you're talking about."
She kneels down in front of me, pushing my torn shirt away.
The ugly bruises on my chest throb.
"Sylt, what happened?"
I grit my teeth, gently pushing her hands away. "Nothing. Nothing happened."
"Really? So these massive bruises on your chest just magically appeared one morning? What are you gonna tell me next? You're actually some banished prince from the underworld or something?"
I mutter under my breath. "You're not that far off."
Ash sucks in a breath. "What?"
"Do you remember any of what happened in the building?"
She bites her lip. "I- I remember hazy shapes and the fire. I saw you, I remember that. You were fighting someone, or something. There was something wrong with your head. The fire started and Cece-" Her voice breaks and dies off.
I take a deep breath. "I got some of the bruises inside the building."
"Some of the bruises?"
I rub the back of my neck. "Yeah."
"So what about the others?"
"It was my dad."
"Oh."
"Yeah." I smile crookedly.
She leans in a bit, putting her hands on my shoulders. "For what's it worth, you didn't deserve it."
"Neither did you."
She bites her lip and stands up. "I should get going."
I clear my throat, my face heating up. "You could, uh, stay with us, if you can't go back."
"Would your dad be ok with it?"
I laugh coldly. "My dad doesn't live with us. I live-lived with my grandfather."
"Oh....... So your grandfather-"
"-Died. Today."
Ash stays silent, looking at the sky. She looks back at me and smiles slightly. "I'll see you around, pretty boy."
I grin. "Ok..... Pretty girl."
Her face turns red and she pushes my arm. "You can leave now."
She walks off, looking back at her sister. She talks to a man and he carries Cece away.
She turns back around. "Actually, I might come to your apartment. I'll just get some stuff from home."
I smile. "Sounds good."