An Eye For An Eye

•Chapter 12•

"You always wondered why I left all those years ago?" Casey poured another cup of water over my head as I sat in the tub of our parents old bathroom. "It was because of this."

"Casey, catch!" Little Beck screamed.

"Lola-- move!" Casey shoved me to the side.

"I felt terrible, Lola. I couldn't look at dad because of what he'd done... And I couldn't look at you because of what I'd done." He poured more water over me, running his fingers though my hair. I didn't open my eyes. If I had, I would've seen the water running red with blood. Not my blood. I had never bled. It was all Maks'.

Something slammed into my side, but it wasn't Casey's hands. It was something hard, colorful, plastic...

I fell to the ground, my head collided with something even harder.

"You hit her!" Casey yelled.

"You shoved her!" Beck retorted.

Dad's voice rose above theirs, "What's going on?"

In the bathroom down the hallway, I heard the sound of splashing water, and then the gurgling of a drain being opened.

Casey took one of my hands in both of his and began scrubbing my fingers. "I was young... Me and Beck both were... We didn't know--" he paused, like the words were physically painful for him to say. "We didn't know what would happen to you."

My head hurt bad. I was dizzy, the whole world spun around me, and then three faces swam into my vision.

Casey... Beck... Dad...

"The frisbee hit her, dad, I didn't mean to shove her so hard." Casey cried.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Edison, I didn't mean for it to hit her, I'm sorry." Beck whined.

Dad shushed them both.

"Daddy?" I groaned.

"Sweety, shh, you hit your head on the fire pit."

Casey turned and started running, "I'll get mom!"

Dad was on his feet and grabbing Casey so fast I didn't even think it was humanly possible. "No," he growled, "stay here. All of you."

"He didn't let us tell mom or Beck's parents, he made us swear not to tell anyone... We were only nine years old, we didn't know any better... He just took you to your room, told everyone you weren't feeling good." Casey detached the shower head and began rinsing off my clothes. "And then, when you started... When your eyes started getting bad... I knew. And I knew dad knew." Casey's voice was poisonous. "He did it on purpose."

"Just go to sleep, honey."

"I feel funny..."

"Shh."

"What's happening?"

"Go to sleep."

"Where am I, daddy? How'd I get in my bed?"

"Head trauma." My voice was so alien to me, I startled myself when I spoke.

Casey turned the water off. "What'd you say?"

"Head trauma." I repeated. "The doctors said head trauma could've caused the blindness."

Casey remained silent.

"Dad knew, but he didn't tell anyone." The words were raw in my throat, like I was trying to swallow something I knew was poison. "I remember that day. Kind of. I get flashbacks sometimes. I was confused. I should've gone to the doctor." I hung my head, still not daring to open my eyes. "I was the first one... Wasn't I?"

The faucet dripped steadily against the tub.

"How long was Dad in my room with me?"

Silence.

"How long were we alone, Casey?"

"Lola, if I had known... If I knew what he was doing to you all those years..."

"You do know."

"I figured it out."

"Yeah, I think mom figured it out, too."

Silence consumed us once more. Down the hall, faint crinkling sounds started up, and then were cut off by a dull thud.

"What do we do now?" I asked.

"What I did was wrong." Casey's voice was raw. "I'm never going to forgive myself for leaving you, Lola. I was being selfish. I couldn't live with myself."

"You didn't do anything."

"But I feel like I did."

"This was all Dad. It was always Dad."

"I know." Casey stood and left the room momentarily. When he returned, he set something soft down on the counter. "Get changed. Leave your clothes in the tub. We'll build a fire later."

"You didn't answer me." I stayed where I was. "What happens now?"

Casey came over to crouch by me again. His hands slid behind my neck, bringing me closer to him, forcing me to make eye contact. "I already told you what happens now." He kissed my forehead. "I'm going to fix this."

I nuzzled into him. "I love you, Case."

"I love you too, Lo." He moved away from me. "I have to go help Beck. But I'll be back soon. I promise."

I opened my eyes just as Casey opened the door. Down the hall, I saw a large white and red mass heaped on the floor outside of my bathroom. Beck's figure stood at one end of the discolored lump, waiting.

"Casey..." I said his name before I even knew I was about to speak. "I didn't mean to..."

"I know, Lola."

"I was just confused... I didn't mean to..."

"I know." Casey's voice became even softer. "Now get dried off and changed, okay? I'll be back in a little."

Casey joined Beck in the hallway, and together they dragged Maks' body, still wrapped in my shower curtain, out into the living room and out of the house.

Chief came running into the bathroom, shaking droplets of water all over me. I patted his damp fur. Someone had given him a bath.

I told him to lay down, and then I climbed out of the tub. The last thing I heard before I closed the bathroom door was Beck asking Casey where the shovel was.