Black Raven | Wattys 2018

Chapter Eight

It's sweet;
It's beautiful;
It's kind;
It's patient;
It's joy;
But it's also destructive,
Sad,
And messy.
It's love.

Love is one of the most powerful things in the world. We would do anything for it. We would do anything for those we love; sometimes even kill.

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The clock read 2:47 a.m. when I woke up screaming with my body covered in sweat. Panting, I sat up and tried to calm my breathing. I had had a horrible nightmare. I felt chilly, and when I looked to the side, the window was open. The curtains were moving crazily in the air because of the wind. I was distraught; the window was closed when I went to sleep, so I couldn't understand why it was opened. I stood up from the bed and went to close it. Again, out front the house, there was someone looking up at my window. I tried to make up who was it, but it was too dark and I could barely see. I closed the window quickly and turned around panting. My eyes widened and my face went paler than usual. Just a few steps away from me, was the kid from the school's hallway. The same outfit, the same pale face, and the same light-brown eyes stared intensely back at me. I took a step back; he took a step forward, looked at me, and said softly, "We're running out of time. Hurry! Find us". Again, he disappeared into thin air. I stood frozen in front of the window. When my panic attack finally ceased, I walked hurriedly out of my room. I really thought I was losing my mind; which I guess I kind of was. The hallway was really dark too. I looked around and saw a light turned on in Scott's room, so I walked up to the door, knocked softly, and opened it discreetly. Scott was lying on the bed with his phone in his hands. He sat up and asked, "Are you okay?" I walked up to the bed, sat down beside him, and asked, "Can I sleep here tonight?" He looked strangely at me and answered, "Of course". I lay down, pulled the sheets up to cover my body, and closed my eyes. I felt Scott looking pityingly down at me. I don't know why, maybe it was all the strange things happening to me, but I wanted to cry. A tear escaped my eyes. Scott lowered his head and kissed my hair. Then, he stood up to turn off the light, came back to the bed, and lay down beside me. I didn't sleep much that night; I kept thinking about the little kid and what he had said, "We're running out of time. Find us". I didn't get it, then. I didn't know what he meant; I didn't know where to look for him. I thought about the other kid too; the one that extended his hand to me, laughed, and ran around the house. I thought I was going mad. I thought my mind had created these kids because it wanted me to know something; which in a way, it did. Being able to see them was a sign that something was wrong with me.

Really intense shouts woke me up in the morning. Both Scott and I stood up quickly from the bed and rushed downstairs. That morning, I almost became a murderer; hell, all of us kids almost did. Billy, Lena's cop brother, had Lucas grabbed by the neck of the shirt and was beating him with a wooden stick. Lena was crying, and shouting, telling him to stop, but he wasn't hearing her. My rage was indescribable. Scott, Nick, Logan, Ian, and I jumped on him and started punching him. He let go of Lucas and started shaking us off. He started throwing punches at us. Nick and Scott held him down; I grabbed a kitchen knife and put it to his throat. Billy's eyes widened, and he stopped struggling. Ian took his gun, which he had strapped to his side. Scott and Nick started moving him quickly out the door. I followed them with the knife. "You little brats, hand me back my gun!! It's illegal to take a gun from a police officer!!"-He shouted at us. He reeked of alcohol. Nick still had him held by the arm; Scott punched him in the face, and I held the knife to his throat again and said, "You know what's illegal? Beating up a defenseless, six-year-old kid. If you ever dare to touch a hair on his head again, I'll kill you. Do you hear me? Hell, you dare to touch any one of us in what's left of your miserable life, I'll kill you. I promise". Nick and Scott threw him on the grass, out front the porch. Then, we all got inside and locked the door. Lena was cleaning Lucas's face, tears still streaming down her face. I pushed her away from him and hugged Lucas tightly. "Are you okay baby?"-I asked him with watery eyes. He nodded shyly. His tiny arms had cuts and blood was dripping out of them. He had bruises on his abdomen and his face was wet and flushed. I let go of him and Nick took him in his arms. We all turned to Lena and looked at her furiously. I asked ragingly, "What happened? Why the hell was Billy beating him?" She stood there crying with her head bent down. "Tell me!!!!"-I shouted furiously. "Answer her!"-Scott said to her more calmly, but serious. She looked at us and answered with a trembled voice, "Billy came drunk this morning complaining about having trouble at the station and with his wife. He said he needed a place to crash. I said he couldn't stay here because there was no room for him and because you guys were here, and he got angry. He started hitting me and saying this was his house; that I had to be thankful that he let me live here. Then, little Lucas came running and kicked Billy. He yelled at Billy, told him to stop hitting me, and started kicking him and punching him. Billy let me go and grabbed Lucas. And the rest you already know". I stared angrily at her but didn't say anything. I took Lucas from Nick's arms and took him upstairs to give him a bath and to take care of his wounds.

I laid Lucas down on my bed and pulled the sheets over his body. Then, I lay beside him and stroke his hair until he fell asleep. I called Maria and let her know that I couldn't make it to work. She understood completely and told me not to worry. I started thinking about Lena. She was really changing. She had stopped mistreating us. She even looked like she was starting to give a damn about us. But I still hated her; I couldn't help it. She had made my life miserable. Something she said didn't make sense to me. She said Billy had told her that the house was his and that she had to be thankful he had let her stay here. I thought the house was Lena's.

"Hey! How is he?"-Nick asked startling me from my thoughts.

"He's fine, considering."-I answered.

Nick sat on the bed and caressed Lucas's blond hair. "And how are you?"-He asked me.

"I'm fine, but I'm really mad at Lena and Billy. I was really going to kill him."-I answered sincerely.

"I know you were, but I'm not asking you about what happened. I'm asking if you're okay. I know you slept in Scott's room last night."-Nick said.

"I had a nightmare. That's all."-I lied. I did have a nightmare, but what was happening to me, was more than that. Something was wrong with me, but I didn't want to worry him.

"You know you can tell me anything, right?"

"I know." I smiled sweetly at him.

"I've noticed there's something going on with you. I know sometimes, it may seem like I'm not around much and like I don't pay attention to things, but I do. I'll always have time for you and Lucas. You're my family and I will do anything to protect you."-Nick expressed his feelings.

My heart broke and my eyes watered. I hugged him and said, "I know, and I'm fine. I promise".

Scott stood at the door. "Am I interrupting something?"

"Nah', come on in."-Nick answered.

My other siblings and Brooke, who had arrived with food, came into the room, and we all sat there watching Lucas sleep, eating, and telling funny, embarrassing stories about each other.