Constellations

Chapter 4

"Caia!" Carina's hands grip my arms as she shakes me. My head violently rocks back and forth. My neck feels like it's going to snap and the world is getting blurry.

"I remember!" I scream at the top of my lungs. She lets go of me and I fall to the ground.

"What do you remember?" She holds the candle to my face. Why is this place so dark that it needs a candle to light the way? Hasn't anyone around here heard of electricity?

"The orphanage... growing up...fear,"

"What fear?"

"The fear of beatings whenever we 'borrowed' stationary, the fear of slowly starving to death, the fear of the rats whenever we were forced to sleep in the cellar," I close my eyes as fear gnaws its way into my gut. Carina touches my cheek gently and the fear disappears.

"That will never happen again," she smiles her deep smile and her blue eyes sparkle. They make me feel safe.

"Promise?"

"Promise." Our pinkies lock together in our mark of promise.

"I love you Carina,"

"I love you too," she pulls me into a quick embrace and then carries off down the hallway.

We go down some curly, stone steps and into a well-furnished drawing room. A couple sit perched on a blue couch with a gold floral design. The couple stands as we enter the room. The woman has dirty-blond hair and blue eyes, whilst the man has brown hair and green eyes. They seem familiar but I can't imagine why.

"You brought her at last," the woman walks towards us. She looks similar to me.

"Yes mam," Carina responds curtly.

"Carina, you don't have to call me that. You are effectively family now," what does she mean by that? 

"Caia," the man steps forwards. "Oh Caia you're safe." He tries to hug me but I dive behind Carina.

"She doesn't know," The woman's eyes rim with tears. I didn't mean to upset her.

"Caia," Carina pulls me out from behind her. "They are your aunt and uncle." I am shocked. I have a family?

"What about my parents?" I blurt out.

"Your mother died... and your father, well..." my aunt glances nervously at her husband. "You're father is a drunk. He's locked up for murdering your mother in a drunken rage."

"No... he can't have. Why did he do it?"

"He was drunk," She hugs me, and this time I don't move away. I hug my aunt back as she is one of the few family members I have left.

"Will I ever see him again?" that question has a hopeless answer, I just know it.

"I very much doubt it. Death is watching him. Your father is very ill, he doesn't have much life left in him," my uncle tells me comfortingly. The world is starting to spin and black dots appear out of nowhere. I reach for Carina's hand, but my fist closes around empty air. Everything goes black as the world leaves me.