Flutter by, Butterfly

Chapter 11

We arrived at my aunt and uncle's destination. I felt a little trepidation at the pit of my stomach. My aunt and uncle never really paid attention to me before, but if my own parents would stoop so low..... I was afraid.

Hugo put a gentle hand on the small of my back. I could feel his concern for me. "Don't worry," he said. "Everything will be alright."

He put his hands on my shoulders as he rang the doorbell. I felt safe and protected with him next to me. My uncle answered the door. He looked much like my father, but older and more rotund. He smiled a big leering smile at me. The woman behind him, my aunt, mirrored his intentions. I began to shake.

"You're trembling," said Alejandro.

"Mmmmmmm," said my uncle. "You have aged beautifully." He did not notice or acknowledge my discomfort at all.

"Aged?" asked Hugo. "She's only a child."

Unfazed, my uncle replied, "As I recall, you started even younger."

This time, my aunt also spoke. "And you were always such a good boy. Would you like to join us? It's been such a long time."

I felt Alejandro change. Hugo, the logical one, disappeared. The assassin now stood in his place, hands still on my shoulders. I did not feel any less protected than I did before, even as I felt his rage.

"Yes, I started at a very young age, and not just for things that you have in mind. Need I remind you that all of my training has made me a very dangerous man? Do not cross me. If you value your life, you will take good care of this young girl."

"Don't worry," said my uncle. He grinned a hungry grin. "I'll take good care of her."

"NO!" I practically shouted. I turned and held onto the assassin and I wouldn't let go. I knew what was coming next, even as my aunt and uncle had no idea. The hidden gun was well within reach. I kept my eyes shut tight as the trigger was pulled, even as I heard the body fall to the floor. It didn't sound so shocking this time.

"Hurry back to the limo, little one. There are things to clean up here," he whispered into my ear.

I went back inside without a word, locking myself back in. My bitch face was firmly in place. I did not want to feel anything at all. Eventually, the assassin came back. I unlocked the door and let him inside. He looked at me with calculating eyes. He didn't feel dangerous, not with me; more like he was assessing any existing damages.

"Are you Lobo?" I asked. It was what his main character was called in his written novels. It means wolf.

He looked at me in surprise and said, "I guess you can call me that."

"What's your name?"

"It's probably better that you don't know."

"Okay."

"You need to know that you are in terrible danger now. We cannot guarantee your safety with us, but we can no longer be certain of what will happen to you in the outside world."

"I want to go home," I said. I became thoughtful. "Can I? At least for tonight? It's not unusual for my parents to leave on a Friday night, and not return for even a week or two later. The hired help will not see anything different at all."

"And what shall you do when you return home?"

"I'll probably run crying to my room, shut the door, and not come out until Monday morning for school, which won't be unusual for anyone to see either." It happened a lot, typically after my "sessions."

"Will there be anyone you would wish to call to share your troubles with?"

I began to cry. "No. I don't have anyone." I sobbed. I began to get dizzy. Lobo the killer sat near me, putting his arms around me.

"Go home and do as you promised," he whispered to me. "Sleep knowing that I would sacrifice my very life to keep you safe."

I believed him.