Leira [Completed]

Chapter Seven

"Mixed feelings, like mixed drinks, are a confusion to the soul."

—

JUSTICE'S POV

It was a peaceful Sunday afternoon in my ideal-sized home. My niece, Constance, sat quietly beside me. It was just us and my sister's friend, Ashley, in the living room.

Constance scanned our surroundings with a questioning look before she turned to me and asked, "Where's Mom?"

"Hope's in her room," I answered.

"Thanks," she spoke. As she stepped away from the couch, her mother emerged from her room with the latest released newspaper that was delivered to our home this morning.

She casually sat on the chair before the dining table and read the most recent news. Constance rushed towards Hope to peer at the paper.

Hope carried a calm expression before reading a certain part of the newspaper that was evidently unpleasant. Her face became one of horror and dismay. Without a paused beat, she stood from the leather chair, gave her daughter a peck on the cheek along with a quiet message and darted back into her room where Tyler most probably was.

I tilted my head quizzically as Constance hopped back beside me without a word.

"What did your mom say?" I inquired.

"She told me to stay outside with you while she discusses something with dad," she responded while shifting her attention to the television.

A look of puzzlement crossed my face. My sister did not usually react the same way to an ordinary piece of news. I could tell Aunt Ashley had the same thought jogging through her brain.

In my perplexed state of mind, I decided to fish some information on what was happening. The door was closed but I could hear some muffled voices on the other side.

"...he's back and I don't know how he got out of..." My sister sounded rather upset.

"...does it not say on the newspaper? Oh my God, why does this mean for Justice..." Tyler mentioned my name.

"...he's in his late fifties now, but we know he's crazy. I mean, he escaped from..." Hope said.

"...we just have to be careful and..." Tyler was saying.

"...I don't want to live in fear, Tyler! I don't want our child to be afraid when she goes to school every day and for Justice to be haunted by..." my sister's voice faded as she spoke.

"...send him back where he belongs..." Tyler said in a comforting voice.

"...I'm going to visit my mother in..." My eyebrows furrowed. She told me on countless occasions that our mother was dead. 

I went to the living room and waited until I heard the sound of the door slamming open.

"We'll be back soon," Hope announced to everyone as she and Tyler left the house with a sense of urgency.

Aunt Ashley had a dazed look of bewilderment but said nothing. 

I headed for the room my sister shared with her husband to take the newspaper that was resting on the ground. I bent down, examining the page. In bold, there were the words, 'FORMER MULTI-MILLIONAIRE CALVIN WOODLAND ESCAPES PRISON'.

Woodland. We shared the same last name.

At the very end of the page, there was an image of the man named Calvin. I scrutinized the man's every feature. I had seen the same features somewhere before. In both pictures and the mirror. The criminal looked terrifyingly like me.