Forced Into Insanity

Chapter 1: Humble Beginnings

— Francesca —

"Pass me the bottle." Thomas says casually.
"I'm not letting you drink hydrogen peroxide." I retort sternly.
"I've drunk vodka. A little hydrogen won't kill me." He comments. I sigh and toss my gloves aside. His reckless ignorance gets on my last nerve and he knows it.
"You are actually that stupid." I look at him, insistent. I still wait for the day he gives up and lets me work in peace.

Silence.

"Tom?" I stand there, concerned. When he doesn't meet my gaze I decide to crack a joke.
"You still want that bottle?"
He looks at me and smiles, only, it's a sad smile. Definitely not a Thomas smile.
"Thomas, you okay?" I try again, stepping closer to him.
"Yeah I'm fine."
"Biggest lie a girl can tell." He laughs at this and punches my arm playfully.
"Thanks." He mumbles.
"For what?" I question.
"I was in a cruddy mood and that made me laugh so thank you." He gives me one last smile before walking off. I might never understand Thomas and honestly, I'm fine with it. I continue mixing a few more solutions. The chemistry teacher walks in as I'm packing the sodium. We exchange a smile and I head off to my next class.

—~~~—

I don't usually enjoy walking home alone. I pass by multiple shops, eyeing a few dresses and bracelets, but in the end, I decide not to purchase anything. My gaze wanders off to the setting sun. Afternoons are my favourite because everything looks so picturesque, the sun is not too dim but dim enough to give everything a slight shimmer of gold.

I step into my family's restaurant. It's not much of a sight, old wooden columns lining the edges where the walls intersect, mouldings chipping from age and tables covered with silky cloths, coupled with a complimentary set of seasonings in the centre. I walk over to the counter separating the kitchen from the rest of the restaurant and poke my brother's back. He gives me a glare that most people would classify as deadly but, kowing my brother, he's probably just startled or slightly annoyed.
"You really have to stop doing that." He remarks.
"I need help with my math homework."
"You're a teacher's assistant. Secondly, I don't care what boy problems you're having because I happen to be your brother and that means any man that comes near you will run off before he gets a word in."
"You are unbelievable." I shake my head at him.
"That I am." He admits.
"So who's the guy?" He perks up.
"You just said you weren't intere-" I start.
"Tell me before I change my mind." He interrupts me.
"Moody much?" I scowl.
"Very much so. Now start talking."
"Okay so Thomas is being his usual self and it's all well and good but then I make a comment about him being stupid. He gets all sad and gloomy and that's just not Thomas."
"Maybe he's just not good at math."
"What does that- oh." I playfully shove his shoulder and smile. My smile fades when I see that he doesn't react.
"You know, you should try smiling." I comment.
"No 'cause then it would look weird." He defends.
"I look forward to the day you start having a heart." My comment prompts him to put down the cloth he was holding. He looks at me, his cheerfulness from earlier completely gone. Something in his gaze shifts, his eyes no longer communicate annoyance but perhaps hurt. He wants to say something but is holding himself back. He starts walking in the opposite direction. I catch his arm, forcing him to look at me. I stare at him expectantly.
"Ok maybe that was too far."
"Ya think?" He scoffs, hurt soaking his voice.
"I'm sorry." I plead.
He continues looking at me, still annoyed. He ponders something but whatever it was must have been good because he steps closer to hug me.
"If you fucking tell-"
"I won't. Now shut up and enjoy my defeat." I retort.
"Nah. Maybe next time." He smiles against my hair.
He breaks away and goes inside, shooting me a smile on his way out. I sit at a random table and get to work on grading a few assignments.

—~~~—

By the time I'm done grading assignments the whole place has gone quiet. Normally, Gabe would walk me home after his shift but he's nowhere in sight. I pack my papers neatly and go over to the kitchen to check on him. Surely he'd be there.
"Gabe?" I whisper.

No reply.

Did he leave? Maybe I just didn't notice the time go by so quickly. The lighting is dimmer than before. The cheerful music is gone and the whole place feels eery. The walls are a much darker shade, only lit by moonlight, which gives them a colour much like a cup of classic black coffee rather than one with a generous amount of milk. What irks me is the stillness of it all. I continue into the kitchen either way. Gabriel is still nowhere to be seen. My footsteps seem to fill the silence.

I stop for a second to adjust my blouse but I continue to hear footsteps. If Gabe is trying to scare me I swear to-

I hear something scrapping against the wall.

Definitely not Gabe.

My eyes widen in realisation. Then,

a scream. My scream. Then a hand covering that scream before it becomes a scream. Gabriel. It's Gabriel. He's here. He didn't leave me. Why does he look so terrified? He's whispering for me to be quiet. Why is he whispering for me to be quiet? His voice is laced with fear. I'm not even concentrating on anything other than the fear in his voice. I snap back to reality when he starts talking.
"I'm positive someone broke in. I'll explain once we're safe. Be as quiet as possible and follow me." He then gets low on the ground, low enough to be invisible from behind the counter and I follow his lead. We crawl past the pans and my back hits a cabinet as soon as we're halfway to the backdoor. Gabe holds my hand to comfort me and this calms me down enough to return me to my senses. We manage to sneak through to the backdoor and my hand reaches for the handle but Gabe is quick to pull it away. He puts a finger to his mouth and points towards the cabinets swinging back and forth.

What is he waiting for?

Maintaining his grip on my poor wrist, he signals for me to stay still.
"Wait." He whispers while stepping in front of me. He's keeping his eye on the handle. He's listening for something. One of the cabinets slams shut and seconds later the kitchen light comes on. Gabe still waits. I'm urging him to run but his grip on my hand remains firm. I wince from the pain but he's quick, perhaps too quick to silence me. I look at Gabe, scared out of my wits, he can't see me in the dark and neither can I, which means I can't look at him for instructions. My face is twisting to mouth 'I'm scared.'

My fear spikes when I hear the freezer door slam shut. Gabe leaps for the backdoor handle within milliseconds. He quietly shuts the door behind him and we run.

Gabe is running ahead, I'm trying to catch up, to tell him to stop or at least slow down. I'm about to collapse. He manages to run ahead and I try to follow but my body is aching. Unexpected pain infiltrates the right side of my waist, causing me to slow down significantly. I cry out for Gabe but he doesn't hear me.

He..doesn't...

My vision is fading from the pain. Pain, excruciatingly aggressive pain all in one spot. Had it been distributed I would've been able to handle it better but..

I've..n-never...had...

Pain. I've never experienced this much pain.

"GABE." I try again, he's nowhere in sight and I'm gradually losing my balance. Staying upright is becoming strenuous. My eyes are insufferably heavy, so heavy that I feel close to collapsing.
Within seconds, my torso collides with the ground beneath me. Now, not only is my vision fading but so is my consciousness.

I'm losing..h-hope. With what little functionality left in my mouth, I try one last time.

Ga-Gabe...

Gabriel.

Please.

Please, Gabriel.