Memories

XXXII

HIGH ENOUGH

'I used to like liquor to get me inspired
But you look so beautiful, my new supplier
I used to like smoking to stop all the thinking
But I found a different buzz
The world is a curse, it'll kill if you let it'

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Silence encompassed the whole table for most of the meal, though Aaron spoke of people Thalia didn't know about. They were probably people he'd known when he'd moved out there earlier in his life, Thalia realised, and was silently thankful, because Nicky seemed to calm down a little. He didn't grip his utensils so hard, and he wasn't physically shaking anymore.

Towards the end of the meal, Andrew stood and went inside. Thalia got slightly nervous when Luther followed, but figured Andrew could hold his own against his uncle. She couldn't hear their conversation, but there didn't seem to be any shouting or screaming, and definitely no stabbing and killing, so she figured it was alright. Perhaps Luther was apologising for not believing Andrew all those years ago, but Thalia sat tense and rigid, staring at the door.

When voices started raising inside, so did Maria's, and she began asking Nicky about the season. Thalia was poised to grab her knife and run inside, and when Luther came back alone, she stood, getting the attention of everyone. She stared him in the eyes, but Luther went to sit down in his seat.

Neil stood too, looking between Thalia and Luther. "We'll do the dishes," he said.

"Kevin and I will help," Aaron added, already standing and collecting plates so that his aunt and uncle couldn't say otherwise. "That way you three can have some time to talk without us." Thalia carefully squeezed Nicky's shoulder and took some of the plates, going through so many situations in her head. Andrew was in danger. That much she could figure out by herself. She just didn't know how or if he could protect himself against the threat.

Kevin went in first and Neil followed after. Thalia went in after him, and Aaron followed her. She hastily put down the plates on the table and looked around the room. Andrew was nowhere in sight. She knew Neil had picked up on it too, and looked to him. She'd noticed his racquet was still where he'd left it, and walked across the room to grab it.

"Neil, uh, make sure Andrew's not breaking anything valuable," Nicky said in German. Thalia looked up and around. Everything seemed the way it had been when they entered the house, but that wasn't what Thalia was worried about.

"Nicholas, that's rude," Maria chastised. "Please use a language we can all understand."

"I'll find Andrew," Neil said. Kevin and Aaron were doing the dishes in the kitchen, but Thalia made sure that there was nothing going wrong, just in case. 

"Oh, no need to worry," Maria said, which had the opposite effect on Thalia. She tensed and clutched the racquet tightly, too worried to bother if she got splinters. "In fact, I think it's promising he's been gone this long. He'll be back when he's finished speaking with Drake." that sent Thalia into a spiral of negative emotions.

"Neil," she said harshly. He turned and obviously saw the worry and fear in her eyes. Thalia crossed the room and handed him the racquet. "Take Aaron," she grabbed him by the back of his shirt, no matter than his hands were slightly wet from drying dishes. "And go upstairs. Find Andrew." she pushed them into the hallway. Neil didn't have to be told twice, but she heard him telling Aaron to shut up as they climbed the stairs.

"Dear?" Maria said, sounding confused when Thalia stalked outside and grabbed Luther by the collar of his shirt, rearing back, and punching him. "What on God's green earth are you doing?!" she sounded frantic, but Thalia was so mad that she didn't care about Nicky or Maria's cries for her to stop.

"You bastard!" she hissed as she punched him again. Kevin had come out of the kitchen at the sound of the racket, and grabbed Thalia's fist, pulling her off Luther. She spat at him as Maria ran around the table to help him up. "How could you!"

"What the fuck, Thalia?" Nicky asked. She struggled against Kevin, but tears were welling up inside her eyes. 

"He told you! He told you and you didn't believe him," she said accusingly. Thalia stood on Kevin's foot to break his grip on her, and rushed over to Luther, grabbing him again. She slapped him this time, and then threw him to the ground. Thalia laughed sadistically. 

"What is wrong with you, child?" Luther asked, accepting his wife's help.

"You talk about how being gay is wrong, and how Nicky should be ashamed of himself, but you let a rapist into your home." Thalia said, moving forward again, but Kevin grabbed her again. "You let a rapist into your home, to rape your nephew!" she spat again. Luther looked disbelieving.

"Dad, what's she talking about?" Nicky asked slowly. There was a thud from the upstairs part of the house, and Thalia stopped breathing momentarily, worried at what or who that was. 

Thalia broke free of Kevin's grip once again, but instead of running for Luther, she turned and entered the house. She sprinted up the stairs and saw the door that was smashed open. Thalia entered and stopped in her tracks at what she saw. It took a whole minute for her to recognise and realise what was happening. What had happened.