Crescent (Old Version)

+ Part 4 +

They always came in the middle of the night. 

We were on a road trip to the hot springs. It was the longest trip we'd ever taken away from home, and we were only on the second day of driving. Dad had pulled off into the smallest motel we could find, and we'd unloaded our things into the double-bed room for the night. Rosie had fallen asleep on the floor between our beds sometime after nightfall. Her thumb was in her mouth, her blue teddy bear fisted in her other hand. She fell asleep peacefully, worn out from days spent driving. I hadn't drifted long after that.

Around midnight, we heard their voices outside our hotel room, their footsteps heavy outside our door. I shot out of bed, but I felt my dad's hand come over my mouth, and his strong arms carefully pulled me to the floor next to him. Rosie was still sleeping soundly, and my mother cradled her head with wide-eyes next to us.

My father held his finger to his mouth, and I saw him reach for a pistol from the back of his pajamas. He'd taught me how to fire that pistol. 

Taught me how to unload it, load it, fire it, repeat. To prepare me for the day he knew I'd have to use it. 

The men outside our room didn't know where we were. Their shadows drifted across the ground past our room like puppets being moved along by a string. What felt like an hour of waiting on the ground beneath our beds was only a matter of minutes. The men's voices retreated. Their footsteps were gone. 

My father motioned for us to stay put as he crawled toward the edge of the wall, and I made to go after him. My mother grabbed my hand and urged me to stay put with a pleading look of her eyes. She motioned to my baby sister, the one who needed protecting, the reason we stayed hidden. I watched as my father peeked through the curtains, pistol still ready to fire at a moment's notice.

At some point, he motioned for my mother to crawl back into bed with Rosie, but he sat watch at that door all night. I was determined to keep watch with him. To protect us, to keep them safe. 

I'd fallen asleep watching the steady rise and fall of his chest.

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When I woke, I felt someone watching me. I was not unaccustomed to the feeling. I stirred only slightly, cuddling into what little warmth I could get. But, my back hurt. My limbs felt stiff. When I heard a voice, I jumped, my head slamming against the wall:

"So, you're the new lady in the household." 

Ceth was lounging at one of the sofas across from the fire burning in the stone fireplace, and I immediately reached for something to throw at him. Only, it wasn't Ceth. It was a boy. The same blond hair, the same watching green eyes, but his face was young. He was younger than me, but stubble covered his chin.

"Who the hell are you?" 

He smiled at me lazily, rubbing his chin gently. "I'm Dominic- Nic. Or whatever it is that your heart desires to call me."

The door opened suddenly, and Moira stepped through, glaring hard into the side of Nic's head. "I'm sorry!" she bowed to me and then quickly looked at him again. "I'm willing to bet her heart desires for you to get out. You know-"

"Wait!" I stood quickly and straightened my clothes as I looked between them. I must have fallen asleep by the door  sometime last night and forgotten to change. "He- He's your son?"

Nic grinned at me at the same time that Moira pulled him upwards and shoved him toward the door. "Yes. And, I'm sorry. He won't bother you again." She was wearing the same warm uniform as yesterday, her sleek black hair still knotted back. She pointed toward the door again but my eyes were caught between the two of them. Between her hair and deep nut brown eyes, I had trouble picturing that they were related at all.