LUIS

Flashback

Stepping past the threshold of my childhood home, I force my head to remain trained in front of me despite wanting to turn back to see my mother's beaming face one last time. However, the stubborn part of me didn't want her to see there was a part of me that would miss her and. . . . Chris.

All throughout the time I spent with her, I was dismayed to meet her new beau. At first I despised the union but I couldn't pinpoint the exact moment my hate for him tarnished. May be it was his sweet disposition that reflected a genuine care for my mother and myself that I hardly found in my father that made me begin to like him and even his daughter, Rita.

So much so, it irked me that I was to return home. But she promised me that I'd eventually move in with her permanently in her new home.

"Dad?" I called out tentatively, swallowing down the fear to tread further into the familiar space in search of him.

Only to be met with no response. Perturbed by the silence that seemed endless except for the creaking floorboards I released a sigh of relief once I found my father seated on the couch holding a beer in one hand and his army knife in the other.

"H-Hey dad," I mumbled lowly walking further into the room, keeping my eyes on the ground as a sign of respect and fear. Whenever he drank he was liable to do anything and the cynical laugh that followed caused me to internally slink back.

"Have fun with mom and that nig-"

"No," I cut him off; I didn't particularly like the word coming off his lips anymore after Chris managed to push his way to make me admire him.

Glancing up in his direction, I caught his narrowed green orbs raking over my form as if trying to figure something out before he placed his beer onto the table and stood up. I gulped, doing my best to maintain my breathing when I knew nothing good was going to come out of this moment.

"You're lying to me."

It wasn't a question but I answered him anyway, desperate to avoid any unnecessary altercation," I-I'm not lying."

It's not long before his six foot frame towered over me and I could smell the stench of cigarette smoke that made me sick.

"Then call mom's new lover by his rightful name."

I didn't want to. It wasn't right.

I bit the inside of my cheeks only to have him grab my face roughly," Say it," he spat, bloodshot eyes revealing the animosity brewing in them and on past occasions those darkened orbs would scare me to say anything and obey their every command.

But in that moment I whispered lowly into the universe that defined the truth of how my mind-set had changed from what my father had tried to mould me into and said," No."

"Excuse me- I couldn-"

"I SAID. NO!" I bit back mustering the strength I had and pushed him away. He was shocked, caught off guard by my outburst stumbling back only to quickly recover his balance and lunged for me.

The adrenaline kicked in that manifested from my fear pushing my small frame to run as fast as I could in desperate need of a place to hide from him.

"YOU THINK YOU CAN RUN FROM ME!" he barked and just when I was about to wrap my hand around the doorknob I felt my body being thrown onto the ground before he sat on top of me pinning my arms easily with his hand.

His face was contorted to one I couldn't recognize," Please, dad- please," I whimpered but he only shook his head and took out his knife.

"I am not your fucking father," he spat placing the cold point on the side of my neck. My body shook and despite the attempts to free myself the weight of his larger build held me captive and the scream that came out of me was only a result of him digging the knife into my skin.

To draw a line that would forever destroy the little innocence left in me as he spat more profanities and told me I was worthless. And it's not long before the carpet is painted with blood and tears.

Long after he had marked me he stood above me, with nothing but disgust as if I was nothing more than dirt under his shoes.

"We will never be the same with them," he breathed gripping the bloody knife in his hand tightly. And I never knew a possible evil than the one standing before me that came in the shape and form of my own father to cause this unbearable pain in my neck.

"In the hate we will prosper. Never forget that. . ."

"If you keep allowing your thoughts to consume you, it'll kill you," Aunt Jeane mumbled snapping me back to reality to the grim memories that I began reflecting on more as of late.

"The fact they took her, I feel like I'm already dead," I said rubbing my eyes surrounded by bags.

She tilted her head watching me closely.

"What?"

"Just realized I should have been a lot quicker in picking up the fact Tiana was the sister of the poor man who was killed. I knew she looked familiar when you brought her over."

"I should have told her a lot sooner who I was . . . there are a lot of things I should have said to her and done with her," I chuckled humourlessly as the sadness sunk in.

"And you will," she replied firmly.

"Trying to keep the faith, Aunt Jeane. But it's not easy."

"Nothing in this life that's worth a damn is easy. How's her mother- I can only imagine what she's going through."

"She's doing her best to keep it together but with each passing day it's getting to her. And it also doesn't help that any of the leads we got have all led to dead ends."

It frustrated me the little progress we've made. Nothing seemed to be working in our favour and it made me sick to my stomach what was possibly happening to her.

I found myself more often stalking around the house just thinking. After giving my phone to Uncle Logan in the hopes it would help us in tracking the lunatic down, we found nothing. A fact that made me unable to sleep for long and I knew my family was worried about me. It didn't surprise me to find Aunt Jeane walking into my home unannounced where she proceeded to make me eat. I had lost my appetite but I begrudgingly ate the food she had prepared after catching the worry on her face.

"Are you sure you'll be fine on your own. I don't mind staying," she asked moving towards me to grab my arm lightly.

"I'll be okay. In case you haven't noticed I'm not a little kid anymore. And if I need anything I'll call you."

I wasn't trying to come across as unappreciative of her care to stay. But I didn't want her to stress herself over me. Opening the door we froze in question to find Uncle Logan moving towards us.

"Please tell me you're not here to babysit me," I groaned in annoyance. He shook his head and unlike most times where he offered a warm smile his face remained neutral and I immediately sensed that something was wrong.

Please tell me nothing bad has happened.

"I'm not particularly sure how to say this. . ." he paused running a hand through his hair making me even more nervous.

"You're scaring me."

"No it's not bad; depending on how you look at it- well we managed to get information on . . . who could possibly have taken Tiana. And I don't think you're going to like it."

Seeing the confusion on my face, he looked behind him and gestured to someone in the car. And the person that stepped out of his vehicle was the last person I ever anticipated to see much less assume had vital information.

Lisa?

She had acted strange when we initially met and I hadn't thought much about it such that my mind kept trying to piece together a reasonable explanation to everything. And as she came and stood before us, I could tell she was nervous given the way she kept fidgeting and failed to hold eye contact for long.

"Thought you were out of town," I said.

She chuckled nervously finally looking me in the eye," Just needed time to gather my thoughts. . ."

"You have some info that might help."

Her grave expression raised alarm bells as to what she possibly knew," I think I know whose behind all this. . . and it seems the past not only came back to haunt you- but it came back to possibly haunt me too."

Narrowing my eyes, I was intrigued by what she meant.

"I didn't think I'd ever have to tell this story b-but once an innocent life is involved I have to," she stated releasing a heavy sigh. And past my initial shock, I hoped I was right in the sincerity I saw in her orbs as just that and not something else.

Such that without much thought I said," Come inside."

***

I was absolutely dumbfounded . . . how could it be that this had all happened. Lisa had been here for over an hour and Aunt Jeane along with myself were still processing the details of Lisa's story. And the only thing that stirred within me past the shock- was rage.

Rage for what my father put us through and yet understanding of the numerous lives actually affected by my father.

"If all that you've said is true- then we need to go back."

"Where?" Uncle Logan asked leaning against the table.

I pursed my lips trying to get myself to actually say the one word I had avoided in the hopes of never going back to that place again but if Lisa's theory was right then I had to go back," Home. . . and I think we should head out there, now." I stood up ready to leave already and get her back.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," he moved towards me and raised his arms up," we need to first think about this."

"What's there to think about? This is the only real evidence we have and all signs are pointing towards going back. We need to go," I moved past him only to have him place his hand against my chest.

"You need to think clearly here," he said slowly," we have to plan this through."

"And waste another second," I replied pushing his hand away. I comprehended where he was coming from. However, something about all that Lisa said added up. In as much as the new development would cause some to pause and think how such information would potentially change their lives forever, I didn't have that kind of time. And it saddened me how damaged this family of mine really was but I'd hurt anyone who took her from me . . . blood or not.

Moving around the house ignoring Uncle Logan's calls to calm down, I stopped short when I felt a hand on my shoulder. Lisa quickly turned sparing a glance at Uncle Logan who was pacing back and forth anxiously," Listen. . . in as much as I'm in agreement with him," she nodded her head in Uncle Logan's direction," I need to get to the bottom of this too. E-Even though I buried this away. . . I-I have to stop running away from all this. And own up to it. So whatever you plan on doing, I'm up for it."

I nodded my head taking her words to heart. I knew this may be dumb but it'll only be to take a look and ensure that the theory we had in mind was wrong.

Or else I'd lose my sanity.