Maya (Book #3)

Chapter 64

He fell to the ground lifelessly, without a sound.

I screamed as I saw him drop and slam onto his arm without reaching out to stop his fall. I began to cry in fear of losing my brother.

"Dominic!" I shouted, running forward to try to help him. I didn't know anything about gunshot wounds, but I knew I had to do something. I could press on it or get him a bandage or call for help. My uncle pointed the gun at me, and I took another step, unafraid. He laughed as if my action was entertaining, and then pointed the gun at my brother, making me freeze mid-stride.

Given the fact that he had shot him once, the odds of him doing it again was more than likely. Tears rolled down my face and I cried convulsively as grief tore through my body.

"Oh, calm down," my uncle said. "He's alive. But he won't be for long if you don't listen to me." His words were hostile and quieted me immediately but didn't stop the tears from rolling down my cheeks. In the silence, I could hear Dominic's tight breathing and see his face become a pale white.

"What do you want from me? What more can I give you? You have my childhood, you have my innocence, you have my brother's life in your hands. WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT?" I yelled, not caring if he hurt me at this point. My hands were clenched into fists and my body was shaking. I couldn't tell if it was from fear or anger.

 "You deserved it," he whispered with a sad smile that pretended to pity me. His answer played into the single core fear I possessed. I was unlovable. I was unworthy. I deserved everything that happened to me. Abuse was inevitable because it was me, and even if I'd been in another state with different parents and a different house, it would have happened just the same. But as I closed my eyes and prepared to give in, I saw something behind my eyelids like a dream. I saw myself meeting Charlotte in the hospital and sensing something different about her. I saw myself walking into the Anders house for the first time and meeting my four brothers, who I now couldn't live without. I saw their strength and how they used it for good, protecting me and loving those around them well. It wasn't who I was that determined the abuse. It was who he was.

"I didn't deserve it," I whispered back steadily. I wanted my voice to be lion-like and roar out of me with the confidence that I felt. But he was still standing there not a foot from my brother with a gun in his hand. I wasn't winning this one, even if I felt like a part of me already had.

Suddenly, a deafening "BANG!" sounded from the doorway and Charlotte came sprinting into the house. She followed the light at the end of the corridor and was in the room in seconds, taking in the sight of Dominic on the floor.

"What did you do?" she shouted in pain, and for a moment, I thought she was talking to me. But within seconds her blue eyes focused on my uncle's face and tightened. She looked ready to kill, but there was something else I saw in her eyes... it looked like an epiphany.

"Hello, Charlotte," my uncle said, grinning at her and trying to mask the shock on his face with conceit. "It's been a while, my love."

Uncertainty paintedmy face as I watched the way they regarded each other. My uncle looked at ease,but his body seemed rooted to the floor. Charlotte's expression indicated acombination of fury and bewilderment until she turned her head to me. She seemedto melt as she saw me standing safely there, albeit dazed and startled. 

"Maya," Charlotte said apologetically, walking toward me. My uncle held his gun up between us and she froze in place, standing just a few feet away. "I'd like you to meet my ex-boyfriend."

I looked from my uncle to her and then back again in complete stupefaction.

"He's...what?" I gasped, stunned.

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A/N: Her uncle is played by Voldemort isn't that amazing? Thanks for the votes and comments! I wasn't going to leave you guys hanging for too long!