The Bursting Heat (Book 2) ✓

08 - A challenge

Alice

*18 years ago

"Hey, look what I found!" I heard Raul's voice from around the corner of our house. It was summer. We were all finished with school and trying to come up with ideas about what to do in our free time. Well, the boys were thinking, I was just waiting to be challenged I can't do something to prove them wrong. I could be the youngest and a girl... but I was as good as all of them. At first, my brother didn't want to include me in their games. Said that I was too fragile, and mom would get mad at him if I was hurt. But he was wrong, I could keep up with them, it wasn't that hard. And Rafi knew that, he was on my side...he was always on my side when it came to playing a new game. He was two years older than me, but it didn't bother him that I could need a little bit more instructions at the beginning or something like that. He was so patient with me, trying to show me the best way of doing things. And I secretly think he enjoyed teaching me stuff. Like, he was the youngest of the boys, and he knew it was hard to be accepted as equals. Our brothers were the same age. They were 13 years old, three years older than Rafi, and at times, it was hard for him to play at their level, too. So, I think at some point he decided that he didn't want to be looked at like the small kid who can't do stuff. He was practicing all kinds of things every day, making himself stronger and quicker. And the best part – when he learned how to do something better than our brothers, the first thing to do was to teach me, too. We were a team, we were showing everyone we might be younger, but we were mightier.

"What is this, Raul?" My brother, Rafi, and I were sitting in our backyard, enjoying the sunny day when Raul decided to go into his house in search of something to play with.

"What do you think it is, dumbass?" He threw something shiny at my brother, and he catched it.

"Handcuffs? Where did you get them?"

"From my parents' room."

"Why would they have them? They're not cops?" I thought that only the police were allowed to have them.

"I don't know, but I thought we could get ourselves locked and try to get away from them. Like, see who'll do it faster." For Raul, it was always who'll do it faster, better, further, higher...he was really competitive.

"Do you have the key? What if we don't get ourselves out? Your parents won't be very happy if they find us with them. You know they forbid you from searching in their room." The last thing I wanted is to be on the wrong side of Mrs. and Mr. Romero.

"I couldn't find one, but check this out." Raul took the handcuffs from my brother and locked one part to his wrist.

"What are you doing!"

"Now look at this." He twisted his hand to show us one side of the metal where there was a small button. He pushed it, and the handcuff opened.

"Huh, well, that is dumb. Why would they have a button to open them? The bad guys could do it themselves? I thought that they would open only with a key?" I was so confused at the moment. On the TV, they were always showing how no one can open them without having this small key, and here we are with a pair, and it had a button! I thought the police were smarter than that.

"I have no idea why they have a button. Maybe if they are in some kind of an incident to be able to free themselves?"

"Well, that sounds dumb. They can push it all the time!"

"Yeah, well. It doesn't matter right now. Now, who wants to be first!"

*Present

We were in Rafi's car, getting away from the Police Station when I remembered how we played like kids. A small smile tugged the corners of my lips. It was good to remember something positive right now. After all the bad I had to relive in that room.

"What are you smiling at?"

"Remember the summer when you were 10?"

"What about it?"

"I just remembered when Raul found out the handcuffs in your parents' room, and we played with them."

"Oh my God, why did you have to remind me of this! It is sooo bad..." He wasn't so distressed; I could hear the laugh in his voice.

"At the time, it wasn't."

"Pff, yeah, when we were young and naïve. Now... now I know why there could be handcuffs in someone's bedroom without them being a cop."

"Do you have handcuffs in your bedroom?" Only when I asked the question, I realized how suggestive it sounded. But luckily Rafi didn't go that way when he answered me.

"Only the ones from work. They don't have a button."

"Yeah, well... good to know that the police isn't so dumb to let the bad people be able to free themselves whenever they wanted."

"I have no idea what we thought as kids about these handcuffs. How we could be so dumb?"

"Well, who could have thought someone would want to be restricted just because. Not my child's mind, no."

"No, I guess, no."

I took a look around and saw we were not on the same road we came. I didn't know this town, but I could see the buildings were getting bigger and taller than the small houses in the Rafi's neighborhood.

"Where are we going?"

"To buy you some stuff."

"Rafi...I..." Panic started to rise in me. I didn't want to be in crowded spaces, I didn't want to see other people, I wanted to get to his house and hide there.

"Don't worry, Ali. I promise everything will be fine."

"But...I don't think I can... not right now..."

"Do you trust me?"

"You know I do." And I wasn't lying. I was trusting him with my life. Always have, and even after all these years, this is one of the few things that hasn't changed.

"Good. Now, here's the plan. We are going in. One hour. That's it. One hour for you to grab some clothes, whatever you want..."

"I can just wear yours..." I didn't want to think about searching and trying new clothes... not with the way I knew my body was looking right now...

"Yeah, you can. Of course, you can, and like I said, I love seeing you in my clothes. That won't change. You can use whatever you want. But it will be good to have your own shit. So, we are going in there, buying whatever you want, then we'll go the art shop and buy you some art supplies, because I'm not sure I even have a paper in my house. And then we'll get home and we'll eat something you'd like and watch dumb TV shows. Sounds good?" When we were growing up, it was something we were always doing. Eat in front of the TV and watch people try to guess words, answer hard questions, or compete against each other. We were always trying to guess before the person on the TV, competing with one another, coming up with all kinds of challenges for the one who lost. It was back in the good old days, as they say. I... I wasn't sure if I could get back to that time, but I was going to try. I could see Rafi was trying to get my life on its tracks, even if they we too warp right now. But... I was going to try...

"Okay..." It was all I could say right now, trying not to panic at the thought I would be surrounded by people in a couple of minutes.

"Okay?"

"Yeah, okay." Rafi put his hand on my thigh and squeezed it lightly.

"I promise I won't let anything happen. I will be with you everywhere, and no one will come close to you, okay?"

"Sure." He briefly looked at me, trying to see if I was really ready for that step. It was too soon, I didn't want to do it, but at the same time I knew that every day I let myself to hide in his home, the chances for me to want to go out in the world to socialize would get slimmer and slimmer. So, I tried to swallow the big lump that was stuck in my throat and calm my nerves. Rafi got my left hand in his right one, pulled it to his lips, and kissed my knuckles lightly.

"You would be okay...I'll make sure of it." I really hoped he was right.

***Some small steps will be made to get back on her life. Can I get some encouraging votes for Ali?