Life's a Bitch

Chapter Fourteen

I was distraught

It turns out Renae had been taken up by a grown man in his late 50's who was seen lurking around the park numerous times. Apparently there were complaints all week about the weird elderly Caucasian man who remained by the far tree and offered young children sweets. Unfortunately, nothing was done on the matter in order to rectify this, which was why Renae was captured yesterday. They managed to get a few blocks away from the park when a family friend spotted Renae looking rather uneasy. The man had told Renae that he was a friend of Aunt Catherine's and when she refused to follow him he grabbed her by the arm and stalked off (according to Renae). After leaving the park I had no idea what to do and simply ran home to confront Aunt Cath on the matter. As expected she scolded me and immediately called the police. Renae was spotted half an hour later. Thankfully the man was now under police custody; it was evident he would be locked up for a long while.

Since yesterday the house has remained completely silent; the usual sound of a blaring TV or a loud stereo no longer existing. Renae was literally petrified from the ordeal and refused to leave her room. Under inspection I noticed the faint bruise around her wrist from when she was harshly grabbed. She wasn't herself; to be almost kidnapped at such a young age was terrifying for anyone; especially someone as innocent as her.

I felt awful, allowing something like that to happen, all because I was too wrapped up in some guy. It was my fault entirely, and although Renae was safe at home, Aunt Cath—along with everyone else—was apprehensive about the whole situation. I couldn't help but wonder if this strange man worked for Marik, or if he was just another degenerate who hunted children as some kind of sick desire.

Respectfully I stayed away from every other person in the household. Dean was still at the hospital with Kelly and their brand new son, Nicolas. He was informed about Renae's situation and promised to return home as soon as possible. Of course he had to stay with Kelly until she was dismissed from the hospital. No-one is sure of when that will be. I stared at the far wall absentmindedly, cuddling Bertie close to my chest and basking in the unusual silent atmosphere. I couldn't help but curse myself for Renae's fate, I was supposed to watch over her and be her guardian of some sort. An excruciating pang was felt at the pit of my stomach the more I thought about it. I knew this feeling very well; it was deep in my core and singed all content fibres in my system.

Guilt.

Yes, I was very guilty. Guilty of taking my eyes off Renae for even a second. Guilty of being carless when it came to her safety.

Guilty of making her upset.

This made me possibly the worst cousin in history, and I will never be able to forgive myself for all eternity. I couldn't imagine a life without Renae in it. What if the worst had happened? What if this man turned out to be a mass murderer? What if he done something far worse than merely bruising her wrist? I would definitely exile myself from this family and move abroad. I watched over my favourite teddy bear and frowned. The patch where his eye had once been was discoloured and his buttons were losing its thread. His ears were tearing off and his stitched smile was beginning to fade. I knew soon I would have to give up this bear; the thought depressed me to no end. Bertie was there through all the difficult times and then some. He was around from my birth to my parents' death; it would be too hard to let him go now.

But I had to at some point.

It was almost time for me to move on and mature. No other 17 year old I knew possessed a teddy bear. I was used to guarding him with my life, but now it was pointless. I knew the actual reason behind this odd attachment was because Bertie was always my shield of confinement. Without him, I wouldn't feel myself. He was the only thing left that was redolent of my parents. Throwing him away would be like throwing away a piece of my mother and father. I then decided right there that I would never dispose of this teddy.