Hearth

24: movie night

"Hestia's missing and so is Annaliese. Unfortunately, all the clues point to her.. taking Annaliese."

Mother was on the phone with someone. She didn't realize I was there. In a cynical tone, she laughed, "She's of age to go through the rite of being a woman. I'll proudly be the one to send her there."

At 9 years old, a few months before Annaliese had been taken, I overheard Mother on the phone with someone. She was sitting in her bedroom and I had been excitedly walking towards her room, hoping to spend some time with her. It was then that I heard some concerning comments.

At the time I didn't realize what it would lead to. Annaliese being kidnapped. Annaliese being.. raped. Annaliese living for years without a family and the clothes on her back.

I could've prevented it. I could've prevented it.

The air becomes stale and suddenly the picture in my hand feels more like a weapon than a memory. I drop it onto the floor and stand, nearly knocking Allessandro over. My breath becomes shallow as I stare at my shaking hands with disgust.

If I had said something, she wouldn't have been taken. If I had said something, she wouldn't have been homeless. If I had said something, she wouldn't have been raped.

If I had said something, she would have a happy family to remember.

"Luca, listen to me.."

I've been so desperate to fill the hole that Mother left on our family that I was completely blind to who really tore it apart in the first place.

"Don't get pissed about this."

A sharp sting forced my attention back to reality. My head snapped to the side as I stare into nothingness for a moment. Allessandro's shoes come into view and I look up at him, only to realize I had come into a knee hugging position in my panic. I lifted my head to meet his lightly concerned stare.

"Are you okay?" He asks quietly. You just hit me across the face motherfucker.

Mother.

"No," I state shakily, tears tempting to fill my eyes. One of my hands moves to rub away the sting in my cheek while the other moves to ruffle the rug underneath me. "Allessandro, I could've stopped this."

My thumb rubs light circles on the carpet as I take a breath. "If I had spoken up about the weird incidents with Mother instead of.. instead of being so desperate for her favor, then Annaliese would'be been safe. We would've protected her."

Allessandro takes a deep breath and squats in front of me, taking a deep breath. "Damn it Luca, do you really think that shit?"

"What..."

"Luca," He turns to look at me dead on. "You were 9 years old. You were just as hurt from this incident as the rest of us."

"But.. I could've-"

"No. You were nine. You weren't supposed to look for evil intentions in your parents. You weren't supposed to save the day or be a hero. You were supposed to enjoy yourself and play games and have innocence. Hestia was an ill person. She made a decision and the sad, disgusting consequence was loosing our baby sister. You had no power or control to change that."