Bloom

24 | dancing with the devil

"Cocaine?" I jerk my head back. "As in he was selling or he was a feign?"

I want to be shocked, I do, but I don't put anything past Farad, even in his absence.

"I don't know, Giselle. All of that is still under investigation. They're still trying to determine if it was one person or multiple people."

Gabriella's sobs deepen before she chokes out her next sentence. "They took a father away from his child! They even beat his eyes black and blue...for money!"

"It's the root of all evil. Don't worry, sweetheart, they're gonna get theirs!" My mother coos, rubbing her back with more energy.

"Gab, what did you tell the police?"

"Nothin', 'cause I don't know nothin'."

"Okay." I watch them both from the corner of my eye, unable to shake the feeling that Gabriella knows much more than she's letting on.

"Gabriella, go pack a bag." My dad orders, drumming his palms on the counter. "No way I'm letting you or my grandson stay here alone tonight."

Surprisingly, she does as she's told, dashing to her room to pack. A blanket of silence falls over us all as we get lost in our own heads. Just two days after Jamari left his father's house, he was gunned down. I can't help but to feel grateful that my nephew literally dodged a bullet. It's all so bittersweet.

Hauling myself to my feet, I enter the master bedroom to help Gabriella gather Jamari's things. Fat tears fall from her face uncontrollably as she struggles to shove a stack of shirts into his dinosaur bag with shaky hands.

"Just let me do it." I grab the pile of clothes and get to work. "Gab, pack more than one fit for yourself. You might be stayin' a lil while."

She sits down on her bed, hugging herself, and stares at the ceiling to stall the teardrops. "I don't know what I'm going to do. I just can't —"

A knocking sound causes her to jerk her head harshly and place my hand on her shoulder. "Gab, that was not your door. Relax."

I cannot dictate how people grieve and I know that everyone handles heartbreak in their own way, but a blind person could see just how paranoid she is.

"I can't relax, Giselle!" She coughs. "'Cause I'm next. I know that I'm fucking next."

"Wh-what?" I almost whisper, releasing her shoulder, deeply off put by yet another cryptic message. Her body shakes as she covers her face with her palms again and I stare off into space.

Maybe she's just talking crazy. Unless...

I think back to the day that she vaguely mentioned her regret over her past actions with Farad and realize that it might not have been him that she was afraid of.

What devil has my sister been dancing with?

**********

Tuesday, December 20 | 11:48 a.m.
Square Hills - shopping malls

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"Scuse me, ma'am." Cree smiles, toothpick hanging from her mouth. Despite brunch being over thirty minutes ago, she's still holding onto it.