Swing Life Away [Kellic]

Chapter Sixteen

The door to our home was flung open and some things have been thrown out. The place was quiet, too quiet. There wasn't even the odd faint sound of someone's TV playing. Cautiously, I took tentative step after tentative step around the door to peer inside. When I saw the scene inside, my lungs collapsed on itself.

The place was a mess. The cupboard was toppled and all its contents spilled on the floor. The bed and mattress had been messed up. Shattered pieces of ceramic and glass littered the floor and crunched under my feet. My heart was racing and my head was going dizzy. In the fading light of the setting sun, I couldn't find the most important part of my life. My family.

Despite the chaos, I still walked around the place. I peered under the bed, behind the kitchen counter,and into the equally ransacked bathroom. I couldn't find them. They weren't here. I didn't know where they went or where they could've gone. Everything they owned was still here, strewn across the floor among the broken glass.

I was surprisingly calm. It was the only way I knew I wasn't dreaming this one again. I was calm. Too calm. The panic was brewing somewhere deep within me but it wouldn't surface. I was numb.

In a daze, I walked back out to the hallway. I paced back and forth, up and down the dusty corridor. Try hard as I may, my brain refused to make sense of everything that has happened.

I reached the door at the far end of the corridor. This was Cinnamon's residence. I didn't know if she was in, but I decided to test my luck. I lifted my hand and knocked on the door softly, as though afraid to break the silence and tranquillity around me.

The door creaked open and there stood Cinnamon looking at me with kind eyes and a soft smile. Although her face was still caked in makeup, she wore a comfortable looking t-shirt and sweatpants unlike her usual ensemble. "I was wondering when you'd drop by," she said with a knowing tone.

"Yeah," I said when I found my tongue. Jabbing a thumb towards the still open door of my home, I struggled to form each word I tried to say, "I- um, my place was broken into. Just wanted to know, uh, if you knew anything 'bout it."

"Ah yes," Cinnamon nodded solemnly."Some thugs came in and trashed the place. Made a hell of a racket in the process." She blinked at me before saying, "You might wanna come in, sweetie. I think I have something that means a lot to you and I can make you tea."

I accepted her offer and followed her into her unit, not quite knowing what she meant about having something of mine. The layout of her place was similar to mine, which meant I could see everything in a single glance. My eyes fell on the armchair she managed to fit into the cramped area. There was someone curled up on it, holding on to something tightly.

I stared and blinked as my brain registered who sat before me. Long, wavy, brown hair and olive skin and cradling a small child in his arms. "Oh my God," I exclaimed,my voice cracking as the tears sprung from my eyes. All the feelings that I didn't feel earlier came crashing down on me like floodgates had just been open. I ran towards them just as he began to stand up."You're alright! You guys are alright," I cried, checking Vic's face for any injuries. I looked at Copeland who was staring up at me with her wide eyes, too overwhelmed by what she must've seen to react.

"Hey, baby," I whispered hoarsely,gingerly taking her from Vic's arms. "Daddy's here. You're okay." I kissed her forehead and the second I made contact, she started crying. I soothed her and her bawling must've triggered something because Vic was also crying silent tears now. "It's okay, everything's okay. We're all together now and we're alright," I said, pulling Vic into a hug and pressing a wet kiss on his temple.

It took us all a few minutes to calm down. Copeland got tired and eventually fell asleep in my arms.Cinnamon kept her word and had made me tea. She was also graceful enough to stand aside and let us have our emotional reunion. She only made her presence known again when she was certain that we were done and ready for an outsider to step in. It was only then that we began to properly discuss the night's events.

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I'll be quite busy over the weekend so I don't know how soon will I be able to get the next chapter out. Just thought I'd give a heads up.

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I'll see you soon.