Getting Close To The Gangleader

Chapter 9

"Ana, it's nice to see you again."

"It's nice to see you too Meredith. Are they ready?"

"Yes here they are. Just like you order them each year."

  She hands me the two bouquets of flowers and I hand one to Gabriel.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. Who's this young man?"

"Oh, um...this is Zander."

"It's nice to see you've finally settled down with someone."

"Oh no he's a...friend."

"Mhmm okay."

"He is. Whatever, I have to go but I promise to come whenever I'm free."

   We exit the shop and get back into the car.

"Wow. Who knew you can actually be a nice person?"

"Shut up."

I start the car and drive towards the graveyard. When we get there I park the car near the entrance and get out.

"You don't have to come you can stay in the car if you want."

    I walk down the many gravestones with the names of peoples loved ones and stop when I see the familiar names of my parents. I pull out the sheet from my bag and lay it down on the ground. I sit down on it and trace their names on the gravestones with my finger. I watch as Gabriel puts the flowers for my dad on the grave and then puts a picture of the four of us. I grab the flowers for my mother and put them down on her grave. I sit down next to Gabriel and pull him closer to me as he starts crying. I try to hold my tears in but the memories start coming back and the first tear comes down my face with other tears following soon after. I hear a twig snap behind us and I pull Gabriel behind me then grab the gun I put in my purse and aim towards where I heard the twig snap.

"Woah woah woah. Put the gun down Ana it's me."

"Oh sorry."

   I put the gun back in my purse and let go of Gabriel. He leans on me and I wrap an arm around him. I reach inside my bag and pull out the box of tissues. I hand a tissue to Gabriel and I wipe the tears from my face and blow my nose. Zander sits next to me and Lizabelle sits next to him. I feel him staring at me and I turn to look at him with a blank face.

"What Zander?"

"You know there's no shame in crying."

I let out a sigh and point toward the two graves in front of me.

"These are my parents. They died four years ago when I was fifteen and Gabriel was three. A gang broke into our house and I watched as they pulled the trigger to my moms head and then watched them kill my father."

The memories of that night start surfacing and it's like I'm reliving it.

"I grabbed Gabriel and pulled him into the closet. We had this hidden compartment our father installed in case something like this ever happened. We hid in there and listened as they ransacked our house looking for us. They ended up leaving and I had to grow up and train to be the next leader of the gang and take care of Gabriel."

"I may not know what it's like to see my parents getting killed but I know what it's like to grow up and take a huge responsibility."

"How's that so?"

"Well, when I was ten my father left my mother and us, then my mother relied on alcohol and drugs to deal with it and slowly...she forgot about us. At the age of fifteen I had to take on two jobs to support us and I had to go to school but the money wasn't enough so I got a personal trainer and he trained me to fight. I got into illegal fights and I know it wasn't good but I had to. I saved some of the money and as soon as I turned eighteen I packed our bags and we left. I've made enemies with some of the people I've fought because I beat them and we've had to move a lot because of it but I'm hoping we can settle down here."