Dim The Circus Lights (Book 2 of Beneath The Circus Lights)

Chapter 39

  Elsie stared at the crumbled remains of what was once her childhood home. Gone was a home full of memories, physical marks of what made her into the person she was today....

   The lovely brick two story house which had a sturdy white picket fence was now  just a pile of rubble, along with the rest of the houses on the street.

   Her parents and brothers managed to escape with only a few suitcases, and poor Milkshake, leaving behind precious family memories and all remembrance of the house her parents worked so many years to pay off the mortgage on. The only structure that held the ghost of the memory of Jason. She didn't even have a photo of her eldest brother to comfort her now....

  After the bombing, she'd purposely tried to avoid going to her old neighborhood, a part of her knowing most likely it would have been ransacked, but never did she think it would have been blown up.

   Stepping over rubble, her eyes scanned over broken furniture, dust and ash covered pieces of plywood before something small caught her eye.

  Bending down, she pulled a ragged teddy bear, one of the eyes was missing and the left arm gone, probably blown   off, from the explosion and Elsie brought it to her chest.

  It was Dylan's. He claimed to have gotten over such a childish toy, but Elsie had peaked in his bedroom over the years and found him curled up with the old bear. 

    She hadn't seen him since she and Jerome had gone to Georgia all those months ago, and with a clench in her heart, she realized she lore than likely would never see her family again.

  "I guess it's just you and me left huh?" She ran her fingers over the stitched nose and smiled sadly.

  "You know, the first sign of insanity is talkin' to yourself.....Most people who have attachments to inanimate objects usually have psychological issues stemming from a childhood trauma where they use the object as a source of comfort." A voice spoke from behind her and she got to her feet, pointing a loaded revolver at a familiar young man who held up his hands passively.

   "Did Jerome send you Terry?" Elsie's voice was cold and controlled and the young man blinked.

  "Nobody sent me, I just happened to be out scouting and saw you, wanted to make sure you were okay." Dark eyes started back at her as she lowered her gun.

Elsie narrowed her eyes, taking a step closer and"I don't like liars..."

"I wasn't lying. Jay didn't send me, I volunteered. Look, I haven't seen my family in three years, I know what it's like to miss someone like that but too afraid to see them, to see their reaction at the life you've taken on....." Elsie let her gaze sweep back to her childhood home and thanks t the gun clenched in her hand, "the person you've become......"

"I never wanted this life." She admitted, squeezing her eyes shut.

"But it choose you for a reason sweetheart. I don't claim to know much about the workings of the universe or the heavens, but my Ma always said, God doesn't make mistakes." Terry hesitated for a moment, then touched her shoulder, surprised when the woman threw her arms around his neck, hugging him.

He stood there shocked and somewhat awkwardly raised his arms to hug her back, relaxing into the embrace.