CH: 18 What happened to me?
(Faith POV)
Not being able to control some of my emotions in this state is something that bothers me.
I don't want to hurt anyone, especially Liam.
"I'm really sorry about that," I said again. I don't know how many times it was that I apologized.
"What was the memory?" Liam asked me softly as he rubbed my back.
"I was fighting back someone; no matter how badly I tried for them to let me go, they wouldn't, and I couldn't break free from them. I'm one hundred percent sure that the person I was trying to break free from was a man." I said, trying to recall that memory.
"I think I was outside somewhere, and I can remember a flash of my car, so I think my car was there as well; I didn't want the person touching me. In my memory, I felt that I was scared, no, I was scared, and it still scares me right now." I said, pulling back to look at Liam.
"How are we going to be able to find this guy? Especially if he disappeared like this, we don't have information about him except for the picture that Richard took and the information that the others gave you." I said to Liam.
"We'll find out a way; the thing about this is neither of us is going to give up. Do you know if Pam has ever seen him or spoken to him?" Liam asked me.
I tried to remember if Pam had ever come across the man in the picture.
"She might have seen him in the store, but I don't think they ever had a conversation; why? Do you think she might have suspected something of him as well?" I asked Liam.
"I don't know, but it's worth the chance of asking her, though; during my time asking the people that used to be around you the questions about your disappearance, I realize that some of them notice more things than you did. Believe me, I'm not saying any of this was your fault, but it's something scary realizing that sometimes even the person whose life is in danger won't be aware of it until it's too late." Liam said, looking at me softly.
"I'm aware of that," I said, looking away.
"I am usually someone who used to be great at paying attention to my surroundings, especially with what happened to me growing up." The thought of me being a kid left a sour taste in my mouth.
"What do you mean?" Liam asked me.
I stared at him, debating whether to tell him or not; when I saw the concerned look on his face, I decided to tell him about my past.
"You know I grew up in the system, but it wasn't always like that; I had a family, it was my mom, my dad, and me. We were happy, I wasn't the most outgoing kid, and I didn't have a lot of friends, but my parents were very patient with me." I said, shrugging my shoulders.
"I made a friend; at first, he was my imaginary friend, that I would talk to in my closet, he would do my hair and tell me that I was beautiful, and tell me stories," I said in a low voice.
"He was my only friend, I've told my parents about him plenty of times, and they were worried that their daughter formed an imaginary friend. I remember one time my mom asked me to describe my imaginary friend to her, I can't remember how I explained to her, but I remember my looking at me in a weird way when I did; I remember her wondering why my imaginary friend wasn't my age? And why was he an older man? But she let it be at first." I said, folding my hands together.
"It was one day when I was having my imaginary friend do my hair that my mom came into my bedroom double-check on me. I remember the look on her face; my mom's beautiful dark brown skin showed fear. She let out a scream and yelled for him to get away from me." I said, watching Liam's eyes widened with understanding.
"I remember the man jumping up and running towards my mother; my mother was yelling for my dad and trying to get towards me. I didn't know where he was able to get the scissors from, but I would never forget the way he stabbed my mother right in front of me. The way she screamed. I remember hearing my father rushed into my bedroom and tackling the man to the floor, and my father yelled at me to run and get help." I said, rubbing my arms.
I remember running outside my bedroom, running down the stairs, and going outside; I ran as fast as I could to the neighbor's house. The neighbors opened their doors for me and pulled me into their house; the look on their faces when they saw blood on me, I didn't even know I had got my mother's blood on me until I got there." I said, recalling the memory of it happening.
"I couldn't believe it; I didn't know what to make of all of it; he was a real person, he was a real man who would come inside my room and talked to me. I just thought he was imaginary; I never knew he was real till that day. When the police arrived, they didn't have to tell me, but the looks on their eyes and faces let me know that both of my parents were killed." I told Liam.
"Did they find him?" Liam asked me.
"No, till this day they never found him, they investigated it as long as they could, it made significant coverage but all they had was me, I was the only one who was alive that was able to describe him, the only one that would be able to put him behind bars but he never showed himself in front of me ever again," I said looking around me.
"I was taken into the system right after that," I told Liam; the look on his face caused me to lower my gaze.
"Faith, gosh, I am so sorry, I'm so sorry. Did your parents have any family that was able to help you?" Liam asked me.
"My mother didn't have any family, and the ones she did, they weren't on good terms with, and his family pretty much disowned my father; no one bothered to try to take me in from neither side of their families. I know the neighbors whose house I ran to tried to adopt me, but they failed the adoptions test because they worked full time, and the government said they wouldn't be able to provide a full-time home for me." I said to Liam, watching him shake his head.
"That is fucking bull shit," Liam said, a troubled look appearing on his face.
"I went through a lot in the system, Pam and I, many things happen to the both of us, and I am so happy to say I made it out a virgin from there, there were some sick people that liked doing mess up things to kids," I said, no emotion being heard in my voice.
I watched Liam stilled, and I'm sure he was letting what I said sank in.
"So, I always tried to make sure I was extra cautious with people, but I guess I wasn't that well at doing it; I didn't know that man's name and never really had an entire conversation with him. I just remembered that he would always bring in antiques and would sometimes purchase from me as well." I told Liam.
Liam stayed quiet for a bit before he spoke.
"Faith, let me ask you something. Is there a chance that he is the one from your childhood? The one who killed your parents? " Liam asked me.
I stilled, a chill running through me.
"What?" I said, repeating his words in my head.
"He would be much older now, but is there a way you could try to remember if it's the same person or not?" Liam asked me again.
"I, I don't remember him, I think I blocked the memories of how he looked like when I was a kid, but I do know that there were many rough sketches done of him in the police station that took the case," I said to Liam, his eyes widened.
"Do you remember the station that took the case?" Liam asked me.
I nodded my head and told him the station and also which area it was in.
"Wow, that's pretty far." He said.
"Yeah, I didn't want to live anywhere near there; it's eight hours away by car," I said.
"I could have someone get me a copy of the sketches," Liam said, standing up.
He put his hand out to me, and I placed my hand on his hand as I stood up as well.
"Really?" I asked him.
"Yes, I am also planning on getting Richard to help me with a sketch of the guy from the shop," Liam told me.
I stayed silent for a bit, lost in my thoughts.
Could it be him?
The same guy?
If it is him, how come I didn't remember him?
The man who killed my parents, the one who changed my life forever, the man I thought was my friend but was evil.
How come I didn't notice?
Why?
Why did I let something horrible happen to me again?
"Hey," Liam said, placing his hand on the side of my face; he rubbed my cheek.
"We'll find out the truth of what's going on, okay?" He said to me.
"If it's him, Liam, that means it's my fault," I said to him.
"What, no Faith. None of this is your fault. Listen, none of this was ever your fault, okay." He said, pulling me into a hug.
"Don't ever blame yourself for any of this; you're not the reason these things happen; these things happened because of a fucked up person, not because of you," Liam said in my ears.
I slowly nodded my head, listening to Liam repeating himself on none of this being my fault.
"It's getting late; I should cook you some dinner," I said to him as I pulled back.
"I brought you some bake goods from Carlton place," Liam said, giving me a soft smile.
"I know you're unable to have any taste buds react to it, but I still wanted to bring you some," Liam told me, causing me to smile.
"It's the thought that counts," I said to him.
"You're such a nice person, honestly. I wished I met you when I was alive; we could have been friends." I said to him softly.
"Friends?" Liam asked, laughing.
"You don't think we would be friends?" I asked him, tilting my head.
"I find it funny that you think I would just want to be friends with you." He said, looking at me seriously.
I felt heat run through my body from the look on Liam's face.
"Liam," I said softly to him.
"Yes, Faith." He said.
"Don't say stuff you don't mean," I said to him.
"I don't; I say things that I mean, Faith." He said, searching my face.
"Like right now, I want to kiss you," Liam said.
"And I'm wondering if you'll let me," Liam said, looking at me.
(*Kassandra Speaks*)
Sha lalalalala, go ahead and kiss the girl!
What do you Dolls will happen? and what do you Dolls think of Faiths past?
-Kassandra Vivu