I felt like my body was on fire, was I burning?
With effort, I slowly peeled my eyes open and I was greeted with familiar green eyes.
" Eddy," I whispered, my voice coming out patched like I hadn't taken water in days.
" I'm glad you're awake," He said as he smiled at me.
" What happened? Why does my body feel this way?" I asked him as I tried to sit up but I felt pain go through my body so I didn't bother trying.
" You have a fever, just rest, you don't need to stress yourself," Eddy said as he touched my face with affection. He looked so worried.
I noticed movement from the side, so my eyes went to the door, it was Mr. Vincenzo, he was standing by the door but as soon as he noticed I looked his way, he disappeared.
" You're awake Kate," I heard Anna's voice as she made her way into the room.
" How do you feel?" She asked.
" Strange," I said as my hand went to my head massaging it to relieve the pain I was feeling.
" I'll get you something to eat,"
" No please, I'm not hungry," I said, stopping her.
" What do you mean you're not hungry? You've been unconscious for over thirty-two hours, you need to eat," Eddy said leaving no room for argument.
Did I sleep that long? I didn't want to eat, that was the least of my worries. What I was worried about was who the sender of that package was, and how did they know where I lived? And how the hell were they with something that was supposed to be burnt to ashes?
But as all those questions filled my head, my mom's words from that night suddenly came rushing back to me, she told me to run far away or they would find me.
Did this mean…I gasped jumping from bed at the realization.
" No, no, no, it can't be,"
" What's wrong?" Anna and Eddy asked in unison.
" No, no, please no," How did I not know all these years? Why did it never occur to me that it was never an accident? Why did I never think that someone might have been behind the fire, it was all a setup.
There was nothing that night that could have caused the fire, I let the guilt of not being able to save them cover my eyes from seeing the real truth.
Why would anyone do something like that to my parents? They were not bad people, and now whoever that person was, was out for me.
Why?
I turned to Eddy and Anna with a smile.
" Are you okay now?" Eddy asked.
" I'm okay, sorry," I said as I laid back on the bed, they didn't need to know anything, I didn't want to drag any of them into my problems, if there was truly someone out there who sought to harm me, I have to keep the people I love far away, I would never be able to live with myself if something happened to any of them.
I had to return to my mother's land.
I have to go back to where everything started.
England.
********
She was asleep for such a long time that I began to worry that what the doctor said might have happened and she had actually gone into a coma.
Each time I went to check if she was awake, that bastard was always there hovering over her like a fly. It took everything in me not to drag him by his collar and throw him out of my house.
" Baby, let's go on a date," This woman didn't know what bad timing was, and she didn't know that the last thing I wanted was to be near her after what she did. She thought I didn't know, I would keep playing along with her till the whole truth was uncovered.
" I'm tired, maybe some other time,"
" Really or it's because you're too tired worrying about that pathetic maid of yours,"
" What did you say?" I asked as I slowly turned to where she was seated on the bed with her hands folded.
" You heard me,"
She really got some nerves looking at me like I couldn't do a thing about it, she didn't know what I had installed for her.
" Just because you decided to put a name to the relationship we have as my girlfriend doesn't give you the right to act like you're actually my girlfriend, if you're forgetting, I told you it was just sex, and you accepted, let me make something clear, I'm a man that hates being disrespected and a gentle reminder, you can be replaced."
" We've been together for three years and you still think it's just sex?"
" I warned you, I told you I couldn't give nothing more than that,"
" You can't be serious,"
I didn't want to stand here wasting my time on her so I just walked out of the room.
*******
I had been staring at the ceiling for over an hour because I was unable to sleep, my mind was filled with so many thoughts.
I had to pretend I had fallen asleep so Eddy and Anna could leave, I didn't like that I was making them worry.
Jordan came to see me, I didn't tell him about the package, I just told him I had a fever, he stayed with me for some time making me laugh and Anna angry, before he left.
I wanted to be out of this room, out of this house because I felt constricted in here, I just wanted a walk and fresh air.
I rose from bed throwing the sheets aside as I went into my closet to put on comfy clothes, I wore a cardigan and leggings then I took a knitted cap and wore it.
I opened my room door and quietly got out not wanting to wake anybody and then I tiptoed down the stairs and got out of the house.
I knew where I wanted to be, somewhere that used to be my favorite place, I had not been there for quite a long time.
The park.
I used to watch parents with their kids and at some point, I found it therapeutic, the smiles they had when their parents gave them so much attention and love, I was once like them. Happy, until I turned fifteen.
My mom was from England and my dad Italy, when the tragedy happened I saw Italy as the best place to be, somewhere I felt like I could still connect to my parents.
They were my angels.
I sat down on the bench and I inhaled the cold air, it was just me, my thoughts, and the calm of the night.
I suddenly felt like I was being watched. I turned but there was no one, I ignored the feeling and just continued staring into nothingness, not until I heard a voice.
" Hello Princess,"