Trigger warning for violence
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"Sofi," Camila whispered and blinked rapidly. No, they wouldn't go after a child... right? They wouldn't... not a little girl...
With shaking knees, she slowly approached the door. Maybe her mother had taken the key with her. Maybe she had put it elsewhere. Just like she had changed the code for the alarm system. Yes, that sounded plausible...
She took a deep breath and walked into the house. From the looks of it, nothing was amiss. What if they were still in the house? What if they had taken Sofi? What if –
Camila listened closely and could hear the faint noises of the TV. Sofi was probably watching some morning cartoons. They always used to do it on the weekend when their parents weren't there. Everything was fine. It was fine, right?
Had the TV been on when Lauren and her went downstairs? Wouldn't have Sofi come to her to see what was going on when she had laughed so loudly? But if she had watched TV... if her favorite show had been on...
She swallowed dryly and closed the door behind her. Although it didn't gave her the feeling of safety she had hoped for. No, it was as if she had just closed her only escape. Shaking it off, Camila held her breath and tiptoed to the living room.
The door was ajar and, with a little push, it opened fully. She anxiously bit her lip and slowly stepped into the room. No one was there. A cartoon was playing on the television, but Sofi wasn't here.
Her heartbeat picked up again as panic spread through her body. Where was she? Had Gabriel been in their home? Had he taken Sofi while she and Lauren were asleep, unaware that that psychopath had broken into the house? With trembling hands, she took the remote and shut it off. She would never forgive herself, if something happened to Sofi. Never. Not if she could save her somehow...
"Why did you turn it off? I was watching that!"
Camila swang around and stared in shock at her little sister who was now pouting at the black screen.
"Oh my God," she muttered and after a few quick steps to close their small distance, Camila embraced her tightly. "You're alright. Oh my God, you're okay, you're safe!"
Sofi hesitantly put her arms around her and patted her back. "Of course I am, Kaki... are you feeling okay?"
A few tears escaped her eyes and Camila sniffed. Her sister was okay. Everything was fine. No one had harmed her. And no one was going to as long as she was there to protect her.
She wiped her cheeks before pulling away and looking into Sofi's eyes. "You, uh... did you unlock the door this morning?"
Sofi frowned and shook her head. "No, why should I?"
Camila closed her eyes for a moment, counting to ten. This was not good. There had been no key in the lock, so Lauren couldn't have done it either... and the spare key was still missing. "Do you know if Mamá took the spare key from under the flowerpot? Did she put it somewhere else?"
"No," Sofi drawled. "Why are you asking me these weird questions?"
She bit her lip and looked around. Why was the door unlocked? Was Gabriel already in the house? Was he listening to their conversation? Was he waiting for something? Or did he only want to scare her? She knew that he loved to intimidate people...
"Sof, I want you to pack some clothes, we're going to spend the night at Lauren's," Camila finally decided.
"Cool," Sofi exclaimed and a big smile appeared on her face. "I can't wait!"
If Gabriel was in the house, he would have come out by now. He wouldn't hide for hours. Luis had probably told him that she was staying at the Jauregui's and that Sofi would be alone in the house. But he could still come back anytime and she was not going to wait for him. No, she would let her mother know that the locks had to be replaced as soon as possible.
Why had he even taken the spare key if he wanted to scare her? Camila frowned. This didn't make sense. If he thought that Sofi was alone... that had to mean that he really planned to go after her little sister. Today.
Camila tried to smile for Sofi as she followed her out of the living room, but it felt more like a painful grimace than anything else. Her senses heightened when they reached the hallway and she anxiously looked around, listening for footsteps which might not belong to them, or a creaking floorboard, but everything was silent.
He was not here yet. Maybe he had seen her and had decided to come back when she wasn't there?
"Go on up, I'll wait here," Camila told her sister and pointed to the stairs in front of them before leaning against the wall.
This spot was perfect to keep an eye on the front door, the upper floor and the hallway. There was no way someone was able to sneak up on her... but what would she do if they came in? Why had she never played softball like Lauren? A bat like that would be amazingly helpful right now...
She glanced to the stairs, hoping that Sofi would hurry. The sooner they got out of here, the better...
"Kaki? Can I bring some games with me?" Sofi yelled from upstairs and Camila groaned. This kid...
"Just take some clothes to sleep in and you'll be fine!" she called back and walked irritated to the stairs. She had given her a simple order, why was it so difficult to follow?
"But I wanted to show Taylor this new game I got!"
Camila pinched the bridge of her nose. Seriously? She wanted to discuss that now? "Sof, just... just get it and don't forget your other stuff!"
"Like what?" Sofi shouted back and Camila swore under her breath. She had been more independent than this when she had been her age... Sure, she had usually done everything for Sofi, but her sister had to know what to put in her bag when she spent the night somewhere else!
"Jesus Christ," she muttered and glared into the direction of Sofi's room. "Just take the stuff you need in the morning when you get ready! It's not that important, Sof, just take your sleeping clothes for all I care, but we have to leave now! Hurry!"
"Aw, you're leaving?" a deep voice suddenly asked from behind and Camila froze.
No. Fucking. Way.
He had not just come in when she had been busy yelling at her little sister. Come on, this had to be a joke. The second she turned her back to the freaking door?! She clenched her fists and turned around to face him. He was not going to lay a finger on her sister.
"Hello, Karla." His gray eyes twinkled amused and he leaned against the closed front door. "I know I promised that we'll see each other again, but I didn't think you'd be here. Weren't you thrown out of here or something? Did you forget that you're no longer welcome here?"
"What do you want, Gabriel?" Camila narrowed her eyes at him when he chuckled. "You're trespassing."
"But no one is going to know, Karla," Gabriel said, his voice was laced with such confidence that it nearly made her sick. Why was he always so sure of everything he did? "Well, now it's going to be a bit more complicated, but... I'll come up with something."
"And what might that be?" She had to keep him talking so that she could figure out a way to get Sofi to safety... and, if possible, herself too. "You thought you could just steal a key and drop by when my mother isn't around? What were you even trying to do?"
"I wanted to visit little, sweet Sofi. That girl adores me, y'know? She told me once that I was like a big brother to her," he told her smugly and she clenched her jaw. To even think that he had been alone with her little sister... "She knows what's up. She understands how fucked up you are, Karla. I am not going to sit by and watch how you spread your illness to others."
A movement on the right caught her attention as one of the doors in the hallway opened. Camila wanted to hit herself when she saw Luis coming towards them. She had forgotten to check the backdoor...
"Why did you just walk in, Gabe? I fucking told you that she's here," Luis hissed. "Fuck, what do you think you're doing?!"
Camila glanced from one to the other, trying to understand what was going on. Luis had warned Gabriel that she was home? Had he seen her? Had he been watching the house? Or had he been in the house and waited... but that would have been reckless...
"Lighten up!" Gabriel grinned. His calmness frightened Camila more than anything. But maybe that was his weakness? He... well, no, he didn't really underestimate her. If it came to physical strength, there would be no question on who would win. "So what, Karla's here. Don't you understand? This is perfect!"
"How could this be perfect in any way?" Luis shot back and pointed at her. "I told you about the blackmail, you moron! The media, the fucking media could be on our tail! Society is so fucked up, there are more and more supporters of those freaks! What do you think is going to happen?!"
"And I told you how dumb it was to say any of that stuff. At least you kept your mouth shut about the other thing..." Gabriel trailed off before he glared at Luis. "You did keep your mouth shut, didn't you?"
"Of course, man! What the hell, why would I say anything!" Luis seemed more hysterical than mad. "I was the one who came up with a plan on how to keep it that way! Nobody talked!"
Gabriel glared at him for a few seconds before shrugging it off. "Whatever. My father said that they have some new evidence... and you're sure that no one has talked?"
"Absolutely positive," Luis affirmed and crossed his arms. "But your little stunt is going to cost us everything! Just let it the fuck go, Gabe! There are too many of them, you can't fix them all! I'm not gonna stand here and let you destroy my life just because of your obsession with her! We only wanted to scare her a little! What the fuck are you doing?!"
"She is spreading the disease to others," Gabriel hissed and turned his glare towards her. "She's contagious... we need to get rid of her."
Camila had heard enough. This was not going to end in her favor if she just stood here and listened. They were not going to argue forever... although Luis didn't agree with Gabriel's actions, so maybe she could use that. She didn't have an escape. Luis and Gabriel were blocking the only ways out of the house and Sofi was still upstairs... and suspiciously quiet.
"You know," Camila jumped into the conversation, hoping that it would work, "my father is not going to be pleased if anything happened to either of his daughters. He would be out for blood. Your blood. There is no way in hell that you can get some kind of deal when they catch you, no matter what connections you have. He's a state attorney, do you think law enforcement takes lightly on crime against one of their own? They would turn every single little stone for information and they are going to find you."
She could tell that her little speech had frightened Luis greatly. His eyes glanced from her to Gabriel and back to her again before he wiped a layer of sweat from his forehead.
"Gabe, we should go," he muttered. "We didn't do anything yet, just put the key back and... and let's just go."
"Are you fucking kidding me?! You fucking idiot, she's lying straight to your face! Her father hates her. He would probably give us an award or something!" Gabriel looked at her and this time his eyes were filled with pure hate. "But I have to tell you, it surprised me when he did nothing after I gave him your address in New York. I was so sure he would do something..."
"One thing is more important to my father than anything and that is his precious reputation," Camila added and looked at Luis. "And what do you think the media would say if he did nothing concerning his daughters? His reputation would be in shreds. Despite what his personal beliefs are, he would always put his job and his image first."
Gabriel laughed coldly. "Nice try, Karla. But I'm not going anywhere... and neither is Luis."
"But, Gabe –"
"Shut the hell up," Gabriel interrupted him fiercly and his glare intensified. "That bitch turned your girlfriend into a dyke. You know what that means? She made out with her, she touched her, she fucked her."
Luis gritted his teeth and Camila's thoughts raced. She couldn't get past them and shout for help... maybe she could run up the stairs and... and what? Lock herself and Sofi into a room? That might have been a relatively good idea, if it hadn't been for the fact that it simply wasn't possible with no keys. She could thank her paranoid mother for that later.
A low creak from above sent her painfully back to the present. Camila knew that one of the floorboards near the top of the stairs creaked, but it seemed as if Sofi had forgotten about that little detail. Although most of the noise was blocked by Luis' dark muttering, it had still been audible.
If Sofi really tried, what Camila hoped she would, then she had to somehow prevent Luis and Gabriel from looking up the staircase. Sofi needed to get to the phone in their parents' study and to achieve that, she had to get past the stairs. She had to sneak past them in plain view.
Camila bit her lip, anxiously looking between Gabriel and Luis. If one of them glanced up... Sofi only needed a few minutes to call for help... her sister had heard enough, Camila had been aware that she was eavesdropping. Sofi knew that this was serious. She only needed a little more time... she needed a distraction...
She took a deep breath, knowing that her plan was risky and downright dangerous. And stupid. Really stupid. And not to mention reckless. But she needed their attention on her and on her alone.
"So, Gabriel," she started in a conversational tone. Now she would finally see how good her acting was... "What's this even about? I mean, you're literally obsessed with lesbians and gays. Do you feel threatened by us? Do you fear us this much?"
Gabriel glanced at her in slight confusion, having not expected her to actually talk to him.
"Fear? Threatened?" He snorted. "Are you out of your mind?"
"I don't know," she drawled and crossed her arms. This was for Sofi. She had to protect Sofi. "You seemed to be awfully concerned on catching this disease. Are you scared that you'll get infected?" She paused slightly and tightened the grip on her arms. "Or are you already?"
"What the fuck did you just say?" Gabriel asked quietly, but his glare was frightening. "What the fuck did you just say?!"
"I know that I was the best in our year and you barely managed to graduate, but I would have thought you could at least understand basic English," she replied as if she didn't have a care in the world. Inwardly she was already dying. This was her grave she was digging... "I knew you weren't very bright, but this? Well, I guess, Daddy can't fix everything."
His gray eyes looked murderous as he took a step closer to her. "Shut the fuck up, Karla! I am not a faggot, how dare you –"
"Sure, keep telling yourself that," Camila said and shrugged nonchalantly, trying not to wince when he took another step forward. At least their focus was solely on her.
"How dare you compare me to – to those –" Gabriel balled his hands into fists, too furious to continue the sentence. "I am not –"
"Well, what is it then? You have to compensate something with your attitude," she taunted him and glanced meaningful down to his crotch. She wanted to throw up, she wanted to cry, she wanted to take Sofi and run... She decided to go for the last blow. If Sofi hadn't called for help yet, everything would be too late... "I once heard something that psychopaths use a knife to make up for their impotence. Was that why you stabbed Hailee? You said to Luis that you wanted to fix me. Did you try to fix her too? Weren't you able to get your little friend up and going? Or are you just so gay that it didn't do anything to your small buddy? Is that why you and Luis were always so close? But at least he could get a girlfriend not like y–"
Camila's words were cut off when she suddenly felt his big hands around her throat, squeezing it tightly and pressing her to the wall behind her. She couldn't breathe... Her hands flew up, trying to loosen his grasp, but Gabriel only squeezed a little tighter, glaring into her eyes as if he wasn't affected by anything...
"You think this is funny? Huh?! You think this is a joke?! I'm going to kill you, you fucking dyke! How funny is that, huh?!"
She was going to die... She hoped that Sofi was hiding somewhere...
"Fuck, Gabe – stop!"
Black dots appeared in her vision and she clawed desperately at his hands, but she could feel how her strength left her... The last thing she saw was Gabriel's vicious smile before her eyelids grew too heavy and darkness surrounded her.
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A/N: Well... cliffhanger, anyone? :) Thanks for reading and I hope you kind of liked this chapter! I wonder if the person, on whose suggestion this story is based on, is even still reading this... lol. Oh, and click on the little star if you want to have luck next week! That works.