the harsh truth
****
WHEN I SAW Fletcher's text, I didn't know what to expect as I rushed back home. Ever since that incident a few years ago, I've been overly protective of Sebastian. If it weren't for Sebastian reassuring me he would be okay if I left home, I probably wouldn't have moved to New York.
Yet I couldn't stop my mind from thinking of worst-case scenarios when I hastily opened the door to my apartment.
"What took you so long?" He crossed his arms as I took off my shoes.
"I came as soon as I saw Fletcher's text." I crossed the threshold and wrapped my arms around Sebastian. "What happened? Are you okay?"
He didn't hug me back, but I knew Sebastian appreciated the gesture. He wasn't a person who showed his emotions often.
"Nothing happened," he stepped away. I notice him play with his hair, a clear sign he was lying, but I chose to not pressure him. There was plenty of time left before I questioned him. "Fletcher said I could crash here when I texted him, but he wasn't here so I used my spare key."
"That's all right, he'll probably come back later tonight. What about school?" I trudged towards the kitchen. "You're not done yet."
"I'll go back on Monday," he sprawled himself on the couch and turned on the T.V. "I was thinking we could go visit mom before I go back to Aunt Nina's."
"Is it already that time of year?" I wondered out loud. Checking the calendar on my phone, I saw the anniversary of her death was just around the corner. "And how is Aunt Nina?"
"Fine, I told her I'm coming to visit you." Sebastian muttered. "It's been seven years already. Do you think Dad will try to contact us again this year? I'm betting he'll send a letter writing about how sorry he is in his shitty handwriting."
I didn't want to think about it too deeply, so I tried to not give a clear answer. Dad was something we never talked about unless it was near the anniversary. His betrayal made it clear to us he only ever cared about himself, especially when he abandoned us when Mom was on the brink of death.
"Who knows?" I opened the fridge and saw some leftovers Fletcher made the other night. Deciding to heat them, I noticed it was still raining.
"So, where were you?" Sebastian turned around in his seat and placed his chin on his palm.
"I was with my girlfriend," I answered while waiting for the microwave to heat the food.
"There's actually someone who likes you?" He raised his eyebrow in speculation. "I guess there's someone for everyone."
"Shut up," I grumbled, throwing a rag aimed in his direction. The microwave went off, and I placed the food on the counter. The dining table was cluttered with our stuff, and I didn't have the energy to put them away. "Grab two plates behind the cupboards."
"What's she like?" Sebastian asked as got up to serve himself the food. He then went to sit back down on the couch.
"Mila is..." I trailed off. There wasn't a word that could encapsulate her. "She's the light of my life."
"What the?" Sebastian guffawed. "Did you just say that?"
"It's much deeper than that, but she's had a positive influence on who I am." I sit next to him, the food on my lap. "When you meet her, you'll understand what I mean."
"How'd you guys meet?" He popped a piece of chicken into his mouth. "I bet she didn't like you in the beginning."
"Officially we met at a party."
"Officially?"
"I met her three years ago, but she doesn't remember that. We met again this school year." I explain as I take a bite. "We started dating some time afterwards."
"Does she know about Mom and Dad?"
"Of course not," I glower at him. "I can't talk about it yet. I need some time before I just go and tell her our Mom is dead because of Dad."
Sebastian doesn't say anything, his face was grim. Feeling guilty, I place my plate on the coffee table in front of us.
"Hey," I say to him. "Sorry, I didn't mean to come off that way. Everything's been a mess lately."
"Sorry," he let out a sigh and rubbed his arms. "I came without telling you too."
"No," I pursed my lips. "I didn't mean it like that. You can come by anytime you want. It's just Mila has this stalker, who's hell-bent on destroying her life. On top of that, I still haven't told her about our family and the incident seven years ago."
"Shit," Sebastian stood up. "Are you close to finding out who—"
"Open up!" Someone banged on the door. The knock reverberated throughout the apartment. "I know you're in there you Atienza fucks!"
"What the fuck?" I froze in my seat, too shocked to properly react. "Sebastian, do you recognize that voice?"
He didn't reply, but I knew he did. It was the same voice that haunted my dreams.
"How did he find us?" Sebastian's voice was filled with dread. His lips were trembling, and hands shook as dug his nails into his palms. He was still standing when I shook him. "Seb, we don't have enough time. I think they're here to take us. Dad hasn't tried to call us either, so I think something went wrong. You need to get out of here."
"What about you?" His eyes welled up. "I can't just leave you here."
"I'll hold them off." I grabbed his phone off the table and typed an address. "Go here, this is where Mila is right now. It's her friend's place."
"Fuck no, I'm not leaving!" Sebastian yelled. The knocking kept getting louder, and my ears were starting to ring incessantly. "You're the only family I have left!"
"I can't promise I'll be fine, but I will promise I won't leave you alone in this world." I lead him to a place where I knew no one could see him. "You have to leave, Seb. While I'm dealing with them, you have to sneak out of the door. Go straight to Mila."
He snivelled his nose but still nodded.
"Okay," I took a deep breath. "We wasted too much time, I'm pretty sure they're going to break the door down. Hide here, and no matter what, don't leave until you see an opening."
I tiptoed to the living room and there they were having a hushed discussion where we were a few minutes ago. I glanced around the apartment and made note of the broken door.
"We know you're here Renzo," one of them spoke in a sing-song tone. There were three men; two of them standing and the other one who almost beat me to death all those years ago was sitting in the middle of the couch. With his legs crossed, he had a cigar hanging off his mouth. I noticed age caught up to him as he let out a cough. Once he saw me come up to them, he sneered. "Finally, Dalton's boy makes an appearance. Sorry for the intrusion, you weren't answering. We made ourselves comfortable."
"What brings you here?" I steeled my expression, holding my breath. "My roommate would want compensation for the door too."
"'Compensation'..." The man mulled over the word. Suddenly, he smacked me across the face. The loud thwack dotted my vision, and I fell to the ground. "How dare you say we owe you something? You don't stand in front of us and pretend your life isn't in our hands."
I stared at the ground with my head bowed. I didn't bower to get up, knowing I'll be knocked back down again.
"We own you." One of them gripped my jaw, but they were silent. I could tell the two men standing were the old man's henchmen. He opened his mouth to say something, but then there was a loud crash behind us.
Sebastian was huffing as he smashed a few plates on the floor and threw them at the men. One of the plates hit the man who was crushing my jaw in the head. He toppled to the floor with a thud. I pushed his large body off me. The other two men approached me, and from the corner of my eye, I saw Sebastian run out of the apartment. I could tell he was hesitating but as soon as they whipped their heads around, Sebastian took off.
One of them went after him started talking into their wrist. "There's another person here, bring the van around the corner."
"I guess you and I are the only ones left again."
"How's life been, old man?" I wasn't going to make the same mistake as last time. I couldn't, there was no room for it if I wanted to get out alive today.
"I'm not here to have a repeat of that night's events. I was offered a better deal for your life."
"What do you mean?"
"It means you're not my headache anymore," the man said a matter of factly, rubbing his temple. "Someone put a price on your head, and I intend to deliver. If the delivery is done by tomorrow, we will no longer go after you and your brother. We will forgive the fact your Dad outed us to the police and killed Zephyr."
"Zephyr?" I flinched when I heard the name. "Like my friend, Mike Zephyr?"
"Oh, Renzo." The man clicked his tongue in disapproval. "After everything you've been through, this shouldn't have been a surprise. I actually feel bad for you. Dalton abandons his family after getting a cop killed and one of Zephyr's men kills your Mom not even a week later. You're now left to raise an eleven-year-old at only fifteen. If only I ended your miserable life that night, you wouldn't have to relive this all over again."
I remain paralyzed, unable to comprehend anything. The fact that I never knew Mike was connected to all of this made me feel utterly pathetic.
"Mike was instructed to reveal himself as a Zephyr, but apparently you weren't able to connect the dots. How disappointing..."
"I knew Dad killed your leader," I mumbled. "But I was never told the man's name. There was no way I could've known. They didn't tell us anything specific."
"Well, I'm here to clear things up." Another person—this time dressed in a black suit who seemed to be around my age—stepped into the apartment. The power exuded off of him in waves and even the old man who constantly showed up in my nightmares paled in comparison to the person who waltzed inside. He surveyed the plates with feigned interest and stared at the old man in front of me. "Your services are no longer required. You will find the money transferred into your account within twenty-four hours. I'll take over from here, you may leave now."
The old man nodded and gave me one last look. "Dalton sends his regards."
"Now then," the person clapped his hands. "Let us move to a more appropriate location."
"I'm not going anywhere," I raised my fist to strike him, only to get overpowered. He took out a syringe from his pocket and took off the cap.
"That's not very nice," he tapped the syringe a couple of times. "This won't hurt at all, don't worry."
"No, stop!" I struggled against his ironlike hold.
"Oh," he gasped. "How rude of me! I never introduced myself."
"Let me go!" I lurched my body, but he stuck the needle inside my arm.
"My name is Kennedy Zephyr."
It was then I lost consciousness.