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"Ajax! What are you doing here?" I snatched my arm back a little too fast and a little too roughly. I looked at him in astonishment, disbelief twisting my feelings in a tight grip.
He held his hands up, pushing his eyebrows up slightly. I couldn't read the look on his face. "I was hoping for a better response if I'm honest."
I squeezed my forehead; never before had I ever felt so exhausted and tired as I did then. "I'm sorry, I just... I can't do this right now."
He gave me a weird look. "I'm guessing this isn't a good time, huh?"
I was immediately put on the defence, not liking the snarky tone of his voice. "Yeah, I'm sorry I didn't have time to bake you a welcome back cake."
"You're full of apologies, aren't you?" he scoffed, shaking his head. "Wow. Unbelievable."
I didn't know what he was talking about. I watched him shove his hands down his coat pockets, kissing his teeth in annoyance. His thick brown hair fell sideways as he glanced away and looked back, indifference sprawled lazily on his features. "New house, huh? Who'd you have to kill to get this?"
I felt my patience click it's fingers and vanish in a puff of smoke. "I don't know what's up your ass, Ajax and really, I don't know what you expected with your sudden return. You seem to be angry with me for something and I don't know what it is. All I can say is I'm sorry, but now is really not the greatest of times."
Orion stepped out of the car, his eyes downcast; void of any emotion. "I need to get Leo out."
"Orion?" Ajax turned to me. "What is up with him?"
I brushed past Ajax who stood there like a overbearing statue and grabbed Orion by the arm, gently saying. "Not yet. We don't need these neighbours seeing. Get back in the car."
"Did you suddenly turn into his mother?"
I looked at Ajax in disbelief as Orion obediently climbed back into the car. I chose not to respond but Ajax grabbed onto my elbow as I walked past him to get into the house. "Hey, didn't you hear what I said? What is up with this gloomy atmosphere? Someone didn't die, did they?"
"If you must know," I pulled back my arm for the second time, trying not to glare at his snide-laced words. "Maximal has murdered Leo."
"Oh. That sucks, I guess."
"Don't make me hit you, Ajax. You're being a insensitive bitch."
"What do you want me to say? Sure, I like the guy but... Is Maximal going to kill Orion too? I want to watch." He flicked his hair away, shooting me a forceful smile. His words were encased in a heavy roll of sarcasm. "Why do you look so shocked? Have I upset you?"
I rolled my lips into my mouth, steaming in anger. "You know what, why don't you just go crawl back to whatever rock you slipped out from? You're not wanted."
"Oh, Bea," he mockingly held a hand to his chest. "You're breaking my heart. It's too bad I'm here to stay and darling? I'm just getting started."
His threat was real.
****
"What are you going to do?" I asked Orion, having closed the garage doors and successfully gotten the car in without any curtains twitching. Unfortunately, Ajax had followed in before I had shut the doors.
"Is that Leo's body in the back? Where's his head?" Ajax almost sounded as if he was laughing.
Orion's head shot up, his eyes narrowing darkly and he growled out before I could. "Disrespect Leo again and I'll break your fucking neck."
"See you got your nasty tongue back. Great to see you, old friend. Nice crib too, I see you've done well for yourself."
"Careful Ajax; you're sounding really bitter." I didn't flinch away from his cold eyes.
"You've always been the psychic, haven't you?"
Orion slammed the car door, opening the backseat and pulling out Leo's body which still gushed red. "What are you doing? This already looks like a crime scene."
"Can you shut up?" I couldn't believe how rude and inconsiderate Ajax was being. It was so unlike him.
"Sure," he said as sweetly as a rotten apple.
Orion had thrown Leo's body over his shoulder, uncaring of the splash of blood that stained his back. "Can you get...?" He implored, begging me with his gaze.
I nodded without hesitation, walking towards the backseat when my hand stung suddenly. I drew my eyes downwards, gasping softly. It was cut open, skin torn and missing in small pieces. I could see the red flesh. It wasn't life threatening but definitely worth a visit to a hospital. My mind has its limits: I wouldn't be able to think of a believable excuse as to what happened to my hand when a doctor would surely ask.
Orion waited for me and ignoring the throbbing pain in my hand I picked up the heavy, wrapped head. It weighed down in my arms, stickily wet from the bottom and awkward to hold. I didn't want to hold it but Orion asked me to and I just couldn't say no.
"Guessing that's the head, huh? What are you going to do, sew him back together? It's a shame you don't have another spell like you did for Lilliana. Maybe if you had that book..." Ajax trailed after us, drawling in a pretentious way.
We came into the room where Bertha and Howard had died.
Orion rested the body on the sofa, gentle like a caring mother. He took the head from me as Ajax's words began spinning in my head. I had the book. Maybe there was something in there that could help Orion.
I had to get it and give it to Orion. If we could get Leo back -and I truly did miss him- than there was no way I could keep it a secret.
I just had to get home first.
Orion had dropped to the floor, his legs spread wide and his arms rested on his thighs, blood soaked hands holding his own head. He reeked of a man dying. While his tears no longer came, his silence was mourning and as loud as an earthquake.
The head was still wrapped up and was now on the floor, a distance away.
"Nice digs," Ajax began nosing around, purposely elbowing a picture frame of Mr. Downey to the floor from a small table and tossing a newspaper to the side.
I sighed deeply, and he looked at me, daring me to speak. I broke his gaze, not mentally up to his game and drew down to Orion's level. "I'll be back soon, Orion. I need to get something first."
He didn't respond, steadily breathing.
I straightened up, reluctant to leave Ajax with Orion and to leave Orion, especially when he was drowning silently in his misery; unwilling to take a breath. "Someone's ignorant," Ajax mumbled under his breath as he stared, intrigued at the stain on the wall. The stain where Howard had died; his head crushed. "What is this, no frame Picasso?"
I gazed at him, my jaw locked.
"You're killing me mentally, aren't you?"
"Just be quiet and don't do anything or get out of the house." I didn't want him to do the latter in case Orion was in need of something (although it seemed highly unlikely Ajax would help).
"My lips are sealed, my limbs locked, princess," Ajax dropped down on the sofa opposite Orion, innocence wrongly pasted across his face.
With my hands sticky with blood, my head pounding a mile a minute, I clutched the car keys in my hand and left.
***
I pulled up outside my house and killed the loud engine. I caught my reflection in the overhead mirror and looked away quickly, my eyes unable to look back at the haunted soul.
I took out my phone, ignoring the multiple miscalls Cade had sent me and the few Darius had sent. It was just past eight o' clock.
Getting out of the car, I wondered what excuse I would tell my family at my gone-through-hell look. I just needed to get in the dining room, get The Incomplete from the vase and somehow get out again - even though, I knew the only way Mum would let me back out would be over her dead body.
I didn't realise until I was right at the front door. My heart sunk like an anchor. The door was hanging off its hinges, giving the illusion that it was closed - from faraway. I barely had to touch it and it pushed open. "Ellie?! Mum!" I yelled as I tried not to panic. The fear that I felt for the safety of my family was so powerful; an emotion that almost had be doubling over, puking. The hallway was a mess; plant pots had been knocked over, the soil strewn everywhere, picture frames had been ripped from the wall. Claw marks had peeled some of the cream paint.
"Mum! Ellie! Darius!" I felt tears rush to my eyes as I stumbled through the wreckage, stopping in the living room. The sight was the definition of destruction: sofas has been upturned, completely rid of their insides, the TV was on its back, wires cut and screen caved in. Glass from the cabinets littered the floor like shiny diamonds and the wood was splintered. The tiles surrounding the gas were cracked and the coals had been scooped out only to be dropped besides a sofa.
I pulled myself through the small gap between the sofa and the wall, about to walk into the kitchen when my world crumbled to dust and I felt like I couldn't breathe.
"No..." I gasped, my voice coming out in a whisper, falling to my knees as my vision blurred.
Mum, with blood gushing from the wound on her head, lay sprawled on the floor on her side, her face bruised and battered - to the point where I almost didn't recognise her - and she was so still...
So deathly immobile.
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Do I get a vote and a comment guys
I miss my momma so bad ugh