Cheyenne's POV:
The next morning, I wake up having slept in late, frustrated by the reality that my parents know everything now. I just lie in my bed, angry, not even wanting to go downstairs and see the judgment that I know is coming. So instead, once I'm fully awake, I immediately grab my phone and find a text from Angela.
"That sneaky fucking bastard! He REALLY fucking played us! What's going on over there?"
I respond. "This is bad. They know everything about Cece Phoenix, and our work now. I might as well be living in a jail cell now. We're ruined."
"No worries, beaoitch. Remember your meeting is still good to go for this weekend. All we have to do is makeup something and I can send you to an airport."
"Fat chance. Those two dirtbags are gonna be watching who I go out with like a hawk now. There's no way they'll let me out with you and the PC's anymore."
"We'll think of something. Like you said, we always do. Besides, it's already inevitable. Your flame WILL fucking burn."
"Damn right."
"Just give me an hour to think of some plans, and then I'll run them by you."
I hear my mom calling me down. "Cheyenne! Hurry up, your breakfast is already cold!"
"Ugh! I'll be right down!" I yell out. "Gotta go. The judge has called me into the jury."
"Damn. Give them hell for us."
I come downstairs and see my mom and dad sitting at the table looking up at me, while Kevin stands on the other side against the wall. I shrug it off. "Good morning mom, dad. Baby brother." Awkward silence. I roll my eyes. "There it is. You can't even look at me. But guess what, I'm NOT ashamed of what I've done. It makes me feel good, it's how I make my money. And I don't care how mad or disgusted any of you might be with these simple-"
"We're not mad sweetie," my dad calmly spoke out interrupting me.
I just stare at him. "You're.....not?"
"Are we disappointed? Yes. But you know us. We could never hate our own daughter."
"It's taking us some time to process, but, at least now we know why you've been acting strange as of recently. And we're happy that you were able to tell us the truth," mom added.
This is NOT what I was expecting. "Oh. Well, okay then."
"I'm sorry for yelling at you gumdrop. I just let my emotions get the better of me," she said. "It did for all of us."
I then sit down, and quickly eat the pancakes they made for me. As soon as I finish, I rise back up. "Hey, if you don't mind, I'm gonna step outside and get some air," I say grabbing a jacket off of the corner hanger.
"Um, before you take off Cheyenne? We, just wanna tell you something," dad said. I put my jacket on then come back to the room. "This will only take a minute."
"Me first?" I ask. He nods yes. "So, I know it's a lot to take in, this career of mine, the interview that's coming soon. If it goes well, I'll be moving out. But, if you wouldn't mind, I still have some things I'd like to do with you all before that happens. You're still my family.......you deserve that much."
"That won't be necessary. We've already taken care of everything." I hear this from my dad, and I am suddenly confused. "This isn't gonna be easy for us, but tomorrow, your mother and I will be here the entire day to help you pack your things."
"Pack? But, the PC's might be throwing me a farewell party tomorrow."
"We'll tell them that family matters came up," my mother said. Then she pulls out a pamphlet and passes it over to me. "Like he said, we're gonna spend the whole day together tomorrow. Because we want you to see how much we're gonna support you, and your path to healing before Saturday."
"H-Healing? W-What is this?" I picked up the pamphlet. "Wait. My trip is for Saturday and maybe next weekend, not tomorrow." I look at both of them, and I grow suspicious. "What's going on?"
"Just read it over," my dad said. "The O'Connors came to me last week after service and asked me how I would feel about sending their son-in-law through rehab and reparative therapy. After our talk last night, I gave them a call, and they were generous enough to accept. Everything's already been paid for, and you have a flight scheduled for Texas on Saturday morning."
"'Best reviewed institution for Christian families in the States. Guaranteed to restore the purity-'." I stop reading in cringe and then I laugh it off. "This is a joke right? Dad, I don't need therapy, okay? I'm perfectly healthy."
"You've been violated and confused. But, this will help, the Lord will lead the way."
"My head's fine." I look to the both of them, more defensive. "I don't understand. I-I thought you guys said that you weren't mad at me. Why would you pay for me to go to a mental hospital?"
"That's not what this is. This is different, and the people I've spoken to over the phone are pure-"
"Purely a group of people who're gonna brainwash me! People who are gonna think I have some kind of illness!"
"No. It's as we said, this is going to help you."
I then stand up enraged. "No! No, I don't NEED any help!" I scoff. "I don't believe this. I CAN'T believe this! Are- Are you both REALLY so spineless and cowardly that you're willing to ship me away to some medical center like I'm a prize at an auction?!"
"You're NOT being shipped away," dad said.
"You're saying that because I didn't even consent!" I yell out. I turn to Kevin. "Did you set this up?"
Kevin shakes his head and throws up his arms. "They- They asked me to go to bed as soon as you stormed upstairs. This is the first I'm hearing about this," Kevin said.
"And on the day where I'm supposed to be in California at the SAME TIME?!"
"Correct. But once it's sorted out, I'm going to send my own email to this....... company and tell them it couldn't work out."
My eyes widen. "You......you can't do that...! Wha- When am I supposed to get out?!?!!"
"Whenever the treatment for you has been successful."
"Oh my god, you idiots! I don't need any treatment! There's nothing that needs to be fixed!!"
"What matters to us is that you're far away from these people! AND away from those people, you brought into our house last night!" dad yelled. "We wanted to give you freedom. But it's obvious we allowed you to have too much."
I begin to scold him. "Even if you do this, it's not gonna matter. Our work is already out there! Already around the world!"
"Yes. But after the investigation is done we'll be sure to erase all of the traces," mom said.
"Inves- Investigation?!"
"We've seen all the evidence that you were involved in the vandalism and sabotages of the churches. We're not gonna turn you into court or file charges, but we also have strong evidence to believe that these, 'PC's scandals' are suspect to other previous cases. Our reports are already set up, and these people will be dealt with once we turn it over to the authorities." She just stares at my PISSED expression. "Cheyenne. One way or another, you're done with these people."
This is an outrage. "You're insane. You're insane! Do- Do you even realize how big this career has been?!"
"Cheyenne-"
"No, do you understand what I have?! I have money. Angela's father, the fucking mayor protects us. And he's gonna protect his daughter! I am known across most of the country along with my body! Guys, with the money I've earned, you can buy a brand new church ten times as large! You can do whatever you want if I give you a share, but you won't be able to receive a dime of it if I'm not here!" My dad shakes his head in disapproval. "Dad, I know you're upset but just let me explain-"
"Let ME explain. We forgive you for what you've done, but that doesn't mean we're okay with you continuing this lifestyle. Besides, there is no way that I can accept your money. Yes, maybe it can give us a great opportunity to buy a new church, but this is different."
"And it's not going to matter how much you offer us, because you're not gonna bribe us out of this. The means by which you gained this money is just, unholy. Do you even realize what would happen if people discovered we used money from pornography and drugs to fund our ministry? We would be ruined, we'd be hypocrites!" Mom added.
"Nowhere NEAR as hypocritical as sending me away just to hide some secret!!" I responded.
"That's not what we're doing. From what Kevin told us, you were also trying to seduce some of the youth girls this weekend," Dad said. "This isn't just about our family or your protection. We're also looking out for the entire church body."
"Why? Because I might open their eyes to the truth that God isn't real if I don't go to BRAINWASH school?!!"
"Watch it! The blessings and gifts we have received from Christ are NOT something we take lightly!"
"Tch. The blessings and the gifts?" I'm just going to let it out. "Do you really believe if God or Jesus were real, we would be living like this? With wars on the other side of the world? With entire countries starving to death with no food or water?! With nations murdering one another?!!"
"Sweetie, be careful. You're speaking to a pastor, not just your fath-," dad tried to speak out.
"Yes you ARE a pastor, so tell me this:" I interrupted. "Doesn't the bible say that if any woman is raped, then she must be wed to her rapist? Because if that's true, then YOUR ex-girlfriend should be called an adulteress for dating other men because SHE'S married to the PC's according to the Bible!" I said pointing to Kevin.
Kevin angrily throws his cup at the wall and starts walking towards me. "What did you say?!!"
"Kevin, baby!" Mom rushes over to pull him back.
"Well dad, answer the question."
My dad raises his hands. "Oh come on now. WHERE on Earth does the Bible mention something like that?!" he asked with a slightly laughing tone.
"In the book of Deuteronomy. Chapter 22, look it up. What, are you saying that I know God's word more than an actual PASTOR does? Fuck off and retire you old man!"
His eyes widen at me, and I can tell he's trying not to snap. "Cheyenne, please just sit down-"
"Oh and speaking of Deuteronomy, it also says THIS in the previous chapter: 'Any dead body that hangs from a tree is ACCURSED of God, and it DEFILES the land that God has given you.' So tell me, how on Earth could Jesus be the Son of God, if He actually died on a cross?! Isn't a cross made out of wood, wood from a tree?! His identity is contradicted by the Bible itself, and if that verse is true, then Jesus was NEVER the Son of God! He's proven to be a fraud!!!" I yelled out.
"Cheyenne, stop it!" Mom yelled out.
"Sparkle bug, you do not understand the signifi-!"
"Dear father, remind me, wasn't it your God who declared dominion over the Earth to mankind, only to then massacre almost all of them in a flood because they were disobedient to Him? Didn't he promise the people of the Earth prosperity, sacred lands, and peace, only to put them under slavery by nearly a dozen different empires?! Oh, and didn't God allow the Devil to torment one man for an entire chapter of the Bible?! Does that really sound like a merciful God to you? Does it?!!!"
Dad tries to speak out again."No it doesn't, but you are terribly misinformed on the scripture! Your friends have scrambled your own interpretation of what-!"
"No!" I interrupt. "That's EXACTLY what is written in the Bible, that God allowed ALL of those things to happen! If your God is allowing these wars, these deaths, and these rapings, then he's not worth believing in!! The Bible is all full of contradictions and fairy tales made by imaginative fucktards!! Taking the history of the world and turning it into the fantasy, one where everyone who isn't a Christian is automatically condemned to Hell and they face judgment from God's followers!!"
Kevin growls. "And just when I thought we were gonna have a chance to make peace? I thought I could still see my sister inside whatever demons are possessing your body!"
"I'm surprised you can even see me at all with your blind faith and ego stuck upside your-!"
Dad stands up enraged, flipping his chair. "THAT'S ENOUGH!!!!" Everyone goes silent. Dad doesn't normally shout like this, but when he does, it's kind of frightening. "I'm just trying to fix this. Restore your faith and your heart."
"Living as a Christian has been nothing but miserable for me! I haven't been able to do nearly ANYTHING with you guys!! So why are you so surprised that this is what happened after you let me out of the house?!"
"Because we had expected better from you. But you're not the same little girl we once raised."
I just stare at them. They're really this ignorant and blind. "Sending me to this place, won't bring that little girl back... Without my influ-!"
"Cheyenne, our decision is final. You can take the rest of today and tomorrow to pack your things," dad said while stepping back to pick up the broken chair. "You may go outside and have air. But you are not leaving this house. Okay?"
I stare at him angrily and throw my jacket to the floor, stomping on it. "Why even bother? I really am just your fucking prisoner!"
Mom lets go of Kevin and tries to approach me. "Sweetie, what have you-?"
"Don't. Don't come close to me." I step away looking at them. Dad is frozen, mom is broken, and Kevin is conflicted. "It's because of your faith that this is all happening right now. It has torn apart my relationship with my family. I don't even know who you're supposed to be anymore. Any of you. But if it counts for something, then I praise God that the truth is out, cuz Angela was right about all of you." I leave the room and head upstairs.
Mom picks up my jacket. She made it for me during my freshman year, almost like a leather jacket but the color is fuschia. She loved it, and I loved it too. But now she cries at the stomp and tear marks in the sleeve.
Dad turns to Kevin, who is silent. Thinking about this situation. "Kevin if you wouldn't mind-"
"Can I be excused? I need to think."
"About what?"
"What I've done to us." He steps out of the room.
I lock myself upstairs and growl in frustration, kicking the walls. I snatch my phone and call Angela.
"Angela, we have a problem! Everything's over for me!"
"Huh? It hasn't even been 30 minutes yet. What's going on now?"
"They know about my interview that's coming up, and they've set up to take me to an institution on the same day! I'm trapped at home until Saturday, and I'm getting flown out to Texas for therapy and rehab."
"Wow. That's fucking low."
"No shit. I'm ruined. I'm about to lose all of my fame, my family, and my freedom. I really am going to a prison. And they're taking you down as well."
"Tch. They'll try. You know that I have my resources. But listen, I think I might have an idea on how you can outsmart them on this," she said. "At first I thought it might be overboard, but now that THIS has come up, it might be just what you need to do."
"What is it?" I ask.
"Are you alone?"
"Obviously. And I know I dont even need to ask that same question to YOU," I said with a smirk.
"Yup. Okay Phoenix, listen closely. Here's what you can still do."
And she proceeds to explain her plan.
Later into the night.....
I've been awake for a while, but I haven't left my bed for a moment. Just lying down betrayed and angry.
My mom knocks on the door. "Cheyenne, are you still here?"
"Tch. What do you think?"
She opens the door and walks inside. "Cheyenne, aren't you going to get your stuff packed up?"
"Shut up. I'm not in the mood."
She sits down beside me and pulls me close to her. "Listen. I know this is hard to accept, and this might feel like you're being sold. But no matter what happens to you, we're only doing this because we love you. And we want to see you happy and healthy."
"Whatever you say. I promise, I am healthy, no matter what you believe or think. I've been doing what I do because I LIKE it."
She kisses my forehead. "I know you WANT to believe that. I really do. But that's not you speaking, it's NOT. And if you really want our trust, you're gonna have to earn that trust. Cheyenne?" I look up to her. "You don't get it now, but once you become a mother, you will understand. Especially as a Christian, there is nothing you wouldn't do to make sure your children stay on the safe path."
"You mean IF, I become a mother," I whisper.
Sylvia is concerned to hear that. "What are you saying?"
"It's not that I don't have plans for it anymore, but certain ideas don't fit well with me anymore. Such as keeping yourself with that one person for the rest of your life. And, that guy who messaged me, his way of doing things is different. Sometimes he makes his employees do things so that they can't have those things, in order for them to focus on the work." I turn my head. "Besides, the way that things are now, how am I supposed to find a man who would want to marry me, who wouldn't look at me the way that you were all looking at me downstairs?"
"Cheyenne? No matter what happens, we still love you. That's why we've decided this," she said.
I stare straight at her. "I'm surprised that you would agree with this. I thought you said there was an upcoming mother-daughter karaoke thing that you wanted us to do."
She sighs sadly. "I......I miss whenever we used to sing duets together. And I had a beautiful song picked out for us to sing called, 'It Is Finished.'"
"I mean......I miss it too. Except for the fact that, the past 7 years, we've always just sang church music."
"But you always loved it."
"Yeah but.........our church music is all very much the same. It's just the same sounds and the same words over and over and over...!" I complained. "Like, I know you don't wanna hear about it, but that concert I performed at had so much energy, so much loud, catchy unique sounds. Why can't we ever bring stuff like that into our church? Or just something like guitars or drums?"
Sylvia shakes her head. "Cheyenne-?"
"What? I'm just asking, my musical interests have changed. Even if I don't believe anymore, I'm telling you, people will be more intrigued if you change things up. Add new sounds, new music, new........sources of fun...."
Sylvia then looks at me. "Listen, I know we don't seem like fun. But, your father and I know what it's like to be denied things that seem like fun, but in the end, can lead to sin and destruction." Hearing this makes me roll my eyes.
"There are so many things that distract us, and harm us. So it's up to us to be obedient, and loyal servants for our Father God."
"That doesn't mean you can't add new things?"
"Well, of course not. But we have to be mindful of what we change. I mean, your brother not too long ago and asked, if he could perform some little rap songs he wrote to the congregation. I mean......rap music has a lot of sin and chaos surrounding it and, worship music is about declaring your faith to God. And that's not possible with rap music."
"Why? Because it's too worldly and lively?"
"No, because it's way too fast. Cheyenne, how can you sing out the words that glorify your Crestor if the words are being uttered out faster than you can read?" Sylvia asked.
My eye squints after hearing this and I sigh. "I........I guess that's a fair point. But still I'm not sure If the rest of those words are fair."
"It's how we were raised. And how we have to continue raising you." Sylvia feels ny shoulder. "Honey, i know the person you truly are. Youre still that person. And I believe I'll get the chsnce to do karaoke with you again. But, your state of mind and health is just far more important to me. Just give it a chance for us. You know where our hearts are at."
"Whatever...."
I glance down, then slide back to lay down. "I'm gonna go ahead and sleep in a little bit. So just leave me be."
"Okay, sweetie. See you in the morning, and be sure to finish packing tomorrow. The driver will be here first thing on Saturday morning."
"Hooray........" i said, flatly in my voice.
"Hey?" She turns her head and gazed at my face. "You still love us, don't you..?"
I look over at her and my eyes begin to soften. "Do you really have to ask me something like that.....? You're, making it hard but.......of course I still love you, mom.... You, dad and Kevin...."
"Then that's the only answer you need, for why this is happening."
She kisses my forehead and then stands back up and stops at my door.
"No matter what happens, we still love you, Cheyenne..."
She closes the door.
I close my eyes and scoff. "Bullshit....."
After that, I'm thinking about the plan that Angela told me. I just look back, thinking back to memories of me spending time with my family, and thinking about this morning. I- I didn't ask for any of that. And there were even things that I said that.....I know I didn't even think about.
Deep down, I still love my family, and it hurts me that this is happening. But they made their choice, and I can't give up. And so tomorrow, I'm going to go ahead with Angela's plan. I shut the bedroom light off and then turn to my lamp.
"I promise you, my flame will NEVER go out," I whispered before shutting her lamp off. The look she has in her eyes, is filled with determination.
The next day, Friday, I spend the entire morning and almost the entire afternoon just locked in my bedroom, packing my bags and two suitcases.
At 1:00, someone knocks on my door.
"What is it?"
"Open the door," Kevin said.
I groan and Storm over to the door to unlock it. I speak out aggressively. "What do YOU want...?!"
"Hey. Don't be difficult right now-"
"WHAT do you need?!!"
Kevin sighs. "Look. Mom just asked me to let you know we're heading out for lunch. If you wanna tag along, I figured it would be a good time for you go-"
I immediately turn around and reply. "I'm not hungry Kevin. Not for food anyway." I resume packing. "And don't even bother. Very soon I'm gonna be locked up in a crazy house, so I might as well practice for it."
I don't hear him moving away. "What was with you? I can't believe you would say all of those lies to his face. I've never seen Dad get so-"
"When did I say I was lying? That's what the Bible literally says. Their anger is only proof that the truth hurts."
"Yeah but you didn't have to act like-" I hear him groan upon trailing off. "Look Chey-"
I turn back around and stand up to face him. "Like a BITCH?! Is that it?!"
"Cheyenne, stop-!"
"Why? You're the one who STARTED this mess!'
"I didn't want it to turn into this! But you gave me no choice!"
I scoff. "Yeah, right!"
"What were you thinking?! Letting them come into our house, you know they mom and dad realized something anyway! Those people leave pretty evident traces!" he said. "And you might be angry at me now but I just want you to-"
"Angry?!! You're ruining this great opportunity for me!" I yelled. "Those people gave me a career! Something that I'm actually good at now and something I profit from, and all of you are just taking it away!"
"I KNOW that it feels that way-"
"Do you NOT want me to be happy, little brother?!! Do you not want me to be successful, do you not want me to have a job or become famous?!!"
The expression on his face is so conflicted and perplexed. Almost like he's blown away that I'm even taling about THAT side of things. He speaks out, with his voice breaking, it's simply the less masculine I've ever heard him speak. "I- I WANT you to have a life that you're happy with! You can have all of that if you really want it but just not like that. NOT with them!! After EVERYTHING those people have been doing-!"
"If I had just been an only child I wouldn't have to deal with this right now!!!" I shouted. His eyes then widened and he looks extremely offended. "So I suppose I do have sex to blame for at least ONE thing in my life." Kevin stands there shuddering, looking upset. "What's wrong with you? If you can't handle my words, then get the fuck out of my room. And stay out of here after I'm gone!" I say turning back around.
He grows heartbroken by what he's hearing, and his eyes water up. "Cheyenne......What happened to you....? What happened to-?"
"Get out," I whispered.
"Cheyenne wait-!"
"Just get the fuck out!!!" I yelled before throwing a glass cup in his direction. "Go! Now, before I do something I might actually regret." Then I scoff. "If it's even POSSIBLE for me to regret hurting you. It's hard to feel bad for someone, feel sorry for hurting someone, when they've ruined your entire life. And guess what? Life is unfair, and MINE is unfair all because of you. And now, I've never hated anyone more....."
Kevin stares at my back devastated by what he's hearing. He tries to think of something to say multiple times, until finally, he shakes his head and walks away. He's always looked up to me and loved me so much as a sister. To hear this confession of hatred, it feels like a knife to his heart. He closes his bedroom door to grab his jacket before leaving. He turns around and punches the door, making his fist and knuckles bleed.
I hear the sound of his scream and grunts of pain, and I shed a tear. The last words I said were definitely a lie. Kevin's my baby brother, and I love being his sister. The fact that I've been there by his side for his whole life, is what's making this even harder for me.
Because now I don't feel like I can even trust my own family anymore. I don't believe things will ever be repaired between us, regardless of how much I may WANT them to. But I don't have any time to try. All I know is that tonight, they've made it all clear to me. Theres no other way for me. It's time to set this plan into motion. Tonight.....it's now or never.
Kevin's POV:
At 9 PM that night, I'm having trouble sleeping. I've hardly been able to think about anything else ever since that outburst from Cheyenne. I just don't understand. How could she possibly feel that way. We've always had each other's backs.
J know I'm doing the right thing....but.......did I not go about this the right way? I mean, what if I had just-?
Sigh. Not that it would matter now. The damage is done, and she hates me, and she's gonna be away for a really long time. I just wish I could do something to possibly make this easier I want to do something.
I'm so guilt struck by what's happening to my sister tomorrow. So I decide to get on a last minute video call with Elijah.
He accepts, and his camera opens up with a blanket on his head. "Who are you and why are you calling?"
"It's the grim reaper, who else would I be?" I groaned. "Hey man, I need to say something real quick."
"Ugh.....! What?!"
I roll my eyes. "Boy, someone's already waking up on the wrong side of the bed."
"So to speak....?" Elijah then groans and removed the blanket off of his head. "Look dude, I don't mean to be a grumpy camper, but C'mon man....! This call couldn't wait until morning....?"
"I'm.....I'm afraid not." I sigh with sadness. "Elijah? I.....I shouldn't have agreed to go to the show with you. And maybe I shouldn't have told mom and dad about.....all of it, so soon...."
"Huh? What are you talking about?" Then he eye twitches. "Hold up. You didn't update me on that whole shebang."
"Better late than never I suppose. I brought them back home to their secret party just like you said, and they found out about, a lot of this stuff. And now, Cheyenne's being flown to Texas tomorrow morning for the institution."
Elijah's eyes then begin to open back up and he sits uo straight. "Wait. So, that wasn't a joke? Your dad's really going through with that?" I nod softly.
He bites nervously onto his lip, since I mentioned that possibility to him almost like a joke that my dad would do it. Bur, it's legit.
Elijah blows a raspberry.
"Sheesh. How'd she take it?"
"She's......She hates me now. She hates me, she hates mom and dad, and I can't stand that. Everything I've done, I did it because I wanted to help, but all I've done is split us all apart even further."
Elijah sighs. "I'm sorry man. We know that it was a tough choice, but in the end, we both know it was the right one."
"Yeah. But......I just wish she knew that...."
"Dude. She will. As time goes on, she'll come to understand where your heart was in the first place. And she'll be thankful."
I hang my head low. "After what she said today.......I really hope so......"
Elijah just stares at me. "That bad, huh?"
I nod with tears.
"She said she hates me more than anything else right now. That she wished I had never been born."
"Crap, man....." Elijah lowers his head. "Well, Kevin?"
"Yeah?"
"Just, do me a favor and go see if she's awake. It sounds like this is a conversation you need to have with her instead of me." So.....I know he's making a joke because he wants to go to bed and I can see his furrowed brows and hear the sleepy tone in his voice.
But he's right. I should at least try and fix this with be before she leaves. "How?"
"Simple....if it's hurting you that much, then just show her. You two are siblings. If she can remember that much then I'm sure she'll see where your heart is. She might not trust you, but you can still show her that you have faith. Not just in God.....but faith in her as well....."
"I- I guess...."
"And come on, we both know Cheyenne is still in there. You're her little brother. And deep down, she still loves you more than anything, not the other way around. If I believe that, you should too." I wipe my eyes clean and nod my head. "Just get out there, and show her if you can...." he softly said.
"Okay..... I think I know how to do that. And......sorry for keeping you up, buddy."
"Hmm. Don't worry about it. Bro, just message me about all of it tomorrow when she leaves. I'll head right over, and we'll do a guy night. You and me. The brothers will always be here even when the sister is away."
"Hmm. Always. Good night buddy."
"Good luck with her. Oh and......give her my blessings. Tell her that, I'm sorry too." He hangs up.
I then rise out of my bed after a couple minutes, walk down the hall, and peek at Cheyenne's door. I nervously walk over and stand in front of the door. I'm so nervous about what she might say this time, but I don't hear any snoring, so I finally find the strength to knock.
"Cheyenne? I know you're still awake, or else you'd be snoring like a cow."
Silence.
I sigh and knock again. "Look. I know how you feel, but I do believe that this is for the best. God cares about you so much. And we do too. And.....I know I haven't been the best younger brother, but......I only did what I did because I love you. I don't say it at all, but I really do. And I know you love me too, despite what you said..... I know for a fact, that I am THE LAST person you want to talk to right now. But please.......just let me in. I just want a talk."
Silence.
I shake my head and attempt to open the door, even though it's been locked all day. I grab the doorknob.
"Cheyenne please? I just think that we-"
Wait. It.......it's NOT locked.
"What the-? Cheyenne?" I open it and peek inside the room.
Her room is a mess. Hangers are thrown all over the floor, drawers ripped out and dug out of everything inside. The that's not the worst part. I look over to bed. And.....the bed?! It's empty!
Cheyenne is nowhere in the room! I look around the room, and over on the window, there's a giant poster of her as Cece Phoenix covering covering window. It has her handwriting in marker, and it says, "We Ignite! The flame shall fucking burn!!!"
As I tear it off, I look down to the driveway outside her window. We have 3 vehicles........but one of them is GONE!! Our blue Jaguar is gone, and skid marks cover the end of our driveway.
"Oh no......"
I look over to her desk, I turn on her computer and i see that she printed off a bill for plane tickets. The name of the airport has been scribbled out so I can't read it, but the coordinates are still visible. I look them up on my phone.......
"Come on, come on!"
It's a studio......in Los Angeles. Brazzoms entertainment. This is the company that that Storm guy works for. Is she-?
"Oh my god....oh my god!!"
"Kevin? Did I hear you take the Lord's name in vain?" our mom said outside as she's coming upstairs.
I try to call Cheyenne on my phone, but....she has my number blocked.
"MOM!!" I sprint out of the room and corner her in the hall, where she's carrying fresh, clean laundry into my room. "Mom, I need to borrow your phone!"
"What? Why do you want MINE?!"
"She's already blocked my number! Just give me your phone AND your keys! HURRY!!"
"Kevin, slow down and talk to me. What's happening?" she asked holding onto my shoulders, dropping the basket.
I shudder. "It's Cheyenne! She's gone!"
"'Gone?!' Wha- What do you mean gone?!"
"SHE'S GONE!!! SHE RAN AWAY!!!" Her eyes widen with worry, and I hold onto her. "She's heading to another airport! But if I hurry now, I can stop her!! WHERE is your phone?!!"
"Uh, it- it's charging downstairs-!"
"OKAY!!!" I then sprint away and rush down the stairs.
Future POV:
Sidney takes a deep breath and another sip of tea. "So, what did you do?"
I sigh. "I ran away. I.....I purposefully waited until everyone was asleep at night, they had alarms set up for specific work, so I knew that's when i could sneak out. Except, my mom and Kevin, didn't actually go to sleep. But it didn't matter, cuz I had already taken the car, and I drove off. Keeping it quiet was a big challenge, but I managed to slip away without anyone in the neighborhood noticing."
Tamara looks at me so shocked. "But- So, did you not love your family anymore?"
I look up. "Of course I still loved them."
"Then, why would you do such a thing?"
I scoff. "Well, for one thing, this career and this opportunity was too good for me to ignore and pass up. But mainly because I didn't know what else to do. I couldn't stay at home anymore knowing they were, practically gonna sell me away to Lord knows where. Say whatever you want, but this was how I felt. I just didn't feel like I could trust them anymore. So I took ome of the cars and left." I lower my head, and my voice breaks. "That......was the last time I ever saw my parents........I didn't even say goodbye......."
Tamara and Sidney are speechless at that statement. "Guess we don't need to ask if you regret that decision or not....." Sidney said.
"And......was that also the last time you saw Kevin....? The last time you saw those other people?"
I wipe my eyed clean and shake my head. "Not really. I'll.....save that for later." I look up and they both look afraid to speak. Especially Tamara. "Please. If you have any new questions, you can ask me."
She just sits there while Sidney looks down at the floor with deep thought. The room goes silent for a moment. Half a minute later she finally speaks out. "So....so does this mean that you- actually went for the stu-"
"WHOA, WAIT!!!!" Sidney blurts out with wide eyes. Tamara jumps with a yelp. "Wait a second!"
"What is it, Sidney?" she asked.
"I- I'm such an idiot!" he whispered to himself. "Cheyenne, your stage name? You said it was Cece Phoenix, right?"
I nod. "Yeah."
He thinks hard. "And.....what day did this happen? When did you run away?"
"Sidney?"
I sit back and close my eyes. "You've heard about what happened, haven't you?" I open my eyes, he hasn't moved an inch or drifted his eyes. I deeply exhale. "It was on a Friday night. August 28th, 2020."
His eyebrows rise up. "No way.... So THAT'S why I remember you!"
Tamara flinches and turns over to face him. "Sidney, what are you talking about?"
"It's all coming back to me now. The articles, the news about you. But, how did you survive?"
Tamara's eyes widen with confusion. I close my eyes and exhale quietly, feeling nervous about what's gonna come out next. "Lord Jesus, give me strength....."
Tamara stammers. "S-Survive? Sidney, what are you talking about?"
"Oh right. Uh....my apologies Mrs. Griffin, you wouldn't know about this. But there was a lot of buzz and rumors a long while ago, about a young pornstar who was caught in an accident in a Californian park. A car accident, that happened right on that same day. And they named her, Phoenix."
Tamara's eyes widen and she turns over to me, to which I respond with a nod. "And......what else did it say, Richards?" she asked.
"It- It said that a possible investigation was still in process because they never found a body but they said there were too many pieces of evidence to conclude that the victim was possibly deceased, and they never found anything else, and the case was closed." Sidney looks at me. "But, here you are. Alive......"
I gently shake my head. "Here I am. And I was literally just about to get to that part, because it happened while I was driving to that studio. But I was just hoping I could answer any other questions before I start."
"Well......" Tamara turns back to me. "I cant even remember what I was about to ask anymore."
I shake my head and sigh. "Of course. But, to answer that question.......I don't know. I don't know HOW I managed to survive......." I close my eyes and lower my head. "I was in the car. It was right at the edge of 10 o'clock, and my phone started blowing up like crazy, because Kevin was trying to ring me. After 3 attempts of ignoring him, I just picked up the darn phone. When I talked to him, I was being sarcastic, not taking anything seriously. Because I knew he couldn't stop me there." Exhale.
"And I can still hear the tires screeching.......the sound of my brother's voice.........and especially.......the sound of my own screams."
Kevin's POV:
When the connection is being linked, I set up an app to record everything on my phone's screen, in hopes of figuring out the location and finding a faster way to catch up. I'm at the front door right now, and as soon as I get a location, I'm sprinting out to my car. I've always been the fastest driver. She finally accepts the video call.
"Cheyenne, are you out of your mind?!?!!!!!
"Hahaha. Sorry bro, but I've got a deadline for a job! And I gotta be there by tomorrow! Wooo!!!"
"Not if I get to you first! What are you thinking, stealing a car?!! And Dad needs the freaking Jaguar for next week!!"
"Don't worry, I'll send coordinates for where he can find it at the airport, you can all consider it as my farewell present for the family!!"
"Cheyenne, wake up!"
"HA!! How could I be driving if I'm asleep?!"
"This isn't right!! All that we've been doing, we do it because we love you and we are SCARED!!!"
"Scared?! Scared that I'm about to be famous and live life the way that I want to?!! Grow up you fuckers!! I'm on a date with destiny!!"
"This isn't destiny, you're confused! And you're being used for THEIR fame and exposure! One that these morons have brainwashed you into!! Is that really the kind of life that you want!!" Silent as Cheyenne just mumbles and hollers. "I see the rocks. What desert are you in?!!"
"By the time you find out it's gonna be too lateeeee!"
"Sis, I've been driving a lot longer than you have, I know ways that I'll be able to catch up before you even step onto the plane!! Just tell me the name so I can get right to the chase!!"
"Haa!! Finally a clever joke!"
"I'm serious!! HURRY up and tell me, NOW!!! Dad doesn't even know you're gone and I promised mom that I would do-!" Cheyenne continues to mumble and hum in an attempt to block me out.
Then I hear a loud bump. I see Cheyenne looking out the window. "What the fuck?"
"Wait. What was that?" I asked.
"I don't know, I- I think I hit something! Maybe I hit YOUR BLIND EGO!!!" she yelled out before bursting out with laughter.
"No, REALLY Cheyenne! What did you hit, you can't damage that car!!" I screamed with concern.
She turns to the side confused. "I don't know, but it doesn't even mat-!" Suddenly, I hear the car hitting something, and the car swerving fiercely. "Whoa!! What's happening?!!"
"NOW what are you doing?"
"Kevin, I can't stop! It's-it's not slowing down and it keeps going faster!!" she spoke out loud.
My eyes widen. "What? What do you mean it's not stopping!"
"I MEAN that it's NOT-!!"
She hits something again, and she screams out loud.
"What was that?!"
"I- I don't know!!" Cheyenne suddenly sounds a LOT more afraid now, which worries me. "KEVIN?!! There's too much sand and dust on the windshield, I can't see the road! I CAN'T SEE!!!"
"Oh my gosh! Sis, hit the brakes! Now!! Stop the car!!"
"It won't stop!!"
"JUST TURN OFF THE CAR!!"
"I'M TRYING!!! I- I can't control it!! Ohh shit, the break pedal just broke!!! I- I CAN'T-!!!"
HONK!! I hear another car honking!
My eyes grow so wide. "CHEYENNE!!!"
GASP!! Cheyenne drops the phone as she SWIFTLY spins on the steering wheel to get out of the way of whatever in front of her. "No, where am I even go-?! Oh FUCK, NO!!!!!!"
"Cheyenne? Cheyenne?!!"
Then suddenly, I hear the car smashing through something, and then.........I can only hear the wind. But I can see a fearful look in her eyes. She is shaking, her voice is trembling. I just scream into the phone, more frightened than I've ever been.
"SIS, SAY SOMETHING!!!"
Cheyenne looks incredibly scared as she lets go of the wheel and looks down to the floor.
"Kev-!!"
SMASH!!!!
Suddenly the car crashes and smashes against a pile of large rocks, and begins tumbling downwards. Her head smashes against the windshield, soon to be pushed back against her seat after hitting a rock. The little brother now watches as Cheyenne is crushed by the car from the inside, shook around, and is endlessly spinning around.
She hits another large rock on the side, and the driver's door, the metal interior crushes Cheyenne's left side. When that happens, that cracked hole that Cheyenne's head left in the windshield, her phone is soon flung out through it. The car begins to lean to the right, continuing to tumble down the hillside. I can vaguely see two of the tires breaking off, and the hood flipping open before being smashed off, and the first two tumbles completely cave in the roof.
Shortly after, the car smashes against the phone on the ground, shattering the screen, and ultimately, destroying the phone. Before the screen blacks out, Kevin is BARELY able to see the car flipping over, crashing down to the ground completely busted. Somehow, landing miraculously on the topside. There's no way to tell if Cheyenne is okay on the inside......before the screen shuts off. The call disconnects, and her phone is destroyed.
I am shaking..... I can't speak.... My eyes haven't even blinked since hearing her voice saying my name that last time. I can't feel my hands or my legs. I drop the phone, and begin to stumble backwards, holding my hands in front of my face. Soon my back is against the front door and I slowly slide to the floor, shuddering. Trembling.
The silence is broken by our mother.
"Kevin, have you found out where she is yet?!" Our mom asked rushing into the room. She finds me in my state of shock. "K-Kevin? Kevin, what's wrong?"
"P- Pl....." I slowly look up at my mother in horror. "P-Please tell me that I'm dreaming...."
She slowly walks up to me. "What...? What are you talking about...?" she asked while kneeling down to hold onto me.
"T-T-Tell me..... Please, Tell me what I SAW WASN'T REAL!!" I cried out.
She sees the glance in my eyes, and she just knows, that something horrible has happened. "What have I done....?"
Those words especially, leave our mother with a heavy feeling of dread and fear. She looks terrified to ask, but knows that she must, as I am becoming overwhelmed.
"What happened....? WHAT HAPPENED??!!!"
Cheyenne's POV:
Several minutes have gone by after I had practically flown off of the road, and crashed down the hillsides of the canyon. I struggle to sit back up, shuddering shakily, unable to speak. EVERYTHING hurts.
I try to sit up straight, but I feel so hurt and broken. Something sharp is stuck in my arm, I can't feel anything in my legs, and my forehead won't stop bleeding. Several of my bones feel broken, and I can't scream or groan very loudly, probably because I hit my throat really hard against the steering wheel when I hit my head, and my seatbelt felt like it had been strangling me after it was over up to this moment.
I can't move..... At least, not without bringing more pain to myself. Blood flows down onto my eyes, and the metal part of the seatbelt actually cut my neck slightly. My nose is just pouring out blood. My stomach feels like it wants to throw up everything I ate for breakfast this morning, I hit it SO hard.
I weakly lift my head up, how far I actually can. I dropped to the bottom, and I'm near the bottom road. "H......H.......Help me.........." I tried to scream. But that was the quietest I think I've ever yelled. Even I could hardly hear my own voice at all. I try to honk the horn, but my arm is too bruised to move, and my left arm, if I move it, I might make it bleed by yanking the sharp prod out.
The back seats are a mess. One of my suitcases busted open and all of the DVDs and money I packed are all scattered about.
Then......I begin to smell smoke coming from the back. I peek in the mirror. The engines are still running despite the keys getting jammed inside from the crash, somehow switching the car to turn off. But there is a fire coming from the back. No! Please No!!
I try again to shout out. "S....Somebody help! Pl- Please.....!"
A little better, but still not loud enough. And it took so much out of me that time. No one's around for miles. I DO hear distant animal growls though. I lower my head, and am starting to lose consciousness.
No! I don't want to! I DON'T WANNA DIE!!!
But my eyes close, and my body passes out on its own. I've never felt so weak, just my body hunching over and my head falling against the steering wheel hurts me.
But before I lose consciousness and close my eyes, I can faintly hear something in the distance. It sounds like the honk of another car......
Unknown Detective POV:
After Kevin tells his parents what he saw, he messages his friend Devon Condor who manages to pinpoint the phone's signal to somewhere in California. He's a hacker, so he's good with that stuff. It looks like she made it almost halfway to Los Angeles before crashing into one of the national parks. They called authorities and they sent a search party into the desert.
My partner and I drive through the desert for half an hour until we finally see something up ahead. "Jesse, wait! Up ahead!"
"Whoa! I see it."
We turn the corner, and we see a burning car.........upside down, fully wrecked and It's had an explosion. We stop at a certain distance, and step outside.
"What the hell happened here?"
"I'm not sure. See if you can find any labels?" I asked Jesse.
He steps closer. "Yeah. It's the Jaguar."
I then sigh sadly. "Just as they described." One of the doors is open, we look inside, but there's nobody in the car. Just blood and broken glass, and multiple boxes burning in the back. "Damn it. Nothing. Keep looking around, maybe she's nearby."
Jesse then stops. "Sir? Look at this."
We both look a few feet in front. "Oh...."
Kevin's POV:
My mom paces around the entire living room so nervously, mumbling to herself. Dad and I watch in worry.
"Sylvia please, you need to sit down," dad said.
"How can I sit down?! My baby girl was in a crash in the middle of a canyon and we don't know if she's okay or not!"
"That's why Kevin called authorities. Very soon, they're gonna respond."
"How did she even get out of the house?! How did none of us notice?!" she asked frantically.
"The window was open. From my understanding, one of the guy PC's is the son of a glazier. They must've picked up a few tricks," I respond.
"What if she's being attacked by wild animals? What if a serial killer finds the car and decides to-?!"
"Honey honey!" Dad said while holding her by the shoulders. "We can't be thinking about that right now. For now we need to pray, and believe that everything is going to be alright. Okay?"
She stares into his eyes in fear and slowly nods while snapping out of it "yes, yes you're right." She clears her throat and begins to pray. "Oh Lord, I pray unto your-!"
Finally, the phone rings. Mom sees that the number is from the same contact I spoke with earlier and immediately answers the call, putting them on speaker for all of us to hear.
"Hello?! Hello?!!!"
"Hello? This is Detective Murphey from the Police Department of California. Who am I speaking to?"
"This is Cheyenne's mother, Sylvia Mitchell!"
"Hello, Sylvia. Is the rest of the family with you right now?"
"Yes yes! They're here and you're on speaker! Please just tell me, where is my daughter?! Are you bringing her home right now?!" She asked emotionally. There is a silent pause on the phone. "Hello?!"
"I, uh, I'm sorry, Mrs. Mitchell. I'm afraid I have some bad news."
My heart nearly stops and mom and dad look at each other, looking like they're hoping this is also just a bad dream. "What do you mean.....?"
"My co-workers and I had been checking the desert for nearly 40 minutes, and just a few minutes ago, we discovered the vehicle you described. It appears that the driver of this car lost control just as your son had told us, but they drove through the rail of one of the cliffside viewer points, fell all the way down the cliffside, and the car is upside down, almost completely damaged. If that wasn't enough, it looks like the engine had a gas leak and exploded. Everything was on fire when we spotted it, and several boxes were in the backseat but whatever was inside all of them, we won't be able to recover them. All of them were in flames." He pauses.
"Now, we haven't located a body, but the passenger door was open and the window to it had been smashed open. She probably managed to break her way out before it blew up. But it doesn't look like she made it too far since, there's also a trail of blood moving away from the vehicle. It starts with a pair of footsteps away from the car, then it ends about 20, maybe 25 feet away from the car with a sign of collapse. And then, there are marks in the sand to indicate a potential struggle, and in the blood trail, there are some animal footprints, probably coyotes or pumas.
"Now I can't identify specifically, but there's also a fuschia jacket at the end of the trail, with teeth and claw marks punctured through, one of the sleeves appears to be ripped off, and it certainly looks like there's been a feeding here not long ago. Again, we can't yet confirm if it was feeding on a person or just another animal though." We listen to these details and are completely speechless. "Now.....If you want, I'll order our group to continue searching the park. But, judging from the crash, and what I just described on the scene, I'm afraid that the victim, your daughter, is not only MIA.......but she's mostly likely, deceased as well."
I......I think my heart just stopped. "No. Cheyenne...."
My.....My big sister.......just died?
My mom......her face looks like she just saw someone getting shot right in front of her. My mom collapses from shock and my dad holds onto her. But she drops the phone.
"Are you still with me? Hello? I didn't lose your signal did I?"
I pick up the phone. "Uh this is- this is her son, Kevin. Um...." This news is starting to sink in and I'm tearing up. "Do whatever it is you have to do. Call us if you see anything, but if the sun rises and there's nothing, then just go home. Thank you for telling us, and thank you for searching...."
"Duly noted. We'll try our best to look for anything else. I'm sorry Kevin."
I shed a tear. "Me too.... Good might sir....."
"Good night." They hang up, and I drop the phone devastated.
Mom just screans out in grief. "AAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!! No!! My baby!!!! Nooohohohoho!!!"
My dad presses his face against her back and floods out his eyes, crying muffledly.
I turn away and punch the wall. "I didn't even get a chance to......." Then, my dam breaks. I step outside the door.
"Kevin, Wait!"
They fail to stop me. I walk down the driveway, kick the mailbox, and knock over the nearby trash cans, I stand in the middle of the street, and just begin screaming in anger and grief.
Two minutes later, I get another call on my phone. It's Elijah. I answer it. "What do you want?!"
"Dude what the heck...? I told you I was TRYING to sleep....."
He's sleeping over at one of our friend's house, just a few blocks away. So of course he heard it.
I blubber up and shudder aggressively. "I can't believe this is happening..."
"Yeah, it's happening," Elijah said. "And it's less than an hour til midnight and for whatever reason, your scream-"
"I WILL FUCKING KILL THEM!!!!! THOSE PC'S ARE GONNA PAY!!!!!" I roared out.
"Whoa what?! Okay okay okay, what the heck did Cheyenne say to you now?" he asked, both sounding concerned, and annoyed.
"She said nothing. She RAN away! AND SHE JUST DIED!!!!!"
Elijah on the other line, his eyes widen. And he jerks up sitting upon his bed. "What? What so you mean?!"
"Just watch this!!" I said before hanging up.
"Wait, Kevin?! KEVIN!!"
I then send him the screen recording of the video chat, and he watches the car crash. Elijah is simply horrified. "Oh my god."
Meanwhile I stand in thr middle of the road, huffing and puffing FURIOUSLY. "You're gonna PAY for this, Angela......!!"
Detective POV:
I hang up and sigh in heaviness. "Man.... I always hate this part of the job....."
His partner sighs and shakes his head. "I know, sir. I do, too."
"Well c'mon. We don't have any other clues or leads here. They said if we find nothing else until sunrise, we wrap it up."
"Should I bring anything with us?"
"Uhhh......yeah. Pick up that phone, Jesse. We can at least ship that back to the family."
"Yes sir." The other officer picks up the smashed phone.
I step back to the end of the blood trail. Looking down at the jacket. I kneel down to inspect the torn jacket and fold it up to take it away. "Hmm?"
I start to notice another footprint. Tennis shoe footprints. But then before I stand back up, I see something else in the sand that was underneath the jacket. It's small and triangular. I hold it up to get a closer look.
"What is this?"
I wipe some fresh blood off with my finger to look at it better. It's a blue guitar pick, and on the backside, there's a written engraving in cursive. I shine my flashlight on it and read it out loud. "'Pick......4'.......Jist. Jass? No. What is.....? 'Pick.....4......Jesus.....'"
"Hey? Did you find anything else, Mr. Murphey?"
"I'm not sure."
This is very strange.
I do recall signs that this woman came from a religious family, but there was definitely no indication of this victim being a musician.
Sigh. It's probably nothing, perhaps a tourist lost this. So I drop it and walk back. "Alright, back to the car. We've still got a few more hours to search, and if she IS still alive, she can't be too far."
"Yes sir."
They walk back to the car. And as Jesse opens the door, the headlights flash on and they notice something.
"Wait a second. Look. Was that there before?"
We both stand beside our doors and look down. There are skid marks on the road in front of the car. Someone's been here recently.
"Whoever that was, they're probably long gone by now."
"Yeah. Let's see if we can find anything else." They get in their car and drive away.
Hmm......
Why was this pick there? Why was the car found upside down when she landed on top? And what happened to Cheyenne's body? WHERE is her body? Read the next chapter to find out