Series Wednesday: Family Game night Page 68

   “Cahira if you can hear me please come back to me. Please wake up.” I can hear Grace’s voice but it is so far away like I can barely hear it. “Little Warrior what were you thinking!? Why would you do this?” I hear Hope’s voice. “I never took you for an idiot, I guess I was wrong.” I hear my mother’s voice. How can I hear all of their voices but I can’t see them. Their voices fade in and out, almost like a bad cell reception.  Where am I?

                “Everyone says you can hear us and talking to you will make you heal faster. I don’t know if I believe them. I do know that I need my sister back. Grace is a mess without you. I am a mess without you. The doctors say that your brain injury is in the same place as the last time. They say you might never wake up, but we are not supposed to say that to you. We are only supposes to say positive things to you. I... I… I need you! So I guess what I have to say is. FIGHT! Fight to come back! FIGHT for me!” I can hear Percy and I can hear the pain in his voice I just want to come back for him. I am trying to see him but I can’t seem to get to where he is.  I am stuck here in the darkness. “PERCY!” I try to scream but there is no sound here. Where am I? Am I dead? Is this hell?

                “Cahira….. They really did name you wrong didn’t they? Here you lay so defenseless, not much of a warrior if you ask me. Then again no one asked me, probably because they think I am dead. Little do they know I am just buying my time, I have made my choice that everyone is going to die and you can’t do anything about it? I think I’ll start with Percy since he will be the easiest to take out.” I hear Daniel’s voice and I open my eyes. I start screaming and this time I can hear it. “PERCY! HE IS GOING AFTER PERCY!” I scream. I look around and it is night time and no one is around. A nurse comes running in. She must have heard my screaming. I don’t understand what is going on. Where is everyone I could hear them, where is Daniel!? 

Series Wednesday: Family Game Night page 67

“Why!?” I scream at him. “Like I said she is not going to be a part of my family.”  Daniel is standing there so proud of himself. This smug asshole thinks he won. Hope is looking down at her side where he shot her. “Just a flesh wound.” She whispers to me. Blood is pouring out of her side and her shirt is slowly soaking up the blood. I can’t let him win! I need Hope to get out of here so she can get help. How am I going to convince Daniel to let her go? I need to come up with a plan fast.

                How am I going to get us safely off this roof? I look around and Daniel is standing between us and the fire escape. We can’t run back the way we came, Daniel could shoot Hope again if we try. I feel so helpless. I have never felt like this but I wish my mother was here. My mother Rose would know exactly what to do. I take a deep breath. “Why don’t you put that gun down!” I hear Enrique’s voice. I see him come up the fire escape with a gun pointed at Daniel. I can’t help but smile. Enrique smiles at me and I start to tear up knowing that this is all over.

                “It’s over Daniel. Give him the gun.” I say as I look at Enrique. “You really think I am that easy to beat? That I can just be taken out like that.” Daniel says back to me, I look at Daniel’s face and he is smirking. He turns around and shoots Enrique. I stop breathing and run toward Daniel. I push Daniel off the roof. We both fly off the building. All I can hear as we hurtle to the ground is Hope scream my name. They say your life flashes before your eye when you know you’re going to die. I don’t see my life I just see my sister’s and brother’s face. Not their face now but when they were just little kids. I feel the love I felt for them all my life. I know once I hit the ground I might never see them again. This fall feels like it is taking a hundred years, I feel as if time has somehow stopped.  I slowly feel my head hit the ground and I can feel the impact of the fall crack my skull. Is this it, is this the end? If it is I hope I killed Daniel along with me.

Series Wednesday: Family Game Night page 66

“Frankie was only 6 years old when they bought me. I was the youngest girl they ever acquired. I was raised by Frankie’s father’s personal mistress. She was the best money could buy; it’s why Frankie’s father bought her. She only trained his best girls, the real money makers. Since I had been with her all my life, I only ever learned how to be the best from the best. Frankie grew up visiting me and playing with me as a child. His father spent a lot of time at our house. One day when Frankie was a teen he came to love me, so he paid for my time. His father told him nothing in life was free. I was already working out in the world and had many loyal clients.  I was the top earner. Frankie’s father treated me with such respect and allowed me to pick my clients and decided if I want to serve someone’s fantasy. I thought I was blessed then I met your parents and fell in love for the first time. However giving you up was more then I could ever take. So once I came back from being with your parents, Frankie offer to buy me so we could marry but I turned him down. I couldn’t marry someone I didn’t love; I also knew that I could never be his wife. His father would never allow it. I would have had to become a mistress meaning no children for me. After holding you that was a thought I couldn’t bare.” Hope’s eyes tear up.

                I hug Hope and I turn to show her that we have made it to the fire escape. “Do you know I taught Rose that trick?” Hope says with a smile on her face. “You can tell me all about it later. We have to get off this roof.” I tell her. I hear a shot sound right next to me. Daniel has fired his gun in the air. “She really can’t tell you later. Because she is not going to be a part of the family.” He says to me. Why don’t I have a gun on me? I look at Hope who looks calm as a cucumber.  “Why can’t I be a part of the family?” Hope asks Daniel. He is circling us and Hope slowly pushes me behind her. “Because you are not like us. You were raise with no emotions and no real feelings. You are an illusion at best. That is just not good enough for my family.” Daniel sounds like a total nut job. “Not your family. MY FAMILY but sure as hell not yours! So do not tell me who is going to be a part of MY family!” I scream at him.

                Daniel is laughing at me. “You don’t believe in killing, so you expect me to listen to you about your family?” Daniel says to me sarcastically. “Let me and Hope go. I will leave with her and never look back. You can have my family.” I tell him as I try to push Hope behind me.  Hope will not go behind me. “You can’t just leave with me now that Frankie has seen you. I can’t risk it.” Hope whispers into my ear. “Let’s talk about it later.” I whisper back to her. “So do we have a deal?” I ask Daniel. He moves is head back and forth like he is thinking about it. “No, I don’t want a family without you.” He says as he shoots Hope. 

Series Wednesday: Family game night page 65

   “We need to get off this roof.” Hope says to Frankie and I. “The only way I saw off was the way we came up and it sounds like someone is coming from that way right now.” I tell Hope. “Go to the fire escape on the side of the building. Just get down to my men and I will meet you at the spot. My men have the location.” Frank says as he kisses Hope on the lips. I think there is way more going on with them then I thought. I look away as he kisses her. “Hope please be careful don’t make me come hunt you down again.” Frankie says. “I’ll see you soon.” Hope says not so lovingly back. She grabs my hand and we start to walk to the end of the large roof.
            I can hear the shooting behind us. We start to run to get to the end of the roof where the fire escape is. Hope is breathing very hard and stops running. “Come on we are almost there.” I tell her. She lifts up her shirt to show me bandages. “What is that?” I ask. “He punctured my lungs and had a doctor sew me back up. To ensure I couldn’t run away.” Hope explains. “You must be in so much pain.” I tell her. “Not pain, I’m use to pain this is just very annoying. It’s like my body can’t breathe the way I want it to.” Hope says as she holds her side. I can hear the gun shots behind us, they do not sound like they are getting closer. They sound like they are not moving. Maybe Frankie is keeping the shooters back.
            I for some reason can’t shake this memory of my mom Rose. I keep thinking of the time she told me the best way to really make someone suffer is to make them focus on the pain. When she is torturing someone she likes to make them tell her what they are feeling. So that way they cannot find relief in their minds from her. Maybe it can work both ways maybe I can make Hope focus on something else so that way she won’t feel her body fighting her to breathe. “Who is Frankie to you?” I ask her, I am trying to change her focus but I also really want to know. “Frankie is the closest thing I have to a childhood friend. His father bought me as a baby. As you know I was raised to serve the fantasy of others. I was never mistreated in the way you might think. I just was always for sell to a high caliber of men.” I can see Hope choosing her words carefully. As Hope is telling me her story I am picking her up and making her walk toward the fire escape. We need to get off this roof is all I am thinking as I continue to listen to Hope’s story.

Series Wednesday: Family game night Page 64

    Frankie pulls Hope out of the fake AC unit. She has her hands tied behind her back and her feet tied together. “HOPE!” I say as I pull the tape off her mouth. “Frankie what are you doing here?” Is the first thing she asks? “I have come to save you my little warrior.” He says. Frankie is untying Hope’s feet as I untie her hands. “Who is the girl?” Hope asks as she looks at me. I get the feeling that she really doesn’t want Frankie to know who I am. “She is your precious Rose’s daughter. You haven’t met her?” Frankie asks as he helps Hope up. “You know what I think I did briefly before I was taken. Where is that psychopath by the way?” Hope asks as she looks around. “He is down stairs with the boys. I brought a good amount to come save you.” Frankie smiles. “Thank you, does your dad know you’re here?”  She asks him. “Of course he does and he knew I had to come save you. You are mine and no one can take that away.”  

            “Is the little boy Percy okay?” Hope asks. “Rose’s son is okay and with her.” Frankie says. Hope nods. “Hope why did he take you?” Frankie asks. Hope looks at Frankie and touches her head. “I haven’t had any water in two days. I will answer all your questions after I get some water I feel dizzy.” Hope says. Frankie looks at me. “What about the girl?” Hope looks at me. “We give her back to her family, give her back to Rose.”  Hope says. I think he wants to kill me by the way he is looking at me. “Is Rose her family? Because she looks a lot like your mother.” He tells Hope. I see Hope slowly moving herself in front of me. “My mother? I don’t remember her, seeing as she sold me to your father as a baby.” Hope sounds almost angry.

            Hope is standing between Frankie and me. “Are you not happy with the life we gave you?” Frankie asks her. “This is not the time or place for that conversation.” Hope says. “You are acting like a completely different person right now. One who does not know her place. You should be thankful to us for all that my father and I have given you. You could have walked away from the travel but you didn’t want to get married and slowdown from the only life you have ever known. That is what you told me.” This seems like a conversation that has been going on long before today. I hear the gun shots from down stairs coming closer. “Do you hear the gun shots?” I ask. “It’s headed toward us.” Frankie says as he pulls out his gun.

Series Wednesday: Family Game Night page 63

      I tap on the AC when I notice a lock on it. There isn’t a lock on any of the other ACs.  Something inside taps back. “FRANKIE!” I scream. I think Hope might be in here. Frankie runs over. I just point at the AC and he walks around the unit. He starts tapping on the AC unit. The unit once again taps back. Frankie smiles as he starts taping rhythmically on the AC unit. The AC unit seems to be taping back rhythmically. “It’s her! She is in there.” Frankie says to me. “That’s great but how do we get her out?” I ask him.

            Frankie looks at the fake AC unit puzzled. “I would say just rip into it but we don’t know how she is tied up in there and I am afraid to hurt her.” Frankie says. “You really care about her?” I ask him. “Have you ever had a pet before?” I look at him confused by his question. “Yes I did for a bit but my mother made me kill it.” I tell him. “Well then you will never understand what I feel for her. I could never hurt her. She is mine to protect.” He talks about her as if she is more of an object then a person.

            Frankie is tapping as he walks around the AC. I can hear in the distance gun shots. “We are out of time!” Frankie says to me as he starts kicking the AC unit wall. “Hope if you’re in there duck!” Frankie is yelling as he keeps kicking. I hear the fake AC unit breaking. Frankie starts to pull the now broken AC unit apart. The gun shot sounds seem to being getting closer. Frankie is pulling pieces of the AC unit away and I see hair. “HOPE!?” We both yell.

Series Wednesday: Family Game night page 62

  We go to open the door. “You better pray that Hope is on the other side of this door.” Frankie says to me. He has no idea how much I’m praying for her to be on the other side. Frankie opens the door and pushes me through. I look around the roof and I don’t see Hope. I see a lot of AC units but no Hope. I am starting to get a little scared that I am never going to see my mom again. I put my head down. “She has to be hidden somewhere up here.” Frankie says to me. I turn to look at him. “Hidden? Where?” I ask him. “Yes hidden. He wouldn’t leave her out in the sun, plus he wouldn’t risk someone finding her on accident. So he hid her. That’s what I would do.”  Frankie says.
            I look around and I don’t see where he would hide her. I look back at Frankie as he is looking around. I want to walk around the roof but Frankie has a good grip on my arm. “I say we walk around and see where he would hide her.” I tell Frankie. “If you run I’ll shoot you.”  He says as he lets me go. “I won’t run I promise. I just want to help you find her.” I start to walk off to look at the lined up AC units.
            Why is this roof so big but nothing is up here. I walk through the rows of AC units. I hate the humming sound they make. I can’t stand how loud the humming sound is. I feel like my brain is humming. I keep walking through the rows and the humming stops. I stop and sit next to the AC unit making no sounds. Finally a moment of peace, I felt like my brain was rattling in my skull.  Why is this AC unit not on? All of the other AC units are on. So why not this one? I start to circle it when I notice that this AC is a lot cleaner than the other AC units up here. I wonder why.