The first thing I thought of was I was dirty, too dirty. I was trembling, not too much but enough to feel it on my own. Riley had gotten me these clothes and they had dirtied them. The next thing was blood, too much blood, my hands, my clothes, maybe even my face. I was heavily drenched in blood, these bastards had done this to me. I wanted to do away with them completely.
A hand clamped over mine and pulled me back.
"Don't, if it were anywhere else, I'd have let you but not here."
"Why not? They came at me...."
They came at me, and somehow I could recall a scene with the same amount of blood on me...they came at me.
Difference was it being from only three people.
A scene that had been hidden from my head all this while. A scene I had never thought was there until this very moment. A scene I didn't want in my head for any reason.
I dropped the knife from my hand, a pocket knife that just minutes ago Quint had handed over while asking whether I knew how to use.
At the moment, I had not known I knew how to, went with my instincts, I was protecting us, but now...
"Send me home."
"Blane!"
"Send me home now."
"There are steps to take after, such...I need to look for Riley..."
"NO!"
I don't want him to see me, I just want to go. Go far away where he wouldn't find me but first, I needed to go home. I needed to confront these memories that had been hidden for so long.
"Then let's get cleaned up first..."
I don't know how I got there, car, plane, whatever. I went through those motions robotically.
**********
To think the alarm wouldn't ring within those five days that they were away, yet it was blaring out loud. Rashid looked at my hand then at my face as I reached for my phone calling Quint. Not reaching him, I got the men I had follow them.
-Boss, they were ambushed, we're managing clean-up.
-Where are they?
-Master Quint carried him away. We called inspector Rehim, only Turbo followed them.
-How bad is it?
I had to at least have some knowledge on what was going on before I get a hold of them. Quint never refuses to pick up, even if he's in deep shit. He looks for me before choosing the next step to take.
"Get me the earliest flight home."
"How bad is it?"
"Enough to make him want to run."
"Do you think he..."
"Just do it Kristoff."
I really don't want to think about anything. It sure didn't look great on anyone's part though and I was seriously wishing I hadn't let those two go alone.
An hour later and still he didn't want to pick up which meant working with Turbo and having him help me think of what was really on with them.
The plane ride took forever, then the one transiting made me wish I'd driven there instead though it helped in some way, helped me think and also get a hold of Quint who was currently waiting outside his place.
"Sorry, I didn't know."
"Don't apologize. I should have realized some things needed to be dealt with immediately."
"You going in?"
"A mate is for life remember? Even if he wants to run to the moon, I'll have to be an astronaut and bring him back."
"He didn't seem himself."
Because they locked her up and now she wanted o come back every way she could...or that's just how I saw the situation. If that were the case, then it would be hard.
They wanted that side gone, so they had planted things in his head and taken away others so he'd live a life they panned out.
For some reason, I was happy about whatever was going on now because that's not something you dish out for someone without looking crazy. This allowed him to see it in all ways there was.
For me it was like washing my hands but this was the best scenario ever.
It was better to me, I knew a clear path to proceed with here than before. Other than the case where he looked unsure about his very own self and wanted to be alone or within a situation he himself could handle.
"Can I come with?"
"How close have you two been these few days?"
"Enough for him to be sure I'd drop him off, without calling you."
I chuckled as I drove towards where he was parked. This guy, whatever had happened at his uncle's place that led to this ambush was something I had to know, though not now. It was being dealt with which meant I could deal with what I saw most important.
"Fine! Let's go!"
Before people had to write statements for police. Issues of dealing with lawful countries, we also needed lawyers and parents knowing. Which meant more questions and neat hiding. If we were lucky, we wouldn't be grounded for life.
If she was out fully now, I don't think she'll remember me, but she could remember him. I had to admit that he'll be of use here. I also don't know how she'll react to us invading the space. How he'd feel at me knowing about this side that was inadvently hidden from him.
Two sides to a coin were really hard to work with.
"How has it been?"
"Silent!"
Ofcourse, sound proof system was a gem. The guard opened the gate for me as I drove in, Quint in the front seat and Turbo at the back. He'd fought with Quint about him telling me about what was happening but Turbo was in good terms with Blane, they always got along well back home and he was taking responsibility in taking care of his young master. Good thing he had made them drive, it hadn't been long since they arrived.
There really was silence, the kind that didn't feel good...ominous even. I opened the front door, seriously expecting a blood bath only to find people at a stand off.
Before going into the living room, all I could hear was
"...what do you think he'd think seeing you like this?"
"This is me, the me you buried and pretended was dead. I am still your child am I not, you gave birth to me yourself."
"You think I wanted to have someone like you...."
"That's enough!"
"Yeah! That's enough."
I looked at Blane standing a few meters from me and then the others one at the stairwell, the other by the kitchen and the nanny between them, seeming lost.
"I want him, at this point I am sure you two don't mind. It means I'll be taking him..."
"Are you sure, he..."
"I know what I want. You gave birth to him, have you two ever thought that he never wanted you two to do so? Have you two ever thought about his feelings?
When you talk, when you run around. Have you ever thought that you brought this into being? You brought him into this world."
Like the doctor had said, it could be a lot of things, maybe a split personality, but from the look of things it wasn't. Then maybe an imaginary friend. One kids make up when young and lonely.
That person feeds your ego, makes you whatever you want to be. It made him more courageous, enough to know he could take care of himself and not think about others doing so. Bruno's words had attested to that. He desociated with the world each time he did something, talked to imaginary things and pretended there was something else every other time.
What else could cause this if not having people back home to be there every step of the way? When he wanted someone to teach him, he had to find them himself. When he wanted someone to play with, he had to do it himself. When he was in danger, he had to protect himself...even at that young age.
"I am here Blane. We won't forget, we won't run, we'll move from there, you, me , Taffy, Quint, Rashid, Paula...did you know Paula just woke up. She was asking where you were. Mom said she found the perfect hotpot spot to show off. What do you say baby?"
"Why didn't they choose to love me?"