Living in the Shadows

I was going to bite it. I was going to bite his damn cock so hard it fell off and he was screaming with the intense pain shooting into his loins as he died on the bed where he’d taken my virginity. I stopped, and readied myself for the pain I was going to inflict. I jumped as the door flew open.

“Oh, am I interrupting something?” Rev stopped and was about to leave.

“Not really, what’s up?” Vengeance pushed me away and pulled up his pants.

I cursed to myself. I was just about to end my misery and Rev had to ruin it. Why did he always have to ruin everything?

“The police are here.” He was panting heavily.

I jumped up from the floor and pushed Rev. He may have been tall and lanky, but he was pretty sturdy. I did push him enough however to get past him. I couldn’t have run down the stairs fast enough. As soon as I looked out the window and saw the police though, I couldn’t bring myself to tell them I was kidnapped and I needed help. Matt would go to prison. I would never see him again. I opened the door slowly.

“Hello, are you Belle Lafleur?” The officer asked me.

He was round and short, but he looked rugged. He could easily take down someone if he needed to.

“I am. But it’s not what you think.” I said quickly so he wouldn’t have time to take me.

“What’s the situation here then?” He asked me, looking at my dirty clothes.

I laughed carelessly. “I’ve run from home. I know I’m eighteen, but my dad’s been treating me like a child. Maurice, I assume he’s the one who’s called in and said I was kidnapped? I know you showed up here before and V...” I stopped, recalling Vengeance’s real name. “Zachary told you I wasn’t here, well I just didn’t want you to take me back home. Please, let me explain everything over some coffee.” I opened the door and ushered the officer into the home. He walked ahead of me. “The dining room is on the right.” He began to walk in. “Make yourself at home, I’m going to get some coffee brewing.”

I left the officer in the dining room and moved into the kitchen. Vengeance was standing in there, glaring at me.

“What do you think you’re doing?” He asked me.

“I’m taking care of the cop.” I explained to him, pushing past him to get to the coffee pot.

“Thanks.” He murmured.

“I’m not doing it for you.” I turned the sink on violently.

After preparing everything, I started the coffee maker and made my way back to the dining room. I sat across from the police officer at the table.

“So, my dad didn’t want me to go off and get married or anything like that because he wanted me to go to college, and get my degree, and so on. There really isn’t much I could do. I was in love with Zachary. I wanted to spend my life with him. So in order to not have to deal with it anymore I just up and left. No questions asked.” I don’t know why I’d said Zachary. I guess it was the first thing that came to mind.

“Don’t you think he would assume that you’d been kidnapped then?” He suggested, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah I’m sure, but I just couldn’t take it anymore, and I couldn’t handle a guilt trip.” He nodded in understanding. “Was it my father who called?”

“Yes it was. I think you should reunite yourself with him, and explain how you feel.” He suggested to me, scratching the bald patch on his head.

What an idiot! He was one of the stupidest people I’d ever met! He didn’t know that I had a twenty-four hour courtesy period for him to come back. I could have died!

“No, I’d rather not reunite myself with him.” I thought about it for a minute. “I actually do need a minute to talk to him privately.”

“Alright.” The police officer exited from the table and I rose to and entered the kitchen.

“What’s the status?” Vengeance asked, grabbing two coffee cups from the cupboard.

“Just pour one cup of coffee, we’ll talk later.” He poured the cup, handed me a pitcher of cream and the sugar cup. “I’ll be back.”

I exited the kitchen and put the coffee and its condiments on the table. The police officer returned with my father.

“Thanks for the coffee.” He said, smiling at me.

“I’m going to talk to my father upstairs privately, thank you.” I said, gripping my father’s hand as I left the dining room.

We both trudged over the stairs and made our way into what was originally my room when I’d first arrived. He sat down on the bed as I began to pace around the room.

“What in the hell is wrong with you dad?” I asked, a tear falling down my cheek.

I don’t quite know why I’d started crying. It was possibly because my father had betrayed me to one of the worst extents, or maybe it was because Matt was running through my head. I was freaking out and starting to hyperventilate.

“What do you mean Belle? Rev was going to the bathroom, and I saw my chance to run. What did you expect me to do?” He threw his hands up.

“Dad! You’re lucky they gave me a twenty-four hour courtesy period for you to show your fucking face! I’m so angry with you. You knew they would kill me if you tried anything! Dad, they’ve done some awful shit to me, I’ve had every reason in the book to run. Have I run though dad? No, I have not, I’ve sat right here and let them do those things to me just to save your life and you go and fuck me over dad!” I couldn’t hold back my tears or anger anymore.

“The officer told me that you told him you weren’t really kidnapped, that I was making it up. Is this true Belle? Did you really tell him that?” He looked so shocked that I wouldn’t just admit to being kidnapped.

“Yeah it is true dad.” I felt ashamed, even though I was doing what I felt was right in my heart. “I can’t get these guys in trouble.”

My dad looked utterly confused. “Why not, if they’ve done such awful things to you, then why wouldn’t you want them brought to prison?”

“Because, I’m in love with Matt. I can’t stand the thought of him being locked away in prison for the rest of his life. The rest of them might be evil, but he’s different. He’s done nothing but try to keep me safe from the others.” I admitted to him.

My dad shook his head in disbelief. “You can’t do this to us Belle. You’re playing with our lives more than I am. You want to stay here for a scum bag? You want to keep us locked away in our own prisons just for something as foolish as someone you love? Belle! You have to look at things from my side too. I’m not getting anything out of this.”

“Whatever dad. Just leave. They’re probably going to kill me now anyway. Thank you for killing me.” I left the room and headed toward the stairs.

Vengeance was waiting for me at the bottom. “Have you got everything all sorted?”

“Mhm.” I nodded emotionlessly.

In the dining room, the police officer was still waiting for me to return. He expected some good news. He wasn’t going to get any.

“You can take my father back to his house now.” I didn’t need to talk to him for anything.

“Alright Miss Lafleur, if that’s the way you want it to be.” He left the dining room.

I picked up his coffee from the table. It had left a ring on the table. I wiped it with my sleeve. As much as I wanted to go on pretending my father had never shown up, I couldn’t. I dropped to the nearest chair and nestled my eyes into my sleeves. I sobbed and sobbed. I hadn’t seen my father in almost six months, and here he was to show up and tell me about how foolish I was being. It didn’t matter. I didn’t know what was going to happen next.

I heard the door open from the kitchen. I looked over to see Vengeance come in. He sat down across from me and grinned maliciously.

“So sweetheart, how come you kept the cops away from us?” He asked.

“Because, I didn’t want something bad to happen to my father or me.”

“Bullshit.” Vengeance slammed his hand down on the table. “You’re in love with Matt and I knew it! See, he always has a way of ruining things for us.”

“How does that ruin things for you? If anything that would make things easier wouldn’t it? That means I won’t be as apt to run away!” I encouraged.

He laughed loudly. “You’d be more likely to run away...with him! Then the cops and your dad and everything.” He growled and stood from the table. “We’re moving.”

“What do you mean?” My eyes shot up.

“Right now.” He pulled a gun out of his pocket. “Before Matt gets back. He’s not going to ruin it for us anymore.” The gun was staring me right in the face. “You have five minutes to get anything you need to get.”

I gasped. “O-okay.”