The Protection of a God

As Devon lay in her bed that night she had trouble falling asleep. Her thoughts drifting back and forth; from her parents to Damien, from Damien to her parents.

As required by David, Damien was now in the guest room two doors down. Devon wondered if he was also having trouble sleeping. She would love to get up, walk down the hall and continue to ask the hundreds of questions she had. Devon restrained herself, knowing that if she was caught in the guest bedroom, even just because she wanted to talk, Damien would be promptly kicked out of the house.

Instead, Devon allowed her mind to be filled with the precious memories of her parents. Something she didn’t do often because of the emotional response it provoked. The more she thought of them, the more she missed them and realized how much had happened that she wished to tell them. She would never again hear her mother comfort her over a boy, like she had in 9th grade when Luke White had dumped her for another girl. She would never have to tell her father that he didn’t need his shot gun; that Luke was a jerk, but didn’t need to go to the hospital. Not that her father owned a gun, he had only tried to comfort her as he always did when she was hurt.

The night that they died was something she would never forget. It would be forever burned into her mind. Every detail set in stone, not one thing forgotten.

~~~~~~~

“David, they should’ve been home by now.” Devon was beyond worried at this point. Their parents had left for Date Night four hours prior. They usually got home around ten, never later than eleven. The mahogany clock in the foyer had struck midnight only a few minutes earlier. Devon was pacing while David was playing video games, obviously unfazed.

“Will you stop walking in front of me? You’re making me miss my shots. They’ll probably call in a little while. Maybe they decided to do something wild for a change,” David mumbled out his response as he started his game over.

“I swear to God if you don’t get off that fuc-” Devon’s foul language was interrupted by the house phone ringing. Classical music because their father had said it would make them smarter. David gave her an “I told you so” look when Devon ran to grab it.

“Hi Mom.” Devon tried to calm herself. She was known for her anxiety and didn’t want her mother to worry.”

“I’m sorry this is not your mother. Is this the Knight residence?” The voice that came through the phone was indeed not her mother. In fact it was a man. In the background Devon could faintly make out the sounds of a phone ringing.

“Yes, this is the Knight residence. I’m Devon Knight. Who’s this?” Devon wondered who would call at such an ungodly hour. At this point David had stopped his game and was now standing next to her, trying to hear the person on the phone.

“I’m looking for a David Knight. I’m calling from Rochester General Hospital.” Devon handed the phone to David. He cleared his throat before he spoke, mimicking his father’s mannerisms.

“This is David Knight.” Devon couldn’t make out what the man on the phone was saying to her brother. One moment he was intent on listening, the next his face had paled and his hand began to shake. Without any other word to the man on the line, David brought the phone away from his face.

“David, what’s wrong? What did he say?” Devon’s voice rose with panic as her brother dropped the phone from his shaking hand.

“They’re dead.” His voice sounded thick and muffled. He didn’t allow her to react as he grabbed her and pulled her into his chest. They stayed that way for what seemed like forever; Devon breathing in his shirt that still smelled like laundry detergent, as she began to try and make sense of what had just happened.

~~~~~~~

Two years later and here she was, in the same house with her brother, except now he was her legal guardian. He was forced to take on a role that neither of them was ready for and he still struggled with being the parental figure that he thought Devon needed.

Devon was still lying in bed, thinking of how wonderful her life had been and how quickly that idea had been shattered. Three hours ago she had wanted to sneak down the hallway to talk with Damien, now she just wanted her parents; the one thing she wanted with all of her being that she was going to be denied from the rest of her life.