Corruption

I tried to be quiet as I opened the front door, but my mom heard it swing open. I had deliberated the thought of staying at the airport for the day to sleep, but my mom needed me now, no matter how much I didn’t need her. She was the last person I wanted to see right now. I couldn’t leave now though, she had seen me.

She sat on the white couch just inside the house, staring at me. “How was your vacation?” she asked, trying to smile at me.

“It was just fine.” I was so convincing I would have believed me if I hadn’t been there.

She turned, picking up her magazine again. “A girl called here just a few minutes ago.”

She caught my interest like she had wanted. I set down my bags by the stairs and went to sit next to her “Who was it?”

“She said her name was Gloria. She was checking to see if you made it home.”

I stared at the muted television, watching as a breaking news story erupts. A Major car crash has killed a dozen people just up north and it has interrupted my mother’s soap operas. I can only hope that that is why she is in a bad mood. A empty bottle of liquor is on the end table in front of her, a single wine glass next to it.

The phone in the kitchen rings loudly, making me jump. “I’ll get it.” I say to my mom who has made no move to get it herself.

“Hello?” I say into the phone, recognizing the caller ID.

“Hey buddy, I thought you would be home by now. You okay there?” My dad asked from the other end.

I sighed, glancing at my mom. “One second.”

My room is the safest place to talk on the phone. It is the farthest away from my mom, and the easiest way out of the house if the door is blocked. I’ve had to learn that. I crawl out of my bedroom window, and end up on the roof, closing the window behind me.

“Okay, I’m back.” I say with a sigh.

“Are you okay over there with your mom? How is she?” my dad asked, concerned.

“I think she’s mad.” I say, not sure if I should have after it’s already said.

He get frantic then, starting to panic like he always does when it comes to my mom. “What? Do you need me to come and get you? What did she do to you t his time?”

I looked out at the city. Next door, two sisters are outside running through a sprinkler. At Candace’s old house, everything is still and silent. The neighbors across the street are having a barbeque with some of their other neighbors, laughing with each other.

“It’s fine Dad.” I reassure him, trying to calm him down. He never forgave himself for leaving me here with her. But for now, it is in my mother’s best interests if I’m here, even though I am endangering my own life.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I think being alone for a few weeks calmed her down a lot. She had time to think it through.”

I hear rustling on the other end of the phone, then silence.

“I’m fine Dad.” I say again.

“You don’t sound fine.”

“I just miss Maine, that’s all.”

“Oh? How was your trip?”

“Better than I could have hoped.” In saying that, I felt like I was telling the truth. I had expected worse as the days progressed, but they never really did get any worse than the first time Aiden and I met.

“That’s good, that’s good. You think Candace has a good life up there in Portland?”

“Yeah.”

I yawned, letting my eyes close for a second.

“I’ll let you get some sleep, okay? You call me if anything happens.” He said, his tone a warning.

“I will Dad. Thanks.” I yawn again before I hang up the phone. I tug at the old wood of my window, and yank it open with all of my strength. I thrown the phone onto the desk, take off my shirt, and climb onto my bed, not even bothering to get under the covers.

The one long plane ride to get here was an endless one, and it was now in the middle of the day here. I was so exhausted.

The window is in a place where the sun at this time of day shines right on my face. Yanking the small rope that is connected to the blinds, they rush down and block the sun from my face.

I sighed and bury my face into the pillow, letting myself drift off to sleep.

It only seemed like a few seconds before I was being woken up by the pain. More pain this time. This time though, it was both my arm and my leg that were broken. I could still feel the bone sticking the inside of my leg with a sharp point, threatening to break through.

Marissa was standing over me, her face livid.

I looked around me, focusing my gaze at Candace. Tears stained her face like before, more still coming from her eyes. Her whole front was covered with blood. I searched her for the wound, trying to see how bad it was.

It was her forearm that she was now cradling to her chest like I was just now.

“Candace!” I yelled, ready to help her out6 as much as I could. She was bleeding so fast. There was so much blood…

Marissa smiled at me, her white teeth gleaming. “Good, now we have you both awake you can help me out. Someone needs to tell me.”

“We don’t know what you’re talking about!” I yelled at her, getting frustrated.

“Then why did she tell me it was at Aiden’s house?” she asked slyly.

I couldn’t answer that. I really didn’t know why Candace kept doing things I didn’t suspect. Candace looked from Marissa to me, then back again.

“I only told you that so you wouldn’t hurt Mike.” Candace squeaked. The color was draining from her as she leaned onto the wall for support.

“Well that was stupid of you. Didn’t you think I wouldn’t find it there and come back for you?” .

Maryana was starting to crouch. She couldn’t handle all of the blood. The men were trying to restrain her, but she looked stronger than them, more into the blood that was spilling from Candace’s arm.

I scooted a few inches toward Candace without Marissa noticing. I needed to help her before it was too late.

“Restrain her!” Marissa yelled at the four men.

She turned back to Candace and smiled. “You don’t look so good—“

I hadn’t seen Marissa move, but Candace was suddenly on the ground, gasping for air. Her free hand clutched at her bloody shirt to get to her chest. Marissa had somehow hurt Candace as quick as lightning. The wind got knocked out of she so I lay there, waiting to breathe again.

“Stop that!” I yelled, still inching closer.

“She knows—“ Addison whispered. I glared at her from where I sat on the floor, but her gaze never left Candace.

Addison continued. “I can see a clear picture in her mind. I haven’t seen it before. She needs to tell us where it is or we will never find it.”

Marissa walked over to Candace and bent down beside her. “Now we know the truth. You just need to tell us where exactly it is.”

“Tell me or you die.” She seethed.

“If we kill her, we will never know where it is. Aiden told her to hide it. He doesn’t know where it is. Neither does he.” she nodded at Mike. "He has no idea what is going on.”

I didn’t watch Addison, or Marissa, or even the hungry vampire by the door. I kept my eyes on Candace, trying to get closer to her.

“Why would he trust a human?” Marissa asked, clear confused covering up her rage.

“He has feelings for her.” Addison said simply.

“Well we will just have to force the truth out.”

Candace’s eyes closed, her breathing becoming heavy.

“Candace!” I yelled, finally reaching her. I pulled her arm away from her chest, ignoring my own pain to help her. Her forearm was completely cut down the middle, so deep I could see her bone.

“We need to keep her alive.” Addison said calmly.

“Well if she dies, she dies. Aiden knows her enough to find where she hid it.”

Candace wasn’t responding to my touch, not responding to anything.

“Candace! Please Candace! NO!” I screamed, feeling her breathing slow.

Maryana from behind me growled from where she was being held, letting everyone know how she felt about the way she was being treated. He eyes were on me now, her mouth open showing me her teeth. “Why can’t I just have them now?” she asked Marissa.

“God damn it!” she screamed, kicking a hole in the wall right next to Candace’s head.

I tore off my shirt, wrapping it around Candace’s arm, and putting pressure on it to try and stop the bleeding. Maybe it wouldn’t work, but at least I was trying.

I noticed then that my own arm was bleeding, long scratches dripping blood down my right forearm.

“Why don’t you go and kill someone else instead. It is obvious that Candace doesn’t know what the hell you are talking about!” I screamed at Marissa who has her back to me.

She straightened up her back, turning slowly to look at me. “Excuse me?”

“Why can’t you just go and kill Aiden! He’s the real reason we are all in this mess in the first place, isn’t it?”

She laughed. “You are so entirely clueless, it’s funny.”

I just stared at her, trying not to panic about Maryana who was still struggling with her captors.

I didn’t see when Maryana attacked the people that were holding her back, but I did see Marissa smile a little. “Have fun dying.” She said, turning around to leave.

Addison stared at me as Maryana’s captors let her go one by one until she was free. In one quick motion, she right in my face, snapping her jaws to try and get to me. I spread out in front of Candace, trying to hide her from this demon.

Maryana didn’t come any closer though, Addison had her by the throat, blocking her from moving toward her food. Marissa hadn’t left yet and saw, getting enraged by the idea of one of her own protecting a human.

All three of the female vampires moved around the room so fast, all I could do was listen to their snarled and cries of pain.

“Candace!” I yelled, slapping Candace lightly on the cheek. “Wake up Candace, please wake up!”

The warm fingers tracing the scars on my forearm felt comforting. The day had disappeared, turned into a moonless night. I could only see the silhouette of the person that was by my bedside.

My mom’s fingers still traced the scars on my forearm with care, trying not to startle me.

I pulled my arm away from her, scooting to the wall, as far away from her as I could possibly go.

I rested my head on the wall in the corner, watching my mother’s every move. Her hand silently reached out to me again, this time tracing the scar on my shoulder.

I stopped breathing, keeping as still as I possibly could.

“I didn’t mean to hurt you.” She said in a whisper. “I’m very sorry for this.” She traced the scar again, letting her finger trail down my bare arm.

I still couldn’t breath with her there beside me in the dark. I didn’t want to breath was more like it.

Her fingers matched the six inch long scars on my forearm, pressing on them with the tips of her fingers. “You never told me where you got these.”

I tried to move closer to the wall, but I was as close as I could get to it. Her weight dropped down on the bed, moving closer to me.

I let my lungs have their one breath of air, holding that in as I had before.

“You don’t need to be scared of me.” My mom whispered, her breath on my face now. “I didn’t mean to hurt you that day. I was just in a bad mood. I won’t ever hurt you again.”

I wanted to believe that, but my senses told me it was true. One day, when my mom is mad and I do something to upset her, she will go off again. Maybe next time she wouldn’t be able to save me.

She asks me, “Why are you so scared?”

I closed my eyes, trying to wish her away. She was always around now, a glass of liquor in her hand. That was who she was now.

Her arms were around me then, trying to pry me from the wall. I let her hold me close to her, but I don’t hold her back. I can’t seem to unlock my fist from my chest so I sit quietly and wait for her to let me go.

“I’ll always love you.” She mumbles.

She kisses me on the cheek, gets off my bed, and goes over to my desk. A cup of some liquor is there and she downs it easily. “See you in the morning.”

She closes the door behind her, leaving the empty cup on my desk.

I let myself breath, but stay in the corner of my room. Staring at the door, I wait for her to come back; no longer loving.