Worlds Beyond Reason

Resonate

Bang!

The loud echo of gunfire resonated throughout the small attic room, the sound of it still ringing in her ears long after silence had once again settled. She sucked in a deep, shaky breath of air.

"Please. Please forgive me," she whispered, tears pooling in her eyes, hoping the wind will carry the message to the one person who she needed to hear it.

*

"Papa!" she screamed, her eyes red and puffy from all the crying, her cheeks stained with tears. "Papa!"

The 13-year-old girl tugged on her father's sleeve, a silent plea for him to listen.

"Papa. Papa, please." She sunk to her knees, burying her face in the palms of her hands, rocking herself back and forth in a vain attempt to calm herself down. "Papa. Papa, why?" she whispered desperately. "Why?"

Her father raised his arm and pointed the black, metallic object he held at the woman standing in the corner their living room. She had long, thick, wavy auburn hair that reached past her shoulders. Her head was bent forward, her hair falling forwards, making it impossible for anyone to see her face.

"Papa. No," she cried, just as he fired.

Too late.

There was no going back.

The woman fell, her limp body slumped against the white walls, stained with her blood. She fell away from the world so quietly, that the girl almost missed it.

Almost.

She didn't dare look. How could she? How could she look at the lifeless body of the person who took care of her? Who brought her up? Who she owed her life to?

Her father threw the gun onto the floor, before stomping his way towards where she was. He grabbed her arm with a tight grip and pulled her up. She let out a soft cry of surprise, panic and pain, certain that a bruise will form on her wrist by the time her father was done with her.

"Stop, Papa. You're hurting me," she whimpered, biting her lip to stop her tears from spilling even more.

"No, Lauren. You listen to me. You are never to disclose this to anyone, not even your older brother. You are not even to contact him at all. And you must do everything I say. If not, you'll end up like your mother!" he bellowed, anger eminent in his raised voice, rage flashing in his eyes.

"Y-Y-Yes, Papa," she stammered, shaking with fear. She stole a glance towards her mother's dead body on the floor, resisting the urge to gag.

"Now, clean this place up. And you'd better be sure that no one will ever suspect anything," her father demanded before walking away, leaving his daughter in the same room with his dead wife.

An eerie silence settled in the room, one that was unpleasant to her mind and soul, making her feel queasy. But what's done was done. There was no going back.

*

"I'm home," he called, closing the door behind him.

Lauren jumped out of her seat, filled with excitement from seeing her older brother again, after three excruciatingly long years, excitement that she could barely contain.

"Lionel!" she exclaimed, extremely pleased.

He opened his arms wide, waiting for an embrace from his beloved little sister, but she stopped just as she was reaching him, a dark expression on her face. She bowed her head even lower, her long hair, a result of not having cut it for the past two years, fell over her face, blocking his view of her.