What If He Didn't Die?

Chapter 20: Madness and Hate

When I reach home, I don't really expect to see it empty, but I don't expect the crowd either. Eric, with both my parents, welcomes me home.

I smile in reply to their scowling faces, so they can at least feel even the slightest of the frustration I felt under my skin whenever they arrange stupid assemblies for me.

I start moving towards the stairs when I hear exactly what I was expecting.

"Easter." My dad's cold voice stops me. "Where were you?"

'Not with my lover boy bartender, opening your buried secrets.' I fight hard, the urge to say this, but considering the thought of living and letting my family live, I turn around to face them quietly.

"Walking." I simply reply as I watch the expressions on all their faces worsen.

"And I know you're not lying again. How?" Mom says. Her tone is not something I usually hear, but I only end up smiling through the discomfort.

The entire conversation seems so familiar, I can't help but revisit that night. The night I came face to face with the reality of my life. The night I finally got to know, that my life wasn't a happy dream, but a hideous nightmare.

"Why do y'all think I'm lying about everything?" I say casually, throwing my bag on the couch.

"Because you are!" A thunderous roar makes all hair on my body stand on their roots. I look up at my father who was now pressing his thumb and index finger to his head as if he was regretting raising his voice like that. As if I was ever going to believe his lies again.

"What is this about?" I ask in a breaking voice. The effect of my father's yell can be easily seen on my sweating face and my trembling body.

"This is about you, and your, MADNESS!"

I stop my eyes at my mother for a minute to understand what she means, I avert my gaze to Eric when I fail to find any hints. Looking up at my father isn't something, I am capable of doing when all my nerves are already tightening with mixed emotions, waiting to explode.

"That Sunday, where were you that Sunday?" Now I understand what this is about. The Sunday.

I stare right into Eric's eyes and gulp down as I reply. "I am guessing you already know."

His fist clenches tight on his side, as he purses his lips, like clenching his jaws isn't enough to hold himself, and turns his back on me.

"Why did you go to Veihnsberg?" Mom finally puts her curiosity into words.

"And Rocrfall and Jolmberg." Eric adds, turning back to face me. "Isn't that too much of an adventure for one day?"

He keeps looking at me with that question hanging between us waiting to get answered by me. I feel the weight of similar questions on me from all sides.

I know the answer to their questions, I'm not scared to answer them, I can say it now, but what stops me is my confidence that they won't believe me. And I don't even want them to believe me, which is why I don't even want to answer their questions.

"Why did you go, Easter?" My father bellows and almost charges toward me causing me to lose all holds on myself.

"To find Dan!" I shriek as I take a step back in my defence. Luckily mom jumped in and stopped him from pouncing on me. "To find him. To ask the people to find him. That's why I went." I continue with more courage now that I see mom between him and me. He would never hurt her, I hope.

"Find Da-" Mom start's laughing clapping her palm on her chest. "Oh my God, Easter he's dead!!" She grabs my shoulder and shakes me as if to bring me back to reality from a dream.