Agony

14

By some miracle, the three of us left the stall without being noticed.

We managed to board our flight without any more run-ins or anyone questioning about the security guard. I bet he wasn't actually a guard, he'd just stolen the uniform.

Either way, I felt bad for whoever was going to walk in on his lifeless body.

"Cher?" Dallas said from beside me.

We were sitting in the plane, waiting for it to take off. Ace sat to my left, Dallas on my right.

"What?"

"Are you okay?" Dallas asked.

I let out a nervous laugh. "Why wouldn't I be? Your brother," He was about to correct me. "—Half brother, okay I get it." I dropped my voice. "Just murdered someone and walked away like it was something a super casual everyday thing."

Ace frowned. "What other choice did I have? He'd have called some other members and they'd be after us."

I shrugged. "I know, and I appreciate both of you stepping in. I just wish that things would go back to the way they were more than a decade ago."

"Believe me, we all do," Dallas murmured.

* * *

The flight was very short, only three hours, but I'd made use of it by sleeping. I woke up finding myself curled up with my head in Ace's lap and feet on Dallas's. The flight attendant informed us that we were about to land so I had to sit up so I didn't die. 

Neither one of the boys commented about my sleeping mannerisms. They seemed to understand that I wasn't in the mood for any of their snide remarks. I was stressed out. The man at the airport. Preparing to see my old home. It was a bit too much for one day.

We took a cab from the airport and stopped by Dallas's apartment, the one we'd shared months before. There, we dropped all our bags, used the washroom, ate a little bit of the granola we'd packed, and charged our phones.

I'd slept again, back in my old room, which was left untouched. Ace and Dallas had also taken naps. I thought it was wise to have some energy before we headed off to my old place. We had no idea what we would come across.

* * *

It was six in the evening when we'd freshened up and were ready to leave. The sun was still out, it wouldn't be setting for the next few hours.

Dallas and Ace asked me for my old address. I'd memorized it when I was six. 

4010 Norman Road, Beverly Hills.

We took Dallas's car and headed out. 

During the drive, I tried to control the nerves that were tangled in my stomach. I was scared to see my old house. I wasn't even sure if it would still be there, intact. 

The closer we got, the more familiar the roads appeared. Despite leaving it all behind at the age of ten, I'd always liked to memorize the routes of things, so I was able to direct Dallas, who was driving, right to my house.

I was beyond surprised to find it still standing. A bit smaller than I'd remember, but I was taller now.

"Ready?" Ace questioned, throwing me a look as we exited the car.

I scrunched my nose. "As ready as I'll ever be I suppose."

The house was secluded. I'd forgotten that I was actually very privileged and rich as a child. My house has three floors, a wrap-around porch on the ground level, and numerous windows. We had a very large backyard and the neighbouring houses were a good ten metres away on either side. I couldn't see any cars on their driveways. Perhaps they'd moved after the murder.