"Mom, when is Shane supposed to be here?" Mariah asks her mother for the fifth time, "I thought you said he was coming for Thanksgiving dinner."
Eliza Northman looks to her ten-year-old daughter and smiles softly, "Your brother said he was coming, he'll be here."
Mariah nods her head and scurries off to some corner of their house to play with visiting cousins. Eliza looks to her husband with a worried look written across her face.
Quietly she says, "I hope it's a good idea for Shane to show up."
"Of course, it is," Brecken Northman says to his wife comfortingly, "You know how much Mariah looks up to her older brother. She hasn't seen him in forever, it would be good for them to catch up."
"Yes, but that is what worries me. She looks up to him almost too much. With all the crazy stuff Shane is getting involved in, I don't want that to spill into Mariah's hemisphere. I don't want anything to happen to her."
"Don't worry, honey. Shane will be under my careful supervision."
Eliza nods her head and steps closer to her husband. She mumbles quietly, "I swear if he brings any drugs to tonight's gathering..."
Brecken nods his head and wraps his arms around Eliza. He says softly, "It will be good for them to see each other again."
As the day goes on and final preparations for the big dinner are completed, more and more people arrive to the Northman's house in Nolita. Family members reunite with fake smiles and laughter as they catch up after all the lost time since last year.
"The Northman's sure are doing well," says Aunt Soph to her sister, "How did they manage to secure a house in Nolita?"
"I know," sister Marble says, "Nolita is one of the most expensive places in New York City."
"One of the safest too, though."
"Yeah, I guess they've just given up on poor Shane and decided to move somewhere they don't have to worry about druggies and break-ins."
"Well, with Brecken's new position as head surgeon at his hospital them having money isn't surprising at all."
Aunt Soph and Aunt Marble are sitting in the entryway of the Northman's house, everywhere else is crammed full of people prattling on gossiping. Suddenly, they notice Shane in front of them, staring.
"How long have you been there?" Aunt Soph asks.
"Long enough to hear you say my parents want to get away from me," Shane says brusquely.
Aunt Marble opens her mouth to speak, but Shane walks on by without another glance.
"I knew this wasn't a good idea," Shane says quietly.
Shane walks into the crowded living room. People are constantly jostling around, elbows touching, trying to eat their food without their plate getting knocked out of their hands by a nearby family member. The cacophony of noise that rises from them sounds like a disconcerting racket of angry parrots chirping constantly at each other. Mariah instantly sees him walk through the double wide threshold between the entryway and the living room.
"Shane!" She squeals over all the loud noise.
Shane's gloomy and annoyed face is replaced with a warm smile as he sees his little sister run toward him. He kneels welcomingly as she flings her arms around him.
Tears slide down her face and she says, "I missed you so much Shane. I love you."
"I missed you too," Shane replies solemnly.
God, I can't believe that after all I've done, she is still overjoyed to see me. He thinks to himself.
Suddenly Shane realizes that the conversations have died down and most are staring at the hugging siblings.
Shane nods his head shyly and says, "Happy Thanksgiving, y'all."
Slowly people's heads turn back to what they were doing, and the flow of conversation returns.
Eliza walks over to her two kids and says, "Shane, it's good to see you. Oh, how I've missed you dearly."
"Yeah, okay mom."
Shane's eyes are slightly downcast, unable to look his mother in the eyes. She nor his father are aware of all that he has gotten himself mixed up in, but they have an idea. Two years ago, shortly after Tostito and Shane dropped out of college, Shane OD'd. Ever since then his mother has felt double the worry over her son. His father pretends to share the same worry, but Shane knows that he doesn't. He wasn't a very present father, only caring for him outwardly. Shane worries it is the same for Mariah and that kills him.
"Your sister has been eager for your arrival," Eliza says.
Mariah nods her head smiling, "I just couldn't wait for you to get here."
Shane smiles at his little sister once more.
"Do you want any food, Shane? I'll show ya," Mariah says.
"Um, yeah. I'm starving'," Shane replies.
Mariah takes off, saying, "Follow me."
As Shane steps forward to follow his sister, Eliza grabs his arm. The happy expression on her face has changed to a serious one.
"When was the last time you ate?" Eliza asks in a hushed tone.
Shane looks to her and shrugs, "It's not important, just let me be with my sister."
"Um, no. It is important. When?"
Shane clears his throat, replying, "Monday."
"Honey, that was three days ago. If you need any help, you know you can talk to your father and I."
"Leave me be. Lemme hang out with my sis."
Shane jerks his arm away from his mother's grasp and follows his eager sister.
Eliza looks to her husband nearby, who seems to be extremely interested with the wood flooring.
"Well, you didn't help any," Eliza says pointedly.
"Didn't know if you wanted me to," Brecken shrugs.
"Of course, I-" Eliza cuts herself off and takes a deep breath, "Let's not do this here and now. We have guests."
With the help of his sister Shane gets a heaping plate of turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, rolls, artichoke, cranberries, and stuffing. He had lied to his mother; it had been nearly a week since he last ate. Things hadn't been going well since...since that night. Since...
After a couple of hours talking with Mariah and suffering through condescending conversations relatives strike up, Shane's anxiety flares. His vision blurs and the constant eruptions of noise from the throng of family fades away. Shane takes several deep breaths and closes his eyes.
"Are you alright brother?" Mariah asks slowly.
"Uh, yeah. I'm alright. Just gonna go for a walk, I think, sis."
Shane gets to his feet slowly. The world starts spinning around him. Flashes of that night appear in his mind so vividly its like its still going on. There is no end in sight. Shane doesn't hear his sister's question if she can join him on his walk. He doesn't notice her following him out the front door and onto the street. Shane reaches into his pocket and dials Tostito's number.
"Tostito," Shane says gasping, "I need you to come pick me up. I'm at my parent's house for Thanksgiving. I-I can't...I just need your help."
"This is Shane?" says the voice on the other end, "Be there shortly."
Shane stumbles along for several more blocks, oblivious to his sister following him. Mariah wants to approach him, but his incoherent thoughts and sentences scare her, and she doesn't know if it would help any.
Shane is suddenly looking at himself. He watches his derelict frame stumbling down the street towards wherever the dark void that is waiting for him will take him to. He scoffs at himself. What a loser he turned out to be. A kid with a bright mind and promising opportunities to go to college and graduate with a good degree all gone. What a waste of life and energy, of time on Eliza's part for raising him.
Abruptly he is brought back to reality by a scream. He looks behind him to see Mariah running towards him, fear smeared over her face. Then he sees a gray van speeding his way. A man is sticking his head and shoulders out the window carrying an automatic rifle in hand. It is too late to react. Too late to do anything. What unfolds happens so fast. Four muffled shots blast from the rifle as the van drives by. Shane abruptly feels a force on his side. It is his sister pushing him away. He falls to the ground as the four bullets collide her fragile body.
The world slows down, almost to a stop, as the bullets make impact. Blood sprays like a mist onto his face and clothes. He watches Mariah's small frame drop to the ground. Shane rushes to her side, horrified, disbelieving what just happened. As he kneels over her silent and still body, he slaps himself across the face, trying to wake up from this nightmare. It can't be real, it can't be!
The blood is pooling around his feet and ankles already. Mariah's once bright, almost purple eyes, now stare into the night sky dimly, their shine gone. The moon beams down on them brightly, ensuring that Shane sees every horrible and ugly detail spread before him. As tears course down Shane's cheeks, Mariah's face blurs into Tostito's.
Why hadn't he been there for his friend?
Shane gets to his feet and runs back to his parents' house. He breaks through the door and runs into the living room. All conversations stop instantly as they see the son of Brecken and Eliza Northman standing there with bright red blood covering his face, hands, legs, and shirt. Shane tries to tell them that Mariah...that...that...
Words cannot escape his mouth; they cannot be formed. Shane isn't even sure he remembers what words are.
He tries again to say something, anything! But he can't. Uncontrollable tears run down his face. Mariah isn't dead, she can't be. If he just goes back out to where she was laying, there he'll see her laying down on the sidewalk laughing at the prank she just pulled. Yes, that's it.
Shane turns around and runs back outside. The clattering of people abruptly standing up out of there chairs and running after him is lost on Shane's ears. People are calling, but none of their cries register with him. There is only one thing in Shane's world, get back to Mariah and see that this is all just a joke. Things can return to what they were just minutes before.
Eliza and Brecken are the closest to Shane. They too saw him enter the room, covered with blood and looking like he was lost. They could see him try to speak, but the only sounds that came out were jagged and insensible cries. Already Eliza is crying. Seeing Shane in the state that he is in crushes her.
Eliza and Brecken are the next one's to see Mariah's limp body. Shane collapses once again beside her. The blood is still there, her life is still gone.
Eliza cries out in pain, recognizing the small, crumpled frame. She sees the blood surrounding, oh...so much blood...too much blood. Eliza must be mistaken, this can't be her daughter, her Mariah. The brightest spot in her life, the only bright spot in her life. Eliza hears the cries of the others who followed as they recognize Mariah. Eliza's previous tears are stricken from her, unable to process the images her eyes are seeing. She doesn't know how to react. She can't react for that would vindicate what has happened, it would make it real. And there is no way that this is real. Eliza simply falls to her knees, silent. Her vision blurs, hearing fades, even touch fades. The breath and will to stay conscious leave Eliza and she slumps over silently.
Brecken feels an anger rising within him that he has never felt before. He sees his distraught wife collapsed before him and his daughter, lying on the cold cement with blood all around her. Shane is bent over her body crying and mumbling incoherently and indistinctly. It is all Shane's fault. Mariah obviously followed him out here, and he just let this happen.
Oh god how did this happen?
It is all because of Shane!
Brecken steps forward towards his son and grabs him roughly by the shoulder. Brecken's face is contorted with anger. Shane looks to see who touched him and sees Tostito with a hellish look spread across his face.
"Why did you do this?" Tostito screams.
Shane starts shaking his head helplessly, as Brecken drags him to his feet.
"You did this boy," Tostito screams again.
Brecken punches Shane in the face. Shane's thin and weak frame crumples right to the ground, out cold. Brecken sits atop him with uncanny speed and starts punching Shane relentlessly. As each blow connects a scream louder and more blood curdling escapes Brecken's mouth. Within seconds, Uncles Tod, Avery, and Howard grab the raging father and drag him off his son. Their yelling doesn't breach the cloud of anger that has set up residence in Brecken's mind. But the strength of the combined men is too much for the father, and they pin him to the ground. A few seconds later the sounds of sirens become audible and a few seconds after that several police cars and ambulances screech up to the grotesque scene.
Officer Martinez steps out of his dispatch vehicle and takes in a breath at the scene. The body of what looks to be a small child is lying motionless on the ground. The people gathered are all crying distraughtly, two others are collapsed on the ground while a man is getting pinned down by three other guys.
Officer Martinez rushes forward, running to the still frame of the small girl.
He looks up to those gathered around and asks, "What happened here?"
Everyone who hears him, shrugs their shoulders, and continue their sobs. Uncle Avery leaves the Tod and Howard to hold Brecken down and walks up to the officer.
"Shane there," Uncle Avery starts pointing to Shane's still and mauled figure, "stumbles back into Brecken Northman's house covered with blood. He's crying and I think tries to speak but can't. Several seconds later he runs back outside, and we all follow him. He leads us to Mariah," Uncle Avery nods his head towards the motionless frame.
"Why does Shane look like he's beaten?" the cop queries.
"It's because he was," Uncle Avery says, "Brecken Northwood, there, attacked him after seeing his daughter lying there."
Brecken tilts his head to the side and sees Shane lying on the ground. Brecken's eyes are bulging out of his face as he tries to overpower the two men holding him down. Suddenly there are two cops standing above him. They roll Brecken on his stomach, resisting his thrashing, and cuff the distraught father.