Yellow Reggae

Five.

                                                                            >>>>Jules.<<<<

It's 3:26 am.

I dragged my hand along my face as the cooling air from the window kissed my skin. I turned my head and looked down at her. She was sleeping peacefully with one of her chocolate brown legs peeking out of the royal blue comforter that was nearly off the bed. I turned back around, resting my feet on the metal beam of her bed. I picked up my iPhone from the dresser and took it off of the charger. The bright backlight of the phone caused my eyes to squint, since I was sitting in the dark for about a good hour. I noticed I had one new message. It was from one of the recruits, Andrew.

Message From Andrew: where r u?

I kissed my teeth, rolling my eyes. Everyone and their mother knew I was at her house. Why the hell would he ask? Incompetent pickney, I thought to myself as I locked my phone.

I looked out the window, watching the droplets of rain trickle down the window and stick to it. I watched in silence. It interested me for some odd reason. Nowadays, I had been off my rocker—I was angry. That motherfucker who ruined my family decided to show his punk ass face after nearly 17 years of hiding. I wanted his head badly, and I'd do anything to have it. I wanted him to suffer like Pop, Inni, and I had to suffer for the past 17 years. Pop lost a wife, while Inni and I lost our mother. Inni doesn't take it as serious as I do, being that our mother died when she was a baby. I had all right to be angry at that son of a bitch; he killed her right in front of me!

I cried loudly as I was slapped by one of Don Serpent's henchmen. I wanted to fight back, but I was tied to a chair. "Let mi madda go!" I screamed with snot and blood running down my nose and into my mouth.

"Shut up!" The man hissed. His breath singed my nosehairs. He had the breath of a dragon.

"Let mi madda go, mi beg yuh!" I pleaded. I looked at my mother; my beautiful, caring mother. She was chained up in a chair across the room with a bandana stuffed into her mouth. A fat tear rolled down her slim cheeks as she fought to get out of the chains. Her curly hair was dismantled and she looked so frail. "Madda!"

"'Madda'!" Don Serpent mockingly repeated as he circled my mother. He chuckled, twirling his gun around his hand. His light eyes twinkled evilly. "Eden Keningston-Bailey, one of the well-known heiresses in Jamaica. Wife of Luke Bailey and the mother of Jules Maurice Bailey and Inni Gardenia Bailey. If your husband would've paid me back, you wouldn't have to deal with this, would you?"

Mom let out a scared whimper as Don Serpent pressed the gun to her head. I started to feel a warm liquid trickle down my leg. I felt slightly embarrassed, but I couldn't care at all. My mother's life was on the line.

"D-Don S-S-Serpent?" I stammered through my tears. He looked at me and gave me a nasty screw face.

"What the fuck do you want?" He snapped, pressing the gun deeper into Mom's temple. Mom whimpered in fear. He glared at her. "Shut the fuck up!"

"Mi beg yuh, let mi madda go." I begged again, looking at him with my weary eyes. I hoped to God he would show me some sympathy. Instead of sympathy, I got apathy. Don Serpent laughed obnoxiously, advancing towards me. He twirled his gun around and kneeled down to my level. His thumb touched my wet cheek, making my body tense up. His touch was like a snake injecting its venom into you with a bite. I guess that's why his name meant snake—that was exactly what he was.

"Poor, poor kid." Don Serpent cooed in a juvenile tone. "You're a naïve boy, Jules. Daddy is a bad guy. He left my family destitute. Now, I'm leaving your family to be destitute." He pointed at my mother with the gun in his hand. "You see mommy over there? She has money. She's rich. She's doing you a favor. She's paying for what your father owes."