Light in Your Eyes

02 | crash

K E L L A N

Age 9

"Put your seatbelt on," mom reminds me and Inez in a worried tone.

She's always being extra careful when it comes to us, but sometimes I wonder if there's something else that makes her paranoid all the time.

Inez and I obey her command, fastening our seatbelts. The three of us are sitting at the back with Inez in the middle of us while dad is sitting in the front seat beside Tristan.

Mom's phone rings, and when she pulls it out, I can see Jaxon requesting a video call. She accepts the call, and we can see Jaxon already dressed in his karate uniform. He looks damn anxious, but his face brightens the moment he sees us all in the car.

"We're already on the way." Mom smiles at him, and her words make him sigh in relief.

Mom moves her phone so that Jaxon can have a closer look at me and Inez.

"Are you going to win the competition?" I challenge him in a lazy voice.

As expected, Jaxon smirks. "You'll see. I want you to see it for yourself. Can't wait to knock them out."

I chuckle. He's being cocky, but I like that confidence in him.

"Hey, Inez," he greets our sister cheerfully. "What gift do you want me to buy for you if I win the competition?"

Inez stares at him with a lost expression. "Will I get a gift?"

Jaxon grins widely. "Of course. If I win this championship, I'm going to get a lot of money, and I'll get you anything you want."

Inez squints, deep in thought. "Really?" Then she suddenly bursts into giggles. "If that's the case, I want a new headband."

This time, it's Jaxon's turn to stare at her with a stupid expression. "What? Just that?"

Inez nods enthusiastically.

"Really?" Jaxon asks in disbelief. "I can give you more."

"I just want a new pretty headband right now, and I can't think of anything else," Inez says truthfully with a big smile on her face.

Jaxon rubs the back of his head. "Well, if that's what you want..."

"What about me, huh?" I cut him off in an annoyed tone. "Will I not get anything?"

This sounds embarrassing, but I can't hide the fact that I feel slightly jealous. I always act like a cool brother to Inez, but when it comes to Jaxon, I sometimes act like a  brat.

Jaxon tsks. "I knew that you would ask me for that, and that's why I didn't ask you. What do you have in mind, huh?"

"I want a horse," I say firmly, just for the sake of pissing him off.

"What the f--"

"Do you have any problem with that?" I ask. "You said that you would buy anything Inez wants, so that's my turn now. I want a horse," I emphasize the last sentence. "You better get that for me."

Jaxon scoffs, shaking his head. "There's no way that I'm getting you a horse. That's ridiculous. I'm not going to afford that. You can take any horse from dad's ranch if he allows you to. Why would I buy you a new horse?"

I scoff too, making it more obvious that he's getting on my nerves.

He rolls his eyes. "Fine, I'll get you a bicycle. How about that? But it shouldn't be expensive. I'll get you a cheap one."

"I don't need a bicycle," I bark.

"Geez, you're impossible." With that said, he ends the call. It makes me want to break something.

Mom and Inez laugh.

"Cocky bastard," I mutter. "It's not like he's going to win, anyway."

My conversation with Jaxon was silly, but that's the way we talk sometimes. That little bickering reminds me that no matter how horrible the situation we experienced with dad's job or his friends, it's just a small thing. Our family will always stick together, and it's all that matters.

When the car turns silent again, it's then I realize that dad hasn't spoken any word since we got into the car. He usually listens to our conversation, but today, it's different. He only pays attention to his phone, scrolling through the messages as if to confirm something.

I also realize that mom hasn't asked him any questions about what happened with Fenrir back home. Maybe they don't want to discuss it while still having me and Inez around.

Dad calls someone, who picks up the call after the first ring. "Are you positive about that?" he asks the person in such a low and dangerous tone that it makes the atmosphere in the car turn cold.

After the person gives him an answer, dad ends the call and hisses, "Fucking traitor."

His anger sends shivers down my spine. I've never seen dad so consumed in rage. Something awful must be happening.

The car suddenly takes a sharp turn, and that makes mom ask with urgency, "Why are we taking this road? We should go the other--"

"We're being followed," dad says.

The silence that follows after that sends chills through my body.

Inez and I exchange glances. Her face turns as white as paper. I hold her hand to comfort her while the car speeds off. We'd never been in a car with a speed this high before. Judging from Inez's expression, she's feeling nauseous and about to vomit.

Dad and Tristan don't have to share any words. They are both very aware of what's happening right now.

It seems that dad sees something from the rearview mirror because the next thing he does is pull out his gun, shocking us. My heart skips a beat, and I can hear Inez letting out a soft cry beside me.

Dad is going to shoot someone. Kill them, if necessary.

"No," mom objects. "Not in front of our children."

"I'm sorry," dad says. It's a firm apology because he's not going to change his mind. "I have to."

I watch as mom bites her lower lip, looking extremely pale. But she doesn't say anything anymore, knowing that dad has to protect us all.

In that split second, I see a van speeding toward us from the car window.

Look out!

I can't even say those words because the next thing I feel is a huge blow. I pull Inez closer to me and cover her while extreme pain stabs every nerve in my body.

Fear engulfs me, because despite feeling like dying, I'm still feeling the pain.

Until everything goes black.