When the Earth Tilts

IX

CANDACE

My screams attacked my mouth, hidden by my father's tie, which our Asian neighbors tied around my mouth in attempt to continue to torture me and steal stuff from my house in light of "recent events" as they harshly whispered to each other. At least that's what they said in English, Heaven knows what they muttered in their native tongue. I had racked my brain for more information on the family, but I didn't even know their names. It was Mom's job to keep track of the neighbors, since she was the only one which the capability to put "social" on a resume without lying out her ass.

My heart ached at the thought of Mom, I wondered where she was. My thoughts flashed back to Caden, (he would know the Asian family's name, even though he would never admit to have any clue about being friendly), I wondered if he had found Mom, hidden in the forest. Perhaps that was why he was taking so long. Maybe he lay, his body crumpled, tossed aside in the wide, vast forest. Maybe his body was cold and unmoving, his respiratory system still, never to come alive. Maybe Mom lay with him, her bod mimicking his. I pushed the thought away, but I couldn't push away my pessimism, or my depression.

I couldn't even shake away the fact that I had thought about shooting myself, or hanging myself, or practically anything to chase me away from this world.

It would be so much better to die at my own hand than a mutated freak.

If I couldn't shake away these thoughts, why bother shaking anything away?

CADEN

Dad smashed through the door, the Kyongs jumped, startled at the sudden noise. They must not have noticed Dad escaped, from the look they cast from him to the empty chair with torn rope encircling it. Elder Daughter sized me and Dad up, calculating if she could take both of us on, decided the odds were in her favor, and charged.

She failed to spot my axe. 

Before I had time to think, I whipped out my axe and swung it at her, not seeing where it got her. All I heard was a cutting sound and a gasp of terror. I looked at her, she was clutching her stomach. Blood was already rolling over her fingers, I let out a small scream and ran to her, putting pressure on the gap in her stomach.

"Dad, Candace, someone get some bandages!" I cried out, setting Elder Daughter on the couch.

"A bandage won't help, Caden." Candace croaked, "She's going to die."

"No..." I whispered meekly, "I can't kill a living breathing human!" She didn't even have amber eyes, or a ricocheting mark on her chest, why would I kill her? How could I be so stupid? "I'm so sorry..." I trailed off, tears stinging my eyes.

"Eodi tolu ida?" Elder Daughter asked, foreign to my ears.

"Geuneun jug-eossda." Candace replied, solemnly. I had no idea how she learned Korean.

Elder Daughter leaned back her head and let out a rough, hard wail. Blood flowed out of her mouth. I clutched her in my arms, wishing there was some way to stop it.

"Jebal ulji maseyo!" Candace said suddenly, getting up from the chair that Dad had freed her from, via my axe which I had dropped. "Geugeos-eun eonjenganeun modeun salam-ege balsaenghabnida."

Elder Daughter stiffened, "Nan ajido museowo!" She said it abruptly, as if Candace acused her wrongly.

Candace looked distant, cast her gaze through the window. "Haengbog-eul jeulgil su..." She whispered, her gaze fluttering back to Elder Daughter.

  "Eommaga seomgunure gul ddareo gamyeonagiga honja nama jibeul bodaga badaga bulreo juneun jajang norae e phalbego seureureureu jami deumnida"

Candace was singing to Elder Daughter,  

 "agineun jameul gonhi jago itjiman galmaegi ureum sori mami seolre eo da motchan gulbaguni meorie igo eommaneun moraetgireul dalryeo omnida." 

Elder Daughter's eyes clouded over, gratefulness hidden somewhere in the retinas. I looked at Candace, "That was beautiful, " I said through tears, "What did you say to each other?"

Candace looked past me, tears were on her face as well. "She said she was afraid, asked about her older brother. I told her he was dead."

"He what?" I demanded.

Great, I have a body count.

Candace ignored me, "She said she was afraid and I told her to enjoy it."

"E-Enjoy it?" Did Candace enjoy thinking about dying? "What did you sing? When did you learn Korean?" I had so many questions, bubbling up inside me. How much was Candace hiding from the family?

Candace opened her mouth to answer, but I didn't hear it. All I heard was a mirror smashing against my head and the floor as it came rushing to my temple.

ALDEN

I was still in awe of Candace's singing, the only thing interrupting that little moment of off-turned brain was a Kyong kid smashing my son, Caden, 's head with a mirror. I leaped up, still holding his axe, and buried it into the kid's shoulder. It was the middle sister, and her eyes twisted in pain before she fell, clutching her bleeding shoulder. I ran over and knelled by Caden, scooping him up. "He's out cold." I muttered to Candace, who was slumping the oldest sister by the middle sister, still alive but bleeding out fast.

"P-Please, h-help me." Middle said, still unsure of her English.

Candace cast a lethal look at her, her eyes conveying threats and worry. "We'll consider it after we help our own kin." She spat, helping me with Caden, going to his room. His head carried a nasty gash, and we had to make sure to fix it later.

I still glared at Candace as we lay Caden on his bed, did the tilt change her that much? I was scared of my own little girl, or was she even that anymore? Would I ever know?

Candace glared at me, her eyes absent and hollow. "Come on," She ordered, "We have work to do."