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"EVERYONE ON THE FLOOR NOW!" The leader yelled. Dan instantly got in front of us, making himself a human shield."SMITH, CHECK THE REGISTER!" A shorter man trudged over to the register and pulled out stacks of money.
"ALRIGHT!" The leader screamed. "I'M GOING TO MAKE MY WAY AROUND TO EVERY TABLE AND EVERY ONE OF YOU ARE GOING TO HAND OVER YOUR MONEY, JEWELRY AND/OR ANYTHING THAT MIGHT BE WORTH SOMETHING!" He paused. "GOT IT?!" Everyone replied with a meek 'got it.'
The leader made his way over to each table like he said, cramming everyone's belongings in a burlap bag. He finally made his way over to us. I didn't have any cash on me, but I did have the locket. I tucked the locket under my shirt so that the cold metal was pressing against my chest. "Hand over the money," Dan pulled twenty dollars from his pocket and threw it into the bag. "Alright, girl. Cough yours up."
"I don't have any." His gray eyes inspected me, trying to decide if I was telling the truth or not. Just by looking at me, you could see I didn't have any money; a large dark blue sweater with holes in the sleeves, a pair of blue jeans with the knees worn out and my messy red hair hanging in my green eyes.
The man looked at Stella and then at Azul's gift which was sitting on the table. He let out a cold hearted laugh.
"You probably spent all your damn money on that crappy sculpture," he hooted.
"Hey, it's not crappy!" Stella's words lingered in the air, giving off a feeling of fear.
The man continued to laugh. "Oh, I'm sorry did you make this?"
"Yes, I made it for Azul-Santa's secret ninth reindeer." The man picked up Stella's gift and examined it. I glanced at Stella. Hope glimmered in her eyes, that maybe he would believe in Azul too. Every person Stella told it to never believed her.
The man chuckled. "Kids and their damn imaginations." He raised the sculpture and chucked it towards the ground, shattering it to bits.
"NNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Stella cried. She got out from behind Daniel. Tears streamed down her freckled cheeks, her sadness radiating off of her. That story was the last thing Stella had of our mother, so watching that man destroy her gift was like destroying that story, that tradition.
"How could you ?" Stella said in between breathes.
The man looked at Smith who was entertained by all of this. "I've always hated kids." He turned back to Stella. Time started to slow down. The man pointed his gun towards at Stella who was kneeling on the ground, gathering chunks of her gift. I got out from behind Dan, ready to jump in front of her. He pulled the trigger. The gunshot echoed in my ears.
"SSSTTEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLAAAAAAAA!" I knelt down, Dan behind me, his hand on my back.
"Morty, the cops are comin'!" Someone shouted.
All the men retreated, except for the leader. "She's only a burden, clean yourself up, and find a man."
"How?! How could you do something so cruel?" I said with tears of sadness and anger rolling off my cheeks. He said nothing. I stood up."SHE WAS ONLY SEVEN!" Again nothing.
"MSPD! FREEZE!" Policemen swarmed into the diner.
"ANSWER ME!" I screamed. I swung my fist towards his face. He didn't even wince. "ANSWER ME, YOU PIECE OF SHIT!"
"Willow," Daniel grabbed my arm before I could hit him again. Tears were emerging in his eyes. I lost it. A wail escaped my mouth and lingered on my lips. Dan wrapped his arms around me, my head rested on his shoulder.
My sobs echoed in the small room, nobody seemed bothered by it.
"Excuse me?" Said a policemen with wrinkles and wiry glasses. "This is probably a bad time-"
"Yes it is," Daniel shot back. "Come on let's get you to the car." He grabbed my hand and lead the way to his black Toyota.
I slammed the door shut, it shut with a loud bang that just caused my mind to replay everything. I felt the tears coming again. Relax Willow, it's just the car door. I hugged my knees, hoping that would keep me safe, but face it, nowhere is safe anymore.
For the whole car ride, we didn't speak. I kept my face buried in my knees and Daniel kept his eyes on the road.
*********
The car came to a subtle stop. I looked up, 'home.' How am I supposed to explain this to David? I exited the vehicle and trudged to the doorstep.
"Willow?" I turned around sharply. "Are you going to be okay?" I shrugged. "Dad was expecting me to go home awhile ago, will you be able to handle telling him the news?"
"I've faced the drunken beast before Dan, I'll make it through somehow." He was conflicted. Stay with me and help me face the wrath of my Step-Father or go home and face the lecture and expectations his Dad had made for him. "Go. If I need you, I know where you will be." He nodded then raced to his car.
My attention turned back to 3450 Pine Street. A small white house with two bedrooms, a tiny kitchen, a living room, and the smallest bathroom imaginable. I turned the handle slowly. The sound of the TV and a lazy drunk leaked through.
David's attention transferred from the TV to me. "'BOUT DAMN TIME YOU GOT HOME! WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN? AND WHERE'S YOUR SISTER?!"
"Dead."
YOU ARE READING
Angel (A Story Written by my Younger Self)
General Fiction"It's our time to make a move. It's our time to make amends. It's our time to break the rules. Let's begin."-X Ambassadors, Renegades. ----------------------------------- Life is hard and it will most likely never get better... Willow learned this l...
