The War With Fate

BONUS 5: The Breaks in Composure

(Her smile was child-like and her laughter was unburdened and light. She drew people in and they orbited around her)

Lea was the most loveable out of the group, and she seemed to be the least fucked up out of all of us. Her father left when she was little and didn't return, not even when her mother adopted Elliot from Lea's aunt. This was a nice truth bomb that was dropped on us in a game of paranoia of all things.

"List one fact no one really knows about your family," I whispered into her ear. Lea glanced to me in hesitation.

She looked to the ground and took a deep breath. "Eli's adopted." We all looked at her. I handed her the coin and she looked at it carefully. She took a breath and flipped the coin. Heads, now she had to explain. "My question was, 'what's one fact no one really knows about your family?' Elliot is Vincent's twin." We were luck Erin wasn't here since Aria had gotten sick.

Zander looked ready to comfort her, but she put up a hand to stop him. "I need to let it off my chest anyway, zandy, don't worry," She sighed. "We were lucky they were fraternal or else others would have figured it out. Cath has no clue and Aunt Vivian didn't tell anyone she was having twins. She was desperate to keep her marriage afloat, but she couldn't support two newborns along with 3 other kids at home. Only Mom, Aunt Vivian, and I know she had twins and that one of them is Elliot." Lea fought for composure, but shakily stood up and brushed off her pants. "I'm going to go clear my head. You... you can keep playing." She held her hand up apologetically before scampering to the door, Zander following behind. We watched through the window as Zander hugged her and she just cried into his shoulder. It was the first time we'd ever seen her break down in front of us.

What made this so strange was how she normally acted. Her smile was like a child's, all toothy and brash when she was excited, but soft and slight when she was being polite. She laughed as if she had no burdens on her shoulder and she seemed like the air, all light and supporting. She drew people in and they orbited around her, helping her take a load off while she supported them, unlike how my attraction was more like moths to a flame.

The idea of her ever breaking her composure and her optimism seemed impossible, yet the few times she broke down proved that she was still a human with negative emotions. And I had caused two of the three that I witnessed. the first was our game of paranoia and the second was in a conversation.

I had said something rude to her, and she responded with something just as crass right back. She realized her mistake, I saw the guilt and realization on her face, but I practically cursed her name. The tears formed in her eyes and she gave me the scariest glare I had ever seen. "Maybe.... Maybe you are an evil person like everyone says you are. Maybe I was too naive to realize you haven't changed one bit." She still kept her glare, but I was on autopilot, sending a worse remark right back to her. It was something about her dad leaving her and I'm too ashamed to repeat it. She gave me a look of hatred before scurrying off, leaving me in my own pool of shame and guilt.

The 3rd one shocked me. Zander had warned us she had been on edge all day, considering what was happening. Her dad had decided to call to say he was going to come over. She had wanted us there so she wouldn't be alone after dinner and would have a reason to leave at any given time. Elliot was upstairs with us, her dad didn't need to know about him, Lea had said. We sat at the top of the stairs and listened in on their dinner.

Her father was an asshole, to say the least. He spoke down to Lea's mom and called Lea a whore when she let slip that she was friends with a dude and he sometimes stayed the night. Her dad, if I remember, was asking why he couldn't stay in the guest room. He kept on calling her worse and worse names until she broke. "Excuse my language, Mom. You are the most worthless piece of shit to ever grace this house, you know that? You think that because we let you into the house and I cooked dinner for you that it was a reason to shame us? You are an ignorant motherfucker that needs to learn his place in this house. I won't hesitate to call the police this time if you speak to us like that again."

This time? I was concerned. I typed 911 in and waited to press the call button just in case.

"Now, Natalea," the asshole said, "I didn't want it to have to go this way, but you've left me with no choice." He pulled a gun on to them. Lea glanced at the stairs and I pressed the call button. I watched as Zander pulled something out from a holder on his belt. He had a stun gun in hand and made his way quietly down the steps.

"You are a sick daughter-of-a-slut that has no worth in living. You'd be better off dead," The man grinned holding the gun closer to Lea's head. I saw a glint in Lea's hand and noticed the knife before he did. She drove it into his leg and quickly pulled it out, leaving him bleeding out. Zander got behind him and disarmed him before knocking him out with a punch.

Lea looked at the knife in her hand and up to Zander. "Did I...," she laughed emotionlessly, "Did I just cut a bitch, Zandy?" Zander nodded as she broke down. "I... I stabbed someone! I don't, I don't wanna go to jail!"

"You won't Lea, you won't, my parents will make sure of it," Zander said as we made our way closer. Zander looked up at us and gave us a warning look. Erin pried the knife from Lea's hand on the floor and Lea's mom went upstairs to check on Elliot.

Zander picked up Lea and moved her away from the unconscious man and into the living room. "Do you want a change of clothes?" Lea nodded and Zander motioned for me to go get her some. The police came eventually, and we told them our versions while Zander helped translate Lea's incoherent mumblings to an officer. They advised us to leave the house, so Zander went upstairs and packed for Lea and Elliot before heading back downstairs and leading us across the street. We stayed in his game room in the basement all night, us forming a tight circle with Lea in the middle as she clutched onto Elliot and leaned into Zander.