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Because tonight I made an irreversible choice.
And only God knows how I’ll pay for it.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
“Hell is here on Earth.
I know that without a shadow of a doubt.”
Octavius
Octavius, 6 years old
The sun beams brightly, making the emerald-green grass glisten around us while birds chirp in the distance, perching on the trees and singing songs only they understand as the light breeze sweeps over us, cooling our heated skin.
Wiping the sweat from my forehead, I drag the heavy basket toward the oak tree several feet away from the lake, the blue water shimmering and inviting you to take a swim on this hot summer day.
“We’re going to get in trouble,” Remi mutters, holding another basket, and by how he huffs and puffs, walking beside me, it isn’t lighter than mine.
“Relax, no one is going to know.” Santiago adjusts his sunglasses on his nose and grins at us, running forward. “They know we went on a picnic anyway!”
“We were supposed to stay inside the mansion. We are so not allowed to wander to the lake on our own,” Remi replies, waving the mosquitoes off as Florian snaps yet another picture, winking at us and dancing off to Santiago. He throws his arm over his shoulders as they match their steps and laugh about something. “Do you ever feel like a third wheel around them?” he asks me and I shrug, not really knowing how to answer that question because it’s so complicated.
Santiago and Florian have been friends since they took their first breaths, their families so tight they had no other choice to become anything but close to each other. They do everything together and sometimes even celebrate birthdays on the same day because they were born weeks apart.
These families didn’t have any bonds with the Reeds, so I shouldn’t have even been part of their group. Uncle Lucian put his foot down and decided I should be friends with the boys. My parents weren’t happy with the decision; they tried to object, but he always reminded them that he could do whatever he wanted with my shares. So that’s how I started playing with the boys, attending their birthdays, and got enrolled in the same preschool. We spent most of our time at Santiago’s or Florian’s houses because my parents forbade me to ever bring them home, claiming they were spoiled brats.
Pain travels through me, and I bite on my lower lip to hold back the whimper threatening to emerge from my throat at the reminder of my parents.
I shake my head, focusing on Remi’s question. “No. That’s just who they are. They don’t mean to exclude us,” I tell him, and he nods, although he still sighs as if disliking the idea altogether.
There is some merit to his words, and it’s one of the reasons I’m so glad he joined our group and it became a quartet instead of a trio. Sometimes no matter how much you justify someone’s bond, you still can feel lonely around them.
Especially when you see such strong connections like Santiago and Florian’s. They aren’t just friends. Their families and lives are entwined together so much that breaking them apart seems almost a crime.
“Yeah. At least we have each other, huh?” He bumps my shoulder and grins as we reach the oak tree, and with a loud thud, he puts the baskets on the ground as the boys continue to pose for each other, snapping pictures one after another.
Remi’s father works as a gardener for the Cortez family, and while he mostly drinks and rarely does a good job, they keep him around. It shows what a big heart they have because they protect Remi with their actions. They paid for his education as well and enrolled him in our school and encouraged our friendship. We’ve been inseparable ever since, doing everything together, and so what if Santiago and Florian love each other a bit more?
I’m confident we can form such a bond with Remi in time, although he’s a bit hotheaded and difficult to deal with because he always expects us to ditch him or pick on him as he comes from poverty.
Like we care about those things, and besides, Grandpa Atlas would have boxed our ears if we acted this way. For all his strange nature, he respects the people around him.
Sometimes even strangers protect a child better than their own parents.
I shake my head again, refusing to go to my dark thoughts on the day fate offers me a reprieve from the constant nightmares.
“Octavius?” Remi’s voice snaps me out of my thoughts, and I glance at him as he takes a blanket from the basket, opening it up and throwing it on the grass right under the tree as it casts a shadow on us and hides us from the sun. “Everything okay?”
He’s been asking me that a lot lately, his assertive eyes drilling into me, and I see him focus on the bruise on my arm that I told everyone I got from falling down the stairs earlier. Whenever I say something like this, Remi winces and bites on his lip while anger crosses his face, but he stays silent.
Deep down, he probably knows the truth because similar bruises mar his skin. God knows his father doesn’t know the word kindness.
However, his father is nothing compared to the monster Wayne has become.
No.
I clench my fists, willing myself to think only about this spontaneous trip the Price family decided to take to their summer house and grabbed us on the way because Florian threw a tantrum.
