Page 7 of Red

When the old lady comes to my mind, I always have to hold back the memories that try to come to the forefront. They don’t care how much I fight, they still play out behind my lids taking me back to when I was twelve years old.

The screams from my mother and sister fill my ears and start to play on repeat. Suddenly, the smell of fire starts to infiltrate my nostrils. That’s when the fear grabs hold of me. I am frozen in my hiding place and then I see my dad’s blank eyes. I need to get out of here. I run. I run to the forest and keep running till my legs won’t move anymore.

A clap of thunder brings me back to the present, reminding myself that I’m not back there. That event had a major impact on my life, watching them being killed in front of me at a young age. The horrid memories are still holding onto me. They never want to let me go. Needing to do something to expel the energy that those memories always bring me, I have to keep moving and continue with the plan. Grabbing my keys, I go grab my bike and head out towards the open road. Riding my bike always helps me to clear my head and figure out things.

I need to come up with a plan to make her mine, and then I’m going to make Old Lady Marelle pay for her sins.

Chapter 5

Blanche

I’m jolted awake by a sharp loud knock on the door. I groan, the light from the windows blinding me as I try to pry open my eyes. Not remembering at first where I am, I peek around. I’m in my childhood bedroom. I slam back down into the mattress and everything that happened last night comes rushing to the forefront of my brain.

Shit! Last night was crazy. I can’t believe I didn’t know that my family runs The Wolves. They’ve always been a mystery. What am I going to do, I need to figure out what is going on, and what this all means. I’ve been lied to my whole life.

Letting out an exasperated sigh, I hear someone knock again. I ignore it. I don't want to see anyone, and sure don't want to hear anymore about my family.

Then the knock comes again, this time much harder. I roll over and place the covers over my head, trying to ignore everything. Maybe it’ll all just disappear and this will be just a cruel dream.

The knocking continues. This time it doesn't stop. It doesn't seem that they’re getting the hint. Knowing they won't stop, or worse they’ll barge in.

“I’m coming. Calm yourself,” I yell

Getting up and opening the door with a ferocious pull, I see Nicholas standing out in the hallway with a look that makes my skin crawl. He looks me up and down with his critical eyes. I look down at myself to see what he’s staring at and realize that I’m still in my shirt from yesterday and panties.

“Fuck!” I was so out of it I don’t even remember taking off my pants to get into bed. Having the need to protect myself, I wrap my arms around my chest.

He barks at me that my grandmother wants to see me in the dining room in one hour for breakfast. Not being able to handle his company any longer, I nod and hurry to close the door. Closing my eyes as I lean against the door, I take a deep breath. Pushing off the door, I go shower. I guess I should see what my grandmother has to say for herself.

Walking into the dining room, I head towards the table. My grandmother is already sitting waiting for me. My stomach grumbles to remind me that I never ate last night after the revelations of the evening. I sit down in my designated seat and start piling food on a plate, mumbling, “Good morning, Grandmother.”

Gregory walks over. “Miss Blanche, would you like some coffee?”

I look up and smile at Gregory, the only man who has been a constant in my life since my parents died. “Yes, please.”

Knowing that I can’t drop my guard as much as I want to with him, it’s more important to keep my mask of indifference. That was ingrained into me from an early age. Grandmother places her fork down, looking at me with her cunning calculating eyes. Knowing that she has something she wants to say, I keep eating my breakfast, not making eye contact because I don’t want to hear it.

I think back to my childhood. I don’t recall ever seeing my grandmother like this before. Yes, she was always distant. We were never close like I was with Grandpa. This just seems like more. I don't know why, but I can see a hint of disgust in her face when she looks at me.

Clearing her throat, she begins. “I’m going to teach you everything you need to know about the family business. I don’t want to worry about losing everything on my deathbed because of you!”

As soon as the words leave her mouth, Nicholas walks into the room. I suddenly remembered why I thought he looked familiar last night. Hitting me hard and suddenly, it feels like I was just punched in the gut as the memories rush to me. He was the man that I saw at my house. He was the man that pulled the trigger that killed my parents. This is the man that she wants me to marry?! The man that took my parents from me?!

Remembering where I am at, I start to take deep breaths. Trying to catch my breath, I look at my grandmother and see that she’s staring at me. She's assessing me, trying to figure out what I'm doing. Needing to take control, I need to slow down my breath but it feels impossible. I don’t want her to know that I remember. Making sure I don’t let any of my thoughts show, I regain my composure, but then I look down at his waist and I see something I was not expecting.

Nicholas has a gun strapped to his waist. What the fuck? Running through the events of the night before, I try to remember if he had a gun last night. He probably did have a gun. That thought throws me in a bit of a panic. I’ve never been a fan of guns. Watching your parents get shot in front of you might give you an aversion to them. If I end up marrying him, is this something I’ll have to live with every day?

Nope, not going to happen.

The more I think about the gun, my breath starts to leave my body in short bursts from my chest causing it to hurt. Black spots show up in my peripheral vision. When my chest starts to constrict, I know what’s about to come next, but no matter what I do, I can’t seem to stop it. I can’t breathe. All the blood rushes to my ears, not hearing anything around me. I try to think back to the tactics my therapist gave me as a child to slow down my breath and keep those emotions at bay, but I can’t. Nothing I do seems to work. All I can think about is, this is what it feels like to die. Am I dying?

Then everything goes dark.

Chapter 6

Blanche

Waking up, I feel a little disorientated. Shit, what happened this time? Blinking my eyes, I look around. As my vision clears, I see I’m in a bedroom. My bedroom. Trying to remember what happened, I mutter to myself. “How did I get here?”

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