twenty: leaving fogo island
"He's been searching for me ever since I left Tokyo, Charlotte. He's unstable and dangerous." My mother tells me matter-of-factly, as she leads me out of the cabin and into a veritable war zone. Guns fire every which way, people are screaming and pleading for mercy while I hear engines roar off near the shoreline.
"Where are we going? I can't leave Felix, mom!" I yell above the gunfire, unable to see in front of me. I grab onto my mom's hand and follow her through the smoke.
"He's already at the docks, Charlotte! DUCK!"
My mom shoves me to the ground and my forearm is split open by broken glass that litters the forest floor. It stings me bad and soon I feel a burning sensation coarsing through my arm.
"MOM!!"
I get on all fours, trying to breathe below the smoke clouds. I see feet running by and people dropping to the ground with open, still eyes.
"MOM!!" I shout again, focusing on the people rushing by me. I suddenly feel someone grab me by my wounded arm and pull me. The pain is unbearable and I almost pass out.
"Don't fall asleep, Charlie! Hurry!!" The male voice orders me, compells me to fight.
The man leads me through the smoke as branches whip me across the face. We're going through the forest. Away from the shoreline, away from Felix.
"No... no going...wrong way." My head lolls back and I can feel warm liquids rushing up my throat. The man who's carrying me doesn't respond; we just keep moving further into the forest, away from the man I love. The father of my child, the one who got me through this all. I gather my strenghts and push myself away from the man.
I fall back onto the forest floor, both my arm and my leg sending shocks of pain throughout my body.
"Charlie!!" I hear someone scream my name from a distance. I open my eyes as wide as I can and notice that the man who was taking me away was my father. In the flesh.
"Dad..?"
The other voice finally comes closer and I spot my mother emerging from a cluster of pine trees. She's not alone either as she is quickly followed by aunt Lucy and the good doctor, standing tall behind the two short women.
"Leave her alone, Charles. She's coming with us." My mother says with authority. She kneels down beside me and asks me if i'm alright. I simply nod.
"Oh Sarabeth, always assuming you have control. You think you, that bitch, and the dirty Paki can stop me? You underestimate me again." My dad answers back. I'm still in the middle, still invisible to them. What a fool I was to believe my mom actually cared. They're still so busy fighting their egos.
My mom rubs my back and gets back up, her pistol aimed high in front of her. Aimed at my father. As much as my mother has changed, my father has remained the same. Standing there in the snow with his full suit and his proud grin; displaying the most class and charm I've ever witnessed.
"I should have done this years ago, Charles. You don't care about Charlotte, you only care about what is inside her. What it can be used for. She doesn't know everything but she will soon."
My mother flips the safety and holds the gun tighter. She looks down at me. "Block your ears, baby." She says with tears in her eyes. "You've done enough harm, Charles."
I shut my eyes tight just as the gun goes off. I scream and even years from now I will remember the feeling that tugged at my heart. I hear my dad slump to the forest floor and felt hands grabbing me and lifting me to my feet. But I don't remember being brought to the submarine that awaited us, nor seeing the dozens of dead corpses lining the shoreline. I scream and scream. All I do is that. I've lost it.
My body is broken. My mind is broken. All I do is scream. Fogo Island was suppose to be our haven. Felix and I were suppose to be togheter forever here. Oh Felix, when will I see him again. Oh Felix.
(to be continued)
