The Seventh Son. (short story)

Part 7.

They kept staring at each other, their gazes didn't waver even when their eyes start to itch, hearts beating so fast, room was so quiet and Elli could feel the fear in his chest waiting to take over due the amounth of anger and disgust the boss eyes hold, no one dared to move or utter a word and the only thing that prove that this scene is not a jpg is their ragged breaths, Elijah tried to pinch himself to make sure that he isn't in some sort of a dream as it's not the first time he had some weird dreams about Leone, but in a blink of an eye the boss collapsed on the floor with a heavy thud sweat covering his forhead, the maid and some of his men marched inside the room heavily panting like they were running miles, the men quickly took Leone and left, and the maid tried to ease Elijah's worry and stop him as he stumbled with shaking legs due to him not eating much these few last days trying to follow the path behind them,

"W-What happened? Is he al-alright?" He kept stuttering, words become heavy as the image of collapsed boss still lingering in his head, he just now noticed Leone shaking frame when he stood at the door, his dirty clothes and sweaty figure, fear like a knife in his gut slowly twisting, what happened? where did he go? is he hurt? and the last question that he didn't want to ask is why Leone was looking at him like that? like his.....mother, like he was the cause of something terrible, the same stare that his mother throws at him whenever she recalls a scene where his late father hurted her, he never knew the truth behind his mother accusations, as he can tell that his father was a nice man that took care of six daughters even when they didn't share the same blood, he can still remember his dad soft grey eyes staring down at him and his bouncy curly hair as he laughed wholeheartedly at the silly jokes the girls made, his mother wasn't that bad either, she was lovely and caring, attending all the family members needs with a big smile on her face, but one day everything changed

It was his birthday, his tenth birthday, he couldn't sleep because he was so happy and excited, and the heavy rain and booming thunder didn't help either, so he run toward his parent's room just to hear cries and hushed screams, he stood behind the door dumbfounded and a little scared, because his parent rarely fought, then he heard his father saying his last goodbyes before exiting their room

"You won't be sad if I leave? If I missed your birthday? I promise just this time." His father voice was shaky and sad and Elli had a big urge to make him happy so he innocently answered with a yes nodding his head happily, he glanced behind his father just to meet the eyes of a monster that decided to punish the little boy for the rest of his life just because he answered a simple question, because that day was the last day he saw his father, he was dead

She didn't care that he was hurting inside, he couldn't understand why his father left or why he died or why his mother blamed him, he tried to ask but he always run back to the safety of his room with a bruise and scars all over his fragile body, he was just a kid that wants to please everybody but pain is all what he got in return

The painful memories brought tears to his eyes as he was tucked in Galia's embrace, she rocked him slowly wanting him to go to sleep just to calm his fried nerves as he was talking nonsense and shaking terribly, it's 1:00 am, the day just started, yet they already feel exhausted, it begins when the boss stated his arrival then he hurriedly exited the car even when he's badly injured, it warmed her heart that he missed his boy but then she noticed that Leone was holding a gun with limping steps toward Elli's room, gaze fixed and angry and then she knows that something is wrong, yes Leone was a rough man with a dangerous attitude but he never aimed to kill blindly, even with the two previous men, there were a reason why he ended their lives at the office, they killed an innocent man without his order or valid reason, just for fun

She stared down at Elli, his bruised cheek finally healing but the ugly dark bags under his eyes were still obvious, curls glued to his sweaty forhead and as she tucked him under the blanket whispering soothing words that immediately calmed his shaking sleeping frame before exiting the room, she promised him silently that she will comeback but she should now go check on the other sleeping man who lays mindlessly on the clinic's bed, he just kept staring at ceiling as a nurse attended all his injuries, his state wrenched her heart, she could feel that he was slipping away to his dark memories, again

"I can't believe I fall in the same trap twice, after all he was a liar just like him."

-XOXO