“Oh Vanessa, your so much like your father. Such a fool.”
“I … I don’t understand.”
Ethan reached behind him; he pulled a gun out from behind him and fired it at Mark. Mark screamed. I screamed. Robin screamed and Mark fell to the floor clutching his thigh.
Luke bent down to him and smacked Mark hard around the head with the bottom of his gun.
“Why?” I asked.
“Why not?”
Robin wriggled in his arms trying to get free, she cried and screamed at him to let her go, but Ethan kept hold. He lifted the gun up to her, pointed it at her face.
“Please no! Ethan don’t.”
Robin tried to bite back her crying and she froze in front of him.
“Do that again.” He said to her. “And I shoot your mother.”
“Do you want to know why Vanessa?” he asked and I shook my head, my vision blurred by tears.
“Because you took it all from me and I wanted to take it back. You took it all from us.” He said as he pointed at Luke and Melody.
I didn’t understand. Took it all from him? Them? Who where they. I knew who Melody was. She was my fathers ex, but what did that have to do with this and with Ethan?
“Did you know that your dear sweet innocent grandmother had a son and a daughter before your mother was born?”
I shook my head.
“Then I suppose you didn’t know she dumped them for my father.”
He paused waiting for my response but I didn’t give one. What could I say to that?
“Luke and Melody are my bother and sister Vanessa. She dumped them for my father and worse still he dumped me for you.”
“This is what this is all about? Jealousy.”
“You took everything from me Vanessa. Because your stupid mother got herself killed, my father gave you everything. He never had time for me, life was always about you.”
“You’re wrong.” I said yelling now.
“No Vanessa. You’re wrong. All this time all through my childhood you always came first.”
“You’re pathetic.” I spat and Melody jammed the gun into my back harder making me stumble forward and fall to the ground with a thud.
Melody walked over and held onto Robin. Robin stared at me, her face contorted with fear. “It’ll be alright baby.” I said to her.
Ethan’s hand came down and met my cheekbone with a thud. Pain exploded through my face and seemed to spread into my head.
“Do you think my father would pay to get you out of this? I mean he hates you at the moment doesn’t he.”
“You leave him alone.” I said my voice quiet and unsure. “He never did anything to you.”
“That’s my point Vanessa. He never had time for me. It was always you, you and you what ever you did good or bad he was there.” He said. “I missed your mother dying, that stupid uncle of mine sticking his nose in and pulling me and Alex away. If it wasn’t for him I would have been able to see her die.”
“Nathan was protecting you.”
“Protecting me? When have they ever done anything for me?” he said. “It’s just a shame I had to wait for and find Luke so he could tell me all about it.”
I moved my head; my face still felt like it was on fire from where Ethan had hit me. It felt like my cheek had swollen ten times. Luke was smiling, his eyes looking at me menacingly through the lenses of his glasses.
“That was the best time I ever did.” He said laughing.”
“You killed her?”
“Oh yes.”
I looked to Ethan and his face confirmed it was true. “Don’t feel bad Vanessa. She was going to die anyway. She just gave them the right opportunity that’s all.”
“B******.” I said as my anger took over and I swung my fist towards his face. He caught my arm by the wrist and slammed in down onto the wood of the floor, pinning me.
“Don’t ever try that again.” He shouted.
I heard Robin whimper and tried to move my head so that I could see her, but Ethan had me held down firmly.
“Take her down, and him.” He said nodding his head in Marks direction.
“Leave them alone.” I said trying to wriggle out of Ethan’s grip, but he held me firmer, his hands making my wrists dig into the hard wood. Still I tried to fight him, using anything I could, my legs, the force from my body.
Ethan raised himself up and sat on my abdomen, his legs straddling me while his weight held me down. His hand came down to my face and connected with the same cheekbone as before rekindling the fire that hadn’t quite gone out yet.
“Talk out of line again and the next one won’t be as nice.”
I stared up at him. My heart seemed to break at that moment. I think maybe I hadn’t actually believed him, but the look on his face defiantly held the truth of what he thought about me. He hated me. How had I never seen it before?
It was as if the Ethan I knew had just died and now I was staring at his dead body, only this body wasn’t with out life, it was just without love or compassion. Is that how I look when I push people away? A tear slipped down the said of my face and I felt its cold touch tickle my ear as it rolled to the floor.
I heard the door close, Luke, and Melody’s footsteps seemed to make the floor vibrate under my head as they came closer.
“Oh look she’s crying.” Said Ethan when he noticed. “What's the matter have I upset you?”
“Why Ethan?”
“I told you why. Were you not listening?”
“Maybe her beloved boyfriend could make her listen? We could cut of his ear and lend it too her.” Suggested Luke.
“No please don’t hurt them.”
All three of them laughed taking any dignity I had left.
“This could all have been avoided you know?” said Ethan. “If my mother had of done as she was supposed to. If she’d have just stayed married to Jimmy and remained with him none of this would have happened.”
“But then you wouldn’t have been born?” I said.
“You say that like it’s a bad thing Vanessa. I spent my entire childhood in the shadow of your mother. Every birthday and every Christmas, her empty seat was the biggest presence in the house. And for what? She was no better than they were. She killed Melody and Luke’s father, shot him dead, and ran away.”
“But they had a good life. They were brought up by Julie and in my mothers diary she said she was lovely.”
“Our mother dumped us with some rich family, but it was all part of the deal, your mother ruined it though when she shot our father.” Said Melody. “We were supposed to go back to her, but instead we ended being brought up by that awful woman.”
“But never mind, she got what she deserved too.” Said Luke cutting in.
“So you see Vanessa. This all started with my mother, your beloved grandmother. She had to have my dad didn’t she and ruin it all. Then they had that brat, who just helped them.”
“How can you be so callus?” I asked.
“I have had a long time to think about this Vanessa. Luke and Melody found me a couple of years ago. I already hated you, but never did anything about it, but with their help, I can get rid of my little problem. Cant I.”
Melody moved towards me, she loomed over me, her face twisted in anger. The last thing I saw was her hand coming towards my face, then darkness. The black dots linked together like pieces of a jigsaw. I heard Robins screams as I closed my eyes.
