Not made for each other - 20. Balloons

Chapter 20: Balloons

The weather was gloomy and Edward’s car was swiftly racing down the dreary road. I was in the front seat along with Edward, who was driving, while Jake was sitting in the backseat. I could feel their worried glances towards me every other minute but I couldn’t assure them that I was fine…because I wasn’t.

There were many things which were left unsaid between myself and those who love me. I wanted to tell them everything but…but I couldn’t. I simply couldn’t. I was feeling as if I was trapped in a cage in my own mind, entangled in my own twisted emotions. I was feeling everything, I was listening to everyone but I was not able to react. Sometimes I felt I was not myself but someone else, and this person had no desire to live anymore. It was like I was done with everything.

It was breaking my heart to look at my Mom. I saw her looking years older in these last few days. I wanted to change that but I couldn’t. My father didn’t trust me. He couldn’t look into my eyes and say that he still loved me. I wanted to change that also but I couldn’t. Whenever I saw Carol I noticed an uncertainty, a suspicion in her eyes. I also wanted to change that but I couldn’t. The one person I wanted to be with me at the moment, sided with the guy who traded me like a package of baseball cards and the strangest part was that even after Kev didn’t believe me and supported Daryl, I was still in love with him. I wanted to change that but I bloody couldn’t.

On one side there were people who were not ready to trust me yet, and on the other side there were people who were ready to do anything to bring me back from whichever corner of my mind I was lost in. Edward and Becca not only trusted me but also helped my Mom to get through the toughest time of her life. And Jake, what can I say about him. He went through hoops to show his belief in me. He stood up against his own boyfriend, against the person who helped him when no one was there for him, not even me. I’ll always be grateful to these three people. I wish I could tell them how much I appreciate what they were doing for my Mom and me. I wish I could tell them how much they mean to me.

“Are you okay, Zune?” Jake leaned forward a bit in my direction and looked at me.

I just pointed my head towards the window and closed my eyes.

The faces of Angie, Nine, Rachael, Jamie, and Casey swam before my eyes and I reluctantly opened them with an unknown fear. I was panting.

“Here.”

Jake handed me a water bottle. He sounded worried. I quickly gulped some water down my dry throat and gave him the bottle back without even looking at him.

“How much more time will it take to get there, Ed?” Jake asked. I knew he was trying to break the awkward silence permeating inside the car.

“We’re halfway through; three more hours and we’ll be there,” Ed answered, trying to smile but failing miserably.

“Tell us something about your grandmother and her town.” Jake pried further in an attempt to begin a conversation.

A genuine smile crept up Edward’s stoic face. “My grandmother doesn’t actually live in a town. It’s more of a village; it’s a beautiful place though: there’s a river, there are nice people, and there’s peace. There is everything you would miss living in a busy city. When I was child I used to visit her frequently during my vacations, but as time went on I found I couldn’t maintain the same type of connection I had with her when I was younger.”

“And what about your grandfather?”

“He passed away when I was three I think.”

“Does she know all of us are coming?”

“Yes, and she’s damn happy but she was hoping my Mom would come too. Actually, it’s been a very long time since she last saw my Mom.” Edward exhaled a deep breath and we all became silent once again.

We stopped twice during our journey to eat something and empty our bladders. Jake was the only one among the three of us who was doing any talking. Jake also called my mom every two hours to let her know that I was doing fine. Sometimes Jake reminded me of Angie. His care and concern for me made him as special to me as Angie was.

“Just ten more minutes and we’ll be there,” Edward announced. He sounded quite relieved.

We were driving over a bridge. Edward rolled down the windows; a fresh breeze coming off of the water around us soothed my tension. I glanced outside; a beautiful river was flowing under the bridge. The river was moving but it still seemed so quiet. I looked ahead. There were many lovely small houses dotted along the road where the bridge ended. Each of these houses had a spacious front yard and there was sufficient distance between two houses where crops and large trees were standing. I had no idea what trees or crops they were. They all looked foreign to me but they still drew my attention.

For the very first time in my life I witnessed a number of different animals roaming around: goats, cows, buffalo, and sheep, among others. Many people were in their yards, feeding their animals, doing their regular household chores or just chatting with their other family members, laughing and having a good time. Edward was right; this place seemed more like a village rather than a town.

Whenever we drove past these houses I felt inquisitive eyes upon us. It made me uncomfortable but soon I was captivated by our beautiful surroundings. A few minutes later I sensed a sudden comfort to my ailing soul. I inhaled a deep breath and closed my eyes to savor this amazing and peaceful moment.

“We’re here.” Edward stopped the car and turned to stare at me. He smiled a bit and said it once again, “We’re here.”

“Finally,” Jake groaned and got out of the vehicle. Edward did the same and came to my side but before he could open the door for me, I unlocked it and climbed down. Jake and Edward glanced at each other knowingly and smiled.

I looked around. This place was actually exquisite.

“Let’s get inside.” Edward led the way while Jake and I followed.

This house was no different than those we saw a little while ago. It had a sloping roof which was painted red, unlike the rest of the house which was painted white. There was a huge yard around the house. As we entered the yard, we found a wide shelter and there were three cows under it. All three of them were standing and their mouths were moving in the troughs which were placed before them. I guess there were water and some greens in those troughs for the cows to eat and drink. It was all so fascinating to me. I was staring at them as if they were aliens. I saw a kind of machine on the other side of the yard which was under another small shelter. There was a curved thing affixed behind the machine and this machine had some greens in it and in the front of it was a circular thing with two large and sharp blades fitted in them and a long handle attached to the side of the circular thing. I was sure this machine was used for chopping the greens for the animals. As we moved ahead we found a white rabbit in the yard; he sensed our presence around him and he hopped inside the house. I heard Jake chuckling. Jake seemed as awed with all this as I was.

The front door was already opened. Edward, Jake, and I entered the house.

“Granny! Granny, we’re here!” Edward looked around.

“Eddy!” A woman in her mid-sixties came out of a room somewhere. She was wearing an apron; I assumed she came from the kitchen.

She was short and slightly overweight. She pulled off her apron and held it in her left hand. She was wearing a blue shirt with several white flowers printed on it and a brown skirt. Her hair was pulled into a loose bun at the back of her head. The wrinkles on her face did not take away from her natural glow. Her smile lit up her face. The aura around her was safe, peaceful, and motherly.

She literally crushed Edward with her hug. “Thank God you finally had the time to see this old lady.” She playfully chided.

Edward pulled back. “Who the hell can say you’re an old lady. You’re as sexy as Angelina Jolie.” He joked and hugged her again. Edward was laughing and so was his Granny. I wanted to smile; I wanted to share their happiness but I couldn’t and I had no idea what was holding me back.

After celebrating the reunion with her grandson she moved on to Jake. “You’re Jake, right?”

“Good evening, Mrs….Mrs….oh shit! I don’t know your last name.” Jake looked embarrassed but managed to give a sheepish smile.

“There’s no need to be so formal, love. If I’m Eddy’s Granny then I’m your Granny too.” She hugged him with the same warmth she hugged Edward minutes ago. Jake’s embarrassment and discomfort melted away in a moment and he hugged her back.

Finally, she walked towards me as I was standing a few steps behind Jake.

“Zune?” she asked in a whisper. Her voice sounded strained. I could tell immediately that she knew everything about me; I bet Becca or Edward told her about me. I just stood there staring at her unblinkingly. She closed the gap and embraced me with motherly compassion. Unexpectedly and unknowingly, I raised my hands and put them around her. I had no clue why I was hugging her back. It was like my hands had their own minds. I found Jake and Edward looking at me and then each other. I supposed I was not the only one who was surprised.

She actually dragged me to the dining table along with Jake and Edward. She had made grilled fish for us. We all dug in. It was delicious. I was quiet the whole time and the three of them were sharing that knowing look with each other every minute or so.

After supper she showed us to our rooms. Edward, Jake, and I had separate rooms. Jake called my Mom to inform her that I was fine, and then he gave me my meds. Within five minutes I was fast asleep.

The next morning, I woke up listening to the gleeful chirping of the birds. I turned to my right; the clock on the night table was flashing 6.02 a.m. I scrambled out of the bed and walked towards the window which was right behind my bed. I pulled the white curtain aside and pushed open the window. It was cold outside and still somewhat dark. The sun was about to rise and its orange outline was clearly visible. I hugged myself, rubbing my hands against my arms.

“You are awake already!”

Granny came in with a maroon shawl in her hand. “Those sleepyheads are still sleeping,” She continued speaking as she was draping the shawl around me like I was a five-year-old. When she was sure that I was completely tucked into that shawl she smiled in satisfaction. “Since you’re up early, let’s go for a morning walk.” She didn’t wait for my reply and dragged me along with her.

Within five minutes of my walk with her I was sure about two things: first, she talked a lot and second, in this small village she knew everyone and everyone knew her. Pretty much everyone asked her who I was and she proudly introduced me as one of her grandsons; deep down I was touched, but as usual I didn’t show it.

During our walk she was the only one who was speaking; she talked about everything. I learned that the three cows I saw yesterday were like children to her and so was the rabbit. She revealed that four of them had names. The tallest cow’s name was Maria. The shortest one was actually the younger daughter of Maria named Kiara, and the last one was Samaira, the elder daughter of Maria. Of all four, the rabbit was the dearest to her, and his name was Sam.

Granny told me stories about Edward’s childhood and she told me a lot of things about her husband; she misses him so much. When her husband died and she was all alone, she told me that the whole village supported her and helped her in any way they could. She proudly divulged that this beautiful village is her actual family. Everyone loves her and she loves them back. I kept listening to her, fascinated by what she told me.

The dark orange sun was now partially visible above the horizon. Cold breezes of the wind were feeling pleasant against my skin. I adjusted my shawl. Soon we came to the bank of a river. She sat on one of the rocks and patted the other rock on her left side for me to sit. I silently obliged.

The shadow of the beautiful sun reflected in the running water was just spectacular. Different birds were chirping and flying in the sky like they owned it. I was able to feel their freedom. The transparent surface of the river made some fish visible; they were playing all around in water. All these things mesmerized me and made me to pull myself to my feet. I moved towards the river which was only a few steps away from me. I wanted to cherish this moment.

I heard Granny following my steps. “I think you’re beginning to like this beautiful place.” I stopped where the water started. Granny walked past by me and stopped a few steps ahead of me. Both of her feet were dipped in the water. She looked behind at me and offered me her hand. “Come on, Zune.” I remained where I was, staring back and forth between her kind face and welcoming hand. “Believe me, you’ll love it.” I didn’t budge. “Okay, here’s the deal. If you take my hand right now, I’ll bake you a chocolate cake today.” I couldn’t believe that she tried to bribe me with a chocolate cake but the bigger surprise was that it worked. I didn’t even realize that I had taken Granny’s hand and followed her to the water’s edge. As the cold water touched my feet a shiver ran down my spine and I inhaled a deep breath. Granny held my hand more tightly.

“Close your eyes.” I did as said. “Feel the beauty surrounding you in your mind. Let the soothing wind caress your skin. Cherish the warm sunrays on your face.”

I don’t remember when I felt so alive during this past year. I was in heaven. But as soon as I felt myself at peace, ghosts of the past attacked my soul once again. The brutal face of Monster, the ruthless behavior of Ma’am, and the innocent faces of Angie, Jamie, Rachael, and Casey flooded my mind. My eyes snapped open and I reluctantly jerked my hand away from Granny’s.

“Zune?!”

I stepped behind her and again sat on the same rock. I was gasping for air. Granny knelt down in front of me and stared at me with a worried expression on her face.

“Are you okay?” She sounded concerned. I averted my eyes from her face and ducked my head down.

“GRANNY!”

Both Granny and I looked behind me. A boy around eight was running towards us with an innocent smile and heartwarming zeal on his face.

“Ryan!” Granny stood up and greeted him back. Ryan came running to Granny and hugged her around her waist tightly. Granny pulled back and introduced us.

“Ryan, this is Zune, my grandson, and Zune, this is Ryan, my dearest friend in this whole world.” Ryan blushed listening to Granny’s words. He definitely was a cute kid. Both of them sat down with me and we enjoyed the view of the rising sun. Ryan was sitting in between Granny and me.

After a few minutes of silence Ryan finally asked me, “Why do you look so sad?” I stared into his blue eyes and then looked down. “Are you missing someone?” I kept looking down. “Let me get my best friend here. I’m sure he’ll cheer you up.” He smiled proudly at his words.

“Hey, I thought I was your best friend,” Granny complained like she was eight years old and not Ryan.

“Obviously you are my best friend Granny, but I have another best friend,” he explained innocently and then he made a circle with his thumb and index finger, put it in his mouth above his tongue and blew a sharp whistle which echoed around where we sat and within seconds a stunning white pigeon flew towards us. The three of us stood up. The pigeon kept flying around Ryan and Ryan looked extremely happy seeing him. Granny and I were just gawking at the pigeon like he was the eighth wonder of the world.

“Smiley, come here.” Ryan patted his shoulder while gazing at his pigeon who was still flying around him. Smiley immediately sat on his left shoulder, shrinking back his wings while moving his head repeatedly. Ryan gently pet him in appreciation. Ryan looked up at me. He carefully lifted my right hand, palm up, with his soft, small hand. “Smiley.” Ryan eyed Smiley and then pointed him towards my palm. I was looking back and forth between Smiley and Ryan. Smiley instantly flew from Ryan’s shoulder to my palm. As Smiley’s feet touched my palm, I tried to pull my hand back but Ryan held my hand in place and mouthed, ‘Don’t.’ I swallowed hard. I slowly lifted my hand up until it was in front of my face. I stared at Smiley. I felt like he was staring at me too with his super-small eyes. Suddenly, he flapped his glorious wings while his feet were still glued to my palm. It was magnificent. I kept gazing him spellbound. And then…I smiled. Yes, for the first time in forever, I smiled.

“Zune!” I looked to my right and found Edward and Jake standing there, gaping at me.

I was smiling. I was fucking smiling. I couldn’t believe this and I was sure neither could they. I again shifted my gaze to Smiley and my smile got wider. Soon Smiley flew away. I knelt down in front of Ryan and hugged him and softly murmured, “Thank you.” I really meant it.

We all came back to Granny’s house after walking Ryan home and the whole time Jake and Edward were continuously glancing in my direction giving me strange looks.

After breakfast, Granny took the three of us on a tour of the village. She introduced us to nature.

During our grand tour of this beautiful place, Granny showed us the countless trees, plants, crops, and climbing plants. The green color around me gave solace to my broken soul. It allayed my disturbed mind. I felt like something was changing inside me and all the pain and horrible memories were fading away.

Just like the natural beauty, the people around here were cordial, affectionate, caring, and honest. Everything seemed beautiful. Everything felt perfect.

We were back before lunchtime. Granny made something called bottle-gourd. It was slightly bitter but heavenly tasty. My taste buds were dancing in pure bliss; it was that good and I was not the only one who thought so; Jake and Ed were of the same opinion. She also prepared some beetroot salad with goat cheese which was equally delicious.

After lunch, the four of us went into the backyard where there was a garden with the greenest grass I had ever seen. There were also several flowers and plants; there was jasmine, marigold, white and red roses, and some other flowers I had never seen before. The captivating aroma of the flowers in the breeze was pleasant and comforting. All of us sat on the grass. The rabbit, what was his name? Yes, Sam. He was hopping around the garden in joy. I was sure this day couldn’t get any better. We all were quiet, enjoying the peace, listening to the chirping of birds and smelling the fragrance of the beautiful flowers.

Later on, we all walked to the river to see the sunset. Like the sunrise, the view of the sunset was just as spectacular. We decided to leave when the sky got darker and a few stars started to peek out from that darkness.

Granny prepared roasted chicken and a mixed fruit salad for dinner. I was savoring each and every bite. Everything that lady cooked today was just out of this world. I couldn’t praise her more.

After dinner Jake gave me my meds and then went to his room. I closed my eyes and within minutes I was fast asleep.

‘Don’t-don’t come anywhere near me. I-I…please…I…’

‘You know what, I like the feisty ones like you. There is no fun in submissive whores. You…’

‘I’M NOT A WHORE!’

‘Oh, really. Well after tonight you will be a WHORE and soon you’ll be accustomed to getting fucked…brutally fucked on a daily basis.’

‘I guess you wanna get fucked on the floor then.’

‘No. Please.’

‘NO! FOR GOD SAKE, NO!’

My eyes snapped open in terror as the flashes of my dreadful past once again tormented my dreams. I was breathing heavily. My hands immediately shot out to grasp the glass of water placed on the night table but it was empty. There was no water in the water jug either. My eyes landed on the clock on the night table. It was flashing 2:30 a.m. I groaned as I pushed the sheets off of me and walked to the kitchen while trying not to make any noise. I drank a few glasses of water and exhaled audibly. I took a few deep breaths to calm myself down and headed towards my room. On my way, I sensed some movement near the porch. I slowly and cautiously moved towards the porch. When I got there I switched on the porch light. A rather surprised Granny looked up at me. She was sitting on the porch and there was some bottle in her right hand. A wide smile had formed on her face. She seemed different. Her eyes seemed heavy. It was getting difficult for her to sit properly so her left hand was stuck to the porch, in an attempt to hold herself in her place.

“Zuuuuune! My baaaaabyyyy!” She dragged her words like elastic. Oh God, she was drunk! I guessed that the bottle in her hand had liquor. I hadn’t any clue what to do in this situation. I opened my mouth to say something but I couldn’t utter a word. Granny leaned on the corner of the wall to her right and patted her left hand on the floor, inviting me to sit there. “Commme herrre!”

I was hesitant to take any step further but I did as wanted; I walked to her and sat down next to her. She was staring up at the half-moon in the sky that was filled with countless stars. She took a long swig from the bottle and then put it down on the ground.

“You know Zune, sometimes I missss Eddy’s grandpa a…a lotttt.” She opened her arms while stuttering ‘a lot’. “Sometimes I…I feel sooo alone. I hardly…hardly…” She gulped down few more sips. “…I hardly see Eddy or my Rebecca anymore. Everyone is busyyyy.” Just then Sam came running to her and sniffled in her. “Except Sam and Maria and…and Kiara and Samaira. They are always with me and so are the…the people of this vill…village, but…” another quick guzzle, “but no one can fill in…fill in for my husband.” She looked at me. “You know the pain…the pain of losing him was unbearable. I…I was a disaster, but the love…love and…” She burped aloud. “…and care of the people of this village and this…” she raised the bottle of liquor and showed it me like a trophy, “thisss helped me a lottt. It eased my…my pain. It helped me to…to survive.” Another swig.

“It really helped…to forget your pain?” I asked. I had no idea when the last time I spoke anything had been, that’s why my own voice seemed foreign to me. For a moment I couldn’t recognize it. Granny was staring at me in astonishment.

“You speak, huh?” she slurred. I ducked my head down. “Well, for a while this bottle helps but after that you are on your own,” she answered in her heavy drunken voice and stood up carefully, leaning on the wall. “I’ll be back after putting Sam back in his little home.” She stumbled towards the front yard. “Come on, Sam!” she croaked. Sam immediately followed her.

My gaze shifted to the lonely bottle standing on the floor. Granny was probably right. This thing could help me out. I lifted my hand to get ahold of the bottle but then pulled it back. I inhaled deeply and decided to do it and get it over with. I grabbed the bottle and without thinking anything, began gulping down the bitter liquid. It was burning my throat and chest. I was gagging. I wanted to puke but I didn’t stop drinking; I kept drinking until the bottle was empty. Just when I was beginning to like the taste of it, it was all gone.

After a few minutes, I found myself smiling from ear to ear for no apparent reason. I put the empty bottle horizontally on the ground and pushed it forward. The rolling bottle stopped as it hit the feet of someone. I slowly looked up and a horrified Granny was staring at me.

“You didn’t!” Her horror-struck face showed that she was not drunk anymore. All the booze she had tonight ran out of her veins within seconds.

I started laughing like a lunatic. I quickly stood up, opened my arms, and began running around the front yard, imitating a bird and it actually seemed in that moment that I was flying, leaving behind the dark memories and unbearable pain. I felt free, like I just broken off all the invisible shackles I was tied to. I was elated.

“ZUNE! GET BACK HERE!” I heard Granny shouting behind me.

“NO! I AM FLYING!”

“What the HELL is going on?” I abruptly stopped my flight and looked in the direction of the porch. I found Jake standing there with a pale face as if he had seen a ghost. “ZUNE?” He took a few steps towards me.

“Jakeyyyyy!” I leapt towards him and hugged him tightly.

“Jakey?” He gently pulled back. “Zune, what happened to…oh my God, OH MY GOD, OHMYGOD! You are drunk!” I laughed hard.

“Jake, please calm down. He’ll be fine. I’ll make him something to drink and he’ll be fine before dawn, but just promise me you won’t say a word to Eddy about all of this.” Jake suddenly looked back at the porch and started shouting Edward’s name.

“EDWARD! EDWARD!”

“Shut up, Jake. You’ll wake up the whole village. Just shut up.”

“EDWARD!”

“He’ll be damn angry with me. Just shut up.”

“EDWARD!”

“I’ll make your favorite food during your stay here. Just-shut-up!”

“EDWARD!”

I was quite amused by the whole situation. I was laughing my ass off. They both turned to me and yelled simultaneously, “SHUT UP!” I laughed harder.

“Granny!” It was Edward’s husky voice. He was on the porch at the exact spot where Jake was moments ago. His gaze shifted to Jake. “Jake!” And finally he glanced in my direction. “ZUNE!” He ran to me and held me immediately. “What the hell has happened to him?” His face was red with fury.

Granny looked at Jake with pleading eyes. Jake stared at Edward. “Actually, Actually….”

Edward caught sight of the bottle on the ground. He passed me to Jake for a while. In an attempt to balance me, Jake’s feet were shuffling on the ground along with my shaking legs. Edward bent down and lifted the empty bottle by its neck and sniffed through its narrow mouth.

“Alcohol!” He raised his brows in exasperation and stared at his Granny who was avoiding his penetrating gaze.

“I…I…I was…” She tried to confess everything but Jake interrupted her.

“It was my fault.” Granny, Edward, and I automatically shifted our eyes to him. He was blinking rapidly. “I found this bottle in the bottom cabinet in the kitchen. I was not sure what it was so I pulled it out but as I smelled it I knew it was alcohol. Un…unfortunately I forgot to put it back. I guess Zune walked in the kitchen for water and…and…I am sorry. I am so so sorry.”

“Sorry? How…” Edward raked his hand through his hair. “How could you be so irresponsible! You know how much crap Zune is going through, you know everything, but still you…” Edward shook his head in disappointment.

“Eddy, it’s not…” Granny tried to tell Edward the truth but Jake again cut her off.

“I am really sorry.”

“Your ‘sorry’ isn’t good enough.” With that he took my hold from Jake. He put my hand around his shoulder and snaked his hand around my waist and we began to walk inside the house. Granny and Jake were following our lead.

Granny switched off the porch light when we were all inside. Jake went into the kitchen and brought me some water.

“Here. Drink it, you’ll feel better.”

“It’s okay, Jake. I can take care of him. You have already done enough. You can go back to sleep.” Edward took the glass from Jake’s hand and tried to make me drink it. The hurt look on Jake’s face was clearly visible. I threw away the glass of water like a tantrum-queen and jerked myself away from Edward to walk into the kitchen with my unsteady steps to get water on my own. Everyone followed me.

I drank a few glasses of water as suddenly I was damn thirsty.

“You could tell me if you need anything I can…” Edward started but I cut him off.

“Stop being sooooo mean to Jake. It’s not his…his fault.” I tried to defend Jake in my unstable voice. I was totally wasted. Jake and Edward were staring at me, astounded. I guess they were shocked to hear me talking.

“You are talking.” Edward stepped towards me.

“Of course I am, you dumbass,” I retorted in my tipsy voice. Granny snickered behind Edward. Edward glared at her and she cleared her throat.

“Okay, right now you need to sleep. Let’s take you up to bed.” Edward tried to get a hold of me but I pushed his hand away.

I pouted. “I don’t want to sleep. I…I want to talk. I…I want to talk aaaaall night,” I demanded in a childlike manner.

“We can talk in the morning when you’re sober,” Edward said softly.

“I am fine now. There’s nothing…nothing wrong with…” I hiccupped because of my heavy drinking, “…with me. I… I want to talk now…right now.”

Edward folded his arms across his chest and scowled. I glowered back.

“Fine. Talk then.” Edward threw his hands in the air in defeat. I smiled in my little victory.

“I love my Mom.” I asserted.

“We know.” Edward nodded.

“Don’t interest me. Interest?” I thought for a second. “NO! I…I mean don’t…don’t in-ter-rup-t me,” I chided, rephrasing my words more carefully.

“Okay. Okay, fine.” Edward raised his arms and held his palms out in agreement.

“I love my Mom. I…I wanted to say sorry…a BIG sorry to her. She has been through a lottt just…just because she is…she is my Mom.”

“That’s not true!” This time it was Jake who butted in. I put my finger on my lips and signaled for him to shut up. Jake closed his mouth instantly. Jake, always a good boy.

I lazily walked to the kitchen counter with my wobbly legs, turned around, jumped a bit and then hoisted myself up onto the counter. I was looking down at my feet dangling from the counter. I felt a sudden need to make that volcano which was harboring somewhere inside of me erupt, so I started talking and when I started talking I didn’t feel drunk anymore.

“When Daryl betrayed me I thought the pain I was feeling at that moment was extreme but I was wrong. Pain had a new meaning for me with every day that passed, since Daryl sold me to the brothel. The people in the brothel were either the ones to buy someone’s flesh or the ones who compelled others to sell their body. The person whose body, whose soul, was traded like a caged animal was not a living human being to anyone, not even to themselves. It was like a…like a butcher shop, like a jungle. Everyone there was a predator who was ready to pounce on you.” I was still gazing at my feet. I felt some tears escaping my eyes as my vision blurred.

“I had a different name there. Swan. A beautiful name and an equally disgusting work. I tried to run away but…but I couldn’t and, and as a punishment they threw me in front of a…” I exhaled a deep breath. “…a monster. He was not a human. He could not have been human. He was an animal…a monstrous…evil animal. For him, I was just his prey. He maimed my body, my soul. I…I cried, I fought, I…” My voice choked on my own emotions. “…I begged but he didn’t stop. He…he never stopped.” Without realizing it, I forcefully pushed my hand against the dozens of plates that were stacked to the left of me. They all crashed down to the floor and shattered. Edward tried to come closer to me but Granny held his hand and shook her head. I jumped down onto the floor. Thankfully, none of the pieces of glass were beneath my feet. I turned around and put my both hands on the counter as I had no strength to face them.

“He bloody didn’t stop. He…he raped me. I…I was not…not able to stand on my own for a few days but that was just the beginning. I had lost count of all the men that I was forced to…” I let out a sniffle. Within seconds I was sobbing.

“I…I…I couldn’t save myself. I cried every day thinking about Mom and Kev, but there was no one who cared except…except some scarred souls. I was not the only one who had dreams of getting out of that hell someday. I was not all alone there. Angie, whose own parents had sold her, had a heart of gold. Many times she reminded me of Carol; she took care of me like a sister. She was my best friend there; she was my reason for sanity in that place. She was the one who always made me believe that someday…someday, everything would be fine. Then, then, there was Rachael, Casey, and Jamie. Their companionship gave me the strength and the hope of surviving there, but soon…soon they all were gone. Casey died of AIDS. Rachael died while giving birth to her second dead baby; she was in her early teens when her first baby was stillborn. Jamie couldn’t keep his hope alive of getting out of there after seeing Casey and Rachael’s deaths so he committed suicide. And Angie, she was killed because she was in love but she wasn’t allowed to fall in love. That ruthless bitch, the owner of the brothel, Ma’am, made Nine kill her and when he did I lost everything I had at that place. I lost everyone…everyone.” I put my hands up to my face and gave in to the fight with my inner turmoil; I burst out in tears again. I was sniveling. “I…I lost everyone.”

“Zune.” It was Jake.

“Let me finish, Jake. I probably won’t be able to say these things again. Just let me get this burden off my chest.” I literally pleaded with him to let me continue.

When no one said anything else, I went on. “Nine killed Angie because Ma’am made him choose between my life and Angie’s. Nine chose me because he liked me. At first the idea of being liked by a henchman in a brothel disgusted me, but later on I understood that like me, he was nothing more than a slave there.” I took a deep breath.

“Nine helped me to get out of that hell, and in helping me out he didn’t care about…about himself and he lost his life too. He died. He died.” I wiped the tears off my face and cleared my throat. “And, and in saving me, not only had Nine died but I also killed a man; he was also a dangerous predator. I warned him. I swear, I warned him, but he…he didn’t listen to me and I had to pull the trigger. I had to kill him. I don’t regret that I had to kill him because he deserved every bit of pain he felt.” I could hear the anger, the bitterness, and the hatred in my voice. “But I wish…I wish I had had a choice. I wish I had had a choice.”

I finally turned around and looked up at Granny, Edward, and Jake. Granny’s eyes were puffy and red. Jake was crying freely and Edward, I could see how difficult it was getting him to stop his tears also. Edward swallowed hard and began moving towards me.

“When you and Jake found me and I came back home, I thought everything would be fine. I thought everyone would trust me and their love and belief in me would help me to mend my lost and…and broken soul, but…” Edward was only a foot away from me when he stopped. “But…my own father didn’t believe me. Carol, my sister, my best friend, doubted me and Kev, when…when I saw the distrust in his eyes…” I tried not to cry but my damn emotions made that impossible. “I…I felt like someone was…someone was ripping my heart out. I felt like the world had ended for me. I…I felt…” I completely broke down at that point and continued to cry. Edward bridged the gap between us and gently embraced me. I put my head on his chest and wept harder. His hold around me got tighter but it was still comfortable.

“Everything will be fine. Everything will be fine,” he murmured, and his words calmed me down immediately. He slowly and carefully lifted me in his arm and took me to my bed. He gave me some painkillers and made me drink a lot of water. He tucked me under my covers and stood up to leave. I hurriedly grabbed his hand and he looked back at me. I shook my head a bit and mumbled, “Stay.” He smiled and immediately got under the covers with me. “Hold me,” I demanded childishly. He hesitated but came closer and spooned behind me, wrapping one of his arms around my stomach. I pressed my back further against his chest and his hold tightened a bit. I could feel the heat radiating through his body to mine. I could feel his heartbeats. In that moment I felt content and safe. I smiled slightly.

“Night, Edward.”

“Night, Zune.”

For the first time in a very long while, I slept really well.

The next morning when I woke up, I was alone in my bed. The clock on the table was flashing 9:01 a.m. I huffed and drowsily got out of bed and went into the bathroom.

After taking a rather long time in the shower, I got dressed and headed towards the kitchen. Granny was, as usual, cooking something in the kitchen. Jake and Edward were nowhere in sight. She looked up at me and smiled. “Good morning, Sunshine.”

“Good morning, Granny.” I moved towards her, grabbed her hand and literally dragged her out of the house. “We need to go somewhere; it’s very urgent.” I sounded cheerful as I smiled at her.

“But where?” she asked, knitting her brows together.

“I’ll tell you on the way.”

“Okay. Okay, fine. Slow down there.”

She went back to the kitchen to turn off the stove and then came back to me. “I’m ready.” She smiled. I smiled wider and then we left.

Granny told me on the way that Jake was still asleep and she had sent Edward to bring some bamboo leaves for her cattle. She seemed very curious to know where we were going. I put her out of her misery and informed her that we were going to the open field which was a few meters away from the riverbank we went yesterday; it had no trees or plants there. I told her that I needed some balloons. She looked at me as if I had lost my mind.

“For what?”

“To set myself free.” She glanced at me skeptically but didn’t say a word. Then, as the meaning of what I said dawned on her, she gave me an understanding smile.

On our way to the field Granny bought me a dozen white balloons and handed them to me. Soon we reached my destination. Granny stopped as we put our feet on the open field. I looked back.

“You need to do this alone,” she said. I nodded, pressing my lips together. I looked ahead and walked with the balloons in my hand until I was in the middle of the field. I turned in Granny’s direction and she smiled in encouragement. I smiled back and stared at the clear, cloudless sky. I closed my eyes and remembered the faces of Angie, Jamie, Rachael, Casey, and Nine.

“I know wherever you all are now is a place which is far better than where we were. I know you guys are in peace; who knows, maybe you guys are in heaven and are angels now.” I smiled at my own imagination but I also prayed that my thoughts were true. “As all of you are beautiful angels now, I think you guys have fulfilled your wishes by now. Casey, I suppose you have had the chance to taste chocolate again. Rachael, I am sure you have finally seen the sea from your eyes and I know you probably loved the feeling of wet sand beneath your feet. Jamie, I hope now you could see your Mom whenever you want. And Nine, how have you been up there? I need you to know that I respect you as much as I respect my mother. I know you were a right man in the wrong circumstances. I wish we would have met in a different time and place. I…I am sorry I couldn’t love you back but I know if there is anything like a next life, it won’t be possible for me to not to fall in love with you. I hope you are at peace now, and free from the guilt in which you were living your life.” I let out a deep sigh. I felt a tear escape my right eye. “Angie, how are you? Have you begun talking without cursing yet?” I chuckled at the thought of Angie talking while trying hard not to curse. “You know I miss you the most. I believe at least now you could be with the love of your life and hopefully you guys are happy together, even if it’s in another world. I…I miss all of you a lot but now it’s time for me to move ahead in my life and I know all of you would have wanted the same for me. My Mom and my friends are suffering because of me. I want to set myself free today, not from the times we spent together, the times we laughed together, the times when we dreamt together, but the times when we all suffered, the times where I saw you…you guys getting killed in front of my eyes, the times which scarred our souls. Today I’m gonna free myself from all those inhibitions that make me vulnerable, from those vicious and tormenting memories which made my life a living hell, from those scared and painful faces which haunt my nights, from all those feelings of not being a human, feelings of helplessness, of not being able to help myself or you guys. I’m gonna erase everything dark from my past that detached me from my loved ones so I can move on with my life, so I can show my Mom and my friends that I love them as much as they love me; I care about them as much as they care about me. I want to give them back their Zune. The Zune who was fierce, strong, and emotional, and I can’t do it alone. I need your guys’ help. Just help me to be free from the ghosts of my past. Just help me to set myself free.” I tightened my grip around the threads holding the balloons. “These are not just balloons. By letting these balloons loose in the open sky I’m not only freeing them, I’m setting myself free from every bad thing that has happened to me…to us, from every agony we’ve been through, from our excruciating past and its poisonous memories. Please, please help me.” I slowly opened my eyes. My face was wet with tears. I took a deep breath, looked up at the sky and let go of the thread that held all the balloons together. All of those white balloons flew high, as if competing with each other to touch the sky first.

“I love you guys,” I whispered.

I kept standing there until those balloons were out of my sight. I wiped the tears from my eyes, cleared my throat, and began walking towards Granny. It seemed like an eternity had passed, but I finally felt like my old self again. A smile was spread over my face. I found confidence in my strides. I sensed love and care in my heart for my loved ones; now I was going to redeem myself for all the lost time I spent living in my own mind. I actually felt like a normal human being, full of emotions.

As I came closer to Granny, I hugged her tightly. “I’m very happy, Granny.”

She patted my shoulders and pulled back. “I’m so proud of you.”

“Me too.”

When we got back, Jake was in the kitchen and Edward was on the living room sofa watching television. Edward’s accusations and cold behavior towards Jake last night resulted in awkwardness between them. Jake was regularly stealing glances at Edward from the other side of the kitchen counter and Edward was continuously shifting in his seat as if he knew that Jake’s eyes were on him.

I went to the kitchen, grabbed Jake’s hand and pulled him towards the living room. When we were standing right in front of Edward, Edward stood up. He looked at me and then hesitantly stared at Jake. A few moments later, Jake lifted his eyes and met Edward’s gaze.

“I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry.”

They blurted simultaneously and then chuckled together.

“Both of you are so stupid.” Both of their eyes shifted to me. “What? Why are you guys staring at me like I am a freak or something?”

“You’re talking,” Edward muttered.

“I thought you figured that out last night, Edward.”

“I heard you say my name after a long time.” Edward came closer and stared down at me with admiration in his eyes.

“I heard myself saying your name after a long time too, Edward.” I smiled and hugged them both together. “I’m back and I can’t thank you enough guys for doing whatever you did for me. I love you guys.” I found Edward shuffling his feet a bit but he still hugged me tighter as did Jake.

After breakfast I talked to my Mom. I told her that my old self was back and now I wanted my mom back, the mom who used to tease me, who was ready to do anything to embarrass me, who was funny and used to crack jokes and laugh. I surely needed to see my Mom who was lost somewhere. I knew she was crying with joy on the other side of the phone, hearing me talking, calling her Mom. She told me a hundred times that she loved me and I assured her a thousand times that I loved her too. At that moment, we both couldn’t wait to see each other. She promised me when I get back I’ll find my Mom as she was a year ago, as if this one year had never existed.

I also chatted with Becca for a while. She was as happy to see me talking as my Mom. I felt blessed for having such loving people in my life.

For the next two days we toured around the village again and again. We saw the ancient temples. We ate different foods I never knew existed, but the people in this village subsisted on them. In a matter of a few days this village seemed like a second home to me and I knew I wasn’t going to be happy when it would be time to leave.

Today was our last day here. I woke up early in the morning and went with Granny to gather some bamboo plant leaves for her small cattle. She took a curved knife and a wicker basket with her. When we reached our destination I saw there was a field with numerous bamboo plants; I don’t think it was right calling them plants, as they were damn tall. These hard woody stems called bamboos were planted in bunches of ten to twelve stems. When we arrived at the bamboo field, Granny made me sit on the ground and put the wicker basket on my right side. She started cutting down some branches with her big curved knife, and when she was done she accompanied me on the ground. She began plucking away the long, sharp, and pointed leaves from the branches with her hands. When she had enough leaves in her hand, she tied them up with a single leaf and this way the bundles of leaves would be easy to carry.

“This village is actually an amazing place, Granny.” I praised the place, looking around in appreciation.

“I know. This village is the best place in this world for me, except…” She stopped in mid-sentence and smiled sadly.

“Except?”

“Except there is no permanent place in this village which could be called a school.

“But on our first day here you showed us the school right down the street near Ryan’s house.” I was inquisitive now.

“That’s not a school, not a permanent one. Teachers are not regular there; hell, even the students are not regular there. That school is not even affiliated with any education board or university. The school building is in very bad shape too, it not only needs repairs but the right person who could run it efficiently and I’m afraid that’s not ever going to happen.”

“Why are you so negative about it? I’m sure things will…”

“Rebecca’s father and I always wanted her to study, to be educated, and as there was no school here, we had to send her to my sister’s house which was in the city. She grew up there and came to visit us regularly. Then she met John and fell for him. She brought him to meet us and the moment I saw that guy I knew he was bad news but my daughter was blindly in love with him; they got married against my will. There was nothing I could do, and now see where she and Edward are because of that narrow-minded man. I’m not saying that they are not happy now but they could have been happier if John would have been a better person.”

“And somehow you blamed the fact that this place had no school for Rebecca’s present situation?”

“You can’t deny that, can you?”

“I can’t. So anyone who wants to study has to go out of the village?” I asked and Granny nodded with grimace.

After being silent for a few minutes I asked, “What happened to Becca? I mean, when and how did she end up in a wheelchair?”

“She was driving to come here, to meet me, when she got into an awful accident and since then…” I nodded in understanding. “After the accident John’s love for my daughter evaporated into thin air and things began to change for the worse.”

“From what I know, Becca divorced John because he didn’t let her work and was not ready to accept Edward for what he is. Don’t you think getting a divorce was extreme…I mean…probably after some time things could have turned out better.”

“There was a lot more than anyone knows regarding why Rebecca divorced John. Except for Rebecca and me, no one knows the actual reason why she thought of ending her marriage, not even Edward, and it would be better that way if no one knows anything, ever.”

I dropped the topic and we again fell into our comfortable silence. Soon she had enough bundles of leaves for the day. She put them in the wicker basket along with her knife, lifted the basket and held it against her waist to carry it and then we began to walk towards her house.

“Granny?”

“Huh?”

“The day I got drunk, you knew it was not Jake’s fault but when he took everything on himself in front of Edward, why didn’t you say something?” I asked her the question which had been nagging me since that day. She didn’t say a word for some time and just kept walking.

“I don’t know if I would be able to explain it to you well but here is the truth: Rebecca last visited this place when she was walking with her legs. Edward was with her during that visit. After that they never came back. I haven’t seen my grandson in ages and I didn’t want him to think anything bad of me; I didn’t want him to be angry with me. I want him to come here again and again, but I got scared when you were drunk because he cares about you a lot and in that moment I became selfish and let Jake be the scapegoat.”

“You know he loves you and he will love you no matter what.”

“I know but…do you think I should tell Edward everything?”

“I would say there is no need to do that as everything is good between Jake and Edward now, and I know that night you went to Jake’s room to apologize.”

“Jake told you?”

“Yes.”

“The guy is a gem.”

“He is. Now forget about everything. What do they say? All’s well that ends well.”

“I hope this trio of yours with Jake and Edward stays together and remains strong.”

“It will be Granny, it will be. Okay, enough mushy talk today. Let me know what you are cooking for us today, as this is our last day here.”

She exhaled a deep breath. I knew she was saddened about us leaving tomorrow so I decided to cheer her up.

“Let me tell you a joke.”

During the whole way back I made her laugh with my jokes. By the time we got to her home she had a stomachache because of too much laughing. Jake and Edward were still in bed. While Granny went to feed her cattle, I decided to wake Edward and Jake up.

An hour later the four of us ate our breakfast and after lazing around the garden for a few hours Granny told us that she was going to cook us something special for our farewell dinner. Jake, Edward, and I went to our bedrooms and started packing our things. It took us almost the rest of the day to pack our stuff. In between our packing we had lunch.

In the evening Granny took me with her to get some vegetables for dinner. On our way we took Ryan and his pigeon, Smiley, with us who was constantly flying around us. Soon we reached a place filled with numerous banana and jackfruit trees. First, Granny walked to one of the banana trees. I found lots of bunches of baby bananas dangling down the countless banana trees. There were also big, and by big I mean really big, maroon-colored flowers. Granny informed us that there were several small white flowers beneath every layer of this big flower, which was used by the locals to cook many delicious dishes and snacks. She cut down two flowers and handed them to Ryan to carry. Then, she moved towards one of the jackfruit trees. She signaled Ryan and in a flash, he handed those two flowers to Granny, took the sharp knife and climbed up the tree like he’s been doing this since birth. He cut down one of the many big jackfruits on the tree and came down as swiftly as he climbed up. Granny told me that these jackfruits are really sticky on the inside and very special care is required for chopping them down and peeling them.

On our way back to Granny’s, we dropped Ryan and Smiley off. From out of nowhere I asked, “Granny?”

“Huh?”

“Are there any bars around here?”

She laughed out loud like I said something very funny.

“What?”

“Oh boy, you’re in a village, not in a town.”

“Don’t tell me people in this village don’t drink.”

“Of course they do, but there are no bars here, but yes there is a place in another village which is an half an hour away called Mady’s where they serve some cheap but great drinks.”

“Have you ever been there?”

“Several times, with my husband.”

“So what’s the place like?”

“What I have seen and heard about the place, the food and drinks are good; it’s worth it to go there. I planned many times to go there again, but something always seemed to come up.”

I asked her how to get to Mady’s and she told me the way including every single turn and landmarks. Strangely, she still remembered the way to that place.

“Let’s go there tonight then.”

“No way! Edward would never go there nor would he allow either you or Jake to go there.”

“If Edward doesn’t wanna go then let him stay, but why can’t Jake, you, and I go there?”

“Because Edward won’t let us.”

“Who says we need to tell him anything?”

Granny stopped, stared at me from top to bottom, and then from bottom to top.

“You have lost your mind, pretty boy.”

Granny began walking, this time faster. I followed her.

“Granny, come on. This is our last day here. Don’t you think we should enjoy this night to the fullest and you just said you also wanna go there, don’t deny it.”

“But if Edward found out about this, then the three of us are doomed.”

“You are not gonna say anything to him. I’m gonna be tight-lipped and believe me I’ll make Jake shut up, then who’s gonna tell Edward?”

Granny was silent as she walked and I knew I had already won this argument.

Suddenly, she began to shake her head repeatedly. “No. No. No. No. I know what you are trying to do. Stop tricking me with your words. We’re not going there and that’s final.”

“What? But why?”

“Because I know it’s a bad idea. Indeed, a very bad idea.”

I huffed and didn’t pursue the matter further as I knew it would be futile, but the idea of going to Mady’s had already stuck in my stubborn head and there was only one person who could help me out with this.

Granny made us a fantastic dinner that night with her banana flowers and jackfruit. I knew we would never forget the taste of this food. My taste buds were dancing in ecstasy. Soon after dinner, the four of us went to our bedrooms as Jake, Edward, and I had to leave early tomorrow morning.

At around eleven, I barged into Jake’s bedroom, as per my plan. Jake was reading one of Granny’s ancient books.

“Get ready soon,” I commanded.

“What? Wh…why?” He sounded cautious.

“We are going to Mady’s.”

“Mady’s?”

“Yes, a place where we are gonna celebrate our last night here with a few drinks.” I locked the door after making sure that Edward was not around.

“Everyone is going?” he asked dubiously.

“Everyone. Everyone except…”

“… except Edward and Granny. Right?”

I just nodded.

“We are not going anywhere. You will go to your bedroom right now, otherwise I’ll have to wake Edward up and inform him about your little adventurous plan.”

“No, you won’t,” I whined.

“Believe me, I will.”

“Come on, Jake. Can’t you do this for me?” I pleaded and his face told me that it started to work.

“You know I will do anything for you, but do you think it will be safe to go out to a bar…”

“It’s not a bar…”

“Every place which serves drink is a bar in my dictionary.”

I snorted.

“Look Zune, it won’t be safe to go out at this hour of night to a place we know nothing about.”

“Granny knows that place…very well, and she told me every single detail about it.” I made my best lost-puppy face.

“And what if Edward found out?”

“He won’t. Trust me on this.”

He sighed in frustration. I stepped towards him.

“Jake, all of us have gone through a lot in this past year. Don’t you think we need to loosen up a bit? Don’t you think we deserve it?”

“But Edward?”

“I don’t wanna lie to him either and for the record, we’re not lying. We are just hiding something to skip any argument. Believe me Jake, I don’t want to hurt him either and we won’t. We’ll have some fun there and then we’ll come back.”

He smiled a bit and kept staring at me.

“What?”

“There was a time when you hated parties, crowds, and drinking, and now you are the one who wants to go a bar.”

“It not a ba…”

“You know what I mean.”

“I still hate parties, crowds still make me uncomfortable, and drinking is still not my thing. But for this night, for this one night, I want to forget my every weakness, my every inhibition. And…and I want you to be with me when I get wasted.”

Jake walked to me and hugged me gently.

“I am and will always be with you.” He pulled back. “But we need to be back soon.”

“Promise.”

“And Edward won’t know a thing about it.”

“I swear.”

He smiled. “Fine then.”

Jake wrote down something on a piece of paper and then went to my room. I followed him. He put the paper down on the table underneath a paperweight.

“What’s that?”

“I wrote down where we are going just in case Edward woke up during the night and wondered where we were. I don’t want him worrying about us.”

“You could have kept that on the table in your room.”

“If Edward woke up during the night, it’ll be your room he’ll go to first, so it’s logical that I put the message in your room.”

“If you say so.”

He returned to his room and within five minutes Jake was ready. Jake and I confirmed once again that Edward was asleep then I took Granny’s car keys from the living room and the two of us snuck out of the house and hopped in Granny’s old white car. Jake was driving and I accompanied him in the front seat.

Jake was having a nervous breakdown the whole time he was driving and I was dictating to him the directions to Mady’s.

“What if Edward woke up to get some water and didn’t see us in our rooms?”

“Take a right.”

“What if Edward decided to check up on you and didn’t find you in your room?”

“Now take a left.”

“What if…”

“CHILL OUT!” I actually shouted. Jake was making me nervous too.

“Sorry.”

I tried to calm him down. “Look Jake, if we are going out then let’s enjoy ourselves and stop thinking about everything, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Good.”

Within half an hour we were outside Mady’s. It was a small structure. Mady’s name was shining under well-illuminated white bulbs. The two of us looked at each other, took deep breaths, and smiled, like by finding this place we achieved something big. There was no one here to check our IDs or anything so we walked in.

This place was not that spacious from the inside either, but it sure was damn busy. The lighting was average and the atmosphere was not comfortable at all. The smell of cheap alcohol was all around and so were the drunken people.

A frown immediately formed on Jake’s face as he glanced around. “Why do I feel that we should not be here?”

“Come on, Jake. Don’t be worried. We’ll be just fine.” I tried to reassure him but I didn’t think it lessened his anxiety.

We took a table for two. It was a round wooden table which shook every time Jake or I put our elbows on it. The chairs were not that comfortable either. I was not that knowledgeable about drinks, neither was Jake, so we ordered a random drink from the menu. When the drinks came we simultaneously gulped the contents down our throats in one go. My throat and chest were burning and Jake started coughing.

We looked at each other, made ugly faces, and then laughed.

We ordered another round. We were actually having fun.

After a few drinks Jake decided to stop drinking. “Someone should remain sober to drive us back.” Jake reasoned, and I shrugged. Jake: always the good boy, always the responsible one.

I had a few more drinks and then Jake decided that was enough for the night so we paid, stood up, and walked out of there. I wasn’t walking; it was more like waddling. My right hand was around Jake and his left hand was around my waist to support me.

“Jakeyyy! You…you are my truuuue frienddd,” I stuttered.

Jake chuckled. “Right now you are drunk enough to call any stranger your true friend.”

“I am…I am nottt dru…drunk.”

“Of course not. It’s me who’s drunk.”

“You are a funny man, Jacobbb Masonnn. You are a…are a veryyy veryyy funnyyy man.”

“Stop singing poems, will you?”

“Okay, but don’t you…”

“Oh fucking shit!”

Jake halted abruptly, staring ahead. I followed his gaze and saw our…I mean Granny’s car. It had four flat tires.

“How will we get back? Oh my God. What do we do now?” Jake instantly panicked.

“Calm down, Jakeyyy boyyy,” I said in my drunken state and laughed. I was actually wasted.

“Calm down? CALM DOWN? Do you have any idea how…”

“We can walk. I…I know the…I know the way,” I suggested between my laughter.

“As if we have any other choice.”

Jake grunted and we began walking towards home. I was still leaning on Jake as I was not capable enough to even stand on my own.

“Jakeyyy, do you…do you still love Ron?” I asked out of the blue. I felt Jake’s muscles tense immediately. He quickened his pace a bit.

“Jakeyyy?”

“Does it matter?”

“Yesss.”

“I think I…I still love him. I don’t want to, believe me I don’t want to, but I do.”

“I know exaaactly whattt you…whattt you mean. I still love Kev a lottt. I…I don’t want to but…”

“But you do.”

I nodded with a smile.

“Jakeyyy?”

“Hmm?”

“Why are you soooo mice?” I thought for a second. “Mice? No, no, no, I…I mean why…why are you sooo nice?”

Jake laughed softly.

“I’m not.”

“You are.”

“And why do you think so?”

I faltered a bit but Jake held me straight and helped me not to fall on my face. We both stopped walking. I looked into his eyes.

“When I cheated on Kev and everyone shunned me from their lives, you were there for me. You were standing right behind me when I returned alive from that hellhole; you choose to be with me and went against Ron, all your…our friends and loved ones. You were always with me when no one was brave enough to take a stand for me. You…you take care of me like I’m your child. Hell, even I had no clue when to take which of my meds, when my appointments with the doctors are, but you…you know everything. I know you are the one who convinced Mom to let me come here. You lied to Edward about my drinking to save Granny. So I have a lot of evidence to prove that you are a nice guy.”

Jake kept staring me with glistening eyes.

“What are you thinking?” I asked after a few moments when he didn’t look away.

“You completed all those sentences without slurring or shuffling your words and you spoke in a confident voice. Quite impressive.”

We both smiled and started walking again. We were halfway there when all of a sudden Jake tightened his grip around my waist and quickened his steps.

“Whoa! What…what happened?”

“Shh!” He put a finger on his lips.

“Are we playing a game?” I asked stupidly in a whisper.

“I…I think some men are…are following us.”

I glanced back. Three men were following us. Under the moonlight when I saw the look on their faces…oh God, I know that look very well. A shiver ran down my spine. I turned my gaze ahead immediately.

“We have to move fast,” I uttered in terror. I tried to walk faster and stumbled over my own foot. I fell to the ground on my elbows. Jake hurriedly knelt down before me.

“Zune! Are you okay?”

I didn’t answer. He helped me to stand up again. I was still leaning on Jake. I looked back. Those guys were not very far from us now, just a few steps behind. Jake and I stared at each other and swallowed hard. I was not in any condition to run and because of me, Jake was trapped in this situation too.

The men sped up their steps which really made us nervous. Our feet were frozen as if we forgot how to use them. All the bad things that could possibly happen to us swirled around in my mind.

“Jake. Go.” I ordered Jake but my gaze was still affixed on those three men.

“I’m not going anywhere without you.”

“JUST GO!” I yelled as I tore my eyes away from those men to scowl at Jake.

“NO WAY!” he yelled back.

And then in a flash, a red car came in between those men and Jake and me. It was Edward’s car.

“Edwa…” Jake try to say his name in relief but Edward cut him off.

“Get in the car! NOW!”

We obeyed him without any delay and got in the backseat. Edward began driving right away. Jake and I glanced at the rearview mirror above Edward’s head; his jaws were clenched. His grip on the steering wheel was tight enough to whiten his knuckles. All these things indicated that he was angry, damn angry. Jake and I stared at each other in panic. All the alcohol I consumed tonight vaporized out of my veins within moments.

Within ten minutes Edward braked the car in front of Granny’s house, jumped out, and slammed the car door shut. Jake and I scrambled out and quickly walked to match his pace.

We were still walking through the front yard when Jake merely touched Edward’s shoulder. Edward instantly jerked his hand away and turned around. “Don’t! Just…just don’t!” His eyes were filled with accusations and his face was red with rage. His gaze was fixed on Jake and Jake didn’t look away. I knew something very bad was about to happen but I couldn’t do anything but look back and forth between them.

“Ed.”

“I said don’t!”

“Ed, please listen to…”

“Do you still have something to say?! Today you proved how immature and irresponsible you are…again.” Edward accused him while pointing his finger at him. “What were you thinking? How could you…”

“It’s not what you’re thinking.”

“Then what it is. Tell me.” Edward crossed his arms over his chest and waited for Jake to say something but Jake stood there quietly, just gazing at Edward. “What? Now you have nothing to say. You know what, now I know why you came here with us.”

“What, what do you mean?” Jake asked in confusion, narrowing his brows.

Edward took a step towards him. “After your breakup with Ron you wanted a break to re-discover yourself or some shit like that, and here I was thinking you were here for Zune,” Edward sneered.

“That’s not true.”

“Oh that’s damn true. That night you carelessly put the liquor bottle out in the kitchen. Do you have any idea what could have been happened if Granny hadn’t caught Zune in time? He could have ran out of the house in his drunken state and how much safer would he have been out there?” Jake kept quiet. “Tell me Jake, who would have been responsible if anything had happened to him?” I should have said something in Jake’s defense but I didn’t; I wanted to but I couldn’t. “And today, today you crossed the line. How dare you take him to a place like that without even letting Granny or me know about it? You have no clue what could have happened to Zune and to you if I wasn’t there. You guys could have…could have...” He ran his hand through his hair. “Thank God Zune left me a note in his room informing me where you were going to take him, otherwise…otherwise…” He sighed. Jake was still tightlipped. “For fucking sake’s SAY SOMETHING!” Jake jumped back in surprise and fear. “You’re just a selfish boy.” Edward shook his head in disappointment.

“That’s what you think about me?!” Jake finally broke his silence.

“That’s what you are. You know what Zune is to me, yet you put him at risk for your foolish adventures without once thinking about him. I don’t think you even care about him; all your concern for him is just fake.”

“You have no idea what you are talking about.” Jake began walking to the house but as he crossed Edward, Edward couldn’t hold back his vicious tongue.

“Yeah. Go inside. Go to your bed and sleep tight as I don’t think your conscience will stop you from having a good night’s sleep.”

Jake stopped in his tracks. He slowly turned around to face Edward. Edward continued his charade. “You were here to have fun, to go on adventures in the middle of the night, and as I see it, your personal motives have been accomplished, so go, go to sleep. I don’t think it matters to you anyhow that for the sake of your adventures, your joy, you selfishly endangered Zune more than once. It doesn’t matter to you that because of your irresponsible behavior, your careless nature, and your desire to come out of your little breakup with your asshole of a boyfriend, you used Zune, you used me and this whole trip, but you didn’t have the least bit of decency to keep Zune out of all this; he had been through a lot already. You weren’t a bit worried that Zune could have had to pay the price for all your fun.”

Jake’s eyes were brimming with tears. “You know that’s not true,” he mumbled in a shaky voice.

Edward didn’t listen to him at all; he was blind with anger at the moment. “You know, I think your irrational behavior is the reason Ron cheated on you. He would have learned how selfish you are, how you put yourself before everyone else.”

“You…you don’t mean that.” His face was red with tears.

“I think Ron made the wisest decision of his life when he decided to get rid of you. I think your parents did the right thing kicking a person as self-centered as you out of their house; it was for their own good. I think you are the reason no one in this world fucking cares about you; no one in this world fucking loves you; everyone in this world abandoned you, and I’m damn sure you deserved every bit of it. Even if you disappeared from the face of this earth tomorrow, believe me, no one would give a fuck,” Edward blurted everything in merely a breath. He had no idea the poison he vomited today would leave such an impact on the vulnerable Jake.

We were all silent now. The three of us were standing in the front yard, under the moonlight. Edward was breathing heavily looking at Jake. Jake was staring at Edward with an expressionless face and teary eyes. A few moments later, Edward realized what he had done. All his anger, all his complaints, evaporated into thin air and a remorseful look crept over his face. He opened his mouth to say something but then closed it. He took a step towards Jake but Jake stepped back.

“Jake…I…I didn’t…I…”

If Jake would have yelled at Edward it would have make him feel a bit better; if Jake would have slapped Edward across the face it would have lessened Edward’s guilt to some extent, but Jake didn’t do anything. He just turned around and went inside. The look of hurt on his red teary face spoke volumes. It was beyond my imagination how much courage he had that he didn’t burst out in tears after how inhumanly Edward had treated him.

Now just Edward and I were there with silence all around. I carefully moved towards him, watching my steps.

“Zune, I…”

“That day Jake covered for your Granny.”

“What?!”

“Jake never touched that liquor bottle; he never even saw it. Your granny was drinking from it in the middle of the night. I saw her and when she left for a few minutes I drank the rest of the bottle.”

“Why?”

“I drank because I thought it would ease my pain and help me to move on, and Jake covered for your Granny because…because he’s Jake.”

Edward’s eyes were wide open like his mouth. His breaths were ragged. He was trying to say something but his tongue, which had been penetrating Jake’s heart like a sword minutes ago, was now betraying him.

“Even tonight wasn’t Jake’s fault; it was my idea to go Mady’s. Jake didn’t want to go but I emotionally blackmailed him to go with me. And the note you were talking about, Jake was the one who wrote it so you wouldn’t worry if you woke up in the middle of the night and didn’t see us. Long story short, Jake did nothing wrong; if anyone is to blame, it’s Granny, it’s me, and it’s most definitely you,” I chided.

The look on Edward face was visibly covered in shame and guilt.

“I’m an asshole.”

“No, you’re the biggest asshole.”

“I vomited shit about him.”

“No, you said the nastiest and cruelest things possible to him.”

“How could I ever forgive myself?”

“You shouldn’t.”

“How…how could I face him?”

“I don’t know. But the thing I know is, that you have hurt him badly tonight. You made him feel like dirt. And you deserve this…” I lifted my knee and attacked his manhood with full force. His hands immediately shot out to cover his manhood as he cried in agony. He landed on the ground while still moaning in pain.

“You ever talk to Jake like that or hurt him in any manner, believe me, I’ll make you curse the day you were born,” I glared at him, turned around and went inside, leaving him behind.

I headed towards Jake’s room; it was locked from the inside. I knocked his door many times but he didn’t open it. Reluctantly, I went to my room and tried to get some sleep because I knew tomorrow was going to be a very long day.

The next morning Granny woke me up. I climbed down from the bed and looked outside through the window; Granny’s car was there safe and sound. I don’t know how Edward managed to do that so quickly. Last night’s incident was still fresh in my mind. I was sick with worry about Jake. After getting ready I went to the dining room table for breakfast. Jake and Edward were sitting right opposite each other. Edward was staring at Jake and Jake was gazing down while slowly spinning his fork on the surface of his plate. I kept quiet. In the meantime Granny came to have breakfast with us but seeing us so silent, she finally asked, “Am I missing something?”

“No. Nothing,” I lied putting a fake smile on my face. An hour later, Edward, Jake, and I were ready to leave. Granny packed us food for the way which was probably enough for three days. I was so gonna miss her and this beautiful place. Granny was crying while Sam was hopping around her, but it was time to go home. We said our goodbyes to her, hugged her tightly, and promised to see her again.

Edward was driving, I was in the front seat with him and Jake was in the backseat. The seating arrangement was just like the way it was when we came here, but this time Jake was the one who was wounded and not by any stranger, but his own friend.

Jake was continuously staring out the window with his red puffy eyes. Neither Edward or I had the courage to say anything to him. I was afraid there wasn’t anything we could say that would make him feel better. Edward glanced at him several times through the rearview mirror, but Jake was indifferent to everything happening around him.

It had been two hours since we left Granny’s and Edward was driving on some desolate road. The silence inside the car was almost choking; I couldn’t hold myself back.

“Jake, I…” Before I could say another word, Edward suddenly slammed on his brakes. “What the fuck?!”

Edward never reacted to my words as he was busy staring ahead in confusion. When I followed his gaze I found a mirror of my horrified memory before me. My heartbeat quickened. I began to sweat. Suddenly I felt an urge to puke.

In front of our car were two black Volvos and they were surrounded by at least ten ugly guys and the one who was just a few steps ahead of them was their leader. He had a smirk on his face, it was Mitchell, the tattoo guy.

“Zune?! What happened?” Edward asked worriedly. “Do you…do you know them?” When I didn’t answer his first question he pried further.

I tried to compose myself. “The guy…the guy who’s ahead of them all with the piercings and…and tattoos, is the guy who…who Daryl traded me to.”

Edward immediately tried to turn the car around but those ugly men were damn fast. In a blink of an eye, they reached us and before we could even lock our doors, they had dragged us out of the vehicle.

“LEAVE THEM!” Edward shouted in a panic. Edward, Jake, and I were standing before Mitchell. His henchmen never let go of their tight grip on our arms. The three of us were fidgeting, struggling to get free, but it was of no use. “What the hell do you want?”

Mitchell took a step towards me. “Swan.”

“I’m not Swan. My name is Zune Williams,” I spat.

“It’s good to know that you still have all your senses after getting fucked a million times.”

“SHUT THE FUCK UP!” Edward yelled again.

“Aww, I guess your boyfriend is the jealous type. He doesn’t like that someone talks to you.” He moved towards Edward. “How adorable and…dumb.” As he said ‘dumb’ he punched in Edward’s stomach. Edward out cried in pain.

“Don’t hurt him,” Jake pleaded. Mitchell walked over to Jake this time, and as he had a good look at him, a smile played over his face and I knew that filthy smile.

“Look what else we have here. You are as beautiful as Swan.” I knew what thoughts were going through his mind.

“Don’t even fucking think about it,” I warned him. He looked at me.

“Wow, now you can read my mind too. That’s fascinating.”

“What the hell do you want?” I gathered my courage and asked right away. I was scared to hear his answer. I was shaking inside.

“Well, if you want to talk about business, let’s talk business then.”

“What business?”

“As per my reliable resources, I found out that you have made a complaint against Ma’am, me, and our clients. The police are looking for us but haven’t found us yet. They also had some doubts regarding your sanity but you never know what will happen in the future, so here I am to take my princess back to our castle again and end this little problem.”

“He’s not going anywhere with you, bastard!” Edward bellowed. One of Mitchell’s henchmen punched Edward’s face this time.

Mitchell laughed. “Your boyfriend should know when to shut his bloody mouth.”

“I am not going anywhere with you,” I asserted in clear words, snubbing off his remarks about Edward.

He leaned his head a bit towards me and whispered, “You have no choice, Swan; Monster has missed your little asshole the most. Let’s not make him wait any longer.” With that he signaled his men to take me to his car.

“NO!” Edward and Jake screamed in unison, trying unsuccessfully to get away from those giants to reach me.

“NO! LEAVE ME!” Even thinking about going to that hell was unbearable for me. “PLEASE, LET ME GO!”

“LEAVE HIM, PLEASE!” Edward was on the verge of tears.

Those guys were about to stuff me in their car when Jake bawled at the top of his lungs. “STOP!” I don’t know why but those guys stopped, and every pair of eyes including mine was on Jake. “If you take him with you then the police will be confirmed that whatever Zune told them was true and their attempts to find you will be revived. And it won’t be long before they find you all and Zune, if you take Zune with you.” Jake pointed all this out, trying to look as brave as he could.

Mitchell walked over to him. “You’re brains with beauty but here’s the thing, if all of my people are about to be doomed, then why not make the most of it. Why not make Swan’s life a living hell like before; he is the reason this sword is dangling above our heads.”

“What’s in it for you?” Jake asked, gulping down his fear.

“Revenge is a sweet thing, little boy, and as a bonus I’ll get to fuck him and our precious clients get to rape him. That’s the least we deserve for the problems he created for all of us.”

“I have a better idea,” Jake offered hesitantly. I didn’t like where this conversation was going.

Mitchell raised his brows and slightly smiled. “Let’s hear it then.”

“Your main concern is that complaint Zune made to the police, but what if he takes his statement back?”

“And why would he do that?”

“So he can live a peaceful life, and not spend the rest of his life in a brothel.”

“So you wanna say I should let him go just because you are saying he will take his complaint back?”

“Yes.”

“But what if he doesn’t take his statement back? What if things get worse for my clan and me if I let him go right now?”

“I assure you, I promise you he’ll take his complaint back, but just let him…let him go.”

“What if this all is a little mind game or something of yours? How can I be so sure about this? Why should I believe that he will take his statement back when he’s safe and sound in his house? Unless he has a reason to do so.” Mitchell raised his eyes suggestively and Jake swallowed hard.

“I’m…I’m his best friend. He loves me to no end.” Jake paused and took a deep breath. He was blinking rapidly to hold back his tears but nonetheless he continued, “Take…take me with you as a hostage…”

“JAKE!”

“NO WAY!”

Edward and I hollered at the same time but Jake didn’t stop, and he continued to talk, ducking his head down. “…and…and if Zune doesn’t take back his statement made to the police until tomorrow, I’m yours…”

“Jake, no!” I began to cry.

“…but if he takes his statement back in time, you’ll release me. This way you guys will be off the hook, and Zune…Zune will be safe too.”

Mitchell kept staring at Jake for a few seconds as if weighing his words and then he made his decision. “Fine. Before the sun sets tomorrow Swan will have to go to the police to take his statement back. He’ll have to tell them he was out of his mind when he put our names down in his statement. Until then you’ll be our guest, but if Swan fails to do this, believe me, I’ll make sure every guy I know fucks you twice.”

“I agree.” I knew the strong demeanor of Jake was facade; he was dying of fear. I was sure he was crying inside.

“Just one question.” Mitchell sounded curious. “Why are you putting yourself at risk? What’s there for you in this arrangement?”

“You won’t understand that,” Jake answered and Mitchell shrugged pressing his lips together.

“NO! Don’t take him, please,” I begged.

“Leave him, for God sake.” Edward’s tears were flowing freely down his cheeks.

Mitchell’s men began to take Edward and me to our car and they started to drag Jake towards their vehicle. After a few steps Jake crossed us.

“Why did you do that?” I asked while crying but he didn’t answer.

“WHY? WHY, DAMMIT, WHY?” This time Edward asked with anger in his broken voice.

“Because…because even if I disappeared from the face of the earth tomorrow, no one will give a fuck.” He threw Edward’s words back at him. Mitchell’s men didn’t wait any longer. They took us to Edward’s car and pushed us in. We stared ahead as two men blindfolded Jake, tied his hands behind his back with rope, and thrust him in the backseat of one of their vehicles. The rest of the men hurriedly got into their cars, roared their engines back to life, and drove away. I couldn’t hold back and burst out in tears as I saw their cars fading away in the distance.

Soon a realization began to sink in: Jake was gone.

 

TBC.