Entangled In Storm

AZIEL'S POV

I hid under my blanket as I did every day waiting for my mom to come back home from work. I was at home alone a lot and we didn't live in a safe neighbourhood. Sometimes, I would hear gunshots and one time, a neighbour of ours was stabbed. I stayed as quiet as possible so I didn't draw attention to our apartment.

I looked at the time on my digital Spiderman wristwatch and was relieved to find that it was just five minutes till my mother returned from work. I did this every day.

It had always been just me and my mom. We had lived in this neighbourhood for the past year after getting evicted from our last house. This was all we could afford with the money that my mom made from bartending, we didn't have a lot but we were always happy.

Most times my mom got back from work very late. She would work till 2 am sometimes and I would always wait for her till she got back. I could never sleep knowing she was out there and it was very dangerous.

It was exactly 1 am when I heard the keys jingle and I rushed to the door. The moment my mom stepped into the house, I hugged her.

"Hey, little man. What are you doing up by this time?" She asked me like she always did.

"I was waiting for you."

She crouched down to give me a proper hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"I've told you Aziel, honey, you don't have to wait for me. You need your sleep."

"I was scared. I can't sleep when I am scared." My mom gave me a sad smile.

"Well, let's get you off to bed. You have school tomorrow." She told me.

We went to the room that we shared and she tucked me into my bed. She kissed me on the forehead and wished me goodnight.

After a while, after she thought I had gone to sleep, I heard her sob like she did every night when she thought I was asleep. I made a vow that one day I would get rich and my mother would never have to suffer again.

***

It was two days after my birthday, a day I will never forget, my mom had come home from work the day before, she looked way more exhausted than she usually was and she looked almost terrified. I knew that whatever had happened she would never tell me. She said she was okay, but I knew it was a lie.

Even at the age of six, I could tell that something was wrong, she put me to bed and for the first time in a long while, she didn't cry.

I assumed everything was in my head and I was worrying for nothing, so I slept off.

The next morning, my mother woke me up very early. She said we were going on an adventure. I was very excited. It had been a long time since I had left the house to go anywhere aside from school and I was about the chance to finally see other places.

We got to a bus station, which I found odd. Why would we be going on an adventure to a place so far away and to Chicago, nonetheless? I pushed the thoughts out of my mind and decided it would be a fun trip. My mom wanted me to meet some of her friends. She had stayed in Chicago before she gave birth to me.

The trip lasted only three hours and we finally arrived. We took a cab to a very remote part of town. It was almost like our neighbourhood at home but it seemed better.

When we got to a particular house, my mom handed me my little suitcase and we hid in the bush. We waited for about thirty minutes, when a man, who looked to be in his thirties drove into the driveway, got out of his car, slammed the door to the car and did the same to the door of his house when he got in.

"Look at me, baby. We are going to play a game, okay?" She spoke as her voice choked and tears started to fall from her eyes.

My little mind struggled to understand why us playing a game would make her sad.

"Why are you crying, mommy?"

"Don't worry about it, okay? Now, I need you to listen to me very carefully, okay?"

I nodded in response.

"Take this envelope," She pulled out a white envelope from her bag and handed it to me. "Then go and stand in front of that door, okay? I will be standing right here. I am going to give you a signal, then I will leave and when I do, I want you to knock on the door and hand the man that just came out of the car this envelope. Do you understand?"

"Where are you going?" I asked. I was now very scared of what was about to happen. I didn't know what was happening but I knew that it was not good at all.

"I will come back, I promise. Just do as I say. Remember, Mommy loves you so much okay? I will be back before you know it."

That made me feel a bit better but I could still tell that something was wrong.

"Now go." She said and gave me a push towards the house.

I looked at her for a moment before turning and walking towards the door with my suitcase and the envelope in my hand.

I looked at my mom who was still standing by the bushes. She gave me the go-ahead to knock and then she ran away. It hadn't occurred to me that that would be the last time I would ever see my mother again.

The man opened the door and he looked less than pleased to see me standing in front of his door.

"What do you want, kid?" He spat out with annoyance.

Without saying a single word, I handed him the envelope. I stood as he opened it in front of me and read the content. I looked at him for a while but with each time that passed as he read what was in the letter, he became angrier.

"Damn it! Did your mother bring you here?" He demanded."

I nodded my head. It was as though I wanted to talk but I couldn't get the words out. The man in front of me was so angry and that terrified me. Everything about him terrified me, from his deep scary voice to the scar across his eyebrows, to his rough beard. As I stood there, I kept wishing my mom would come back and take me away from him. How much longer would she be gone?

"Get in here, kid." He ordered as he moved away from the door and gave me room to come in.

Instead, I stood. I couldn't move. I was frozen. I didn't know who this man was. What if he wanted to kill me? I wanted my mom to come back, I needed her to come back. Why did she leave me here?

"Just my luck, I fathered a dumb child. I said, "Get in here." He grunted and dragged me into the house aggressively.

I learnt two things that night; the first thing was that the scary man was my father and the second thing was he hated me.

***

The beatings started the night I first came. He hadn't even waited a day before he started to pounce on me. He seemed to enjoy taking out all his frustration on me. He let me know how much of a disruption I was to his life and how he had never wanted me.

When I went to bed that night, all I could think about was why my mother would leave me with such a man.

I couldn't stop thinking about my mother as I wondered where she could be. I prayed very hard for her to come back. I did what I did every night. I kept staring at my watch, waiting for her to come back for me. I didn't sleep the entire night. I cried all through while I waited and hoped for my mother to return.

I did that every night for a whole month before it suddenly occurred to me that my mom was never coming back. The realisation that my mother had abandoned me, not just that he abandoned me but my abusive father who hated me hurt so much.

My mother was the one person I trusted the most. I became numb after that. I stopped feeling. I got used to the beatings. The only time I got a break from my father's beatings was when I was at school and when he was at work or the bar.

He never hit me when he was drunk, always when he was sober. That was how I knew that he enjoyed it. He enjoyed seeing me hurt and he needed to be alert to have his fun.

I became numb after that, I stopped feeling. I even stopped feeling the pain of the beatings and I kept to myself when I was at school.

I didn't have friends and I didn't want them and those who tried, I only pushed them away. Eventually, nobody tried anymore. They all just allowed me to be.

HAZEL'S POV

I had grown up in a very loving and peaceful family, my Dad was a handyman and my mom worked at a bakery. We didn't have much but we were always happy. My parents made sure that me and my twin sister never lacked. We understood that there were things that my parents couldn't give us but it was always things that we could live without.

My twin sister Hannah was my best friend. That is how it feels to have a twin sister, it is like being born with your own best friend. We did everything together and we were identical. The only people that could tell us apart were our parents.

Me and Hannah loved to play pranks on people. We loved to confuse them, especially our teachers at school. They could never tell us apart and we used that to our advantage.

We often got into serious trouble because of our antics. My father always found it funny but my mom always scolded us.

I remember all our family moments. The memories are the only things that keep me sane amid this terrible life I live.

Everything was perfect until that day, a day that would scar me for life, the day that our bubble of happiness was blown up into a thousand pieces to the point where it could not be saved. It was a day I couldn't forget. Not because it was our birthday, but because it was the day tragedy struck my life.

***

It was a beautiful July morning and it was a Saturday. My parents woke me and my sister up from sleep with a beautiful breakfast tray of fried eggs, bacon, sausages, toasted bread, bananas and as a special treat for us, ice-cream sundaes.

They did this for us every year for our birthday but it was always very special, they handed us our birthday gifts, which we opened immediately. I got a new pair of sneakers and Hannah got a new pair of soccer boots since she loved to play soccer.

Hannah had always been the athletic one between the two of us. I was always more on the lazy side. I preferred to be curled up reading a book on the couch in the library. We were total opposites but we got along great.

"Okay, kids. Get ready, we are going to have a fun day today to celebrate my beautiful princesses." My father said, placing kisses on both of our foreheads.

Hannah and I raced to the bathroom to take our baths and get ready.

***

When we arrived at the carnival, the place was packed with lots of people and their kids. We knew because it was our birthday, we would get to do anything that we wanted and we intended to fully utilise that opportunity.

"What do you think we should do first, Haze?" Hannah asked me.

"I have no idea. There are so many options!" I squealed.

"How about we try the rollercoaster first and then the pendulum ride next?"

"That sounds awesome!"

We turned to our parents and asked them if we could. They agreed and we all went there together.

We got on the rollercoaster and Hannah held my hand all through because she knew I was scared. She was always braver than me. Sort of like my braver half.

When we were through with all the rides, we started to try out different snacks. We got the cotton candy first, then we tried the strawberry slushies, then ice cream, and milkshakes. We were determined to stuff ourselves with as much as possible because we knew the next opportunity we'd have would probably be a long time coming.

"Now, kids don't overdo it. Remember, we still have a picnic after this."

When evening came, our parents told us it was time to go. We weren't disappointed because we had done everything we wanted to do.

We got to the park when it was almost getting dark. We also did this every year, we got there when it was dark so we could chase the fireflies. My mom always made our favourite meal of Macaroni and cheese with fried chicken.

My mom spread the blanket on the floor and we sat down to eat as my father recounted the story of the day we were born, just like he did every year.

"I was at work when I got the call from the hospital that your mother was in labour. I dropped everything I was doing, got in the car and rushed to the hospital. I still don't know how I got there safely, because, with the speed at which I was driving, I could have died. Your mom was already fully dilated by the time I arrived and she was ready to give birth. I stood by her side even though she threw a lot of insults at me due to her pain. 'This is your fault, you idiot. You did this to me!'" We laughed as he imitated my mother

and she rolled her eyes in response.

"I was not offended because I knew it was the pain that was talking. I held her hand while she pushed and pushed. Hannah came out and she was the most precious thing ever. Her beautiful green eyes stared at me and she started to cry. A loud wail. While the nurses took care of her, I stayed by your mother's side while she prepared to bring Hazel into the world. Thirty minutes later, Hazel arrived. Both of you were so beautiful and so identical. That day, I felt like I had won the lottery as I watched your mother hold the two of you. I knew at that moment that I was the luckiest man in the world. A gorgeous wife and two beautiful daughters that I wouldn't trade for anything."

We had heard the story countless times, but we were still moved to tears. That was because of the look in my Dad's eyes when he told it. He had so much love for us and we never doubted it.

The night had come to an end and it was time for us to leave. I was exhausted but it had been the best day of my life. I knew before we would fall asleep that night, my sister and I would talk about everything that happened that day.

Only, we never made it home that night.

***

The truck came out of nowhere before we could see it, my Dad had lost control of the steering wheel. He tried to step on the breaks but it was too late.

Hannah was asleep beside me. She was always a heavy sleeper.

Regardless of the havoc, she never stirred. I thought about waking her up but I decided that I should probably let her sleep.

But when my mom screamed, she opened her eyes immediately and that was when the crash happened. The last thing I heard before everything went dark was my mom screaming. The last thing I saw was my sister's green eyes filled with fear staring at me.

Everything remained dark for several days. I thought I had died, but on a special day seven days later, I opened my eyes. The room I was in was very bright and I struggled to see as my eyes were adjusting to the light. I turned my stiff neck to the side.

"Thank God, you're awake. Welcome back." She said with a smile on her face.

"What happened? Where am I? Where's my mom, my dad, my sister?" All the questions rushed out of me before I could stop them.

The nurse's smile turned sad.

"Try to get some rest, honey. A doctor will be in to check in on you."

I didn't miss the fact that she didn't answer any of my questions.

I tried to convince myself that nothing was wrong and my family members were probably getting their treatment in their rooms.

I remembered the accident, I just didn't remember how I got to the hospital.

Five minutes later, the doctor walked in to check on me.

"How are you feeling?" He asked.

"I am okay. I just have a headache."

"That's not unusual. You have been in a coma for 7 days, I will get the nurse to give you medication for that and you will be okay."

"Uhm... thanks. What about my family?" I asked.

Just then a middle-aged woman whom I had never seen before in my life walked in. She looked like a school teacher in her suit and her red hair tied in a tight bun. We wore square-ish glasses that made her look too serious, although she wore a small smile on her face.