Chapter 33

“Alex... where are you, darling? Are you playing hide and seek with me again? Tsk tsk.” My heart was hammering against my ribcage, and I was in the throes of panic.

My breaths were coming in short, rapid gasps. If I didn’t manage to get a grip on my breathing, I might end up dead. I closed my eyes, taking small, quiet breaths so he wouldn’t hear me. How did he get in?

As far as I knew, my mom was out picking up last-minute refreshments for Kyle’s prom party at our place. I had decided not to go. God, I was regretting that decision now.

Okay, Alex, just stay calm and quiet. You can run out the door and keep running. You’re faster, you’re faster! I could feel the sting of tears in my eyes as I tried to formulate a plan to stay alive.

I was hiding in the hallway cupboard, just barely able to see him sauntering down the hallway. His footsteps were slow and deliberate, his black leather shoes creaking against the wooden floor.

I clamped a hand over my mouth to muffle my breathing, while my heart pounded a wild rhythm against my chest. Fuck, he had a knife in his hand! The overhead light glinted off the blade.

I could see him through the narrow slit in the door, but I quickly backed away. If I could see him, he could definitely see me. I could feel the adrenaline coursing through my veins, setting my stomach on fire.

I was in survival mode. I was shaking so badly that my hands were practically vibrating. How was I going to get out of this?

“Alex, you ungrateful little bitch. Come out here and face me like I taught you. Don’t be a coward!” His voice echoed off the walls, sending a shiver down my spine.

He had never treated me like his daughter. He always preferred Sam, because I always stood up to him. He had a photographic memory too, but it was slowly deteriorating over time.

He blamed me for ‘stealing’ it from him, and he had always hated me for it. He used to beat me almost every night, along with my mom, when I was younger. Thank God for Eric.

Okay, think, Alex, think! I heard his footsteps pass the cupboard, and I waited until he was a few paces away before I dared to move.

I pushed the door open just enough to slip out and ran into my room as quickly and quietly as I could. I closed the door behind me, not fully, so as not to attract his attention.

I glanced around the room, looking for a weapon, but found nothing.

“Fuck!” I whispered to myself. His steps halted, and the door was flung open to reveal him standing there, gripping a large chopping knife so tightly that his knuckles were white.

He lunged towards me, and I scrambled onto my bed, hopping over it and bolting out of my room, narrowly avoiding his swipe. I sprinted down the hallway as I heard him bellow.

“You fucking bitch, get back here, RIGHT NOW!” His voice boomed out.

“Stay the fuck away from me!” Suddenly, I was back in my bed, panting heavily. I threw back the covers and swung my door open. I looked both ways before running towards the front door.

Taking two steps at a time, I dashed past the living room, screaming “Stay away from me!!” over and over again. I burst through the kitchen door and slipped, falling onto my knees.

I quickly recovered and stood up, just as Kyle, Andy, Knox, Wes, Brett, and Tyler burst through the doors into the kitchen. I grabbed a knife from the stand and gripped it tightly.

Delilah, Ace, my mom, and Eric were all seated at the dining table, staring at me in confusion. “Alex?”

“WHERE IS HE?!”

“Who?”

“WHERE IS HE, MOM?!” I walked towards the door I had just come through and kicked it open, stepping into the foyer with the knife in my hand.

“Alex! Who are you talking about?” Kyle asked from behind me.

“ALEX, GET BACK UP HERE!” I heard him. He was in my house.

“Where are you, you bastard?! I’m not scared of you, you son of a bitch!” I screamed at the top of my lungs.

My breathing was ragged and rapid. I was standing in the foyer with my family, waiting for him to come down so we could face off. So it would be a fair fight. But truth be told, I was absolutely terrified of him.

“Baby doll, who are you talking about?” I focused my eyes back on Knox, who was slowly approaching me with his hand outstretched. He better not be trying to disarm me.

My eyes darted between him and the staircase. I was sweating profusely, and I could feel the knife slipping in my grip. I paced back and forth in the foyer, my mom’s sobs echoing in my ears.

I looked up at her, and my own tears, which I hadn’t realized were forming, began to trail down my face. I started shaking uncontrollably again, rubbing the back of my neck.

“He’s here. He’s here to finish me off,” I sobbed. Why were they so calm? He was in the house! Couldn’t they see that he was here?

“Alex, sweetheart... he’s n-... he’s not here, baby!”

“Yes, he is, Mom! He’s here, he’s upstairs! Don’t you get it? He’s trying to kill me! I... I can’t... didn’t you hear him?”

I cried harder and harder, while everyone stared at me, their faces pale and shocked. Why didn’t they believe me? I had seen him with my own eyes. I started to hyperventilate, my breaths coming in short, sharp gasps.

“Baby, he’s still in... prison. I promise you nothing will happen to you. I’ll protect you, baby. I’m here. Just put down the knife, sweetie, and come to me, alright?”

“Are you out of your mind? I’m going to get him before he gets me! Protect me? He’s not in prison! He’s up there! Can’t you hear him?! He’s here, right up those stairs!”

I rubbed my hands through my hair and across my face. They just didn’t understand.

“Sweetheart, hand me the knife. You were dreaming. I’ll take you upstairs and you can see for yourself. I’ll protect you.”

“No way! Are you insane? He’s not hurting you, I won’t let that bastard get away with stabbing any of you. He stabbed me—that’s more than enough! HE’S A FUCKING COWARD! Do you hear me, Cain! You’re a coward!”

“Darling, please, look at me. I promise he’s not here. Put down the knife. You just woke up. It’s ten o’clock. You had a nightmare.”

I began to shake, tears dripping off my face, and I saw Andy starting to cry. I looked around at the scared faces in front of me. I looked down at the knife that I was holding and cried harder than ever.

The realization hit me like a freight train—they were more scared of me than they were of him. I was the one with the knife. I collapsed to the ground onto my knees and dropped the knife onto the floor.

I brought my hands up to cover my face, crying into my hands, not wanting to show my face or look at the people around me who must think I’m crazy.

I felt multiple arms wrap around me and heard Kyle’s soothing voice telling me it was alright. ~Was I having a nightmare?~

“It’s alright, Sis, I got you. He will never touch you again. I promise,” Kyle whispered into my hair, trying to reassure me that he’s not out of prison yet. But he will be soon.

I opened my eyes and removed my hands to stare at my mom who was kneeling in front of me with tears running down her face. Her eyes were bloodshot, visibly shaken by my outburst.

“I’m sorry... Mom. I didn’t mean to scare you,” I hiccuped out. She scooted closer to me and wrapped herself around me. Hushing me, she kissed the side of my head and told me it was going to be alright.

I swallowed hard while the tears continued to roll.

“It felt so real,” I said quietly.

“His voice, the noises, his breathing, even the way he looked—it was all the same as that night,” I stared blankly into the distance. “Everything was the exact same.”

I stayed quiet for I don’t know how long. You could hear a pin drop. It was so quiet in the foyer.

“It’s times like these where I wish he just did it.”

“What, sweetie?” My mom pulled back to look me in the eyes. Her hand was stroking my puffy cheek, trying to wipe away the tears.

“Finished the job,” I choked out after a few seconds of thinking about that night. Looking down at my hands, I felt so embarrassed.

“Alex, you listen to me, and you listen to me real good! I don’t want to hear you say that again, baby. You’re mine, I couldn’t live with myself if you weren’t around.

You’re my baby, I can’t imagine you not in my life. I love you so much. You are my life, all of you are. But I knew you were special since the day you were born.

I’m so proud of you, sweetie, every single day of my life I will be proud of you. I love you more than anything. Words cannot express my love for you, all of you. You’re my baby, please don’t think like that anymore.

It breaks my heart when you do, baby.” She pulled me into a tight hug where we both silently cried on each other’s shoulders.

I saw Kyle behind my mom, cradling Andy who was visibly shaken by this entire thing. I whispered over to her, “I’m sorry, doll,” as she continued to cry on Kyle. I was such a bad friend for letting her see this.

I sat back on my heels for a while and just stared up at the blank wall in the foyer, replaying it all over in my head. It was all so vivid and real. I could’ve sworn it was real.

I felt eyes on me and I turned to my right to see Knox sitting there on his knees with a look of disbelief on his face. His hand was covering his closed mouth, a look of sadness in his eyes when I looked into them.

I started to cry again and he moved closer to me, wiping a fallen tear off my cheek. His touch was soothing and I leaned into it.

Looking down at the ground, I felt ashamed that I had caused this. I had caused these people to look at me in fear and in sadness.

“I’m sorry,” I spoke to the floor.

“I’m sorry I caused so much panic. I just... I thought he was here. I got scared. I’m sorry.” Feeling Knox pull me into his bare chest, I cried on him for what felt like forever.

He didn’t complain once, he just sat there cradling my small frame in his large arms.

“Don’t apologize for anything, Alex,” he whispered, and I pulled back and turned around to Wes, Brett, and Tyler.

I went to hug them all at once but Brett stopped me and said, “If Knox gets his own hug, I want my own hug from you too, Alex,” with a smirk on his face.

The other two nodded their heads to say they wanted an individual hug too. I laughed through the tears and gave them their hugs while telling them I was sorry. I stood up and went to Andy and Kyle.

I sat down and she was staring at me with dried-up tears on her face. She grabbed me instantly and hugged me, and we both fell on the floor hugging each other side by side.

“I’m sorry, Andy, it wasn’t fair for you to have seen that,”

“Don’t apologize, sweetheart. I’m here for you, no matter what... But at least now I know you’re human,” we share a laugh, and Kyle gently lays on top of us, careful not to crush us.

“My two favorite girls,” he murmurs, a soft smile lighting up his face. I reach up to him, apologizing for the scare I gave him.

He shakes his head, his voice firm. “I love you no matter what, Sis. But please, don’t ever let those thoughts consume you again. I can’t bear to hear those words from you. And if this happens again, call me. I’ll be there for you in a heartbeat.” He presses a kiss to my forehead.

“Awww, Kyle, that was so sweet,” Andy coos, and they start to kiss each other. I try to roll away from them, a playful grimace on my face.

“Ewww, can you not right now? You’re still hugging me. I’m practically getting a 3D preview of your make-out session.”

Laughter echoes around me, but they continue to hug me while kissing each other.

“Seriously, someone save me before I vomit on these two!” Knox tugs at my leg, pulling me away from them. I lie on the ground, looking up at him.

He’s smiling down at me when the door suddenly swings open. Panic surges through me again, and I scramble up, hiding behind Knox.

I’m still on edge, so any sudden movements make me jumpy. Sam walks in, Tyson and the three little rugrats trailing behind her.

Knox turns to me, pulling me close with his arm draped over my shoulders. “It’s just Sam, baby doll. I’ve got you. I’ll protect you.”

I’ll protect you. Those are words I’ve always longed to hear. They soothe my frayed nerves.

Sam spots me and asks, “What did I miss? What’s wrong? Why is Mom crying?... Why are Andy and Kyle making out on the floor?” Her face scrunches up at the last part.

We all burst into laughter, and my mom stands up to hug her. “Long story, sweetie, long story.”

I glance over at Wes, who is glaring at Knox and his arm over my shoulder. I step out of his touch and head towards the bathroom, hoping to diffuse the tension between them. Where did this come from?