Isabelle

Tears streamed down my face, my chest heaved up and down unnaturally from my labored breathing. My 17-year-old self was sitting in a taxi driving on that road, riding towards a bus stop that will take me somewhere far away but my heart was still back at home. I don't want to leave my family alone.

Wasn't this what he wanted? Tearing me away from my family?

I remember his words clearly from that night, "You don't belong here. You have no right to have a family." I could still feel that person's warm breath on my skin, it made me shiver in fear. I wasn't going to give him that power. I wasn't going to give him that satisfaction of tearing me away from that one thing that makes me strong, my family. I had all the right to have a family.

Wiping away the tears angrily, I instructed the cab driver to turn around and drive me back home. I will come to a solution with my family. Running away is not an option, leaving them alone is not the solution. I looked for my phone to inform Sean about the change in my plan but I couldn't find it. Curses left my lips when I remembered that I had left my phone earlier at home which we had planned last night.

My legs bounced up and down nervously as I imagined the conversation between my dad and me. He was surely going to be mad at me for not telling him sooner, upset because I chose to run away instead of facing my fears and above all, he will be in a constant state of worry. I didn't like that thought but I would rather fight with my family than be alone.

Suddenly a loud blaring sound of sirens was heard. I looked around my surroundings with a frown and realized we were almost near my house. "This is as far as I can go," said the cab driver. In front of us was a huge mass of people gathered around and I could see orange light illuminating the night sky. I nodded and got out of the car after paying the fare.

Grabbing my duffle bag I walked towards the crowd, still in a confused state. Pushing away people I made my way towards the front of the crowd. Two fire brigade and a couple of ambulances were standing in front of my house which was up in flames.

My blood ran cold.

The bag fell off of my grasp as I watched four stretchers outside that had occupied body bags on. Breathing seemed like a tough task at that moment. My mind was frozen, my body was frozen and my ears were ringing. I didn't realize my knees had given out and I was on the ground, I couldn't feel the pair of arms that held me, I couldn't hear Sean calling out my name.

My eyes were on those body bags that held the burnt corpses of my family.

Sean forcefully turned my face to look at him instead. I could see his lips move but no words were heard. "I killed them," I mumbled before my body shut down.

"Belle!" Sean yelled my name and shook me violently to snap me back to reality. "Are you okay?" He asked. I looked around to find myself down on the ground and my cheeks stained with tears. My breath was stuck in my chest which I forced out and took deep, heavy breaths to calm myself. Sean didn't wait for my answer and embraced me. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have bought that up." He mumbled against my hair. I clenched his shirt and continued to count in my mind to get my breathing back to normal.

"Feeling better now?" Sean asked me and handed me a cup of cold water. I sipped on the cool liquid and nodded at him.

"Did you consult a doctor?" Sean asked after a moment of silence. "Not about the panic attacks but the doctor did say that stress is not good for the baby," I replied and looked at him. My eyes were on him but my mind was filled with different thoughts. "I'm going crazy!" I exclaimed, tears stinging my eyes. Life was too overwhelming for me and years I've been stuffing it all inside my chest but it seems like it is filled to the brim now. I want it to go away. I want it all to end.

"Hey! Don't even think about it." Sean immediately said when he recognized where my thoughts were trailing too. "You are a strong woman, the strongest I've ever seen and now you have another human inside you. You need to think about him, care for him, and for that, you need to take care of yourself." He said. Sean's fingers wiped the tears off of my cheeks and smiled encouragingly at me. "You are not alone." He said.

I nodded back at him. For that moment, the thoughts of ending it all passed away. He was right, I'm not alone. I have to fight a little longer.

"Let's have lunch outside," Sean said standing up from the floor and helped me too. "There's a cat cafe nearby." I chuckled at him and swatted his arm playfully. Sean knew my love for cats. "Let's go," I replied and went over to wash my face before leaving the house with him.

The sky was painted the lightest shade of blue and clouds filled it like cotton candy. The sun shone upon the streets, instantly lifting my mood. We entered the cafe Sean mentioned earlier which was just down the street. Indeed the place was crawling with grumpy furry creatures but I loved it. Although cats are not as affectionate as dogs they still love us as any other pet would. I spent my day with cats, Sean, and some cold tea.

"You should start having some warm stuff," Sean commented as we walked down the street. I frowned at him over my vanilla softie and rolled my eyes. "I drink that tea Gia gave warmly, that's enough," I replied. Sean just shook his head in reply while licking his softie. I had contacted Dr.Abigail, my gynecologist, and told her about the incident that took place earlier today. She advised me to try natural methods to keep my mental health in check. She suggested long walks and some exercises so now Sean and I were on our long walk after a fulfilling dinner and a sweet softie in our hands.

I liked this side of the city, it was lively. People were laughing, fighting, and hollering around the street and the air was filled with various aromas of food. Even with a full stomach, my mouth was watering. Suddenly while walking something caught my eye. It was the headline in a newspaper.

"Izzy?" Sean called out to me as I left his company and walked over to the newspaper laying on the table of a cafe. "Does this seem familiar?" I asked Sean and gave him the paper to read. It took Sean a good one minute to realize and his eyes widened. I see both shock and joy in his eyes. Shock to learn that it was true and joy because now Sean was going to hunt down the psychopath. "He's alive," Sean mumbled.

"I have to go to the station, will you be okay home alone?" Sean asked me. I nodded at him and walked with him back home. The killer Sean was searching for was indeed alive as there was a woman's body found with exactly 11 stab wounds. The most shocking news was that the body was found in our town.

Sean left for the station and I was at home alone. I had nothing to do but sleep. The next morning when I woke up, Sean was still not back home. However, later that day I received a message from him saying he can't make it back. I sighed heavily. "There goes my Sunday," I mumbled.

As I was packing my back I received a call. "Why is he calling me?" I mumbled but answered it. "Hello?" I asked.

"Where are you?" Vernon asked instead. Not the one with pleasantries.

"Sean's house," I replied and resumed my packing.

"I was around the neighborhood." I frowned when he didn't say anything further.

"And?" I asked in confusion.

"Sean asked me to give you a ride." He replied, almost flustered. I couldn't help the chuckle that left my throat.

"What is so funny?" He asked.

"Nothing, I'll be down," I replied and hung up. With a smile on my lips, I shook my head at him and left the house to go back home with him.

******

Hey guys! How are you all doing?

Don't worry, I'm not here to give you guys some excuse of why I was MIA, again!!! Nor am I going to give any empty promises but I do have an announcement to make.

Next chapter will go up on Saturday along with my updating schedule. Don't worry, it will be for sure because I have pre-written few chapters and also as you guys know, next month the registration for Watty's India will begin so anyhow I will be completing this book, this month.

Until next time,
Aastha.