Read with BonusRead with Bonus

Chapter 2

Aurora

Age 11

"It's our initiation." Lucian says leaning against the porches post. "You know that means someone dies. Three lives taken for three to get in."

"But I don't want to hurt Kara." Nash whispers. My heart softens toward him. He’s the only one who is fighting against the order.

"You think I do?" Knight asks, "You know what he did to her after I told him I wanted to date her someday. That was seven months ago. She's not the same. She hides about as well as that sister of hers does. He showed us the video of what he did to her."

I glared, he's the reason that his father raped Kara and there’s video evidence. If I can get the video, we can give it to the police. We can get him sent to jail. Daddy’s a lawyer he’d help. I glare over my phone at Knight. He's the reason Kara is going to be a mom by her thirteenth birthday. I wanted to murder him too now. But I won't. If they do what they plan on doing, I’ll help daddy get them too. I won't let anyone hurt Kara and that baby.

"We have to do this. It's either us or them. And I'll always choose us." Lucian says calmly. The others nod before they make their way off the porch.

I stop the recording before starting it again as Knight makes his way to Kara, I watch as Nash keeps watch from the front of the car. I record Lucian taking out his knife and climbing under daddy's car. I can see everything they are doing but they don't see me. Lucian climbs out from under the car wipes the blade on the inside of his shirt and walks away.

I've got to find daddy. We can't get in that car. I may only be eleven, but I know if we get in that car, we are all dead.

I can hear Kara laughing at Knight. She doesn’t know he’s the reason she was raped. Doesn’t know that he’s the reason she’s about to be a mommy. But I know what they did. I know they chose to end us to save themselves.

I stop recording and push my phone into the hidden pocket in my jacket. I wipe my eyes and make my way back to the front steps daddy won't leave without walking by me. I can stop him then.

I lean against the same pole they all stood in front of and pull out my book. Daddy won’t be able to leave without walking past me. I’ll be able to stop all of this. I will protect our entire family. I have to. I can’t let them hurt Kara and the baby. I can’t let them hurt daddy. I don’t care about myself. I’m insignificant. But I can save them all.

I don’t hear the porch creak behind me. I don’t realize anyone is nearby until something slams into the back of my head and my world fades to black.

I wake up minutes later with my head pounding. I open my eyes and find myself in our car. Dad’s in the front seat, Kara beside him. Her eyes are locked on me. She looks concerned. She bites her lip as she listens to what Lucian is saying outside the window.

“She fell and hit her head so you need to take her to the hospital if she could have a concussion. I tried to get to her in time, but she fell so quickly. "

"No! We can't leave,” I say struggling to get up. "Please, Daddy, we can't leave, they did something to the car. Don't drive the car. Please just call a taxi. We can't take this car, daddy we can't. They did something, I have proof. I recorded everything on my phone!"

“Rora, you’ve hit your head, you're okay baby girl I’ll get us to the hospital.”

Lucian’s face had gone white at the sound that I had had proof they had done something to the car. His brown eyes wide as he stared at me. Seeing me for the first time. I know more than what they thought I did.

I ignored him and focused on my dad "Please Daddy please we can't. I promise I am okay. Do not drive this car! You can't drive this car! We have to take something else. They did something to the brakes please Daddy don't do this. " I know I am screaming. But it can't be helped. If we take off, we won't survive. I have to keep us from leaving. I raise up from the seat and try to open the door, but the child proof lock has been engaged. I start screaming and crying.

“Baby, they would never hurt us.” Daddy says to me. “You are seriously hurt. I've got to get you checked out. "

Kara spoke up from her seat, “It's okay Rora, we will go home after the hospital and eat ice cream. And we'll talk to Daddy don't worry after today will never have to come back up here if you don't want to. "

I smiled at her but looked back over again, “I don't want to come back here but we can't leave in this car I have never lied to you please don't do this” I struggled against the seat belt and pull on the door handle, praying that somehow the child lock had disengaged. My fear is overwhelming me. If this car gets going down the mountain, we will all die.

Lucian spoke out from his spot outside of the door, “Sir, you and I both know we would never do anything to you. You guys, you are family, you are Gravin."

I glared at him as Daddy started the car. "If anything happens to us, I will personally come back and ruin you. You better hope that what you did kills me because if it doesn’t, I will make your life a living hell. "

Daddy looks back at me, “Aurora we don't talk like that.”

I looked at him, “You're choosing to believe him over your daughter, you're not allowing me to show you proof that we are in danger. You have put both me and Kara in danger. Because I assure you father, you’ve just sentenced us to our deaths.”

Kara looks at me with her eyes huge, I have never spoken out against our father. I was the quiet one. I was the one who never did anything to draw attention to myself.

I sit back in the seat; I refuse to look at my dad and look out the window ignoring the sight of the three boys standing on the outside. All of their eyes locked on me. Nash's face is filled with fear, he was the only one that had fought to keep us. Knight looks like he's about to drag us all out of the car, but I can see Lucian's hand on his shoulder keeping him from moving toward us. Lucian looks mad, heartless. He made his choice. He chose them and he chose to let us die. I will never forget that decision. Dad slowly made his way out of the driveway, anger coming off of him in waves. I closed my eyes with tears, silently made their way down my cheek. I knew I was going to die.

I'll look over at Kara, “Put your seatbelt on and know that I love you both of you. Daddy, you might be angry, but you also know I would have never lied to you. I videoed Mr. Wolfe telling those boys to cut a brake line. I also have video evidence of them talking after.” I looked over at Kara. “They have video evidence of what he did to you. The boys know what he did to you. it is because of them that he did what he did."

Dad looked over at Kara "What who did to you?"

Kara looks over at dad, and whispers out loud for the first time in months, “Mr. Wolfe raped me seven months ago.” She looked away from him and tears started freely flowing down her face, “I’m pregnant."

The car is completely silent. Dad presses on the brakes wanting to pull to the side but the car won't stop. His jaw ticks from how tight he has it as he tries to hide his reaction. But his eyes meet mine in the mirror and tears are flowing down his cheek. The horror in his eyes as he realizes I was telling the truth.

“I should have believed you." He whispered; his voice broken with anguish. “I love you girls, don't ever forget that. I will never forgive myself for not listening to you baby girl."

Before any of us could have responded to his words, the steepest bend of the road that has a guardrail to keep motorists from going straight over the mountain appears. Dad tries to go around but due to the brakes failing, he is unable to slow the car down. There is no choice for us. I instantly know we're going over the edge. I close my eyes as we go over the guardrail. I can feel the car rolling over and over and over. I can hear Kara screaming from the front seat in pain as part of her body instantly breaks at the impact. I pray to myself that maybe the baby will be okay. Maybe it could survive this. I don't hear any sound coming from Dad and I know that he died on impact. I feel the blood on my face. I feel my leg break on one of the flips and I feel my head hit the window before everything goes completely black. I hear nothing more as my world goes black.

Previous Chapter
Next Chapter