Apollo's 11

by Anna Collins

  "Hmm...I suppose he didn't let you sleep all night," she poked me at my waist.

  I blushed, thinking about what he did to me last night. Jeez! His touch, his kiss, everything was so magical. I blinked my eyes, wait...what was Kate doing here? And where was Robert?

  Pulling the blanket away from my face I looked around. I was in my room, but when did he get me here?

  "Kate, where is he?" I asked in desperation.

  "Calm down sleeping beauty, he left. If I knew you would act like this, then I would have stopped him. Tell me the truth; are you craving for a morning after?" She winked.

  I smiled, "So you saw him. Did he say anything?"

  "Nothing much. He said good night and left," Kate pouted.

  "And you let him go without getting any answers? Ahh, Kate! Anyways, did he say anything about when he will come back?" I asked.

  "Don't eat my head. Just call him," she looked annoyed.

  "I don't have his new number," I frowned.

  "Arghhh! Then call the number of the hospital, I'm sure they didn't change it," she smiled.

  "Hospital? He's in the hospital? But last night he looked just fine," I said in a voice filled with panic.

  Kate shook her head and shot me with a ‘you-are-impossible’ look.

  "Jeez! Freya, stop acting like a dumbo. I guess you have a hangover, your brain has not yet become fully functional, so let me dumb it up for you. Baby, Edward is a doctor in that hospital, so if you call there, you will get his new number. All clear now?" She shook her head.

  "My mind is working properly. It's you who needs to get your bearings. Why are you talking to me about Edward? What will I do with him? I'm asking about my fiancé, Robert Hudson," I crooked my forehead. Kate was annoying me; maybe she was doing it on purpose.

  Kate sighed and scooted closer to me on the bed. She kept her hand on my shoulder and said in a reassuring voice, "Freya, wake up from your dream. Robert is not here, he died a year ago".

  I jerked away from her hand. "No! He's alive, I was with him last night. He saved me from Rebecca's demons, and after that, we made sweet love," I said in a breath.

  "What demons? Freya, we went to the Christmas Eve party last night. You drank a bit too much and after that Edward dropped you home. That's what happened. Now stop cooking stories of your own!" She yelled.

  "I am not cooking up any stories, I wasn't drunk. I was with him. You have to believe me," I urged.

  Kate's face softened, "I want to believe you my friend, but what you are saying is impossible. We went to Robert's funeral, he is dead."

  "Yes, we went to the funeral, but no one let us see the face of the corpse. They told us the face was destroyed due to fire, right?" I asked with hope beaming in my eyes.

  "Right, but…" Kate began thinking.

  "That's it, Kate, the dead body wasn't Robert. They just found it in his car and…God! Why didn't I think about this earlier? It was all part of Rebecca's evil plan," I said.

  "It can't happen. Fine! If he is alive then why is he hiding?" Kate asked.

  "I don't know," I murmured sadly.

  "I know because there is no Robert. And as soon as you realize it, it will be better for you," she said softly, kissed on my forehead and left, closing the door behind her.

  "I am not hallucinating, you are for real. I will prove it to Kate and to everyone. I will find you Robert," I said in determination.

  "Merry Christmas," Eric was elated when he hugged me. It was good to see even these little things could make him feel so excited. "Why aren't you wearing your red sweater dad gave you? He's gonna be upset if you don't wear it. Sissy, mommy, and daddy are coming today right?" He asked. God! I hate you for this. Just look at him, he just wants to celebrate with his mom and dad. How could I tell him his mom and dad would never come again because they were dead? I muttered to myself. Eric couldn't hear it as he was too busy unwrapping the presents Kate and Rick had bought for him.

  With a sunken face, I left the room and went downstairs. It was freezing outside, so I decided to rest for a while near the fireplace in the living room. I lay down on the soft leather couch. As I closed my eyes his face appeared, "I love you Freya," his deep voice was still echoing in my ears. "Robert, why are you doing this to your Freya?" I whispered.

  "Here! See for yourself. They never sold any passes to Robert Hudson. He's name is nowhere on the guest list!" Kate stated, handling a piece of paper in my hand, which apparently was the guest list for the party we attended last night.

  "I know that. Why are you showing this to me?" I let the paper slip away from my hands.

  "To bring back some sense in this wasted mind. His name is not on the list, so he wasn't there in the party. Get it?" She stated.

  I smirked, "Do you think they sold the passes to Rebecca and her demons?"

  Kate sat on the opposite couch so she could talk to me. "Where were the demons? Where did you see them?" She asked.

  "At the lakeside. They attacked me when I was standing next to the pine tree," I said in an uninterested voice because I wasn't in a mood to explain myself.

  "Lakeside? From where did that come from? There was no lake in that area," she looked at me in disbelief.

  "There is a lake at the backside of the castle," I informed.

  Kate rubbed her forehead and took out her phone. After a minute of typing and swapping, she held out the phone in front of me. There was the view of the Castle on google map, and it didn't show the presence of any lake at the back of the castle; it was reserved for construction.

  My jaw fell open. What the hell was that? Where did the lake go?

  "Wait...I have more," Kate said and dialed a number on her phone and put it on speaker.

  Kate: "Hi Edward, Merry Christmas."

  Edward: "Hello, same to you dear. How is Freya doing? She drank a little too much last night. You know she passed out in the car when I was dropping her home, and I had to carry her to bed. Is she still sleeping?”

  My eyes went bigger, and I covered my mouth with my trembling cold hands.

  Kate: “I think she's gonna be okay now. Thanks for helping out, buddy.”

  Edward: “Not a problem my friend, tell Freya to take care of herself. Good Bye.”

  And the line went dead.

  "This is the truth Freya," Kate spoke softly in my ear as she rubbed my shoulder.

  Eric came running to me and held out a painting to show me, "sissy look what I made for mom."

  My eyes went rigid; I snatched the painting from his hand and tore it into pieces.

  Eric started crying.

  I held his hand, making him look into my eyes, "Listen carefully. No one is coming, we are orphans, our parents are dead. Got it?" I yelled as tears formed in my eyes.

  Eric was now crying uncontrollably.

  "Freya! Have you gone crazy?" Kate shouted.

  I stood up, and without looking back at the mess I had created only a moment ago, I reached out for the main door, with a stern expression on my face.

  The sunless sky gave me a lugubrious look as my feet kissed the sleeping, snow covered pathway. I looked down at my feet, and it felt like the wet white sneakers gave me a sad look. I had been on the move for the past one hour or more, I had no idea. I didn't even know why I was roaming around in the streets; a part of me just wanted to run away from the never-ending torture everyone had named as 'life.' Maybe it was 'life' for them, to me, it was strangulation.

  On top of that, now people were raising questions about my sanity. Was Edward telling the truth? I sighed. Stop thinking about it Freya, why would he lie? It was a dream, there is no Robert, said the voices in my head. It hurt; it felt as if someone had stabbed me in my chest with the sharp edge of a knife.

  Everything was nothing but a bunch of lies. The part of me, urging to be with Robert, made up a story on its own. Kate was right. God! I don't want to feel like this. I don't want to be a crazy girl, now I am not alone; I have Eric's responsibility on my shoulders. I held my head in my ha
nds.

  Shit! What have I done? I shouted on Eric and told him the truth about our parent's death. You are the worst person on earth, Freya, how could you break the little guy's heart? I hit on my forehead with my own hands. I should go and check up on him, I had already wasted too much time by being silly. I told this to myself and turned back to walk towards the townhouse.

  "Freya! Wait," yelled a man's voice. I got startled and turned back as a natural reflex. I spotted an old man with gray hair; he had dirt rubbed all over his skin and wore torn rugs instead of clothes. He was calling my name and was running towards me. As he came closer, his face started looking familiar. Jeez! It was Joseph Hudson, Robert's uncle.

  "Uncle Joe, is that you?" I called out in disbelief.

  "Yes dear, it's me," he said in a weak voice.

  He looked too tired and was panting.

  "What happened to you? God! you look pathetic. Come, I'll take you home," I offered my hand in genuine concern.

  He sighed, "No my child. Now nothing can save me, my breaths are numbered. But I have something that can save you," he said and rested his fist on my hand, he released a ring.

  The big white stone of the ring shone, reflecting its glaze into my eyes. Wow! It's the same magical ring. "Where did you get it? And why are you giving this to me? You can use it to save your life," I said.

  "Caroline's mother had given it to her. This ring only attracts positive energy and helps the people who have a clean heart. That's why it's of no use to me. Take it and save yourself. Don't worry about me, I am paying the price for my sins," he said and then disappeared into the fog of snow.

  Was I dreaming again? I shook my head and blinked my eyes, but the shiny thing resting on my finger was the living proof it happened for real. This ring had immense power, it could answer anything; with that thought I put it on, closed my eyes and thought about Robert's death. I opened my eyes and stared at the big shiny stone of the ring. It didn't disappoint, it showed me the full story. As I saw it my body began to tremble, my head began to spin, and my legs were unable to support me. As a result, I fell flat on the snowy ground. All my trembling lips could utter was, "Robert."

  Billionaire Games - Book 10

  Chapter Eighty-Six

  Freya

  My eyelids struggled as I tried to open them. The big globe of misty, dotted and rigid haze stuck in my eyes like adhesive, refused to let me see any of my surroundings. My head felt unusually heavy, and my body parts felt numb; probably because of the freezing cold.

  "Freya, open your eyes," an urgent but soothing voice echoed in my ears. Then I felt someone's touch on my arm; it was trying to move me or pull me, I wasn't sure. One thing I knew was this voice had brought me back from the blackout.

  The haze cleared away, and I was able to see him. "Edward," I managed to say as my cold hands tugged on his arms, and he helped me stand on my feet.

  Relief washed down his icy blue eyes, "You scared me!" He sighed.

  Then raised an eyebrow, "How do you feel? Maybe your blood pressure was low, and that's why you passed out on the road. Why did you get out of your house in such a bad weather? What was the emergency?" He kept asking without a break.

  I held my spinning head, "Stop shooting me with your damn questions! I'm already feeling miserable!" I uttered.

  He bit his lip, "Oops, sorry. Come, let's get you home first".

  "I guess that will do," I shook my head.

  He smiled apologetically and held out his hand to me. I took it without thinking, as there was no way I could walk down by my own.

  "My car is right here," he informed.

  "Thanks for helping me," I finally said as soon as I felt my brain functioning again.

  Edward smiled, flaunting his dimples, but didn't take his eyes from the road. His driving was slow and smooth, unlike mine. I pulled my jacket near my chest and cleaned the small balls of snow trapped around the crystal ball of the ring.

  "Is your head still in pain? We can stop by the store to pick up the meds," he offered.

  "No, I'm fine. The fruit juice helped. Thanks again. I can't imagine what would have happened to me if you were not passing by the road at that time," I sighed.

  "Relax, it's fine. Actually...I was coming to meet you. Kate sounded a bit disturbed on the phone, so I assumed something is wrong. What's going on? Will you please tell me?" He asked in a curious kind of way.

  As if I knew the answer. I took a deep breath and looked out of the window; it was getting darker, and the trees were glittering with colorful tiny lights. There wasn't much of a rush in the streets; maybe because people in my area were at home, celebrating Christmas with their loved ones. And look at me. I've hurt the only person who had nobody to look up to except for me. God! How am I going to handle this?

  "Freya! Don't act like you aren't listening to me?" Edward stomped.

  I shook my head and turned to him. Jeez! Freya, now how are you going to answer him? Tell him you are a crazy girl who keeps imagining things? And the worst sister in the world who hurt her innocent brother. "I...I messed things up. I broke the news about our parent's death to my brother. And my mind went blank after it so, I was roaming around in the streets like a homeless person. Are your questions answered? Happy now Doctor Edward?" Arghh! Again my head was in pain, and I held it in my hands.

  He stopped the car in a jolt, "I can't believe it! How could you do this to him? He is the middle of the treatment, this kind of news will only worsen his situation, you knew that didn't you?" rebuked Edward.

  "Ya, you told me, but I...I ruined it all. I'm the worst person in this whole world," tears welled down my face. I was sad for my brother and angry at myself.

  "Okay, I'm sorry for yelling at you. Please don't cry. I'll try to figure out something. It will be solved, now breathe, please," Edward's voice was soft as he touched my shoulder.

  "I'm not crying," I protested while sniffing and trying to wipe out the drops of tears which had trailed down my face. Damn it! I hated being a cry baby, but when I thought about my family and Robert, I couldn't control my tears. No, I wasn't weak, maybe a bit emotional or maybe.... the sound of a soft laugh interrupted my thoughts.

  "What?" I rolled my eyes at Edward, who was trying his best to control his laughter.

  "Nothing, I was just curious. If this isn't crying, then I really want to see how you do cry," he spoke.

  My forehead crooked, "Don't worry about that, you are gonna see a lot of it when we reach my place, and I won't be able to handle my agitated brother."

  His smile disappeared, and I could see a hint of guilt in his pale white face. "I'll just shut up and drive," he said and turned his attention to the steering wheel.

  “Eric, please forgive your sister. She's a dumbass,” I murmured to myself as Edward drove me home.

  As I stepped into my place, for some brief seconds, I could no longer recognize if this was the interior of the house I had spent thousands of dollars.

  My living room looked as if it had endured a fierce storm. The beautiful glass showpieces were crushed on the floor. The Mona Lisa painting was lying helplessly at the side of the couch. The cushions, the curtains, the flowers, everything was scattered and looked out of place.

  I kept staring at the huge pile of mess lying in front of me; the sight was depressing.

  I detected some movement behind the couch, but I couldn’t see clearly. I walked over there to find out more, "Kate! Why on earth are you hiding behind the sofa?" I demanded in an irritated tone.

  She shook a little and then sighed in relief. "Ah Freya, Thank heavens you are here."

  "How is Eric? Did he do all this?" I pointed towards my messy living room.

  Kate nodded sadly, "He totally got out of control after hearing the news of your parents’ death. I tried to stop him, but he began throwing things at me."

  "And that's the reason you are hiding behind this couch?" I took her face in my palms.

  She grabbed my hand, "I'm sorry Freya, I feel terrible for
you guys," she added.

  "It's all about my fate. Anyways where is Eric? What is he doing now?" I asked.

  "After you left, he started crying uncontrollably. Then he messed up everything and ran upstairs. Probably he's destroying his room now," Kate informed.

  "Jeez! It's all because of me. I should go and check up on him," I began to move, but Kate stopped me.

  "No way! He will hurt you, why do you think I hid out in the first place. But don't worry, I called Edward, he said he's almost there," said Kate.

  "He's already here. Ooh, look at this place, where's Eric?" Edward's voice made us turn towards him. He was standing at the door with a medical kit in his hand.

  Kate showed him the way upstairs, "The situation is risky. I didn't mention it on the phone because I thought you wouldn't come," Kate bit her lip.

  Edward shook his head, "Don't worry, I am here now." His reassuring look somehow brought a breath of relief to my heaving chest.

  "God! Please make everything all right," I prayed.

  The sound of a loud bang startled me.

  "I can't stand here any longer, I'm going to check up on him." With this, I ran up the stairs.

  "Wait, I'm coming too," Kate joined.

  I opened the door to Eric's bedroom, breathing heavily. Before I could say anything, Edward stopped me and gestured me to stay silent. Everything seemed to be calm after a while; Eric was sleeping on his bed, and Edward was next to him checking his pulse. I ran to Eric and kneeled down next to his bed. My little brother was sleeping like a baby. I smiled sadly and caressed his forehead. Then I turned to Edward and found him staring at me. I mouthed a "thank you" to him. He read my lips and smiled, "I gave him an injection to calm down his nerves. He will be sleeping peacefully for at least 4-5 hours," he whispered.

  I nodded, my chest was still heaving.

  "Let's step out for a bit," asked Edward.

  "You go, I will follow you in a second," I said.

  He obeyed and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.