by Elle, Leen
With wide, terrified eyes she pressed her hand on the wound.
"Stop." She moaned. "Stop bleeding." Her hands were shaking, and she didn't know what else to do.
"What have you done?"
The question came behind her but Sophie didn't care who was speaking.
The only thing in her eyes now was Rylan.
"Hello? Cleo? We've had an accident." She'd barely registered Robert speaking into his phone. His voice was strained, as if he was hanging on to the last shreds of his composure.
"Sophie." Rylan asked, his eyes shut tightly.
She couldn't explain how much it killed her to hear his voice. His agony was obvious from how weak his voice was. She could tell he was struggling to stay conscious.
"Everything's going to be fine."
Here comes the first lie. Sophie thought, clenching her teeth.
Her grandmother had said the same thing when she'd become sick. She'd promised she wouldn't leave Sophie by herself, and everyday she'd reminded her that things would be okay.
At the time, both of them had known it was a lie.
Now, it seemed like Rylan understood she was lying as well. It was evident from the way he seemed to be giving up the fight.
"Don't let them take me home." He begged softly. "If she sees me like this...it'll just kill her."
Sophie's mouth dropped open. How was it possible that at a time like this, he was still thinking of Gwyn?
How can you ask me to rob her of what might be your last moments together? Her heart screamed in her chest.
The situation was too cruel to be real.
"Sophie." Robert placed a hand on her shoulder, motioning for her to step away from Rylan.
She refused with a dark glare. She was not going to move one step away from the boy in her arms.
Robert didn't accept her refusal. He lifted Rylan out of her arms, as the boy groaned in protest.
"We have to get him to a doctor. Cleo's making preparations as we speak." Robert's voice sounded like it was growing stronger.
Sophie stood up to argue with him, her hands covered in Rylan's blood. Her eyes searched Robert's face, but what she found stopped her immediately.
Robert's face was darkened by tears.
It's my fault, he seemed to be saying. I have to fix this.
He turned away from her, sprinting down the alleyway. Sophie took a step after him, only freezing when she remembered she wasn't alone.
She turned her eyes to Luke, who was standing only a few feet away.
His gun was at his feet, and his eyes were focused on it, as if it were a snake.
When he lifted his gaze to her, she found Rylan's agony mirrored in his expression.
Luke hadn't been shot, but he'd done something he would never forgive himself for.
At this moment, Sophie knew Luke needed her. She was his only support, his only friend. The rational side of her mind knew he hadn't meant to shoot Rylan. However, she wasn't feeling the least bit rational.
Her emotions had consumed her thoughts, and right now she was angry. So angry she couldn't bare to look at him any longer.
Without saying another word she darted after Robert, following him down the alleyway to the spot where he'd hidden his car.
She arrived in time to see Robert loading Rylan into the back seat. Before he could shut the door, Sophie slipped into the car, propping Rylan's head onto her lap.
Robert didn't question her presence, but rushed around to the drivers side. In seconds they were shooting down the road, flying by cars like an emergency vehicle.
"Explain." Sophie ordered, clenching her fists as she glared at his reflection in the rearview mirror.
"I brought him." Robert replied with difficultly. "He begged me to, he said I needed help. He was supposed to stay in the car, to stand guard."
It was a fools task, and Rylan had known it.
"This wasn't supposed to happen." Robert hit the steering wheel as hard as he could with his hands. "He wasn't supposed to get hurt."
Sophie sat in silence for a few moments. "What now?" She finally asked. "Will he be okay?"
"I won't let him die." Robert replied. "I'll die before I let him leave Gwyn."
Sophie closed her eyes, and hugged Rylan close to her.
All she had now was hope.
* * *
For situations like this, Cleo had a doctor on call for them. Robert didn't go into detail on how skilled he was, but Sophie knew he had to have been the best of the best.
They couldn't risk going to a hospital without being questioned about the wound. Their only choice was to create their own makeshift hospital at home.
The doctor arrived a half hour before they did, and by that time Rylan had lost so much blood Sophie didn't know if it was possible for him to survive. She'd done everything she could to stop the bleeding in the car, but her efforts were worthless. She wasn't a doctor, and she had no idea what to do.
When they'd arrived home, Sophie was the first to make it to the front door. The doctor's van was parked in the driveway, alerting them that they weren't alone.
The moment she knocked, the door swung open. Gwyn stood in front of her, face pale and hands shaking.
Sophie's expression gave everything away. No matter how much she wished to hide the truth, it was impossible in front of Gwyn.
"Who was it?" Gwyn asked as she clutched the door tightly. "Who...?" The doctor had refused to give her any details about his task.
She brushed passed Sophie to stare into the black driveway. The front porch lights flickered on and like ghosts emerging from the night, Robert appeared carrying an unconscious Rylan. Blood had seeped through Rylan's jeans, soaking not only his clothing, but Robert's as well.
The silence that surrounded the four of them was agonizing. Then, with a small whimper Gwyn whispered, "No." She slid to the ground, blocking the entrance to the doorway. Her eyes filled with tears that streamed down uncontrollably. It was as if her worst fear had been realized, and Sophie had no way of offering her comfort. Teddy's small footsteps could be heard clunking down the staircase, but the sound had no affect on Gwyn.
Sophie realized it was her job to take control, and lifting Gwyn out of the way, she rushed into the house to stop Teddy before he encountered Rylan and Robert.
"Hey, Bud, let's go to your room." Sophie tried to control her voice.
Teddy watched her with conflicted eyes. He seemed worried about a fear he couldn't name. "Gwyn..." he began. Sophie knew he was confused. He wanted to ask where she'd been, what was going on, and why everyone was so serious. He had so many things he wanted to understand at once, that he couldn't form just one single question.
"Everything's fine." Sophie whispered encouragingly. "Let's just get you back into bed. It's getting late."
There's the second lie. She closed her eyes briefly, willing away her negative thoughts.
Teddy grabbed on to her hand. "Tell me the truth." He ordered, and Sophie could not deny him his one wish.
"Everything will be fine." She corrected, hoping he would be satisfied with her new answer. "Even if it's not fine now, we'll make it better. That's the truth."
Teddy nodded, but the moment they began walking up the stairs, Gwyn's screams began.
"Not him! God, please don't take him from me too!"
Sophie had never heard Gwyn raise her voice like this, and the sound of her high-pitched scream sent chill-bumps up her arms. Tears began to fall down her own eyes as guilt clouded her composure. It had been so easy to forget that Gwyn was only a child...and Rylan too had years before he would become an adult. They had both seemed so mature, but in reality that was just a mask. They were both young ... too young to have to deal with the situation that faced them now.
"God...God!" Gwyn continued to wail, her sobs following them up the stairs.
Teddy's hands tightened around Sophie's, as she felt him begin to shake. His whole base of comfort was collapsing before him. The pillar of strength that he found
in his sister was crumbling with her breakdown, but he was struggling to remain brave for her.
"I can go by myself." He said when they had reached the top of the stairs. "Go help her." Teddy's lip quivered as he spoke.
"I can stay with you if you're scared." Sophie had no idea what she was supposed to do. Robert couldn't handle Gwyn and Rylan on his own, but Teddy couldn't be forgotten either...he was so young...they were all so young.
"Go." He released her hand, and turned towards his bedroom door.
Sophie hesitated before Gwyn's screams returned her to reality again.
"Rylan...please...don't do this to me. You promised. You said you wouldn't leave. Please, you're all I have left. God, don't take him from me, you can't be that mean."
As she rushed into the living room Sophie's heart felt like it was being wrenched out. Rylan laid strewn upon the couch, his leg gushing dark red blood. Robert stood to the back of the room, speaking into his cell phone hurriedly. Gwyn sat holding Rylan's hand, and the scene of them together was almost too much to bare.
They were only children. Two kids who had fallen in love because they needed each other. Rylan was Gwyn's protector...the only person in the world she'd come to trust completely. She was his support, his reason for continuing on. Now, they were broken. All because of one stupid decision.
"I'm sorry." Sophie found herself whispering to Gwyn, but her voice was too quiet.
"Take her away." Someone ordered from the doorway. A man dressed in black walked into the room, taking command instantly.
Cleo's doctor was just the professional Sophie had expected him to be. He'd obviously seen situations like this before, and he was ready to begin his work. He lifted Rylan off the couch, and carried him to the kitchen, where a makeshift operating room had already been prepared.
Robert followed the doctor into the kitchen, but Sophie and Gwyn were not allowed to enter.
Before letting them go completely, Sophie reached out to grab the doctor's arm. "Can you save him?" She asked, her voice tight.
"He'll be fine." The doctor promised as he shut the door to the kitchen.
Sophie reached out to Gwyn now, squeezing the young girl tightly.
She couldn't help but wonder if the doctor's reply had been just another lie.
* * *
The night was long.
There was simply no other way to describe the stretching hours of time that passed after they'd last seen Rylan.
Gwyn was a shell of herself. She hadn't said a word since the kitchen doors closed, and didn't look like she had the strength to move.
After three hours of waiting, Sophie had forced Gwyn to lie down on the couch in the living room. If there was nothing for her to do, she needed to spend the time resting. In the days to come, Gwyn would need all the strength she could get.
Sophie's efforts were wasted, because Gwyn would not fall asleep. She stared at the ceiling with unseeing eyes, her face frozen in pain. While Sophie had been willing to stay with Gwyn for the rest of the night, the young girl only had one request.
"Please leave me alone." She'd whispered. "I just need to be alone right now."
Though she didn't want to obey, Sophie understood what Gwyn was feeling. She had never liked to cry in front of others either.
Reluctantly, Sophie left the living room for a new place to wait. Her decision was impulsive as she turned into Rylan's room.
She headed for his bed and curled up against his headboard.
There was something about a person's room that seemed to tell a story about them. Just like with Luke's room, Sophie felt like she was seeing a glimpse of who Rylan was.
He liked baseball. Posters of famous athletes surrounded his walls. He had half a dozen autographed balls sitting on his desk, and a dusty old glove lying next to his bed.
Sophie wondered if he'd ever regretted not being able to play for a team. He was a child without an identity...one who couldn't attend school, or get too close to outsiders.
The loneliness that surrounded the room mimicked the feelings she'd felt while in Luke's room. They were two different people, with two different backgrounds, but they were both trapped in lifestyle without a choice. Luke through threats, and Rylan through his father.
As Sophie sat alone in the darkness, she felt choked by the harsh reality around her.
The feeling remained with her until the early hours of the morning. For over six hours she hadn't moved a muscle, and though her legs were protesting, she didn't feel the urge to move.
The light outside Rylan's window was light blue, and gradually growing brighter. Soon the sun would rise and a new day would start like normal.
However, everything was not normal. Sophie suspected nothing would be normal for a very long time. Even when the sun rose and light surrounded them, she felt like it would still seem like she was surrounded in darkness.
The sound of someone opening Rylan's door did not startle her. She was too numb to react to seeing Robert walk into the room.
"So this is where you were hiding." She could barely make him out in the faint light.
He was staring in her direction, though she couldn't see the expression on his face.
"How is he?" Sophie's voice cracked as she spoke. She was barely managing to hold it all together.
"Alive, which is the best we could've hoped for, considering."
"Is it bad?"
"I don't know the details yet, but recovery's going to be hard. The doctor said the next twenty-four hours are crucial."
"We should've taken him to a hospital. Even if they'd ask questions, we owe him that much. If we truly love him, getting caught shouldn't matter." Her voice grew angry as she spoke. She hated not being able to do more for Rylan.
"The nearest hospital would've taken us longer to get to. If you see the kitchen, you wouldn't feel that way. It's a perfect replica of a hospital room now. The doctor really is the best there is."
Sophie sat in silence, processing what he'd just told her. A part of her felt relieved by the good news, but the hole in her heart wasn't healed.
A gunshot wound wasn't just physical, but would scar Rylan emotionally as well. He would never be the same again, no matter how long he had to heal.
"Gwyn?" Her voice was quiet, half-worried about what he would tell her.
"Asleep. I found her upstairs with Teddy."
"Oh." At least Gwyn had finally been able to rest.
Robert moved from his place by the door to the bed. He sat down on the edge, far away from her, but close enough to where she could see his face clearly. He bent forward, clasping his hands together as he stared at the ground.
As she watched him, Sophie compared him to Luke. If it had been Luke sitting in front of her, he would've said something reassuring. He would've told her it wasn't their fault, and that they couldn't have prevented Rylan from getting shot. He would say that the wound was an accident they would just have move on from.
Robert didn't offer her any consolation. His silence was a reminder that everything wouldn't be all right. It had been their fault that Rylan was shot. If Robert hadn't asked him to go, if Sophie hadn't distracted Robert, and if Luke hadn't pulled the trigger, they wouldn't be in this situation. Rather than feel angry towards Robert's silence, Sophie appreciated it.
She didn't want to sugarcoat this reality. It would've been unfair to Rylan for them to brush their mistakes aside.
"Do we know what happened yet?" Sophie lowered her voice.
"When Rylan wakes up we can ask him what he saw. Cleo's looking into who shot at us, but we helped to destroy any evidence that we might've had against them."
Robert was right. Their joint efforts had disabled the security system for the museum, so there would be virtually no footage of the gunmen.
"Do you really believe it was Max?"
"It's possible. Cleo hasn't ruled that out either. I'm starting to doubt it though. If the people who shot at us wanted us dead, then the security guards wouldn't have been kept
alive. All we have now is the official police report, and the guards reported seeing hooded figures enter the museum. Assassins wouldn't have left so many loose ends."
"You think it was a threat?"
"It's the best theory I've got right now. It could've been someone else trying to steal the painting, but that wouldn't make sense. The moment they shot the case, every alarm in the building went off. Honestly, we'll probably never know."
Robert paused momentarily. Sophie saw him clench his fists, though he still wouldn't look at her.