birthday. It was a sleek black Mercedes which attracted onlookers and Shanda loved attention. “We look like celebrities! ”
“ Celebrit y my ass, you only want to stay over to talk my head off about guys .”
Shanda grinned, “Don’t tell me you weren’t feeling Carlos?”
The car’s engine roared to life with a push of the electronic key. Selange readjusted the mirror, “ Can you cut it out with this Carlos crap. If you want him , then take him .”
Her friend smirked and reclined in the plush leather seat, “ I love this damn car! ”
“I know…you say it every time you get in it.”
----
CHAPTER FIVE
They rode the rickety elevator and sighed when it finally jerked to a halt on the fourth floor. The doggone thing broke down at least once a month . Selange suspected local kids messed with it. In a way , she was glad to get out of here and in to a real home. Her intentions of moving out on her own , was delayed for the time being. She decided to try and be happy for her mom and get to know Al. Her mom was an important part of her life , and if Al made her happy , then so be it.
Shanda’s cell rang. The distinct ring-tone identified the caller. Jay. She smiled broadly and answered in a sultry voice , “ Hey Jay, how you doin g…I’m at my girl’s place tonight…yeah…he said that. I’ll tell her. What you guys doing the rest of the night ?”
Selange ignored the conversation as she unlocked the door and stepped inside the dark apartment . She ran a hand alongside the wall in search of the familiar light switch. Her finger touched it and flipped it up. Bright light negated the darkness and when it did, what greeted her made her knees weak and raised a howl from her throat. The figures sprawled on the floor beneath the spotlight were unmistakable. Lying in a large pool of blood were her mom and Al. Their bodies were twisted in a grotesque position of victims who suffered a violent death. S he gagged then cover ed her mouth , and tr ied to force her brain to work . Her limbs were in a state of temporary paralysis . The image couldn’t be real; she tried to process what she saw and in time realized it wasn’t a dream or a cruel trick. “ Oh God! Mommy!”
In High School she learned CPR and tried to recall the sequence as her legs finally came alive. She rushed to her mom, peered down at the bloody face. In her shock she saw life; however the lifeless body revealed its true condition. The color of her mother’s mottled skin did not prevent an attempt to revive the cold blue lips. S elange blew hard, pound her mother’s chest then screamed to the heavens for God to perform a miracle , but he didn’t answer. There were no breaths or m ovement , only screams from a daughter’s soul. In the faraway distance , Shanda’s voice shouted for an ambulance and a cacophony of voices scream ed in unison at the horror .
S he lay down i n the blood and placed her head against her mother’s cheek , crying and whispering how sorry she was…how utterly sorry. The silence grew and she found herself dozing, wanting to believe she were in bed asleep and tomorrow everything would return to normal. Tomorrow , they were moving away from this hardened place to a softer , kinder existence. Tomorrow , they would all be together as a family.
A cell rang…it stopped…it rang again …hazy eyes opened in the fog of hell to spy an illuminated light coming from Al’s waist. The word, SOBRINO , seemed to flash like a beacon of hope. Nephew , Al had a nephew. It rang again and Selange h esitated, afraid to answer . Despite her fear, something caused her trembling hand to reach toward it and remove the device from the dead man’s waist.
“Don’t touch anything Selange!” Someone yelled, but she dismissed the warning. This was a light, Al had family and she had none.
She ignored the cries at her back, p erhaps this gesture could wake her, and maybe the nephew of her stepfather could help her and s ave her from this
“ Celebrit y my ass, you only want to stay over to talk my head off about guys .”
Shanda grinned, “Don’t tell me you weren’t feeling Carlos?”
The car’s engine roared to life with a push of the electronic key. Selange readjusted the mirror, “ Can you cut it out with this Carlos crap. If you want him , then take him .”
Her friend smirked and reclined in the plush leather seat, “ I love this damn car! ”
“I know…you say it every time you get in it.”
----
CHAPTER FIVE
They rode the rickety elevator and sighed when it finally jerked to a halt on the fourth floor. The doggone thing broke down at least once a month . Selange suspected local kids messed with it. In a way , she was glad to get out of here and in to a real home. Her intentions of moving out on her own , was delayed for the time being. She decided to try and be happy for her mom and get to know Al. Her mom was an important part of her life , and if Al made her happy , then so be it.
Shanda’s cell rang. The distinct ring-tone identified the caller. Jay. She smiled broadly and answered in a sultry voice , “ Hey Jay, how you doin g…I’m at my girl’s place tonight…yeah…he said that. I’ll tell her. What you guys doing the rest of the night ?”
Selange ignored the conversation as she unlocked the door and stepped inside the dark apartment . She ran a hand alongside the wall in search of the familiar light switch. Her finger touched it and flipped it up. Bright light negated the darkness and when it did, what greeted her made her knees weak and raised a howl from her throat. The figures sprawled on the floor beneath the spotlight were unmistakable. Lying in a large pool of blood were her mom and Al. Their bodies were twisted in a grotesque position of victims who suffered a violent death. S he gagged then cover ed her mouth , and tr ied to force her brain to work . Her limbs were in a state of temporary paralysis . The image couldn’t be real; she tried to process what she saw and in time realized it wasn’t a dream or a cruel trick. “ Oh God! Mommy!”
In High School she learned CPR and tried to recall the sequence as her legs finally came alive. She rushed to her mom, peered down at the bloody face. In her shock she saw life; however the lifeless body revealed its true condition. The color of her mother’s mottled skin did not prevent an attempt to revive the cold blue lips. S elange blew hard, pound her mother’s chest then screamed to the heavens for God to perform a miracle , but he didn’t answer. There were no breaths or m ovement , only screams from a daughter’s soul. In the faraway distance , Shanda’s voice shouted for an ambulance and a cacophony of voices scream ed in unison at the horror .
S he lay down i n the blood and placed her head against her mother’s cheek , crying and whispering how sorry she was…how utterly sorry. The silence grew and she found herself dozing, wanting to believe she were in bed asleep and tomorrow everything would return to normal. Tomorrow , they were moving away from this hardened place to a softer , kinder existence. Tomorrow , they would all be together as a family.
A cell rang…it stopped…it rang again …hazy eyes opened in the fog of hell to spy an illuminated light coming from Al’s waist. The word, SOBRINO , seemed to flash like a beacon of hope. Nephew , Al had a nephew. It rang again and Selange h esitated, afraid to answer . Despite her fear, something caused her trembling hand to reach toward it and remove the device from the dead man’s waist.
“Don’t touch anything Selange!” Someone yelled, but she dismissed the warning. This was a light, Al had family and she had none.
She ignored the cries at her back, p erhaps this gesture could wake her, and maybe the nephew of her stepfather could help her and s ave her from this
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