The Escape

I didn't even look up when I heard a beep signaling that someone was entering the room. I didn't care who came. Anyway, nothing interested me for a long time. When food was brought to me, I ate enough to function and nothing else. I wanted to go home, but I was being held here. When I was imprisoned here three months ago, at first I fought and tried to escape, but my grandmother punished me severely for it. Her main problem was my lack of willingness to cooperate and fulfill her wishes. Then it slowly turned into apathy and hunger protests.

I also thought several times about taking my own life, but then I realized that after all, I have a family. Victor needed me, my father wouldn't forgive himself if something happened to me. I wanted to see Hyacinth smiling happily again because I would have known it was more important than the pain it would have caused me. I would even give a lot to see Martha. And I still hadn't lived up to my promise to Tetsuya, and I felt bad about it.

I felt a light touch as a hand was placed on my shoulder. I saw my aunt, my mother's sister. When I first met her, I was glad and had many hopes for her family, even though I remembered what my dad told me. Now that I knew the truth and understood why my mother had decided to cut off all contact with them, also my father then made sure that they could not care for me after his death.

Every time I looked at my relative, I felt a pang of pain in my heart, which reminded me of my mother and only increased my longing for her. Maybe it seemed unreal that I felt it for someone I had never met, but it was not true. After all, my dad told me about her, showed me memories of her, and David did it more than once, and I was tempted to investigate the subject in Martha's mind, but I never allowed myself to do so.

And although I knew that much, it was still not enough. Because it was only when I was abducted that I found out that my mother had the same skill. That's why my dad knew from the start how to deal with me, even though he pretended to solve my problems on a regular basis. It was one thing he hid with all his might. And as it turned out, my mother's entire family had had this ability for many generations, so everyone here communicated only by means of thoughts unless they were addressing, for example, someone from the servants.

"You have to get up, darling," auntie said. "I don't know how long we have until they all come back."

"What for?" I asked, looking at her indifferently.

"To get you out from all of this," she said, helping me stand up and handing me back the backpack with the belongings, that I had with me that December day when they kidnapped me.

"Is this some kind of funny test?" I asked hesitantly, but I felt my heart begin to beat faster.

"No, but we have to hurry up, we'll talk on the way, okay?" She chased me and handed me a warm sweatshirt and sneakers.

I was surprised, but then I remembered that it was already springtime. I got dressed and got up slowly. My head felt a little dizzy and my legs were shaking. I cursed softly, if I had known that I was going to escape, I would have eaten more, but on the other hand, it would probably arouse suspicion and someone would probably have learned it from my mind. When I got here for the first time, I felt what it was like when even the smallest thought would not hide from anyone. My remorse for Victor and David only increased because I finally found out what it was like. Auntie must have learned a few tricks of keeping some things to herself.

After a few steps, I felt a little more confident and a bit weird as I left the room that had been my prison for the last few months. I followed the nervous woman who led me intricately through corridors and rooms, avoiding the servants as well. Most of the household members must have disappeared somewhere to take such a step. I shouldn't have worried about it but should focus on running away. We reached the garage, where a fired car was waiting for us. One of the nicest people I met here, our family's chief chauffeur, handed her the keys to the car.

"Thanks, Eric," auntie said, smiling at him.

I looked at the image of her mind, which was a color of evidently romantic feeling. I raised an eyebrow in surprise and got into the car in the passenger seat.

"Good luck," he said to me with a gentle smile. "May we never meet again, except under more pleasant circumstances?"

"It would be nice," I replied, although my voice sounded so strange and my throat ached. I've been using them so rarely lately.

"Come back safely," he turned his attention back to my relative. "To me."

"I don't know how my mother will react after that. I'm afraid he'll do something to you, I…" auntie replied, clenching her hands on the steering wheel.

Her statement was interrupted by a tender, gentle kiss. I should have looked away, but I couldn't have been infatuated with this scene that takes place between two people who are in love with each other. I wanted to believe that something like this could happen to me one day, although I was also aware of how much my aunt had suffered and they still had to keep their relationship a secret. I felt depressed again about my love life.

"Come back and with the rest, whatever it is, we'll deal with it later," added Eric, gently stroking his beloved's cheek.

I saw how they said goodbye to the mute "I love you", and a moment later we were on the way to my freedom. But I saw that the driver was nervous long after the gate of the estate disappeared behind us. I was clutching my backpack nervously all the time as if I was afraid they would take it from me again.

"Why are you helping me?" I asked, directing my thought toward her mind. She didn't even have to look at me, her abilities were much more developed than mine.

"Because it's all my fault," she replied. I heard remorse in her voice clear. "When I saw last year that you had inherited the power, I thought your grandma would welcome you with open arms and we would all feel as if Lucia had come home. But I didn't think she would want to make you one of us from scratch. Because you resisted, she decided to erase your memory. It was too much" Her voice cracked. "Everything she did to you was way too much."

I leaned back against the headrest, it would be easiest to blame it all on her, but she spoke to me and I knew she meant well. She saw in me the reflection of my mother and her sister, with whom she was closely bonded. After all, she suffered when the latter passed away, she wished she had been with her in difficult moments, and that she had not participated in my life. She was surprised when I told her that my mother had miscarried four times before my birthday. She only found out about her death because dad felt obliged to tell the rest of the family about it, but made a statement that he didn't want to see anyone at the funeral or anytime later. My aunt showed up anyway, observing the ceremony from a distance, and then, around every anniversary, she visited the cemetery. The last time she saw me at this unfortunate moment was when my glasses slipped off my nose a bit.

"Aunt Linda," I said, staring out the window. "It's not your fault, you meant well, and now you're helping me."

"But you have suffered so much so far ..."

"You couldn't help it. Thank you for helping me at all now. I know you put yourself and Eric at risk." My concern for them was sincere. "You could both run away and ..."

"Only Lucia was brave enough to do that ..." She laughed in a sad manner. "I don't think I'll ever dare. The most important thing is that you get away from it."

"But now they can find me." I realized. "I have to run and hide all my life?"

"Take it easy," Linda replied. "I have a little gift for you that will keep you from this."

"Aunt ..." I started to cry.

She showed me quickly what she meant and what emotions she had to face as she prepared for me all the evidence of my family's dirty business. She hesitated, struggled with remorse, and only the thought of her younger sister strengthened her. She showed me their photos together, they were very similar to each other, and I resembled them in many ways.

"I can't cry, darling," she said soothingly. "And if you don't stop right now, I'll start to do it too, and I have to drive, right?" She smiled gently, for the first time since we left.

So she started telling me that we were going to drive a bit outside the city, where she would hand me over to someone who would take me home. She had to get back to the mansion as soon as possible to buy me as much time as possible and pretend she didn't know anything, though she was sure grandma would cast suspicions on her right away. She said that when she handed over my phone, she only had time to look and remember the number that appeared on the display and that this person was contacted to arrange it all. If she had talked to David, anyone in my adoptive family, or the police, grandma would have found out right away. This number was our best chance.

We did not travel far, as we reached the first railway station, which was outside the city. It was late evening, but some people were hanging out there. We stood a bit further from the other cars, next to the already parked black Subaru, on which the man was leaning. Above this place, a lamp has broken and we have little visibility from the ones next to us. When we parked, I recognized him and started to panic. I was looking for anything quickly to cover my eyes. My aunt looked at me and opened the glove compartment from which she handed me some sunglasses.

"You know it won't help much now," she said.

"Anything to save him from the worst," I said, reminding myself that I shouldn't have been surprised it was him, since I wrote with him last before being kidnapped. "I don't want to hurt anyone else."

"Just like Lucia," aunt Linda laughed. "You don't even realize how much you've inherited from her. Leonard did his best, I wish I could get to know him better." She sighed softly and reached into the backseat for a large briefcase. "I hope it helps you."

"It might help you, too, if we ran away together now. We'd have pulled Eric out and everything would be fine." I started to speak, my voice was trembling, but she cut me off."

"Don't worry about us, now come home safely and if you can hug me just this one time," she asked, and I did so with pleasure, whispering my thanks all the time. "It's good that it's dark and he won't see it," she tried to joke at the end, pointing to my cheeks.

I hadn't noticed he was blushing out of emotion since I recognized him. She watched me as I got out of the car and, still clutching my bag, I headed towards the already familiar man who was waiting for me calmly, still, a little nonchalantly leaning against the car. I could feel his mind from a distance, not only could she see. The kidnapping also changed my abilities, although I did not wish for it.

"It's not nice not to come to an appointment," he said, and my legs suddenly buckled beneath me, as if all the emotions had overwhelmed me. After all, the voice of someone who has no evil intentions toward me. "I hope you haven't forgotten me."

"I wouldn't dare," I replied softly. "I always keep my promise."