CAMERON

"Now!" Serenity shouts at us and I sprint toward Tyler, one of the fighters in training. "Cameron, defend for goodness sake. For once, defense," she frustratedly yells, but I don't intend to stop. I walk onto 6.4ft Tyler, hoping to reach his higher body and lock the back of his head in my arm and my legs around his body.

Realizing I'm going for an attack, Serenity urges the big guy, "Tyler, push defense."

He tries, landing side jabs to my ribs, but I've practiced endurance, focus, and balance. I've been punched half of my life, and I've seen pain of all kinds, that it has become second nature to me now.

I pull us down, restraining him with a neck crank and body locks.

"Cameron, enough," Serenity exclaims, blowing the whistle and clapping her hands for alerts, as Tyler taps my back, giving in, but all I see in my vision is Aunty Grace's face. That evil woman who took my sister from me.

"CAMERON," I hear again, and my eyes widen, finding Serenity trying to unclasp my arms around Tyler.

I let go, and Tyler rolls over to the ground, while Serenity squats, scrutinizing me.

"At some point, you need to practice defense for worst-case scenarios, Cam," she frustratingly informs me.

My head shakes at her. "There is no worst-case scenario, there's only attack."

"You should go home, take your holiday," she says after a while of studying me and gets up.

Home for the holiday, she said.

"Serenity, you and I are the same. There is no holiday for us. We might as well train more," I tell the woman as she holds out her hand, helping me up.

When I'm on my feet, she goes for Tyler, checking him while he's still lying there.

"You and I are nothing alike. I want to have my holiday. The fact that I am spending it alone has no similarities to you, who have been hiding away from those who care for you. Amy has been asking for you; she's worried about you."

"Can we try some new punches?" I ask her instead and she exhales, tilting her head at me.

"Cam, go home, it's Christmas Eve. Tyler and I are also leaving now," she says.

"What a shame we have the whole place to ourselves and you can't endure. I guess that's why you're scared," I mock the woman as she helps Tyler up.

"I'm scared you left a poor girl who's worried about you at home. Only God knows what shape she is in right now. She hasn't been calling lately," Serenity's lips shrug a little.

"She probably got tired and gave in," I say, taking off my hand gloves.

"Hopefully, but if not. Then you should go check, God forbid something has happened to her and no one knows..." She starts, and my heart thuds in my chest.

I look over at Serenity with hitched breathing, feeling extremely gutted, "Why would you say that?"

"Don't that idea come to your mind?" she confusedly asks, and fuck, I can't see very well.

I need to go.

***

Hurriedly, I change into my regular clothes and drive back to the house. It has been a while since I was here. I spot Amy's car parked in its spot, and that gives me a bit of relief. When I stop, I rush into the house.

I will check on her and then leave.

The place is cold, the lights are off, the curtains are down, and the fridge is on, but apart from that, everything is quiet, with no sign of anyone's presence. I feel a tight grip on my chest.

Setting the heater on, I scurry down the halls, checking every room.

"Amy?" I call, going up the stairs.

Quiet. The rooms are empty.

"I am home!" I announce and ascend to our room, feeling a nervous pull on my ankles.

Amy is fine. Amy is fine. Nothing happened. She's probably asleep.

Fearfully pushing the door open, my eyes find nothing. I anxiously race to the bathroom. Nothing.

I think the breath I let out is of relief, stopping and holding my knees as I breathe even more. Then my subconscious reminds me of the pool. With great terror, I rush down the stairs, feeling my throat closing once more.

The back doors are closed, I pull them and scamper outside, finding the pool empty.

"What if it's not the pool this time?" a devil on my shoulder whispers. "What if it's worse this time?" he taunts, striking me with intense pain as he drags my sanity towards the dark lake down there.

Suddenly, I feel the space closing in, the lake shifting far away.

No!

"Do not believe that. Amy will never do anything like that," a voice says in my head from my other side.

"She might not. But you ended the life of someone's husband, someone's father," the first voice protests, and I feel my chest about to explode.

"You protected the weak," the second voice says.

"Oh, please, did they tell you they want me dead?" It is my father's voice, coming from everywhere. I press my ears close with both palms, but I can still hear it. And then there he is, walking over to me in the same outfit, holding the same vase, with blood staining his shirt around the gut. "You made that choice, son. You chose to kill me when my punishment shouldn't have been that strict. You deprived this family of being together."

"No! Get out." I wipe my nose and the moisture from my face.

His laugh echoes, "Even worse, you also killed Mommy whom you said you were protecting."

"I will get her out," I yell at him, breathing heavily as he stops a few steps away.

"There is nothing you can do. That woman will die in prison, she's weak and she had your burden to bear, just imagine how she's holding up with all that. Have you called to find out about her condition? Is she sick? Was she stabbed by her fellow inmate? Has she overdosed? A lot of possibilities but I forget you don't know your responsibility yet you took me away from giving them that. Look at Harper. You let the little girl with the woman you said is the enemy. You have failed." He tauntingly says.

"GET OUT OF MY HEAD," I yell.

He is not real. He is not real. He is not real.

"Oh Cameron, it is only fair that the universe takes someone you care for too." He lets out, chaining me up with dread. "Down at the bottom of the lake, you might find Amy."

"Fuck no!"

"You will know what dying means,"

Set with panic and fright, I run past him toward the lake.

There's a sudden ringtone, stopping me in track before I reach the lake. And it is coming from the open sliding glass doors.

"Cameron, every second you waste, you're losing Amelia," Father says next to me. "Go in there and get her."

I don't get it.

"Go now." He yells, getting aggravated, and I back away.

He is lying, isn't he?

"Go get the damn girl. Do not be a coward. Do not be unreliable." He fights.

"No!" I firmly utter.

"You're leaving her?" he scoffs.

"I said no!" I grumble, running from him and back into the house.