Chapter 231

"She knew all this time," someone says. "Ywes momma," I'm not confused anymore, I was then, but not now. Now I'm over it all. "Now I need you to listen real careful okay? Real careful..." "I wistening momma..." "Don't give this player to anyone okay Bumblebee? People are gonna ask you if you saw anything or heard anything, but I want you to lie and say you didn't, say that I left, don't give them this player Bumblebee, just keep it to yourself until later – then show it to daddy okay? Do you understand?" There's a loud noise, and I hear a sob, "I love you Bumblebee, I love you Benny and I love you Pat. I love my other girls too, Pat let them know that I loved them too." "Be real quiet Bumblebee... I – I love you... don't come out... not until you hear daddies voice." Time now stands still in a way it has never done before and I don't know why listening to this now, right now is different than when I have listened before. "Shhhhh..." All you hear on the surround sound system is me breathing loudly, until voice come on again. "Look what we have here... Elder Bellamy – or should I call you Anya?" "Albert..." "Where are the Violins Elder Bellamy?" "What Violi-" the tape clicks right after the gunshot, and for the first time since I've ever listened to this recording, the sound of the gun doesn't make me flinch, I force my eyes to open, dad stumbles back, there is shouting around us, crying, but he can't look away from me anymore than I can look away from dad at that minute. The tape comes to an end and my shoulders hunch over, someone is touching my shoulder so I pull away from dad, slowly turning my head as others around me are crying, I face with Uncle Grant who has his own tears in his eyes, "Ohhh Oakley," he cries sadly, my legs feel hollow and I can hear my own heart racing. I'm sad, but the anger that courses through me, makes his words make me flinch, I take a step back, facing daddy. Whipping at my tears furiously, I look at the others in the room, all the shocked faces, I seek our Sarah's mom, watching her dead in her eyes, "I can only hope that I'm as brave as my mother was when she died," I tell her my voice as strong as I can manage, "You're nothing but a pathetic old woman, putting herself in places she shouldn't. Talking about my mother when it's your daughter you should be worrying about. She had to talk bad about a dead woman, my mother to make herself feel better." I felt a hand on my shoulder and I knew it was uncle Grant but I was going to have my say, years everyone here talked about me, about my mom. I clear my throat, "As for the rest of you, when you see me again, wipe that look of sympathy off of your faces. My mother didn't run off and leave me, she died. She wanted to be a parent, my momma, every bit as you all wanted to be parents. All of you that have stood in this very house calling her names," I eye Sarah, "I'm not interested in condolences either." "All of you that made me feel shame, walking around like I had a reason to feel ashamed when I didn't, you don't matter to me. I'll leave this town eventually, go away to school, grow and change and you'll all be the same small minded people, in a small town with nothing better to do that gossip about a dead woman." Grabbing the box I placed down, my face wet, I take two steps towards daddy and Sarah, "You Sarah, are the worst of all, you aren't a good woman," I swallowed and looked at daddy who was stunned speechless, "No where did mom say to bring in some other girl into our life and love her like you never loved me," I tell him, the hurt in my tone there, clear, even to my own ears. Looking away I walked to the car, putting in my last box and sliding into the backseat with Ben. . . . Pat Lawson POV – November 27th 2014 I watched as my daughter walked out with her head held high, I stumbled back against the wall, 'No where did mom say to bring in some other girl into our life and love her like you never loved me,' her words cutting me where I stood. Grief now worse than when I came home to find Norine gone, Oakley all alone, all these years... I close my eyes and the gun shot sound plays again. And again. Again. Again. Again. One more until I fall to the ground, it feels real. I feel the ground shake. The others all stand shocked, rushing outside, the talking around me and panic makes me stumble to my shaky feet, the screaming, shrieks of pain as I look to where they are looking, I see Grants black Nissan Armada engulfed in flames, my knees buckle – nearly falling – before I run towards it, towards the car that holds Oakley, Ben, Grant and Julia. "Someone stop him!" I hear from somewhere but I pay no mind running, screaming, down the street, "Oakleyyyyy! BBennnnn!" I shout and feel arms grab me pulling me back, "Ben and Oakley are in there," I roar struggling against the arms holding me from helping them. "They couldn't have-" Marvin – my brother – his voice cut off by the explosion that blows us back onto the ground pieces of the car fling away, not even the frame of the car in one piece. Elder Caelum POV (Five days after the shooting – NOVEMBER 28TH 2014) Everyone in their pack was boarding that plane, we were finally going to get our control back, it would've been better if that little white wolf had led us to everything we – I – needed, but that was just the price we were willing to pay before she uncovered everything. I sat back watching the twenty screens in front of me, the one from the Gavino hanger that housed their private planes showing me Tallon approaching Gabriel. The recorder picking up the questions, "Gabriel surely you can understand your father wanting to board this plane – he is family after all, will you refuse him now?" Tallon asked; George and Mina standing next to him.