Together
The atmosphere with my family is strange; it's been two weeks since they raided the shed and rescued Eloisa. None of my relatives have brought it up, and neither have I, but I feel like I'm walking on eggshells around them.
The feeling that any misstep I make could put me in Eloisa's place is consuming me, and I can no longer act naturally around them.
Lorenzo took me to his psychologist friend, David, who taught me some ways to condition my thoughts to positive things before bed.
He also gave me tips on how to remember where I am after waking up from a nightmare.
Now I'm getting ready for my second appointment. I braid my hair to the side and put on jeans and a leather jacket over a white shirt.
I put on my black and white Nike sneakers.
I grab a bag that Grandma gave me last week, where my documents and the gun Sandro gave me are.
I go down to the entrance to meet Vicente, who will accompany me. I wait fifteen minutes before calling him.
“Where are you?” I ask as soon as he answers.
“Elena, I completely forgot,” he says, and I hear a female voice behind him.
“I noticed,” I reply irritably. “I’m sure you’re very busy.”
“Sorry, sister,” he says, and I hear laughter.
“I’ll go alone,” I say and hang up.
I text Lorenzo to let him know I’m leaving for the appointment.
I ask the same security guard who took me to the park last time for directions, give him the office address, and he takes me there quickly.
I manage to arrive on time thanks to the security guard who drove perfectly. I’m going to ask Lorenzo for a raise.
I enter the office and feel something strange as soon as I cross the threshold.
The psychologist smiles at me, a little nervous, and asks me to sit on the sofa.
“Today we’re going to talk about the people from your past, Elena,” he says, serving me a glass of water.
“I don’t know if I’m ready for that yet,” I reply, putting my bag on my lap.
“Let’s take it slow, I promise,” David says, trying to sound calm, but he can’t.
“Is everything alright?” I ask, and he looks at the bathroom door as if to tell me there’s something there.
“Yes, let’s begin,” he replies, shaking his head to indicate that everything isn’t alright. “I’m going to ask you a few questions to help you relax, and then we can develop the conversation.”
“Okay,” I reply, and pick up my cell phone.
I quickly dial number one, and the phone rings to Lorenzo, who answers on the second ring.
“How was your week?” David asks. “Lorenzo told me you’re feeling better, even without Eloisa around.”
Lorenzo says nothing on the other end of the line.
David mentions Eloisa, and that already indicates what he means. The first agreement I made with him was not to talk about my twin sister or Silas until I'm ready.
And the second is not to let my brothers interfere in our conversations.
"She may not have been the best sister in the world, but I miss her," I reply with a frown. "I think I'd like her to come home, I've already forgiven her."
Pointing to the bathroom door as I speak, I gesture for him to ask if she's there, and he nods.
I hear the sound of a car starting on the phone.
I look at David, who is staring behind me with wide eyes.
I stand up quickly and see Silas and Eloisa coming out of the bathroom with a smile.
I'm horrified by Eloisa's appearance.
She looks thin and sickly, her hair is short, reaching her ears, and a huge bruise covers the left side of her cheek.
"So you missed me?" she asks me with a mischievous smile.
Silas hugs her around the waist and kisses the tip of her neck.
He knows exactly what he's doing; he knows this will irritate and upset me.
“I felt that, but I think you’re in good company,” I say ironically. “You know, seeing you two together now, I think you make a great couple.”
Eloisa glares at me, but Silas laughs.
He knows me well, he knows I’m defending myself, he knows that attacking is always better than feeling, and I’ve always done that.
“Don’t try that with me, Elena,” he says, and I stare at him.
“I’m not lying, am I?” I ask, looking at Eloisa with a smile. “Besides, I loved your haircut.”
She stares at me, and my smile widens.
“That’s what your dear family did to me!” she shouts angrily. “But I’m glad I finally stopped pretending I can stand you, after all, we’re only related because we have the same mother.”
I look at her confused, and she laughs at me.
“You didn’t know that?” She says, laughing. “I don’t side with whoever loses Elena. I was raised to be on the winning side, and that place isn’t with your family.”
“I don’t need to stay here listening to this,” I say, already tired of their nonsense, and turn towards the door.
I reach into my bag and take out the gun Sandro gave me.
“You’re not going anywhere, sister,” Eloisa says, and I hear the metallic sound of the safety.
I turn to them again and point the gun the same way Silas is pointing at me.
Eloisa smiles, and Silas looks at me with a challenging gaze.
“Don’t play with that gun, Elena,” Eloisa says, and I point the revolver at her.
“We both know you don’t have the courage to shoot, Elena, so put the gun down,” Silas says calmly.
“You don’t know me anymore, Silas,” I say, and I unlock the gun.
Eloisa looks at me suspiciously while Silas maintains a defiant expression on his face.
“You won’t be able to leave if her brothers arrive,” David says, and I realize he doesn’t want a shootout in the middle of the office. “Get out while you can.”
Silas laughs and then points at David; I quickly point at him.
“If you give me the slightest sign that you’re going to shoot him, I’ll shoot you,” I say with a confidence I don’t truly feel.
“We’ll see,” Silas replies and shoots.
The shot startles me, and reflexively I pull the trigger.
Everything happens in slow motion. I hear David falling behind me as I watch the trajectory of my shot hit Silas’s chest.
He looks at me surprised, and Eloisa screams as he falls to the ground.
The moment of surprise dissipates quickly, and I point my gun, already cocked, at Eloisa.
She looks at Silas, who writhes in agony on the floor.
I see tears streaming down her face, and when Silas takes his last breath, she glares at me with hatred.
"You took away my only chance!" she screams and tries to grab the gun that's on Silas's corpse.
"If you try, I'll shoot!" I say angrily.
Eloisa forcefully wipes away her tears and slowly walks to the door.
"I'm going to destroy everything you love most and take everything from you, just like you always did to me!" she screams and opens the office door.
I don't stop her from leaving because David is groaning in pain behind me, and my priority right now is his life.
As soon as I'm sure Eloisa is gone, I turn to David, who has a wound in his abdomen.
I run to him and press hard on the wound.
"I'm sorry, it's all my fault," I say as I try to stop the bleeding.
"It's alright, I've been through worse, Elena," he says weakly.
"Please stay awake, my brothers are coming," I say calmly.
My heart is racing because I feel like I'm reliving Silas's death, but this time the outcome will be different.
The doctor's office door suddenly opens, and I quickly grab the gun that's leaning against the floor and point it at the visitors with one hand while using the other to press on David's wound.
"Elena, put the gun down," Uncle Salvatore orders, and I sigh in relief at hearing his voice.
I slowly lower the gun, and Matteo runs to me. He replaces my hand with his and starts shouting orders for the boys to save David's life.
Only Lorenzo, Uncle Salvatore, Matteo, Bruno, and Luca came.
I move away from them and sit in a corner of the room, looking at Silas's lifeless body. I look at my hands, covered in blood, and at my trembling fingers.
The room around me falls silent, and for a few seconds only I, Silas's body, and the blood on my hands remain.
The realization slowly sinks in.
I killed someone.