Part 3 Ch.11

The house is empty. I muster up the courage to knock on it but no one answers. Good. Either she went on an errand in the middle of the night or Carson kept his promise. I look around but the streets are empty. The only sounds are the never dying cars and a dog barking a street away. I take a step back and open a portal in front of the liquor store. "Don't get mad." Carson raises his hands as soon as I appear. "But someone wanted to see you." My heart goes into overdrive and I tense up, expecting an ambush. "Wait! Elenora, relax." Carson gives me a half-laugh. "Relax. It's just Matt." He gestures to his car and there's a man sitting in the passenger seat. As soon as I see him I turn to Carson. "You had no right!" I shout. "You absolute-" "Elenora." I freeze. I could be out of here in an instant. Carson knows the look on my face because he shakes his head slightly. I turn around and come face-to-face with my brother. "Mateo. You're not supposed to be here." I tell him. I hate this. I hate him. One look at him and all our childhood memories come rushing back. "Wait." Carson grips my arm and I'm still too shocked to shove him off. "Let's not talk here. Can you take us somewhere else?" I automatically open a portal and gesture for them to follow. It's not until I'm through that I realize where I've opened it. I was just here, in my old house. The living room is different, she's gotten new furniture but the memories are the same. Still the same wallpaper, the same pictures, the same... I close my eyes and try to organize my thoughts. "What the hell is he still doing here?" I open my eyes and glare at Carson. "You can talk to me, I'm right here." Mateo says. "Well, you shouldn't be! Goddamn, Carson. You had one job-" "Enough Elenora! At least have the decency to look at me." I do. The stupid beard is still there, at least I can say it to his face. "The beard is awful, Matt. I mean, it's just hideous to look at." It's actually not that bad but it's the only thing I can focus on right now. "Seriously? My little sister becomes an evil gangster and after years of not seeing each other, this is how you great me?" Mateo says incredulously. "I can't believe it." "Gangster?" I'm even more at loss for words. "I am not a gangster. That's such a stupid word-" "She thought mafia was pretty bad too. There's no pleasing her." Carson quips. "Carson, shut up!" I run my hand through my hair. "Christ, Mateo. Is Zelia still here? Is Mama?" "No. They're gone." He tells me. "At least you did something right." I growl at Carson. "I stayed behind because I need to talk to you. I deserve at least that, don't I?" "Mateo..." "Don't I?" He repeats. For the first time I take him in. He's beyond angry. He's furious. "Yes." "Alright." He nods and closes his eyes for a second, seeming to try to gather his thoughts. When he opens them he's sober and absolutely serious. "First of all, what the hell, Elenora? No, don't talk. I've been waiting for years and I'm going to say what I want to say." I close my mouth. "Carson told me about Deathman. Why did you stay? That's what I don't understand, you could have left easily but you still stayed. To what? To become this killer?" "Mateo-" He cuts Carson off. "You've come back only to drag us through your shit once again. You've had years to change and you still haven't done a damn thing about it. Enough is enough, Elenora. After all this is over, I want nothing else to do with you. Do you understand? I don't want your protection or your presence. Stay the hell away from my family." I keep my face impassive. "Are you done?" My lack of reaction infuriates him even more. "Damn you!" He shouts. "I wish you had died! At least then you would have died as the sister I once had. Not this monster who's taken her place." "Mateo! That's enough." Carson gets between us but there's no use. Mateo stalks out the front door. I jump when it slams shut. Carson turns to me. "Elenora, I'm sorry, I didn't know he was going to-" "I doesn't matter." I clear my throat. "He's safe after this, correct?" "Yes but-" "Then everything should be set in motion. We attack two nights from now. I'll work on the plan, and we'll go over it tomorrow." I open a portal. "And Carson, lock the door behind you." Then I step through.